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  Awakening Storm

  The Divine Tree Guardian Series

  Book Three

  Larissa Emerald

  About The Divine Tree Guardian Romances

  The Story

  Time is running out for Rhianna Mori to give her beloved 96 year old great-grandfather what he wants most before he dies—the answer to what happened to his father. So when the Pilate instructor is chosen for the reality show If You Dare, she embarks on an adventure that’s been a lifelong dream... to visit Japan, the land of her ancestors, and maybe, if she’s lucky, be able to learn more about what happened to her lost grandfather.

  From the moment she’s dropped off on an uninhabited island located in the Dragon Vortex, a place where people disappear never to be heard from again, strange things occur. She quickly discovers the island isn’t as deserted as she’s told. And she soon encounters the tiger shifter, Divine Tree Guardian Aidan Hearst.

  Aidan hopes the beautiful stranger on his island will pack up and leave before the sorceress of the alternate realm of Riam notices her presence and enslaves her. But the stubborn woman falls into the sorceress’s trap despite his warnings. Dealing with his conflicting emotions, Aidan enters the evils of Riam to save Rhianna. Getting in is easy, getting out...will be another matter altogether. If not impossible. Especially before the Age of Atonement begins.

  The Legend

  In the beginning of ancient time, the massive Tree of Life stood tall, with heavy branches and mile-deep roots, holding within knowledge of the universe. But after the division of good and evil, this sacred tree needed to be protected against exploitation and the Archangel Seth was charged with the tree’s protection.

  Realizing one such tree was far more susceptible to destruction than several, the angel split the tree into twelve that took root around the globe; if one tree should fall, the knowledge of the universe would prevail within its colleagues.

  The archangel created a brotherhood of powerful immortal guardians to safeguard the mighty trees. These twelve brothers, from the Isle of Skye, formed the league of the Divine Tree Guardians.

  Awakening Storm

  The Divine Tree Guardian Series, Book Three

  Novel

  by Larissa Emerald

  Copyright © 2017 Castle Oak Publishing LLC

  ISBN-10: 1-942139-12-8

  ISBN-13: 978-1-942139-12-6

  This novel is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All rights to reproduction of this work are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Thank you for respecting the copyright. For permissions or information on foreign, audio, or other rights, contact the author at [email protected].

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  Table of Contents

  About The Divine Tree Guardian Romances

  Dedication

  • Prologue

  • Chapter 1

  • Chapter 2

  • Chapter 3

  • Chapter 4

  • Chapter 5

  • Chapter 6

  • Chapter 7

  • Chapter 8

  • Chapter 9

  • Chapter 10

  • Chapter 11

  • Chapter 12

  • Chapter 13

  • Chapter 14

  • Chapter 15

  • Chapter 16

  • Chapter 17

  • Chapter 18

  • Chapter 19

  • Chapter 20

  • Epilogue

  NEWSLETTER

  Read on for a sneak peek of Forever At Dawn.

  About the Author

  Other Books by Larissa Emerald

  Dedication

  For my son Bryan who has brought me

  love and laughter and challenges.

  I love you beyond measure.

  •

  Theodora extended her scepter, pointing it at the man who was flexing his muscles and puffing out his chest as he stood defiantly before her. He obviously didn’t understand that she was the person to please in Riam. Moloch the Demon Prince himself had tethered her to the alternate universe, and she would rule it as she wished. It didn’t matter that it was a punishment; she was the most powerful being in the realm.

  He’d been her lover once. Back then he had truly cared for her and had gifted her with the powers of sorcery, back before she’d made that teeny mistake of falling into bed with his demon brother.

  She released a venomous grumble. Every time she thought about it, anger boiled to the surface of her skin. Moloch had maimed her, slicing her with his sword across her shoulder and breasts. She had healed, but the scars were thick, ugly, and permanent. He’d incarcerated her here in the alternate universe, Riam, then allowed her only 600,000 measly square miles of ocean from which to apprehend her subjects. After all, what was a queen without her subjects?

  Unfortunately, this stretch of ocean wasn’t very fruitful. She slammed the tip of her staff against the dusty ground. As if many humans passed through the Dragon Vortex!

  Her lips twisted into a smirk. At least the name people had given the place was pleasing.

  The large man moved before her, drawing her attention back to him. With a swirl of electric-blue energy from her scepter, she lifted him off his feet and held him there. The pained, panic-stricken expression on his face was priceless. When she grew tired of holding her arm up, she let him fall. He immediately crumpled to the ground.

  “Stand,” she ordered.

  Slowly, he did. This time with none of the confidence he had before. She could smell the acrid scent of fear wafting from his skin. “I am your ruler now. When I say fight, you will fight. To the death.”

  He dipped his head, acquiescing to her command.

  That’s much better.

