She sighed. “I know, but my aunt has been on the run for over a decade. She deserved to be first, especially since the federal government hasn’t said a word about enforcing federal law over state law. My aunt can finally live her life in peace. We’ll have ours soon enough.”
Watching her aunt and uncle make their way down from the stage and into the crowd, Claire moved toward her aunt. When she was close enough, she enveloped her in a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Aunt Gwen.”
Gwen leaned back and eyes the same shade as Claire’s looked back at her with love. “It’s all thanks to you, Claire. Your parents would be proud.”
She nodded. “I know.” Claire turned toward Ben the bear-shifter and opened her arms. “How about a hug?”
With a sigh, he hugged her, his deep voice rumbling. “Hugging in public isn’t my thing, but I owe you that much at least.”
Releasing her uncle, she took a step back to Aidan’s side. “You’ll just have to get used to it since you’ll be around a lot more. I’m a big-time hugger.”
Her aunt touched her arm. “I just wish we could’ve come back sooner to attend your mating ceremony.”
Claire unconsciously brushed her thumb across her palm, where she’d cut her hand before gripping Aidan’s cut hand. “To be honest, I was just trying not to faint. There’s a reason I never wanted to be a doctor and cutting living flesh is it.”
Her aunt chuckled. “Big, bad Ben turned green during ours.”
Ben mumbled, “I’m a website designer, not a damn soldier.”
Gwen opened her mouth, but Kian appeared next to them, a baby carrier in each hand. Claire frowned. “You really shouldn’t bring three-month-old babies to a wedding.”
Trinity then joined their circle, her third baby snuggled over her shoulder. “I thought my children should be present for such a historical event.”
Kian’s reply was dry. “No, you just couldn’t find a babysitter you trusted to watch over them.”
Trinity rubbed her baby’s back. “There are plenty of people I trust, but the babies needed to be here.”
Having lived the past ten months on DarkStalker’s lands, Claire knew their bickering could go on for a while, so she jumped in. “Aunt Gwen, I’m taking up your time. You really need to mingle with the crowd and get to know your new clan. Now that you’re married, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up after your honeymoon period.”
Claire gestured at the mixture of wolf, bear, and cougar-shifters inside DarkStalker’s grand meeting space. Having all three Cascade Shifter clans in one place was quite a feat in and of itself considering what had happened over the summer.
Ben eyed the crowd. “Do we have to?” He looked down at Gwen. “I’d rather spend my time celebrating alone.”
Gwen looped her arm through her mate’s. “No, mister, not yet. All of these people went to such lengths to help us and put the wedding together. We owe it to them to show some gratitude.”
Ben sighed. “Fine, then let’s get it over with.”
Aidan chuckled at Claire’s side. “I understand how you feel, bear, but it’s best to please the females of Claire and Gwen’s families.”
Ben murmured, “Don’t I know it,” before Gwen swatted his arm.
Claire patted Aidan’s chest. “Glad to see you’re on board. It’s taken nearly a year to get you to admit pleasing me is the easier way to go.” She grinned. “I plan to remind you of your admission every day.”
Everyone laughed, and two of Kian and Trinity’s children began crying. Kian nodded toward Gwen and Ben. “That’s our cue to go. Congrats again you two.”
“Thank you,” Gwen replied, as Kian and Trinity headed toward the door to take care of their triplets.
Gwen and Ben thanked Claire again before moving toward the clan leaders of GreyFire and ShadowClaw.
When they were alone, Claire turned in Aidan’s arms and stared up into his brown eyes. “I want our wedding to be simple and private. I spend a lot of time at the center of the media, so any break I can get would be fantastic.”
Aidan patted her ass with one hand. “Good luck, love. You know Chloe wants chocolate fountains and some kind of light show.”
Claire smiled. “She’s taking her maid of honor gig a little too seriously.”
“Well, at least she’s not asking for a baby brother every other hour.”
“True, although maybe we can fulfill her request next year, if my plans for California come to fruition. Just answer me one thing: you don’t have twins or triplets in your family, do you?”
Aidan laughed. “No, although both are pretty common in shifter-shifter pairings.”
“Good thing I’m human then. I have no idea how Kian balances triplets with his clan duties.”
Her mate shrugged. “Kian is good at almost everything. Although I heard that Sy goes over to help a lot. Something about it being an uncle’s duty to spoil his nieces and nephew.”
Chloe raced up to them, Aidan’s brother and his mate right behind her. Chloe jumped up and down. “Did you see it? It was so pretty! Daddy, you should marry Claire next, right here, in front of everyone.”
Claire squeezed Chloe’s shoulder. “There’s a three-day waiting period for a marriage license, Chloe, so it’s impossible. The law only started on January first.”
Chloe slumped her shoulders. “I guess.” She straightened up. “That just means I have more time to plan.” She looked to Claire. “What do you think about the clan watching you get married in their animal forms? That would make a pretty cool picture.”
Claire bit her lip. “If you can convince the clan, then I’m all in.”
