There was a knock at the door. Bay shouted something she couldn’t make out.
Flood narrowed his eyes and his jaw tightened.
“It’s fine! I’ll manage for a short while.” Paige gave his chest a soft push.
Flood got a pained look as he stood up to his full height, breaking contact. He drank her in with his eyes. “Don’t you dare move. Not even an inch.”
Paige nodded. “I’ll wait right here.” She winked at him, loving the heated look in his eyes.
This had better be good. Not some idiotic bullshit. Then again, he was sure that if Torrent knew about Paige, he would never have called him in on his day off. The male would have let him be. Flood thought back on the night they had just had. He thought back on the whispered words, on the long conversations that went on well into the night. He also thought about the rutting. Flood enjoyed every moment of all of it.
“What the hell is that smile on your face?” Bay asked from somewhere behind him. The male had stopped walking. He was frowning heavily, which was unlike Bay, who was normally so upbeat.
Flood shrugged.
Bay shook his head. “That’s not normal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” Flood shook his head.
“It’s true!” Bay looked at him oddly. “Are you in love or something?”
Flood thought on it for a moment or two. “Yes, I think I am. In fact, I know I am. It’s hard but I’m trying to play it cool. I don’t want to scare Paige off. Humans are different to us. She had a bad experience with rushing into a relationship.”
Bay grinned. “So Paige is ‘the one’?”
Flood grinned back. “Most definitely. I just need to bide my time until she realizes it.”
“That’s a good plan and she’s a good female.”
“Good?” Flood snorted. “She’s the best.”
They picked up the pace, rounding the hallway that led to Torrent’s office.
“Good luck in there.” Bay gave him a tap on the back. “He isn’t in a great mood.”
“I just hope he makes it quick.”
“Don’t hit him, whatever you do.” Bay grinned.
Flood rolled his eyes and barked out a short laugh. “I won’t. I still need to go and apologize to Tide. Storm deserved to be hit, he was a little shit. He had it coming.” He shrugged. “I must say, he’s a ton better now that he’s mated. I think settling down is the right way to go.” He touched the side of Bay’s arm. “There might be someone out there for you too. You should not have stepped down last night.”
Bay shook his head. “Nah, that’s not going to be my path.”
“Why not? The right female might just come along and—”
“I would never go that route, it wouldn’t be fair on the female.”
“There are many facets to a healthy, happy relationship, sex isn’t the main…”
“It is a big part of any relationship. I don’t want to be with someone who might regret their decision to be with me somewhere along the line.” Bay shook his head. “Nope, not for me, thanks. You’d better get in there and not leave Torrent waiting.”
Flood nodded once. He sucked in a deep breath and knocked.
Once Torrent gave the okay to enter, he did so.
The Water King sat at his desk. The male was busy looking through some documentation. He closed the file and looked up. His facial expression morphed into one of confusion as Flood stopped in front of his desk.
“My lord.” Flood bowed his head.
“Sit.” Torrent pointed at the chair on the other side of his big mahogany desk. “You spent time with a human? I thought you left alone last night. Am I missing something?”
Just as he suspected. Torrent would never have called him there if he suspected he was interrupting something. He had to hold back a smile. “No, she left before I did. I followed her and the rest, as they say, is history. Is this meeting about the hunters, because unless something major has come up…I would ask you to call on one of the other males, if possible?” He held up his hands. “I was going to contact you today to ask if I can take some of my leave days over the next couple of weeks, unless something important comes up that is.”
“Let’s first discuss the reason you are here.”
His king looked unsettled. He sat back in his chair and then leaned forward, clasping his hands over his desk. This was unlike Torrent. Something was wrong.
“Okay, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”
Torrent looked down at his desk. “You hit Tide last night.”
Flood sat back in his chair. He didn't like how his stomach did a flip before winding itself into a knot. "I was angry. He gave me some terrible advice."
Torrent widened his eyes. “That is no reason for violence.”
Flood tried not to frown too heavily. He tried not to give Torrent a quizzical look, which might just be misconstrued as a dirty look. “I hate to point out the obvious, my lord, but we are dragon shifters. We are a violent bunch at the best of times. It was not the first time I have hit Tide and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I’m sure he will find a reason to hit me one of these days. I am more of a violent bastard than most, but I didn’t act out of character. Do you need to punish me? To stick me in the cage for a day or two?” He hated the idea. To be stuck between silver bars while Paige was there would be difficult, but he would do it if Torrent insisted. He wouldn’t have a choice. He did act rashly. His emotions were all over the place. Tide would understand.
"For what it's worth, Tide gave me a full rundown of his advice to you and, it wasn't great but, it wasn't terrible either."
Flood pushed out a breath. “It wasn’t terrible, no, but at the time, I thought it had cost me my female. I saw red and retaliated. It was wrong of me, particularly since the Fire King was in attendance.”
Torrent narrowed his eyes. “Your female? Is this the same female you were locked up with?”
