by T. S. Ryder
“Thank you, Mr. Stevens.” Agatha smiled as she accepted the warm drink from him, bringing it to her lips for a quick sip. “It’s delicious!” she said. She had learned early on that Steven was as sensitive to false compliments and praise as any person could possibly be. Any praise that was offered had to be sincere or it would be rebuffed as politely and as sharply as only a British butler could, with impeccable manners and acerbic wit.
“Thank you Ma’am.” Stevens smiled with the slightest bow of his head and turned to leave.
“Stevens?” Agatha called after him, stopping him before he could leave “Why did Henry want me here?”
Steven arched a brow, the corner of his lips twitching ever so slightly as he replied, “I believe it’s called a ‘Christmas party’ Ma’am.”
Agatha smirked slightly. “Right…..and I’m Jennifer Lopez.”
Stevens bowed smartly. “Very good Ms. Lopez,” he said and turned to leave crisply
Agatha couldn’t help but chuckle again. In a world full of magic and werewolves and CEO boyfriends, Stevens helped provide much needed grounding and perspective.
The sense of anticipation and anxiety that Henry had exhibited when he had asked her to spend Christmas together had surprised her. It was more than the nervousness that any boyfriend might exhibit when taking a step towards commitment, it was….something more… something Agatha couldn’t quite put her finger on. She sighed and downed the rest of her tea, pushing the thought out of her mind. It was their first Christmas together, and she was determined not to let anything ruin it.
She was about to follow after Stevens into the main dining room when a flash of light from outside caught her attention. She walked up to the stained glass window and peered out at several pairs of headlights making their way up the main path to the manor. A frown crossed her face as the cars, three of them, all black, all expensive looking, stopped at the main door and one by one emptied their passengers. Family, friends and coworkers started entering the building.
Agatha turned to walk away from the window and stopped abruptly when she saw Henry standing there in the doorway.
“Oh!” she gasped softly.
Henry smiled at her. “I…uh…I hope I didn’t startle you.” His arm found its way around her waist and she had to smile at how easy and right it felt to have him touching her.
“Just a little.” She gently caressed over his lapel, noticing the presence of a white flower there. “You didn’t say there would be guests. Not that I mind.” She looked up at him as he smiled mysteriously and said nothing. They walked together to the top of the stairs and that’s when Agatha realized, looking down at the gathered group of people in the lobby, what this was.
She looked up at Henry. He smiled at her, that annoying, charming, mysterious smirk of his that always made her go weak in the knees.
“Dear Agatha,” he began as the people downstairs quieted. “We haven’t known each other that long yet. But the past months have been the best of my life. I couldn’t be happier that we will soon be three. There’s only one thing in the world left that I want. And I hope you want it too.”
Henry got down on one knee, the people below them clapping and cheering. He held out his hand, the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in his hand. “Will you please be my wife?”
“Yes,” she murmured, barely audible. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. “Yes!” she said again, loudly this time, as she flung her arms around his neck. He kissed her amidst an explosion of cheers and cries. This had been a wonderful year. And the best was yet to come.
*****
THE END
Mated to the Dragon King
Description
A lost heir to the dragon throne PLUS a curvy witch who meets the man of her dreams PLUS a fight to win the kingdom!
Sullivan has been wandering the world alone for so long that he’s almost forgotten his dragon. Expelled from his land and forced to live among the humans, he tries to blend in. But when he meets Cynthia, all bets are off. No woman has ever made such an impression on him. His hormones are on high alert and his inner dragon is slowly waking up from its slumber.
Cynthia runs her plus-size boutique with confidence. All she needs to do is wave her wand to give her clients the perfect outfit. But her orderly little world is shaken to its core when she meets the new shop owner next door. Even through his tight, black sleeveless shirt, it’s obvious that he sports a chiseled midsection and maybe even one of those scandalous V’s that leads down to his crotch.
But pleasure and lust cannot hide the danger that Sullivan and his newly found mate are in. Sullivan is the heir to the dragon throne, which he can claim once he has found his mate and impregnated her. But Sullivan’s brother has his eyes set on Cynthia and the throne too. Sullivan knows one thing for sure. He’d fly across the Earth for her. And when it comes to that, he’s ready.
Chapter One
Cynthia whisked around her small boutique, making sure that everything was in its place. Even though Better with Size was tiny, it still seemed to carry everything a girl could ever want, from underwear to prom dresses, BWS had it all. It was Friday, and a new shipment of inventory had come in. Cynthia was just putting out the new, summer-style shoes when she heard the sound of the bell ringing, indicating the arrival of a customer.
Cynthia turned around and greeted the large, busty girl, who looked a little embarrassed to be walking into a plus-size store. “Hello. I’m looking for a prom dress…” Her voice was low and she kept looking out into the hallway as if the mall goers would judge her for being in there.
“Not a problem miss. I’m sure we can find you something to your liking in our selection. Are you here alone or do you have someone to help you?” Cynthia asked, wondering what this sweet, young girl was doing all by herself. “May I add that you have great skin?” She reached out, touching the girl’s arm, letting her fingertips run along the soft surface. “Do you use any foundation?”
