Ride The Wave: Her Elemental Dragons Book Four Read online

  Ride The Wave

  Her Elemental Dragons Book Four

  Elizabeth Briggs

  Contents

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  1. Jasin

  2. Kira

  3. Slade

  4. Kira

  5. Auric

  6. Kira

  7. Kira

  8. Kira

  9. Reven

  10. Kira

  11. Kira

  12. Kira

  13. Slade

  14. Kira

  15. Kira

  16. Auric

  17. Kira

  18. Kira

  19. Reven

  20. Kira

  21. Kira

  22. Jasin

  23. Kira

  24. Kira

  25. Kira

  26. Slade

  27. Kira

  28. Auric

  29. Kira

  30. Kira

  31. Kira

  32. Jasin

  33. Kira

  34. Kira

  35. Reven

  36. Kira

  37. Kira

  38. Kira

  39. Jasin

  40. Auric

  41. Slade

  42. Reven

  43. Kira

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  Also by Elizabeth Briggs

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  1

  Jasin

  I glared at the man in front of me with his all-too-familiar hazel eyes. Doran, the Azure Dragon, was one of the men I’d spent months training to defeat. It was my destiny to help overthrow him and the rest of the Black Dragon’s mates to restore balance to the world. They’d only brought chaos, misery, and death to the four Realms, and now they’d kidnapped the woman I loved. I wanted to rip his head off, set fire to his body, and watch his bones turn to ash, but I couldn’t—because he’d just told us he was Kira’s father.

  Doran had the tanned, weathered skin of a man who spent his days in the sun, and his long sandy hair was wind-tossed and a little wild. While Isen, the Golden Dragon, had the bearing of a prince, and Sark and Heldor, the Crimson Dragon and the Jade Dragon, were obviously warriors, Doran looked more like a sailor or a pirate, especially with his scruffy beard, plain white shirt, black trousers and boots. I wasn’t fooled by his appearance though. The man was dangerous, and he was our enemy.

  “Why should we believe anything you say?” I asked, while my hand lingered on the hilt of my sword and fire burned inside me, begging to be released. Slade and Auric tensed beside me, ready to join me if things turned ugly. We stood in the ruins of the Earth Temple surrounded by shimmering crystals on the stone walls, a broken Dragon statue, and two bodies on the ground. One of them was Reven’s.

  Doran held up his hands as if in surrender. “I realize you have no reason to trust me, but Kira’s life is in danger and we need to rescue her before it’s too late.”

  “You knocked her out and carried her away, but now you want to rescue her?” Slade asked, his voice a low growl. His green eyes were hard as stone and a thin layer of sweat coated his dark skin despite the chill in the air. He’d been unable to stop Kira from being kidnapped, only minutes after he’d completed the bonding with her that allowed him to turn into a Dragon, and it obviously weighed heavily on him.

  Auric’s gray eyes flashed with anger. “If you’re her father why would you kidnap her in the first place, knowing it would put her life in danger?”

  “Kira was obviously going to be captured one way or another,” Doran said. “I took matters into my own hands to make sure she wasn’t injured in the process. The others would not be as careful with her life as I was.”

  “You could have helped us stop them,” Slade said, crossing his thick, muscular arms.

  “Perhaps, but I’m not ready for Nysa or the others to know my true loyalties yet. The Black Dragon still trusts me, which allows me a great advantage.” Doran’s eyes narrowed. “But I won’t let my daughter be killed either. I’ve spent my entire life protecting her and making sure the other Dragons never found her. I’m not about to stop now.”

  My fingers still hovered near the hilt of my sword despite his words. I wanted to believe him, but we had no reason to trust anything he said. “I don’t like this,” I said to Slade and Auric. “For all we know he could be leading us into a trap.”

  “I could be,” Doran agreed. “But you’re never going to be able to rescue Kira without my help. Especially with one of your men down.”

  Reven’s body was encased in a thin layer of ice, the only thing keeping him alive after the Dragon attack. Beneath the ice, his black hair was thick with dried blood, and his side was horribly burned. He’d sacrificed himself to protect Kira, and her magic was the only thing that could heal him. By saving her, we’d be saving him too.

  Unfortunately, we couldn’t save the life of the man lying beside Reven. Parin had been the leader of the Resistance and despite his uncomfortable past with Slade, he’d led Kira and the others to the Earth Temple. He’d died trying to protect Kira from the Dragons, and he’d be remembered as a hero once this was all over.

  Auric ran a hand through his short blond hair, his face pinched. “I don’t trust Doran either, but he has a point. Without our bond it could take us a long time to find Kira.”

  At his words, I searched for Kira again and found only emptiness. Ever since I’d bonded with Kira at the Fire Temple, I could feel her presence, but something was blocking me now. Somehow the Black Dragon was making sure we couldn’t find her.

  “Tell us where she’s being held,” Slade demanded, squaring his broad shoulders as he faced down the Azure Dragon. “Then we’ll decide whether or not we need your help.”

