by Celeste Raye
“They are always going to stare, aren’t they?”
Neil sighed and kissed her head. “They are just unable to take their eyes off of you because you’re so beautiful.
“Uh huh.”
“You trust me, don’t you?”
Audra was suddenly nervous, and she wasn’t sure what to be nervous about.
“Of course.”
“Then come with me and don’t be mad.”
That didn’t sound good at all, and Audra was dreading it. What was going on that had him acting that way?
“Okay.”
She took his hand and let him lead her somewhere, though she didn’t know where she was going.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Audra kept wondering what was going on, but from the look of Neil’s expression, he was determined not to give any of it away.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a surprise that is going to be a good one, once you get past the first five minutes of awkwardness. This is something that had to be done, so don’t be mad, okay?”
It wasn’t something that she could really say one way or another how she was going to feel, so she tried to ignore the ill feelings that were going through her.
Neil pulled her outside and she saw someone very familiar stepping out of a truck. It was her brother, and she immediately knew what Neil was talking about, and more importantly, what he was trying to do there.
“There are no human guests, remember?”
“Well, that’s just it. Your brother isn’t human. Or rather, he hasn’t been in many years. He took my blood to heal one time, and he will always be a part of us now.”
Audra was shocked, and her feet stopped moving. She was staring at Sam, the brother she’d known all of her life, and for an instant, she was sure that she could see the same glow that she saw in her daughter’s eyes a time or two before.
“So he can shift?”
“No, but he was changed in other ways. He didn’t want the same for you. He didn’t want us together because he knows how dangerous my world can be. I want you to make up with him. He has come around…”
She started to cut him off, but he stopped her. “Give him a chance to speak first. You’re his little sister, and he just wants what is best for you.”
“And you’re not it?”
“He didn’t think so then, but things have changed.”
Audra knew that the two of them had gotten into a fight once they had been back. She liked to believe that it had nothing to do with her, but even then, she had known that she was the cause. Sam hadn’t been able to handle the idea that she had been gone so long, had a baby, and married his best friend. It had been too much.
“I don’t know, Neil.”
“Please, for me?”
It was hard for Audra to tell him no. She didn’t want to, and Audra finally relented. She missed Sam and even though she was hurt by his decision to walk away from her, like Neil had said, she was expecting as much. She knew that she hadn’t handled things well all the way around. Her brother was certainly one of those things.
Audra finally agreed to it, but she wasn’t sure what she was going to say. Sam was walking towards her, and things were so different since the last time she’d seen him. It had been over a year, and Audra wasn’t sure what to expect. She certainly didn’t think that she would get the break of a smile and a hug that pulled her off of the ground.
She slapped Sam on his shoulder and told him that he shouldn’t be lifting her like that.
“I’m a pregnant woman, brother. You have to be careful.”
“You’re pregnant again?”
For some reason, the surprise is what made Audra blush. Should she have waited?
“Yes, we want a big family.”
“You always did. You always said that you would do better than our parents.”
“And I meant it.”
Sam paused for a moment and Audra looked over to Neil, wondering if this was a bad idea. She had tried to reconcile with Sam before, but he had blown up on her, and it felt like it was going to happen again.
“Look, Audra, I don’t know what happened back then, but I know that I don’t want us to become strangers. It was you and me against the world and I just didn’t want you to know about Neil’s world. It is dangerous for people like us. Trust me.”
Audra was waiting, because she’d heard all of it before. It didn’t matter why he was so against it. She loved Neil with all of her heart, but Sam had always been there for her. She wasn’t complete without him in the picture as well.
“But I can see that you’re happy, and I know that Neil is a good man. There will always be a chance that you will get wrapped up in their world like I was, but I know that he will keep you safe.”
He looked over at Neil, and Neil nodded in confirmation. He was never going to let anything happen to her.
“He will keep me safe, Sam. You brought me to him, after all.”
Sam smiled a little and shook his head. “This was not at all what I had in mind.”
Audra could tell that it was a lot for her brother to take still. She hoped to one day learn what had happened between them so long ago. Why did they have such a bond that felt like they were talking without saying a word.
“It isn’t what I had in mind, but nothing is. With Ben, I thought I had found the man I was to be with. That didn’t work out. Things change.”
Sam agreed though he was still a little unsure.
“I know that things change. I will get used to it in time.”
She sighed out loud with relief. “So, you’re going to give us some time then?”
Sam agreed, and that was all that Audra needed to hear. She was so afraid of losing Sam for good. She was happy in her life, but at the same time, something had been missing. When he hugged her and told her that he loved her and missed her, Audra knew that he was the missing piece.
“I finally have you both.”
Sam waved her off. “I was always here, sis. Sometimes, I need to get my head out of my ass; that’s all.”
