Aiding the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 7)

Who knew what her grandmother would do if she found out? Aaron had managed to charm Orla, which was no easy feat. Just remembering her gran trying to dance with him the night before made her want to simultaneously smile and groan. If he kept it up, Orla would try to find ways for the Stonefire male to stay. Orla liked to be entertained, and Aaron was her latest diversion.

Her dragon spoke up. So? He will be our diversion soon enough.

Speaking of the devil, Aaron’s large green dragon form came into view. As his powerful wing muscles moved and flapped, she had to admit he was a fine specimen.

Her beast huffed. We are better.

So now you’re on my side?

I’m on my own side.

Aaron maneuvered his dragon down and gently landed about ten feet away. As his body began to shrink, her heart rate kicked up. She was finally going to see his nude body.

Not that she should care. All males, especially when it came to Protectors, had the same parts—muscled chests, broad shoulders, toned abs, and powerful thighs. Yet as Aaron’s human form took shape, she studied his nice but not a rug amount of chest hair, chiseled abs, and the defined V of his hip bones that made all females drool. When she finally reached his groin, her dragon hummed. He’ll do nicely.

Teagan tried her best not to flush, but knowing her traitorous pale skin, it would still show.

Aaron strode toward her with a smile. “Glad that you like what you see, darling.”

She raised an eyebrow. “My name isn’t ‘darling.’ And I was merely assessing my opponent. Isn’t that what you said you were doing last night?”

He grinned wide. “Tell yourself that’s all it is, if it helps.” He reached where she stood and the faint breezed ruffled his hair. Teagan nearly reached out to put a stray lock back into place, but Aaron’s voice prevented her from doing so. He continued, “But I know your time is valuable, so state the rules and let’s begin.”

She paused a second at his words, somewhat surprised he realized her time was short, and finally replied, “The rules are simple. There will be two rounds in dragon form. You’ll be the first to hide. I’ll then have to find you and, in order to win, I have to get you to admit defeat. You can also win the round by making me cede. For the second round, I’ll hide, and again the winner has to get the other to admit to losing. If we each win one round, then we’ll have a final tussle in human form. The only restriction to any of the rounds is not killing or permanently maiming each other. Questions?”

“Tussle, aye? Since I didn’t bring any clothes, I’ll have to be careful. Although it almost seems an advantage to be wearing your loose dress to protect all your lady bits.”

Teagan resisted the urge to smooth the purple and blue patterned material. “If it comes to a tie-breaker, then I’ll take off my dress. After all, it would only hinder my movement, and I want to pin you as soon as possible.”

“If you can at all.”

“Well, cocky lad, it’s your turn to hide first. I’m counting to a hundred and going after you.”

She began her countdown and Aaron dashed far enough away to shift. She watched his body grow into a large dragon.

Her beast spoke up. I want to feel his hide. I see at least one scar running down his side. There’s a story there. Maybe even a brave one.

Or a stupid one. The point of this morning isn’t to feel his skin in either form. Focus, dragon, so we can win. Then he’ll be over every evening. That should please you.

Her beast snorted. I knew you wanted more than cooked meals. With him over, then we can kiss him whenever we like without the clan knowing. If anyone asks, all we’ll have to do is mention he lost a bet, so that’s why he’s at our cottage.

I’m more interested in having a chef. You can ogle him and get the Stonefire male out of your system.

You’ll see it my way soon enough. Him being around will give me time to convince you. I already know you like spending time with him.

Her earlier confidence about Aaron not being her true mate slipped a fraction. Are you hiding something from me?

No. But sometimes a true mate isn’t the best option for all involved.

Her beast fell silent. Rather than think about her dragon’s cryptic message, Teagan continued to count as Aaron flew into the distance.

Most of the hills in Glenveagh National Park, which was where Clan Glenlough was located, weren’t high enough to hide a dragon unless they crouched down. And a dragon hunched with their wings folded against their back had little room to jump into the air on short notice. All she had to do was eliminate the hills shorter than Aaron’s dragon form, and it would narrow her list of possible hiding spots.

When she finally counted to one hundred, Teagan tugged the dress over her head and imagined her arms and legs growing, her nose elongating into a snout, and wings sprouting from her back. The second she stood in her gold dragon form, she leaped into the air and quickly surveyed the land.

Aaron wasn’t behind any of the hills in her immediate area. Neither could she scent him, which meant he was either positioned downwind or far enough away that she couldn’t pinpoint his location. Combining her knowledge of the area and the wind’s current direction, Teagan took off toward the south.

As she scanned the land below, she wanted to laugh at fate making Aaron a green dragon. Ireland in summer was bright green, especially this year with the amount of rain they’d had, which made him harder to spot.