Guarded by the Dragon

by Sofia Stone

  “Don’t be pushy, Mom,” scolded Gabriel lightly, although he was trying to suppress a smile behind his glass of punch.

  “Oh no, don’t worry,” Amelia returned, to everyone’s amusement. “Please tell me more about how much you want to paint me, I would love to hear more about that.”

  But that was nothing compared to when Victoria and Julia met. Amelia had never quite understood the expression “getting on like a house on fire,” but it was like a spark of camaraderie and fellow-feeling blazed to life between the two mothers.

  “Is it weird?” Amelia asked, staring out the glass doors.

  “Is what weird?” Gabriel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his chin on the top of her head.

  “That our mothers are so . . .” She gestured wordlessly to the balcony. On the other side of the glass doors, the two older women were talking animatedly, gesturing with their champagne glasses, looking as comfortable as if they’d always been best friends.

  “In tune?” She felt his grin against her hair, and he kissed the top of her ear, making her shiver.

  “That’s one word for it.” She turned around in his arms and rested her hands on his broad shoulders.

  Gabriel shrugged, one hand sliding up her back to play with the ends of her hair. “Does it bother you?”

  She shook her head. “The opposite of bother. It’s great. Mom should have more friends, not just boyfriends. It’s just that if we left right now, I don’t think either of them would even notice.”

  His voice turned teasing. “Do you want to test that?”

  “Don’t tempt me,” Amelia warned. But she didn’t pull away. In fact, she pressed closer, nuzzling her nose along his jawline.

  “I was only making a suggestion,” Gabriel’s voice purred in her ear. His fingers toyed with the hem of her blouse.

  “That would be a terrible idea,” she mumbled against his throat, feeling his pulse point under her lips.

  “Remind me what’s terrible about it again?” His hands skimmed over her side, promising more. He couldn’t just do that a few yards away from her mother.

  But Gabriel proved distracting. She fought through the fog in her mind to remember his question and formulate some kind of answer. “It’s . . . it’s rude. You can’t just leave brunch to have sex.”

  “You can’t?” he asked, all innocent confusion.

  She tapped his chest. “You definitely can’t, mister. It’s brunch protocol. Especially meet-the-parents brunch. Delicious food, day drinking, and everyone’s clothes stay on throughout.”

  “How very disappointing.”

  “Well, I don’t make the brunch rules.” She punctuated this pronouncement with a kiss that had too much tongue to be entirely proper for polite company.

  “And if you did?” he asked when they separated. She was pleased to notice how breathless he sounded. It would never get old, the fact that she had as much effect on him as he had on her.

  Amelia pretended to think. “It does seem like nakedness would improve things.”

  “That would depend on the company, I think.” They both burst into laughter, catching the attention of the women outside. Despite her resolution, Amelia found herself a bit disappointed she didn’t get to sneak off with her mate after all.

  “Another time,” she murmured, twining her arms around his neck and leaning into his embrace. Gabriel’s sigh told her he felt the same way.

  The glass door slid open, and they reluctantly parted, though Gabriel’s hand stayed at the small of her back.

  “Time for Champagne: Round Two?” Amelia asked, eyeing the empty glasses they were holding.

  “We will most certainly take a refill,” Julia said. “Do you know, I was just telling Victoria about how punctuation is a highly malleable social construction.”

  “It was fascinating,” Gabriel’s mother put in, taking her refilled glass with one hand and sliding the other through Julia’s crooked arm. “She was going to continue telling me all about it in the beautiful courtyard as we took a walk.”

  “A nice long walk,” Julia put in.

  “Very long,” Victoria agreed. “I might even discuss different types of paintbrushes and their effects on texture in some detail. You would have the castle to yourselves for a bit.”

  Her expression looked as innocent as a lamb’s. Just like her son’s, Amelia thought with mingled mortification and amusement.

  “We’ll see you both in a little while for round three, when our discussion of grammatical convention, local flora, and oil painting techniques has been exhausted,” Julia said graciously, and arm-in-arm they strode out. Before she disappeared, Julia looked back over her shoulder and winked.

  “Mom!” Amelia wailed at the closed door. “You can’t just wink at me like that—talk about a mood ruiner—”

  “Is that so? That would be disappointing.” Gabriel’s fingertips ghosted down her shoulders and upper arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

  Despite her claims, it seemed the mood could be resurrected. She wondered if it would ever stop being like this—every touch igniting her blood, a spark in every encounter. She couldn’t imagine it.

  “Actually,” he said, just as he pressed his chest to her back and cupped her breasts from behind, “this would be a good time for something.”

  “Um, I hope so,” Amelia said, sighing. He knew exactly how to touch her. She’d never had such strong reactions to a man’s touch before.

  He kissed her neck and his hands slid down to her waist. “Something else.”

  “Oh.” Confused, she looked over her shoulder. He sounded almost shy, which was a new tone on Gabriel. “What?”

  “It’s a dragon tradition,” he explained, taking her hand and leading her down the hall.

