by R. E. Butler
“That’s fine,” Benecio said. “How are you planning to make it look like a donut?”
“Well,” he said, picking up a pad of paper and a pencil from a nearby table, “I thought I’d make two halves of the donut and then put them together to make it look round, and then I could lay it flat on top of a stand and put a fountain in the center.”
“Coloring the concrete or leaving it gray?”
“Maybe a little of both.”
“Be careful, if it looks really good you might have a lot of requests for strange food-related fountains.”
He laughed. “Staz would probably ask for one that looks like a chicken wing, since it’s his favorite food.”
“Or your mom’s Boston cream pie.”
As Torrence got to work, first sketching, and then creating the forms to pour the concrete, his mind continually returned to the conversation with Fedder. He mentioned it to his father.
“Anything’s possible I suppose,” he said, looking up from the pile of pavers he was getting ready to cut. “The important thing is that we don’t try to force our people to adhere to rigid rules about who can and can’t be a mate. If we were exclusive to dragons only, you wouldn’t have been welcomed back with your human mate. If our people find their mates elsewhere, I want our clan to always be inclusive, and never be exclusive.”
“Me, too.”
There was a knock at the door and Benecio called, “It’s open.”
The door opened and Torrence caught a whiff of cinnamon and sugar, and knew it was Cecily. She appeared with a plastic container, her cheeks pink and her eyes shining. “I wasn’t sure if I should just walk in.”
“Of course, you can,” Benecio said.
“I brought you some donuts.”
She held the container out to Torrence and he took it, lifting the lid and smiling at the six sweets. They were oddly shaped, with slits in them. He lifted his gaze to hers and said, “They look great.”
“They’re dragon claws.”
“What?”
“You know, like bear claws? I cut them so that when they were fried, the pieces would separate and look like claws on a hand? Is that dumb? I was trying something fun.”
“Are you kidding? It’s very cool.” He lifted one out and took a bite. He was unable to stop the happy groan as the sweet taste of cinnamon and sugar filled him. “This is the second-best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Her brows rose. “Second best?”
With a lowered voice, he said, “You’re the first.”
She gasped, and her cheeks pinked with blush. “Torrence!”
“Hey, I’m honest.” He finished the dragon claw in two bites, set the container down, and pulled her close. “It’s delicious and you’re a great baker.”
“Thanks. I wanted you to like them so much, I was nervous.”
“Rest easy now, sweetheart. I knew it would be great.”
“Can I see what you’re working on now?” she asked.
“As soon as I eat the rest of these.”
“Aren’t you going to share?”
“Yeah, Son,” Benecio said. “I raised you better.”
“If I must,” he said, grabbing two for himself and giving the rest to his father. “Let me show you this amazing thing I’m making.”
“I can’t wait.”
After he showed her the sketch for the fountain, and the form he’d made, she helped him mix the concrete for the bottom of the donut. They’d opted to make the base of the donut a sandy brown color, and then use a pink glaze on top to make it look like something she called a “classic frosted donut.”
“Then we can put it on the deck outside of the sliding door, right? It’ll be perfect.”
“It absolutely will be,” he promised.
She washed her hands and dried them on a shop towel, and then turned to face him. “Your mom was telling me about the clan’s school.”
The clan didn’t send their children to public school. Instead, there was a school building on the mountain, and several clan members were certified teachers. “What about it?”
“They need a baker. They feed the kids breakfast and also need someone to make desserts for lunch. She asked if I’d be interested.”
“I didn’t put her up to it,” he said.
“I know. It would mean that I’d be doing more than just making donuts.”
He took her hand and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. “You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to.”
Her eyes glistened suddenly, and he wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that it’s more than I ever thought possible.”
“Baking for the school?”
She sniffled and smiled at him. “I know it’s only a handful of kids and the teachers, but when your mom explained to me that already dragons were asking if I could help out, it just made me feel so welcomed. We’ve been here a day, and your people just opened their arms so willingly.”
“They’re not my people, sweetheart, they’re ours.”
