Brenna frowned. “Killian.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine, I promise not to escape in the near future.” He met her gaze. “Is that better, darling?”
“Yes, love.”
The way they used endearments was the equivalent of calling each other bastards.
Her beast hummed. Good. The tension will only make the sex hotter.
I didn’t agree to it yet.
You will.
Teagan clapped her hands. “Then it’s time to put everything into motion. I want this done as soon as possible, just in case the DDA orders all healthy foreign visitors to leave straight away. Here’s what needs to be done.”
As Teagan rattled off a list of orders of what to do, Brenna tried to pay attention. She really did.
But Killian never took his gaze from her face. When he finally gave her body a slow once-over, her dragon spoke up. Yummy. He will be fun to fuck and play with.
He finally met her gaze again, and Brenna stopped breathing at the heat in his eyes.
Bloody hell. A female could get used to that look.
For the millionth time, Brenna hoped she hadn’t gotten in over her head. The mating would be a fake, and she needed to remember that.
~~~
Later that evening, Aaron hugged Teagan’s naked body tighter against his chest. It was strange to think he had gained a new home and mate in the same day after thinking he might never find a female to spend his life with.
His dragon spoke up. We will never be alone again. The bad brought us to the good.
Bloody hell, you and your philosophical statements.
His beast yawned. They come to me after sex. So, get used to it, unless you’re going to keep a separate bedroom from Teagan?
Never.
That’s what I thought.
His dragon dozed and Aaron contented himself with listening to Teagan breathing and treasuring her heat against his chest.
However, no matter how much he stroked her back, she didn’t relax against him. He murmured, “Please tell me you still aren’t thinking about Brenna and Killian. That would be weird seeing as we’re both naked and smell of sex.”
Teagan sighed. “No. But I am thinking about how it’s wrong to hide our mating from the clan.”
He placed a finger under her chin and gently forced her to look up at him. “I’m ready to share it with them whenever you are, love. But I’ll leave it to you to best judge your people.”
“They’re your people, too, now, Aaron.” She ran one of her hands back and forth against his chest hair. “Tell me what you think we should do.”
His dragon peeked his head up. I say state she’s ours in the great hall as soon as possible. Too many males have started to look at her in a new light, as if she’s now a delectable treat to devour.
Aaron ignored his beast to answer Teagan. “As much as I want to shout it from the rooftops, I think we first need to quietly ensure there aren’t any other potential traitors or accessories to treason living inside Glenlough. As it is, both Greenpeak and Wildheath are in the midst of a leadership crisis with Orin and Padraig both dead. Too much too soon could cause chaos.”
She sighed. “I was thinking exactly the same thing.”
He kissed her forehead. “We should have a few weeks before the DDA will start checking for any foreigners still on our land. As long as we announce our mating before then, we should be fine. That human female Trevina seemed to like you. Hopefully she’ll give us a warning before more DDA staff visit Glenlough.”
When Teagan remained quiet, Aaron’s dragon snarled. She is still worried and tense. We should fix it. A break will do her good.
Without another word, Aaron rolled until Teagan was under him. He pinned her hands above her head and threaded his fingers through hers. “Teagan.” When she met his gaze, he continued, “I love you and will never ask you to put the clan second. However, you deserve to relax for an hour. And for that hour, I’m going to make you forget about everything but my name. Afterward we can plan our next steps until the wee hours. Deal?”
She smiled. “I might start to regret giving you two hours of every day to do whatever you want, emergency excepting.”
He rocked his hips against hers. “If you ever start to regret it, love, then I’m not doing my job.”
Wrapping a leg around his waist, she whispered, “Then remind me why I hired you for this task.”
With a growl, Aaron took her lips as he pushed his cock inside her. He moved his lower body and Teagan was soon moaning into his mouth and melting into the bed.
Yes, yes, she is ours, always and forever.
Aaron increased his rhythm, and soon Teagan broke their kiss to shout his name. Aaron followed suit and pleasure coursed through his body as he let go.
As they came down, he cuddled her close, content to hold his future in his arms and hope that everything worked out as it should. It’d taken many mistakes for him to find where he truly belonged, but now that he’d found it, he was never letting go.
Epilogue
Many Months Later
Teagan leaned against Aaron’s side as she watched the clan eat, dance, and enjoy themselves below on the main floor. After everything that had happened over the last year, they could finally all breathe a sigh of relief.
What with betrayals, Killian’s journey, and even Teagan remaining leader despite having a mate, there had been a lot of changes.
Her beast grunted. All good ones.
For the most part. Still, I look forward to years of boring paperwork and hand cramps.
Aaron’s whisper interrupted her conversation with her dragon. “You’re not overly tired, are you? As much as I want to think I’m irresistible and you can’t keep your hands off me, your energy levels have been low lately.”
She shook her head and placed a hand on her lower belly. “No. The baby is behaving for the moment and not making me ill.”
“As he or she should. It is my child, after all.”