  “Like a sexy dragon tradition?” Amelia wiggled her hips. “I could be into that.”

  Gabriel laughed. “No. Well, yes, if you want to. But there’s also a non-sexy component.”

  “Can we get that part over quickly and move on to the sexy part?” she asked hopefully.

  “I think you’ll like it,” he said, though it was hard to imagine anything she liked more than him.

  In her bedroom—their bedroom, now—she sat on the edge of her princess bed and watched him rummage for something under the bed.

  “I moved my hoard in here,” he said, his head popping over the coverlet. There was an unmistakable note of pride in his voice when he said hoard, though. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Amelia wondered if there was some dragon social etiquette she was missing. “This is your room, too. No big deal.”

  Finally, he pulled a small case out from underneath the bed and placed it beside her. “Hoards are a big deal, though. They’re a dragon’s most valued possessions—besides their mate, of course.”

  A thrill ran through Amelia at being called his most valued. He opened the case and looked at the items within almost reverently.

  Amelia took a peek, though it almost felt like invading his privacy to do so. He didn’t seem to mind, though. There was an assortment of precious metals and jewels, much of it jewelry but not all of it.

  He grinned, noticing her shyness. “It’s okay, you can touch it. You’re my mate—it’s yours too, now.”

  “When we were back in my apartment”—it wasn’t even that long ago, but it felt almost like a different life—“you called my collection of postcards my hoard.”

  He hummed in assent. “I could tell because how much you loved it.”

  “But it’s pretty different from all of this.” She ran her fingers over several pieces as they shifted and clinked together.

  “Hoards can be anything, as long as it’s dear to you. And there are other things in here.” He pointed out his university degree—which he’d worked so hard for and believed in the power of to change his life—and a painting that his mother had made of him as a child, a tiny watercolor portrait only a few inches wide and in shades of orange and yellow that were as vibr
ant as summer itself.

  “She was always doing that—she would paint me and my sister according to whatever mood we were in when the mood struck her. There are dozens of them, all a little different.”

  “But aside from that, you’re a traditionalist.” Amelia smiled to show she was teasing.

  “It’s not really so much the gold itself,” he explained. “It’s what it symbolizes. It used to be my dad’s hoard. Dragons can pass down their hoards to their kids—their legitimate kids, anyway.”

  Her mouth rounded in surprise. “You didn’t have most of this stuff before they brought you on the council?”

  “They just released it a few days ago. Or rather, Lady Nancy released it. I guess normally if the hoard doesn’t have anyone to go to, the nobility can divide it up amongst themselves. But she hung onto it for me.” His voice was quiet by the time he got to the end. She touched his cheek in sympathy, making him smile.

  “So, what is the special dragon tradition here? Showing your hoard to me?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “When a dragon takes a mate, and they want to signify their union, the dragon gives their mate a piece from their hoard. If they’re both dragons, they exchange pieces. It’s just symbolic—what is mine is yours, of course. But this gift has special significance for dragons.”

  That felt supremely right to Amelia, and to her dragon, who was excited by the idea. She grinned. “Let me get mine.”

  She jumped up and dug the bag containing her postcards out from the bottom drawer of the dresser.

  “How about you go first?” Gabriel said. He was still kneeling at the foot of the bed.

  Amelia poked through her collection a little self-consciously. The postcards were from places her father had been, exotic locales that didn’t mean anything to Gabriel. None of them felt quite right for him.

  “Which one it is isn’t so important,” he assured her as she hovered indecisively over her hoard.

  Still, it felt important. She flipped through a picture of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, a fishing wharf in New England, a small-town roadside diner in middle America. None of them were right.

  Until she saw a certain one. It wasn’t from anywhere special—in fact, it pictured her hometown. As an adult, she could imagine her father’s sense of humor in choosing a postcard from a local gift shop. On the reverse, her father had penciled a short note.

  Amelia knew it was perfect. She pulled it out and handed it to her mate. “It wasn’t a special place, just an ordinary town where we lived.”

  He read the note aloud. “You always ask me what the best place I’ve ever been is. The best place is with you.”

  “You’re my home,” Amelia said, feeling a little choked up.

  Gabriel cupped her face between his hands and kissed her gently, then smiled. “Okay, my turn.”

  He was holding something in the palm of his hand, although his fingers were wrapped around it so she couldn’t see. It must be small, she thought, and her heart sped up.

  “Amelia. When you came into my life, I was lonely and bitter and purposeless. You brought light and love into my life like I have never known. I love you more than I could ever express.”

  Amelia’s heart was thundering. She could hardly hear him over the pounding of her blood.

  “You are my greatest treasure and my one true soulmate. Will you be my wife as well?”

  He opened his hand, revealing the ring, which had a large square diamond flanked by several smaller stones, set in a gold band.

  “Yes! Yes! Of course I will!” Amelia threw her arms around his neck, too happy for words.

  When she pulled back, her slid the ring onto her left ring finger. He had already completed her life, but this sealed the deal. The exchange of treasure was a symbol of their commitment, something tangible. Looking at her treasure on him gave her a deep sense of contentment and fulfillment.

