Dragon Guardian of Water Read online

  Dragon Guardian of Water

  Alphas & Alchemy: Elemental Shifters Book Three

  Keira Blackwood

  Eva Knight

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  A Taste of Midnight Wish

  Also by Keira Blackwood

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Keira Blackwood & Eva Knight

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any actual persons, places, or events is coincidental. All characters in this story are at least 18 years of age or older.

  The cover utilizes stock images licensed by the author. The model(s) depicted have no connection to this work or any other work by the author.

  Edited by Liza Street

  Chapter 1

  Polly

  Social call in a tiny shack smack in the middle of nowhere? Sure, why not?

  It had been a while since I’d seen Astra, and if anyone needed someone to check in on his sanity, it was her father, Robert.

  At sea, Robert had been secretive. Being stuck on Dragon Island hadn’t helped. He chose isolation, preferring to strike out on his own in the wilderness over a free bed and meals with the wolf shifters.

  So, the three of us hung out at Robert’s place, lingering in an air of awkwardness.

  I twisted the mug in my hands.

  Lycaon village had a minty tea that I enjoyed sipping alongside my breakfast. The steaming cup of garbage water in front of me was not that tea. It triggered my gag reflex, which put me at risk of spewing the contents of my breakfast everywhere. I spit that shit out quick.

  Astra shot me a bulgy-eyed, what-the-fuck look from across the tiny room.

  “What?” I asked. “I spit it into the cup, not on the floor.”

  It wasn’t like Astra was drinking the ‘tea.’ If she was, she’d spit it out, too.

  Her dad looked over his shoulder from where he was pouring himself a mug. “If you don’t like it, don’t drink it.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” I set the mug down on the stump beside the stump I was sitting on.

  There were a lot of stumps in the tiny shack. Not that I was judging. Robert had built the place with his own two hands, which in my book afforded him mad props. It was a tiny cabin made of found wood, so the logs were all different sizes. Two sticks hung on the wall like a decoration, because why not decorate your stick house with sticks? There was a pile of grass in the corner, where I assumed he slept, and a little fire pit beside the grass. Was it a catastrophe waiting to happen? Sure as hell looked like it to me.

  “The place looks great.” Astra beamed at her father as he took a seat beside her on...guess what...a stump.

  “Thank you,” he said. “How is...where is it that you live with the dragon?”

  It was the kind of thing that would have pissed off most fathers, not knowing where his daughter lived and all, but he seemed the same amount of grumpy as always—mildly.

  “We have a cave,” Astra said, shifting in her seat. “I told you to come visit. You both should.”

  Oh, so she had invited him. Robert was the lone wolf type. Funny he didn’t much like the actual wolves. He had probably written off her invitation while he huddled over his journal sipping his garbage water.

  “I’ll come,” I said.

  “You’ll love it. There are these caverns filled with water deep underground, and—”

  “Tell me they’re deep enough to dive in.”

  “They’re deep enough to dive in.” Astra smiled.

  “You had me at water.”

  It could be interesting to check out her dragon’s cave, and I was never one to pass on an opportunity to swim. But since I almost never saw Astra anymore, I wouldn’t count on this whole diving thing actually happening.

  “What’s it been like living in the wolf village?” she asked.

  “It’s good,” I said. “Not sure how long I’ll stay, though.”

  “Feeling smothered by your...bodyguard?” She looked out the little window by the door to where Forrest was leaning against a tree. “His name’s Forrest, right?”

  I nodded.

  “You can invite your friend in,” Robert said.

  “Forrest,” I called out the window, “want to come in and drink some...tea?”

  Now that was a scowl.

  “What’s his deal?” Astra asked. “If you were anyone but you, I’d guess overly possessive boyfriend.”

  “Boyfriend? What? No.” I glanced out the window to where he was still glowering. What was it about the idea of the two of us together that made me feel like I’d just chugged a gallon of Robert’s tea?

  Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad.

  Forrest wasn’t that bad.

  He was great, even. The two of us got along like gin and tonic. No, it was more like gin and gin, because we were more alike than complementary to each other.

  Sure, he was a big beast of a man, and he had a decent face. There wasn’t anything unattractive about the guy, but there was no spark.

  “Is there another reason for him to follow you all the way out here? More trouble with the coyotes?” Astra asked. “Celedon wants to help if Thorn needs it.”

  “Trouble with the coyotes,” I laughed. We’d had our share and then some. “We’re all good now. My roommate is a coyote. It’s gotten a little weird since her mate showed up, too, though. I don’t need shifter ears to hear them banging it out every night. And morning. And—”

  Astra leaned forward, capturing my attention. “Coyotes are staying in Lycaon?”

  “Yep.”

  It really had been forever since we’d hung out.