Neil moved to hold Audra and smiled at his old friend. It had been one hell of a year for him. His life had changed so dramatically, but it had been all good change. Neil couldn’t imagine his life any other way now.
“Now that we have that out of the way, who's ready to go check out the rest of the club?”
Sam and Audra both agreed. “Let’s see what you’ve done to this place.”
Dragon’s Virgin Mate
(A Dragon Shifter Romance Story)
The Dynasty Club
By Celeste Raye
Book 2
Chapter One
“This place is looking great, Frank. I can’t believe that you did all of this. It’s so different.”
Frank waved Trent off. Trent was amazed at how big the club was, compared to the times when he had seen it before.
“It was so much smaller then. Now, look at it.”
Trent’s words made Frank glow with pride. He’d spent over a century running the dragon-only club. It was more like a country club that catered to both sides of a dragon shifter: the man and the beast. It was set on a property of manicured gardens, meticulously planted and taken care of. It was like a fairy tale, and that was the reason that Trent was there. He needed a little piece of that if he was going to get through the next couple of weeks.
“You’re too kind, Trent. How is your family?”
“We’re good. We just got in, and my father wanted me to come down here and talk to you. He says that you would know what it was about.”
“Yes, the wedding. I am happy to hear that your brother is getting married. That is good news.”
“It is. Very good news. I know that it’s going to sound like a hard ask, but do you think you can do the wedding this weekend instead?”
Frank did not see that coming based on the look on his face, and Trent almost felt bad about it. He knew what kind of hassle and planning that would go into it.
&
nbsp; “Why the rush?”
“The bride isn’t as excited to be marrying Darius as one would expect. I think Father is afraid she will back out of it and he needs the alliance. You know how heavy emotions can get in this sort of arrangement.”
Frank nodded in agreement. “Yes, weddings are mad.”
Trent was hopeful that since he understood where he was coming from, that somehow, he would be able to pull it off.
“Yes, arranged marriages more so. So, do you think you’d be able to whip it together?”
The older man scoffed. “You talk as though it is just a cake that I have to whip up. I don’t know, Trent.”
“There would be a very large tip in it for you, as well as a higher total figure to help you grease wheels on your end. I know that it is a lot to ask…”
“Say no more, Trent. I’ve known your family for a very long time, and I will make sure this happens. I don’t know how I am going to do it yet, but I will figure it out. You just get the girl ready to walk down the aisle and I will make sure that there is a damn good wedding here waiting for you.”
Trent thanked Frank and was rather surprised that he’d agreed. Trent had been sure that he would be told that there was no way that it was going to be possible. Now he was going to have to go to an ill-fated wedding as well.
“I think I’m going to take a look around. I’m not too eager to get back, but I am sure that father will be happy to hear the good news.”
“You don’t look so happy to be getting a sister-in-law.”
“I’ve never met her.”
“You never know: she could be just the thing that your brother needs.”
Trent doubted that, but he wasn’t going to say anything one way or another. He thought that it was a horrible idea to marry someone for an alliance. While blood getting mixed up helped to keep the bonds together, it was also a hell of a lot messier if it didn’t work out. It also guaranteed both parties misery in that department, for the rest of their lives. That didn’t make sense to Trent.
“We’ll see. We will go see her soon, and I will let you know if she is the angel sent down to solve our problems or not.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, I know. I really got to tone that down before I meet her.”
“You haven’t found the one yet, huh?”
“Frank, after all of this time, I don’t even believe in ‘the one’ anymore.”
“You should. It happens. I’ve seen a lot of the real stuff lately.”
Trent didn’t listen much more. It had now turned into the ramblings of an old man.
“Blow me off all you want, Trent. Your time is coming. I have a good eye for these things.”
Without another word, he smiled and went on his way. Trent was done hearing about love, and he was done hearing about marriage without knowing the person. It all was about as crazy as it could get, as far as he could see. He didn’t understand what was going on with everyone lately, but Trent wanted nothing to do with it. Love and the latter situation caused nothing but angst, and he had enough of that in his life. He didn’t need anymore.
Trent went through the rest of the club and walked the grounds for well over an hour. He was supposed to go back and tell his father the good news, but he didn’t want to go back. Darius was on the warpath. He didn’t want to get married either, having his own lover already, but it was his duty. He would do it of course, but that didn’t stop him from making a complete ass out of himself while he did it.
He finally had to go back to the rooms upstairs and wanted more than anything to be anywhere else than where he was at present. The weather was beautiful, and the place was gorgeous, but none of those things could be appreciated when he wanted to do nothing but take off since he got there.
His father was up waiting, and he had a smug look on his face.
