His dragon huffed before muttering, Then I suppose she could stay here.
Well, Snowridge is more stable than the clan near Dublin in Ireland where she's from, or most of the Irish clans right now, to be honest.
Many of the clans in Ireland were in the process of picking new clan leaders. On top of that, they were under constant surveillance and monitoring by the Irish DDA. Not that Rhydian could blame the human oversight department. After all, two of the Irish dragon-shifter leaders had been hell-bent on killing the female leader, Teagan O'Shea, and had ended up dead themselves. The DDA needed to ensure peaceful transitions and good behavior for PR purposes, to avoid any sort of revolt or outcry by the human population.
His dragon grunted. We don’t know if the human is even brave enough to endure staying on Snowridge for any length of time, let alone anywhere else. Maybe invite her to stay for a trial period, and after she sees how distrustful of humans most of the clan are, she'll leave.
But she could leave with Rian if the DDA overrides our adoption claim and helps her find somewhere else to stay. And as much as I'm learning to trust Stonefire, I bet they'd take her and the boy if asked.
Technically, no, she couldn't take him. She missed the deadline. And we submitted adoption paperwork an hour before the human showed up. Given how Rian is half dragon-shifter, the DDA will probably rule in our favor.
He sat back in his chair. His dragon's suggestion to kick the female out and keep Rian would be the easiest, but the human female’s appearance brought up another issue he’d wanted to tackle—to change how his clan viewed and acted toward humans.
Snowridge's population had suffered as a result of shunning human mates over the last few decades. Dragon-shifter offspring skewed male, and not all females wanted to be mothers. Humans had filled the gap in the past, and Rhydian knew they needed to do it again if his clan was to survive long-term.
Delaney Murphy might be the perfect way to introduce humans to his clan and see how the members of Snowridge reacted. Yes, a slow, controlled experiment. After all, it would be easy enough to protect one human. The alternative would be to apply to the DDA for potential human mates, which meant following the new DDA policy of sending a group of females all at once rather than one at a time like in years past.
And ensuring a group's safety would be a hell of a lot more work.
Rhydian stood. I'll talk with the human female and judge her character. If she's strong enough, she may be exactly what I need right now.
But you're not giving up Rian, right?
No. He'll stay here, and it'll be up to Miss Murphy whether she stays with him, too.
Maybe some would think Rhydian was being selfish, or even callous, to want to keep Rian on Snowridge. However, more than him wanting to raise Rian as his son and give him stability, there was a chance Rian didn't have an inner dragon any longer and his beast could emerge later than most other dragon-shifters. And an untrained young dragon boy living among humans would equal chaos.
And possibly death.
No, Rhydian wasn't going to risk it. The best thing for the boy was to remain on Snowridge and not have yet another home and family ripped away from him. The matter of sharing guardianship with the human could be decided later, if she passed muster.
For the time being, as he made his way toward the cell where Delaney was being kept, Rhydian removed any expression from his face. He needed to be rational for his initial meeting with the human female, and maybe even a tad bit intimidating.
He'd give the human a chance, but only on his terms.
~~~
Delaney had barely fallen asleep before the door to her cell opened and the lights turned back on.
With a curse, she sat up and blinked. She'd lost track of how long she'd been inside the room and only knew it was dark outside now.
Her eyes finally adjusted and she glanced up at the visitor.
The male was tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. Maybe some would be intimidated by the three scars on his cheek, but Delaney had researched Snowridge's clan leader before coming.
Rhydian Griffiths may be taller, stronger, and older, but there was no way she would show fear. All that mattered was collecting her nephew and fulfilling the unanswered pleading in her sister's letter.
She stood slowly, taking her time to let the dragonman know she wasn't afraid of him—a feat she'd perfected in her former boxing career. When she finally reached her full height, she was still a head shorter than Rhydian.
When he finally spoke, his voice nearly made her shiver. "Delaney Murphy, sorry for the delay."
She could be polite, but from everything she'd read about dragon-shifters, they appreciated strength and honesty over formalities and speaking in circles. So she raised an eyebrow and replied, "I'm not so sure about that." He blinked, and she continued before he could say a word. "If you truly cared about my well-being, then you would've put me somewhere warmer. And maybe with a bed or sofa instead of a pile of blankets on a hard, stone floor."
Rhydian looked around the room a second before returning his gaze to hers. "We haven't used this room in years. As you know by now, we're in a remote part of Wales. I don't usually need to keep prisoners."
Delaney had no idea why she’d be a big enough threat to merit time in Hotel Prison Cell, but she focused on what was more important. "I have no reason to trouble you any longer than necessary. If you give me a proper room to sleep in tonight, I can take Rian and be off in the morning."
"No."
She frowned at the finality in his tone. "What do you mean no? All of the paperwork should be in order. If your people couldn't find it, I can contact the DDA liaison right now and prove it to you."
He shook his head. "That’s not it. We confirmed your paperwork. However, judging by your desire to leave first thing, I'm guessing you didn't read the fine print of the contract you signed."
