Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Three

by Jessie Donovan

  When Melanie called Arabella on her shit, Ara’s eyes flashed again and his sister said, “Here you are, all proud of yourself for standing up to me, but you’re no different than the rest. When I met you at the door, you pitied me like all the others. There’s a reason I stay inside this house, and it’s because I don’t want to have to explain myself to people like you. I have a job and help the clan. Your pity, along with everyone else’s, just takes time away from my work.”

  Melanie shook her head. “You’re wrong. I didn’t—and don’t—pity you. I felt sad for what had happened to you and the pain you must’ve endured.”

  Arabella picked up her laptop. “I don’t know why I bother to argue with you. This is my house.” She looked at Tristan. “I want you two to leave.”

  While he was her brother, he had to admire how Melanie was handling the situation. Hell, the human had shown him that Ara’s dragon-half was still there. Maybe it was time to try to push her. After all, Tristan had coddled his sister for too long out of guilt.

  Two days ago, he never would’ve believed it, but he was going to side with the human. “No, Ara, unless you agree to come over to my house for dinner in the next few days, and stay for at least two hours, we’re staying the night and will continue to stay the night until you give in.”

  He sensed the human’s eyes on him, but he focused one hundred percent on his sister. Ara blinked and said, “What?”

  “I’ve recently been told, by more than one person I might add, that I’ve let what happened to Mum take over my life. And I’m finally starting to see how that hatred and pain has damaged far more than me. I’ve tiptoed around you for too long, not wanting to take your issues head on because of guilt. Am I sorry for what happened? Of course. Do I think you should hide away here for the rest of your life? No.” He took a step toward his sister. “While you were arguing with Melanie, I saw your dragon-side surface. Twice.” He took another step toward his sister. “I need to know—have you been lying to me all these years about your beast being silent?”

  Ara’s confidence faltered a fraction. “Don’t ask me about that, Tristan.”

  He walked until he was standing in front of his sister. Luckily, she didn’t try to run away from him. “It’s all right, Ara. If you have, I forgive you. But if you keep trying to hide your beast, I fear that you’ll go insane. Have you ever shifted because you couldn’t control it over the last decade?”

  Fear flashed across his sister’s face. “Yes.”

  He put an arm around Ara’s shoulders. “It’s all right, love. We’re part dragon, and it’s only natural.”

  Ara shook her head. “No. No, no, no. If I’m in dragon form, then the dragon hunters will find me. I need to stay in human form so I can keep hidden from them.” She looked up at Tristan, her eyes wild and lost to decade-old memories. “I need to push the beast back, deep, deep into my mind. It’s the only way to stay safe.”

  Tristan hugged his sister and stroked her hair, trying to decide what to do. Despite his, and others’, recommendations to see Stonefire’s equivalent of a therapist, Ara had always refused.

  He glanced over and saw Melanie staring at them. Her eyes were honest and open, and he could swear they mirrored the pain he felt right now for his sister. Recalling how Melanie hadn’t been afraid to address the issue head on, gave Tristan an idea.

  Never releasing his hold on his sister, he pulled out his phone with one hand and dialed Bram’s number. When his clan leader picked up, he said, “Bram, Arabella’s on the verge of a breakdown. Because of your dragon’s dominance, you’re the only one she can’t refuse to listen to right now. Will you come to her cottage and see what you can do for her?”

  The line was quiet a second and then Bram answered, “I wondered when you would ask me, Tristan. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  The line clicked off and Tristan guided his sister to the couch.

  Chapter Four

  Watching Arabella go from the fiery, confident dragonwoman she’d been with her to the barely functioning individual with Tristan made Melanie’s heart ache. To hear that the woman had resisted her dragon-half for nearly a decade made her sadness for Arabella only grow larger.

  She wanted to help the dragonwoman, but she knew her intrusion right now would only make matters worse. So, Mel decided to do what her dad always did when there was trouble that required waiting around to solve—she would make some tea.

  Since Tristan was preoccupied with holding his sister, Mel went to the room opposite she assumed was the kitchen, opened the door, and discovered she was right. As she put the kettle on and searched through the cupboards for teacups and a teapot, she wondered if Bram could help Tristan’s sister. If Arabella could only get over her trauma and act like she’d done with Mel, the dragonwoman’s personality—especially her stubbornness—would turn everyone’s head in no time. Before long, no one would blink twice at her scars or treat her differently because of them. The question was how to convince Tristan’s sister that it was not only possible, but also easy to let people in to look beyond the surface.

  In that moment, Mel decided she would visit Arabella again whether she wanted it or not and work on convincing the other woman of her self-worth. Who knew, maybe someday Tristan’s sister would welcome her into her home as a friend.

  Not that it would be easy. But just like seeing Cait give a weak smile had made her heart sing, so would it be to see Arabella strutting around Stonefire’s lands as confident as her brother.

  Her motives weren’t entirely selfless, of course. After all, Arabella would be the aunt of her baby, and she very much wanted Arabella to be a part of her child’s life. To do that, Arabella needed to heal.

