Seducing the Dragon: Part Four Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Reclaiming the Wolf Excerpt

  Other Works

  Author's Note

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Seducing the Dragon: Part Four

  Jessie Donovan

  To Iliana G.

  Without her comments, Bram and Evie wouldn’t have the ending they deserve.

  Chapter One

  Evie feigned sleep. It was the only way Bram and his dragon would stop fucking her and leave her alone. If it weren’t for all the shit going on with the dragon hunters, Murray, and threat of another attack, she would love getting to know Bram’s dragon half in bed.

  But the rough, slightly kinky sex with a dragonman would have to wait. She needed to think of a way to help Bram’s human-half regain control or the clan could be in danger. No doubt, Kai could hold Stonefire together for a short while, but without a clan leader, Stonefire would be vulnerable and the Carlisle dragon hunters would take advantage.

  Yet despite how important it was to bring Bram’s human-half back, none of her training at the Department of Dragon Affairs had prepared her for a dragon going into a sex frenzy. According to her textbooks, a male dragon-shifter went into a frenzy when he discovered his true mate and wouldn’t stop until he could scent she was pregnant with his child. Which, in Evie’s case, was impossible.

  Although, given Bram’s need to claim her, she wondered if maybe her test as a teenager had been wrong. There was also the possibility that humans didn’t know as much about dragon-shifters and their biology as they claimed.

  There’s no time to wish or hope to be Bram’s true mate despite the test results saying you can’t conceive a dragon-shifter’s child, Evie Marie. His clan needs him, so think of a way to bring the human-half back to the forefront. No one else can do it.

  Talk about pressure.

  Focus, Evie. Running through the what she knew, the only thing she could think of which might work was to use Bram’s earlier comment about feeding his dragon’s ego. She didn’t want to sooth the dragon; however in this case, poking the dragon’s ego might work. Anger tended to blind a person and make them lose control. If the dragon lost control, there was a small possibility Bram would pounce upon the opening and take over.

  Of course, she could be completely wrong and make things even worse. A sex-crazed dragon was bad enough; what would a pissed off dragon look like? Even though she trusted Bram never to hurt her, she had no idea about his inner beast. Clan Skyhunter hadn’t allowed her to roam their lands and study how any of the couples interacted. Was it even possible for a dragon-shifter to harm his or her mate?

  Bloody hell. She hated not knowing. As soon as everything was righted with Murray and the clan, she was going to take Melanie and Samira up on their offer to learn more about being a dragon’s mate.

  First, however, she needed to deal with Bram. She refused to believe he was a lost cause. Mostly because of the strength of Bram’s will, but also because Evie wasn’t about to let anyone else die on her watch. To prevent that from happening, she needed to keep Stonefire cohesive.

  Then you’ll just have to succeed and bring Bram back. No worries, right? Evie resisted a wry smile. The situation with Bram was the farthest thing from a “no worries” scenario.

  Pushing aside the inkling of doubt, Evie focused back on her task. She would bring Bram back, but she wasn’t stupid. If she was going to stand up to a sex-crazed dragonman and try to make him angry, she needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Evie needed a weapon.

  Keeping her eyes closed, she recalled every detail she could about the room. Granted, she’d only seen it in snippets at a time, but she was trained to notice details. A human sacrifice’s life often depended on it.

  There was the bed under her side, which was next to an end table with a lamp. Since the lamp was small and currently the only light source in the room, she couldn’t use that. The tiny kitchen was on the opposite side of the room from the bed. Bram was currently rustling around over there. Since she didn’t possess super-human strength, she couldn’t lift the sofa and toss it at Bram’s head to distract him and find a knife.

  No, her only option was to find something inside the small bathroom. Dragon-possessed Bram had allowed her to use the toilet in private once before. It was time to see if he would allow her again.

  Taking a deep breath, Evie slowly sat up, trying not to wince at the soreness between her legs. Before she could even think about the last time she’d been this sore from sex, Bram was standing in front of her. His pupils were slits, meaning his dragon was still there.

  His voice was low and growly when he said, “I must scent you more. Again.”

  Evie put up a hand. “Please, let me use the toilet first.”

  “Then again?” She nodded and Bram moved aside. “Hurry.”

  When faced with a possibly irate and soon-to-be out of control dragonman, Evie pushed aside her soreness and rushed into the toilet. Once she locked the door, she turned toward the sink. Despite the bathroom being inside a cave, the sink and toilet were simple yet modern with nondescript white porcelain. Bram had spent some time constructing the cave hidey-hole.

  Squatting down, she opened the door to the cabinet under the sink and peeked inside. There was toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and a plunger.

  A quick glance around the bathroom told her there was nothing else apart from the shower stall, a few towels on a rack, and the toilet itself. Reaching inside the cabinet, she took the plunger and stood up. No doubt, the wooden handle would break if she had to swing it at Bram’s muscled body, but at least then, she could use the jagged edges, if it came to that.

  Catching her reflection in the mirror, Evie tried not to smile. A naked woman holding a plunger like a cricket bat was not something you saw every day.

