Picking up the cool, silver band of metal, he slid it over her tattoo-free bicep and took a moment to trace the Irish word for mine.
Even if it were a damn lie, it was nice to pretend something belonged to him. And in words he actually understood.
Reaching out an arm, he pulled her up against his body. His instructions had been to give a chaste kiss and face the crowd. But as her warmth pressed against him, he tossed aside the order and traced her jaw. He swore he heard her heart rate tick up.
Moving his finger to her plump bottom lip, he traced it and her lips parted. With a growl, he closed the distance and kissed her.
With her lips open, he easily slid his tongue inside her mouth and groaned at the sweet taste. Within seconds, Brenna threaded her fingers into his hair and met each of his strokes with her own.
Suddenly, her mouth wasn't enough. Running a hand down her back, then her arse, and finally to her upper thigh, he gently lifted her leg until she cradled him and he pressed against her center. Even through her fucking dress, he could feel her hot and wet for him.
He was about to run his hand under her skirt and up her thigh when something hard and sharp pelted his head. Ignoring it, he took the kiss deeper only to be hit again.
Tearing his lips from Brenna's, he growled and searched for the source.
Standing just below the dais was the old woman who claimed to be his grandmother, Orla Kelly. And she held up another blasted rock, one with a wicked point.
Brenna's whisper filled his ear. "Let me go. Everyone is watching."
He didn't care for the embarrassment in her voice. He met her gaze. "Why does it matter?"
"Not here, Killian."
"Just know this isn't finished, Brenna. Not by a long shot."
He released her and quickly swept her off her feet. Facing the crowd, he bellowed, "Enjoy the celebration. Excuse us for not staying. As you can see, I can't keep my hands off my beautiful bride."
Before Brenna could do more than squeak, he stalked across the dais and into the side room where he'd waited before the ceremony. Once through the door, he placed her on the ground, shut the door, and quickly moved her so that her back was to the door.
Placing a hand on either side of her head, he murmured, "Is this better, darling?"
Brenna smiled slowly before she promptly kneed him in the bollocks.
~~~
Some might feel bad about Killian kneeling over and holding himself, but satisfaction coursed through Brenna's body, helping to alleviate the anger. "You're a bastard, but yes, this is better."
He glared up at her. "Coward."
She blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Killian managed to stand mostly upright, although his voice was still a bit gravelly as he said, "If not for that old woman trying to give me a head injury, you would've gladly taken it further. I heeded your request, took you someplace else, and you fucking attacked me."
She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping the action would dissuade Killian from touching her again.
Her dragon huffed. You are a coward.
Ignoring her beast, Brenna raised her chin. "Our agreement is to make requests. I never said to kiss and fondle me in front of the entire clan."
He nodded toward the armband. "I just put the word 'mine' on your bloody arm. A man would have to be a fool to do that and not kiss his wife properly in front of the entire assembly. You wanted this to appear real, and I was complying, darling."
"Real is one thing, but your hand was going under my dress. You might be an exhibitionist, but I'm certainly not."
He stood to his full height, and Brenna both loved and hated that she had to look up to meet his gaze. "Are you sure about that? My nose is sensitive, so I know you wanted me."
She willed her cheeks not to flush. "Talking about scents is what dragon-shifters do. Have you decided to accept you were one?"
He moved closer, but Brenna refused to retreat. "You're changing the subject, Brenna." He raised a hand and barely brushed her cheek. The whisper of skin against hers sent a rush of heat through her body.
Killian smiled smugly. "You want me, so why fight it?"
Her dragon spoke up. Yes, yes, give in. He will do nicely for some stress relief. All that self-hatred and frustration will translate into the best sex of our lives.
Given we've had sex with one male until now, that's not hard to do.
That's not the point. Kiss him. He'll need some time to recover from you kneeing him, but maybe he'll put his fingers and tongue to good use in the meantime.
One of her dreams from a few days ago, where Killian had kneeled before her and made her come with just his tongue, flashed into her head.
The male in question leaned down, his voice snapping her back to the present. "Tell me what you're thinking, darling. I'm curious what makes your breath hitch and cheeks flush."
Killian's masculine scent filled her nose, as his heat engulfed her body. It would be easy to tell him. Honesty had always garnered the best response from him.
Of course, that would mean sharing her body with another male. And if her past were any indication, it would end up derailing her focus and she'd crave more, to the point she'd start to lose herself.
Her dragon said, It will be different this time. He isn't trying to manipulate us so that he can take over our duties and position.
The memory of Cedric luring her with pretty words and eventually threatening her with naked pictures he'd snapped without her permission cooled any desire she had. Brenna pushed against Killian's chest with all her might and said, "No. Sex isn't part of the deal."
She expected Killian to growl and call her a coward again. However, he merely searched her eyes and said, "I don't know what your secret is, but I intend to find it out."
"Sharing secrets isn't part of the deal, either."
"No, but that doesn't mean I won't try."
As she tried to think of a way to extricate herself from the great hall without drawing suspicion, a loud pounding on the door behind her made her jump. Aaron's voice carried through the door. "Open up, or I will break down this fucking door."
