Reawakening the Dragon Page 24

  At the mention of turning blue because of the cold, Kai scrutinized Jane’s face, but apart from being a little paler than usual, she looked fine. “How are you feeling? Do you need to lie down?”

  “I’m fine. If this is how you act now, I hate to see what happens if we ever decide to have a child.”

  Since Kai and Jane had a lot to accomplish over the next few years, it wasn’t the right time for a child just yet. However, the thought of one day having a little one warmed Kai’s heart.

  Before Kai could reply, his mum’s voice cut in, “Stop fretting over the girl, Kai Wilbur Sutherland and give your mum a hug.”

  Jane’s voice was full of laughter as she echoed, “Wilbur?”

  Ignoring his mate, Kai turned toward his mother, who already had her arms open. With a sigh, he lowered the blanket to his waist and walked into them. “Hello, Mum.”

  His mother hugged him tightly. “It’s been too long, Kai.” She pulled back and her green eyes searched his before she smiled. “But I’m glad you’re happy this time.”

  Delia spoke up. “Hey, Kai.”

  As his mum released him from her hug, he looked over at his sister, who had her thumbs tucked into her jeans. For a variety of reasons, Kai and Delia had never spent much time together after he joined the army. He missed hoisting his baby sister onto his shoulders and mimicking a flying dragon.

  He’d let too many years slip away.

  Jane came up to his side and her actions broke through his memories. Hugging his female, he nodded toward his mum and sister. “Jane Hartley, may I introduce my mum, Lily Owens, and my sister, Delia Owens. Mum and Delia, this is my female, Jane Hartley.”

  Delia’s eyes lit up. “You’re the reporter we saw on TV, who interviewed Melanie Hall-MacLeod and the others.”

  Jane smiled. “Yes, that’s me.”

  Delia looked back to Kai. “You didn’t tell me your female was famous.” His sister moved to Jane’s other side, threaded her arm through Jane’s, and tugged. “You made me want to be a reporter. We don’t have a lot of them inside the dragon clans, but I think that could change. Would you let me pick your brain? I have so many questions.”

  Kai grunted. “We just arrived. Give Jane some time to recover.”

  Jane raised an eyebrow. “As I said before, I’m fine.” She looked to Delia with a smile. “And I’d love to chat, as long as it’s indoors and I can have a cuppa.”

  Delia nodded. “We have all kinds of tea. Come, I’ll take you to our quarters.” Delia looked up at Kai. “You can keep Mum company.”

  Before Kai could do more than blink, Delia had pulled Jane along and was chatting her ear off. Delia definitely took after their mum and his stepdad, both of whom never stopped talking.

  His mum touched his bicep. “You’ll deny it with your dying breath, but you’re probably cold. Let’s get inside and you can tell me all about how you met Jane Hartley.”

  He shrugged. “Nothing special. We crossed paths tracking down some dragon hunters.”

  “Is that sarcasm I hear? I never thought I’d hear it again.”

  Staring at his mother’s face with its slight wrinkles around the eyes and mouth as well as her graying blonde hair, it hit him just how long it’d been since he really talked with his mother. “You should thank Jane, although I wouldn’t mention it to her directly. It might get to her head and inflate her ego.”

  His mum chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.” She looped her arms around his waist. “Come, Kai. I want to get to know your female better. I have plenty of embarrassing stories to tell.”

  “Mum.”

  She grinned. “Your mate’s a reporter. She could probably find them all out anyway. Besides, giving her a few stories will put me in her good graces. That way, we can team up against you later on.”

  He grunted, but then smiled. As he walked with his mum toward her home, the part of Kai that had missed his family faded away. Thanks to a stubborn, reckless female walking into his life, Kai had not only had found love again, but he also had his mum and sister.

  His dragon spoke up. One day, we will have our own family. I will never let Jane go.

  There was still a lingering worry about seeing his true mate.

