by Sophie Stern
Harper nodded and looked at her computer. Then she typed something, clicked something, and finally, looked back up.
“I can see your appointment listed right here,” she said. “You’re with Dragons Daily, right?”
“That’s right,” she nodded.
Harper frowned and cocked her head.
“Someone arrived about ten minutes ago,” she said. “A man said he was taking your place in interviewing Mr. Monster.”
Winter’s heart fell.
“Was he about this tall?” Winter held her hand up to demonstrate.
“Yes.”
“With a balding head?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And a suit that was just the slightest bit wrinkled?”
“Um, yes.”
Leon.
Leon had come and snaked her appointment time. Of course, he had.
“Listen,” Winter said. “I need to get to Mr. Monster right away. The guy who took my appointment is a complete asshole.”
Harper raised an eyebrow, but if she was surprised at Winter’s language, she had the decency not to act upset about it.
“He’s trying to trick Mr. Monster into giving away personal information that he can then sell to Dragonette Daily,” she spoke all in a rush, and the woman nodded.
“Well, he certainly sounds crappy,” she said. Harper jerked her head toward the elevator. “Go on up, then. Top floor. I’ll call the secretary and let her know you’re coming.”
“Thank you,” Winter said. Then she ran to the elevators, pressed the button, and hopped into the first elevator that opened. As soon as she was inside, she jabbed the button for the top floor, hitting it over and over again.
She was going to be too late.
She knew it.
She just knew it.
Why, oh why, had she come on time instead of early? She had suspected that Leon might try to take her appointment time, but the dude was always late. Always. She wasn’t sure whether it was polite to show up early to a business meeting, so she’d aimed to be exactly on time.
Apparently, that was going to cost her.
Well, her or Mr. Monster.
She wasn’t sure.
Winter reached for her inhaler and took a puff, breathing in the medication before she shoved the inhaler back in her pocket. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm herself and her racing heart.
The doors opened with a ding, and a woman was standing there.
“I’m the secretary,” she blurted out. “Harper called me and told me what happened.”
Winter just nodded.
“Mr. Monster is in there with him now. You can go right on in. You don’t even need to knock, okay?”
“You didn’t tell him I’m coming?” Winter asked.
“Nope,” the woman shook her head. “Just go on in, okay?”
“Okay.”
Winter walked to the door the lady had pointed at, and she stood there for a second. This was it, she realized. This was her moment. She was about to make an impression with Mr. Monster, and it probably wasn’t going to be a good one. Still, she had to warn him that Leon was a double-crossing piece of shit, and she needed to save her professional relationship with Monster Brothers Security.
She was the one who had been working on the article, after all. She was the one who had wanted this piece to happen.
Winter turned the knob, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Then she gasped.
Dragon – her Dragon – was standing with his foot on Leon’s chest. Leon was sprawled on his back on the floor, and Dragon was staring at him. They both turned to look at her as she walked inside.
“Coconut?”
“Winter!”
Dragon turned to Leon.
“Winter?”
“That’s Winter! That’s the writer!”
Dragon’s eyes swung back to hers, and that was when Winter realized who he actually was. He was in Brian Monster’s office, and he was standing with his foot on Leon’s chest, and he seemed royally pissed with Winter’s former boss.
“You’re Brian,” she whispered.
“And you’re the writer.”
Winter stood staring at him, letting everything sink in at once. The entire weekend had been pure and total magic, and now she was here. The man she’d come to see on Sapphire Island was the man she’d spent the weekend getting to know. It was the man she’d dropped to her knees for.
“I, um, I came to warn you,” she whispered.
“Mr. Leon informed me that he had come in your place,” Brian said drily, looking toward the man.
“No,” Winter said, shaking her head. “He informed me on Friday afternoon that he wanted me to give him negative information about you. He said anything that came up during the interview that could be perceived as negative could be sold to Dragonette Daily. I refused, and I quit my job,” she said.
She still couldn’t really believe that she’d done it.
“I stayed all weekend and came here today to warn you,” she said. “I wasn’t sure who he would send, but I didn’t want you to accidentally give an interview where you shared personal information that he used against you.”
“Well, when this asshole walked in, he practically reeked of anxiety,” Brian said, stepping back. He gestured for Leon to get to his feet. Leon did, sputtering the entire time.
“I wasn’t going to sell your information,” he said.
“That’s a lie,” Winter called him out.
“You don’t even work for me!” Leon hissed. “And you’re a terrible team player. I’ll make sure you never work in writing again! Ever! By the time I’m done making phone calls today, I’ll make sure nobody wants to hire you.”
“Too late,” Brian said, staring at Leon. “She’s already been hired.”
“She has?”
“I have?”
They both stared at Brian, who nodded confidently.
“Yes,” he said. “I need a new writer, and Winter graciously accepted my offer to work with me.”
“But a minute ago, you both acted like you didn’t know each other,” Leon said.
