The Alpha Dragon's Protection (Dragon Shifters 0f Kahului Book 4) Read online

  The Alpha Dragon’s Protection

  Dragon Shifters of Kahului (Book 4)

  Brittany White

  © Copyright 2019 by Brittany White

  All rights reserved.

  In no way it is legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

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  Contents

  1. Carrie

  2. Edvard

  3. Carrie

  4. Edvard

  5. Carrie

  6. Edvard

  7. Carrie

  8. Edvard

  9. Carrie

  10. Edvard

  11. Carrie

  12. Edvard

  13. Carrie

  14. Edvard

  Epilogue

  Dragon Shifters of Kahului (Excerpt)

  About the Author

  1

  Carrie

  Carrie was unpacking the last of her encyclopedias, a relic from her youth, when a knock on the door came. She straightened up and bent back to peer out the glass door. Edvard stood there, looking a little uncomfortable. She waved at him to come in and bent down to pick up another box from the floor. There were still dozens left to go in this room and even more in her bedroom. She pared down as many as she could, but it was difficult to get rid of things when you didn’t have much to start with.

  Edvard stepped into her new home and it was like he took the air out of the room. It wasn’t because his presence was overwhelming. It wasn’t. In him, Carrie found a stalwart friend, a man who listened to her and who made her laugh. He was one of the few who could. She was happy now, for the first time in a long time, but laughter still never came easy to her because she kept looking over her shoulder, wondering when her past would collide with her present.

  No, Edvard took the air out of the room because he was fucking enormous. And because she was living in a treehouse tucked in the Kahului forest. It wasn’t too far from the beach, but it was also secluded. The house had been made for her, and at five foot nine, she was by no means small, but Edvard topped six four at least. He had to duck to get inside and when he stood to his full height, his head almost brushed the ceiling.

  Carrie winced as she looked up at him. “Hey,” she said. She motioned at his head. “Don’t puff up or anything, you might not fit in the room anymore.”

  A look of amusement graced his face. “I’ll endeavor not to. Nothing here would make me prideful. The woman here knows how to squash my ego with grace and humor.”

  Carrie pointed at him. “You’re welcome for that.”

  They grinned at each other, and he crossed the room to open the other boxes. She didn’t mind. The only secrets Carrie was hiding were the ones in her heart. She brought nothing over from her old life. No pictures. No mementos. No knick-knacks or clothing. Nothing that could remind her of the person she used to be.

  Nothing that could tip anyone else off to who she might be now.

  She and Edvard were drawn to each other. Carrie knew he hid secrets deep in his heart, just like she did. They were two dark horses drawn to the light but unable to step fully into it.

  Neither one of them minded and for the first time in several years, Carrie had allowed herself to get close to someone of the opposite sex. He was the one man she didn’t think would hurt her.

  Edvard grunted when he pulled up one of the last boxes. “Did you pack stones in this?” With effort, he set it on top of her counter.

  She grinned at him. “That’s exactly what I did.”

  At his befuddled look, she passed over the box cutter and let Edvard open it. He chuckled as soon as he finished cutting it open. He reached in and picked out a particularly large amethyst specimen. “This is incredible. Where did you get it?”

  Carrie thought back. “Brazil, I think. During one of my competitions. We had a few hours off, so I went down to the street market. There was a stone dealer there. Brazil is where most amethyst comes from and he gave me a great deal.”

  Edvard held it up to the light. Purple light sparkled on the edges. Carrie motioned for him to turn it around. “It has clear quartz on the back of it, too.”

  “Very nice,” Edvard said. If someone else had said it, she would have known they were merely being polite. Edvard was super intense, but he wasn’t a liar. She could tell from the way he looked that he was serious. He set the stone down with reverence and pulled another one out of the box.

  Carrie smiled to herself and went back to unpacking, only glancing up to rattle off the names of the stones Edvard kept pulling out.

  “That one is a malachite.” It was immediately recognizable by its brilliant emerald color and darker banding pattern. “Be careful with it. It’s expensive.”

  Edvard glanced up at her. “How expensive?”

  The specimen was larger than most. “For some people, it would cost their entire paycheck.”

  A perplexed look crossed her friend’s face. “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll be careful.”

  They kept it up for a while before he’d unpacked the entire box. When he finished, he pulled another box out and pulled out some of her books. They were scattered and disorganized. Carrie didn’t have a preference on how they were stored. She just cared that the books she was reading were good. She had a real weakness for paranormal romance and hid a smile when Edvard picked up a book that had a bare-chested vampire on it. He was holding a woman in his arms, her shoulders exposed and her neck tilted up in a position of longing.

  “Humans read this?” he asked. Edvard wasn’t a sneering kind of person, but the look of distaste on his face was priceless.

  “Of course they do,” she said as she started pulling out throw pillows for her couch from yet another box.