  The kettle clicked off and she put a couple of tea bags into the teapot she’d found in the cupboards before pouring the water. As she let the tea bags steep, she leaned against the counter and tried not to think about the other major thing that had just happened in the other room. Mainly, Tristan’s acknowledgment about his hatred of humans clouding his judgment. Well, it’d been an almost-admission and she’d take it as such.

  Between that and the way he’d followed her example of using a direct approach with Arabella rather than dismissing it, a small, very small, part of her started to think she and Tristan might have a chance at a future together. If he could look past the fact she was human and simply try to get to know her, maybe their sexual attraction would become something more. Not that she didn’t love the fact he was attracted to her, but there was more to Melanie Hall than her body or ability to breed children.

  She sighed. She needed to be careful about wishing for fairy tale endings because it would be dangerous to hope for too much too soon. They hadn’t even sat down to talk about what would happen with their child.

  She placed a hand on her lower belly. Would he try to take him or her away from her? At one time, she might’ve thought so. But after today, she was starting to think differently.

  Focus, Hall. All of that would have to wait because, first things first, she needed to make sure Arabella was okay.

  She splashed some milk into the cups before picking up the teapot and pouring the tea. Once they were full, she carefully picked up the mugs and maneuvered them out into the living room. As she set them down on the coffee table in front of the couch, she felt Tristan’s eyes on her. She geared herself up for another possible battle with the dragonman when he surprised her by saying, “Thank you.”

  Looking up, her heart skipped a beat at the sincerity in Tristan’s eyes. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of his being nice to her.

  However, right now wasn’t the time to press him on it. That conversation was something she’d like to do without his sister present. She would wait until after Bram arrived and she could get him alone.

  For now, she acted as if he said thank you to her on a daily basis. “You’re welcome. I didn’t know if you took sugar, so they’re just tea and milk.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “For someone with
a not-quite British accent, you act British in a pinch.”

  Maybe it was selfish, but she very much wanted to have a normal conversation with Tristan without him growling or glaring at her.

  She darted her eyes toward the dragonwoman to make sure her condition was unchanged, but Ara was still leaning against Tristan’s shoulders with her eyes closed.

  Right. If there was anything else they could do to help Arabella, Tristan would’ve done it already, so she looked back to Tristan’s face and said, “Not that you ever asked, but I’m half British. My mom’s American, and I spent my first eighteen years there.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  She nearly blinked. Tristan MacLeod was asking her a personal question.

  She cleared her throat. “At first, it was to go to university here. But later we found out that my brother had cancer. So my dad transferred us to the UK so we could both be close to his family and to avoid going into medical-related bankruptcy. Americans don’t have a national health service, you know.”

  “Dragon’s blood can’t cure cancer. So what happened to your brother?”

  She decided not to mention it was in her file and just focus on the fact he wanted to know at all. “Oliver, my brother, finally beat the cancer, but his immune system was shot after the chemotherapy and he contracted a CRE infection. Apparently, it’s resistant to antibiotics.”

  He titled his head. “And that’s when you decided to put yourself up as a sacrifice.”

  “Yes. My brother deserved a chance to live, and I had the power to give it to him. Or, at least, try. Sometimes I still don’t believe I’m compatible, let alone that I passed all the tests.”