  She dropped a broad sword at his feet and then lifted her chin, smiling, satisfied the war would go on. She floated to her spectator’s booth and got comfortable. All eyes were on her as she raised the scepter in the air and then let if fall with a crack of thunder.

  “Let the war games begin!” she shouted with glee.

  The men and women started attacking one another ruthlessly. She liked to pick a favorite, someone vicious and capable of amassing a lot of kills. She scanned the havoc before her, searching for her victor. Screams, sobs, and the sound of bleeding hearts filled her ears.

  She wished the game could go on and on. Unfortunately, she’d had to come up with viable game rules, as it were. Since her subjects were limited by supply, each game was shorter than she’d like. And when the game was over, she had to use her magic to revive those who had lost. At least their pain was palpable as they came to life once more.

  As the dead began to rise with tortured wails, she smiled before addressing her people. “Now go. Live to battle another day.”

  •

  The pup tramped in a happy circle. Even with the slap of the surf against the hull, Aidan’s superior hearing distinguished the clacking sound of the dog’s nails over the fiberglass deck. Pup snapped his head around and peered at Aidan with trusting chocolate eyes. After three failed attempts to j
ump onto Aidan’s lap, the animal finally pawed his way up and was resting on his thighs. He hung his gigantic front feet over Aidan’s arm as it draped over the steering wheel, guiding the sailboat’s passage back to his home on the remote island of Tsuriairando.

  “I can’t keep calling you ‘Pup.’” Aidan stared across the thrashing waves, thinking. “Takeshi. You will be Takeshi. Warrior.” He let the name roll over his tongue, pleased with the symbolism. It reminded him of the early days in Scotland, when he and his brothers protected the moors from invaders, a time long before they had become Divine Tree Guardians.

  Aidan could use a warrior at his side to help fight the current rise of evil that preceded the Age of Atonement. His brothers had revealed as much during their Guardian Congress last month. All eleven of them had agreed to the monthly meetings following Ian’s recent encounter with a reaper in France. The increased communications would help them stay ahead of their enemies. Hopefully.

  Aidan stroked Takeshi’s brindled, salt-dampened fur, allowing his gaze to sweep the ocean as far as the eye could see. His island, the place where his Divine Tree resided, was about six hundred miles east of Yamada, a fishing town in Japan, and he was its only inhabitant. He had to sail a full twenty-six hours to reach his island home from his modest mainland home where his delegato, or assistant, Naoki resided. It was a trip Aidan only made about three times a year. Naoki generally kept him supplied with everything he could want or need. But Aidan had wanted to pick up the Akita pup himself. Naoki had found him as a possible replacement for the dog Aidan had lost in months before. And as always, his delegato had chosen well.

  Aidan stroked Takeshi again. He had lost many animal friends over his centuries as Guardian, but he still remembered and treasured every one.

  The pup barked at the flap and crack of the sails. A series of storms had been predicted, and it was already clear that a gray and windy day loomed before them. The waves peaked higher the farther he navigated into the Pacific. Takeshi licked Aidan’s face and then wagged his tail with pent-up energy.

  “When we get home, I’ll introduce you to the tiger and eagle. Then we can run the entire island,” Aidan told him.

  Takeshi barked again, making Aidan laugh. “There are some perks to being a shape-shifter, you will see.”

  * * *

  It was Wednesday morning, one of the three days a week that Rhianna Mori visited her grandfather at the nursing home. She usually joined him in his exercise routine and breakfast, but unlike him, she was not an early riser. He was worth it, of course, but it took effort to get her butt out of bed most days. And today was one of those days.

  “Traffic?” he asked as she came through the door ten minutes late.

  She smiled, knowing full well that he knew there wasn’t much traffic in Auburn, Washington. “Sorry, Grandfather.”

  Shirō Mori stood near a large window, going through some Tai Chi moves.

  She shed her jacket quickly and assumed her usual position alongside him.

  Grandfather didn’t miss a beat in his twenty-four form routine. His movements flowed from one move to the next without belying his ninety-six years. Rhia picked up where he was on form eight. She’d done this for so many years it was automatic.

  They didn’t speak again until the session was complete. Then he eased into his usual chair at the dinette table as she heated his traditional breakfast of Japanese tea, miso soup, and white rice in the microwave. “How are you today, Grandfather?”

  “An old man.”

  She laughed. “Not so old.”

  He turned his face away and gazed out the window.

  “What do you see?” she asked.

  Still he stared off. “My journey.”

  She frowned and slid his food onto the table. “Here, this will give you strength.”

  He looked at her, and his gaze bore into her as if seeing deep inside her. “My time is growing near.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do. A man of my age can tell.” He lifted the tea to his lips, sipped, and then set the cup back on the table. “I only wish I knew what happened to my father. Then I could leave this world in peace.”

  She nibbled the corner of her lip. He’d said as much many times. The one thing he wanted before he passed was to find out what had happened to his father, her great-grandfather. As far as they knew, he’d just disappeared one day.