  “She’s in Soulspire,” Doran said, naming the capital of the four Realms, where the Black Dragon ruled with her mates. “Inside a secret part of the palace.”

  Damn. He was right that rescuing Kira would be nearly impossible for us. I’d been to Soulspire once, back when I was a soldier in the Onyx Army, and the palace was heavily guarded. Not to mention, the other Dragons would be there, and we weren’t yet a match for them. Having Doran on our side could tilt the balance toward us, but I still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t a trick. For all we knew he was luring us to our own deaths or to a prison cell beside Kira’s.

  “What’s your plan exactly?” I asked. If he told us how to rescue her, perhaps we’d be able to accomplish it without his help. “Do you even have one?”

  Doran gave me an amused look. “I’m not that much of a fool. If I tell you my plan now—and yes, I do have one—you’ll rush ahead without me, and then you’ll all be dead. Not that I care, but Kira needs you alive.”

  Well, it was worth a try.

  He spread his hands. “Listen, I can’t prove to you that I’m her father or that I’d do anything to protect her. All you have is my word, and my promise that if we do nothing, Kira will be dead within a few days.”

  Auric glanced between me and Slade. “As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think we have a choice. We need to work with him, even if it is a trap.”

  “If it’s a trap, we’ll be ready,” I said, slamming my fist into my other palm. “But what are we going to do with Reven? We can’t leave him here in the ruins of the Earth Temple.”

  “We could stop by the Resistance hideout on the way and leave Reven with them,” Auric said. “He’d be safe there, and we can return Parin’s body at the same time so they can
bury him.”

  “No,” Slade said immediately. “We can’t lead Doran to the Resistance. I won’t put all those lives in danger by revealing their location to a Dragon.”

  Doran chuckled. “No need to worry about that. I already know where it is. They’re in the mountain by the two rocks that look like breasts.”

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “I’m the Black Dragon’s…scout, you could say. It’s my job to know these things and many more. But don’t worry, I haven’t shared this information with Nysa or the other Dragons yet. I have no interest in seeing the Resistance wiped out.”

  Slade scowled at him while Auric looked thoughtful. I tried to come up with another place where we could leave Reven, but all I could think of was Slade’s village, except we’d put all those innocent people in danger too. I briefly considered leaving Reven with Auric’s father, the King of the Air Realm, but Stormhaven was too far out of the way and time was of the essence. Taking Reven to the Resistance hideout was our best option.

  Doran rolled his shoulders and turned toward the tunnel that led out of here. “Enough debating. I don’t know how much longer the Black Dragon will keep Kira alive. Right now, Kira is an amusement, but she’s a threat to Nysa’s rule and will have to be eliminated soon. We need to get moving.”

  “There’s one more problem,” I said, rubbing the spot on my back that hurt even in my human form. “Auric is the only one of us who can fly at the moment. One of my wings is busted, and Slade just got his Dragon form a few hours ago.”

  Doran shrugged. “That’s not an issue. Someone can ride with me.”

  Ride on the back of our enemy? As if this day couldn’t get any worse.

  2

  Kira

  I woke to pain. The bone cage surrounded me, cutting off my bond with my mates and blocking my powers. Every time my bare skin touched one of the white bars, revulsion and horror filled me. I’d tried to stay awake, but after being left here for untold hours exhaustion had finally taken over. Except I could only sleep upright without bringing on waves of disgust, and my back and neck ached from the uncomfortable position. Even worse, every now and then my head would drop to the side, my cheek would brush against one of the dreaded bones, and I’d nearly empty my stomach.

  A noise caught my attention and jerked me fully awake. A footstep on the stone floor. Heavy. Probably male. Not my mother then.

  The Black Dragon had only come to visit me once, and since then I’d been left alone. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been locked in this prison, or whether it was day or night. The room that held my bone cage was empty except for a single torch, with no windows and only one door. After my mother’s cryptic words that I wouldn’t be alive much longer, I’d tried to summon my powers of earth, air, and fire, but found I couldn’t use them in here. Without my magic or my weapons, I wasn’t sure how I’d ever escape, but I was determined to not let this be the end.

  The door opened, and my worst nightmare stood in the doorway. Sark, the Crimson Dragon, who had once murdered the people I’d called my parents. I knew now that the Black Dragon was my true mother and one of her Dragons was my father. Probably Sark himself, although the thought made me feel sicker than touching the bones did.

  But Sark’s crimes didn’t end there. He’d murdered Reven’s family too, he’d helped destroy the town I’d lived in for the last few years, and he’d killed my best friend, Tash. He’d taken so much from me and from the people I cared for, and I wanted nothing more than to defeat him and stop him from hurting anyone else.

  He strode into the room and the torch beside him flared brighter, illuminating his nearly white hair, which was cut in a short military style. He wore red and black armor, similar to what the Onyx Army wore, but even more ornate. Hatred filled me as he drew closer and his cruel brown eyes met mine. He carried a tray of food, which he thrust through the bone cage with a single command. “Eat.”

