Journey to India (Exiled Dragons Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

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  Journey to India

  Cole (Bonus)

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  Peter (Bonus)

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  Journey to India

  Cole (Bonus)

  Alexander (Bonus)

  Peter (Bonus)

  Nicholas (Bonus)

  Spencer (Bonus)

  Exiled Dragons Box Set Preview

  Exclusive Book

  Journey to India

  Exiled Dragons Book 7

  Sarah J. Stone

  Copyright © 2017 by Sarah J. Stone. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Other Books in This Series

  Exiled Dragons Box Set (Books 1-5)

  Seeking the Dragon (Book 6)

  Chapter One

  “Are you sure about this?” Thomas asked, leaning down to whisper quietly in Kara’s ear.

  “Stop asking!” she said, laughing while pushing him away playfully.

  “I just want to be sure before we get on this plane. This is a bit of uncharted territory.”

  “I doubt that. I’m sure the pilot has flown to India hundreds of times by now.”

  “Ah, snarky!” he shot back with a grin.

  “That’s me!” she replied.

  “What are you two whispering about?” Josh asked as he and Barb joined them.

  “Kara’s attitude problem.”

  Thomas put on his most serious face, causing Josh and Barb to look at him for a moment, obviously trying to decide if he was being playful or if they were having some sort of spat. Kara tolled her eyes at Thomas, pointing her finger toward him.

  “Keep it up and you’re going to have to fly beside the plane instead of in it, mister!”

  They both broke into laughter, Josh and Barb joining them out of relief that there was no real tension to be dealt with on the flight and maybe beyond.

  “I’ll consider myself warned,” he said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek.

  Thomas had seemed surprised when Kara had told him she wanted to go to India to meet her father’s side of the family. He had shaken his head ruefully, immediately unhappy with the idea. She had only recently learned that she wasn’t a pure dragon shifter, and he was apprehensive about her need to explore the paternal ancestry that had now captured her interest. The discussion that had followed had been intense.

  “Kara, they are tiger shifters. We know nothing about them!”

  “They are my father’s ancestors! I want to meet them, to know about them.”

  “What if they don’t want anything to do with a dragon shifter? You want to go all that way just to be turned back?”

  “If I must. I have to try.”

  “So, what do you plan to do? Just charge in there and start hugging them into submission?

  She glared at him, his sarcasm not appreciated in the least. Taking a deep breath to calm down, rather than allowing this to escalate, she looked at him and shook her head.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “I don’t suppose you would listen if I said we just shouldn’t go?”

  “I don’t suppose I would,” she replied.

  “In that case, I think that we should maybe just go there and see the sights, get close to them without telling them who you are.”

  “What purpose would that serve?”

  “It would give us a chance to feel them out. We can see what sort of people they are before we risk being attacked as intruders.”

  “How would we do that?”

  “Let’s do some checking into them before we go. See if they run a business, or a hotel, or anything that we can visit as your average tourist.”

  “Okay. Fair enough.”

  Thus, they had begun researching the ancestry of her father’s ancestor, Khaleel, the original tiger shifter that had married the dragon shifter, Cassi. She knew he had come from India, but not much beyond that. From there, she had to then trace the lineage forward to now. Unlike dragon shifters, tiger shifters didn’t have as long of a lifespan, so it was a feat to track down the long line of lineage to find modern day relatives, but they finally managed.

  “Look at this, Thomas,” Kara beckoned to him from her laptop almost two months into having begun looking.

  Thomas walked over to where she sat and peered over her shoulder at the screen. She watched as he began to nod in agreement with what he was seeing on the screen.

  “So, you want to go on a safari, then?” he asked.

  “Looks like I do,” she replied.

  “Okay. I’ll ask for a couple weeks off work.”

  “Do you think Barb and Josh would want to go?”

  “Taking backup with you?”

  “Something like that,” she laughed.

  “All right, we’ll ask them.”

  Kara didn’t really need anyone else to go, but she thought that having Thomas’ brother, Josh, and his mate, Barb, along might make it a little more palatable for him. Plus, she had gotten close to Barb and thought they would enjoy the trip a little more with her always perky attitude.

  Less than two weeks later, they were on their way to a foreign land to which they’d never been. It was all arranged–just a usual safari into a wildlife sanctuary for four ordinary travelers. It just so happened that there was nothing ordinary about them or the guides they had selected to be their escorts through the sanctuary.

  “Isn’t this exciting?” Barb squealed as they finally made their way down the boarding gate and onto the plane.

  “It’s something,” Josh laughed.

  Though Josh had agreed to come with them on the journey–more at the behest of Barb than anything–he wasn’t completely sold on the idea, and that much was quite obvious. This was very much Kara’s adventure, and she was fully aware that they had only agreed to it in order to make sure she was safe. While a tiger shifter was no match for a dragon shifter in the open air, there were instances where they had a distinct advantage, and with the numbers that might still be present in India, that might be much more than a single dragon was equipped to handle. In fact, it might be more than three were equipped to handle.