  But a few minutes later, Kai spotted a dark-haired female peeking around a rock at him.

  It was Maggie Jones.

  Yet as he watched the timid female, there was no desire to rush over and win her. And he had zero interest in kissing her.

  Not even his dragon did more than blink.

  His beast huffed. I told you. I only want Jane.

  He waved at Maggie, but she turned and ran away.

  A female like that would never be the right fit for Kai. Maybe a dragon’s instinct wasn’t always right.

  His dragon chimed in again. We all have a say in our future. We were lucky and had a second chance.

  His mum scrutinized his face. “Are you all right, Kai?”

  Squeezing his mum’s shoulder, he answered, “Never better, Mum. Now, let’s hurry. I want out of this bloody cold.”

  “More like you want to cuddle your female.”

  He grunted. “Dragon-shifter males don’t cuddle.”

  His mum laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, Kai. Maybe one day it will actually come true.”

  As he mum chatted about recent events in the clan, Kai picked up their pace. His mum was right—he wanted to cuddle his female and never let her go.

  *~*~*~*

  Did you enjoy this story? Then please consider leaving a review.

  The next dragon story in the overall timeline is The Dragon’s Dilemma, which takes us back to Clan Lochguard and will feature Fraser MacKenzie (Finn’s cousin). The Dragon’s Dilemma is available on all major online retailers.

  As for Stonefire, the next story is a follow-up novella for Bram and Evie called Loved by the Dragon. It’s about the couple having their baby and it’s now available most everywhere. Turn the page for information on both of these titles after the Author's Note. Also, you can sign-up for my newsletter to receive the latest updates on the series, contests, and other exclusive content.

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed Kai and Jane’s story. Believe it or not, theirs was one the hardest stories for me to write, with only a few later on in the series being more challenging. Probably because Kai and Jane are both stubborn and exhausting. However, I did end up writing a follow-up story for them, which finally puts to rest the Maggie Jones issue (it's called Finding the Dragon).

  As always, I have a lot of people to thank for making this book a reality. First and foremost is my editor Becky Johnson of Hot Tree Editing, who never hesitates to tell me when I’m being lazy. I also want to give a shout out to my beta readers—Iliana, Donna, and Alyson—who help give my stories the final polish they need to shine. These ladies help me for free and I’m incredibly grateful for their input.

  If you don’t know my cover artist by now, Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs, then you should! She is amazing and I love her work. She’s done all of my covers and helped to create the brand that is Jessie Donovan. I owe her a lot.

  Lastly, my readers and fans are awesome. Whether you merely read all of my books or are active in my Fan Group on Facebook, I treasure all of you because you make writing full-time a reality. Thank you!

  After this book, the series splits into two. Stonefire will continue to have books released, but I’m also writing about Clan Lochguard in the Scottish Highlands. The first Lochguard book is The Dragon’s Dilemma. After that, the next Stonefire book will be Loved by the Dragon, which is Evie and Bram’s follow-up novella. The two series intertwine, and characters from one will show up in the other. If you read them in the order they were published, you'll be right on track.

  To keep abreast of all of my new releases, make sure to join my newsletter at: http://www.jessiedonovan.com/newsletter.

  Loved by the Dragon

  (Stonefire Dragons #6)

  In Seducing the Dragon,
Evie and Bram found love in each other. Many trials have hit their clan since their mating ceremony and they’ve worked together to make the world a better place for Stonefire and other dragon-shifters in the UK.

  However, as Christmas and the Winter Solstice draws near, complications arise and Evie goes into labor. Will Bram and Evie continue their happy ending and welcome their newest child? Or, will something go wrong and fracture their family?

  ———————————

  Loved by the Dragon is now available on all major online retailers.

