Chapter Five
Tristan smoothed the material held around his waist with a belt, tossed the remaining length of fabric over his shoulder, and secured it with a pin. His clothing was similar to the old belted plaids of Scotland except that it was made of a solid dark red wool. Most humans didn’t realize that the kilt style had originated with the dragon-shifters first; the garment easily allowed a dragonman to slide the material off his shoulder and shift at a moment’s notice.
He left his dwelling and headed for the main hall. His flight had eased some of his tension and calmed his dragon, but as soon as he was within range of Melanie’s scent, the battle would start all over again.
Spending all day with her tomorrow was going to be hell. At this rate, he’d be trying to take her at midnight tomorrow.
As he neared the dragon-shifters’ former castle with its towering stone keep, crumbling walls, and massive four-story brick building that served as the dragon-shifters’ main hall, he could hear conversations in a mixture of English and Mersae, the dragon-language. Nearly everyone, including the children, would attend tonight’s gathering. Bram liked to say it was to give everyone a chance to meet the new sacrifice, but Tristan believed it was to show off the new possible threat.
He passed a few of his fellow trainers and nodded a greeting. No one offered any sort of congratulatory remarks, which was to be expected considering the near meltdown of the last female sacrifice eight months ago. Unfortunately, Caitriona Belmont had conceived. And she was still with them. As much as Tristan hated humans, he almost felt pity for her. Neil, her assigned male, had broken the sacrifice contract and disgraced the clan.
Tristan had far too much respect for Bram to do the same.
He pressed through the throngs of people and headed inside to the main raised dais in the front of the room. Bram was already there, but there was no sign of Melanie or Samira, the human female in charge of getting her ready. They were late.
When he was close enough, Bram caught his eye and signaled for him to come up onto the dais. Tristan approached his leader and said, “Did you send someone to check on the human females?”
Bram glanced at him. “Anxious to have your First Kiss?”
“No. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible.”
“You do know that you’ll be seeing her again tomorrow. And probably the day after that. While it’s my job to scare her a bit into behaving, you need to stop pushing her away if you ever hope to get your cock anywhere near her.”
He looked at his friend. “How do you know I’m pushing her away?” Bram raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I’m following my contract to the letter. I won’t physically harm her or force her. That’s all I care about.”
“Harm comes in more than just physical injuries, Tristan. Look at what Neil did to Cait. Words and actions can be just as harmful as punches.”
“Neil was a right bastard. I sure hope you’re not comparing him to me.”
Bram was quiet for a second before he said, “If you keep focusing your hatred of humans on Melanie, then you could end up being worse. I had put my hope into Neil changing because of the clan depending on him. I failed and will always have to live with that, but I’m not about to watch one of my dragon-shifters sentence another human female into a life of misery.”
Tristan was thinking of how to respond to that when he noticed Samira’s entrance at the far door. But since Melanie was a few inches shorter, he couldn’t see her brown hair with all of the tall dragon-shifters in the way. His dragon urged him to go find her, but as he battled the beast for control, the crowd parted to reveal Melanie.
He almost didn’t recognize her. Her long hair was swept up atop her head, with strategic tendrils dangling near her ears. The light green material of the dress set off her eyes and made her creamy, bared skin glow. His gaze moved from her face and bare shoulders to the way the material hugged her breasts and ribcage before flaring out around her belly and hips. The dress was in the traditional style and tied on one side, in case a dragonwoman needed to shift, and the image of him untying the dress with his teeth and exposing her creamy, warm skin flashed into his mind.
He felt Bram’s hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped. Bram squeezed his shoulder and said, “You can stop drooling now, Tristan. Go greet your human sacrifice.”
The noise had died down to a low hum. Everyone was waiting for him to introduce the new arrival.
He nodded and descended the dais. He ignored the stares of his clan and never took his gaze from his sacrifice as he approached her. While tonight was partly about introducing her to the clan, it was also the time for him to stake his claim; that this woman was his, at least, for the time being.
For the first time since he’d met her, Melanie looked nervous. She had her hands clasped in front of her in a near-death grip and his inner dragon wanted to come out to wrap its body protectively around hers and soothe her. Only because of years of training to contain it did he manage to convince the beast that he would take care of her.
Of course, that meant trying not to insult her.
With Bram’s words about the possibility of him turning into a worse bastard than Neil, he stopped right in front of Melanie and put out a hand. He couldn’t promise to behave when they were alone, but he would at least try to behave in front of his clan.
When she placed her hand on top of his, he curled his fingers around hers and said, “At least you’re fashionably late.”
She blinked and said, “Thank you?”
His dragon growled a little, wanting him to give her a proper compliment, but he ignored it and motioned toward the dais with his head. On the short walk up to Bram, the mixture of her feminine scent and the warmth of her skin against his palm stirred both his beast and his cock. If this is what just being beside her did to him, what would happen when he had to kiss her?
~~~
When Samira had finally ushered Melanie into the grand meeting hall, it had taken every ounce of control she possessed not to bolt in the other direction. Every dragonperson they passed stared at her, and not all of their looks were friendly; a few were downright contemptuous.
