by Rinelle Grey
“And just how are you going to get that?” Rowan asked, his voice amused. “Mora is going to have to take a risk, Hayrian, just as you did with Audrey. You remember that, don’t you?”
From the blush on her brother’s face, Morian was pretty sure he did. Audrey stepped forwards at that point and took Hayrian’s hand. “Come on, let’s leave them to it. We both know how it feels.”
For a moment, Morian thought it might work. But then a mutinous look came over Hayrian’s face. “Yeah, but this is Mora, my sister. It’s not right. I’m supposed to protect her.”
Apparently Damrian agreed with him because he gave a growl low in his throat.
Morian was sick and tired of it. Didn’t they get it?
“I’m not just your sister,” she said firmly. “I’m also my own person, and I need to make my own choices. And yeah, sometimes my own mistakes. I’m willing to take a risk on Finn just as both of you were willing to take a risk on your mates. And you don’t get to protect me from that anymore than I got to protect you from the risks you took.”
As Morian spoke, she realised they weren’t the only ones who had to change to make this work. She might have railed against them protecting her, but deep down, she’d always counted on it too. She’d known they would be there for her if she needed them.
And she knew they still would.
She looked at her three brothers, but suddenly her annoyance at them faded and her heart overflowed with love.
“I know you all care about me,” she told them. “And I count on that. I know you’d be there to help me if I ever needed it, no matter what, just like I’d be there for you. But I’m never going to need that if you never give me a chance to do anything risky in life. I need to live my life. And it’s much easier to do that knowing you are all at home to help me if I need it.” She emphasized the word home, hoping they’d get the picture.
Hayrian’s eyes were a little misty, and he pulled his mate in close to his side.
Damrian dipped his head, and Zara came up and leaned against his scaly hide, stroking his skin.
Rowan gave a warm smile, but there was a hint of longing in it. Morian hoped he’d find his own mate and soon. Even if he wasn’t a dragon, he had the heart of one. He deserved that kind of everlasting love just as much as the rest of them.
“Fine, little sister, you win,” Hayrian growled. “We’ll go.” He turned and gave Finn a stern look. “But just know, if you hurt her in any way, you’ll answer to the three of us.”
Morian winced. Why did they have to keep freaking Finn out?
But Finn didn’t seem freaked out. Instead he said seriously, “If I do ever hurt her, you’re welcome to do whatever you like. Because I’ll deserve it.”
Hayrian stared at Finn for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. Then he nodded, a hint of respect in his eyes. “Good,” was all he said, but he did turn and let Audrey drag him away. Damrian followed him, transforming back into his human form as he did.
Rowan was the last to leave. He looked at Morian and Finn for a long moment before saying, “Have fun kids.”
Then he, too, left.
Chapter 20
Finally, Finn and Mora were alone.
Finn stared at her, a million questions and thoughts running around and tripping over each other in his head.
But they’d all wait until later. All except one.
“Rowan, your brother, he called you Morian?” he asked, stepping closer to her.
She nodded. “Morian is my dragon name. All our dragon names end in Rian for our clan name. Mum was a bit worried people would think it strange if we all had names ending the same way, so she gave us normal human names as well. Those are the ones on our birth certificates.”
The answer just spawned more questions. “So Hayrian, Damrian, and… Rorian?” Finn guessed.
Mora… Morian… laughed softly at that. “No, not Rowan. He’s human. He’s my half-brother. We share a mother, but not a dragon father.”
Well at least that one answered a few of his other questions as well.
Finn took another step closer and reached out his hand to gently stroke her cheek. Mora gave a sigh and leaned into his hand, closing her eyes.
“So do you prefer I call you Morian then?” Finn asked, needing to know.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Actually, my family mostly call me Mora, short for Morian. So I don’t mind. You choose.” She shrugged as though it wasn’t important.
But for some reason, it was to Finn.
Mora would be easy. He wouldn’t have to change what he already called her, and it was, after all, what her family called her, too. And unlike Morian, it would make it easier to forget that she was a dragon.
But that was just what he didn’t want to do.
He couldn’t love a magnificent woman like Morian and pretend she wasn’t half dragon. It was part of her, and it was one of the things that made her special.
His mind made up, he stroked her cheek again, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Morian it is then.”
He knew he’d made the right decision when she gave him a brilliant smile.
That was all the invitation he needed.
They’d waited so long for this moment.
All right, so it had only been a few days, but it felt like far longer. So much had happened—so much had changed it might have been a whole lifetime. Finn almost felt like he was a different person.
One who might be worthy of a woman like Morian. If she’d have him.
She sucked in her breath, her eyes stared into his, and her lips parted. An invitation, clearly.
One Finn couldn’t resist. He smiled as he bent his head and kissed her.
As their lips touched, a fire exploded in him as though it had been smouldering for days, waiting for this moment. Suddenly, Finn could barely breathe, barely think. All he was aware of was the point at which their bodies touched, the feel of her lips under his, and the molten river of desire running through him.
All those stories about dragons being addictive, about humans being drawn to them like a moth to the flame? Finn immediately knew those were true. He would never be able to get enough of Morian, never be able to think about a woman other than her.