  “Huh, I didn’t see that coming.” Astra sat back up. “How about you, Dad? Have you been into the village to trade? Is that where you got the teapot and mugs?”

  “Cascade Village.” He tossed back the contents of his mug—without gagging—and wiped his hand over his beard.

  “Where is that?” Astra asked.

  “By the river in the jungle. There are a number of villages clustered together within a few miles of each other, the largest of which is home to the bear alpha. To continue my research, I need to connect with locals.” Robert stared down into his empty mug, then got up and stood by the tea pot.

  The guy never wanted to talk about his secret journal or the mission that had led us to the island. He was a bearded clam, and chatting made him bristle. Honestly, I was surprised he’d said anything about anything since we’d arrived. Maybe being a hermit had loosened his lips a bit.

  “But you found the earth staff.” Astra turned on her seat to look at him. “Just like you wanted.”

  Robert nodded. “The discovery of the Staff of Terra opens the possibility that the other relics spoken of in the ancient texts are real. Where exactly each would be is up for debate.”

&nbsp
; He kept talking, but I’d already picked out the important bits. There was a bigger, better village out there that I hadn’t yet explored, and there was treasure to be found.

  I grinned at Robert. “Exactly how much treasure are we talking about?”

  “Relics,” he said. “Not treasure.”

  “Shiny is shiny, and if it’s priceless to someone, it’ll line my pockets.”

  “She has a point.” Astra looked from her father to me, then back again.

  I wasn’t in the treasure hunting game for the money. Okay, maybe that’s why I chose to stop living paycheck to paycheck as a diving instructor. Getting fat paid on Astra’s oceanic expeditions meant I could set my parents and brother up for life.

  Still, I could have stopped a long time ago. But traveling the world was my jam, and finding the shit tons of loot at the bottom of the ocean that no one else could find—there was no rush quite like it.

  None of that mattered anymore. Being stranded on an island that wasn’t supposed to exist meant the paychecks had stopped rolling in.

  Robert caressed the sticks that hung over his bed with a softness that made me think he liked them a little too much.

  “The Staff of Terra,” he said. “It’s possibly the first of four.”

  “Oh, that’s Celedon’s staff.” I waggled my brows at him. “You keep rubbing it like that, your daughter’s going to get jealous.”

  Astra looked down, but not before I caught the smirk on her lips.

  Robert wasn’t so amused. He grunted and mumbled and crossed his tree trunk arms over his barrel chest.

  I wondered if the dragon knew Robert had the broken stick, or if he cared.

  “You said the staff is the first of four. What are the other three?” Astra asked her father.

  “The lore isn’t clear, but I theorize there’s a relic for each element.”

  “Earth, water, fire, and air.” Astra rose from her seat and pulled a piece of the broken staff off the wall. “A relic connected to each dragon.”

  “If I’m right,” Robert said.

  “Do you know where they are?” Astra asked.

  “No,” he said. “I don’t even know what they are. They could be anything, or anywhere on the island. Even if they exist, finding them may be impossible.”

  Challenge accepted.

  I rose from my seat and stretched my arms. “Well, this has been...something.” Nice? No. A snorefest? Not exactly.

  “Leaving already?” Astra’s expression dropped.

  “Yep, people to do, things to see.” I smiled and pulled my friend into a hug. I wasn’t really doing anyone at the moment, but if I didn’t get some ass at some point soon, I was going to get a serious case of blue bean with Willow and Reed in the room next to mine.

  “I’m serious about the caverns at my place,” Astra said, squeezing me back. “Come dive some time.”

  “Make your dragon fly us, and I’m in.” I was serious, too, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  I waved to Robert and headed out the door to let the two catch up without me. They didn’t need me hanging around, and I didn’t need to spend any more time sitting on my ass. Not when there was treasure to find.

  Sunlight wiggled its way through the pines, and a gentle breeze rustled branches. The air was warm and pleasant, just like it always was, which made the morning feel like any other. It was about to be different, and I couldn’t fucking wait.

  Forrest fell into step beside me as I headed down the small trail that led away from Robert’s hidey hole. There was a comfortable silence between us, one I knew he’d soon break. Nothing needed to be said when we were on patrol outside of Lycaon, but I wasn’t headed toward Lycaon, and I was tired of patrols.

  It didn’t take long before Forrest spoke. “This isn’t the way back.”

  “Duh.”

  I chose the most worn trail, which meant it was the way Robert went to trade—the way to Cascade Village.

  Forrest grabbed my wrist.

  I stopped and turned to him. He was standing close—a little too close.

  I shook my arm free of his hand and took a step back. “What?”

  His mouth worked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite spit it out, and his forehead lined with concern.

  “If you’re worried that I’ll miss meal time or something, no need.”

  “That’s not—” He frowned.

  “And I won’t really ride the big-ass jungle snake.” Probably.

