Holly blinked. “This is normal?”
Lorna grinned. “Aye, it is. Does it want to send you running for the hills?”
Holly straightened her shoulders. “Of course not.”
Lorna reached out her free hand and lightly patted her cheek. “You’ll do, Holly.” Lorna looked back at the men. “Leave this to me.”
In the next instant, Lorna smacked the closest male bum with her wooden spoon. One of the twins yelped. Only when he shouted, did Holly recognize Fraser’s voice. “Mum, stop it. We’re not children any more.”
Lorna waved her spoon. “You could’ve fooled me.” She looked to Fergus. “You, in particular, I’m disappointed about, Fergus Roger. You know what’s waiting inside the cottage.”
Holly dared to ask, “What’s waiting inside the cottage?”
Lorna looked at her with mischief in her eyes. “You’ll just have to come inside and see, child.”
Holly didn’t detect any worry or nervousness in Lorna’s voice or eyes. She only hoped that meant it was a good surprise; Holly had had far too many of the other kind of late.
The twins stood up and brushed the dirt and grass from their clothes. Fergus was the first to speak up. “Aye, well, shall we go inside, then? I think Fraser learned his lesson.”
Fraser shoved Fergus. “More like you learned yours.”
Holly sighed again. She started to see Lorna MacKenzie in a whole new light; the dragonwoman was a saint for raising the three MacKenzie siblings.
Just as they started walking toward the cottage, the front door banged open. It was Faye MacKenzie.
Faye scowled and clapped her hands. “Are you two clowns quite finished? I’m starving. The sooner you get your arses in here, the sooner I can eat.”
Fraser scowled. “Thanks for the greeting, sister.”
Faye shrugged. “Do I ever greet you when I’m hungry? It’s not like I’m going to start now.” Faye turned. “Now, come on before I send Finn out here. He’ll get you inside asap, especially as Arabella isn’t feeling well.”
Holly’s curiosity piqued. “What’s wrong with her? Maybe I can help?”
Lorna jumped in. “I doubt you can, lass. Arabella is having triplets and she’s still in a bit of a shock.”
Fraser frowned. “When the bloody hell did they find that out?”
Lorna answered, “Yesterday evening. So I’d recommend we all head inside as soon as possible. Finn and Ara came to support you and Holly, but Arabella isn’t feeling all that social.”
Holly moved to Fraser’s side. After taking his hand, she tugged. “Come. I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help her. Expectant mothers who find out they’re having multiple births need to be watched closely. As much as I hate to say it, they often go into bouts of depression.”
Lorna chimed in. “I was hoping you could help her. But don’t let on that you know about the triplets yet. It’ll ruin the surprise we have for you.”
Holly looked askance at Lorna. “Okay. But can I at least introduce Fraser to my dad first?”
Lorna nodded. “Aye, but let’s get a move on.”
As Lorna herded them all inside, Fraser squeezed her hand. His touch helped to ground her.
There might not be rogue dragons dropping her out of the sky or holding her hostage inside a hospital, but it looked as if there would never be a dull moment on Lochguard.
~~~
As Fraser walked down the hall with his mate’s hand in his and his brother right behind him, his tension eased away. Things looked to be going right with his family.
His dragon spoke up. Of course they are. You and Holly worry too much.
Not everything is as simple as you like to think.
Holly is our mate, which makes her a MacKenzie. You love her, so the others will, too. It’s not complicated.
Fraser wanted to sigh, but knew it’d cause Holly and his mother to worry. Instead, he looked to Fergus and whispered, “What’s the surprise?”
Fergus shook his head. “A thousand horses couldn’t drag it out of me.”
“I thought we weren’t keeping secrets?”
“This is different—it’s a surprise.” Fergus mimicked zipping his lips closed and throwing away the key.
The next second, they walked into the dining room and Fraser blinked.
Not only was the table decorated with a table cloth, candles, and fancy china, a giant cake sat on a table off to the side, next to a large black box. There was also a few sheets of silver fabric draping from the ceiling, tied around the middle with cord. Sprigs of heather draped from each cord.
The room was decorated for a mating ceremony.
Fraser met Finn’s eyes. Despite the circles under his cousin’s eyes, they were also filled with humor and happiness. Finn waved a hand. “Surprise.”
Holly frowned. “What’s going on?”
Ross Anderson walked up to Holly. After kissing his daughter’s cheek, Ross murmured, “They seem to think you’re going to marry your dragon-shifter today.”
Holly looked to Fraser. “Did you know about this?”
Fraser shook his head. “I swear I had no idea. But I guess this means I need an answer.”
Faye growled out, “Well, she’d better give one because if there’s not going to be a mating ceremony today, then I’m going to start eating.”
Fraser ignored his sister and kept his attention on Holly. “What do you say, honey? If my family went to the trouble of throwing us a surprise mating ceremony, then I think it’s safe to say they want you to be part of the family.”
Lorna chimed in. “Why wouldn’t we? It’ll get you out of the house.”
Everyone chuckled. Even Arabella smiled.
Fraser brushed Holly’s cheek. “Will you agree, lass? Please?”
Holly opened her mouth, but then shut it again. Fraser’s dragon snarled, but he managed to keep his beast in check.
His human looked away from him to her father. “I guess I should introduce my dragon-to-be, then. Dad, this is Fraser MacKenzie. Fraser, this is my dad, Ross Anderson.”
Ross put out a hand and Fraser shook it. He met Ross’s eyes. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Ross waved a hand. “Call me Ross. If I’m ever knighted, then you can call me Sir Ross. Not before.”
Holly lightly hit her dad’s arm. “Dad, not now.”
Fraser grinned. “I think you’re going to fit in just fine here, Ross. Just fine indeed.”
