The Island Of Dragons: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (2 page)

Dalton said it was nice to meet me and then continued speaking, pulling some small, glinting object from inside his life jacket. “This little metal box is something of my own invention. What it does is somewhat difficult to explain, but basically, it creates vibrations powerful enough to open a wormhole in a particular spot. I went on this cruise specifically because I knew the ship would be traveling across the particular coordinates that I needed to vibrate in order to open the wormhole to the special island I want to travel to visit. 

Although, of course, like I said, I never meant to take anyone else along with me. The ship tilting and you falling overboard was a complete accident. See, again, kind of hard to explain, but the vibrations that my invention produces are vibrations on such a micro-scale that they shouldn’t even be felt. But sometimes, after I cause them to happen, they produce some sort of a weird little aftershock—like after an earthquake—that makes inanimate objects a little unsteady.

Unfortunately, in this case, that happened to the boat, sending you overboard. And now... you’ll have to come with me to the island....” Pausing, Dalton glanced over at the fading lights of the ship. “Because I don’t think you have any other choice.”

It certainly didn’t look as though I did. I was coming out of my stunned daze and experiencing something closer to panic, a feeling that was increasing as the ship began to fade completely from view.

Heartbeat racing, I suddenly turned my gaze from the direction of the ship to Dalton. “I don’t want to die in the ocean. Please don’t let me. My parents drowned in the ocean on vacation in the Cayman Islands, and I just don’t want to go down that way. They were pulled under by a rip current, and after, all I could think about for weeks was how scared they must have been...

How scary it must be to literally be buried by water. Just, please... don’t let that happen to me. I’m really not a very strong swimmer, and I’ve never liked open water... not even before what happened to my parents happened. I know I’ll never be able to swim to Hawaii or wherever the closest landmass is.”

Making some sort of shushing noise, possibly intending to be comforting, Dalton pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you drown. We are just going to take a trip to the island together, that’s all. Which is not to say that the trip is going to exactly be a walk in the park, but... well, just hang onto my life jacket very tightly, and we’ll be just fine. And in fact, if
you
want to wear the life jacket, and
I’ll
hold on, we can do that, too.”

I nodded. “Yes. Please.”

I wasn’t quite sure that I believed Dalton’s talk about a wormhole and a “special island,” but then again, I didn’t
not
believe him. He really didn’t sound in any way delusional or mentally unstable at all, like he was a person having delusions or anything. His words, which he’d spoken with confidence, honestly made me lean toward thinking that all he’d said was actually real and true. Although, I knew it was possible that he was simply one of those people who believed his own delusions or lies enough to be perfectly convincing.

With the ship now long gone, I had to hope he wasn’t one of those people. The only alternative was to prepare for an unpleasant death beneath the waves. Of course, I realized it was possible that my friends might notice me missing and the captain might turn the ship around for a rescue, but who knew how long that could take, and I could be dead by then.

Also, I’d had a private room on the ship, and I’d told my friends I was going to make it an early night; therefore, they’d probably have no reason to check on me or notice my absence until the next morning. By then, I’d definitely be dead. I doubted I had it in me to tread water longer than an hour or so, if that.

Dalton made a move to unbuckle his life jacket to give it to me, but almost immediately, he froze. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. No time for a life jacket transfer. Do you feel that? It’s opening.”

“What is?”

“The wormhole. It’s almost ready to pull us through to Black Lake Island.”

*

Right then, I felt something
sucking
at my feet. There was no other way to describe it.

Terrified, I gasped. “I feel it, too! It’s like—”

“Hold on tight! Here it goes!”

Dalton’s words were immediately followed by some great churning, roaring, sucking sound, and before I knew it, we were under the water. It filled my nose and mouth, and I exhaled bubbles, trying not to choke. After the loud roar, everything was eerily quiet. All I could hear was a quiet, steady rushing-gurgling sound, something like white noise. That wasn’t to say that Dalton and I were still or moving slowly, though. What we were doing was actually hurtling. Hurtling downward, presumably through a wormhole. Presumably to Black Lake Island, wherever and whatever that was.

Everything was completely dark, and after a short while, I didn’t even bother keeping my eyes open anymore. Besides, with my lungs burning for air, I was busy enough focusing on not inhaling water. Squeezing my eyes shut, I somehow felt more able to focus on the task, telling myself to just relax, and that I
would
breathe again, which I prayed was true. One thing was for sure, and that was that I was going to hold on to Dalton’s life jacket strap as long as I had even a shred of strength left to do so.

