Bk 1 Dracones Awakening Page 4

  They both fell silent as with the worst timing in the world, or maybe the best, Cassie came up behind him.

  “Jax,” Cassie said, and he wanted to cringe. He hadn’t found her bubbly voice annoying until now. “Show me your room.” The blond wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

  TIERNEY FOUGHT BACK her anger when Blondie reached for Jax. But when Jax tensed up and grabbed Cassie’s hand to prevent her from touching him, Tierney could sense his momentary panic. So, nothing’s changed. Why did he bring the girl home?

  “Please, Jax?” Cassie purred and wiggling her eyebrows, she giggled.

  Cassie’s words and actions made Tierney grit her teeth. She wanted to wrap her hands around Blondie’s neck and squeeze, until the life drained from her body. Jax, obviously recognizing the fury glittering in Tierney’s eyes, stepped back into the hall and pulled Cassie with him. Yeah, you’d better get her out of my face!

  With a snarl, Tierney slipped past them. “I’m outta here.” She headed for the stairs, shoving her phone into her pocket.

  Her anger boiled over as she hurried outside for some much-needed fresh air. Not wanting to think about Jax, and what he might be doing with Blondie, she thought about her parents instead. Zander refused to talk about his past, and Tierney didn’t know if he was a descendant of the Fallen, or one of the original angels who fell from the heavens. Not that it really mattered. Still, she didn’t even know her own dad’s age, and whenever she asked, he gave his standard reply.

  “I’m very old.”

  Tierney’s mother, Ahryanna, had been a Dracones who foresaw the future. A few weeks before she died, Ahryanna seemed sad and quiet. She hugged Tierney and her brother a lot, repeatedly telling them how much she loved them. Later, Tierney wondered if her mother saw her own death. What she wouldn’t give to be able to talk to her now, to see her smile. To be hugged by her once more, while Ahryanna reassured her everything would be okay.

  Although smaller dragons lived in other dimensions, all of the larger Dracones were descended from two ancient dragons. Skulla and his mate, Kiah-thorn. Unfortunately, they were all cursed.

  A thousand years ago, Skulla had helped the Ilyium fight off demons from another world. As they closed the portal into the demon world of Kalesia, one of the demons who had been hiding, sprang out and rushed through the portal with two children, before it snapped closed. The children were the Ilyium’s most powerful witches to be born in thousands of years, so of course Skulla was blamed for the catastrophe. The leader of the Ilyium, a druid witch named Herasa, was also the children’s grandmother. She cursed Skulla and all of his offspring. All Dracones would be hunted by the Ilyium until the time Herasa’s grandchildren were returned to Tartaria. The only problem with that was, it would be a thousand years before the portal could be opened again.

  As if that wasn’t enough, the other part of her curse prevented any of Skulla’s male descendants, from his grandchildren onwards, from fathering young. If Tierney mated to a Fallen or human, or anyone besides another Dracones, she could have children, but her friends, Sami and Jax, could not. Whenever they talked about it in the past, the boys said they didn’t care, but she was sure that they did in fact care, and very much so.

  After Kiah-thorn and seventeen of their thirty-two children were brutally killed, Skulla turned to the Fallen to protect his remaining offspring. Most of his fifteen children ended up finding love among the Fallen, took mates and even had children of their own, which led to the birth of the Dracones. Unlike full blooded dragons, which could change form at will, Dracones were born and lived in human form, until their dragons were awakened during their twenty-first year.

  Sometime within that year, as long as the Awakening was triggered, they went through a painful change that could last anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. But after the Awakening they could shift into their dragon form at will.

  Once their Awakening was triggered though, in order to survive it, they needed to be around another Dracones or Fallen. Alone, the chances of survival were not encouraging. More than a few Dracones had died because they tried to transition alone. If the Awakening wasn’t triggered by the end of that year, they lived as an immortal. Tierney couldn’t imagine living forever, unable to change into her dragon—another reason she worried about Jax. In two months, he would turn twenty-two. Didn’t he want to transform?

