Searching his brown eyes, Arabella was no longer afraid of Finn, of sex, or even the possibility of a baby. True, if given the choice, she would wait a year before trying to have a child, but neither she nor Finn would last that long. Each day she held back was another day Finn could lose control of both his dragon and his clan. He was strong, but every dragon-shifter had their limits.
Even if all of this was happening faster than she liked, Arabella knew that between Finn and the MacKenzies, she would never be alone again. They would help her if she asked.
Her dragon spoke up. He is ours. Don’t be afraid of him or the frenzy. You’ll enjoy it.
And how do you know that?
Call it a dragon’s instinct. I just do. Besides, he will give us a child who will be strong, clever, and handsome. That is a good combination.
Arabella smiled. I’m a bit worried about your priorities, dragon. But I do agree Finn is strong, clever, and handsome.
Good. Then stop being afraid of the future.
Looking up at Finn, she made a decision. While she would always love her brother, Melanie, and her niece and nephew, Arabella was ready to start her own family with Finn and the MacKenzies. They would protect her no matter what happened, and she finally needed to become the strong female who could watch their backs.
Her first step toward doing that was to go into the hall, face the clan, and use her own stubbornness to restrain her dragon. For the first time in a decade, Arabella was confident she could do anything she set her mind to.
Still, she would never let Finn off easy. After all, where was the fun in that?
Arabella tilted her head. “Well, whether I can restrain my dragon or not depends if you’re going to flirt with every female you see. Because if you do, between me and my dragon, I can’t guarantee what will happen next.”
A bit of the strain eased from Finn’s face. “As much as I’d like to see you take on all of the single females of the clan, I’ll try to hold back.”
Arabella nodded. “You’d better or you might wake up one day with your cock missing.”
Chuckling, he reached out a hand and then pulled back. The action made her sad; she never wanted Finn to hold back. His voice was stern when he replied, “Just remember, love, as possessive as you’re feeling right now, I’m ten times worse. Flirt with Fraser and Fergus, and to hell with what the clan will think of me, I will punch them both in the face.”
Sensing the steel underlying his tone, Arabella decided not to wake the beast. The gathering was important for her future here. Everything needed to go well. She raised her eyebrows. “Any other warnings I should know about?”
“Don’t let anyone peek down your dress.”
Staring down at her cleavage, Arabella shook her head. “There’s not a lot there.”
He growled. “It’s perfect and it’s mine.”
Worry gathered in the pit of her stomach. Maybe her dragon wasn’t the only one on edge. “Is your dragon under control, Finn?”
“Barely.”
Shit. “You should’ve told me.” She glanced toward the entrance to the main hall. “Then let’s hurry. The sooner we’re inside, the sooner your dragon should care more about the clan’s welfare than me.”
She looked back to Finn and his gaze burned into the depths of her heart. “Let’s hope that choice never comes to pass, because I’m not sure the clan would win.”
“Don’t say that. You barely know me.”
“But it’s true.”
Finn’s behavior warmed her heart. He truly wanted her.
Her dragon stated, Of course he does.
Do you ever have doubts?
Not anymore.
I wish I could be as confident.
Give it another week or two and you’ll be close.