Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Read online

  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 visions 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 S
ami 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 Dracones, 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.

  “No,” Jax shouted, struggling to extract himself from the glass and bent table frame before Marcius could hit Sami. But he was too late.

  Marcius growled, his face red and eyes filled with fury, and wrapped his large, meaty fist in Sami’s shirt and pulled him close. “You ungrateful little brat,” he said and Jax would never forget the sound of Sami’s nose breaking, or the blood afterwards, it still had the power to fill him with horror and a black rage. Without a care for either boy, Marcius tossed Sami against the wall like a rag doll. “Clean this mess up,” he growled at Jax before stomping out and leaving the boys alone.

  Wanting to kill his father, Jax ignored his pain and pulled himself over to Sami. Gritting his teeth, he dragged his unconscious brother, whose face had swollen up like a bloody balloon, to their ratty mattress in the corner of the room and then carefully wiped the blood from Sami’s face with a wet cloth. While he waited for Sami to wake up, he picked pieces of glass out of himself, leaving the ones in his back that he couldn’t reach. Then he cleaned up the rest of the broken glass, and wiped up all the blood.

  As soon as Sami opened his eyes, Jax’s tears started to flow with relief.

  “Jax. Don’t cry,” Sami whispered.

  “I’m sorry, Sami. I should’ve stopped him.”

  “No.” Tears shone in Sami’s eyes. “He’s always hurting you. I-I can’t stand it.”

  Jax lowered his head.

  “You need to stop—” Sami said, wincing in pain.

  “Stop what?” Jax asked without looking at Sami.

  “Stop getting hit for me.” Tears now streamed down Sami’s face. “Jax. You can’t stop him and I hate it when you get hurt because of me.”

  “I’m your big brother, Sami. I’m supposed to protect you.” Ashamed, Jax turned away.

  “No,” Sami whispered. “You’re wrong. He’s our father. He’s supposed to protect us—not hurt us.”

  But Jax knew he should have protected Sami better.

  The day Marcius came home whistling under his breath started a new nightmare. One that never went away for Jax. Two tall, bald men with eerie eyes showed up and handed Marcius some money. With a grin, Marcius held Sami back while the two creeps tried to drag Jax away.

  He fought the men and although he was only a skinny ten-year-old, he was still Dracones—with more strength than a human kid would have.

  “Stop or I’ll hurt Sami,” Marcius growled, making Jax freeze. He glanced up at his father’s evil grin and narrow-eyed glare, then looked at his brother’s tear-filled face.

  “Sami, I’m sorry,” he whispered, wincing as his brother’s cries tore at his heart while the men dragged him out the door.

  Jax flinched at the memories of what the men did. Shame and humiliation, combined with the feelings of being lost, alone and powerless, cut straight to his soul. He tried not to think about that time in his life, though late at night reminders tended to slither in and tear him open once again.

  Now, his anger made it hard to fight the darkness. Still, he managed to push it back down when he heard a sniffle and saw Tierney climbing the steps from the lake. Alarmed, he tensed up as she strode towards the house. Her face shone with tears. What the hell? His heart started pounding. He wanted to go to her, but, what if he’d caused her crying? Damn, he hated himself for hurting her, and wished that he could give her everything she deserved.

  The door down below opened and closed as she went ins
ide. Jax reached for the Old no. 7 and put it to his lips. It was empty. Dammit. He dropped the bottle and stared out into the night. After a few minutes, he got up. Tierney should be in her room by now and he couldn’t put it off any longer. He needed to check on her, apologize for Cassie and for staying away, and … so much more.

  Chapter Six

  Dream-Vision

  TIERNEY WIPED her face and stopped at Sami’s door when she heard him cry out. Sami tended to keep his feelings hidden, but now, his obvious anguish stunned her. She knocked but didn’t get an answer. Slipping inside, she closed the door and pushing her own feelings and worry aside, made her way over to his bed.

  Sami thrashed about, tangled in his sheets. Climbing onto the bed she shook his shoulder. “Sami?” She waited until his eyes opened. “Hey, you’re having a nightmare.”

  “Tiern?” He blinked, breathing faster than normal. “What—?” Sami’s gaze swept the room, before looking back at her.

  “You’re having a nightmare,” she repeated.

  Sami covered his eyes with an arm. He was trembling, and the pulse in his neck raced. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault,” she said.

  “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

  “You’re not bothering me, but I am worried about you,” she said with exasperation.

  “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not.” She waited for him to say something. “Sami?”

  “I had a dream, that’s all.” Sami lowered his arm, but didn’t look at her. He still trembled, even though his breathing had returned to normal.