  Tristan studied her a moment and then said, “And what do you think now? Do you regret your choice?”

  ~~~

  Tristan held his breath as he waited for Melanie’s answer. His dragon went quiet as well, more eager than he to hear what the female had to say. She couldn’t leave them. She was strong. She should raise their young. She would be a fierce protector.

  Melanie took a sip of her tea and said, “I don’t regret it, but...”

  He raised an eyebrow. “But what?”

  “I think if you provided the sacrifice candidates with more information ahead of time, then they would be less likely to be scared when they arrive. Knowing about things like the mate frenzy—which I know is rare, but still, it can catch a girl by surprise—and the welcoming ceremony. Stuff like that would’ve helped me set expectations. I might be a bit strong-willed, but to go through what I went through and be an introvert, well, that could crack such a person.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. “A ‘bit’ strong-willed? Woman, you nearly put Bram to shame.”

  She grinned and his heart skipped a beat at the same time as blood rushed straight to his cock. If it weren’t for Ara needing him right now, he would go over to the human, pin her against the wall, and kiss the ever-loving shit out of her beautiful mouth.

  And that was just want his human-half wanted to do with her. His dragon-half was far more interested in caressing her skin, thrusting between her thighs, and making her scream out their name in pleasure. His beast wanted to bury himself in the human to try to forget all about Arabella’s hurt and stress. Yes, they needed to fuck her. That would make them feel better. The sadness would go away.

  Before he could stop it, an image of Melanie on her hands and knees in the grass, his hands gripping her beautiful, full arse as he pounded into her tight pussy, flashed into his mind.

  His dragon hummed. Yes. They should fuck her in the grass. Soon.

  His cock was now at attention and one-hundred percent on board with that fantasy, but as his sister moved against his side, he felt guilty and mentally said to his dragon, Not now.

  He knew his dragon’s need for sex was instinctual, and there was nothing he could do about it. Fighting his dragon’s instinct tended to make things worse in the end, but he could at least delay this particular battle until after his sister was taken care of.

  There was a knock on the door and he focused back on the here and now. That would be Bram, and he hoped his leader could do something for Arabella.

  He tried to pry Ara’s arms from around his waist, but her arms only tightened around him. He poked his sister in the side. “Let go. I need to answer the door.”

  She shook her head against his side. “No. I don’t want Bram. He’ll force me to talk about the dragon hunters or try to talk to my dragon.”

  With any luck, yes, he would.

  Normally, he’d argue with his sister until she gave in, but right now, she was still half-trapped inside her memories. Otherwise, she’d have fled out the back door by now.

  He tightened his grip on Arabella to make sure that didn’t happen and he looked at Melanie. “Can you answer the door and let Bram in?”

  She nodded, set down her tea, and went to the door. He tried his hardest not to watch her arse as she walked, but he failed. He was mesmerized by the full plumpness of her hips as they swayed with each step she took. His dragon growled inside his head to slap her arse and pull her close.

  Yes, their female would help with their sadness. Hold her. Squeeze her. Feel better.

  Shut it, dragon.

  His dragon huffed but went quiet again.

  By the time Melanie came into the room with Bram, he had mostly managed to get both himself and his dragon under control. His clan leader kept his distance, but Tristan could see the concern in his eyes for his hurting clan members. “What do you want me to do, Tristan?”

  He looked down at Ara and back to his clan leader. “Talk to her and see if you can get her out of her head. Despite what we thought, her dragon-half is still there. I saw her eyes flash to slits twice.”

  Surprise flashed in Bram’s eyes before he studied Arabella with his piercing blue gaze. Tristan hoped his friend was coming up with a plan. If anyone could help his sister, it was Stonefire’s leader.

  Finally, Bram nodded. “Right. I’ll try. But if I can get her away from you, I think it’s best for you and Melanie to leave while I work my clan leader magic on her.”

  Bram was hiding it well as he always did, but Tristan could sense the dragonman’s unease and sadness concerning Arabella. He decided to ease the tension in the room. “And by magic, I hope you don’t mean your dick.”

  Bram smiled. “Not that my cock isn’t like magic on a stick, but no, Tristan, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to me. After all, I remember Ara as a wee thing. She’s like a sister to me.”

  Tristan smiled and nodded. “Right. Sit on the other side of her and take a hold of her shoulders. She’s probably too far gone to run, but I’m not taking any chances.”

  He waited to see if Arabella would protest, but she must’ve retreated back into her memories because she didn’t so much as move.

  Bram sat down. As he squeezed Ara’s shoulder, he said, “Arabella, it’s me, Bram. It’s time to release Tristan, love, and let me and my dragon help you.”

  Ara tightened her grip around Tristan and said, “No. I don’t want your help.”

  Bram’s expression turned determined, into what Tristan called his “I’m not taking your shit” face.

  His leader moved his grip to the back of Ara’s neck and squeezed. “Arabella MacLeod, I’m not asking you, I’m telling you as your clan leader to let go of Tristan and look at me.”

  At first, he wondered if Ara was too far gone to recognize the order and dominance in Bram’s voice, but she slowly moved her arms, sat up, and looked at Bram, who gave her a nod of approval.

  Since Bram still gripped Arabella’s neck, Tristan stood up and said to his leader, “Phone me later and let me know what happens.”

  Bram never took his gaze from Arabella as he said, “I’ve got this, Tristan. Go.”

  Trusting his friend to take care of Ara, he turned to face Melanie. She was unusually quiet, and neither he nor his beast liked it. They liked her moving and lively. He needed to get her out
of here.

  He placed a hand on her elbow and ignored the heat that flared at the softness of her skin against his. “Let’s go.”

  Melanie nodded, and he guided them out of Arabella’s cottage and toward his own. It was time to take Melanie home, not to Samira’s place, but to his. Neither half of him wanted to let her out of his sight. He only hoped he could control his dragon once they were out in the open. Without Arabella’s pain, his dragon would think of nothing but fucking Melanie. The human female wouldn’t understand the reason for the need, and for some reason, her opinion of him was starting to matter.

  Rather than think too much on that, he guided her out the door and into the fresh air.

  ~~~

  When they were at a safe distance from Arabella’s house, Melanie’s curiosity couldn’t take the silence any longer and she blurted out, “What can Bram do to help your sister that you can’t do yourself? You mentioned something about dominance, but I don’t fully understand what that means.”

  “So you didn’t find anything in your research over the years about social structures within the dragon clans?”

  She looked at him askance. “So you were paying attention to me on the first day. I wasn’t quite sure you were, given your level of assholery.”

  From out of nowhere, Tristan chuckled. It was low and brief, but she loved how his short laugh made the corners of his eyes crinkle and lessen the harshness of his face. It made him even more handsome than when he was all alpha grumpy. Not that he wasn’t attractive when he went all caveman—or was it dragon?—in the bedroom, but this was different. This was a side of Tristan she wasn’t used to seeing.

  This was a man she could see herself falling for.

  His face relaxed with a faint smile and he said, “I like you this way better than when you’re reserved and quiet.”