Contents
Title
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Dear Reader
Blaze of Secrets
Reclaiming the Wolf
Sacrificed to the Dragon
Other Works
About the Author
Copyright
Seducing the Dragon: Part Two
Jessie Donovan
Chapter One
Evie blinked and tried to comprehend Bram’s words. Rather than say something intelligent, all she could do was echo, “Move in with you tonight?”
The dragonman took two steps toward her before he said, “Aye. Unless you’re now having second thoughts?” He gave her a slow once-over before meeting her eyes again. “I was rather looking forward to fucking you.”
The bluntness of his words cut through her shock and ignited her temper. “I’m not just going to jump into bed with you without setting things straight between us. If you’re being serious about taking me as your mate, then I want to know how it will work, what my role here will be, and how you plan to chase away the dragon hunters. Not to mention, exactly how you plan to fight the British government about my staying here.”
“No.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean ‘no’?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What was it that some redhead said to me earlier today? Oh, that’s right, that she was only going to share what needed to be shared. Right now, you’re in the ‘maybe I’ll mate you’ stage. We have three days before you’re supposed to leave here. In that time, you need to convince me to trust you. Until then, I’ll share what you need to know, but not one word extra.”
It seemed that her display of strength earlier had come back to bite her in the arse. “If you’re trying to intimidate me into doing whatever you say, it won’t work. Yes, I need your protection, but I’d rather take my chances with the dragon hunters than turn into a ‘yes, dear’ complacent idiot.”
Bram uncrossed his arms and took the remaining steps between them. “Strong words from a woman all but begging for my help.”
As she stared up into his light blue eyes, she could hear the dragonman’s breathing and she realized how close he was standing to her. He was being an arsehole, but his heat and scent surrounded her and she remembered what it’d been like to be kissed by this man. Before she could stop herself, her eyes darted to his firm lips.
Then the corner of Bram’s lips twitched and she knew she’d been caught. Focusing on her temper, she met his eyes again. “Laugh at me, I don’t care. We already know how one kiss from me affects you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I rather thought it was the other way around.”
They stared at one another, neither of them speaking. His head inched toward hers, and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her again, but instead, he placed a finger under her chin. It took everything she had not to shiver as his mostly Scottish tones rolled over her. “If all goes well and you have nothing to hide, you’ll be in my bed soon enough. Until then, don’t lie to me, Evie Marshall, or you will make an enemy out of me.”
~~~
Bram resisted the urge to stroke the soft skin under Evie’s chin. Hell, he was only inches away from her lips, and his inner dragon kept pushing him to kiss her. Even now, his dragon chimed in, she tastes good. Her scent tells us she wants it too. Kiss her.
Again, you’re thinking with your cock.
She will not betray us.
He tried asking his beast how he could be so certain, but as his dragon had done all day, he remained silent whenever Bram tried to find out specifics about why he trusted Evie.
Rather than think about that, Bram studied the human female’s eyes. They were steady, like a calm sea. Despite being in a stressful situation and her life on the line, the woman remained cool.
Sure, she had a temper, but it only seemed to affect her mouth and not her brain. He rather liked that about her. Glancing down at her plump lips, his dragon whispered, Kiss her.
No. Instead, Bram looked back into those cool eyes with a hint of fire and forced himself to focus. “Well, are you planning my downfall or should we go fetch your things and bring them here? I think I’ve growled and glared enough as a warning for you to not fuck with me. I have an early meeting, and whatever you may think, you’ll be safer under my roof.”
Her eyes widened. “Why? Did the dragon hunter say something during your interrogation?”
Okay, her remembering his errand impressed him a little. “Nothing he said was important. As long as you don’t try to stab me in the back and you stay out of trouble, I will let you know if there’s an increased threat to your life.”
She stared at him and Bram resisted a sigh. He hadn’t lied about the early meeting. He was about to say he’d fetch her things himself and lock her in the bedroom when Evie said, “Promise me you’ll show me around your land tomorrow for a few hours and I’ll stop fighting you for the rest of the night.”
Out of nowhere, he couldn’t resist saying, “Even if I toss you into my bed?”
Her cheeks flushed and he tried his hardest not to laugh, but failed. The instant he did, Evie straightened her shoulders and tilted her head. “Somehow, I think you like a little fighting in your bed. Compliance is boring.”
She turned around and her words created an image of him and Evie naked, rolling around in a meadow, each fighting to be on top. He’d win, of course, and she’d be breathless, flushed, and beautiful as he thrust his cock into her tight, wet heat.
His dragon hummed. It will be fun. Maybe tomorrow.
Careful not to reach down to adjust his now semi-hard cock, Bram looked up to see Evie standing at the door staring at him. She cocked an eyebrow. “Well? Say the word and promise me that tour, and I’ll go without a fight to collect my things. I might even throw in me only asking a handful of questions instead of everything on my mind during our walk.”
All of a sudden, he wondered exactly what was going on inside that mind. This human female’s sass was different from any of the females he’d met before.