Chloe clapped her hands. “Yes! Then I’d better get started.” Chloe looked to Aidan’s brother. “Uncle Jeremy, will you help me?”
Jeremy looked less than enthusiastic, but his mate, Naomi, grinned and nodded. “I think it’s a grand idea, Chloe. Who shall we ask first?”
“How about Kian? He’s a nice, wild-looking cougar in his cat form.”
To her credit, Naomi didn’t laugh, but merely took hold of Chloe’s shoulders and turned her around. “Okay, then, let’s see if we can find him and ask. Maybe we can get Trinity on board, too.”
As Naomi and Chloe dragged Jeremy off with them, Claire finally let out her laugh. When she finally caught her breath again, she looked up at Aidan. “I bet she manages it. And she’s right; it would be a pretty cool picture.”
Aidan shook his head. “I would say not to encourage her, but the two of you are like peas in a pod.”
“Aw, is my shifter man feeling left out?” Claire placed her hands on his chest. “Since your brother and Naomi are watching Chloe, we could sneak out and I can give you my undivided attention for the next hour.” She leaned a fraction closer. “Maybe even settle our bet concerning Dani and Nate.”
Heat flared in Aidan’s eyes. “Settling the bet will take a few days, at least. But I do know of an abandoned conference room we can use.”
Running a hand up his chest and to the back of his neck, she played with his hair. “I am wearing a dress…”
Aidan played with the hem of her skirt. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered, “I see you learned your lesson from last time.”
“Well, I’ve had eleven pairs of jeans ripped in the last ten months because of your impatience.”
He nibbled her earlobe. “I seem to recall you ordering me to get them off.”
Pressing against his chest, Aidan leaned back to look into her eyes. “Since your memory is so pristine, then you should remember my vow, too, after you ripped the last pair.”
“As if that is a punishment. I like chasing you.” He released his hold on her and took a step back. “I’ll give you a thirty second head start.”
Knowing her mate as she did, Claire walked as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. The second she hit the hallway, she ran down one of the corridors and then another. She was about to make another turn when strong arms wrapped around her from behind
.
Aidan held her against his strong chest. His breath was hot against her cheek. “Got you.”
Wiggling her ass, she felt her man’s hard cock. “Every second you spend gloating in the hallway is one second less you are inside me.”
With a growl, Aidan released her and grabbed her hand. “Forget the conference room.” He opened a large storage closet. “We’ll do it in here.”
Before she could say a word, Aidan picked her up, placed her on top of a few boxes, and shut the door. Kissing his way down her neck, she threaded her fingers through his hair. “You better hope these boxes are sturdy.”
He murmured against her skin, “They’re boxes of paper. You’re fine.”
As he gently bit her neck, he ran a hand up her inner thigh. Pushing aside the material of her panties, he teased her opening and growled. “Fuck, Claire, you’re so wet. You really do like being chased.”
Unashamed, she moved against his hand. “Why are you still talking? The clock is ticking.”
He lifted his head. “For that, you’re going to pay.”
Before she could even frown, Aidan kneeled in front of her, tossed up her skirt, and sliced away her panties. Pushing her legs wide, his eyes glowed amber in the dimly lit closet. “Time to devour your pussy.”
No matter how many times he’d said it before, Aidan’s words shot straight between her legs. “I’m waiting.”
He moved closer and licked her from slit to clit. With a moan, she grabbed onto his head.
Then he took his time licking and sucking, but rarely touching her clit. Only when she growled in frustration and dug her nails into his scalp did he take the hard little nub between his teeth and nibble.
“Aidan.”
Swirling the slight sting with his tongue, Claire dropped her head back. She was close.
Another few licks and nibbles, and she screamed. Aidan continued to lick her clit, the sensation prolonging her orgasm. When her man finally pulled away, he gave one last lick of his lips. “You’re still the best fucking thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Reaching out, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. Unzipping his pants, she looked up at him. “Good, then reward me by taking me hard, Aidan. You’re behind on my promised number of orgasms.”
His cock sprung free and he took it in hand. “It’s hard to keep up when there’s usually a seven-year-old two bedrooms down the hall.”
“Well, we have about forty minutes or so before we need to head back and there aren’t any children here. Can you catch up?”
His eyes flashed. With two steps, he was in front of her, his cock teasing her pussy. “You know what you need to say before I start.”
“I love you, Aidan Scott.”
“And I love you, Claire.”
With one swift thrust, he was inside her.
Then he kissed her, his tongue stroking her tongue as he moved his lower body.
Her shifter’s taste and scent filled her senses. As his cock pounded in and out of her pussy, Claire took the kiss deeper. Even if she lived to be one hundred, she would never tire of her mate.
Aidan ran one hand down her back and slapped the top of her ass. The slight sting only made her wetter.
As he broke their kiss, his glowing eyes met hers. Both man and beast looked at her like she was the only woman in the world, and her heart warmed. Aidan belonged to her as much as she belonged to him.
After all, shifter mates always belonged to each other.
