Her mother yelled, “Melanie,” before rushing toward them. The next thing she knew, her mother had both her and Annabel in a warm hug.
Her mom whispered, “My baby. I’ve missed you.”
Melanie breathed in the lavender scent of her mother’s lotion and a sense of calm came over her. “I’ve missed you too, Mom.”
Mel’s mom pulled back and cupped her face. Then she looked to Tristan. “Come here.”
Before Tristan could move or say anything, her mom pulled him close into a hug. Mel smiled at the startled expression on her mate’s face.
Only when she heard her brother say, “Melanie,” did she look away.
Oliver was nearly a foot taller than the last time she’d seen him. While his brown hair and green eyes were the same, his face had lost most of its baby-ness. He even had a faint stubble on his chin. Her little brother was nearly a man.
Before she did something silly, such as cry, Melanie cocked an eyebrow and said, “Is that the way you greet your sister?”
Oliver cocked an eyebrow right back. “I was going to hug you, but now, I’m not sure since giving in to you easily always brings trouble.”
She laughed, walked over, and gave her brother a one-armed hug. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She peered up and Oliver’s eyes glanced to her daughter. He said, “It’s still hard to believe I’m an uncle.”
Maneuvering Annabel, who merely stared up with big eyes at her uncle, Mel held her out. “Take her. I can already tell she likes you.”
Her brother’s eyes looked uncertain. “I don’t know anything about babies, Mel.”
“Pshaw, that doesn’t matter.” She wiggled Anna a little in the air. “Try it.”
Oliver gingerly wrapped Anna in his arms and her daughter smiled and kicked gently against Oliver’s stomach.
Mel nodded. “See, I told you, she likes you. Now, if you have the same effect on Jack, I might just have to borrow you once every few weeks.”
Oliver gave her a skeptical look. “I’m not sure if I should be afraid or not.”
Mel was about to tease her brother some more when their dad walked up. After Mel hugged him, she said, “I hope Mom didn’t drive you crazy on the way up.”
Her father chuckled. “I’ve been married to your mom for nearly thirty years. If she were going to drive me mental, she would’ve done it by now.”
Mel’s mom shouted, “I heard that, Mr. Hall.”
Her dad merely grinned at her mom. Looking back and forth between her parents, a sense of home and belonging came over her. Not even ten years apart would ever change that feeling.
Tristan and her mom joined the little group. Her mom already had Jack in a protective cuddle. She wouldn’t be giving up her grandson anytime soon.
Tristan placed a hand on Mel’s back and she leaned against him. Her parents glanced at each other. Their looks were filled with love and understanding, as if they were remembering their own first years of marriage.
Oliver, however, focused more on the baby in his arms, probably because he was still unused to the idea of his sister having a husband.
Mel’s mother was the one to break the silence. “As much as I love the Lake District, how about we go to your home and have some tea? You two both look exhausted and could use the rest.”
Mel rolled her eyes. “You just want time to play with your grandbabies.”
“Maybe,” her mother simply stated.
Mel’s dad shook his head. “Right, then how about we get moving. We only have a week here and I want to make every second count.”
Tristan rubbed Mel’s back as he answered, “If it’s okay with you, James, we’ll lead the way.”
Mel’s dad bobbed his head and Tristan gave Mel a gentle push. She stood her ground and whispered, “Shouldn’t we walk beside them?”
Tristan leaned down. “Give them a few minutes to gawk at the dragons overhead. Otherwise, they’ll feel obligated to chat with you the whole way.”
Mel glanced over her shoulder. Her parents each had a baby in their arms, with Oliver walking between them. As a dragon cried overhead, her brother looked up with fascination.
Turning back around, Melanie harrumphed. “Sometimes you’re too perceptive, Tristan MacLeod.”
“I’m a teacher, remember? If I didn’t pay attention, my classes would devolve into chaos.”
The image of ten seven-year-olds running around screaming while Tristan looked on brought a smile to her face. “I somehow doubt that’ll happen. One growl would whip them back into shape.”
A beat of silence passed before her mate murmured, “You did it, Melanie. Because of you, your parents are here, dragons have a chance at freedom, and our children may have an easier future. You’re bloody amazing.”