  He crossed his arms over his chest in the defensive way he did when someone pissed him off. But his chestnut eyes were warm as he regarded me. He wasn’t pissed. It was something else, but we didn’t do the whole feelings thing. Why start sharing now?

  “I thought we were going to patrol together after your meeting,” he said.

  “Nah, not today.” I snagged the fishing spear from his hand and turned. “You go ahead and do what you gotta do. I’m doing my own shit today.”

  I heard him grumble something under his breath, but he didn’t follow. Soon, Forrest was out of sight and out of mind as I made my way toward my next adventure.

  Hells to the yeah.

  Chapter 2

  Ruarc

  Wind whipped over the ledge, pulled at my clothes, and sent a shiver up my spine. It did the same to Celedon and Kaelestis. Celedon appeared no more bothered by the gust than us, though he wore far less clothing, only a small cloth around his hips. The only one of the four of us brothers to remain in dragon form was Rhys. To fight the grip of the air, he tucked his wings firmly to his sides.

  How Kaelestis could live up here on the highest peak, I couldn’t fathom.

  Knowing my brother, he wasn’t only enjoying the discomfort of the rest of us, he was actively evoking the air. To Kaelestis, everything was an opportunity to display and cement his power. That’s why we were here by his front door, even though it was Celedon who’d called for the four of us to gather.

  I didn’t much care for manipulative games. Neither did Celedon or Rhys.

  Light reflected off the shimmering fabric of Kaelestis’s shirt and beamed from his easy grin. The colorful feathers of his pet araes fanned over his shoulder, complementing his olive skin. The bird was his favorite accessory.

  He flourished his hand and looked to each of us in turn. “Now that we are all here, would anyone care for a drink?”

  Celedon crossed his arms over his bare chest.

  Rhys remained perfectly still, a ruby dragon perched above us on the side of the mountain. How long had it been since he’d seen the surface? It was a wonder Celedon had convinced him to come.

  Our father was alive. I supposed that news was enough to entice us all.

  Kaelestis looked to me and raised a brow. “A glass of water?”

  Was that meant to be a joke? Offering the Guardian of Water a glass of water? With Kaelestis, there was no way to be certain.

  “No. Let’s not waste each other’s time.” I turned to Celedon. “Tell us about Father.”

  He nodded with a stoic expression. “He appeared above Coyote Village.”

  “What do you mean appeared?” Kaelestis stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes.

  “Through a break in reality, he slipped into the sky. Like this.” Celedon reached his hand to his hip and slid it into the portal he referred to as ‘his pocket.’ He pulled out a sheer cloth, then returned it to the invisible space.

  “Parlor tricks,” Kaelestis said with a shake of his head. “Aldrych the Creator has not been stored for two hundred years in a glamoured satchel.”

  Celedon stared at Kaelestis and said nothing.

  “Why Coyote Village? Why now?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Celedon said.

  “What did he say?” I asked. “Where did he go?”

  “He said nothing,” Celedon said.

  I clenched my jaw and flexed my fingers. What did Celedon know?

  “He appeared from nowhere and said nothing?” Kaelestis tilted his chin and narro
wed his dark eyes at Celedon, mirroring the frustration I felt. “After two hundred years of virginity, bedding your human pet has scrambled your brain.”

  Calm melted from Celedon. His muscles tightened, and his face hardened into a threatening scowl.

  My preference was for this meeting to not come to blows. Not that it would be the first time. There was a reason my brothers only gathered when it was absolutely necessary.

  Tensions ran high, and old rivalries flared. In the presence of my kin, I was a child once more, waiting for my father to intervene.

  Always waiting for Father.

  A pang of heartache pierced my chest. I looked to Celedon for answers he didn’t have, and asked the question that hurt the most. “Of all of us, why did he show himself to you?”

  Why not me?

  Celedon peeled his fiery gaze from Kaelestis and looked at me, his expression cooling slightly.

  “Why not Ruarc, his favorite son?” Kaelestis’s gaze seared into the side of my head; he was waiting for me to react.

  I kept my features smooth, not allowing his words to have any impact on me. Or at least not on my expression.

  It was true that I’d always considered my bond with Father stronger than that he shared with my brothers.

  Father created Rhys first, the son who held the island on his shoulders. None of us knew exactly what that meant, only that Rhys, Guardian of Fire, was essential to the island in a primal fashion. I’d always wondered what he did, but even as a child he rarely spoke.

  Celedon was second born, Guardian of Land, who cared for the soil and vegetation that all life required. Then came Kaelestis, Guardian of Sky, who shielded the island from the outside world.

  And I was last, Guardian of Water, and of Life itself. Father gifted me the most precious and fragile of his creations, and care over the descendants of the immigrants he’d invited here before my birth.