Water Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 2)

by Charlene Hartnady

  She made a noise of surprise as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Shit! His hand tightened ever so slightly on her jaw, he tilted her head and plundered her mouth.

  Oh god!

  This monster could kiss. He could seriously freaking kiss. Not that she was enjoying herself. Forget that. She only prayed that he had told her the truth, that he would protect her from the rest of them. Although she struggled to understand how he would get that right. There was a whole group of them and only one of him.

  There was no way he could keep his promise. Candy turned her head, breaking the kiss. He stayed just above her like that for a few seconds, his eyes still closed. His chest rising and falling against hers. Then his eyes opened. Those unnaturally pale orbs locked with hers. His eyes narrowed, like he was trying to tell her something. A warning perhaps.

  There was a sound of feet shuffling. Of breathing. She slowly turned her head. It was a group of about twenty of them. Twenty more of these huge giants. The bastards stared down at them. They looked pissed. Each and every one of them looked beyond angry. The one closest to them snarled, his lips curled away from his teeth which looked abnormally sharp.

  Candy turned her head and buried it into his chest, which was as soft as it was hard. His skin was soft and hairless. The muscles underneath made it hard. She noticed how his tattoo was a bright golden color. It had flecks of turquoise green intermingled in the gold. All of the others’ chests had silver markings. Maybe he wasn’t full of BS when he told her he was a king. It seemed significant somehow. Not that it mattered to her. His promise mattered and that was it.

  “She is mine.” The warrior king on top of her rasped. His voice barely a whisper. His throat seemed much better though. The guy didn’t seem interested in moving off of her. She almost didn’t want him to. She felt safer sheltered underneath him like this.

  The closest guy with the long teeth actually flinched as the king-guy spoke, and took a small step back before his features hardened with determination. “I challenge you for her then.” His hands curled into fists.

  “Why bother? This female has chosen me as her mate.” He turned his attention back to her and her mouth dried up in an instant.

  What the?

  What was this big ape on about? She started to shake her head but he covered her mouth with his before she could speak. It was a quick blistering kiss that caused her practically lame toes to curl. They wouldn’t move when she needed them to earlier, but right now, she could almost be termed a ballerina. It was because she was sickened by his touch. Yes, that was it.

  He pulled back and gave her a ghost of a smile. She sighed… with relief. “Don’t play coy, human. The sooner you tell them that you have chosen me, the sooner they will leave us in peace.” He sniffed at her. Sniffed.

  Shit! These beast men weren’t normal. Duhhh Candy, they are dragon shifters. Normal didn’t factor at all anymore.

  “Um.” She kept her eyes on his for a moment before turning to face the group.

  Oh shit! The guy looked even more pissed. His eyes looked weird. Scary!

  “Yes,” she mumbled.

  “Yes… what, human? Speak up.” The scary one asked. He narrowed his slitted eyes at her. That was it, his eyes looked distinctly reptilian. A shiver ran up her spine. It felt like someone had just played hopscotch on her grave.

  She looked back up at the shifter on top of her. His pale eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

  Shit.

  Her choice was, take her chances with the likes of him or… she looked back towards the throng. They grew more restless by the second. She didn’t really have a choice, did she?

  “I have chosen him. He’s telling the truth.” She tried to sound confidant. Like she really meant it but failed dismally. Her voice came out as a soft, shaky whisper. Was she making a mistake? Please let her not be making a mistake.

  Please.

  The big brute gave her a cocky smile and nodded his head in approval. “I will keep my promise.” He winked at her. Winked. This had to be some terrible dream. At least he seemed to genuinely have her best interests at heart.

  The big shifter turned his head to the crowd. “You heard the female. She is mine. I command you all to leave right now so that I can fully claim her.”

  The other guy’s shoulders slumped in defeat and several of the men looked like they were grumbling. One even cursed loudly. Most of them moved away. All but one or two stragglers.

