His beast grunted. Too many males are looking at her, especially after telling off Duncan. We need to make the claim.
She’s already ours, dragon. Don’t fret.
Someone has to worry, or another male will steal her away.
Before he could think of a different way to convince Arabella
to touch him, she placed her hand in his. Squeezing it, he pulled her toward the stage. “Come. The sooner I introduce you, the sooner we can dance.”
“I never said I would dance.”
“Oh, come on. If you’re to be the clan leader’s mate, you have to do things you don’t like occasionally.”
“Remember our conversation about asking me things? Dancing is definitely included in the list of things to ask me about first.”
“You’re resisting me on purpose, you bloody woman.”
She battled a smile. “Maybe.”
Laughing, Finn gently tugged her arm. “As much as I wish we could banter for hours, we both need to do our duty.” He leaned toward her ear. “But I look forward to convincing you of the merits of dancing.”
Arabella blinked. As they took the steps up the dais, Finn couldn’t help but grin. Not only because he would soon tell his clan that Arabella was his, but also because having the comfort of Arabella’s own brand of wit and charm helped eased his own tension. Sometimes, carrying the weight of a clan could weigh a dragonman down. With Arabella, the weight was barely noticeable.
~~~
Despite Arabella’s cool exterior, her heart was beating a million times a minute. Her stomach was also twisting and turning in knots.
Her dragon sounded amused. You just stood up to that bastard Duncan. Why be nervous now?
After this, my future will be decided.
Her beast paused a few seconds before stating, You want Finn. Everything else is secondary. Problems will arise, but we’ll solve them. With me, you will always have an ally. I’m also pretty good at kicking arse.
Arabella bit her lip to keep from laughing. Modesty isn’t in your vocabulary, is it?
No. Modesty is a human idea that wastes too much time.
Biting her lip harder, Finn looked at her. “Are you plotting with your dragon against me?”
Shushing her dragon, she answered, “No. She was telling me her feelings about Duncan.”
Finn grinned. “I can’t wait to hear about that later, lass. The more I hear of your dragon, the more I like her.” He stopped them in the middle of the stage. “Unfortunately, reality intrudes for now. Ready to face the clan, heather?”
Between Finn’s teasing and her dragon’s confidence, Arabella nodded, albeit with a quick glare to Finn for the ridiculous nickname. “As long as you don’t call me that in front of everyone.”
He winked. “And damage my alpha reputation? I think not.”
“We can debate your alpha reputation later. Just get on with it already.”
Her dragonman squeezed her hand and then turned them toward the crowd. After raising his free hand, the room fell mostly silent; only the clatter of a few knives and forks echoed in the great hall.
Finn’s voice boomed. “Thanks for coming on such short notice. My dragon is impatient to claim what’s his, and as you all know, ignoring your dragon for too long will result in a man walking about with a hard cock for days, unable to think straight.” A few chuckles went through the room and Arabella used the pause to dig her nails into Finn’s palms. If he felt it, he didn’t show it as he continued, “But in all seriousness, I wanted to give the clan an opportunity to know Arabella MacLeod. Not only as our first foster from Clan Stonefire, but also as my future mate.”
Murmurs rose up. Most of the looks thrown her way were full of curiosity. There were a few glares coming mostly from the older dragon-shifters. Those were the ones she’d need to watch carefully.
Finn raised his hand and the noise died down. His deep voice boomed again. “Even if my dragon didn’t crave her, I would still choose Arabella MacLeod. She is strong, clever, and will be a great asset to our clan.” He gave a stern look as he scanned the crowd. “Anyone who hurts her will be ousted. Normally, I would promise a fair hearing, but when it comes to mates and dragons, things are never handled civilly. My beast’s instinct will take over, and I have no guarantees of what will happen. Exile might just save your life.”
Most of the murmuring died down. Arabella was so used to Finn’s charming and teasing persona that watching him act as clan leader threw her off a little.