“Yeah. It feels like it.”
“Then you want to help out with the school?”
“Yes. Is that okay?”
“Whatever you want is okay with me.”
“I was thinking about asking Jules if she’d like to help.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“She’s sweet. I think we’ll be great friends.”
“And family.”
She went onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him sweetly. “I thought I’d lost everything but you when we had to leave Tomb, but I feel like I’ve gotten so much more than I ever thought possible. I’m thankful every day that you’re in my life.”
“Me too, sweetheart.”
His dragon trilled in agreement as he lowered his head and kissed her. He was positive that no dragon in existence was as happy as he was at that moment with his sweet mate in his arms.
Chapter 12
Cecily shivered when the sliding door opened, and Jules hurried inside. “It’s cold as hell out there!”
She pulled off her stocking cap and stomped her boots free of snow on the rug.
“Hell isn’t cold,” Cecily pointed out.
“Oh, right.”
Staz opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it quickly. “It’s colder than Jack Frost’s balls.”
“There you go,” Cecily said with a laugh. “There’s dragon claws on the table, Staz. Help yourself.”
“Oh yeah,” he said, kissing Jules on the cheek. “Where’s your mate?”
“He’s in the baby’s room working on the furniture.”
“See ya,” Staz said, grabbing two sweets off the table and taking the stairs two at a time.
Cecily and Torrence had been living with the clan for six months, and she’d just found out two days earlier that she was six weeks’ pregnant. Torrence had immediately wanted to go buy furniture, so they’d taken an SUV and headed down the mountain to town, where they’d bought a matching crib, dresser, and changing table.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Jules asked as she hung up her outerwear in the closet and put on dry shoes.
“So far so good.”
“I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to have a baby. Staz is definitely looking forward to starting our family.”
Torrence had been sweetly anticipating the day she discovered she was pregnant. She’d never seen a happier man in her life then when she asked him to take her to the clan’s healer to get a pregnancy test.
“Thank you.”
“What are we making today?”
“Apple turnovers and candy-topped brownies for the school, plus six loaves of banana walnut bread.”
“Yum.”
Cecily smiled. “One of the loaves is for you and Staz.”
“Yay!”
There was a knock at the door and Cecily smiled at the males who were lined up, ready for donuts.
“I’ve got this,” Jules said. She wa
lked to the door and pulled it open just enough to speak. “What’ll it be, guys?”
One by one the males chose the donuts they wanted from the window display, and almost every single one’s order was for more than one donut. Cecily had learned early on that dragons loved donuts. Most of the males stopped by on the way to their jobs to pick up breakfast. She also took orders for donut deliveries for houses that were farther away, and one of the young dragons would take them out for her.
She was busier than she’d ever been, and a lot more content, too. She wasn’t alone, building a business from scratch and eeking out a living while it started. Instead, she was fully surrounded by people who were encouraging and helpful. Her days were filled with baking, and her nights were filled with pleasure, thanks to her amazing mate. He told her that she was his dragon’s treasure, the one thing on earth that he valued above all else.
She told him he was her treasure.
Pressing a hand to her abdomen, she whispered, “You’re my treasure, too, little one. I can’t wait to meet you.”
Turning her attention back to the kitchen, she started to make the turnovers for the school breakfast. In a few years, their child would be learning there, too, and she’d be making breakfast for him or her, along with the other children. It was a sweet view of the future, and one she thanked her lucky stars for every night.
It was hard to believe that she’d thought she had her whole life figured out at one time. Now she knew she hadn’t even touched the surface of what happiness really was back then. It had only been a handful of months, but she’d changed so much. She wasn’t the human living among wolves, she was the mate of a dragon, living among the clan. Her life had gone on a different path, and although she missed Andrea and being in the town of her childhood, she wouldn’t trade anything to go back.