After maybe a minute or so, Dalton and I briefly came to a stop as whatever force that had been pulling us downward ceased or disappeared. Then, we were suddenly rocketed upward, maybe ten or twelve feet or so, though I really couldn’t tell. I heard a loud splash, which I could feel had been caused by Dalton and me breaking the surface of the water and coming into open air.

That didn’t really make much sense to me, since we’d been hurtling
downward
nearly the entire time. It seemed like if anything, our feet should have broken through to open air first. Like Dalton, I supposed there was a lot about wormholes that I still didn’t know, and that was quite the understatement.

Flailing around in the inky water, I gasped for air, pulling it into my lungs as deeply as I could. I could hear Dalton doing the same, though I couldn’t see him. Wherever we were, near a special island or wherever, it was still nighttime and completely dark, and I’d somehow let go of his life jacket strap without intending to, separating us.

After at least a dozen full breaths, I turned in the direction of his oxygen-starved wheezing. “Dalton, try to swim over to me! I need to grab your—”

I’d been planning to say, “strap again,” but my words had been cut off by a wave crashing over my face, filling my mouth with water.

I propelled myself through the top of the wave, choking and coughing. “Dalton, help! I need to grab your—”

Once more, my words asking for his strap again were cut off by a wave rolling over my face.

I came up sputtering, beginning to feel incredibly weak. “Dalton, please. I don’t think I can—”

Another wave hit me in the darkness, and it took me a little longer to fight my way to the surface this time. When I broke through, I still did not see Dalton, or hear him.

“Dalton? Please say something! I can’t—”

Yet another wave crashed over me, and this time, it was a mighty struggle to come back up to the surface, and when I did, I could not seem to stop choking, feeling as if I’d swallowed my weight in water. I still couldn’t hear or see Dalton, but I did see something else that filled my heart with hope. In the distance, not too awfully far away, I saw twinkling lights.

Right away, I shouted as loudly as I could, trying to wave my arms at the same time. “Help! Someone! Over here!”

I couldn’t tell if the twinkling lights in the distance were from a ship, dwellings on a landmass, or something else, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was that there was now a chance of being rescued.

After battling a few more waves, each one depleting my waning energy even further, I mustered up the strength to yell again. “Please! Anyone! Help!”

Beyond exhausted, I tipped my head back, panting, trying not to get any more water in my mouth. The moon, pearly and iridescent, was brilliantly bright, and for just a split second, I thought I saw a dark shape cross it. The shape seemed to have a body, a long neck, and wings, like a dragon. Though in my weakened physical state, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen, if anything.

I was beginning to feel so utterly spent I realized it was possible that my mind was now playing tricks on me, making me see things. Besides, I knew I didn’t have time to waste contemplating what I had or hadn’t seen. I knew that where there were lights, there must be people, and whoever was near the lights in the distance, I had to get their help fast.

Summoning whatever remained of my strength, I raised my voice in a yell once again. “Please help me! Over here!”

Not a moment later, a great wave took me under, and I stayed under, being tossed and flipped, for I didn’t even know how long, until I felt
the arms
. They definitely weren’t the arms or tentacles of any sea creature. They definitely weren’t Dalton’s arms, either, and somehow I just knew this.

The arms around me were strong, hard, and well-muscled. I grabbed onto one, feeling what I was fairly sure was a large, rounded bicep. My free hand brushed against the expanse of what felt like a smooth, chiseled chest.

Being that we’d both been submerged in the water, I hadn’t gotten a look at Dalton’s entire physique, but what I’d been able to see of his shoulders had told me that they were somewhat narrow, and that he probably wasn’t a very muscular man. Whoever was holding me, pulling me up to the surface of the water, certainly was.

The second I felt air on my face again, I sucked in a great breath and then immediately spoke. “There’s another person drowning. His name is Dalton.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got others out here who’ll find him. You just relax and breathe while I take you to shore.”

The man who’d spoken had a deep, masculine voice, a voice that somehow matched perfectly with his muscular body, but I couldn’t clearly see his face. For one thing, it was still nearly pitch-dark, except for the glow from the moon, and for another thing, my eyes were stinging from the saltwater, making me blink and squint. For yet another thing, my energy was so depleted I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, period.

The man with the strong arms again told me to just relax, then began pulling me to shore, and I did relax, going completely limp, actually, with the side of my face between his shoulder and neck while he swam. Once we’d reached shallow water, he picked me up and carried me the rest of the way, not seeming to have exerted himself in the least. He wasn’t even breathing heavily. I was, though, feeling like I still couldn’t quite get enough air.