  And arousal. She couldn’t deny it. Her dragon purred with satisfaction at the sight of him.

  It seemed to have the same effect on Gabriel. He placed a lingering kiss on her palm and said, heat in his voice, “I want to make love to you when you’re wearing nothing but that ring.”

  His words had an immediate effect on her. “Wow,” she breathed. “Yes. That. I want that. And same for you.”

  “As you wish,” he said with a grin.

  And as their bodies joined, she had everything she’d ever wished for.

  * * *

  “Do you think we should go downstairs and find the moms?”

  He ran a hand through her hair. “We do have an announcement to make.”

  Amelia grinned giddily, turning to look at the dazzling engagement ring on her finger. She’d almost forgotten in the rush of the moment, it was so new, and it gave her a burst of pleasure as fierce as the first to remember.

  “My mom will be really happy. She might be something of a hippie, but she’s been bugging me for a long time to settle down and give her a slew of grandchildren.”

  His hand squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe we’ll have another announcement for her soon,” he said.

  Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you want to?” she asked, biting her lip and twisting around so she could look him in the eye.

  He nodded, with his slow spreading grin.

  Amelia felt like she was soaring and couldn’t contain her happiness. “Let’s get dressed and find the moms.”

  “Must we?” he asked, his eyes skimming over her nude form as she rose and began rummaging for her clothes.

  She pointed a finger at him. “We’ve already had this conversation. Now behave.” But she suspected her smile undermined the sternness of her rebuke.

  “Anything for you, Princess.”

  Notes from Sofia

  Thank you so much for reading Guarded by the Dragon! I would love if you let me, and other readers, know what you thought about the book. I appreciate any and all feedback and reviews you want to give.

  My covers are made by the infinitely talented and patient Augusta Scarlett.

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  Turn the page for a peek at my other books and an excerpt of the next book in my Royal Guard Shifter series, Guarded by the Griffin . . .

  Other Books by Sofia Stone

  Discovering Her Dragon

  A billionaire dragon shifter, an intrepid reporter chasing a story, and a mine full of secrets . . .

  The Doctor and the Dragon

  A researcher just trying to do her job, a billionaire dragon shifter, and an enemy who’s sworn to put down dragons wherever he finds them . . .

  Guarded by the Griffin: Sneak Peak

  The best man still hadn’t arrived, and Sabine was starting to get pissed.

  It was fifteen minutes before the rehearsal dinner was supposed to start, and there was no one to walk her down the aisle.

  That made it sound like Sabine was getting married. But it was her best friend Amelia’s wedding—and Sabine was the maid of honor. And the maid of honor was supposed to walk down the aisle with the best man.

  What kind of best man flaked out on his supposed best friend’s rehearsal dinner?

  Amelia was her cheerful and well-composed self on the outside, but Sabine could see lines of tension and stress around her eyes and mouth.

  It just wasn’t right to stress out the bride-to-be the night before her wedding. Mentally she began composing a tirade to deliver to the best man when she finally met him—if she ever met him.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll be here.” Amelia’s groom-to-be, Gabriel, looked utterly unshaken by his BFF’s potential betrayal. Maybe he was just very committed to some kind of loyalty bro code, Sabi
ne thought.

  If Amelia was ever so thoughtless about Sabine’s wedding—

  Sabine stopped the thought before it had a chance to take root. That hypothetical scenario was never going to happen, so why dwell on it?

  Besides, Amelia would never do that to her, barring a horrible accident of some kind. Even though she was now the crown princess of a tiny little European country that she’d barely heard of and therefore busy as hell, Sabine knew Amelia would walk over hot coals for her. So the thought exercise was moot.

  “Ooh!” That was Amelia, who jumped slightly as she retrieved her buzzing phone from her pocket. “They’ve just spotted Edric. He’s going to land in a few minutes.”

  “His plane is just landing right now?” Sabine exclaimed. “He’s never going to make it!”

  But, inexplicably, Amelia was grinning. “No, that’s not what I meant. Ooh, you know what we should do? Here, come with me!”

  She held out her hand to a baffled Sabine, who took it tentatively. “What’s going on?”

  “Come on, come on, you’ll see,” urged Amelia. Then she turned to her mother, Julia. “You too, you need to come and see.”

  “Come and see what?” Sabine asked, half-exasperated, though they were starting to move anyway.

  Together, they left the wedding party behind—Sabine marked the wave of titters that followed their departure—and began winding through the palace’s wide yet labyrinthine halls. Amelia picked up the pace as she walked, leaving Sabine and Julia huffing to follow her.

  “I don’t want to miss it,” Amelia gasped. “He’s going to transform, and you should see it.”

  “We don’t have to—” Sabine started. “I believe you now, you know. About the whole—the whole turning into a mythical creature thing.” Even so, she had trouble getting the words to leave her mouth. It still felt silly to say the words aloud, even though she had seen with her own eyes her best friend turn into a giant, scaly, winged lizard-beast.