Seducing the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 2)

As the crowd settled to the tables and chairs at the edges of the room, Finn went out to the dance floor and was immediately accosted by five young dragonwomen. No doubt, they were just the start and he would be dancing all evening.

Bram sat down by her side, and without thinking, she leaned against him and said, “That was quite the performance, but it seemed to have worked. Did you plan it earlier?”

“No. The Scottish bastard likes to act in the moment, but I’m going to enjoy watching him dance with whoever wants a chance. I think he underestimates how tenacious the younger, unattached clan members are.”

“You did well yourself, mister, but I’m glad you didn’t offer the same chance.”

Bram’s voice was full of amusement. “Oh, aye? Why not?”

She frowned up at him. “Because I would’ve had to chase them all away and I’d rather spend the time sitting next to you so I can cover you in my scent. I’m pretty sure that’s how part of the territory marking goes, right?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. The only time she knew for certain that a person would carry a dragon-shifter’s scent was when a female was pregnant.

The thought that Evie would never carry Bram’s scent squeezed her heart.

No. There is more to building a life than having children. Besides, there were always children who needed a home. That thought reminded her of little Murray. Maybe they could take him in and raise him. She might not know what the hell she was doing at first, but Evie’s determination would hopefully pay off in the end. Bram seemed to like the little tot. Not only that, she would love to see even more of her dragonman’s softer side. Nothing brought out a soft side like a baby.

With Bram and Murray, Evie could finally have a family again. She was an only child and her parents had retired to Spain years ago. She rarely saw them.

As much as she was growing to like the image of her and Bram with Murray, she still barely knew her dragonman. Hell, they hadn’t even been officially mated yet.

If that wasn’t enough, there were also the dragon hunters to worry about as well as the threat from within the clan.

Since Bram had remained silent, she changed the subject and lightened the mood again. “Before half the clan needs you and while I have you here to myself, tell me something I don’t know about you, maybe even something no one else knows.”

As he poured their drinks, he said, “I enjoy the human sci-fi show Doctor Who.”

Evie blinked. “The children’s program about a time-traveling alien? Really?”

Bram chuckled. “He’s a bit different from everyone else and sometimes feels isolated. As a dragon-shifter clan leader, I can empathize with his situation. Or, I used to.” He glanced at Evie. “Now, I have you.”

She stopped breathing at the hunger and longing in his eyes.

Her dragonman caressed her arm and she shivered as he said, “Maybe once things settle down and the threats are taken care of, we could watch it together.”

She would agree to watch anything if it meant she could curl up against Bram’s side. While she’d never really thought about it before, she yearned to do all the small couple things regular people did. Since she wasn’t with the DDA anymore, she might just have the time to manage it.

She was about to tease her dragonman about his revelation when he frowned and reached into the sporran settled over his crotch. As he pulled out his mobile phone, she bit back a smile; the phone was on vibrate and must’ve given his cock a surprise.

Bram answered the phone and his expression went hard. Her amusement faded as she listened to him say, “Slow down, Vivian. Tell me, is Quinn okay? What about Murray?”

Her gut told her that whomever Bram was talking to, it was related to either the dragon hunters or Neil Westhaven.

~~~

Clenching his fist to channel his anger at the news of the attack on his clan, Bram listened to the female clan member’s reply. “Oh, Bram, Murray is gone. They took him.”

He growled, “Was it Murray’s father? Did Neil Westhaven attack your mate?”

“No, it wasn’t Neil. The two kidnappers were human. S-she did something to Quinn. He won’t wake up.”

Hearing the pain of one of his clan members helped to switch to clan-leader-mode. “Vivian, you already told me you called Sid. If there’s a way to help him, she’ll try it. For now, just keep an eye out for any other intruders. I’m coming over. Call me the instant anything seems suspicious, understand?”

While the worry was still in Vivian’s voice, the dominance in his voice kicked in her dragon instincts and helped her to focus. “I can do that. And Bram, I’m sorry about Murray. I know you trusted us to protect him, and we failed.”

“No, Vivian, it’s my fault. I’ll explain later, but there’s no way I’ll allow you to take responsibility for my fuck-ups. Once you hang up with me, call Kai and catch him up so he can send help while I warn the clan. I’ll be there soon.”

He clicked off the phone and resisted the urge to smash it into a million pieces.