  Pull it together, Evie. This plunger might end up being your ticket to freedom if things go south.

  With one last deep breath, Evie tightened her grip on the plunger and opened the door. It was time to provoke a sex-crazed dragonman.

  ~~~

  Inside the partition of his mind, where Bram’s dragon had put him, Bram paced. Right before Evie had gone into the toilet, he had noticed a determined glint in her eye. What in the bloody hell was she up to?

  His inner beast might be too preoccupied with sex, but Bram wasn’t. Knowing his female as he did, she had a plan. Hopefully, the plan involved bringing Bram’s human-half back into control.

  The first fifteen minutes after entering the cave dwelling, Bram had fought tooth and nail against his inner dragon and lost. He’d never appreciated his logical other half until it was gone. He also finally understood what Tristan had gone through with Melanie. Given the other dragonman’s temper, Bram realized Melanie was stronger than he’d given her credit for.

  After the losing battle with his dragon, Bram had hung back to conserve his energy. Sure, he enjoyed sex with Evie. Under normal circumstances, he would love nothing more than to lock her away for two days and make her come until she couldn’t think straight, but he needed to find a way to break free and save his clan.

  His inner dragon roared inside his head and screamed, Why is she taking so long? I need her. I must scent her. She is mine.

  Ours.

  Mine.

  Fuck. He’d never seen his bea
st act so stubborn and possessive before, and he had no bloody idea how to fix it. He was ninety-five-percent certain the beast wouldn’t stop until Evie was pregnant.

  Yet that was impossible. Maybe his beast, being so dominant, was extra possessive. He had no reason to believe Evie had lied to him about being incompatible with dragon-shifter DNA.

  Before he could dwell any longer on his dilemma, the toilet door opened to reveal Evie clasping a plunger in her hands. Even his dragon blinked for a second at the sight before rushing toward her. Evie said, “Stop. I’m tired. I’m sore, and I’m hungry. I want a break from sex.”

  His dragon growled in Bram’s voice. “No. You are mine. I must make sure the others know it.”

  Evie tightened her grip on the plunger. “Don’t make me use this to knock you flat on your arse.”

  Fuck. His female was challenging his dragon in the throes of a frenzy. If she wasn’t careful, his beast would do something crazy, such as tie her to the bed.

  Bram was forced to watch, helpless, as his beast moved their body toward Evie and said, “You agreed earlier. Sex. Now.”

  His human narrowed her eyes. “Look, mister dragon, I’m all for hot, slightly kinky sex, but I’m not a dragon who’s gone mental and has a never-softening cock of magic. I’m human. You try having something hard thrust into you every which way for hours and see how you feel.”

  Anger coursed through his dragon-half and Bram wanted to scream for her to stop. While he was pretty sure his beast wouldn’t hurt her, there was always a chance his dragon could go into such a state that Bram would never take back control. It was rare for it to happen, especially to someone dominant enough to become clan leader, but there were stories. Some of which, in centuries past, were still legendary, such as when one dragon razed every village in a twenty-mile radius before he’d been shot down with a catapult.

  No. Bram wouldn’t let that happen. He’d have to think of something quickly.

  His dragon moved their body another step closer and said, “Throw the stick down or I will take it. Then I’ll toss you on the bed and scent you again.”

  Bram pushed against the invisible boundary inside his mind. If he couldn’t take back control, would his dragon really force their female? Stop it. She is tired and needs rest. We can scent her later.

  No. Now.

  Evie moved the plunger a bit behind her, readying herself to swing. “Last warning, dragon.”

  His beast growled and moved to take the plunger. However, at the last second, Evie sidestepped and swung the wooden handle against his hard cock.

  Not even his bloody beast could take the pain, and doubled over. As soon as he did, Bram felt his prison give way a little.

  Clever lass. Anger was weakening his dragon’s control.

  Brave, too, as she swung again and smacked him in the balls. Fuck, it hurt. Pain radiated through his entire body, to the point tears formed in his eyes, but Bram felt his prison give way even more. He had a chance, and he was going to take it.

  With every iota of strength he possessed, he pushed against the invisible wall trapping him deep inside his mind. The pain coursing through his body made it difficult to concentrate, but Bram had fared worse during his clan leader trials.

  Each second a little more gave way. Roaring inside his mind, he gave one final push before the wall dissolved. His human-half rushed to the front of his mind. The pain was worse, but the drive to protect his female gave him the strength to toss his bloody beast into an invisible prison. Stay. I will take care of her.

  Ignoring his dragon’s roaring and shouting, Bram said through clenched teeth, “Lass, if you ever want me to use my cock again, that’s enough.”

  “Bram?”

  “Aye, it’s me. Please don’t smack me in the cock again.”

  He heard the plunger fall to the ground before Evie enveloped him in her arms. Since he was still bent over, she was mostly draped over his back. The warmth of her soft curves against his hard body helped him to forget some of his pain.

  Evie’s voice was muffled against his back as she said, “I’m sorry I had to whack you in the bollocks, but it was the only vulnerable spot on your body I could attack and have any impact.”