  The Dragon’s Dilemma

  (Lochguard Highland Dragons #1)

  In order to pay for her father’s life-saving cancer treatment, Holly Anderson offers herself up as a sacrifice and sells the vial of dragon’s blood. In return, she will try to bear a Scottish dragon-shifter a child. While the dragonman assigned to her is kind, Holly can’t stop looking at his twin brother. It’s going to take everything she has to sleep with her assigned dragonman. If she breaks the sacrifice contract and follows her heart, she’ll go to jail and not be able to take care of her father.

  Even though he’s not ready to settle down, Fraser MacKenzie supports his twin brother’s choice to take a female sacrifice to help repopulate the clan. Yet as Fraser gets to know the lass, his dragon starts demanding something he can’t have—his brother’s sacrifice.

  Holly and Fraser fight the pull between them, but one nearly stolen kiss will change everything. Will they risk breaking the law and betraying Fraser’s twin? Or, will they find a way out of the sacrifice contract and live their own happily ever after?

  ———————————

  The Dragon’s Dilemma is available on all major online retailers.

  ———————————

  Excerpt:

  Chapter One

  Holly Anderson paid the taxi driver and turned toward the large stone and metal gates behind her. Looking up, she saw “Lochguard” spelled out in twisting metal, as well as some words written in a language she couldn’t read.

  The strange words only reminded her of where she was standing—at the entrance to the Scottish dragon-shifter clan lands.

  Taking a deep breath, Holly willed her stomach to settle. She’d signed up for this. In exchange for trying to conceive a dragon-shifter’s child, Clan Lochguard had given her a vial of dragon’s blood. The money from the sale of that dragon’s blood was funding her father’s experimental cancer treatments.

  All she had to do was spend the next six months sleeping with a dragon-shifter. If she didn’t conceive, she could go home. If she did, then she would stay until the baby was born.

  What was a minimum of six months of her life if it meant her father could live?

  That’s if you don’t die giving birth to a half-dragon-shifter baby.

  Readjusting the grip on her suitcase, Holly pushed aside the possibility. From everything she’d read, great scientific strides were being made when it came to the role dragon hormones played on a human’s body. If she were lucky, there might even be a way to prevent her from dying in nine to fifteen months’ time, depending on the date of conception.

  This isn’t work. Stop thinking about conception dates and birthing babies. After all, she might luck out and never conceive at all.

  Holly moved toward the front entrance and took in the view of the loch off to the side. The dull color of the lake’s surface was calm, with rugged hills and mountains framing it. Considering she was in the Scottish Highlands in November, she was just grateful that it wasn’t raining.

  She wondered if it was raining back in Aberdeen.

  Thinking of home and her father brought tears to her eyes. He was recovering well from his first course of cancer treatments, but her father’s health could decline at any moment. If only dragon’s blood could cure cancer, then she wouldn’t have to worry.

  But since cancer was one of the illnesses dragon’s blood couldn’t cure, surely the Department of Dragon Affairs would grant her another few weeks to help take care of her father if she asked.

  As the taxi backed down the drive, Holly turned around and flagged for the driver to come back. However, before she could barely raise a hand, a voice boomed from the right. “Lass, over here.”

  She turned toward the voice and a tall, blond man waved her over with a smile.

  Between his wind-tousled hair, twinkling eyes, and his grin, the man was gorgeous.

  Not only that, he’d distracted her from doing something daft. If Holly ran away before finishing her contract, she’d end up in jail. And then who would take care of her father?

  The man motioned again. “Come, lass. I won’t bite.”

  When he winked, some of Holly’s nervousness faded. Despite the rumors of dragon-shifters being monsters, she’d followed the news stories over the last year and knew Lochguard was one of the good dragon clans. Rumors even said the Lochguard dragons and the local humans had once set up their own sacrifice system long before the British government had implemented one nationwide.

  It was time to experience the dragon-shifters firsthand and learn the truth.

  Pushing her shoulders back, Holly put on her take no-crap nurse expression and walked over to the dragonman. When she was close enough, she asked, “Who are you?”

  The man grinned wider. “I’m glad to see you’re not afraid of me, lass. That makes all of this a lot easier.”