Flood nodded, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Yes, Paige. We had an argument, but we’ve worked things out.”
Torrent remained serious. He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes on Flood, like he had done something wrong. “Did you mate this female?” There was accusation in his tone. Like Flood had done something wrong.
“No, but it is a matter of time, we plan to—”
Torrent’s shoulders slumped. “I’m glad you didn’t mate this female,” he interrupted. “And I’m also very sorry.” His expression morphed into one of pity.
Why did Torrent pity him? His relationship with Paige was to be celebrated. “What’s wrong?” The horrible feeling he had inside him grew. The knot tightened.
“You hit Tide. You hit him, not five minutes after announcing the no fighting rule.”
Flood frowned. “I wasn’t fighting Tide. The no fighting rule is specifically aimed at males wanting to fight each other for the same female.”
“No fighting means no fighting.”
“Tide is mated. It doesn’t count!” he growled, unable to fully control himself. It felt like all the air in the room was gone. He struggled to breathe. Then again, it felt like his throat had closed. His chest heaved.
“The rules were clear and you broke them. Normally I wouldn’t be so hard-assed but the males talked about it. Everyone in our lair knows what happened. I can’t be seen as going easy on you. If I let this go, what happens when the next fight breaks out?”
“If males fight for a female you can put a stop to it. You can withdraw them from the running. This is not what happened in this instance.”
“There has been talk. I’m afraid I need to make an example or all hell could break loose. Blaze has given us a major opportunity here. If all four females find mates we will be ahead of the other tribes.”
“Paige is mine!” Flood snarled. He knew where this was going and the mere thought of her with another male made his blood turn to molten lava. He forced himself to calm down by sucking in deep breaths. It didn’t help
much. Torrent was his king and Flood was walking a fine line. Despite this knowledge, he couldn’t keep the growl from his voice, no matter how hard he tried. “She won’t want to mate anyone else. I am in love with her.” His voice was deep and filled with emotion. “I am sure it is just a matter of time before she feels the same.”
“You are not mated though.” Torrent remained calm. “I’m afraid that means that the rules stand regardless of what anyone wants. You will still be able to move on. I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but you haven’t bonded with her, you will be able to—”
“No!” Flood snarled. He stood up, the chair scraping on the floor. “I don’t want to move on. Paige is—”
“Don’t say that she is yours because she isn’t. Three out of four is better than one out of four. If all hell breaks loose because the males think they can behave as they please, Blaze will put an end to this arrangement. He made that very clear. You are the leader. I expected you to behave accordingly. You broke the rules and now you must be held accountable. There is nothing else that can be done. You will not change my mind and any further insubordination will be heavily punished. Am I clear?”
Flood pulled in one lungful after another into his starving lungs. He wanted to break every piece of furniture in Torrent’s office. He wanted to hurt his king. He wanted to go straight to Paige and to mate her. To force her if he had to. He didn’t care about the rules. He didn’t care about anything other than his female and the deep love that he felt for her. She was as good as his mate. He felt it deep inside. To his core. There would be no getting over her. There would be no-one else, but it would be useless to convey this to Torrent. His mind was made up. Flood had a feeling Blaze had been involved in this decision. Then again, Torrent too could be a ruthless king. If something was for the betterment of the people, then that was the way he would often swing. He didn’t make emotional decisions. It was something he respected. Not this time.
Flood couldn’t look at the male any longer. He turned to leave without being dismissed. Leaving was better than losing his temper.
“Not so fast,” Torrent said.
Flood felt his back stiffen and his whole being suffuse with tension. He didn’t turn back.
“Do not go against me.”
“I heard you the first time.” He knew he was close to being in contempt but couldn’t help himself.
“The female will have to stay until the end of the week just in case one of the others wants to go home. We cannot make multiple trips with those hunters still potentially out there. Do not go near her. That is an order. I will explain things to her. I—”
Flood turned. “I will tell her myself—”
“That is not—”
“I will explain the situation myself. I refuse to negotiate this. You will have to cage me otherwise. I will handle this myself. I want an opportunity to say goodbye.” His voice broke. Flood cleared his throat. “We have come a long way and I owe her that much.”
“Fine,” Torrent conceded. “I do understand.” His whole demeanor went back to one of pity. “No physical contact and you are only permitted to see her this once. This is for your own good, for her own good. The more time you spend together, the more you will bond. It will be more difficult in the long run.”
It was already difficult.
Torrent had no fucking clue. In this moment Flood was shocked the male was even mated. Had he forgotten the strong bond he undoubtedly formed with his female even before they mated?
Flood nodded.
“No rutting. One last goodbye and that’s it. I will put a guard outside her…two guards outside her chamber. Do not defy me,” he spoke the last as a command.
Flood didn’t give a damn about defying Torrent. He already had a plan on how to circumvent this. It all hinged on Paige. As much as he knew he shouldn’t ask this of her, he had to. There was no other way.