  “It’ll be fine,” Thomas said gently, squeezing Kara’s hand as a show of continued support.

  She smiled up at him as they boarded the plane and took their seats, falling into silence as the plane filled and readied for takeoff.

  Eleven hours of flight time–separated by a two-hour layover in Istanbul–later, they were landing in Mumbai, tired and very much ready to just get to their hotel and lie down for a bit. Stepping off the plane, Kara looked around slowly.

  “Isn’t there supposed to be someone here to meet us?” Thomas asked.

  “Yes. The guide service is supposed to be picking us up and taking us to our hotel,” she replied, still looking around for any signs of a limo driver or other such escort, but finding none.

  “Miss Sheaver?” came a voice from behind them after they had all but given up and were discussing whether they should just call a taxi.

  They all turned to find a young man in a pair of torn jeans and a worn shirt that read ‘Eye of the Tiger Tours.’ He loo
ked incredibly disheveled, as if he had just rolled out of bed and ran to the airport on foot. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the trip they had ahead of them.

  “I’m Kara Sheaver,” she replied uncertainly.

  “Oh, good. I was afraid that I had missed you. My father would have had my hide. Don’t tell him, please?” the young man beseeched them. “My name is Khalib,” he added.

  “It’s okay, Khalib. We still need to get our luggage,” Kara replied kindly, ignoring the scowls on the faces of the two Higgins men that flanked her.

  The young man looked at the two of them and back at her, his eyes narrowing for a moment as he spoke. “You are here for the tour of the sanctuary, right?”

  “Of course. Why else would we hire a tour guide for it?” Kara replied, not sure why he had asked the question.

  “Because you’re-” he started to say then stopped. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I’m just tired. Let’s get your luggage and get you to your hotel.

  The four travelers looked at each other curiously for a moment before following him toward the luggage carousel. There was something odd about the young man, and something about them that seemed to put him off, but they weren’t sure why. It didn’t become any clearer on the way to their destination. He seemed nervous, talking about the tour but in a way that seemed like he wasn’t really sure they should be taking it.

  “All right, this is it,” he said a short time later as they arrived at the hotel. He pulled up to the curb, but didn’t offer to get out. When no one moved, he finally got out to open the doors and let them out, sitting their luggage on the sidewalk.

  “You aren’t going to help us get our bags up to the room?” Kara asked.

  “No. You should learn to pack a bit lighter. This isn’t a Las Vegas vacation,” he said flatly.

  Kara watched him walk back around the vehicle in disbelief. Jumping behind the wheel, he started it up and took off down the road. What a complete jerk! She looked at Thomas, who was turning red in the face, but he said nothing. Instead, he picked up some of the bags and started toward the doors. He was immediately met by a bellhop who insisted on taking the bags and leading them into the lobby where they could check-in.

  Things seemed to smooth out a bit after that. Within a matter of minutes, they were checked-in and headed for the large suite they would share with Josh and Barb. Though it was considered one room, it was private, being divided by a large common room.

  Chapter Two

  Inside their room, they collapsed on the bed. Kara felt emotionally and physically exhausted, and this was just the beginning. How was she ever going to make it through this? Already, she was second guessing her decision to come here. It took every bit of her strength just to get up and make her way to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face until she felt half alive and returned to lay beside Thomas.

  “What was all that about? That guy? He was acting like he wanted nothing to do with us, even though we are paying him to be our guide,” Thomas asked.

  “I have no idea. You would think someone in the business of guiding tourists would want to make a positive impression and be friendly.”

  “He certainly wasn’t that,” Thomas replied sourly.

  “He’s the best at what he does, Thomas. He’s not just a guide. Well, the family is the best at what they do. His field of expertise is in the area of tiger conservation. Plus, he’s my relative, supposedly. I need to make friends with him. Pick his brain.”

  “I’d like to pick his brain…with a pick-axe!” Thomas blurted out.

  “That’s my man–always so spirited,” she laughed.

  “Very funny. I just hope I don’t end up in an Indian prison for murder.”

  “I know. I understand. If the next two weeks were like the brief encounter we had with him today, then I don’t know how well any of this will work,” she muttered. “Wine. I’m going to need lots of wine.”

  “Right. As soon as we get a nap. I’m exhausted,” he replied.

  “I can get behind that. First a nap, then wine.”

  The two of them curled up beneath the duvet and were fast asleep, the long plane ride and less-than-cordial greeting having taken it out of them physically and emotionally. They were awakened several hours later by a knocking on the interior door. Kara walked sleepily toward it and opened it up to find Barb standing there.

