Seducing the Dragon: Part Four (12 page)

A traditional human wedding march played as Evie made her way up the aisle alone. Even if her parents didn’t live abroad, they wouldn’t have been allowed on Stonefire’s lands. Evie had decided to walk alone, as she’d done her entire life until meeting Bram.

His inner dragon said,
She will never be alone again. She is ours.

Ours now, eh? I’m glad you decided to share.

His beast bristled.
The frenzy made me unstable. You know that.

Aye, but it’s fun to tease.

No more teasing. Our mate is here.

Bram put out a hand and Evie placed hers in his. Squeezing her fingers, he led her up the three stairs to the raised dais. While he had a second, he whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

In a rare occurrence, Evie blushed. That made his dragon smug.
She is ours.

Ignoring his beast, Bram focused on his mate. He could hear her heart hammering in her chest. To give her strength, he squeezed her fingers again, leaned over, and murmured, “Be strong for me, love. We all need you.”

She nodded and they took their final places in the middle of the dais. Unlike in a human wedding, there wasn’t anyone officiating the ceremony. Dragon-shifter matings were between two people and no one else.

Never taking his eyes from Evie’s, he picked up the smaller silver mating band in the box next to them, the one engraved with “Bram’s” in the old dragon-shifter language, and the room fell silent. That was his cue to begin.

Bram projected his voice. “Evie Marie Marshall, today I take you as my mate. You are clever and brave with an inner strength rivaling any dragon-shifter. I offer you my mate claim today in front of the clan. Will you accept it?”

Evie stood tall and offered her upper left arm. “Of course I accept.”

Good lass.
Grinning at his brave mate, he slipped the silver cuff around her arm. The sight of his name on her arm satisfied a primal need deep inside him. Later, he would claim much more than her arm.

Evie reached behind them to take the large silver cuff engraved with “Evie’s” in the old language. Holding it up, her voice was loud and steady as she said, “Bram Moore-Llewellyn, I love you and not just because you’re clan leader, although that is a bonus.” A chuckle went through the room. Leave it to his lass to lighten the mood. She continued, “I love you because you are a strong, caring, and stubborn dragonman who never gives up. I accepted your mate claim. Now, will you accept mine?”

He turned his arm without the tattoo toward her. “Of course, bloody woman, now hurry up. I want everyone to see your name on my arm.”

Evie grinned as she placed the cuff on his bicep. His dragon crooned.
I approve of our mate’s name on our arm. We should never take it off.

We’ll discuss that later.

Bram took Evie’s hands in his, brought them to his lips, and kissed each one in turn. Then he tugged her close and stopped a hairbreadth away from her lips. His whisper was meant only for her as he said, “Shall we put on a good show and convince them how in love we are?”

“Oh, Bram, there’s no need for a show. One taste of me and you lose your mind.”

He squeezed her tightly. “I rather thought it was the other way around.”

“Just kiss me. I love you and want this to be over so we can celebrate both with the clan and with each other.”

Bram whispered, “I love you,” before taking her lips in a possessive kiss. Uncaring about who was watching, Bram made sure everyone in the room knew Evie was his.

Or, at least, he claimed her as thoroughly as possible while they both still had their clothes on. That possession would come later.

Epilogue

Two days later

Evie was typing out a chapter on her current work in progress,
Understanding the UK Department of Dragon Affairs
, when Bram came into the room carrying Murray in one arm and a stack of newspapers in the other.

Her heart rate kicked up. The articles about their mating ceremony had finally arrived.

She rubbed her hands against her trousers before turning from the computer. “Did you read them? What did they say? Are riots breaking out in the streets?”

The corner of Bram’s mouth ticked up. “Riots in the street, love? It’s just some bloody newspaper articles about our mating.”

“Now is not the time to tease me, Bram. I’m pregnant and my hormones are not amused.”

He shook his head as he bounced their son in his arm. “You need to come up with a better excuse. That one is becoming a tad old.”