Now on land, I felt sort of funny about being carried like a baby by a man I didn’t know, so I asked to be put down, and he did, then pointed to something in the sky.

“That’s Joshua, my second-in-command. Looks like he decided to pull your friend from the water while still in dragon form.”

I surveyed the midnight blue sky, spotting an even darker form within it, heading toward us. This form was shaped like a dragon and appeared to be holding something, or someone, more like. I could clearly see the outline of a person. My voice came out in a wheezy near-whisper.

“I
thought
I saw a... a dragon earlier.”

“That one was probably me. I was almost directly above you when I heard you shouting. I’m glad I and some of my men decided to fly for a while tonight.”

Suddenly, it was all too much,
it
being absolutely everything. Me falling overboard on the cruise ship, Dalton telling me about wormholes, us actually going through one, and now dragons. I was actually someplace where dragons were flying through the sky, rescuing people, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

I didn’t feel well. I was dizzy, and the stars and moon were beginning to spin a little. My legs felt oddly rubbery, and I got the impression that they weren’t going to hold me up much longer. They didn’t. They gave out beneath me just as the moon and stars faded to complete black, as if a curtain had been pulled over them. The last thing I was aware of was the man with the strong arms putting them around me once again.

***

When I awoke however many hours later, I was in a bed in what seemed to be some sort of a medical clinic or hospital. A crisp white sheet was pulled up to my chest. Some machine beeped in the distance. Sunlight streamed in through open windows. A  man sat next to my bedside. A man with very muscular arms. He looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to speak first, and I did.

“Who are you?”

He sat up a little straighter in his chair, folding his arms across his broad chest. “My name is Warren Knight. I’m chief of the dragons here in the village of Knight’s Shore. And
you
are now my prisoner.”

CHAPTER TWO

Incredulous and near-stupefied, I stared at the man who’d identified himself as Warren Knight. “Excuse me? I’m your ‘prisoner’ now?”

I was totally incredulous and near-stupefied, not only because of what he’d said to me, but because of his appearance. It turned out that a long, muscular physique wasn’t the only attractive thing about the man who’d rescued me from the ocean. His strong-jawed face was handsome to the point of being mesmerizing, as were his heavy-lidded coal-gray eyes. They glinted even a bit darker when he responded to me.

“Yes. You’re my prisoner now, because I suspect you’re a spy or an enemy combatant. And you’ll remain my prisoner until if and when that’s proven otherwise.”

Sitting up in the hospital bed, noticing that I was dressed in pale yellow cotton pajamas, I scoffed. “So, let me get this straight. Despite any evidence, you think—”

“Please tell me your name. Your boyfriend is still unconscious and hasn’t been able to tell us.”

I folded my arms across my chest, only vaguely noticing that the action had the effect of revealing more than a bit of cleavage over the top of my scoop-necked pajama top. “First of all, the man I was with is not my boyfriend. He’s a scientist named Dalton Barrett, who I barely even know, and who I only just met when his stupid vibration device to open a wormhole or whatever made me fall off the top deck of the cruise ship. I was actually on a singles’ cruise when I was dragged into this whole mess with him.”

“All right. I’m noting that’s your story.”

“It’s not my ‘story;’ it’s the truth. And how dare you imply—”

“What’s ‘second of all?’ You said ‘first of all,’ so what’s second?”

I’d noticed that Warren’s gaze had slid to my cleavage for just a second while he’d been speaking, and during that second, his expression had seemed to become one of outright lust and hunger. Though the moment had been so brief, I couldn’t be sure.

Regardless, the possibility that such an attractive man might have been viewing my breasts in such a way was enough to thoroughly jumble my thoughts, even more than they’d already been jumbled by me waking up in a hospital room and seeing that man by my bedside. For some reason, this mental jumbling that Warren had caused in me irritated me, and I tried to express this irritation with a frosty tone when I responded.

“Well... well, second of all is that you asked my name, and I want to inform you that friends call me Ellie, but
you
may call me Eleanor.”

“Oh. Well, then.”

“You may call me Eleanor O’Brien, to be exact.”

He sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his brawny chest, mirroring my pose. “All right, then. I was going to tell you that
you
may call me Warren, something which very few people are allowed to do, but now, I think you may refer to me as Chief Knight.”