  With a shiver, she hurried past the spot where the raven died, disappeared or …whatever. What the hell had that cryptic message meant anyway? With excellent night vision, along with the moon to illuminate her way, she raced down the steep cliff on agile feet, and headed west around the lake. Years of training let her walk soundlessly along the rocky, needle and leaf covered path. Once they didn’t care how much noise they made.

  Memories of her and Sami’s seventh birthday loomed heavy on her mind. The Ilyium attacked their village that day, killing so many, while the three of them laughed and played innocently in the forest. But when sounds of the attack reached them, Jax shoved her and Sami into a cave, and went to find out what was happening. He promised to bring their mothers back.

  Unfortunately, after what seemed like forever, a nasty smelling evil man found them instead. He tried to drag Tierney from the cave, but Jax showed up and stabbed him in the neck, killing him. She’d never forget Jax’s blank gaze afterwards. A dagger that used to hang on the wall at home, hung from his hand, dripping blood, as he stared at the lifeless body on the ground.

  “Where are our mothers? Can we go home now?” She and Sami asked. Jax’s lips parted but nothing came out. With a blink, he shook his head and, amid much protesting, herded them back inside the cave.

  “We need to wait for your daddy to find us,” he said as he settled down beside her and pulled his legs to his chest.

  Tierney’s mom explained to her early on that she sensed the emotions of others, and Tierney thought she understood, but the dark hole growing inside of Jax scared her. When he started to tremble, her heart ached and she put her arms around him. A second later he turned and clung to her. “Tierney … I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “I broke my promise.” He sniffled.

  “What promise?” she asked, unsure what he was talking about.

  “My promise to bring our mothers back,” he whispered as Sami’s arms encircled both of them. They huddled together that way for the rest of the night.

  Tierney tried to push the memory away as she continued on down the trail.

  Chapter Five

  Past Ghosts

  THE LARGEST, MEANEST, most powerful wolf in the Okami pack, Soroyan took his job as enforcer and protector with grim seriousness. His job allowed him to release his anger and rage, dealing with the enemy with ruthlessness and deadly skill. He’d stopped being social long ago and now no one expected it of him, which enabled him to roam and stand guard from a distance until a threat appeared. A lifestyle that suited him to perfection.

  After five-hundred years in a savage world, living with so much loss, Soroyan hated life. The pain of losing his mate, offspring, and way too many friends, never went away. Sure, it faded, but each death still haunted him. Often unable to sleep, the nights became his worst time. Kyrian, his younger brother, and King of the Okami, tried over the years to get him to take another mate, but none of the females paraded before him piqued his interest.

  The last Ilyium attack six months before, killed many wolves, young and old alike. They lost a lot of good warriors and loved ones, including Kyrian’s mate, Sheraya. With their old territory compromised, they needed to move once again. The vicious cycle made Soroyan extremely angry, and tired. Lately he wished for death to end it all.

  But a promise he made to his dying mate—to keep going and protect the pack, no matter the cost—kept him from seeking his wish. Though sometimes it took Kyrian to remind him of his oath, especially when sorrow started to drown him, and he wanted to forget.

  Once he learned not to ignore them, his brother’s many visi
ons often dictated his thinking and after the attack, they relocated from Nevada to Washington. Now they lived in the mountains, where Kyrian’s latest vision showed there would be allies. He’d failed to mention to Soroyan that the allies would be people until after they arrived. Now, with pregnant females, and a lack of strong warriors to protect them, Soroyan refused to take any chances on the pack’s safety.

  Catching a scent, he raised his muzzle and sniffed the air. Across the highway, a human male had killed a female, and was busy digging a grave in the woods. Humans. So violent. After skirting the large log building where the four immortals lived, he padded down to the half-frozen lake. He drank from the frigid water and savored the icy liquid. Lifting his head, he scented fresh flowers. Saroyan bit back a growl. It was the spirited female. Immortal or not, Soroyan hated people—didn’t trust them.