  His cock and balls still pulsed with pain and hurt like hell, but he forced himself upright and drew Evie close against his side. “Why should you apologize? My beast was being a bloody bastard and deserved it. Next time, he’ll think twice about trying to take you when you say no.”

  Evie snuggled into his side. “You think so? I didn’t mind the sex so much, but we needed you back.”

  By ‘we’, she meant the clan. Bram’s heart warmed at the reference. “I’m here now, lass. However, I need to be careful. Until my bloody dragon calms down, I can’t risk shifting, especially if you’re nearby.”

  His female hesitated a second and he didn’t like it. “Bram?”

  Giving her a squeeze, he replied, “Ask me anything, love.”

  She looked up at him, curiosity brimming in her dark blue eyes. “Your dragon was acting as if he were in the throes of a mate-claim frenzy, yet that’s impossible. You’d tell me, right, if there was any way a person could instantly become compatible with a dragon-shifter’s DNA and make it possible to conceive a child?”

  “I would tell you if I knew, but I don’t. Once we take care of the dragon hunters and Murray is back safe and sound, we can try asking that friend of yours, the one who ‘knows more about dragon-shifters than just anyone alive’ as you put it.”

  She nodded. “Good idea. To be honest, we should find a way to ensure her safety. If word ever got out about her knowledge, she would become a target.”

  “I wish I could allow an unmated human to live on my lands from time to time, but right now, the law forbids it. Maybe Melanie’s book can help change all that.” Bram turned so he could haul Evie against the front of his body. He needed her warmth to battle his inner dragon’s current roaring and pushing against his invisible prison. “For now, I need to check in with Kai and Finn and then both of us need some rest. Since I can’t risk shifting anytime soon, I’ll have to drive back to Stonefire in the morning. I don’t want to leave you here, but you’re easy pickings back on Stonefire’s lands. A guard or two should come here once Finn’s people arrive to help relieve the strain on my Protectors.”

  Evie poked his chest. “You had better keep me in the loop. I have the data on the laptop to sift through and I might just have to save your arse again.”

  He smiled. “I look forward to it. But next time, love, could you leave my cock and balls out of it?”

  His female laughed. “I think I’m going to keep a cricket bat next to our bed in the future. If you thought the plunger handle was bad, just you wait. The cricket bat will have you crying like a baby.”

  “Then here’s to hoping you never need to use it.” Bram gave Evie a brief kiss and then patted her arse. “Right, you go shower while I talk to Kai and Finn.”

  Evie nodded. “Okay.” She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick, rough kiss as she squeezed his arse cheeks. “It’s good to have you back, dragonman. Your dragon knows how to give hot sex, but without your humor, it’s not quite the same.”

  His inner beast growled at her words. Bram ignored him and gently slapped her arse. “Just wait until I have both sides of me working together. Then you’ll never want to leave my bed.”

  “I could make a flippant remark right now, but seeing as a shitload of danger is coming, I’m going to be honest. I’m not going anywhere, dragonman, because you’re mine.”

  Her words caused joy to course through his body and even soothed his dragon’s anger a fraction. “Good, because you’re mine, Evie Marshall, and I’m keeping you.” After one more kiss, he said, “Now go shower before my cock recovers and I think about taking you slowly and gently.”

  Evie frowned. “No more sex until Murray is back. That’s an extra incentive for you to finish the job quickly and come back to me alive.”

  While
his dragon was grumbling about the ‘no sex’ statement, Bram didn’t mind as much. “As long as you’re waiting in my bed when I return, I can live with that.”

  Evie grinned. “Now I have something fun to plan.”

  “The glint in your eyes doesn’t bode well for me.” He stepped back and motioned toward the bathroom. “As much as I want to hold you in my arms and talk with you for the next week, Murray and the clan need my attention. Shower, love. I’ll fill you in afterward.”

  Nodding, Evie left. Once she shut the door, he addressed his inner beast. Until you calm the fuck down, you’re staying in that prison. I need to rescue wee Murray and save the clan. When you’re ready to help me, I’ll let you out.

  His beast snarled. Protect our mate first, then save the clan.

  I will protect her. But unless you want the Scottish leader to take over, you’d bloody well better get a grip, and soon.

  Just as he’d expected, since Evie wasn’t in the room, his dragon stopped fighting and growled. We are the leader of Clan Stonefire. We will save them.

  Good. Prove it to me. While I sleep with Evie, you find a way to calm down. Since we survived the clan leader trials, this should be easy.

  His dragon huffed. I want her many more times, until she carries our child.

  He blinked. Now would be the time to tell me your damn secret. Is Evie our true mate?

  Yes. I must claim her completely, until she carries our young and our scent. You should understand.

  A mixture of joy and ‘holy shit’ hit him. Forget the claiming bit. Why didn’t you tell me earlier she was our true mate?

  Because, you would have seen her as a duty. A child would help the clan, so you would make sure she conceived without knowing her. You needed to want her for her, to make her happy.

  He’d never heard of a dragon being able to rein in the mate-claim frenzy before. You are stronger than I thought.

  Of course. You always underestimate me. I am brilliant.