Finding Faith (Return 0f The Dragons Book 1) Read online

  Finding Faith

  Return of the Dragons Book One

  Grace Brennan

  Contents

  Other Books by Grace Brennan

  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

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Other Books by Grace Brennan

  About Grace Brennan

  Connect with Grace

  FINDING FAITH

  Copyright 2020 © Grace Brennan

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to, or downloaded from file sharing sites or distributed in any other way via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. 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 the prior permission of Grace Brennan.

  Photographer: Lindsey Surber Photography

  Model: Mercedes Mills

  Cover Design & Format: Dark Water Covers & Formatting

  Other Books by Grace Brennan

  Rogue Enforcers

  Colton

  Mountain Mermaids: Sapphire Lake

  Under the Sea

  Kiss the Girl

  Blood & Bone Enforcers MC

  Control

  Thief

  Iced

  Shield

  Ghost

  Burned

  War Cats

  Zane

  Karis

  Jameson

  Vynn

  Kian

  Rocky River Fighters

  Heart of a Fighter

  Fighting for Keeps

  Fight Song

  Fighting to Win

  Red Moon Shifters

  Unexpected Mates

  Temporary Mates

  Forever Mates

  Bear Claw Shifters

  Starry Night Sky

  One Sunny Day

  Misty Autumn Morning

  Dedication

  This one’s for my brother, who spent a Friday night answering all my questions about what could go wrong in a truck. I told him I wanted something that wasn’t a super easy fix, but something that wouldn’t require her putting the engine back together, either—which was what my first pick would have done haha.

  Bobby—who knew exactly what to do for a 2005 Chevy Silverado without hesitation—told me to make it the coil pack, since most women wouldn’t know what that even was, let alone how to fix it. And then Cody could be all impressed that she not only knew what was wrong, but how to fix it. My reaction to that was pretty much what Olivia’s is in this book—indignation. I haughtily told him I knew exactly what a coil pack was. Which was true, but… he was right on the rest, because I had no clue how it would make a vehicle run in order to diagnose it as the problem, or how to replace it lol.

  So, this one’s for Bobby. Even though I pestered him all evening with questions about it, then called him and talked his ear off for two hours—not only about her car troubles, but hey, that’s what started it—only for the two scenes with her truck to end up being side notes, and not the big plot twist I’d planned. Sorry, big brother. It’s not for nothing though, right? I mean, you were still my hero for the night, and you got this dedication and all. Maybe that’s worth a night of me pestering you haha!

  Prologue

  Olivia

  Olivia Foreman hooked her arms over the wooden fence, gazing at the field in front of her, mountains looming in the distance. It was incredibly peaceful in this corner of Montana, although she often found it hard to truly find that peace within herself.

  That’s what happens when a person is kidnapped and held captive, she guessed. Inner contentment was harder to come by, and things she’d never taken a second look at or thought too much about now seemed like possible threats.

  Six months. It’d been six months since she and the other female dragons were rescued from Fernandez’s evil clutches, and she still wasn’t back to the Olivia she knew before her life changed irrevocably.

  Thinking she’d one day get back to the woman she was before was most likely asking too much, though. She wasn’t the person she was back then, and it was becoming increasingly clear to her that she never would be again.

  She felt beyond naïve for ever believing that could happen. At first, it made her feel powerless and hopeless. But she was finally making strides in accepting her new reality.

  It wouldn’t happen overnight, but she’d get there. She knew she would. It was a miniscule amount, but already she could feel the contentment and acceptance creeping into her soul.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she looked back at the large farmhouse she and the other four dragons were living in. Some of them had come to that same realization early on, but others were still struggling.

  And her sister, Fiona, was one of them. A heavy sigh escaped as she faced the mountains again. When they were at the Blood and Bone Enforcers MC clubhouse, waiting for Fernandez to be dealt with, Fiona had spoken to Jalina, one of the Enforcers’ mates.

  Every shifter had a gift. They could be mental or physical, and some were things humans could do, but the shifter was exceptionally good at; and some shifters had supernatural gifts.

  Jalina was a psychologist, and her gift gave her the added bonus of being able to heal people from trauma they’d experienced. Fiona had resisted speaking to her, but ended up having a late night conversation with her over ice cream one night.