“I knew Frank would do it. He never could say no to a few more dollars.”
Trent went into his room and laid down on the bed. He had to keep telling himself that it was all going to be over soon. He just had to make it a little bit longer.
Chapter Two
“You’re not even listening to me, are you?”
Sienna was trying to pay attention to her sister and her mother, but it was almost impossible to. Her mind was a million miles away, and she certainly wasn’t trying to be in the present. Sienna wanted to go anywhere but where she was going.
“Sorry. I just am thinking about the wedding.”
Her mother interjected, “No, Sienna, I know that’s not what you’re doing. You’re thinking about that boy, Carl.”
Sienna wanted to deny it, but she knew that there was no use. There was nothing she could do about who she cared for. She hadn’t known that she would be married off. Sienna had rather hoped that the time of marrying off daughters was over. But not in her world, not with her father.
She was a failure in his eyes because she wasn’t a shifter like her sister. She’d gotten the human traits more than anything else. Now she knew that she was going to have to marry a dragon. It wasn’t something that she wanted to do. She loved Carl, maybe. Whatever she felt for him was obviously more than she felt for a complete stranger.
“Mom, it doesn’t matter what you say; you can’t make me stop thinking about Carl.”
“It would be easier for you if you would just forget about him. There is no way that your father would ever let you marry him. You know that. He wants strength in the family and doesn’t want to diminish the power in our line.”
Sienna had heard it all before, and as she got ready to meet them, all she could think about was getting as far away from this place as she could. There would be no happy ending for her: that much she knew for sure.
“I know. I know.”
“Well, stop acting like you don’t know what this means for him. He has to keep it as pure as he can. He wants grandkids that shift.”
Sienna didn’t say much else for a moment. The whole day had been filled with awkward silences and bursts of arguments. She had tried everything to get out of it, but it didn’t seem like anything was working. All she was worried about was getting to Carl and getting away.
“I just need some time to myself. Maybe I could lay down for a bit and think it all through. I know that Daddy wants everything to work out, and it will. His plans always do.”
Eleanor looked suspicious, but Sienna finally got them both to agree to give her some time to lay down. She was still formulating a plan, but she’d convinced herself that she was going to figure it out. There was no way that she was going to let this happen to her.
When they left, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. All she wanted to do was lay down for real and forget about the next week, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t just bury her head in the sand and pretend like nothing was wrong.
Sienna knew that the only way she and Carl were going to be able to be together was to leave. She was going to have to leave behind her family, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet.
With no other choice, Sienna started to get a bag together. She knew she wouldn't have long before her mother was back, and she felt like she knew what was going to happen. Sienna had always been the type to do what she wanted to do, and this wasn’t going to be any different.
After she got a light backpack together, she looked back at her room from the open window and wondered if she would ever see home again. It was strange for her even to imagine that she wouldn’t, and she pushed it far from her mind.
She felt guilty for even considering leaving, but knew that she had no choice. They had given her no choice, forcing her to get married.
Saying a little prayer quietly to herself, she dangled her feet over the edge and finally pushed off. Her room was on the second story, but she had jumped from the window more than once. It was a fixture in her rebellion when she was younger. It seemed only fitting that it would be how she made her escape.
Chapter Three
Darius was upset. They had gone to meet his ne
w bride only to find that she wasn't there. She had escaped out the window, and from the way her father and mother were acting, it wasn’t hard to imagine such an act from their daughter. Darius knew that she was going to be a complicated wife, but he didn't imagine that it would be like that.
“Well, where the hell did she go? How could her father let this happen?”
“About the same way that I have been able to control you through the years, Darius.”
“But she is a woman!”
Ronald shook his head and told his eldest son that he had no idea about women.
“We do not live in those times anymore, son. It is bad enough that she is being forced to get married at all. Be thankful that her father is in line with your thinking.”
“You were the one that decided it.”
“I did. It is time for you to do what your pack needs you to do. It is time for you to get married and take over. This alliance will only add to the decision. It’s time, son, and you know it.”
Darius wasn't as opposed to it as Sienna was, but he was not happy about his life being cut short. He had spent his whole life hearing about responsibility, and the last thing he wanted to do was marry someone that didn't want to marry him. He hadn't even met her yet and she was already a pain in his ass.
“Why couldn't I have just married Amber? She wanted to get mated and already knew our customs. She was local.”
“I have told you before: it won't work. The whole point of marriage is the alliance. We would get nothing if you married Amber.”
“Maybe I would actually be happy, Father. Would that be so bad?”
Ronald had heard it all before, and he had flashbacks from when he was younger and had an almost identical conversation with his own father. He had not wanted to marry his wife, but after all the time they’d spent together, he couldn't imagine it going any other way.