  As she wandered close without noticing him, Soroyan picked up her turbulent emotions. Surprised at her lack of attention and curiosity piqued, he decided to follow her. She would be so easy to kill. Well, if not easy, at least satisfying.

  Soroyan had kept a close eye on the four of them in the last six months. The spirited female with the amethyst eyes, and the two strong young males, often trained with the Fallen warrior. They were adept at all types of weapons and a mix of martial arts, although he doubted any of them had ever experienced real battle, other than maybe the father.

  Kyrian of course, forbade him to harm them, and since Soroyan waived his rights to be king long ago, he needed to obey Kyrian’s rule. That is, if he wanted to stay. If there was one thing he still cared about, it was his brother. Although if he were honest, he didn’t mind watching the female immortal, but he’d never admit that something about her stirred him.

  Soroyan wondered what upset her so much, that she didn’t even sense him. As a supernatural being, being aware meant the difference between life and death. His anger at the thought of anyone hurting her unsettled him. He padded along behind her on silent paws, appreciating her stealth in the woods. At least until she came to a fallen log, sat down and muttered as she checked her phone.

  He settled on the ground about ten feet away, with his head on his paws and his eyes on this mysterious young woman. There was something soothing about her. She sat still for so long he started to drift to sleep when his ears picked up a sob, shocking him awake. No, she can’t be crying. No—yup. Tears glittered on her cheeks. Soroyan almost let out a whimper of alarm. No. I won’t let her affect me—no way in hell.

  Without thinking, he shot to his feet and tried to back away, wanting to put distance between them. This spirited female crying made him uncomfortable, as emotions other than hatred surfaced. I do not care. No matter how much she cried or how the fire in her eyes set his blood flowing. But try as he might, his feet wouldn’t move.

  After wiping her face, Tierney stilled. Soroyan thought she’d spotted or sensed him, but instead she stood and started back home. Still not understanding why he didn’t just leave, he followed, telling himself he wanted to make sure she got home all right.

  TIERNEY PUSHED THE MEMORIES away and started to stand up when a shiver shot through her. This day continued to get stranger and stranger. She sensed someone watching her—again—and thought about the raven. No, this was different. Not moving, and pretending ignorance, she let her senses out discretely. Someone with considerable power and hatred lurked close by, but for some reason, she found she just didn’t care.

  The urge to scream her anger at the world filled her and through force of will, she stuffed it back down. Then, on her feet once more, Tierney headed back down the trail keeping her mind open. Out of habit, she re-checked her phone—still nothing from her dad. Where are you? Had the Ilyium captured him?

  She hated feeling helpless. This is what they did. They found people. But this time they’d drawn a blank. In most cases, they talked to the family and friends of the missing person. Tierney would read their minds, and Zander got information from touching their belongings. Jax used his ability to get bad guys to confess their crimes, while Sami worked computer magic. He dug into backgrounds, tracked devices and other techie stuff. The thought of her dad not being around anymore made her feel ill. She thought back to how overjoyed she had been when her dad found them in that cave so long ago.

  ***

  The sun had just risen, and the familiar sound of warriors cursing made Tierney smile with relief. She had recognized the voices. Five large, Fallen males had gathered around the body on the ground. The fiercest one had black, shoulder-length hair, a short beard and vivid green eyes that often sent fear through the hearts of his enemies. Standing taller than the others, Zander J’arzan—her daddy, called her name in a ragged voice.

  A deadly warrior, and Lord of their Clan, Zander led their people with a firm, but gentle hand. He never asked anything he refused to do himself, and earned the allegiance and respect of all. A long sword, with an angel hilt embedded with emeralds, hung from his side. Zander said the sword came from the heavens. Tierney grabbed Jax’s hand at the familiar sight and scrambled out of the cave with Sami right behind them.

  At the sight of her, Zander fell to his knees and grabbed her up in a tight hug, tearing her hand from Jax’s. “Tierney. Oh baby, you’re okay.” Tears ran down his face.

