Winning Skyhunter (Stonefire Dragons Universe 1)

She nodded, and Asher moved to the front of the dais, where all of the leaders were. Putting his fingers to his lips, he whistled until everyone's attention turned toward the front of the room. Then he said, "Welcome to the first inter-clan gathering on Skyhunter for decades. Stonefire's leader, Bram Moore-Llewellyn, and Lochguard's leader, Finlay Stewart, as well as their mates, are our honored guests for the evening. As you may have noticed, they brought a few of their own clan members along with them, too. And as far as I know, they don't bite."

Finn interrupted, "Aye, well, as long as Skyhunter doesn't bite first. After that, it becomes fair game and us Scots are pretty skilled with our teeth."

He winked, and chuckles rolled across the room.

Asher didn't have that particular skill set—and wasn't sure he ever would—but he suspected Honoria would be the teasing relief in the long run.

Focusing back on the crowd, Asher continued. "I know we were taught to avoid other dragon clans like the plague under the former leader. However, Stonefire and Lochguard are our allies now. And to show they won't bite, Honoria and I will be the first examples."

Even though Asher hadn't cleared it with the other clan leaders, he was fairly sure they'd be okay with his idea if it meant strengthening ties between the clans.

His beast grunted. Let's hope so. I'd rather not duel tonight.

Ignoring his dragon, Asher turned toward Arabella and put out a hand, palm up. Making sure his voice projected so everyone could hear, he asked, "May I have the first dance?"

The dragonwoman didn't even blink and placed her hand in his. "Of course." Finn growled, and she whispered low enough the crowd below shouldn't be able to hear her, even with their super-sensitive dragon-shifter hearing, "There's no need to be jealous. We discussed Honoria and Asher earlier. Besides, it's not as if he's going to whisk me away, along with three extremely lively triplets, to some cave where he'd merely endure an endless line of nappy changes, cries, and feedings."

Asher blinked, but thankfully, Finn spoke so he didn't have to. "Aye, fine." He pierced Asher with a serious look. "But keep your hands from wandering, aye?"

Bram's mate sighed and went over to Finn. "I didn't think it was possible, but you're worse than Bram. Come on, Finn, you can dance with me. I'm not about to force Honoria to do it with you so soon."

Finn muttered, "What does that mean?"

Bram walked over to Honoria. "Consider yourself lucky. Finn's charm is best taken in small doses."

Some people might be overwhelmed with how the other leaders and their mates acted, but now that the trials were over and his future was somewhat more certain, he enjoyed it more than before. Maybe someday he could be more easygoing with the other leaders.

Especially if he had Honoria at his side, as his mate.

His beast spoke up. Of course we'll have her. And Honoria calms us down, so we won't be so wary around the other leaders. Although I hope we don't get quite as close to the other males as Finn and Bram are with each other. The Scottish dragonman is exhausting.

He snorted. We agree on that.

Arabella's voice prevented his beast from replying. "Care to share what your dragon said?"

"Probably not."

"If it's about Finn, don't worry about offending me and feel free to tell me. He can be a bit much at first, but he's a very dedicated leader and would do anything for his family and clan." She lowered her voice. "The best way to deal with him is to be straightforward and try to ignore the charm. It can be hard sometimes—even I can't resist his smiles every once in a while—but if you do, then you'll get to know him better. After all, everyone has different types of armor to hide behind."

The dragonwoman was wise for her years, that much was obvious.

Unsure of what to say to that, especially since Asher hadn't been forced into a lot of social situations with new people for years, he merely nodded and motioned toward the main floor. "How about we move into position for the dance?"

Arabella didn't try to take control as he led her down the stairs of the dais and to the center of the floor, where the dancing would take place.

Once all three couples were ready, the music came on and they began dancing.

Asher had been practicing with Honoria for the last few days—sometimes naked, to really test his concentration skills—so he at least didn't step on Arabella's feet as they moved about the room.

Still, he didn't know exactly what to say to her. Honoria had handled talking with the dragonwoman about meeting with his sister.

His beast spoke up. Then just ask her about it. She's a dragon-shifter, not a human and won't be offended.

So you want people to just bring up our torture whenever they feel like it?

We're not asking about her pain, just what she plans to do with Aimee.

Arabella's voice cut through his thoughts. "You remind me a little of my brother."