  The big beasts pale gaze was on the remaining men. “Suit yourself.” He growled, it was a terrifying sound that caused his chest to vibrate against hers. “You can stay and watch. See if I care.”

  Then he did something at total odds with their agreement. He hoisted her legs up around his hips.

  Candy whimpered. Her gaze was still on the shifters. Their eyes widened and they turned. “What? Wait? What?” She sounded like an incoherent idiot.

  “Don’t argue.” He whispered as he pulled up her dress. All the way up, till it bunched around her hips. She wasn’t wearing underwear.

  Candy began to hyperventilate from the shock. “Oh god!” She yelled as he settled over her. She could feel something massive, something rock hard against her and had a good idea of what that something was. Thank god he was still wearing his pants. There was a thin barrier of material between them. It wouldn’t take much for him to free himself.

  She should’ve known that this was too damned good to be true. Humiliation rose up in her. If he expected her to just lie there and take it, he was sadly mistaken. She knew that there was very little she could do. She was so weak, so tired. The last of the adrenaline was leaving her system, her body too exhausted to make any more.

  She sucked in a breath to scream ‘no.’ To call him a couple of choice names but he slipped a hand over her mouth. The dickhead gave a small shake of the head. His jaw was clenched. She was breathing hard through her nose. The whole length of his body held her down. She could feel him there. Throbbing against her. Any second he was going to rip into her. Claim and take and destroy.

  She moaned against his hand, hearing the air as it moved in and out through her nose. So quickly. She could hear the sound of her own heart thudding in her ears. The man on top of her blinked in and out of focus.

  No.

  She was losing it. She was about to faint. All those hours of running, all that time she had spent in the freezing cold water, it was catching up to her. No! Not now. No. Maybe it was a blessing. Maybe he wouldn’t hurt her as much if she was unconscious. No! She couldn’t live with not knowing exactly what had happened. Her vision became even more blurred. There was nothing she could do to stop it. Bright lights winked and then everything went dark.

  Chapter 4

  Candy sat upright.

  No.

  Stop.

  Don’t.

  She could hear someone screaming and quickly realized that it was her. She tried to make herself stop but couldn’t. It was only when she felt the sheet crumpled in her fisted hands that she realized where she was.

  A large airy room that looked like it had been carved from rock. Her chest heaved as she sucked in a lungful of air, trying to calm down. She looked up, she looked down, then left and right, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. She was on a double king size, four poster bed on crisp white linen. The room was sparse but tastefully decorated with a delicate orchid in a gold container on the bedside table. There was a couch and a coffee table. In the far corner was an ornate, antique looking desk. At the center of the high ceiling, cavernous was probably a better word, there was an enormous crystal chandelier. It was beautiful and delicate looking, depicting the bottom of the ocean in wisps of seaweed, shells and starfish.

  That wasn’t the most amazing thing though. The thing that stole her breath and made her eyes widen was the view. Deep blue ocean for as far as the eye could see. To the left, the water was cut by a long coastline with chalk white cliffs. It was…

  Oh god!

  As beautiful as it all w

as, she was suddenly reminded of her ordeal. Her shoulder felt stiff. Her body still ached.

  Oh god!

  Candy looked down. She was wearing a thin white cotton and lace gown that looked like it might reach her ankles if she were standing.

  Oh god!

  No!

  How the hell did she get here? Who had changed her? Cleaned her? What the hell had happened to her? She pulled up the hem of her nightgown and clasped herself between her legs expecting pain. She felt fine. She pushed a little more firmly. No tearing, no bruising, no pain whatsoever. Candy frowned. Next she opened her legs and inspected her inner thighs looking for bruises from his big hands.

  She had scratches on her knees and she had a gash on her hip but that was from dragging herself. There were a couple of bruises but they didn’t look like hand prints and they were on her shins. Probably from running and hitting into the odd rock in the water.

  “Is everything okay?” A strong, feminine voice.