  Before she could stop herself, Holly blurted, “Are you really a dragon-shifter?’

  The dragonman laughed. “Aye, I am. I’m the clan leader, in fact. The name’s Finn. What’s yours?”

  The easygoing man didn’t match the gruff picture she’d conjured up inside her head over the past few weeks.

  Still, dragons liked strength, or so her Department of Dragon Affairs counselor had advised her. Her past decade spent as a maternity nurse would serve her well—if she could handle frantic fathers and mothers during labor, she could handle anything. “You’re not a very good clan leader if you don’t know my name.”

  Finn chuckled. “I was trying to be polite, Holly.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Some say we’re monsters that eat bairns for breakfast. I was just trying to assure you we can be friendly.”

  Confident the smiling man wouldn’t hurt her for questioning him, she stated, “You could be acting.”

  “I think my mate is going to like you.”

  At the mention of the word “mate,” Holly’s confidence slipped a fraction. After all, she’d soon be having sex with a dragon-shifter to try to conceive a child. That was the price all sacrifices had to pay.

  And there was always a small chance she turned out to be the dragon-shifter’s true mate. If that happened, she might never be able to see her father again. Dragons were notoriously possessive. She didn’t think they’d let a mate go once they found one.

  Finn’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Let me take that suitcase, Holly. The sooner we get you to my place, the sooner we can settle you in and answer some of your questions.”

  Finn put out a hand and she passed the case over. She murmured, “Thank you.”

  “Considering that you’re helping my clan more than you know, the least I can do is carry a bag.”

  She eyed the tall dragonman. “You don’t have to comfort me. I know what I volunteered to do.”

  Finn raised a blond eyebrow. “You looked about ready to bolt or cry a few minutes ago. I think a little kindness wouldn’t hurt.”

  He was right, not that she would admit to it. After all, she was supposed to be strong.

  Holly motioned toward the gates. “How about we go so you can give me the spiel and then let me meet my dragonman?”

  The dragonman’s smile faded. “So you’re giving orders to me now, aye?”

  Even though Holly was human, she still sensed the dominance and strength in his voice. She could apologize and try to hide her true self, but that would be too tiring to keep up long term. Instead, she tilted her head. “I’m used t
o giving orders. In my experience, as soon as a woman goes into labor, her other half goes crazy. If I don’t take charge, it could put the mother’s life as well as the child’s in danger. I’m sure you’ve read my file and should know what to expect.”

  The corner of Finn’s mouth ticked up. “Aye, I have. But I like to test the waters with potential clan members.”

  “I’m not—”

  Finn cut her off. “Give it time, lass. You may well become one in the long run.”

  Without another word, Finn started walking. Since he was at least eight inches taller than her, she had to half-jog to catch up to him. However, before she could reply, another tall, muscled dragonman approached. He still had the soft face of late adolescence and couldn’t be more than twenty.

  The younger dragon-shifter motioned a thumb behind him. “Archie and Cal are at it again. If you don’t break it up, they might shift and start dropping each other’s cattle for the second time this week.”

  Finn sighed. “I should assign them a full-time babysitter.”

  The younger man grinned. “You tried that, but my grandfather escaped, as you’ll remember.”

  “That’s because he’s a sneaky bastard.” Finn looked to Holly. “This is Jamie MacAllister. He’ll take you to my mate, Arabella. She can help you get settled before you meet Fergus.”

  “Who’s Fergus?” Holly asked, even though she had a feeling she knew.

  Finn answered, “Fergus MacKenzie is my cousin, but he’s also your assigned dragonman.”

  Of course she’d be given the cousin of the clan leader. After all, Holly was the first human sacrifice on Lochguard in over a decade. They’d want to keep tabs on her.

  Holly didn’t like it, but since she had yet to meet this Fergus, she wouldn’t judge him beforehand. For all she knew, Fergus MacKenzie might be a shy, quiet copy of his cousin.