With a sound of frustration, Evie stood up and took the papers from Bram’s hands. “I’ll find out myself, then.”

As she scanned the first newspaper, her stomach churned, warning her that if she didn’t sit down, she’d be losing her breakfast.

When Bram’s look turned into one of concern, she knew she must be pale. Her mate’s teasing tone was gone. “Are you all right, love? Should I get the trash bin?”

Shaking her head, she moved toward the sofa. “I just need to sit down.”

Plopping down on the sofa, she closed her eyes and breathed in and out until the queasiness subsided. Once she no longer felt like throwing up, she opened her eyes to find Bram standing in front of her. He asked, “Are you better, love?”

She waved a hand. “I’m fine. Just let me read the papers.”

She barely noticed Bram sitting down next to her as she read the first few paragraphs:

Saturday saw a monumental event in modern British history. For the first time, journalists were welcomed onto a dragon-shifter’s land to witness a mating ceremony, which is the equivalent of a marriage between humans. The event took place near the Lake District, on the lands belonging to Clan Stonefire.

Even before the ceremony began, everyone was excited about another dragon-shifter clan leader sitting in attendance. His identity remains a secret. While a few journalists were invited, it was clear the dragon-shifters were wary of the humans on their land.

The ceremony, held between Stonefire’s clan leader, Bram Moore-Llewellyn, and former-DDA employee, Evie Marshall, only lasted five minutes before the celebrations began. Everything from the exchanging of arm cuffs to the dancing after the ceremony was fascinating to watch. The traditions between humans and dragon-shifters are similar, yet different.

Evie scanned the rest, which detailed everyone’s appearance and behavior. By the end of the article, even she wanted another peek into how the dragon-shifters lived.

Reading the Telegraph, the Guardian, and then the Times, Evie felt the same way after each. The articles were entertaining yet informative and lacked any of the malice of the anti-dragon-shifter crowd.

When she was done, she over at Bram, who was bouncing Murray on his knee. She would never tire of the big dragonman playing with the tiny baby.

She smiled and said, “Everything seems fine. The journalists upheld their agreements. All of the articles were fairly objective.”

Bram glanced at her. “Aye, I told you not to worry and before you ask again, no, there aren’t any riots in the streets. So far, the news has been received well.”

“And you couldn’t have told me this sooner?”

He grinned. “You’re the one who likes to find things out for yourself.”

Ignoring his teasing, she pushed on. “Anyway, the reception of the articles bodes well for Melanie. Her release might go ahead as scheduled.”

 
Murray put out his arms and reached for her. Evie took her son from Bram and cuddled him on her lap.
 

Bram said, “The reception also bodes well for you, love. The DDA should stop harassing you after this. You’ve turned into the darling of the press.”

Evie leaned against her dragonman’s shoulder. “I guess now all we need to do is watch out for the dragon hunters.”

“Aye, but Finn and I have things in hand. If Simon Bourne makes a move anywhere between Birmingham and the Orkney Islands, we’ll know. Things might be a bit boring from now on.”

Evie smiled. “Life with you will never be boring, Bram. In nine months’ time, you’ll not only have to look after the clan, you’ll have two babies as well.”

Bram put an arm around her shoulder. “And you, love. I’ll look after you.”

Leaning into his warmth, she murmured, “And I, you.”

Evie glanced up and as they stared at one another, warmth and happiness spread throughout her body.
 

Cocking an eyebrow, she stated, “Well, I guess I succeeded in the end, then.”

“Succeeded with what?”

“I managed to seduce a dragon-shifter.”

Bram’s gaze turned heated and he leaned in close. “Aye, and you’re welcome to do it anytime you like, love.”

Evie tried her best seductive smile. “Well, Murray’s due for nap in ten minutes. Maybe I’ll try then.”

“Lass, that sounds like a plan.”