  Candy shrieked and grabbed her chest. She straightened out her dress and flashed her gaze to the entrance of the room. An extremely tall woman stood in front of the closed door. She smiled at Candy, concern shone in her eyes. “Are you in pain? I hadn’t thought to check your pussy.” She frowned. “Although I don’t know why that would be sore.”

  Say what?

  Candy made a squeaking noise. She cleared her throat and gave her head a quick shake. “Who are you?” She pulled the sheet around herself.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” She laughed. It was then that Candy noticed the tray in her hands. Her stomach growled despite the circumstance.

  The woman’s eyes shone. “My name is Sky.” Her hair was dark but her eyes were a deep blue, reminding her – cliché time – of the sky on a cloudless day. “I’m an air dragon.”

  Oh boy.

  She was one of them. Candy should have realized. The woman was so incredibly tall and built like an athlete. She wore one of those dresses, only it actually fit on her larger frame instead of looking like a sack.

  The other woman laughed. “This is the part where you’re supposed to tell me your name.”

  Candy closed her gaping mouth and nodded once. At first glance, she liked the shifter woman. Her face was open and friendly. It was a huge contrast to the two she had met after she had first been abducted. “I’m Candy. I’m sorry, it’s just, this has all been a big shock.” Her lip wobbled. She’d always rated herself a strong woman. She’d had to be from an early age. Life had tossed her some doozies and she’d always managed to end up on top.

  The shifter, Sky, made a noise of concern and walked over to the bed. “Oh, honey.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it was an ordeal. Especially for such a weak human like yourself. The hunt is supposed to be fun and exciting.”

  “How can you say that?” This woman was sweet but she was also clueless.

  Sky set the tray down on the side table. “It should be fun. It’s probably because you’re not a shifter female. You don’t fully understand our traditions.”

  Candy snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t like the idea of being hunted by a group of horny guys and then having them fight each other for an opportunity to rape me.”

  “Rape?” Sky frowned.

  She really was clueless. “Yes, rape as in force themselves on me. Forced sex.” She added when the woman’s frown deepened.

  “Who forced you?” Then she gasped. “Is that why you were checking yourself… down there?” she frowned. “That can’t be right,” she mumbled to herself.

  “That bastard.” Candy’s voice shook. All the details were coming back to her now. “He promised.” A tear rolled down her cheek but she wiped it away with an angry swipe of her hand.

  “Who promised?” Sky sat down on the edge of the bed. “What did they promise? Speak to me. What happened to you? If one of those males forced themselves on you.” She shook her head. Her eyes blazed with anger, which quickly morphed to confusion. “Although I find it hard to believe that any of them would. Dragon shifters are honor-bound.” She sighed. “Then again, they are desperate. Maybe… Who was it? I will have his dick removed.”

  What?

  Really?

  “You’re joking, right?” Candy swallowed hard. She leaned forward.

  “No, I’m not joking. Unless you would prefer for the male to be put to death. If it were me, I would insist on it.”

  “He would be killed?” As much as she hated that animal, she found that she didn’t like the thought of him being killed. “I would prefer it if his dick was removed please.”

  “Would you be able to point him out?” before she could answer, the shifter carried on. “Describe him to me? Let’s start with the exact color of his markings”

  “They were golden with—”

  “What?” Her whole body tensed and she jumped up as if an electrical current had ripped through the bed. She frowned. “That can’t be.”

  “He had very light blond hair and blue eyes with a golden tattoo on his chest.” She gasped. “Oh yes and there were turquoise green flecks mixed in with the gold.”

  Sky shook her head. She practically vibrated with anger. “I thought that humans were sweet and kind. At least, that’s what I was told by our males. I can see that it isn’t true. Then again, maybe it’s just you. A bad apple.”

  What?

  “I just told you that—”

  “There is no way in hell that the water king forced himself on you. I find it utterly ridiculous and laughable that you would suggest such a thing.” Then she leaned over Candy and sniffed her.