“I don’t wear makeup…” the girl said meekly, batting her eyelashes.
“Oh? No? Really? I would’ve never guessed!” Cynthia said enthusiastically, a bright smile on her face. “Well, I wish I was that lucky.” The high school student looked up at the shop owner and shook her head.
“Are you kidding me?” the girl blurted out. “You’re gorgeous.” Her cheeks colored and she quickly looked down. Cynthia just smiled at her and took her hand, bringing her toward the back of the store, where there was a rack of dresses.
“This is all we have for now. If you find a style you like, let me know. Even if it’s not in your size, I sometimes have other sizes in the back.” The girl nodded and started going through the selection.
A few minutes later, a large, burly man entered the shop, a disapproving grimace on his face. Following close behind him was a pale-skinned woman, holding a bag that was much too big. She swayed her hips as she walked and her high heels clicked loudly on the floor. Quickly, Cynthia walked up to the counter, holding a gnarled wooden pencil up to her chin, as if in contemplation. She took a piece of paper and jotted something down. Instantly, the woman’s shoes grew quiet and Cynthia smiled to herself. Her spell had worked.
“How may I help you?” she asked from behind the counter, a friendly smile painted on her face.
The man just shook his head, his beefy hands clasped behind his back. “We’re here with our daughter, Tamara.”
The woman followed him to the clearance section. “I still think she would be better off going to Macy’s,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “My daughter? In a plus-size store?” The woman shook her head. Cynthia’s eyes narrowed in their direction, feeling her blood boil in her veins.
“Well, I’m sure your daughter will fall in love with the right dress when she sees it,” Cynthia said through gritted teeth, suddenly standing right next to the woman, a hand on her voluptuous hip, looking intimidating.
“Yeah…” the woman mumbled, walking away. Cynthia grinned subtly in victory,
walking over to the young girl. “Do you need any help picking out a dress?”
“I don’t know what to get…” she responded worriedly, biting her bottom lip.
“Well, let’s start with color. What do you like?”
“Blue. Darker shades of blue,” the girl answered. Instantaneously, there seemed to be an increase of blue dresses on the rack.
“Okay. Now do you know what style you’re looking for? A tight, sexy fit or something a bit more princess-style?” Cynthia asked, holding up two wildly different dresses, both in a pleasant shade of blue.
“Well…” The girl looked over at her parents and then dropped her voice down to a hushed whisper. “Anything that would make me look good. I want to prove to them that I’m not some whale.” She sounded like she was about to cry. Cynthia felt pity for the girl, bringing her into a tight hug.
“Why don’t you hop into a dressing room and I’ll bring you some dresses to try on,” Cynthia offered.
“Oh, do you need to know my size?” The girl looked even more worried than before.
“Not at all. I do this for a living. I’m pretty good at working these things out.” She winked at the girl who suddenly looked hopeful. Cynthia took her time, browsing through the rack, occasionally tapping her finger against a piece of fabric, seeing it change before her very eyes. “This will never do…” she mumbled, pulling out a dress and then hanging it back up again. “Ah! Perfect!” She held up a shimmering blue dress, her hazel eyes now sparkling with excitement. She couldn’t wait to see how the girl would look in this.
She brought it over to the dressing room and then helped her put it on, zipping it up for her and guiding her to the floor-length mirror. The girl stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her reflection. The dress fit her perfectly. It seemed to hide every ounce of fat that ever made her feel self-conscious. Its tapered pattern gave her the illusion of an hourglass figure, making her look even sexier than she already was.
“I think you look absolutely amazing,” Cynthia whispered, leaning in close, flashing a bright white smile. “I’m sure you’ll have all the boys flocking after you with this one!”
The girl giggled with glee, doing a little twirl so she could see the bottom half of her dress flow with her movements. “I love it!” Hurriedly, she walked over to her parents, who stood there with their mouths agape. They couldn’t believe how well it suited her. From the color to the pattern, it was completely breathtaking.
“We’ll take it,” the parents said in unison, the girl’s face lighting up like a midnight star.
Chapter Two
Meanwhile, next door, in the shop immediately adjacent to Better with Size, Sullivan Cox got to work setting up his new store. There were still tarps over the windows, preventing people from looking inside, but the sign over the door already said Dragon Scale Antiques. Many people tried to peer inside and see what kind of novelty items would be for sale, but it was impossible.
Sullivan was all alone in the small shop, polishing an ancient dagger. Its hilt was encrusted with jewels and the sheath was engraved with the body of a large, slumbering dragon, its tail wrapping around the base. Slowly, he pulled on the hilt. The blade shone with a deadly sharpness. Sullivan gently ran his finger along the double edge, feeling how dangerous it really was. He smirked before putting it in a display case along with all the other swords he had for sale.
They all had impossible price tags on them, but Sullivan also knew they were worth much more than what he was selling them for. Most of them were from the time of the crusades when his species had run rampant across all of the modern day Europe. Their large, leather wings had soared through the sky, instilling fear in the hearts of the humans below, feebly shooting arrows in an attempt to save their towns from destruction. It never worked.