Ross winked. “I reckon so, too. But I think my daughter has waited long enough to marry the lad of her heart. Take good care of her, son.”
Fraser straightened his shoulder. “Aye, I will.”
Holly raised an eyebrow. “Are you two quite done? I’d like to give Fraser my answer now.”
Ross kissed his daughter’s cheek again and then moved to take a seat. As soon as he did, Holly looked back up at him. “Yes, Fraser, I’ll be your mate.”
Fergus whistled as Lorna shouted, “Thank goodness.”
Fraser ignored all of that to place his hands on Holly’s waist. “Normally I’d offer you a silver band engraved with my name in the old dragon language, Mersae. But we’ll just have to exchange the arm bands later.”
Holly nodded, but then Fergus snapped his fingers. “Wait a minute.”
Fraser scowled at his twin, who was picking up the large black box. “Can’t you wait two bloody minutes, Fergus?”
Fergus raced over with a twinkle in his eye. “No, I can’t.” He opened the box to reveal two traditional mating bands. “I had these made for you, brother. Just in case.”
Fraser touched the smaller one, engraved with his name. “You did this?”
Fergus nodded. “Aye. I didn’t want there to be any doubt of my support for your mating.”
Holly whispered, “Oh, Fergus.”
Fergus moved his gaze to Holly. “I meant what I said yesterday, about wanting you to come home safe and sound. I can see how you make my brother happy, and that makes me happy. Just take car
e of him, aye?”
Holly nodded. “Of course.”
Fergus winked at Holly before handing the box over to Fraser. Just this once, he’d let the wink slide.
Fraser’s dragon growled. As long as he doesn’t wink at our female again.
Next time, I’ll let you out and you can tell him.
Content, his beast settled down. That was Fraser’s cue to take the smaller silver band out of the box and hold it out. “With this band, I take you as my mate, Holly Anderson. With your stubborn, clever self at my side, I can face anything and anyone. I love you, Holly. Will you accept my claim?”
She smiled and took the band. “Yes, I do. Although I’m not sure I can wear it right now over my jumper.”
He leaned close and whispered, “Just promise me you’ll wear it later, when we’re alone. That’s my name in the old dragon language engraved on its surface and I want to see my name on your naked arm.”
He watched her trace the symbols. “I should be offended, but I’m assuming the other band has my name on it, aye?” Fraser nodded. “Then I want to see my name on your arm, too.”
“Good.” He kissed her gently. “But first, you need to claim me in front of my family to complete the mating ceremony.”
Holly lifted the larger silver arm band from the box and looked into his eyes again. “With this band, I take you as my mate, Fraser Moore MacKenzie. Aye, you’re attractive, but the reason I love you is for your humor, dedication to those you love, and stubbornness. Life will never be boring with you and I look forward to whatever adventures may lay ahead.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Anything else you’d like to add? Maybe about love?”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Of course I love you, you bloody man. Though I sometimes wonder why.”
Fraser tossed the box aside and plucked the band from Holly’s fingers before drawing her close. “Just ask me if I accept your claim and then I can kiss you properly.”
Holly tilted her head. “Not sure I want my dad to watch that.”
Fraser growled. “Holly.”
She laughed. “Okay, okay. Fraser MacKenzie, will you accept my claim?”
After saying, “Yes,” he descended on Holly’s lips. As he held his female close, his family cheered and clapped. What had started out as a disaster had turned into a happy ending for not just Fraser, but Holly and her father as well.
*~*~*~*
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The next Lochguard Highland Dragons book will be about Fergus MacKenzie and will be out in early 2016. To keep up to date on release information, cover reveals, and exclusive contests, please make sure to sign up for my newsletter on my website.
If you haven’t yet read my Stonefire Dragons series, then make sure to turn the page for the synopsis and an excerpt from the first book, Sacrificed to the Dragon. For those of you who are already fans, then I just want to let you know we’re heading back to Stonefire in November. Loved by the Dragon will be out in mid-November 2015. It’s Bram and Evie’s follow-up novella, about the birth of their baby. The pre-order isn’t live yet, but you can sign up for my newsletter to receive an alert when it’s ready. You can see the cover by going to the book’s page my website here.
Sacrificed to the Dragon
(Stonefire Dragons #1)
In exchange for a vial of dragon’s blood to save her brother’s life, Melanie Hall offers herself up as a sacrifice to one of the British dragon-shifter clans. Being a sacrifice means signing a contract to live with the dragon-shifters for six months to try to conceive a child. Her assigned dragonman, however, is anything but easy. He’s tall, broody, and alpha to the core. There’s only one problem—he hates humans.
Due to human dragon hunters killing his mother, Tristan MacLeod despises humans. Unfortunately, his clan is in desperate need of offspring to repopulate their numbers and it’s his turn to service a human female. Despite his plans to have sex with her and walk away, his inner dragon has other ideas. The curvy human female tempts his inner beast like no other.
———————
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Complete Edition is now available on all major online retailers.
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Excerpt:
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 and 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.
And if she didn’t give up her child, she would have to give up her dreams in order to spend the rest of her life with Clan Stonefire.
She took a deep breath and remembered her brother Oliver, pale and thin in his sickbed, and her worry dissipated to a manageable level. Even if she became a mother before she’d planned, she would do it three times over to give Oliver a chance to see past his fifteenth birthday.
Still, she wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity to ask some questions. The dragon-shifters were extremely private, rarely sharing anything that happened on their land with the public. “I understand consenting to sexual activity, as my main purpose is to help repopulate the dragon-shifters, but what guarantees are in place to ensure I’m not abused or neglected?”
The man leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. “I understand your concern, but the UK Department of Dragon Affairs conducts routine inspections and interviews. Childbearing-related mortality aside, over the last ten years, only one sacrifice has ever reported harsh treatment out of hundreds.”
The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) Page 22