She smiled. “I know.”
Tristan barked out a laugh. “So much for modesty.”
“I’m just being honest. And you know what? I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without you, Tristan.”
Tristan stopped them and turned her face. “We’ll always do everything together. No matter what happens, I love you.”
“And I love you, Tristan. Now, kiss me.”
“In front of your parents?”
“Now you’re being modest?”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Oh, what the hell.”
He moved down to kiss her. Despite the comment from her brother of, “I really don’t need to see you kissing anyone, Mel,” she leaned into her mate’s kiss.
As his tongue stroked hers, Melanie knew that no matter what happened, with the love of her mate, her children, and her family, she could face anything. She wouldn’t allow anyone to take away her happily ever after.
*~*~*~*
Did you enjoy this story? Then please consider leaving a review. :)
Finn and Arabella’s story is next! Healed by the Dragon: Part One will be available on March 19, 2015. Turn the page to learn how to receive an alert when it’s ready and for glimpses of my other works.
Dear Reader:
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Also, I need to ask you a favor. Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Even if it's only a line or two, it would be a huge help!
After reading my dragon-shifter series, maybe you’d like to check out the first book in my Asylums for Magical Threats paranormal romance series, Blaze of Secrets. Also, I’ll share the synopsis of Healed by the Dragon: Part One. Turn the page for a look into my other works.
With Gratitude,
Jessie Donovan
Healed by the Dragon: Part One
(Stonefire Dragons Story Arc #3)
Arabella MacLeod was tortured by dragon hunters a decade ago. Ever since, her clan coddled and tip-toed around her, most especially her older brother. Desperate for a chance at freedom, she volunteers to foster with the Scottish dragon-shifter clan. She’s determined to stay clear of the charming Scottish leader, but not only does he keep crossing her path, her dragon is drawn to him.
Finlay Stewart hasn’t been able to forget the scarred dragonwoman he met at Stonefire six months ago. When the same female agrees to be fostered with his clan, Finn pursues her. Balancing his clan duties with his need to see Arabella isn’t easy, especially with the existing rift in the clan, but he’s determined to try. Arabella’s inner strength draws him like no other female before.
Will Arabella trust Finn with her past? Or, will the rift in his clan tear them apart?
———————————
Healed by the Dragon: Part One will be availabe on March 19, 2015. Sign up for my newsletter at jessiedonovan.com to receive an alert when it’s out!
Check out an excerpt from Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats #1):
Chapter One
First-born Feiru children are dangerous. At the age of magical maturity they will permanently move into compounds established for both their and the public’s protection. These compounds will be known as the Asylums for Magical Threats (hereafter abbreviated as “AMT”).
—Addendum, Article III of the Feiru Five Laws, July 1953
Present Day
Jaxton Ward kept his gaze focused on the nearing mountain ledge ahead of him. If he looked down at the chasm below his feet, he might feel sick, and since his current mission was quite possibly the most important one of his life, he needed to focus all of his energy on succeeding.
After all, if things went according to plan, Jaxton would finally see his brother again.
He and his team of three men were balanced on a sheet of rock five thousand feet in the air. To a human, it would look like they were flying. However, any Feiru would know they were traveling via elemental wind magic.
Darius, the elemental wind first-born on his team, guided them the final few feet to the mountain ledge. As soon as the sheet of rock touched solid ground, Jaxton and his team moved into position.
The mountain under their feet was actually one of the most secure AMT compounds in the world. Getting in was going to be difficult, but getting out was going to take a bloody miracle, especially since he’d had to barter with his boss for the location of his brother. In exchange, he had promised to rescue not just Garrett, but one other unknown first-born as well.
Taka, the elemental earth first-born of Jaxton’s team, signaled he was ready. He nodded for Taka to begin.
As Taka reached a hand to the north, the direction of elemental earth magic, the solid rock of the mountain moved. With each inch that cleared to form a tunnel, Jaxton’s heart rate kicked up. Jaxton was the reason his brother had been imprisoned inside the mountain for the last five years and he wasn’t sure if he brother had ever forgiven him.