  “But why?” He sounded like he genuinely wanted to know.

  “Because it’s forbidden. Humans adore forbidden love. Plus, the thought of eternal life.” Carrie gave a little mock shudder. “All of us dream about that. The chance to spend forever in the arms of a handsome lover. You don’t have to worry about who’s going to clean the toilet or if the paramour forgot to pick up his socks yet again.”

  Edvard snorted with amusement, but his gaze was intense when it landed on her. “And you? Do you dream of those things?”

  Carrie’s gaze shuttered. “Maybe once upon a time,” she said and fell silent.

  She looked away but could feel his eyes on her for a moment more. “Hmm,” he finally said. Carrie pretended not to notice him tucking the book away in the satchel he usually carried on his back. He’d bring it back. He just wanted to keep learning about humankind. A smile hit her lips. Reading dirty vampire sex wasn’t the best way to learn about human behavior, but he might be the kind of guy who’d appreciate a story like that.

  From the corner of her eye, she watched him go through her books. He was methodical and organized. He scanned all the blurbs and she noticed his eyes widen when he got to one of her dragon romance books. She wanted to laugh out loud and pretended not to notice when he huffed out an offended breath.

  Carrie pretended not to notice when she saw him steal that one, too.

  “What do you have going on today?” she asked when he finished his perusal.

&n
bsp; Edvard shrugged. “Daegal and Sara took Keanu to the park, along with Gregor and Ella’s tiny beast. Sebastian and Jillian are probably out risking life and limb for a thrill. I’m here at my own behest, prepared to serve you in whatever way you need.”

  She loved it when he talked in that medieval way. Which was basically all the time. Carrie stood and brushed her hands against the thighs of her faded blue jeans. “I’ve got a lot to unpack but you’re welcome to stay and help. I’ll feed you for your trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble, but I would not say no to food.” His blue eyes were intense as his gaze landed on her for a second. Carrie knew he knew she didn’t like to be stared at, so a mere second later he looked away and around her new house. “This place is incredible. I’ve never seen a house in the trees before. It’s both homey and modern. How did you come by it?”

  Carrie looked up at him. “I designed it and hired a local company to build it.”

  Edvard blinked. “You designed it?”

  She nodded, pleased she could still surprise him. “I did. I have a degree in architecture.” Carrie stilled, surprised that she’d offered such a closely held fact about herself to him. She stifled down the fear that came with it. If her ex found out she had a degree in architecture, he could narrow down the school by majors. Then he could narrow it down by city. Then if she gave up any additional info, he might be able to narrow it down to the exact school she’d gone to.

  Then he might find her again.

  She let out a slow breath and counted to ten in her head to keep the panic from rising.

  Carrie saw Edvard still before he wiped his face clean of expression.

  “I will not pry, Carrie,” Edvard said softly. “Whatever secrets you carry are yours and yours alone.” He exhaled a heavy breath. “Though I do feel like I should say when a heavy burden is shared, the weight is evenly distributed. Perhaps one day you will allow me to carry half your load.”

  Tears pricked the back of her eyes and a shuddery breath escaped her before she could stop it. If she acknowledged what he was saying, she would be acknowledging she carried a heavy burden. She never had before. No one knew her secrets, and she’d been carrying them so long, the urge to share them was almost overwhelming.

  Carrie did what she always did, though. She stamped her emotions down and pretended like they hadn’t just shared a serious moment.

  She stood and passed him another box. “Kitchen stuff,” she said as he took it from her outstretched arms. “Mind putting the plates away?”

  Edvard looked like he was about to say something but changed his mind. “Aye. I'll take them from you.” He walked over to the kitchen without another word.

  Carrie should have felt better. The subject was dropped and Edvard wasn’t prying.

  But all she could feel was regret and the weight of her grief sitting on her shoulders like a boulder.

  * * *

  After working in companionable silence for a couple of hours, Carrie unearthed a box full of gardening tools. She’d been itching for a chance to get outside so this was the perfect chance.

  “Edvard?” she called. He was still in the kitchen putting everything away. She didn’t want to think about how he’d stacked it all. Edvard was a dragon and hadn’t seen a modern kitchen in thousands of years. She’d be lucky to find a single spoon when she went in there.

  “Yes?” he called and poked his head out of the room.

  “Want to go outside and garden?” she asked as she waved a hand shovel at him.

  His brows drew together. “As in plant seeds and grow food for the winter?”

  “Slow your roll, dude,” Carrie said and laughed. “My food is just perfect coming from the grocery store, but we can grow some flowers. Maybe some bell peppers in a pot if you’re feeling particularly spunky today.”

  He shook his head as if he didn't know what the hell she was saying. Knowing Edvard, he probably didn’t, but he walked out anyway and followed her outside. She led him over to the small shed, unlocked it and started pulling out pots and seeds. Piling them all into Edvard’s arms, she led him over to a small space she’d marked out last week.