The light lunch she’d eaten during her dress fitting from hell hadn’t been enough and now her stomach was twisting with both hunger and anxiety. With all that had happened to her over the last four hours, she was exhausted. Why the dragons had to have the welcoming ceremony on the same day as her arrival was beyond her. She was starting to understand how a less stubborn person could have a meltdown.
Still, she wasn’t going to be that person. She kept her chin and shoulders high as people cleared a path for them. When Samira pulled her to walk beside her instead of behind her, that’s when Mel finally saw Tristan and her step faltered.
He was dressed in something that looked like an old-fashioned kilt, which left his arms and most of his chest bare. His tattoo extended from his shoulder to wrap around his arm, the dark ink only highlighting the defined muscles of his bicep. He wasn’t bulky like a body builder; rather, he was lean with defined muscles similar to a swimmer. Considering the amount of upper body strength required for flying, it didn’t surprise her.
She had grudgingly found him attractive before, but with all of his exposed skin and the way he was dressed now, that attraction heated her entire body, including places she didn’t want to be thinking about right now.
All of a sudden, she imagined tracing the outline of his tattoo before running her hand through the light spattering of dark hair on his chest. She had just started to imagine him taking off his kilt-like outfit when Samira gripped her elbow, urged her forward, and said, “He’s an attractive bloke, isn’t he? Break through his mistrust and stand up to him, and you might get to enjoy all that skin against yours for more than it takes to conceive a child.”
Mel’s cheeks flushed and for once, she refrained from saying anything. The room full of dragon-shifters watching her every move was eating away at her fortitude to be herself at all times.
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br /> Tristan descended the dais and approached, and her heart started pounding in her chest at the flicker of appreciation in his eyes. Even she was honest enough with herself to know she looked pretty damn good in this dress. Samira had outdone herself to alter and make the dress flatter her curvy figure.
She smoothed the silky material of her skirt and the act eased some of her nervous energy.
Then Tristan was in front of her and she had trouble forcing her gaze from his chest to meet his eyes. Once she did, he put out a hand and she gingerly placed hers on top. The feel of his rough skin sent a shock through her body, straight to her core.
Despite the fact he could probably smell her arousal with his super-sensitive dragon senses, all he said was, “At least you’re fashionably late.”
Mel blinked. She wasn’t used to compliments, even half-assed ones, and especially not from Tristan. He was being almost...nice to her. She wondered what had happened between dumping her on the doorstep of the cottage and now.
Tristan guided her toward the raised dais and she noticed the clan leader watching them.
She made an effort to smile at Bram, but the combination of the heat of Tristan’s skin against hers and the smell of sky and man made it hard for her to think of anything but the warm dragon-shifter at her side. Samira’s words, about having his skin against hers beyond conceiving, entered her mind. She looked up at his face and wondered who this dragonman truly was. Now that she understood what humans had done to his mother, she started to see why he didn’t want her. Could he ever get past that?
She would tackle his issues tomorrow. For now, she focused on maintaining her composure. Dragon-shifters were part animal. One of the few things she’d discovered in her research was that their beasts assessed new acquaintances just like animals did, and she wasn’t about to give them a reason to place her low on the pecking order.
They ascended the steps and Tristan stopped them in front of Bram. The clan leader’s blue eyes pierced hers, but she was prepared for it this time. She said, “Hello again.”
Bram put out a hand and she placed hers on top of his. His grip was firm and solid, but she didn’t get a thrill from this man’s firm touch as she had with Tristan’s.
The clan leader kissed her hand, and she heard a growl from behind her, not quite certain why Tristan would growl at his clan leader. Or had Melanie broken some unwritten cultural rule?
Before she could ask, Bram straightened up and released her hand. In contrast to his earlier tough, almost grumpy composure back during their meeting, a smile now tugged at his lips. He gestured with his head toward the center of the dais. “Come. Let’s get the formalities over with so that we can eat and you can start to relax.”
She doubted she would be able to relax for weeks, if ever, but she nodded, anxious to get this whole process over with.
Bram raised a hand and the hall fell quiet. When he spoke, his voice was loud and clear, and in English. “We are gathered here to welcome our newest female sacrifice. Her name is Melanie Hall. Tristan MacLeod has been assigned as her male. As with previous contracts, we have guaranteed her safety for the next six months. Each and every one of us will do whatever it takes to protect her.”
A few people muttered words she couldn’t understand, but as Bram scanned the room, the hall went deadly quiet again.
Bram continued, “Per tradition, we’ll now finalize Tristan’s claim on the sacrifice with the First Kiss.”
She blinked. A first kiss? Here, in front of all these people?
Bram turned toward her and Melanie forced her gaze from the crowd of people to Bram’s deep blue eyes. “You have offered yourself as a sacrifice to Stonefire, and while this has been finalized on paper, it is our tradition for the male in charge of you to solidify his claim to the entire clan by kissing you in front of everyone, which will guarantee his protection.” He motioned with his hand and she felt Tristan’s heat beside her again. “Tristan MacLeod, is there something you’d like to ask our guest?”
She turned toward Tristan. It took everything she had to look at his eyes and not his lips.