  When Olivia saw her the next day, her sister appeared calmer, like the guilt weighing her down had lifted off her shoulders. Olivia had been hopeful that she was turning a corner and beginning to heal, but that didn’t seem to be the case now.

  And she had no clue what to do about it.

  Why are you stressing so much about this? Give it time, her dragon said softly.

  Frowning, she shook her head, still gazing at the mountains in the distance. How is that even a question? She’s my little sister. I’ve always looked out for her, and that’s not going to change. Of course I’m worried. She’s not improving with time. At least, not very much. She’s nowhere near the funny, goofy sister I knew.

  You’ve come to the realization that you’ll never be the same as you were before—and even knowing that, it’s hard to accept and adapt. How is she different? You’re holding her to impossible standards that even you can’t meet.

  Hands tightening on the wooden rail, her frown deepened as she let her animal’s words sink in. Her dragon was right. She was being a hypocrite, expecting her sister to do something she acknowledged that she couldn’t even do herself.

  I really hate it when you’re right, she grumbled.

  Shouldn’t come as a shock, because I’m always right. You’ve had twenty-six
years to get used to it. I’m surprised you’re not there yet. For a smart woman, you can be damned stubborn and completely blind sometimes.

  Olivia rolled her eyes, but she didn’t reply. She couldn’t. Her dragon was usually always right, no matter how much it irked her.

  Inhaling the crisp air she loved so much, she closed her eyes and let a small smile form on her face. Everything was going to be fine. She just had to give it time. Her sister would work through her shit—they all would eventually.

  She just had to keep in mind that everyone was different, and they all healed in their own way at their own pace. Everything was better now. They were free, their tormentor was dead, and now they had their own beautiful piece of land where they could start their new lives.

  They were in a much better place now, and things were looking up. Satisfaction filled her as she turned to look at the old house they bought.

  They were going to make it.

  Chapter 1

  OLIVIA

  They were driving her nuts.

  Olivia sighed as she walked around the perimeter of the yard on her daily walk. Just a week ago, she’d been staring at the mountains, her heart at peace as she realized they were going to make it. They were going to overcome their pasts and embrace their futures.

  But now she was pretty sure they’d all kill each other before that ever happened.

  The others been taking shots at each other almost nonstop for the past week. She wasn’t completely innocent—she’d snapped a few times when she reached her limit with all the sniping back and forth.

  But the others…

  She knew they just needed time. They were five completely different women, and with the exception of herself and her sister, they were all essentially strangers. They hadn’t known each other until they were captured and stuck in the same cell.

  After the Blood and Bone Enforcers rescued them, they clung to each other. They trusted no one else—to the point that they all cramped together in one room at the Enforcers’ clubhouse, even though there had been other rooms available for them.

  There’d been some tension between them all back then, there was no denying that. But they’d been so scared and felt so unsafe that even within their small group, they kept to themselves.

  Then Fernandez was killed, along with his guards, and they were suddenly free. The man who kidnapped and imprisoned them, the man who planned to sell them off to the highest bidder, was gone.

  And they were finally free to sift through the remnants of their lives, to find themselves again—or rather, in most cases, find who they were now. Because none of them had escaped as the same women they were when they were captured.

  They found this beautiful piece of property in an isolated part of Montana and moved here to try to heal. Yeah, the house was a run-down mess, in danger of falling apart around them, but the land… the land was why they came here.

  And in the last six months, they’d slowly begun healing. Bit by bit, their true personalities came out as it truly sank in that they were free. It was a glorious sight to witness, but it also meant a lot of learning to live with the women they really were—not the scared shells of women who skulked in the shadows and couldn’t relax enough to be open about who they were.

  But their true personalities were clashing, and no one seemed willing to back down or compromise. Sierra was the only one who tried to stay out of it—but even the shy, timid dragon snapped. It was rare, but it happened.

  She knew they’d get there. They’d learn to live with each other in peace without all the bickering. Eventually. She just hoped it happened before they really did kill each other.

  And if they didn’t stop constantly snapping at each other, Olivia was going to be the one who did the killing.

  She’d just paused to look at her favorite view of the mountains when a shout came from the direction of the house. Heart immediately racing, she spun around just as Carlie ran onto the porch. She spotted Olivia and waved her arms to get her attention, motioning her toward the house.

  Carlie was gesturing urgently, but despite the distance between them, she could see the absence of fear on her face. Inhaling deeply, she tried to force herself to relax as she quickly walked back to the house, but adrenaline was still pumping through her veins despite there being no threat, making it impossible to reclaim the calm she’d felt as she stared at the scenery.