Killian opened his mouth, but Brenna answered first, "In a minute." She glanced at Killian and whispered, "Move so I can open the door."
For a second, she thought he'd refuse her order to make a point. But Killian walked to the far end of the room and sat down in the plush chair in the corner. The image of the sexy, strong male sprawled out nonchalantly made her stomach flip.
"Brenna," Aaron growled.
Opening the door, she barked, "What?"
"Don't play that game with me, Brenna Rossi."
Killian interjected, "It should be Brenna O'Shea now, aye?"
"I never said I was changing my name." She focused back on Aaron. "And you can stop shouting. I'm standing right here."
Aaron entered the room, and Brenna shut the door for some privacy.
Her dragon chimed in. Strange you want privacy now, when you were all but grinding against Killian in the great hall.
Not wanting to deal with an opinionated dragon on top of two alpha males, she quickly constructed a mental prison and tossed her beast inside.
With silence inside her head, she turned toward Aaron and Killian and cursed. Aaron gripped Killian's hair with one hand and pressed a talon at his throat with another. Aaron growled, "I should challenge you right now for disrespecting Brenna. She deserves better."
Closing the distance, she gripped the wrist of his talon-wielding hand and yanked it back. "I can take care of myself."
Aaron never moved his gaze from Killian. "He's unpredictable, Brenna. And given how you were kissing him back out there, I'm not sure you can."
She quickly twisted Aaron's arm behind his back and tugged. Hard.
"What the fuck, Brenna?" Aaron yelled.
Increasing the pressure on his arm, she replied, "Release him." After two beats, Aaron complied, and she continued. "If I need help, I'll ask. But if you think I'm
going to allow you to start telling me what I can or can't do, then you've clearly gone mad."
"We don't know who he is, Brenna. And whether you want to admit it or not, that's dangerous."
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Killian's jaw tighten and a desire to protect him surged through her body.
Releasing Aaron's arm, she stepped between the two males. "Do you not trust me enough to judge what's dangerous or not? Kissing isn't going to hurt anyone. Or, are you hurting Teagan every time you do it?"
"That's different and you know it. I love Teagan and she feels the same about me." Aaron motioned toward Killian. "He clearly doesn't love you."
Killian's voice boomed inside the small room. "I may not love her, but she at least treats me as a fucking person and not a child. If you think I'm going to hurt the one person who doesn't make me question everything, then you're clearly not as intelligent as I thought you were."
Aaron took a step, but Brenna kept herself between the males. "Unless you have something related to the clan to tell me, you should probably go, Aaron."
She tried to read her cousin's expression, but Aaron was as good as any dragon-shifter male Protector when it came to keeping their faces neutral. "Teagan wants you two to at least have one dance with the clan, to keep up appearances. And tomorrow, she wants an audience with you, Brenna. Since there is no real post-mating bliss to account for, there are plenty of jobs she wants done by those she trusts." She nodded, and Aaron added softly, "Reach out to me if you need it, Brenna. No matter what it is."
Some of her irritation faded at his tone. "Of course I will."
Aaron looked at Killian one more time before he left the room.
Killian spoke behind her. "Thank you for standing up for me."
Taking a deep breath, she glanced over her shoulder. The usual anger and frustration in Killian's eyes were nowhere to be seen. "You're welcome. But piss me off again, and I may reconsider."
The corner of his mouth kicked up. "I would say I won't, but it's too much fun."
She battled a smile. "Well, if you're looking for fun, then our dance awaits us."
"Dancing is not fun."
While she should bite back her remark, the words escaped before she could stop them. "It means you get to hold me close and touch me freely. I thought you liked that."
Heat flashed in Killian's eyes.
If she didn't leave, she might do something stupid, such as close the distance between them and kiss the bastard.
Not wanting to tempt herself, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. "Follow me when you're ready. I'll let them know you need a moment to recharge yourself after our interlude."
He grunted. "My cock and balls still hurt."
"Good."
With that, Brenna dashed down the hall and toward the great hall again.
Her dragon would say she was being a coward. And this time, Brenna agreed. But she had to keep her distance. The thought of becoming the doting fool she'd been with Cedric made her stomach churn. Only once she'd achieved her goal of becoming either the second-in-command or head Protector of a dragon clan would she allow herself a chance to fall for a male, and not before.
Picking up her pace, she pasted on a smile and entered the great hall.
Chapter Two
Killian watched Brenna exit the room before he glanced down at his hand. The tip of Aaron's finger had turned into a sharp clawlike thing that reminded him of a bird's talon. Considering humans couldn't do that, it should've scared him.
However, the bastard extending the talon and making threats didn't seem anything out of the ordinary.
It was one thing for everyone to tell him he'd been a dragon-shifter. But it was another thing entirely to accept it.
Given his supersensitive hearing, sense of smell, quick healing ability, and almost indifference to flashing pupils and fingers turning into claws, Killian was starting to think he had been like one of these strange dragon people.
If only he could remember something from his life before waking up a little over a week ago.