Chapter 21
Flood stood over her, his presence waking her up. Paige stretched, arching her back. She must have dozed off. She smiled, still feeling lazy. “Hi! So glad you came back. I’m really starving.” She yawned into her hand. “I’ll throw on a t-shirt and we can rustle something up.”
He was frowning. His eyes were…she wasn’t sure what they were because she had never seen them like that. “Are you okay?” She sat up. His eyes were both blazing with anger and yet they looked like he was sad too.
Flood swallowed, his Adam’s apple worked. “No.” His voice was a thick rasp. “I hit Tide ‒ one of the princes ‒ last night after you walked out.”
“You hit someone?” There was shock laced in her voice.
“He was the one who gave me the bad advice.” Flood scrubbed a hand over his face. “You should get dressed.”
“Is it that bad?” What was going on? What was so bad that she had to dress first? “You’re starting to scare me.”
“Please get dressed.” He sounded upset.
“Flood?”
“Please.” He lifted his eyes, locking them with hers. Less and less pissed off and more and more upset. What the hell had happened between him leaving and now? How long had it been? She looked at the clock. Not even an hour.
“Okay.” She nodded once, sliding off the bed. Paige kept the sheet wrapped around herself as she walked to the closet. She chose a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbing some underwear as well.
Paige dressed quickly without showering first. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, going as quickly as she could.
Flood was standing by the large window, he was staring out at the ocean. He had music playing. Something loud and poppy, with a catchy tune. She recognized it but couldn’t place the artist.
“Wow! That’s a touch too loud if we’re going to have a serious conversation and I foresee a serious conversation coming up.”
He kept his eyes on the horizon. “You would be right. I want privacy though and we’re not alone.” He gestured to the door. “I don’t have much time.”
“What’s up?” she asked, trying to sound upbeat. Maybe if she pretended… She didn’t really want to know the answer to her question. This was bad. She could feel it.
“I hit Tide. I hit him.” He sounded like he was in shock.
“You said that already.”
“I hit him after the no fighting rule was announced. I never…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I guess it never crossed my mind that punching Tide ‒ a mated male ‒ would be construed as fighting.” He gave a humorless laugh. “In all honesty, I never thought much of anything at the time. I wasn’t thinking rationally right then. I was already…I was already in love with you, Paige.” He turned to look at her.
“You’re making that sound like a bad thing. Might be a little soon,” she took a deep breath, “but that’s not bad, is it?”
“It doesn’t matter why I hit him or that he’s mated already. It was still considered fighting.” He shook his head, looking distraught.
“You’re still scaring me. Why is that such a bad thing? I mean, you probably shouldn’t have hit him, but… I’m not understanding you. What does that have to do with us?”
“There was a rule announced.” Flood pushed a hand through his short hair. He ground his teeth together for a second.
“What rule? I don’t remember a rule.”
“If males were caught fighting they would be excluded.”
“Excluded from what?” Her voice was shrill.
“From being in the running to win a female.” He looked down at the floor. “I’ve been excluded.” He walked over to her. Closing the distance between them so quickly her head spun. Flood dropped to his knees in front of her. “I’m technically here to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” She shook her head, feeling her blood drain. “This is just the beginning. It can’t be goodbye.” She shook her head.
“I don’t want it to be.” He took her hands in his. “There is only one way to fix this.”
Paige had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it,
even though she wanted to. “How?” She felt herself praying that it was something that would work.
“We have to mate. We have to go the whole hog and right now. I won’t be able to get anywhere near you once I walk out that door.”
Oh shit! She had been right. “We can’t…we…we just can’t. It’s too soon. They can’t do this to us.”
“They can and they are.” He looked up at her. Like she was his whole world. He thought that now but it might change. It might! Give him a year. Give him three. He might decide his feelings had all been a result of what had happened to them. Not real! Never real!
“You might not actually be in love with me.” She licked her lips.
“I am. I really am! No doubt in my mind.”
“You might think so. You might feel it but it might not be true. That’s something that only time will tell,” she pleaded.
“I don’t need time.”
“We experienced trauma. Stress. I don’t know the psychology behind that but…but…I need time. We both do! Rushing into a relationship is not the right thing to do. Trust me, I know.”
“We don’t have time. I love you and I want to spend forever with you. If we mate, it can still happen,” Flood spoke softly and carefully. “I’d be in serious trouble but they wouldn’t be able to keep us apart. I wish I could give you the time you need but I can’t. You will be forced to stay for a week. I won’t be allowed near you and vice versa. Once you are gone, I won’t be able to find you. Even if I could find you…I would have to stay in human territory because I wouldn’t be able to return without becoming a prisoner.”
“I can’t make a decision like this under duress.” She pulled away from him and walked to the other side of the room. “I just can’t. I don’t want the same thing happening again. I should never have married Josh all those years ago. If we had spent time dating, getting to know one another, we would have realized it.”
“I know you’re worried. I understand, but things are different between us.”
“I swore I would never do something so stupid again. I—”
Captured Dragon (Water Dragons Book 2) Page 16