  The closer she got to the house, the louder the chaos inside got. The part of her that had been kidnapped and held captive, the part that was still on the run despite Fernandez being dead, was trying to completely freak out.

  Little sparks of panic were trying to catch blaze, but the lack of fear on Carlie’s face, and the fact that the voices inside weren’t hysterical, were the only things keeping her grounded. Still, her steps were quick as she rushed toward the house.

  “What in the world is going on in there?” she asked as she sprinted up the porch steps.

  “A pipe burst in the kitchen, and you’re the only one who might have the knowledge to fix it.”

  Nodding as she blew out a breath, she allowed her eyes to close for a moment, letting the knowledge that no one was hurt to wash over her. She walked into the house and made her way to the kitchen, the escalating argument between the other dragons becoming louder as she got closer.

  Reaching the doorway, she paused, taking in the river of water gushing from under the sink. Narrowing her eyes at the women standing around arguing instead of trying to stop the tidal wave, she placed her fingers against her lips and whistled sharply, satisfaction filling her as the noise instantly died.

  “Why are you guys arguing instead of doing something about this?”

  Fiona shrugged. “We were waiting for you.”

  Rolling her eyes, she inhaled slowly as she prayed for patience. “Carlie, turn the water off, okay? The rest of you, grab towels, mops, whatever you can, and get this mess cleaned up. I’ll take a look under the sink.”

  The others immediately scattered to do her bidding, including Paisley, their de facto alpha. Paisley was hardheaded, stubborn to her core, and never took orders from anyone—but when it came to figuring out what was wrong when stuff broke, and how to fix it, she knew Olivia was the one for that job.

  Ignoring the mess on the floor, she knelt down to look under the sink. The water immediately soaked her jeans, but she didn’t pay it any attention, turning on the flashlight on her cellphone so she could see better.

  Her heart sank as she spotted the hole in the rusted pipe. She didn’t need her gift to tell her what was wrong, and if any of the women had bothered to look, they would have immediately known what was wrong too.

  Now she just had to tell the others that she couldn’t fix it.

  Fuck.

  Standing, she grabbed a towel off the counter and dried her hands, ignoring her soaked pants. She wanted to stall for more time before she broke the news, but the others were looking at her expectantly, so she bit back a sigh and steeled herself for their reactions.

  “We’re gonna need to call a plumber in.”

  As expected, pandemonium immediately broke out, and she winced as their voices reached ear splitting decibels. Normally, Paisley, Carlie, Fiona and Sierra were calm and collected, always keeping their cool—except when they were taking shots at each other, that was.

  After what they all endured with Fernandez, they’d become strong as fuck. They had to, otherwise their experiences at his and his guards’ hands would have completely broken them.

  And yeah, they were all fucked up to an extent—no one could live through what they had and escape unscathed. Yet at the same time, they’d all become their strongest selves in the process. Sure, they all had triggers, flashbacks, nightmares… But there was little that could shake them now.

  They’d been face to face with evil—they lived it, breathed it, felt it as their skin crawled whenever a guard was near or, Heaven forbid, touched them.

  But all of that strength seemed to disappear like
it never existed when they were faced with interacting with other people.

  Even with the Blood and Bone Enforcers, they held themselves separate. And they were the brave souls who rescued them. Granted, back then they were extremely raw from being held captive, and they hadn’t even begun to heal yet, so it was understandable then.

  But it’d been six months since Fernandez was killed, the Enforcers declared they were safe, and the dragons moved to Montana to start their new lives.

  Yet they were still far too wary and mistrusting of strangers, and they continued to isolate themselves.

  “I told you guys,” Carlie said quietly. Her words were soft, but the commanding conviction behind them made everyone instantly quiet as they looked at her. “When we bought this house, I told you guys we needed to hire a contractor and fix it up. I was outvoted, and look what happened.”

  Paisley frowned, her red hair glowing in the light streaming through the window. “We don’t want strangers tramping all over the house. That puts us in danger, and don’t you think we’ve had enough of that already?”

  The others nodded in agreement, but Carlie shook her head. “This house is a mess. It’s falling down around our heads, and it desperately needs fixed. And what y’all are failing to see is that we’re not in danger. Not anymore.