If he were honest, he might even be enjoying himself right now. “I could just lock you in a room and go myself. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with any of your questions tonight.”
“Ah, yes, but how do you know I can’t pick the lock?”
“It’s a deadbolt.”
She gave a mischievous smile that sent blood straight to his cock. “I could find a way. I’m quite resourceful.”
The picture of Evie standing near the door, her head tilted so her red hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled with confidence made his dragon hum. You like her too. Play some more and sleep later.
He knew exactly what kind of “play” his beast was hoping for.
Enough. He didn’t have time to argue with his dragon. For the sake of his clan, his meeting tomorrow with the Scottish dragon-shifter leader, Finlay Stewart, was too important to attend without any sleep. It’d taken him months of convincing Finn to meet him in person for alliance talks against the dragon hunters. He wasn’t about to fuck that up over a female, no matter how enticing she might be.
He walked toward the door, but noticed Evie only had a light coat. He plucked an extra one from the coat hooks near the door, tossed it at her, and said, “Come or stay, it doesn’t matter. I’m getting your things now. If you try to run away, just know that my people are watching you and you won’t get far.”
Without another glance, he walked out the door.
~~~
For a moment, Evie had been enjoying herself. Teasing the dragonman had been a lot more fun th
an she’d ever imagined.
Then Bram had shuttered his expression, tossing aside the amusement in his eyes. With it gone, she realized how much more attractive he became when he didn’t wear his hardass dragon leader face.
Well, then, she’d just have to work on getting the teasing version of Bram Moore-Llewellyn back again. That version she wouldn’t mind waking up next to for the rest of her life. Or, at least she hoped it would be for the rest of her life. Bram’s half-arsed “maybe my mate” stage bullshit was vague. How she was supposed to convince him to trust her in three days was beyond her. Maybe after a night’s rest she could figure it out.
Putting on the coat Bram had given her, she followed him into the dark.
And by dark, she meant pitch-black. The dragon-shifters had exceptional eyesight. According to her textbooks, while their night vision wasn’t as keen as their sight during the day, they could still make out shapes in the dark. Evie, on the other hand, was all but walking blind with the lack of street lamps. Then the inevitable happened and she tripped.
Before she could mutter, “fuck,” strong arms stopped her from falling. As the large, rough hands maneuvered her upright, she knew it was Bram. Her display of weakness pissed her off. She’d been doing so well with him.
She could barely make out his face, but his husky voice filled her ears. “To save time, I’m going to carry you.”
He put an arm under her knees and swooped her up as if she weighed nothing. She squeaked as her body made contact with his chest. “I am perfectly capable of walking by myself. Put me down right now, Bram.”
Adjusting his grip on her legs and waist, the dragon-shifter held her tighter against his hard, muscled chest. Despite the layers of clothing between them, the contact sent a sizzle through her body, which ended between her legs.
Bram’s voice filled her ears. “No. Why human females feel the need to wear uncomfortable, ridiculous shoes, I’ll never understand. Our land here isn’t designed for those things. Once you change your shoes, you can walk on your own, but not before. You did bring other shoes with you, correct?”
Before she could help herself, she mumbled, “But you’re supposed to like women in heels.”
Bram squeezed her. “Why? They hide your true gait. In your case, it is full of confidence and efficiency. You should embrace it if you want to seduce a dragon-shifter.”
“You’re giving me advice on how to seduce you now?”
She felt him give a half-shrug. “As clan leader, I don’t have a lot of time. Don’t wear the heels and don’t do the fake voice. They hide who you are, which doesn’t convince me to take you as my mate.”
“So no to the sexy heels, and no to the husky voice. Should I wear a trash bag then too, instead of my form-fitting clothes?”
Even in the dark, she could hear the smile in his voice. “A bin bag would be easier to rip off when I wanted you in my bed.”
She rolled her eyes. “Leave it to a man to make a bin bag sexy.”
For a second, Bram remained silent and she wondered if she’d gone too far. In the dark, she felt comfortable and had nearly forgotten she was being carried in the arms of a dragon-shifter, in the middle of dragon-shifter land. If she’d rolled her eyes at Marcus down south, she never would’ve heard the end of it.
But then Bram leaned close to her ear and the heat of his breath caressed her skin. “I’m sure that even if I required you to wear one every night as part of the arrangement of our mating, you’d probably find a way to rebel and wear those bloody awful things that squeeze your body into some unnatural shape beneath it.”
She laughed. “Corsets are very 19th century. Exactly how old are you?”
His tone became more distant. “Old enough.”
Hmph. Dragon-shifters had lifespans similar to humans, so it wasn’t as if she was really insulting him. He couldn’t be more than thirty-five or so. She must’ve touched on a sore spot without even trying. She should drop it, but she added it to her lists of things to find out about Bram.