She clenched her fingers into fists. After everything, there might be another damn obstacle to overcome. "What bloody fine print? I read every word in those documents, so just tell me plainly what you mean."
The dragonman smirked and it took everything Delaney had not to cross the floor and clock him. Hitting the dragon clan leader was most definitely not something she should do.
Besides, that sort of behavior belonged in her old life, the one she'd left because of an injury. The new Delaney Murphy didn't fight anyone unless it was in self-defense.
Clearing her throat, she tried to make her voice more even and polite. "Please tell me about the fine print."
Rhydian shrugged. "The type is small, maybe too small for human eyes unless you zoom in. I think the DDA does it on purpose." She opened her mouth to ask again, but Rhydian put up a hand and continued. "It says that Rian must live with a dragon clan. It gives any guardian of the boy the option to live with him on any clan inside the UK or Ireland as well, but Rian can't live amongst humans. He's half dragon-shifter. It's too dangerous."
Damn. Taking Rian back to her home near Dublin wasn't an option, nor could she ask the dragon clan near the city for help since they weren't fond or even tolerant of humans. If she kept Rian, she’d have to live elsewhere.
And not just anywhere, but on one of the dragon clan’s lands. Maybe not for the rest of her life, but at least until Rian reached adulthood.
Maybe some people would see that as a deal breaker and walk away. However, Delaney had little keeping her back in Carrickmines. She could do her graphic design job anywhere, and she couldn’t let her sister down.
Still, it might not have to be inside these bloody cold mountains in Wales. Maybe she should remind the Welsh leader of that and see if he started being nicer toward her or not.
So she straightened her shoulders a little more and said, "It doesn't have to be this clan though, right? You said it can be any clan in the UK or Ireland. And if that’s the case, I'm not sure I want to risk being thrown into this cell whenever I irritate someone here. And believe me, that will probably happen often."
<
br /> He tilted his head. "Irritate them? How?"
Great. She'd gone and hinted at some of her flaws, all within minutes of meeting him. Her sister had been the much more tactful one out of them. And in circumstances like these, Delaney wished she could be a little more like Rosaleen.
Rhydian remained quiet, waiting for an answer. Since there was nowhere to run, Delaney decided bluntness was probably best. "I tend to tell the truth. A wee bit too much, according to others. And since most people don't want to hear it, they get upset, or storm off, or report me to HR."
"I prefer the truth," Rhydian stated.
His eyes flashed to slits and back and Delaney leaned forward. Had his dragon just spoken to him? Her earlier research said the pupils flashed when that happened. "What does your dragon say?"
He raised his brows. "You did some reading about us, I see. Most humans jump back or faint when they see our pupils change."
Even more of the truth slipped out. "I used to be a professional boxer. If I can stomach blood and even a few odd teeth on the ground, I can handle some flashing eyes."
Rhydian took a step closer. "A boxer, you say?"
Most men made a quick exit or turned wary whenever she mentioned how she'd been a boxer. But not Rhydian Griffiths. He was different.
But then of course he was, wasn't he? He was a dragonman.
Not that she was going to let his reaction change her mind about taking Rian and leaving. "Yes. So be forewarned—if you or any of your clan try something, I'll defend myself. You lot living inside a mountain definitely works to my advantage. No sane dragon would shift inside of solid rock."
Rhydian stared at her, his eyes flashing, and remained silent.
But she didn't back down. Confidence was one of the few things she had in the moment, so she stood tall and waited to see how the dragon leader would react.
~~~
Delaney Murphy wasn't what Rhydian had expected, that was for certain.
Of all the females to be Rian's aunt, the one in question was a bloody former boxer.
His dragon snorted. I guess she won't be intimidated easily.
I thought you wanted her spooked, so she'd flee as soon as possible?
Perhaps. But she's strong, fierce, and beautiful. I want her.
Rhydian did his best not to let his unease show on his face. You're kidding, right?
No. Woo her a bit, and then maybe she'll let us kiss her.
His dragon's behavior sent off warning bells. Fate wouldn't be absurd enough to make this human our true mate, would it?
Why not? Step a little closer. I want to smell her so we can dream about her later.
Most dragon-shifters would be happy to find their potential true mate.
But for Rhydian, it was an inconvenience. There was too much to do with the clan. Not to mention the last time he'd been with a human female, it had ended with her being chased out of Wales and him being given a reminder by his uncles that he needed to stay away from humans. A reminder that had resulted in the three permanent scars on his cheek.
His dragon spoke up. Deny it all you want, but you think Delaney is beautiful, too, with her long, dark hair and dark eyes. And her strength, both physical and in terms of her personality, is the opposite of Liliwen.
Liliwen had been a shorter, curvier female who had been too kindhearted to deal with Snowridge's animosity toward humans. He'd known that from their first accidental meeting, but he'd been young at the time and had thought he could change the world.
But the world was a lot tougher to change than most people realized.
Rhydian replied to his beast, One of the clan members taking a human mate would be easy. Me doing it, though? There will be rebellion. If she even wants a dragon mate.
Why wouldn't she? We're quite the catch.