Her mother had once asked her what she thought happiness was, and as a child she’d said it was candy and Saturday morning cartoons, and breakfast with her parents. But now, as an adult, she knew what real happiness was. It was those first few quiet moments each morning when she woke up in Torrence’s arms and just reveled in his love. It was seeing that glint in his eyes that told her he was thinking naughty things about her. It was the way her heart swelled whenever she thought about their family.
All of that was real happiness, and she knew that there was much more to come, too. No matter what they faced as a family, they were together, and they could handle it. Torrence was the strongest man she’d ever known, good to the core and so sweet he made her want to cry sometimes.
She was lucky.
Except lucky wasn’t a strong enough word.
She was exceptionally fortunate to be a dragon’s treasured mate.
Coming Next from R. E. Butler
The Alpha Wolf’s Mate (The Necklace Chronicles Book 4)
~*~ February 13, 2018 ~*~
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Also from R. E. Butler
Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series
A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Twitch of Tail
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
Awaken a Wolf
Daeton’s Journey
A Dragon for December
A Muse for Mishka
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
A Wish for Their Woman
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
The Tiger’s Bride
The Alpha Wolf’s Mate (Coming February 2018)
Ashland Pride Series
Seducing Samantha
Loving Lachlyn
Marking Melody
Redeeming Rue
Saving Scarlett
Chasing Cristabel
Jilly’s Wyked Fate (Coming April 2018)
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever
Every Dawn Forever
Every Sunset Forever
Every Blissful Moment
Every Heavenly Moment
Every Miraculous Moment
Every Angelic Moment
Wilde Creek Series
Volume One (Books 1 and 2)
Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)
Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)
The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)
Saber Chronicles Series
Saber Chronicles Volume One (Books One - Four)
Norlanian Brides Series
Paoli’s Bride
Warrick’s Bride
Dex’s Bride
Norlanian Brides Volume One
Villi’s Bride
Dero’s Bride
Were Zoo Series
Zane
Jupiter
Win
Justus
Devlin
Kelley (Coming in 2018)
Arctic Shifters
Blitzen’s Fated Mate
Dasher’s Fated Mate
Prancer’s Fated Mate
Vixen’s Fated Mate
Cupid’s Fated Mate
Uncontrollable Shift
The Alpha’s Christmas Mate
The Dragon’s Treasured Mate
Stand Alone Stories
Purred Promises (Kindle Worlds)
The Alpha’s Honor (Howls Romance)
Coming February 13, 2018
The Alpha Wolf’s Mate (The Necklace Chronicles Book Four)
Bad Alpha Dads Romance
Ryde Mitchell, alpha of the largest wolf pack on the Eastern seaboard, has no time for anything but ruling his pack. The only bright spot in his life is his daughter, Brigelle, who at age seven has managed to wrap him entirely around her pink-polished fingers. He knows Bri should have a mother, but he can’t spare the time to even consider choosing a female from his pack to mate, and assures his sweet daughter that he’ll have time for her as soon as pack tensions settle down.
As the sister of the vampire mistress of the city of Arbor, Dominique Tremaine has seen her share of weird. Born into a powerful family, she spends her time dealing with the vampires in their large coven and helping keep their city safe from encroaching shifters who would just as soon stake them as form alliances. When she finds a beautiful necklace hanging from her vanity mirror, she assumes it’s a gift from her sister and puts it on. The instant the medallion touches her skin, she passes out and wakes up in the most unlikely of places – an alpha wolf’s bed.
When Bri decides to cast a spell on her father’s behalf to bring him the perfect mate, she has no idea the storm of trouble she’s bringing their way. All she wanted was for her dad to have a mate and for her to have a mom. She didn’t want to put her father’s life, or her own, on the line. Ryde is furious that his daughter went behind his back and spelled for his mate. Not only does he have zero time to woo the utterly sexy blood drinker, but with all the pack unrest, the last thing he needs is to mate with his people’s mortal enemy. If he keeps Dominique, he could lose his pack and his life, but he doesn’t know if he can walk away from her. Especially not when he witnesses how connected she and his daughter are. If he takes a
stand for Dominique, he could lose everything, but he’s not sure he can let her go.
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