  “Daddy, we were so scared,” she said as she looked around the clearing. “Where’s mother and Cristoz?”

  Zander hugged her tighter and didn’t answer. But sensing Jax’s panic, Tierney pushed free of Zander’s arms to grab her friend’s hand. Jax began to calm.

  Zander eyed the dagger Jax clutched tightly in his fist. “Jaxsaron, did you do that?” He nodded toward the dead man on the ground a few feet away, but Jax didn’t respond.

  “He did Daddy, that man tried to hurt me.” Tierney shivered.

  Zander wiped the tears from his face and gently eased the dagger out of Jax’s fist before pulling them both into his arms. “C’mon, you two.” He picked them up and started out of the clearing while someone else carried Sami.

  Zander and his men carried them to Darkwell Pass, a sanctuary protected by magic, where the loved ones of the deceased gathered. For a week, Tierney stayed by Jax’s side while Zander held meetings with his warriors and others of their kind.

  Somehow, the wards protecting their village and outlying area had failed. After taking out the remaining guards, the Ilyium attacked, killing everyone in their path. Zander tried his best to hold the rest of the clan together, but in the end, the anger and pain sent everyone scattering in separate directions.

  Devastated at the loss of his wife and baby boy, and weighed down with guilt at failing to keep his people safe, Zander decided it was time to leave their world.

  They came to Earth and ended up in Washington state.

  JAX leaned back in his seat on wraparound balcony outside his room, took a swig of Jack. With a scowl, he eyed the half-ounce of Nectar-infused amber liquid in the bottom of the bottle. Damn, didn’t think I drank that much.

  He made a huge mistake bringing Cassie home and, unable to bear her incessant chatter any longer, he’d sent her to another room for the night. He’d been worried about Tierney ever since she took off and wondered where she was. Her car sat cold in the underground garage and her bike was still in the same spot as earlier. He’d checked.

  The familiar scent of wildflowers drifted to him on the air, filling him with desire and telling him Tierney wasn’t too far away. Jax groaned. She shouldn’t be out wandering alone at night. Anger simmering, he raised the bottle, finished it off, and set it on the ground. Through the haze of alcohol, he became aware of his dragon stirring deep within him, followed almost immediately by his darkness trying to surface.

  Like a separate entity, a dark rage—the darkness—grew inside him and constantly wanted out. So far it only escaped when he fought the enemy, but each time it became harder to rein back in. Jax agonized over losing control. What if I lose myself to it?

  The thought of being a Drac
ones, of flying and being invincible, excited him. Yet as his Awakening loomed, he worried. The darkness made him second guess going through with it. The power boost, combined with the rage, scared the shit out of him. What if he hurt Tierney, or Sami, or Zander, or someone innocent? He already had a hard time living with his past. If he hurt someone, he’d never be able to live with himself.

  Tierney should have someone who’d love her, protect her and treat her well. Someone whole, not broken. And something broke inside him when the men Marcius sold him to destroyed his soul.

  The year Marcius took them away, burned angrily in his mind. Jax still didn’t understand why he even bothered with them. Because, for some reason, his father hated Jax with a passion, and did his best to make sure Jax never forgot it. As if he could. Luckily, Marcius only went after Sami a few times. Still, determined to protect his brother, Jax always jumped in the way to stop him, and while he only deflected Marcius’ fists from Sami to himself, he didn’t care. As long as Sami was safe. Though one time Jax was too slow, and to this day he still blamed himself for what happened to his brother.

  Marcius arrived home early, and just the sight of Jax immediately set him off. “You!”

  With a growl, he whacked Jax in the side of the head, put his fist into Jax’s stomach and threw him onto the glass coffee table, shattering it. Jax lay there, unable to move as he tried to breathe through the pain. Blood poured from various cuts and wounds.

  Sami chose that moment to crawl out of his hiding spot under the stairs and confront their father. “Stop! Why are you doing this?” he cried, quaking as he peered up at their father.