He must've been lost in conversation too long with his dragon because Delaney stepped closer and waved her hand in front of his face. "Pardon me interrupting, but maybe you could tell me what's going to happen? Because if you're going to lock me in here again, I'm going to fight you, win, and leave."
His dragon snorted. She's definitely not afraid of us.
Rhydian ignored his beast. "Cockiness may have worked in your boxing days, but dragon-shifters are physically stronger than humans."
Delaney turned partially away before she snapped back and moved like lightning toward him. She tried to punch him in the side, but Rhydian grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back.
For a second, all he could do was stare down at her thrust-out chest, watching the rise and fall of breasts, and revel in the heat from her body.
While absurd, he swore she smelled like summer and sunshine.
His dragon hummed. She's so close. Tilt her head a little and move in. She might let us kiss her.
I'm not going to accost her.
Almost to spite his dragon, Rhydian released the human female and moved back to lean against the doorframe. "Dragon-shifters are always quicker, not to mention we have better hearing. Maybe one day you'll think of a strategy to win against me, but today isn't that day, Delaney Murphy."
"But you think I could, which just raised my opinion of you."
Her words shouldn't have made his heart speed up, but they did.
Rhydian could be truly fucked if he hung around this female too much.
His dragon merely laughed, which didn't help matters.
He shrugged. "The fact you made it as close as you did proves you have some skill." She narrowed her eyes, but he beat her to it. "However, do you want to waste time debating how great you are, or do you want to discuss Rian?"
Her body relaxed a fraction. "When can I see him?"
"Has he ever met you? Because I've been taking care of him for the last three months and he's never mentioned having an aunt."
Pain flashed across Delaney's gaze but was gone before Rhydian could blink. "My sister didn't want to risk me getting into trouble via association, so she never let me meet Rian. But he's the only family I have left now." She stood tall again. "Which is why I'm going to take care of him, no matter if it means living with a dragon clan or not."
For a split second, Rhydian was sympathetic. The only family he had left was a cousin and second cousin, and now Rian.
His beast chimed in. She could be our family, too.
Stop. I'm not talking about this right now.
"Rian's life has been chaotic recently, what with all that happened to his parents and afterward, so I need to prepare him to meet you." He took a step backward and motioned down the corridor. "However, I'll show you to a decent set of quarters to spend the night. You'll be near my security forces, though, so I'd advise against wandering off."
Delaney snorted. "Advise? You can just tell me plainly that I need to stay in my room. I thought dragon-shifters were more forthright than humans? Or at least that's what I've read."
Her response fascinated him. And stirred something he hadn't wanted to do in a long time—prod and tease her. "What you read about and what is reality are two different things. Or should I ask you if leprechauns are real? Or, maybe ask if you've found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?"
She grunted, and Rhydian nearly smiled at the sound. "That means you're a miner or sheep farmer on the side, right? Like all the Welsh."
He grinned. "I think that's still better than being a potato-eating, gold-hunting drunk."
She waved a hand in dismissal. "If you say so. At least I'd be rich, have a plate of chips, and be having a good time."
Rhydian laughed. The female was clever. "While I agree I like that scenario, the Welsh have you beat on one thing, Delaney. They have the best flag in the world."
Delaney rolled her eyes. "Yes, there's a bloody dragon on the Welsh flag. But unless you're a red dragon, it's a bit of a blow, aye? Because it means only red dragons are revered."
Rhydian was a black dragon, but he wasn't about to give the female the advantage. "You'll just have to wait and see what color my dragon is." He
gestured again with his hand. "Come. I'll show you to your quarters."
As she walked past him, her scent of summer and sunshine filled his nose. His beast growled. Why did you suggest we leave the room? We could've kept her here, talked to her, and maybe she'd have let us kiss her.
No, dragon. Whether you think she's our true mate or not, I don't care. We can't afford to disrupt the clan by taking a human mate. If she wants to find one in another male, then so be it. We'll have Rian to raise, and that's all that matters.
Liar. You know you want her, too.
With more than thirty years of practice, Rhydian knew how to keep some of his thoughts private.
There was no way in hell he'd let his dragon know that he'd like to put Delaney in a hold again when she was naked, and then he'd slowly torture her before he bent her over and took her from behind.
There was something about her gumption and defiance that stirred his desire. Which he could never act on.
So he needed to stay away from Delaney Murphy as much as possible, and never be alone with her again.
Which, of course, was going to be difficult given how she was Rian's aunt. But if the boy was present in the same area, Rhydian was positive he could forget the female and focus on Rian's welfare only.
He said to the female, "If you let me know what you eat, we can pick up some groceries on the way to your quarters."
"So there's a supermarket inside the mountain?"
He said dryly, "Yes, we even have electricity. And those strange contraptions called phones."
She rolled her eyes—she seemed to do that a lot. "I'm not stupid. There are lights above us, so of course you have electricity. Although no mobile service. I couldn't get a signal in that room."
"You'll be briefed later on what services we have." He paused. "Provided you want to stay, of course."
Delaney searched his gaze. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2) Page 2