In the end, Claire was glad she hadn’t been able to resist the cougar in front of her. Aidan was everything she never knew she wanted. With him at her side, she could take on the world.
Then her man brushed his fingers against her clit and Claire lost all rational thought as Aidan took her over the edge once more.
*~*~*~*
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The next Cascade Shifters book will about Nate and Dani. I don’t have a firm release date yet, so turn the page to learn how to join my newsletter and receive an alert when it’s ready, as well as for glimpses of my other works.
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Thank you for spending time with my characters. While waiting for my next Cascade Shifters book, maybe you’d like to check out the first story arc of my Stonefire Dragons series, Sacrificed to the Dragon, or the first book in my Asylums for Magical Threats paranormal romance series, Blaze of Secrets. (And just in case you haven’t read Reclaiming the Wolf, I’ll include some information about that too.) Turn the page for a look into my other works.
With Gratitude,
Jessie Donovan
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Complete Collection Excerpt
Parts #1-4
(Stonefire Dragons)
Chapter One
Melanie Hall sat in the reception area of the Manchester Dragon Affairs office, tapping her finger against her arm, and wishing they’d hurry the hell up. She’d been sitting for nearly an hour, and with each minute that ticked by, she started to doubt her eligibility. If she didn’t qualify to sacrifice herself to one of the British dragon-shifter clans, her younger brother would die; only the blood of a dragon could cure her brother’s antibiotic-resistant CRE infection.
A woman dressed in a gray suit emerged from the far doorway and walked toward her. When she reached Mel, the woman said, “Are you Melanie Hall?” Mel nodded, and the woman turned. “Then follow me.”
This is it. Mel rubbed her hands against her black trousers before she stood up and followed the woman. They went down one dull, poorly lit corridor and then turned left to go down another. The woman in the gray suit finally stopped in front of a door that read “Human Sacrifice Liaison” and turned the doorknob. Rather than enter, the middle-aged woman motioned for Mel to go inside. She obeyed, and as soon as she entered the room, the door slammed shut behind her.
A man not much older than her twenty-five years sat at a desk piled high with folders and papers. The room couldn’t be bigger than ten feet by ten feet, but it felt even smaller since every available space on the walls was decorated with different maps of the UK. Some were partitioned into five sections, while others had little pins pushed into them. She had no idea what the pins stood for, but the map divided into five represented the five dragon-shifter clans of the United Kingdom—two in England, one in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland, and one in Wales.
One of which might soon be her home for the next six months.
The man cleared his throat and she moved her attention from the walls to his face. When she met his blue eyes, he said, “Take a seat.”
Mel sat down in the faded plush chair in front of his desk and waited in silence. She had a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and while she usually didn’t mind, right now it could end up costing her brother his life.
The man picked up a file folder and scanned something inside with his eyes, and then set it down. She wanted to scream for him to tell her the results, but she bit the inside of her cheek to hold her tongue.
The man’s almost bored voice finally filled the room . “Ms. Hall, the genetic testing results say that you are compatible with dragon-shifter DNA and should have no problem conceiving one of their offspring. You also cleared all of the extensive psychological tests. If you’re still interested in sacrificing yourself, we can begin the final interview.”
Mel blinked. Despite her chances being one in a thousand that she could bear a dragon-shifter child, she qualified. Her younger brother would get the needed dragon’s blood an
d be able to live out a long life free of pain; he now had a future.
Tears pricked her eyes and she closed them to prevent herself from breaking down. Pull yourself together, Hall. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She couldn’t give the man any reason to dismiss her as a candidate.
“Ms. Hall?”
Mel opened her eyes and gave a weak smile. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m just relieved that my brother will live.”
“Yes, yes, the exchange. But we have a lot to cover before we get to the contract specifics, so if you’re quite composed, I’ll carry on.” Mel sat up straight in her chair and nodded. The man continued. “Right. You are healthy, genetically compatible, fertile, unattached, and not a virgin, which are the five requirements needed to qualify. Sacrificing yourself means that you will go to live with Clan Stonefire for a period of six months, and be assigned a temporary male. You will consent to his sexual attentions, and if you become pregnant, you understand that your stay will be extended until after the child is born. If you have any questions, any at all, now is the time to ask them.”
She had heard the basics before, but now that she’d passed all of the tests, panic squeezed her heart. As much as she wanted to save her brother—and she would save him—being assigned to have sex with an unknown male dragon-shifter was more than a little scary. Especially since many human women died in the process of birthing half dragon-shifter babies.
If the death-by-baby aspect wasn’t bad enough, she was putting her life on hold to do this. Mel was one thesis away from earning her PhD in Social Anthropology. If she became pregnant and survived the delivery, she wasn’t sure she could just give up the child and walk away. Most of the women sacrifices who lived past the delivery did abandon their children, but no matter how different the dragon-shifters were from humans, Mel wouldn’t be one of them. Family meant everything to her.
Resisting the Cougar (Cascade Shifters #2) Page 17