Bram kissed her. As her dragonman teased her mouth with long strokes of his tongue, most definitely a preview of what was to come, happiness warmed Evie’s heart. With her mate and her son, she had a bright new life ahead of her. With time and Melanie’s help, their children might just grow up in a world where humans and dragon-shifters could marry whomever they liked.

*~*~*~*

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Finn and Arabella will have a story, but first comes the one-time novella special about what happens to Melanie and Tristan when Mel releases her book.
Revealing the Dragons
will be available Feb 26, 2015. Turn the page for glimpses of my other works.

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While waiting for Mel and Tristan’s new story, maybe you’d like to check out the first book in my Cascade Shifters series,
Reclaiming the Wolf
.
Turn the page for an excerpt from my other series.

With Gratitude,

Jessie Donovan

Check out an excerpt from
Reclaiming the Wolf
(Cascade Shifters #1):

Chapter One

Cascade Mountains, Eleven Years Ago

Kaya Alexie kept crouched low behind the thick underbrush of the forest, careful to keep still in her human form, making no more noise than what it took to breathe. If the male cougar-shifter found her before she reached the target, she would lose, and she needed to win if she wanted to claim her prize. Only then could she get what she’d wished for these past few months.

She strained her ears for the slightest sound that might give away the male’s hiding spot, but even though her hearing wasn’t as good as in her wolf form, all she could hear was the rustling of the leaves and branches and the small scurrying of the ground mice. Apart from the occasional bird cry, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
 

Maybe, just maybe, she had finally lost him.

Not that she would be celebrating anytime soon. She’d been secretly dating Sylas Murray, the cougar-shifter from a neighboring clan, for the last six months and she was well aware of how skilled he could be. His tracking skills were damn good, and definitely her biggest obstacle to winning.
 

Still, she wasn’t too bad herself. She could outsmart the other eighteen-year-old wolf-shifters in her pack when it came to tracking and evading drills; it was only a matter of time before she could beat Sylas too.
 

Maybe even today.

A bird chirped and then flew right past her. She looked up into the trees, but since the sun had set half an hour ago, it was too dark to make out any recognizable shapes. If Sy had made his way into the branches up above, the sneaky cat would use his feline grace to pounce on her. She needed to move.

She itched to shift into a wolf and feel the wind against her fur, but they’d agreed to stay human to make the challenge more difficult. Of course, moving her nearly six-foot tall body through the underbrush without making a sound was no easy feat. Autumn was nearly here, which meant the thick foliage of the understory had turned into a maze of sharp sticks.
 

She finally broke through the last of the trees at the edge of the clearing and felt a sense of giddiness. Victory was nearly hers for the taking. If she could just make it to the big rock outcropping on the far side, she would win, and Sy would have to give her anything she wanted. That was their deal.

And she knew exactly what she wanted to ask for.
 

She was tired of looking over her shoulder or finding a way to sneak past her clan’s guards and sentries to spend a few stolen hours with her boyfriend. She wanted to show off Sy to the world, and if she won tonight, she was going to invite him to her clan’s autumn celebration next week.

Sy accompanying her to the celebration and facing the scrutiny of her entire clan was a big step. Interspecies pairings were still considered taboo among most shifter clans, Kaya’s included. Yet, if Sy felt as she thought he felt about her, he wouldn’t care about her clan’s objections and old-fashioned bullshit. He would stand with her against anything.

But she was getting ahead of herself. First, she needed to make it across the wide-open clearing and be the first to touch the rock.

Kaya sprinted as fast as her long legs would carry her. She had ten feet to go when she heard a cougar growl behind her.
 

This was the border between her clan and his, and her heart skipped a beat as a million questions and worries raced through her head. Had someone from Sy’s clan discovered them? What would Sy do if they had?

Stop being a chicken shit, and see who’s following you.
She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder, only to find a naked Sy chasing after her. She stumbled at the sight of his broad chest and strong, lean muscles, but Kaya quickly regained her wits. They had both started this game dressed in clothes and his nakedness could only mean one thing: Sylas Murray was a cheating bastard who had shifted into his cougar form back in the forest.