His brown eyes were unreadable. While she wished they were full of heat in anticipation of her kiss, the sight was far better than disgust or contempt. As she waited for him to speak, her heart pounded in her chest. Would it be a mere peck or the full-on, tongue-twirling variety?
He opened his mouth to speak and she stopped breathing.
~~~
As Tristan waited for Bram to say all the necessary formalities, his inner dragon urged him to pull Melanie flush up against his body and kiss her already. The kiss did more than physically show his claim in front of the clan; it also covered the sacrifice in his scent, which would help to keep the other males away.
But Tristan was stronger than his dragon, and he maintained the distance between their bodies. If he was going to survive tasting Melanie for the first time, without taking her right there on the stage, he needed to prepare himself.
He took slow, controlled breaths and imagined scratching his dragon’s nose, and then behind his ear. Before long, his inner dragon was crooning in contentment. Inside his mind, Tristan said, “You and I can have her soon. Until then, let the human part of us take care of her.”
His dragon seemed to settle, trusting Tristan at his word.
And just in time, too. Bram asked, “Tristan MacLeod, is there something you’d like to ask our guest?”
Tristan kept his features expressionless as Melanie turned toward him, her cheeks flushed. He could hear her racing heart, but the question was whether it was because she was nervous or because she was aroused at the idea of kissing him.
Rather than think on it, he said in a loud, clear voice, “Ms. Melanie Hall, will you do me the honor of allowing me to show my promise to protect you with a First Kiss?”
She swallowed, but then quickly nodded.
He took a step toward her and raised his hands to her cheeks. Melanie sucked in a breath at his touch, and he simultaneously felt a little thrill from the heat of her soft skin. Right here, right now, she looked innocent and vulnerable; nothing like the fiery woman who’d stood up to him a few hours ago.
If she were a dragon-shifter female, he’d probably kiss her and never let go.
But she was human, and he needed to be careful. He’d give her a quick peck and then somehow survive the rest of the celebration and the following day.
He gave his inner beast one last soothing sound before he stroked her cheek and lowered his head to meet her lips.
Her lips were soft, warm, and tasted of woman. The contact shot straight to his cock, and suddenly, the quick peck wasn’t enough. He needed to feel the moist warmth of her mouth. His inner dragon roared that he wanted, no needed, to discover her taste.
He could’ve fought his beast, but with Melanie’s scent surrounding him and the softness of her skin under his fingers, he couldn’t make himself pull away.
Instead, Tristan traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, but she didn’t open. With a growl, he moved one of his hands from her face to her waist and hauled her lush body up against his.
Melanie gasped the instant her softness came up against his hard body and he took advantage, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Her taste was a mixture of woman and something sweet, a biscuit perhaps, and he was desperate for more. He gave one stroke, then another, learning the contours and feel of her mouth.
But as desperate as he was to taste her, she stood still, as if she was just waiting for him to hurry up and finish.
His dragon didn’t like that one bit. More. Taste. Take more.
To please his dragon, he just needed to give her a little encouragement.
He nipped and sucked her bottom lip before moving to the top one. He pressed her soft belly harder against his aching cock and she let out a little noise of surprise. He invaded her mouth again, but as he stroked her tongue, her hand went to his shoulder and she started to meet his strokes, shyly at first, before gaining confi
dence.
While her belly was pressed against his cock and her taste was filling his mouth, he desperately wanted to fill his hands with some of her curves. He could think of nothing but what it would feel like to hold and caress the heavy weight of her breast in his hand. Then he could tug and roll her hard little nipple with his fingers, and eventually take the tight bud into his mouth and start his torture all over again.
Yes, his dragon agreed. They needed to tease their female and ready her for their pleasure.
He slowly started to move a hand up her ribs to put his plan in motion when someone pinched his arm. He broke the kiss with a growl, only to find Bram staring at him with a warning in his eyes. Tristan pulled Melanie tighter against his body. This was his female. His. He needed to get her away from the other males. He didn’t even trust his clan leader. Any male that saw her would want her.
Tristan looked down at his female, her eyes wide, her lips red and swollen, and moved to kiss her again. His dragon’s need was pounding inside his head: Mark her. Protect her from the other males. Make sure everyone knows she’s ours.
He had barely started stroking inside her mouth again when he felt a grip on the back of his neck and he growled louder this time as he forced his lips from the warm female to find Bram staring at him. When the clan leader whispered, “Stop it,” his leader’s words broke through his lust-haze. He glanced down at Melanie, her lips slightly parted and her eyes filled with desire. Then he looked out to the crowd, and realized the enormity of what he’d nearly done. He’d been so very close to fondling her breasts, or possibly more, on a stage in front of his entire clan.
Bloody hell. What was wrong with him?
If his near public indecency wasn’t bad enough, his dragon was roaring for him to kiss her again and then fuck her as soon as possible so he could brand her with his scent. Bram said something, some sort of traditional words, but Tristan was losing the battle with his dragon. If he didn’t leave right now, he could very well toss Melanie over his shoulder, bring her to his cottage, and fuck her with or without her consent.
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part One Page 4