  “There's a big pot here,” she said, pointing to a large cheery yellow container. “We can plant the bell peppers in that because they do well outside of the ground.” Edvard nodded and pulled the pot closer to him. She flipped through the seeds. “We have plumeria in cutting form, hibiscus and protea. The hibiscus can be kept small, but the other two can get pretty big. Do you have a preference?”

  Edvard took the seed packets from Carrie. “Which one smells good?”

  Carrie smiled. “The plumeria.” She held up what looked to be a thick stick with green on one of the edges. “We can put this one in the ground and hopefully have blooms in a month or two.”

  He peered at the hibiscus package. “I like the way these look. Let's plant these too.”

  She pointed back to the shed. “There are several packs of dirt in there. Want to grab those and the two pair of gloves on the nail above it?”

  He gave her a confused look. “Why do you need dirt in bags when there’s plentiful dirt beneath our feet?”

  “Because of a funny thing called soil depletion,” she said.

  “The word depletion doesn't sound funny at all,” Edvard observed.

  “I agree. The dirt in the bags is full of nutrients and fertilizer which helps the plants grow and makes bigger blooms. The farming industry has done a number on the nutrients in the earth’s soil. It isn’t always easy to make things grow here anymore.” She shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be fine if we put them in the ground, but adding in the extra dirt will give it a better start.”

  Edvard headed to the shed and came back with several packages of potting soil slung over his shoulder. Carrie watched as he walked toward her and felt...odd. Edvard was a massive man and his biceps and chest strained with effort. Her mouth went a little dry as she watched his loose hip swagger. She knew he was attractive. She’d have to be blind not to see it, but she had never been too moved by it. This was Hawaii, after all. Attractive men were a dime a dozen here. Almost everyone was in shape and kissed by the sun. But Edvard was something more, minus the dragon part. He possessed a lot of things other men didn't. Mainly patience.

  She blinked as he stopped in front of her, a questioning expression on his face.

  “Ah,” she said as all thought except for how gorgeous his eyes were escaped her.

  One of his eyebrows rose. “Where would you like me to put these?”

  “Here,” she said quickly and stepped back. Edvard’s presence was comforting but overwhelming. He was too much, and she was having trouble unscrambling her thoughts. Carrie wanted to run from him, but it wouldn’t be fair. Edvard had been nothing but kind to her and he cherished their friendship as much as she did.

  Edvard dumped the soil on the ground at his feet. “Everything okay?” he asked. He didn't take a step toward her, perhaps sensing she was about to bolt.

  She nodded too quickly. “Fine. Yes. Everything is fine” Some days she was okay. Some days she was not. Today was one of those days where everything seemed to frighten her. Maybe it was the new place. There was a saying about safety in numbers. Never had she felt that more than today. When she lived with Sara, Jillian and Ella she'd felt safe. Even more so when the dragons had moved in. But everything was changing and she didn’t know what to think about it. She was on her own now in a secluded house. She’d designed it and had it built here specifically because it was secluded. But now that she was here in a quiet forest, she wondered if it had been a mistake. It was so secluded no one would know if anything happened to her unless they checked up on her.

  Edvard spoke again. He looked away and scanned the trees surrounding her. “I can’t help but think you might need a little more security out here,” he said.

  Carrie could have kissed him. It was almost like he’d read her thoughts.

  “I can ensure me and my brothers come out here periodical
ly to make sure no one is skulking around. We can also hire a company to come out and set a security system up.” Right after Daegal’s son was stolen right out from under his parents’ noses, Edvard and the other dragons researched and put in a state-of-the-art security system. As strategist to the king, Edvard spearheaded the projects. What resulted was a house that on the surface looked normal, but could turn into a fortress if need be. Still, he always knew security systems could be fallible because of human error. Good for Carrie and his liege that he wasn’t human.

  “That would be wonderful,” Carrie said, her voice quiet. “Cost is no object.” It wasn’t. She was financially secure with her side business of architectural drawings. She acted as a freelance virtual consultant for architectural firms all over the country and made a killing doing it. She was so good at her job that she could set her own price and she could insist on anonymity. She did video consults, but she never allowed the camera to be on. Everything was audio only, and she had all of her webcams disabled on her desktop and laptop computers.

  “No cameras, though,” she added as an afterthought.

  Edvard’s brow furrowed. “Anywhere?”

  “Anywhere,” she confirmed.

  “If there were cameras, we could monitor everything and perhaps prevent something from occurring before it actually did. If someone walked onto your property, we could identify them and take action right away.”

  Carrie didn't care. “No cameras,” she said again.

  He studied her for a long moment before nodding. “Okay. How about audio?”

  She blinked up at him. “You can set audio only in a security system?”

  Edvard shrugged. “I suppose. It seems like you can do pretty much anything these days, can’t you? With the right amount of coin, I mean.”