With colossal effort, she managed not to think about her fifty-fifty chance of surviving childbirth. “And what about my friends and family? Can I communicate with them?”
“Communication is forbidden for the first six weeks. After that, it is entirely up to your assigned male as to whether you can communicate or not. From experience, the women who made the greatest effort to conceive were awarded the most privileges.”
Right. So if she became a sex goddess, she could talk with her family. How she was going to accomplish that since her previous boyfriends had told her she was “good enough” but never fantastic, she had no idea. But she would cross that bridge when she came to it. “And lastly, when will my brother receive his treatment and when will I leave for the dragons’ compound?”
“Once our legal representative has gone through the contract with you and it’s been signed and witnessed, a copy will be sent to Clan Stonefire. They should approve it within a matter of days and deliver the vial of dragon’s blood to your brother’s physician. Normally, you’d be expected to arrive within a week. However, in the case of dying relatives, you’re given two weeks to set your affairs in order and to be assured that your brother is recovering. Our office will notify you of the particulars within the next five days.”
The man picked up a pen and signed something inside the manila folder on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper and held it out to her. “Since you’ve had a rational conversation without breaking down or bursting into tears, I think you’re mentally sound enough to be sacrificed. If you have no further questions, you can proceed to the legal department.”
Even at this late stage of the application process, she now understood how some candidates might be scared off. Hearing about no communication with the outside world as well as how giving birth to a half-dragon baby might kill you was a lot to take in. But Melanie wasn’t doing this for herself. Oliver had had a shitty last few years fighting off cancer only to beat it and end up with a drug-resistant infection that was slowly killing him.
Her funny, clever brother deserved a chance to live and enjoy life.
She reached out and took the paper. She said, “Thank you. I’m still interested. Please tell me where the legal department is located, and I’ll go there straightaway.”
He gave her the directions. Mel thanked the man before leaving his office and making the necessary turns. As she approached the last turn, she glanced down at the paper in her hands. Toward the bottom of the sheet, the man had checked “approved” and signed his name. Seeing it in black and white made her stomach flip.
In less than two weeks, she would go to live with the dragon-shifters and be expected to have sex with one of their males.
She took a deep breath and pushed back the sense of panic. While she didn’t know how her assigned dragonman would treat her, there was one thing she had to look forward to—the men were rumored to be fit and muscled. For once in her life, Melanie would get to sleep with a strong, hot man. She only hoped he wouldn’t be a complete bastard.
~~~
Tristan MacLeod knocked on the cottage door of Stonefire’s clan leader. When he heard a muffled, “Come in,” he twisted the knob and entered.
Bram Moore-Llewellyn, Stonefire’s clan leader and Tristan’s friend of nearly thirty years, sat behind the old, sturdy oak desk that had been used by leaders of the clan for over a hundred years. It was beat up with more than a few scratches from young dragon-shifters trying out their talons. Tristan thought it looked like shit, but dragons were big on tradition and Stonefire’s clan leader was no exception.
Bram motioned for Tristan to come in and sit in one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk. Shutting the door, Tristan complied.
While he had a feeling he knew what this meeting was about, he asked, “You wanted to see me?”
Bram put aside the papers he’d been reading and looked up at him. “It’s time, Tristan.”
Fuck. “Can’t one of the volunteer males have another turn? Putting me together with a human is a bad idea, Bram, and you know it.”
Bram leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “No. I can’t risk the gene pool getting too small. Neither you nor your sister has had any young, and since you’re the elder, you’re first in line. I hate to be a hardass, but if you refuse to pair with the latest human sacrifice, I’ll have to kick you out of the clan.”
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Sacrificed to the Dragon: Complete Edition is now available on all major online retailers.
Books by Jessie Donovan
Asylums for Magical Threats
Blaze of Secrets (AMT #1)
Frozen Desires (AMT #2)
Shadow of Temptation (AMT #3)
Flare of Promise (February 2016, AMT #4)
Cascade Shifters
Convincing the Cougar (CS #0.5)
Reclaiming the Wolf (CS #1)
Cougar’s First Christmas (CS #2)
Resisting the Cougar (CS #3)
Lochguard Highland Dragons
The Dragon’s Dilemma (Book #1, Oct 15, 2015)
Stonefire Dragons
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Complete Edition (SD #1)
Seducing the Dragon: Complete Edition (SD #2)
Revealing the Dragons: A Novella (SD #3)
Healed by the Dragon: Complete Edition (SD #4)
Reawakening the Dragon: Complete Edition (SD #5)
Loved by the Dragon: A Novella (SD #6, Nov 2015)
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed Fraser and Holly’s story. I fell in love with Clan Lochguard while writing Healed by the Dragon and writing about them in The Dragon’s Dilemma was so much fun. The Scottish clan is a little crazy and over the top; they are pretty much the opposite of Stonefire. I love all of my dragon-shifters, but as a writer, it’s always fun to tackle something a little different from time to time.
If you’re wondering about the next book, it’s about Fergus MacKenzie and a certain pregnant redhead. I’m still trying to decide the title, but the opening has already popped into my head and writing it should be easy. I don’t have an exact release date, but it will be out in early 2016. Make sure to sign-up for my newsletter for the latest information.
As always, I have some people to thank. I don’t know what I would do with my editor, Becky Johnson of Hot Tree Editing, or my cover artist, Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs. Both of these ladies have had a huge impact on my writing career. Becky has made me a stronger writer and Clarissa has helped to create the brand that is Jessie Donovan. I am extremely grateful to work with them both.
I also wish to thank my beta readers—Donna, Iliana, and Alyson. They give my stories the final polish. The small things these ladies point out are amazing and I love that they tell me the truth. It’s rare to find such dedicated and helpful people and I hope they know how much I appreciate them.
Lastly, I wish to thank all of my readers. You make writing full-time possible. Not only that, many of you help brighten my day with pictures, comments, or just talking about my characters with me. Make sure to join my fan group on Facebook. The members of that group helped to pick the title of this story and I love to share the writing process with them.
Thanks again for reading and spreading the word about my books. Until the next book, happy reading!
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.
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.
The Dragon’s Dilemma
Copyright © 2015 Laura Hoak-Kagey
Mythical Lake Press, LLC
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: 978-1942211280
The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) Page 23