“Well, then. Fine. And you may now refer to me as Eleanor Christine O’Brien.”

“All right. If that’s your wish, that’s perfectly fine. But now, you may address me as Chief Warren Knight, at all times.”

I dipped my head in a nod. “Perfectly fine by me. So long as you call
me
Miss Eleanor Christine O’Brien at all times, every single time you see me.”

“That won’t be a problem. So long as
you
remember to address
me
as Chief Warren James Knight, every single time you see
me
.”

“Not a problem at all. That is, if
you
remember to address
me
as Miss Eleanor Christine Elizabeth O’Brien. I have a second middle name that I only rarely use, but I think in this case, I would like to use it. I would like
you
to use it.”

“And I have no problem doing so. Just keep in mind that from now on, call
me
Lieutenant General Chief Warren James Knight, as reflects my military title during my years in the Army, before I came here to the island.”

I sputtered for a moment, becoming increasingly rattled. “Well... well, I’ll be glad to do so. Just keep in mind that from now on, I expect
you
to call
me
Miss Eleanor Christine Elizabeth O’Brien...esquire.“

Warren’s dark eyebrows shot up.

“Oh. You’re an attorney?”

My face flamed instantly. I wasn’t an attorney. I’d never taken even a single law class. I’d just gotten a bit carried away.

I gave my throat a little clear, shaking my head just slightly. “I’m actually... well, I’m actually not an attorney. I’m actually a waitress at the moment, by way of being a dance teacher. But once in college, I did actually consider enrolling in law classes. I did actually consider it. Who knows? I may still take some law classes yet some day. I may actually become an attorney. So, in the meantime, you may as well include
esquire
at the end of my name.”

Warren’s dark eyes had begun just faintly twinkling in a way I didn’t like, and now he dipped his head in a nod with the corners of his well-proportioned mouth twitching almost imperceptibly, irritating me further.

“Your logic makes complete sense.”

I nodded in return, tightening my arms across my chest. “Yes, you may as well refer to me as Miss Eleanor Christine Elizabeth O’Brien, esquire. And in fact, I demand that you do.”

“Agreed. Though while we’re at it, we may as well begin referring to any high school student who’s ever considered taking a biology class as
Doctor
.“

I nodded once. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, actually. I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

Warren’s full lips had begun twitching just a bit more noticeably.

“Glad to hear you think so.”

Just then, a dark-haired young woman wearing a white top, skirt, and shoes stuck her head in the door. “Chief Knight? How’s our patient?”

He turned his handsome face toward the door to respond. “Spirited. I think she’ll make a complete recovery.”

The woman smiled, more at me than Warren, making her warm brown eyes sparkle. “I’m happy to hear that.”

She then came bustling into the room, politely kicked Warren out, and escorted me to the in-room bathroom, which I realized I needed to use badly. After using the facilities, I looked in the mirror and saw that my long, wavy, strawberry-blonde hair seemed to have been brushed.

My face appeared to have been washed as well, judging by the fact that not a trace of the light makeup I’d been wearing the night before remained. Although, I figured, it might have all been washed away by my wild tumble in the ocean.

When I emerged from the bathroom after helping myself to a new toothbrush and a mini tube of toothpaste, the nurse introduced herself as Melody, then began leading me back to bed with an arm around my shoulders. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of getting you washed up last night when you were out cold. I also put you into pajamas. Just wanted to let you know that Chief Knight had nothing to do with that. I made sure you had your privacy.”

I thanked her, trying to fight a mental picture she’d put into my mind, a mental picture of “Chief Knight” undressing me. Although unlike the reality would have been the night before, in this mental picture I was wide awake, my fingers straining to touch the hardened planes of his chest even while he removed my top and let his own fingers begin exploring.

I hated that this picture had popped into my mind’s eye. Sure, Warren was attractive, and incredibly so; I couldn’t deny that. However, I wanted nothing to do with a man who suspected me of being a spy and an “enemy combatant.” I would rather be undressed by any other man, even a convicted criminal. Even a convicted murderer. Or so I told myself until the mental picture of Warren and me that I’d developed disappeared.

Melody settled me back into the crisp-sheeted hospital bed, telling me that she’d given me some I.V fluids the night before. “I bet you’re still a bit dehydrated, though, and hungry, too, I’m sure. Just give me a minute to grab your tray, and I’ll be right back.”

She was back in less than a minute, actually, bearing a tray loaded with eggs, bacon, fruit, toast, and no fewer than three tall glasses, two filled with water, and one with juice. There was coffee as well, which smelled so good to me the scent was almost intoxicating.