“How about you leave my office?” Brian said to Leon. “Then you can get off of Sapphire Island, and you can never come back.”
“But-”
“Bye,” Brian waved, jerking his head toward the door.
Leon’s head fell, but he started moving, and he made his way toward the door. He muttered something as he passed by Winter, but she ignored him, and as soon as the door closed, she turned back to Brian.
“It’s you,” she whispered.
“And it’s you.”
A smile spread across his face, and Winter ran to him. She threw herself into Brian’s arms.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” she told him honestly.
“Me too.”
“I really did come here to warn you,” she said. “Although, it kind of seems like you can take care of yourself, Mr. Monster.”
“You can call me Dragon,” he murmured, petting her hair.
Winter looked up at him and shook her head.
“What happened?”
“Well, when I got to work, my brothers explained that fucking a strange woman all weekend isn’t normal unless you’re destined mates,” he chuckled. “I told them to shove it, and they said that if you made your way back to me, that it was definitely true, and that we were meant to be together.”
Winter’s heart felt fluttery and content.
“And what happened with Leon?”
“Well, when he walked into my office, I suspected that something was up. Winter March doesn’t seem like the kind of writer who just bails on a meeting,” he said with a smile.
“She’s definitely not,” Winter agreed.
“As soon as Leon started asking questions about my past, I realized what he was doing, so I pushed him down.”
“You pushed him?”
“Don’t worry,” Brian winked, “I was gentle.”<
br />
Winter couldn’t believe it. Dragon was Brian. Brian was Dragon. The guy she’d felt her heart craving was here in this office, and he seemed to think they were destined to be together. And there was something else, too.
“You’re offering me a job?”
“If you’ll take it,” he nodded. “I hear you’re very good at what you do.”
“I am,” she whispered.
“Good,” Brian nodded. “You can start today, right after you come over here and kiss me.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Winter scurried across the floor, reached for Brian, and pulled him toward herself. Then she kissed him. She kissed him like he was heaven. She kissed him like she meant it. She kissed him like they were true mates destined to be together after all.
“You don’t think this is crazy?” Winter whispered.
“It’s crazy,” he nodded, “but you know what?”
“What?”
“Maybe crazy isn’t all that bad,” Brian chuckled, and kissed her back. He reached for Winter and then he just held her for a long time. Winter couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so safe or protected or loved. Brian made her feel adored, and that was probably the most incredible thing she’d ever felt.
Ever.
“What’s going to happen next?” Winter whispered.
“I want you to come live with me,” he said.
“Really?”
“Really,” he said. “Winter, you’re incredible. Finding you on my beach, spending the weekend with you...it was everything I could have ever dreamed of.”
“I feel good when I’m with you,” she whispered.
“I feel alive when I’m with you,” he countered.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, and Winter sighed. She’d come to Sapphire Island for a story, but she’d found so much more than that. She’d found the answer to her hopes. She’d found her dream. She’d found...
She’d found her mate.
Now she and Brian were together. They hadn’t had to say goodbye after all. She didn’t have to spend the rest of her life wondering if Brian was the “one that got away.” Instead, she got to spend the rest of her life loving him, caring for him, playing with him.
Apparently, she was getting her happy ending after all.
Epilogue
A few months later
Brian and Winter were a happy couple. Once they’d found each other, there was no keeping them apart. There was literally no way either one of them would be satisfied continuing to live without the other, and so they had a mating ceremony as soon as they possibly could. They invited almost everyone they knew, and the ceremony was huge, wonderful, and beautiful.
Winter couldn’t believe that fate had smiled on her. She’d come to Sapphire Island to write a story. She never could have imagined that she would not only fall in love with a dragon man, but be claimed as his mate, too.
The dancing at the reception continued for hours. Late into the night when the stars had come up, the dragons were all still drinking and eating and laughing and dancing. Everyone was having a wonderful time, and each time Winter looked over at her new husband, her mate, she was amazed at just how blessed they’d been to find each other.
They shared a dance with each other, and she reached around his neck and pulled him closer to herself. Winter kissed Brian like she meant it. She kissed him like nothing else in the world mattered. She kissed him because he was important, and wonderful, and kind.
He was everything to her.
“Well, what do you think of the party?” Brian’s eyes sparkled and shimmered.
“It’s everything I could have hoped for,” she told him honestly.
“You’re everything I could have hoped for.”
“Oh?” Winter grinned. “Then why don’t you prove it, dragon man.”
“Are you taunting the dragon?” Brian placed his hand on his chest, raising his eyebrows mockingly, as though he couldn’t believe she would dare to tease him.
“Yeah,” she thought for a minute, and then nodded. “Yeah, I guess that I am.”
“What am I going to do with you?” Brian grabbed her and tugged her closer. Winter’s entire body was pressed against his front, and she felt hot and aroused and excited to be touching him like this. When the party was over, they’d go back to his place, and she’d drop to her knees.
That was what she wanted to do.