  My stomach twisted with hunger, even as I glared at him. The last time I’d eaten had been during the climb to the Earth Temple with Slade, Reven, and Parin. How long ago was that? It felt like an eternity, but for all I knew it had only been a few hours. Were my mates all right? Were they looking for me now?

  The tray smelled heavenly and was piled high with roasted chicken, carrots, and potatoes, along with a pitcher of water. I considered whether the food and water might be poisoned, but quickly dismissed the idea. My gifts from the Spirit Goddess would probably heal me from any poison, and the Dragons could have killed me instead of locking me up. No, they wanted me alive…for now. They must have a plan if they were feeding me, but what?

  “Take it,” Sark said, thrusting the tray forward again.

  My resolve failed, and I snatched the tray out of his hands, making sure not to touch him. I retreated to the back of my cage and began to pick at the food, while he crossed his arms and watched me the entire time I ate. Hunger quickly took over and I began to devour the food under his dreadful gaze like an animal trapped in a cage, waiting to be turned into a meal. All they had to do was fatten me up first.

  When I finished, I threw the empty tray through the bars of my cage at him. He dodged it easily with a grunt, picked it up off the floor, and turned to walk away. Fury rose up in me and I called out, “Why are you keeping me here? What do you want?”

  He left the room without answering me, the door slamming shut and locking behind him. With anger fueling me, I wrapped my hands around the bone cage and shook it hard. That heavy revulsion and nausea filled me, but I held on for as long as I could and used all my strength to try to pry a bone loose. Nothing budged. I was forced to let go, staggering back as sweat dripped down my forehead and bile clung to my throat.

  There would be no breaking through this cage.

  For a few minutes I had to focus on breathing in and out to make sure I didn’t bring up the food I’d just eaten. When I no longer felt sick, I sighed and slowly sank to the floor. My head fell forward into my hands and I rubbed my temples, unsure if I wanted to scream or cry. I couldn’t escape, I had no idea if my mates were alive or dead, and all I could do was wait and pray for a way out.

  Where was Enva? She usually came to me when I was upset, and I could use my grandmother’s advice now more than ever. Perhaps the bone cage was preventing her from manifesting too?

  One thing was certain: I was truly all alone here.

  3

  Slade

  The journey to the Resistance hideout in the mountains was tense. None of us trusted Doran or wanted anything to do with him, but one of us had to ride on his back, so I’d volunteered. I considered it my penance for letting Kira be kidnapped. What good was being a Dragon now if I couldn't actually fly? Kira was captured, Reven was in a coma, and Parin was dead—all because of me. Nothing I did could ever make up for my failures, but the least I could do was return Parin's body to the Resistance and then prepare to rescue Kira.

  As the Earth Realm soared below me, I tried to quench the fear and unease that came with being so far above the earth. Without my feet on solid ground I never felt comfortable, not since the Earth God had blessed me with his favor and his powers. That blessing now seemed to be holding me back. Would I ever be able to fly? Or would I be useless as a Dragon forever?

  Doran set down in the forest while Auric—with Jasin and Reven on his back—landed at the Resistance base’s secret entrance in the mountain. We’d decided it would be better for everyone if the Resistance didn’t know we were working with Doran, for fear it would cause a panic or provoke an attack. We needed him, no matter how much we hated it.

  A short while later, Auric returned and collected us, along with Parin's body. With Doran’s commonplace clothes and his hooded cloak covering much of his face, no one recognized him when we entered the Resistance hideout. I wasn’t surprised, since he was rarely seen in his human form, especially in the Earth Realm. Besides, no one expected a Dragon to look more like a carefree drifter than one of the men who ruled our world through fear a
nd death.

  As we stepped into the smooth caves of the hideout, we were greeted by an older woman named Daka who we’d met once before. We’d rescued her and a few other people from the Onyx Army in the Fire Realm before they could be executed for being members of the Resistance.

  “It’s a blessing to see you’ve returned,” Daka said. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and her skin was tanned and wrinkled, but her eyes shone bright. “Please come in and we’ll get you settled. You must be exhausted.”

  “It’s good to see you made it to the Resistance base alive,” I said.

  “Yes, thanks to you.” She smiled, but then her smile fell when she noticed our dwindled numbers and the two lifeless bodies we’d brought with us.

  “I wish we were here under better circumstances,” Auric said. “Unfortunately, Kira has been kidnapped, one of our men is in a coma, and Parin... He gave his life fighting the Dragons. I’m sorry.”

  Daka covered her mouth as she let out a soft cry, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Parin, no. What will we do without him leading us? And with Faya gone too…”

  Her tears reminded me of my failure, and I looked away, focusing on the hidden town of Slateden behind her. The stone and wooden buildings stood below the high, domed ceiling of the cave, but the roads were nearly empty today. Most of the Resistance members had left to fight the battle at Salt Creek Tower and wouldn’t return for another week, including my sister, Leni. Auric and Jasin had assured me she was alive when they last saw her, but I would continue to worry until I saw her with my own eyes.