  “What are you doing? How can you be so sure? You weren’t even there.” She added, feeling more alone than she had ever felt before and that was saying something. It seemed like she had been wrong about the woman.

  Sky made a low growling noise and huffed out a breath. “He never rutted you. None of the males did.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Candy’s voice was a little shrill. “There is no way that you would know a thing like that.”

  Sky touched her nose. “I’m a shifter. I can scent it. Although Torrent touched you, he didn’t rut you. You are a liar.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “Are you sure?” Maybe this woman was right. She prayed she was right. “Do you promise me that you’re telling the truth?”

  “He didn’t rut you, female. He barely touched you.” Then she stared out the window for a half a minute. “You genuinely seemed relieved. Did you really believe that he had raped you?”

  Candy swallowed hard. She nodded once, feeling her eyes prickle. “I didn’t feel sore… done there.” She glanced between her legs. “So I hoped not, but…” She made a noise of frustration. “He told those other guys that he was claiming me fully and then he pulled up my dress.” Her lip quivered. “Unfortunately I can’t be sure what happened after that because I blacked out. It was a terrible ordeal, my body shut down.”

  The shifter had her hands on her hips. She was difficult to read. Candy wasn’t sure why she even cared what the other woman thought about her but she did. “I swear to god, I thought he had raped me. You can’t blame me for thinking it. Not after what those other shifter women said.”

  Sky narrowed her eyes. “What women? What did they say?” Her stance softened, just a little.

  “Their names were…” She had to think about it. It felt like forever ago. “Scarlet and Ash. They said that we would be hunted and rutted. That the shifter men would tear us apart. We would be used and”—she paused as she thought of the exact words—“mated and impregnated, if we could survive the hunt, that is. You’ve just told me that your men are honor-bound, that they don’t force women. Something isn’t adding up.”

  Sky grit her teeth and shook her head. She walked away.

  “I swear I’m telling the truth. We were petrified, and when”—she swallowed— “Torrent, is his name Torrent?”

  Sky turned sharply and gave a nod of the head before putting a palm to her forehead. Her jaw was set.

  “He grabbed me and pushed my dress up… I thought the worst.”

  “He must have had his reasons for doing it. You will need to talk with him about it. The only thing I can tell you is that he didn’t hurt you in that way. Our males are… they don’t do things like you just described.”

  “Why am I here then?” she whispered.

  Sky glanced at the tray. “You need to eat. I think it would be best if your… if Torrent explained things to you. He sure as claw has a few things he needs to explain to me.” She said the last under her breath.

  “Just tell me.”

  Sky shook her head. “It is not my place. I’m sorry you were misled in that way. Torrent might be…” She looked around before locking eyes with Candy. She gave a small smile. “A bit arrogant—he’s the king so he can’t help himself sometimes.” She spoke softly like someone might be listening. “He is a good male. If he made a promise to you, he will keep it. Give him a chance.”

  Candy tried to talk but Sky removed the lid of the tray. “Eat. Get your strength back.”

  Why did she need her strength? Why the hell was she here? If Candy knew anything, it was that a lie was very often just a step away from the truth. Those dragon women had lied but it didn’t seem too far from the truth. She had been brought here for a reason. One she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like.

  Two days later…

  “With all due respect, my lord.” The air princess smoothed her dress with her hand. “You need to speak to the human. You can’t leave her in her room like that indefinitely.”

  “Has anyone else been in to see her?” Torrent couldn’t help the growl in his voice. “Did you say anything to anyone about my… situation?”

  “No, my lord.” She sucked in a breath. “On both counts.”

  He felt a portion of his stress evaporate. “What about to your mate? Did you tell Lake?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t said anything to your brother but you can’t expect me to keep your secret for much longer. With all due respect, my lord, you’ve allowed this to get out of control.”

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