After a quick sip or two, I realized what I was thirstiest for was cool, clear water. While Melody did some tidying in the room, I was halfway through my second tall glass when Warren strolled in the room, thumbs in the pockets of his battered jeans.

He came to a stop bedside and surveyed me with the same faint twinkle in his eyes that had been present earlier. “Being an attorney must be thirsty work.”

I set my nearly empty glass on the tray with a slight bang. “Please leave.”

“Certainly. I’d hate for you to take legal action against me if I don’t. But, ‘Please leave’
who
? I don’t believe I heard my name at the end of that request.”

I spoke through gritted teeth. “Please leave, Lieutenant General Chief Warren James Knight.”

“That’s better. Once you’re a bit more hydrated, I’ll be back to talk again. Until then, Miss Eleanor Christine Elizabeth O’Brien,
esquire
... have a pleasant day.”

With that, he turned and strode out of the room, giving me a glimpse of his tight rear, which was displayed to its very best advantage in his low-slung jeans. His fitted t-shirt, which was a pale dove gray, also did a fine job of showing off every ridge and muscle in his broad back.

I went back to my water, telling myself that he disgusted me because of what he’d accused me of being. He disgusted me so much that I couldn’t get the image of his shoulders and rear out of my mind, and I soon became so engrossed in wondering when he’d be back to talk to me that Melody had to repeat herself when trying to get my attention.

*

Melody laughed, living up to her name, because her laughter, soft and musical, could definitely be described as melodic. “Hello, Ellie? You still with me? I’ve said your name twice now, but you look like you’re in some sort of a funny trance.”

I pulled myself out of it, setting my water glass down and turning my focus to her. “Oh, sorry. I’m still here. Just a little...”

I couldn’t really think what the heck I was.

Melody set a stack of clean towels on a closet shelf, shut the door, and turned to face me, smiling. “Dazed?”

I lifted my shoulders in a weak shrug, determined to put all thoughts of Warren out of my mind. “Maybe a little. I’m fine, though.”

Melody came over and took a seat bedside, her expression one of sympathy. “Well, who can blame you if you
are
a little dazed? After all, you’ve recently almost drowned; you’re in a strange, new place where you don’t know anyone; and from what I’ve heard, you saw dragon shifters for the first time last night. And I’m sure there were many other quite rattling experiences you went through yesterday.”

Dragon shifters
. I absolutely could not believe that they hadn’t crossed my mind at all that morning. Not even once. Not even for a split second. That’s just how thoroughly disgusted I was by Warren. I was so disgusted by him that that the feeling had even crowded out all thoughts of dragon shifters from my brain.

I nodded at Melody, lifting my coffee mug. “That’s it—being so stunned from seeing dragon shifters for the first time last night. That’s exactly what has me so spacey this morning.”

Leaning forward in her chair with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, Melody gave me the smallest of smiles. “So, Chief Knight hasn’t contributed the tiniest amount to your spaciness? Just, on top of everything else? I’m just wondering because the two of you seemed to be involved in some sort of a very intense discussion when I came in. It seems clear that the two of you have gotten to know each other well enough to know each other’s full, complete names.
I
didn’t even know Warren’s middle name was James, and my husband Joshua is his best friend and second-in-command.”

I sighed, swallowed a sip of coffee, and set the mug on the tray. “He accused me of being a spy and an ‘enemy combatant,’ Melody. He actually believes that’s a real possibility. Which makes me... well, let’s just say he’s not my favorite person right now. I don’t appreciate being accused of things that are completely absurd the very day after I almost lost my life.”

“But the reason you didn’t lose your life was
because
of Warren. Who, by the way, you’ll notice I call both Warren and Chief Knight alternately. See, I’m one of the few people in the village allowed to call him Warren, but I called him Chief Knight for so many years that it’s just a hard habit to break. Anyway, the reason you didn’t lose your life was because of Warren. He saved you from drowning.”

I sighed again, realizing she was right. “Well... that’s true. I’ll thank him sometime for that, because I
am
grateful. But I’m still very irritated with him for suspecting me of being a spy.”

Pausing, I picked up my coffee again but then, having a sudden thought, I set the mug right back down. “Oh! Guess what else? He even told me I’m his prisoner here. His
prisoner
. As if I’ve done something wrong. And as if he’s the absolute say-all, be-all, end-all of every single thing that goes on around here.”