She gave him a half-hearted smack. “Don’t sound as if you did it all by yourself. The baby is mine as well.”
He hugged her tighter against his side. “I sure hope so. Otherwise, I don’t want to know what sort of alien came to visit you and put their alien baby inside your uterus.”
“Aaron, stop being ridiculous.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll restrain myself for now, even though that was an order and not a request.” She gave him the double finger salute, and he added, “Well, what with the treaties under way and the threats vanquished for the foreseeable future, you’re going to have a lot more time alone with me. I hope you’re not changing your mind and getting tired of me so soon.”
Raising her head, she looked up at her mate. “Don’t even joke about that, Aaron. If you don’t know how much I love you by now, then you never will.”
He traced a finger down her cheek. “I think by now we love each other the same amount. Although, if you need some convincing, we could sneak away for an hour. My dragon and I can tag team to ensure you know how much we both treasure you.”
She fought a smile and lost the battle. Aaron did spoil her. “As tempting as that is, we need to dance first or the clan will notice we’re gone.”
He raised his brows. “Surely in your condition you can make excuses.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right, and give fodder for the rumor mills about how I can’t handle a little dragon-shifter growing inside of me. No, we need to do the opposite.” She leaned back and stood. Putting out an arm, she asked, “Will you dance with me, Aaron Caruso?”
Without hesitating, he rose and threaded his arm through hers. “Let’s show everyone how it’s done. But no bloody fancy Irish dancing.”
She grinned. “You’re getting better.” He growled, and she laughed. “Okay, then we’ll do the same as our first dance. You know that one pretty well. And since I have clothes on, you shouldn’t be distracted.”
His gaze zeroed in on her breasts, and Teagan’s nipples tightened
as he murmured, “There’s plenty to distract me.”
Taking a deep breath, she thought of DDA regulations and training exercises to keep her cheeks from flushing pink. After a lot of practice, she was finally getting the hang of keeping desire from showing plain on her face.
Her beast huffed. I don’t understand why you try to hide it.
It’s a human thing. That should be enough of an explanation.
Whatever. Just hurry up and dance so we can play with Aaron and his dragon. I have a few new ideas of how to tease him.
Her dragon fell silent as they walked past Orla talking with Aaron’s mother and Teagan’s mother. She waved to her mother-in-law. Molly Caruso and her own mother had become fast friends. Together, they sometimes even won against Orla.
She and Aaron soon reached the audio setup. Teagan asked for the song and guided Aaron to the dance floor. As the first notes filled the air, Teagan stared at her mate and couldn’t stop smiling.
Between her mate, her future child, and her family, she had plenty of love. The clan only added more.
And together they would make it the best future they could.
*~*~*~*
Did you enjoy this story? Then please considering leaving a review. :)
Before you ask, yes, Brenna and Killian will have a book. :D However, before the release of Craved by the Dragon (their full-length story, out in March 2018) comes Kai and Jane’s follow-up novella, Finding the Dragon, in October 2017. The events in their story happen at the same time as Brenna and Killian’s book, but in England and Wales instead of Ireland. Kai’s sister Delia will feature heavily and the story will help set up the future story arc on Snowridge. You can read more details in my Author’s Note section toward the end of the backmatter.
To keep up-to-date on releases, please join my newsletter on my website. Please turn the page for an excerpt from the first book in my science fiction romance series, The Conquest.
The Conquest
(Kelderan Runic Warriors #1)
Leader of a human colony planet, Taryn Demara has much more on her plate than maintaining peace or ensuring her people have enough to eat. Due to a virus that affects male embryos in the womb, there is a shortage of men. For decades, her people have enticed ships to their planet and tricked the men into staying. However, a ship hasn’t been spotted in eight years. So when the blip finally shows on the radar, Taryn is determined to conquer the newcomers at any cost to ensure her people’s survival.
Prince Kason tro de Vallen needs to find a suitable planet for his people to colonize. The Kelderans are running out of options despite the fact one is staring them in the face—Planet Jasvar. Because a group of Kelderan scientists disappeared there a decade ago never to return, his people dismiss the planet as cursed. But Kason doesn’t believe in curses and takes on the mission to explore the planet to prove it. As his ship approaches Jasvar, a distress signal chimes in and Kason takes a group down to the planet’s surface to explore. What he didn’t expect was for a band of females to try and capture him.
As Taryn and Kason measure up and try to outsmart each other, they soon realize they’ve found their match. The only question is whether they ignore the spark between them and focus on their respective people’s survival or can they find a path where they both succeed?
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The Conquest is now available on Amazon // Amazon UK // Amazon AU // Amazon CA // Amazon DE.
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Excerpt:
Chapter One
Taryn Demara stared at the faint blip on the decades-old radar. Each pulse of light made her heart race faster. This is it. Her people might have a chance to survive.
Using every bit of restraint she had, Taryn prevented her voice from sounding too eager as she asked, “Are you sure it’s a spaceship?”