A wedding blowjob had to be the best possible gift she could offer this man who had stolen her heart, and she didn’t want to wait. She was more than ready to sneak off with Brian and fool around right at the party, but then she noticed something.
“Brian? Is your mom okay?”
Winter gestured to one of the corners in the room. Raya was standing there, clutching her necklace, and she looked like her heart was breaking. Something was wrong. Something was definitely, totally wrong.
“Get my brothers,” Brian said, and he started striding toward his mother. Brian and his brothers were very close, and they were always looking after each other. No matter what any of them seemed to be going through, the others were always close by to help them out. Now, Winter scurried to get Declan and Christopher, as well as their mates. It was hard to move fast in her bulky wedding dress, but she didn’t care.
If Raya was upset or hurting, Winter wanted to find out what was wrong. The dragon lady had been nothing but kind to all of her daughters-in-law. Although each of her sons had chosen a human mate, Raya hadn’t seemed to mind. If anything, she’d shown love and appreciation toward each of the kids and their mates.
She’d truly welcomed Winter to the family.
When the group found Raya and Brian, they were standing in a little area at the end of a hall. There were some tables and chairs there. It was a quiet little nook where anyone who visited the hotel could go to sit and talk or just relax for a few minutes.
“Mom,” Brian said. “What’s wrong?”
“Mom, are you okay?” Christopher and Declan spoke at the same time.
“I’m fine,” Raya whispered.
“No, you’re not fine,” Winter stepped forward. She placed her hands on Raya’s and looked at her carefully. “There are dark circles under your eyes, and you look sad instead of happy. Now, I’m not so stuck-up that I think this is about me. I think you like me pretty well, so if you’re not crying on my wedding day because you think I’m a bad match for Brian, then something else is wrong. Right?”
Raya nodded. Winter noticed that Raya was clutching the necklace she always wore. It was a beautiful one with a big stone in the center that sometimes seemed to glow. Winter had never pushed too much, but she had been a writer long enough to know an enchanted item when she saw it.
That necklace?
It was covered with some sort of spell.
She just didn’t know what.
“It’s okay,” Zoa said gently, stepping forward. She placed her hands on Raya’s shoulders and looked at the dragon mother right in the eyes. “You can tell us. Whatever it is that’s bothering you, we can help.”
“We’ll do anything we can,” Allison added.
Yeah, the Monster brothers had chosen their mates well. Each of the human mates would do anything they could to help their dragon family. Anything. Even Winter, who was the newest addition, would do whatever she could to make her new mother-in-law smile again.
“You should sit down,” Raya whispered. She pointed to the chairs, and something in her voice made everyone sit down. Even Winter, who was usually pretty contrary, took a seat. Brian did, too.
Once everyone was seated, Raya started pacing in front of them. From their position in the seating area down the hall from the party, they could still hear the music. Winter wished, for just a second, that she had the power to shut it off so they could listen to Raya without any sort of distractions.
Once Raya started talking, though, everything else seemed to fade away.
“I think I should start off by apologizing,” she said.
> “For what?” Brian asked.
“I haven’t always been entirely honest with you boys.”
The Monster brothers exchanged looks. They’d always valued honesty, Winter knew. Brian was especially interested in people being truthful and honest. He’d always felt like someone telling the truth was a sign of good character.
“Mother?” Christopher asked gently.
“I don’t know how to say it, so I’m just going to say it,” she said. “I’ve lied to you your entire lives. Brian, you are not the oldest child.”
Brian cocked his head, and Winter knew he wasn’t sure whether he was going to laugh. Was that why sweet Raya was upset? The birth order of the triplets was different than they’d thought? Only, that wasn’t what Raya meant at all.
“I have another son,” she whispered. “You have a brother.”
Silence.
In the entire time Winter had been a part of the Monster family, she’d never heard silence like that before. Although she was entirely human, she was quite certain that if she listened carefully enough, she could hear a pin drop.
“Mother?” Declan whispered.
“You have an older brother. His name is Felix.”
“Well, where is he?” Christopher asked carefully.
“Felix was a very good boy,” Raya said. She wrapped her arms around herself. “He was funny and happy and sweet, and he was playful. When I found out I was pregnant with you three, well, he was thrilled. He couldn’t wait to be a big brother.”
“Mom?” Brian asked. His voice suddenly sounded strained. Winter reached for her husband’s hand. She didn’t know what Raya was going to say next, but whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.
“Your brother was kidnapped,” Raya finally said. “He was stolen away from us the day before you were born. The stress of losing him was enough to send me into labor, so while your father was out looking for him, I was giving birth to you three.”
Raya started crying. Instantly, Winter, Allison, Zoa, and the three brothers rushed to her and wrapped their arms around her in one big family group hug. Winter couldn’t believe what Raya was admitting. How horrible that Raya had been carrying this secret all alone for so long.
“Your father spent weeks looking for him. He spent years.”