Reawakening the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 4)

He’d let too many years slip away.

Jane came up to his side and her actions broke through his memories. Hugging his female, he nodded toward his mum and sister. “Jane Hartley, may I introduce my mum, Lily Owens, and my sister, Delia Owens. Mum and Delia, this is my female, Jane Hartley.”

Delia’s eyes lit up. “You’re the reporter we saw on TV, who interviewed Melanie Hall-MacLeod and the others.”

Jane smiled. “Yes, that’s me.”

Delia looked back to Kai. “You didn’t tell me your female was famous.” His sister moved to Jane’s other side, threaded her arm through Jane’s, and tugged. “You made me want to be a reporter. We don’t have a lot of them inside the dragon clans, but I think that could change. Would you let me pick your brain? I have so many questions.”

Kai grunted. “We just arrived. Give Jane some time to recover.”

Jane raised an eyebrow. “As I said before, I’m fine.” She looked to Delia with a smile. “And I’d love to chat, as long as it’s indoors and I can have a cuppa.”

Delia nodded. “We have all kinds of tea. Come, I’ll take you to our quarters.” Delia looked up at Kai. “You can keep Mum company.”

Before Kai could do more than blink, Delia had pulled Jane along and was chatting her ear off. Delia definitely took after their mum and his stepdad, both of whom never stopped talking.

His mum touched his bicep. “You’ll deny it with your dying breath, but you’re probably cold. Let’s get inside and you can tell me all about how you met Jane Hartley.”

He shrugged. “Nothing special. We crossed paths tracking down some dragon hunters.”

“Is that sarcasm I hear? I never thought I’d hear it again.”

Staring at his mother’s face with its slight wrinkles around the eyes and mouth as well as her graying blonde hair, it hit him just how long it’d been since he really talked with his mother. “You should thank Jane, although I wouldn’t mention it to her directly. It might get to her head and inflate her ego.”

His mum chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.” She looped her arms around his waist. “Come, Kai. I want to get to know your female better. I have plenty of embarrassing stories to tell.”

“Mum.”

She grinned. “Your mate’s a reporter. She could probably find them all out anyway. Besides, giving her a few stories will put me in her good graces. That way, we can team up against you later on.”

He grunted, but then smiled. As he walked with his mum toward her home, the part of Kai that had missed his family faded away. Thanks to a stubborn, reckless female walking into his life, Kai had not only had found love again, but he also had his mum and sister.

His dragon spoke up. One day, we will have our own family. I will never let Jane go.

There was still a lingering worry about seeing his true mate.

But a few minutes later, Kai spotted a dark-haired female peeking around a rock at him.

It was Maggie Jones.

Yet as he watched the timid female, there was no desire to rush over and win her. And he had zero interest in kissing her.

Not even his dragon did more than blink.

His beast huffed. I told you. I only wa

nt Jane.

He waved at Maggie, but she turned and ran away.

A female like that would never be the right fit for Kai. Maybe a dragon’s instinct wasn’t always right.

His dragon chimed in again. We all have a say in our future. We were lucky and had a second chance.

His mum scrutinized his face. “Are you all right, Kai?”

Squeezing his mum’s shoulder, he answered, “Never better, Mum. Now, let’s hurry. I want out of this bloody cold.”