Evaine Benoit, her head of technology, nodded. “Our equipment is outdated, but by the size and movement, it has to be a ship.”
Taryn’s heart beat double-time as she met her friend’s nearly black-eyed gaze. “How long do we have before they reach us?”
“If they maintain their current trajectory, I predict eighteen hours, give or take. It’s more than enough time to get the planet ready.”
“Right,” Taryn said as she stood tall again. “Keep me updated on any changes. If the ship changes course, boost the distress signal.”
Evaine raised her brows. “Are you sure? The device is on its last legs. Any boost in power could cause a malfunction. I’m not sure my team or I can fix it again if that happens.”
She gripped her friend’s shoulder. “After eight years of waiting, I’m willing to risk it. I need that ship to reach Jasvar and send a team down to our planet.”
Otherwise, we’re doomed was left unsaid.
Without another word, Taryn raced out of the aging technology command center and went in search of her best strategist. There was much to do and little time to do it.
Nodding at some of the other members of her settlement as she raced down the corridors carved into the mountainside, Taryn wondered what alien race was inside the ship on the radar. Over the past few hundred years, the various humanoid additions to the once human-only colony had added extra skin tones, from purple to blue to even a shimmery gold. Some races even had slight telepathic abilities that had been passed down to their offspring.
To be honest, Taryn didn’t care what they looked like or what powers they possessed. As long as they were genetically compatible with her people, it meant Taryn and several other women might finally have a chance at a family. The “Jasvar Doom Virus” as they called it, killed off most male embryos in the womb, to the point only one male was born to every five females. Careful genealogical charts had been maintained to keep the gene pool healthy. However, few women were willing to share their partner with others, which meant the male population grew smaller by the year.
It didn’t help that Jasvar had been set up as a low-technology colony, which meant they didn’t have the tools necessary to perform the procedures in the old tales of women being impregnated without sex. The technique had been called in-something or other. Taryn couldn’t remember the exact name from her great-grandmother’s stories from her childhood.
Not that it was an option anyway. Jasvar’s technology was a hodgepodge of original technology from the starter colonists and a few gadgets from their conquests and alien additions over the years. It was a miracle any of it still functioned.
The only way to prevent the extinction of her people was to capture and introduce alien males into their society. Whoever had come up with the idea of luring aliens to the planet’s surface and developing the tools necessary to get them to stay had been brilliant. Too bad his or her name had been lost to history.
Regardless of who had come up with the idea, Taryn was damned if she would be the leader to fail the Jasvarian colony. Since the old technology used to put out the distress signals was failing, Taryn had a different sort of plan for the latest alien visitors.
She also wanted their large spaceship and all of its technology.
Of course, her grand plans would be all for nothing if she couldn’t entice and trap the latest aliens first. To do that, she needed to confer with Nova Drakven, her head strategist.
Rounding the last corner, Taryn waltzed into Nova’s office. The woman’s pale blue face met hers. Raising her silver brows, she asked, “Is it true about the ship?”
With a nod, Taryn moved to stand in front of Nova’s desk. “Yes. It should be here in about eighteen hours.”
Nova reached for a file on her desk. “Good. Then I’ll present the plan to the players, and we can wait on standby until we know for sure where the visiting shuttle lands.”
Taryn shook her head and started pacing. “I need you to come up with a new plan, Nova.”
“Why? I’ve tweaked what went wrong last time. We shouldn’t have any problems.”
“It’s not that.” Taryn stopped pacing and me
t her friend’s gaze. “This time, we need to do more than entice a few males to stay. Our planet was originally slated to be a low-tech colony, but with the problems that arose, that’s no longer an option. We need supplies and knowledge, which means negotiating with the mother ship for their people.”
“Let me get this straight—you want to convince the vastly technologically advanced aliens that we are superior, their crew’s lives are in danger, and that they need to pay a ransom to get them back?”
Taryn grinned. “See, you do understand me.”
Nova sighed. “You have always been crazy and a little reckless.”
“Not reckless, Nova. Just forward-thinking. You stage the play, think of a few ideas about how to get the ship, and I’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Always the super leader to the rescue. Although one day, your luck may run out, Taryn.”
Nova and Taryn were nearly the same age, both in their early thirties, and had grown up together. Nova was her best friend and one of the few people Taryn was unafraid to speak her fears with. “As long as my luck lasts through this ordeal, I’m okay with that. I can’t just sit and watch our people despairing if another year or ten pass before there’s new blood. If we had a way to get a message to Earth, it would make everything easier. But, we don’t have that capability.”
Nova raised her brows. “Finding a way to contact Earth or the Earth Colony Alliance might be an easier goal than taking over a ship.”
“The message would take years to get there and who knows if the ECA would even send a rescue ship to such a distant colony.” Taryn shook her head. “I can’t rely on chance alone. I’ll send a message from the alien ship, but I also want the technology to save us in the near future, too. I much prefer being in control.”
Aiding the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 9) Page 27