He'd been putting off asking about who he had been out of anger. He still wouldn't give a bastard like Aaron Caruso the satisfaction of telling him who and what he'd been. Brenna, on the other hand, would tell him the truth and hopefully not try to force it.
He nearly barked a laugh at how quickly the day had changed. One moment he'd wanted to kiss the living shit out of Brenna and take her against a wall. The next, he was toying with the fact he wasn't human after all.
Not that he was going to dwell on it for the time being. Brenna had tempted him with a dance. And while he couldn't care less about formalities or following protocol, he wasn't going to pass up the chance to hold the strong, beautiful female close.
After striding down the corridor and to one of the side entrances of the great hall, Killian stood in the doorway and took a second to watch the scene inside the room.
Everyone wore some shade of green. The women were in one-shoulder dresses like Brenna's and the men were in something resembling a kilt, with part of the material tossed over one shoulder to cross over their bare chests.
The dancing area was in the center of the room, with tables along the edges, filled with people eating, drinking, and laughing.
If what he'd been told was true, almost every single person in the room could change into a dragon. One misstep and any number of them could pin him down and threaten him with talons.
However, his gut told him they wouldn't do that unprovoked. Over the last week and a bit, he'd learned to trust his gut over most anything else.
Putting aside his observations, he moved again. Brenna would be a welcome distraction.
Since she was the only female in a red dress, she was easy to spot, and he made a beeline for her.
As he closed in, he couldn't help but stare at her long neck and the place where it met her shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to come up behind her and nibble the spot before slowly licking the sting with his tongue. No doubt her scent would be strong there, and hers was one he’d never tire of.
Fuck, he wanted her. More than his memories, he wanted the feisty yet vulnerable female naked and under him. He could too easily forget about everything but her soft, warm presence as she came, squeezing his cock tightly until he joined her.
She might think sex was off the table, but Killian knew she was as attracted to him as he was to her. He would find out the reason for the flash of wariness earlier, when they'd been alone. Someone had hurt her, he was certain of it.
He nearly missed a step. Apparently he'd been able to read facial expressions and emotions in his previous life. Add in the muscles and scars of his body, and he wondered if he'd been one of the dragon warriors he'd heard mentioned once or twice. Although why they used a pretentious name like Protectors, he had no idea.
Careful to keep his steps light, he was nearly to Brenna when her shoulders straightened and she looked back at him. "If you're trying to be stealthy, you're doing a horrible job."
"Maybe I'm just trying to practice some of my moves en route, to prepare for our dance."
She closed the distance between them and tilted her head. "You're a terrible liar."
He wanted to ask if he'd been a good one before, but resisted. Instead, he reached out and placed a hand on her lower back. "You should be praising to the sky how lucky you are, then. I'm told honesty makes for the best couples."
"There is such a thing as being too honest."
Not caring who stared, he raised a hand to her hair and lightly brushed some of the short strands. "Such as if I mentioned how you have a tiny mole just past your hairline and suggest we take a look to see if any hair is growing out of it."
"You have one on your lower back, so maybe we should check yours first."
He smiled slowly. "So you've been staring at my back."
Pink flushed her cheeks and it took everything he had not to lean down and kiss the flushed skin. "It's hard to miss, what with you not
wearing a shirt and being so tall."
He leaned down. "You're a terrible liar yourself. I bet I could ask anyone walking by about my back, and none would notice the mole." Moving his head until he could nuzzle his cheek against hers, he murmured, "And you know what? It makes me happy that you notice things about my body. Maybe one day you'll explore every inch with your fingers and lips."
Her breath hitched, and Killian took that as his cue to pull back and put out his hand, palm upward. "Shall we?"
She glanced at his hand and studied it. He had no idea what was so significant about one dance, but she eventually slid her palm into his and he tightened his grip. "I have no idea if I remember the steps or not, so watch your toes, darling."
The next song began, and Killian pulled Brenna close. He'd taken a few steps without thinking, his body somehow remembering the motions, when pain raced through his head.
The sharp jabs only intensified until he gripped the side of his head and fell to his knees with a roar. Killian tried his best to push it away, but in the next second, the world went black.
~~~
Brenna knelt next to Killian's body on the floor and placed a finger at his carotid artery. At the steady, if not slightly fast, pulse, her initial fears melted away. She'd barely established Killian was alive before Teagan, Aaron, and Glenlough's head doctor, Dr. Ronan O'Brien, were also kneeling around Killian.
Moving aside to allow the physician to do his work, Brenna studied Killian's face until Teagan's voice garnered her attention. "Tell me what happened, Brenna."
Taking a deep breath, she met Teagan's gaze. The steadiness there helped to calm her own nerves. "I don't know. One second we were dancing, and the next he was roaring in pain."
"Did his pupils change?" Aaron asked.
"No, they remained round. Although he shut them when he gripped his head, so anything could've happened after that point." The doctor looked up and she couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Do you think this is an aftereffect of the drugs that stole his memory?"
Dr. O'Brien grunted. "Probably. The moss antidote that's worked with the others doesn't seem to be helping Killian. I need to get him back to the surgery and run a series of tests."
Craved by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 11) Page 2