That is, until the humans developed more powerful weaponry such as cannons and catapults. The dragons felt a horrible blow to their numbers as they were shot out of the sky, their hides quickly used to make armor, saddles, and whips. Now, dragons, once the most powerful race on the planet, resided only in the northernmost parts of Ireland, where people were oblivious to their existence.
Still, the dragon community was a close-knit one. Everyone knew everyone and rumors spread like wildfire. Sullivan had grown up in this culture, enjoying the wealth of knowledge that came along with it. He heard stories from his grandfathers about the Great War and the dreaded King Arthur. Now, however, he was no longer welcome there.
He had been exiled. Being next in line to the throne, it was his duty to obtain both a mate and an heir by his two hundred and fiftieth year. He had not done so. It was not for lack of trying. He went to all the ceremonial balls his father had ordered him to go to, but he simply couldn’t find a suitor that sparked his interest. Not once did he find his heart begin to race when he looked at a woman. He wanted the love he had always read about but had never managed to find.
Sullivan sighed, thinking about it. For forty long years, he had been exiled to the human world, traveling from place to place before people could notice his lack of aging. Now, he had settled himself in rainy Seattle, where the weather reminded him somewhat of a home. He occupied himself with his small shop, enjoying the task of taking care of the artifacts he had accumulated over the years. He enjoyed their stories and company as if each one of them were a friend of his. As a dragon, he had acquired a large amount of wealth from his heritage alone. Even as an exile, he had more money than any human could even dream of. He could have done anything he wanted, including nothing at all. If he cared for staying at home and playing video games all day, he could afford it. He, however, preferred to keep himself busy and decided to open up an antique store, entertaining himself with his almost peculiar obsession with all things ancient. On top of that, trading such high-valued items allowed for a lot of haggling. It was something he had picked up during the Ottoman occupation of Europe and had grown a liking to for whatever reason. It’s no good if you don’t haggle, he thought.
Grinning at his own eccentricity, he started to unpack a box full of Chinese vases from the Xia dynasty, he felt a sudden shiver run down his spine. Magic. His head jerked up, looking around. He hadn’t packed any of his enchanted artifacts, had he? He rubbed his temples in confusion. Everything looked just as it should. Swords to one side. Pottery to another. Jewelry in the display case. All of it was normal, crafted by humans, centuries ago.
He shrugged, thinking it was just a fluke and got back to work. He pulled out a small, glittering tiara that had once belonged to Catherine of Aragon. Sullivan ran his fingers over the small jewels and twisted silver, feeling the history embedded deep within. His time of exile had been hard on him, but at least it gave him the excuse to dive into the affairs of humans, something he found quite fascinating.
He placed the tiara in the center of the display case, knowing it would catch the eye of anyone who entered his shop. Just as he put it into place, ever so carefully, the strange sensation overcame his body once more. It was stronger this time. There was no doubt about it, someone was using magic.
Curious, he left his shop, making sure to lock it securely. He would be devastated if someone ransacked his inventory. He followed his instinct to the brightly-lit store neighboring his own. He looked up at the sign. Better with Size. He had noticed it this morning when he had come in, but it hadn’t been open yet.
Now, he could properly see the women’s clothing store, stocked to the brim with dresses, shoes, and accessories. He was about to step inside when a girl, about the age of sixteen, stepped out, a bright smile on her face. She was holding a blue dress in her arms, wrapped up in clear plastic so it wouldn’t get dirty. “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” she asked the couple who walked behind her, disgruntled looks on their faces. They mumbled a response as the girl continued to beam. Sullivan smiled, the girl’s mood seemingly contagious.
He stepped inside, looking for the one who had cast such powerful magic. “How may I help you?” a soft, honey-like voice
suddenly called out, taking Sullivan by surprise. He hadn’t felt anyone’s presence and yet, when he looked up, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She was full around the edges, with a drop-dead figure. Sullivan couldn’t stop himself from staring. Her plump hips and full chest had his heart beating like never before.
“Right. Oh…” For once in his life, Sullivan was lost for words. He was usually so calm and collected, but the woman’s piercing gaze shot right through him. “I rented the space next to you.”
“Ah, so you’re my mystery neighbor,” Cynthia said with a glimmer in her eyes. She smiled warmly at him, taking in his figure. She was very pleased with what she saw. His tall, muscular build appealed to her. She could tell, even through the tight, black sleeveless shirt he wore, that he had a chiseled midsection and maybe even one of those scandalous V’s that led down to his crotch. Her thighs burned at the mental image and her cheeks turned red. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She smiled, confidently holding out a hand.
Sullivan looked down at it. He didn’t want to shake her hand. What he really wanted to do was take her right there and then. No woman had ever made such an impression on him. His hormones were on high alert and his inner dragon was slowly waking up from its slumber. Still, he knew the way of humans and if he declined this sign of greeting, he would look inexplicably rude or at the very least, rather weird.