  “What? Were you asleep?” she laughed.

  “Yeah. We were exhausted. Aren’t you?”

  “Us? No way. We’ve been down at the pool having a swim! It’s a gorgeous day...well, what’s left of it.”

  “I don’t know where you got the energy,” Kara replied. She turned for a moment toward the sound of Thomas as he shuffled out of bed and toward the bathroom.

  After some much-needed rest and a shower, they retrieved Josh and Barb before making their way back downstairs into the hotel restaurant. A meal of lamb kebabs, accompanied by a full bottle of merlot, improved everyone’s mood considerably. Several more glasses in the small bar that adjoined the restaurant sent them wobbling back to their room, the beginnings of a wine headache already starting to form.

  “Lock and load,” she mumbled as she fell asleep across the bed, not even bothering to change into her night clothes or get under the covers.

  Kara awoke the next morning with a start as the alarm sounded violently from the side of the bed. She looked around wearily, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Her head pounded, and she felt a bit nauseous. What had possessed her to drink so much wine, when she had to get up so early this morning?

  “Ugh,” she said to her puffy faced reflection in the mirror as Thomas appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling against her neck thoughtfully.

  They showered and dressed for departure, taking their own luggage back down to the lobby to transfer back into the vehicle. Though she would never admit it, their guide might have been right about how much she had brought with her. She hadn’t even opened most of it during her first night, but she still had a long way to go, didn’t she?

  “At least you are on time, he said, picking up their bags and putting them in the van. We don’t have much time. Plane takes off in an hour.”

  “Plane? I thought we were going into the wild?” Kara replied.

  “We are, but first we have to get on a plane and then drive a spell. Your hotel will be there on the water. It’s a lovely little place. I’ll let you explore on your own, and we’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning for the sanctuary. You’ll probably want to wear something a little more suited for the trip,” he said, eying their clothing.

  “What? What do you mean? I bought this for the trip,” Barb protested.

  “I figured that much. The tag is still attached to your jacket,” he said snidely.

  Barb blushed an unnatural shade of red. Would he be humiliating them the entire trip, or was he getting it all out of the way up front, Kara wondered. She said nothing for a moment as she tried to calm herself down. How dare he embarrass any of them like that?

  “What should we be wearing?” she asked on Barb’s behalf.

  A quick glance toward Thomas and Josh showed that both of them were silently seething, but neither said anything. She knew that, under ordinary circumstances, they would step in and put the rude young man in his place, but they were trying to keep their cool for the sake of allowing her to accomplish what she had come here to do.

  “What you both have on is fine. It’s just not properly worn in and too tight. You’re going to chafe in those pants, and your boots are going to put blisters on your feet. If you think I’m going to carry any of you through the trees, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  “You know what? What is your problem? You were hired to be our guide and you’ve been nothing but a condescending jerk since we arrived,” Kara barked at him.

  The terseness in her tone made it clear that she was losing her cool with him. Enough was enough, and if he didn’t chill out, she couldn’t be certain what
the Higgins boys by her side might do or say.

  “I wouldn’t have taken the job if I had known they were sending me the likes of you. Obviously, you have zero experience in trekking through the kind of terrain we’ll be traveling. You are the poster children for people who don’t know their backsides from a hole in the ground.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Kara demanded.

  “For starters, you two women are wearing enough makeup to star in a Broadway musical. Your hair is down, and you are wearing brand new clothes recommended by some clerk at your local sporting goods store who told you it was exactly what you needed, when he’s probably never stepped one foot out of the city.”

  “Listen, I’ve had just about enough of this. I’ve been trying to let Kara deal with this on her own terms as she requested, but you are just being entirely insolent. It is completely uncalled for!” Thomas bellowed at him.

  “Well, how about that! You do have a spine. I was beginning to believe the male half of this little party was mute and impotent,” the guy shot back

  Thomas took a step toward him. It was Josh that extended his hand and held him back, but Kara who reminded him why they were here with a mere look. Though his anger was still obvious, he bit his lip, waiting to see what unfolded next.

  “What is wrong with taking a bit of pride in our appearance?” Kara asked, making a point of looking disapprovingly at his disheveled hair and noting he had on the same clothes as yesterday.

  “There is no place for it where we are going. You should be in loose, light clothing, and your hair in a ponytail. Plus, the makeup was a waste of time. You might be okay today while still in tourist mode, but it’s just going to melt down the sides of your face tomorrow. All those bags you brought are just going to be sitting in an empty hotel room without you.”

  “Well, how were we supposed to know? This is our first trip to a place like this. It’s your job to get us where we need to be and take us through it. Just shut up and do your job!” she said angrily.

  “Precisely my point. It is my job to get you in and out unharmed. You’d be wise to listen to me,” he told her.