Even if they survived the insurmountable odds, located Garrett, and broke into his prison cell, his brother might not agree to go with them. Considering the rumors of hellish treatment inside the AMT compounds, his brother’s hatred would be justified.
Once the tunnel was big enough for them to enter, Jaxton pushed aside his doubts. No matter what his brother might think of him, Jaxton would rescue him, even it if took drugging Garrett unconscious to do so.
Taking out his Glock, he flicked off the safety. Jaxton was the only one on the team without elemental magic, but he could take care of himself.
He moved to the entrance of the tunnel, looked over his shoulder at his men, and nodded. After each man nodded, signaling they were ready, he took out his pocket flashlight, switched it on, and jogged down the smooth tunnel that would lead them to the inner corridors of the AMT compound.
If his information was correct, the AMT staff would be attending a site-wide meeting for the next hour. That gave Jaxton and his team a short window of opportunity to get in, nab the two inmates, and get back out again.
He only hoped everything went according to plan.
*~*~*
Kiarra Melini stared at the small homemade shiv in her hand and wondered for the thousandth time if she could go through with it.
She had spent the last few weeks racking her brain, trying to come up with an alternative plan to save the other prisoners of the AMT without having to harm anyone. Yet despite her best efforts, she’d come up empty-handed.
To protect the lives of the other first-borns inside the AMT, Kiarra would kill for the first and last time.
Not that she wanted to do it, given the choice. But after overhearing a conversation between two AMT researchers a few weeks ago, she knew the AMT would never again be safe for any of the first-borns while she remained alive.
The outside world might have chosen to forget about the existence of the first-born prisoners, but that didn’t make them any less important. Kiarra was the only one who cared, and she would go down fighting trying to protect them.
Even if it meant killing herself to do so.
She took a deep breath and gripped the handle of her blade tighter until the plastic of the old hairbrush dug into her skin. Just as she was about to raise her arm to strike, her body shook. Kiarra closed her eyes and breathed in and out until she calmed down enough to stop shaking. Ending her life, noble as her reasons may be, was a lot harder than she’d imagined.
Mostly because she was afraid to die.
But her window of opportunity was closing fast; the AMT-wide meeting would end in less than an hour. After that, she would have to wait a whole other month before she could try again, and who knew how many more first-borns would suffer because of her cowardice.
———————
Want to read the rest? Blaze of Secrets is available on all major online vendors. Click here for links to all major vendors!
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed this novella. Revisiting former characters is actually extremely difficult for me, but I felt Melanie and Tristan’s story wasn’t quite done. I think we all now have a better idea of how they work as a couple and how things will be in the future!
As always, I have a lot of people who helped me along the way. I’d like to thank:
Becky Johnson of Hot Tree Editing. She always pushes me to be better, and I love her for it.
My betas: Iliana, Donna, and Alyson. They catch the typo or two that slips through the cracks. They also keep me honest, and I’m grateful for that.
Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs. I don’t know what I’ll ever do if she stops making covers!
My readers and fans. You all make this worth it!
Before I go, if you would like to interact more with me and my fans, you can join my Facebook Fans of Jessie Donovan group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335945189923923/
Thanks again for reading and I can’t wait to share Finn and Arabella’s story in Healed by the Dragon. I hope you continue to follow the story of Clan Stonefire (and Clan Lochguard). You can always drop me a line at: [email protected].
See you around! :)
About the Author
Jessie Donovan wrote her first story at age five, and after discovering The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey in junior high, she realized people actually wanted to read stories like those floating around inside her head. From there on out, she was determined to tap into her over-active imagination and write a book someday.
After living abroad for five years and earning degrees in Japanese, Anthropology, and Secondary Education, she buckled down and finally wrote her first full-length book. While that story will never see the light of day, it laid the world-building groundwork of what would become her debut paranormal romance, Blaze of Secrets. In late 2014, she officially became a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Jessie loves to interact with readers. When not reading a book or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found on Facebook either on her Author Page or in her Fan Group. You can email her at: [email protected].
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Revealing the Dragons
Copyright © 2015 Laura Hoak-Kagey
Mythical Lake Press
First Digital Edition
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Art by Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs
ISBN: 978-1942211129
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