  She wanted to know, too, and she had been working on it. She had been doing a lot of research, and there was a chance—an extremely slim chance—that she could get an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan where she could really learn more, maybe even find some evidence where her great-grandfather had been buried. She wanted so much to give her grandfather some closure before he died.

  Of course, she’d have to go on a reality show to make it happen—as a Pilates instructor, she didn’t exactly make big bucks—and her application was already in. Now all she had to do was wait and hope. While it’s true she’d inherited a nice nest egg when her parents died in a plane crash years ago, that money was earmarked for her grandfather’s care, and they were running out of it besides. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the horror of that day. The devastation she had felt was never far from her mind. But she was thankful at least for the money that allowed her to give her grandfather the best care.

  She placed her hand over his. If by some miracle she was selected to go on this journey, she needed to prepare her grandfather for her absence. They both knew his days were numbered, but she prayed he could hold on.

  “You have something weighing on your mind, Child?”

  “I may be traveling . . . to Japan.”

  He smiled. “This is wonderful.”

  “It’s far from certain, but I should know in a few days. I just wanted to let you know in case I don’t visit for a month or so.”

  He sucked in a breath. “A month?”

  He glanced down to hide his disappointment, but she had already seen it in his eyes. “I probably won’t get to go. I have to be chosen out of hundreds of applicants. And I don’t even have to accept if they choose me. So don’t worry. We can see how you are feeling and I can stay if you want me to.”

  “No. You mustn’t hold up a magnificent opportunity such as this because of an old man. If it is your fate, it’s your fate. It’s not up to us.” He pulled himself straighter.

  She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Grandfather.”

  * * *

  Rhianna lifted out of plank position to discover a handsome, toned man standing in the doorway of her Pilates studio. Her business partner, Terri, wore a giddy smile as she stood beside him and waved Rhia over.

  Rhianna tried not to groan. Terri knew Rhia hated stepping out on a class, and she was clearly in the middle of one. Couldn’t they wait? Class was nearly over.

  Terri waved more frantically.

  Apparently not.

  “Joy, will you lead the class in a cool down, please?” Rhia asked her assistant.

  As Joy came to the front, Rhia headed to the back of the room. She redid the bobby pin holding her hair to the side while she walked, a little irritated. Ugh, she’d never get bangs again. Growing them out was such a pain.

  She approached Terri and the stranger, and Terri tilted her head toward the exit. Rhia followed them out to the hallway with a sigh.

  Her mind raced to fill in the blanks. The man looked vaguely familiar.

  And that’s when she noticed the cameraman.

  What the...?

  “Rhianna Mori?” the man asked with a practiced voice. “I’m Dillon Savage from the reality television show If You Dare, and you’re our adventure-trip winner! So drop everything, and let’s go!”

  She stared at him, shocked and unprepared. She really hadn’t thought she’d be chosen. But the surprise of it was sort of the point, wasn’t it?

  Another cameraman stepped into view off to her right. Here she was, in her exercise garb, and she was expected to drop what she
was doing and take off for a dangerous, mysterious locale? In this case, the destination was Dragon’s Vortex off the pacific coast of Japan, an area with more unexplainable incidents than the Bermuda Triangle. Planes and ships passed through that area and the people simply vanished, never to be heard from again.

  Just like her great-grandfather.

  Her heart thudded in her chest. Now was the time to back out if that’s what she wanted to do.

  No, You signed up for this, she reminded herself. She had to do it. She had to find out what exactly had happened to her great-grandfather, to at least try to come home with an answer that would give her grandfather peace.

  For a few seconds, she numbly perused Dillon Savage. Funny, he was shorter than she’d expected and, while handsome, he wasn’t nearly as appealing as he appeared on the clips she’d seen. The spontaneous thought caused her lips to tug to one side. He had cropped, curly, blond hair and was dressed fashionably in blue jeans and Ralph Lauren button-down.

  Terri bounced on her toes and clapped, bringing Rhia back to the here and now. “This is so exciting.” She grabbed hold of Rhia’s shoulders and gave them a shake. “Go. Go. I’ll take care of everything—your apartment, your plants, the business. I’ll check in on your grandfather. Don’t worry about a thing.” She finished by wrapping her in a big hug.

  Rhia squeezed her back, then stepped away, smoothing her hair with nervous fingers. She allowed her gaze to sweep back into the studio space, where Joy and the students were stealing glances toward the hallway. These people and her grandfather were all she had. It wouldn’t be that bad if she never came back. It wasn’t like she had a husband or children.

  She lifted her chin, determined to see this through. She’d wanted to travel to Japan for so long, to not only find out about her great-grandfather’s disappearance but to experience her heritage. Her ancestors on her father’s side had been samurai warriors, and she’d traced her line back to the Nabekura Castle in northeastern Japan. And then . . . nothing.