She frowned. Wait a second, since when had she started a list? It wasn’t like she was really still doing her DDA inspector job. Any information she sent back now would be promptly dismissed as tainted the instant her mating to Bram happened. Well, she hoped the mating would happen. And the dragon-shifter hadn’t even agreed to mate her yet. It would be dangerous if she became too interested in him too soon. She’d just have to be careful.
Bram shifted his hold on her and soon her feet were on the ground. The dragonman opened the door, leaned around her, and flipped on a light. They had arrived at her temporary cottage.
While she might’ve protested earlier, she already missed the heat and safety she’d felt in Bram’s arms. However, she kept her face brave and confident, not wanting to let on that little tidbit or the dragonman might use it against her. She looked up. “I’ll change my shoes and fetch my things. Then you can carry them back instead of me.”
Judging by Bram’s expressionless face, whatever camaraderie they’d shared on the way here had cooled. That bothered her more than she liked.
Rather than focus too long on that fact, she stepped inside the door, kicked off her heels, and went inside the cottage. She had a feeling their walk back would be mostly in silence.
Chapter Two
Bram poured his second cup of black coffee and took a sip. He preferred tea to the nasty black brew, but he needed something to help wake him up and make him more alert for his meeting in thirty minutes with Finn Stewart.
It was all Evie Marshall’s fault. He should’ve been able to nab five hours of sleep, but he’d spent the first two of those imagining her soft, warm body next to his. Or, rather, under his.
And even when he’d finally chased away the sexual fantasies created by both him and his dragon, he’d had a restless three hours of sleep. Evie’s comment about age had brought back memories best forgotten. He very much wanted to get the surliness out of his system with the human female, but she slept like a log and was still asleep. Not even banging on the door had woken her.
So much for the female being on edge because her life was in danger.
His dragon chimed in. She feels safe with us. That is a good sign.
In no mood to argue with his stubborn beast, Bram pushed the dragon to the back of his mind and went out of the kitchen to his desk. Kai had given the green light for him to borrow Nikki, so he dialed the young dragonwoman. When she answered, he said without preamble, “Nikki, your new assignment starts this morning. You’re to be Evie Marshall’s full-time guard. I need you here in five minutes to get the female up and out of my cottage before Finn Stewart shows up.”
He could hear the confusion in her voice. “Can’t you wake her up while I make my way there? It would make things easier.”
“I tried. Now, hurry up.”
Clicking off his phone, he took another sip of coffee. With Nikki’s assignment out of the way, he only had about twenty-five more things to take care of in the next twenty-eight minutes. Melanie always badgered him about hiring an assistant, but Bram liked the work. However, dealing with Evie’s situation was going to take more time than he’d like and he might just have to find some help.
His dragon decided to poke his head out again. Show her around. Bond with her. She’s brave but still scared.
Deep down, Bram knew that too. If he took her as his mate, her whole life would turn upside down. He knew nothing of her family or friends, and getting them onto his land was a problem. He’d been trying for months to get the okay for Melanie’s parents and brother to visit, but the British government was being cranky and bureaucratic about the law. Humans weren’t supposed to visit, end of story.
Maybe Evie could help us find a way.
His dragon had a point. To placate the beast, he said, Okay, I’ll ask her later. For now, I need to work. Go back to sleep. You need to be alert when Finlay Stewart is here. I need your intuition.
In response, his dragon hummed and faded to the back of his min
d.
Right. Now, he could put things into play without any interruptions. If the meeting went well with Finn, he should start having regular teleconference meetings with the other leader within the next month or two to strategize against the dragon hunters. And if so, he needed Arabella to be ready to talk with the other leader about secure communication channels before Finn returned to Scotland.
He’d just finished sending an email to Arabella when there was a knock on the door that had to be Nikki. Not wasting time, he strode to the door and opened it. “She’s upstairs. There’s a pitcher in the kitchen you can fill with water and dump on her to wake her up. Get to it.”
Trained solder that she was, Nikki nodded and went about her task. It was only when he heard a shriek a few minutes later that he knew she’d succeeded.
And he couldn’t help but laugh. What would Evie look like all wet and angry in the morning?
Focus, Bram, focus. Right. Pushing aside his distracting thoughts about a wet, angry Evie, Bram went to work on his list of things to do. His clan came first, no matter how much he wanted to see what Evie looked like right this second.
~~~
Evie had been warm and enjoying a dream about flying on a dragon’s back when a blast of ice hit her face. She shrieked and jumped out of bed. Looking around, she saw a female with a dragon-shifter tattoo peeking out of the sleeve of her shirt. She was short for a dragon-shifter and she had black hair, dark almond eyes, and skin with a yellow undertone. She also had her arm in a sling.
She had no idea who this person was.
Evie growled. “Who the fuck are you and why the bloody hell did you feel the need to dump ice water on a sleeping woman?”
The dragonwoman arched an eyebrow. “My orders are to get you out of bed and out of the house in the next twenty minutes. It’s your own fault you sleep too soundly.”
She frowned. “Orders? Who...” Then it hit her. “Oh no, he bloody well didn’t.”
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