But it wasn’t just because she was a dragon. It was because of who she was. Because in her, his heart had found its soulmate. Finn didn’t even care if that thought sounded corny. It was true. There was no other way to describe how he felt about her.
And as she pressed her body up against his, her arms going around his waist and grasping his buttocks, he gave a soft groan of surrender. He had no idea what all this meant, but he didn’t care. He was more than willing to give himself over to this, to take a chance on her, and to accept whatever came with it.
Finally, he got it. All those women and men who had joined the dragon clan to be with their mates, he understood why. Because who could resist this?
It was all the adventures he’d ever dreamed about all rolled into one.
And he never had to be afraid because he trusted her completely.
Morian moaned softly, kissing him, and then pausing and kissing him again before finally pulling her head back just a little. The expression on her face said it was the last thing she wanted, but it was also resolute.
“Finn?”
He stared down at her, suddenly worried. “Is something wrong?”
“I…” Morian paused, then she took a deep breath. “You’re not… you’re not scared of me anymore, right?”
Was that what this was about? Finn sighed in relief and shook his head immediately. “How could I be scared of you? You’ve never done anything even remotely threatening to me.”
“As if I would,” Morian said firmly. And Finn didn’t doubt it for a moment. His answer seemed to reassure her, and her hand caressed his butt again, her lips coming closer to his. He’d closed his eyes and lowered his head towards hers when she said, “But back at the cabin, you were scared then.”
Finn sighed and opened his eyes. He needed to reassure her, but how could he even begin to explain when he didn’t really understand it himself?
“It wasn’t you I was afraid of, not really. I mean, I know you were there, but when your eyes changed like that, it reminded me of that other dragon, the one at the mountain, and that scared me. He was different to you… I can’t explain.”
A shadow crossed Morian’s face. “I know.” Her voice was taut and rough, and he felt her whole body tense as if she was a little scared of him too. “I’ve met him.”
The fact that Morian, another dragon, was scared of him too should have reassured Finn. He’d been right to be afraid. It was normal, not completely crazy. But it didn’t help. In fact, it made his fear of the dragon worse.
As much as he feared the other dragon, the thought that he’d been in the same place at the same time as Morian made Finn even more apprehensive. “When?”
Even as he asked the question, he knew the answer. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised when Morian said, “When I first arrived at the lair, a couple of weeks ago.”
Finn wanted to ask her what she’d been doing there. He wanted to pull her closer and never let her go. He wanted to tell her she should stay away from that dragon. But he knew her brothers’ overprotection had bothered her. He didn’t want to do the same thing.
Besides, she was a dragon. Him being overprotective of a dragon seemed like the height of stupidity.
Morian sighed though. “You don’t need to worry about me,” she said. “I wasn’t in any danger.”
Finn might not be able to protect her against an enemy dragon, but he wasn’t stupid either. “I’ve met that dragon. He certainly seemed dangerous to me.”
She gave a small smile at that. “Oh, he’s dangerous all right. You should stay well away from him. But he’s not a threat to me.”
That didn’t make any sense. Finn didn’t know much about dragons, but he did know there were at least two clans, and that the truce between them was rocky at best. “How can he not be a threat to you?”
“Well…” Morian said, “this will make absolutely no sense, since everyone always thinks they have to protect me, but I’m actually one of the most powerful dragons out there.”
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Not that I doubt you or anything… but are you sure?”
Morian was kind, caring, smart, and far braver than he was, but she certainly didn’t look big and strong. And she didn’t feel it either. Her slim body was light in his arms, inspiring a need to protect her.
But the laugh she gave held no doubt. “Dragon strength isn’t all about physical prowess. Finn, you need to know this if we’re going to mate, because it’s a part of who I am. I’m not just an ordinary dragon. I’m a life dragon.”
Her words didn’t mean anything to Finn, but he nodded as though he was following, hoping she’d continue.
“I don’t throw lightning or fire or even water like my brothers. I can manipulate life. I can sense what people are feeling and even manipulate it. I can heal injuries with a thought. And I can cause them just as easily.”
Finn was in shock and a little awe at her words. “So… you know what I’m feeling right now then?”
She grinned a little. “Surprised and shocked and impressed.” She wriggled her body against his. “And maybe a few other things.”
Her words were so quick, automatic, as though she didn’t even have to think about what he was feeling. She just knew.
Finn had thought he was okay with her being a dragon, but despite his best efforts, this was throwing him off a little. Oh, he wasn’t scared, not this time, but he was… overwhelmed.
Morian reached out and put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay to be unsure,” she told him. “We can take as long as you need. I don’t want you to rush into anything.” She paused and stared into his eyes, and Finn could feel the pull, strong and sure.
Only suddenly he wasn’t so sure. Oh, he knew what he was feeling all right, and yeah those feelings hadn’t changed. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life before. He wanted to take this connection they felt to the next level, even if he wasn’t really sure what that level was.
Somehow the intensity of those feelings, instead of being reassuring, made him nervous. Were they really his feelings? She’d said she could manipulate feelings. Was she was doing that now?
How would he ever know?
He stared into her eyes, at the worried crease between her brows, and he knew there was only one way to be sure. “Are you manipulating me now?” he asked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
The immediate shake of her head only confirmed what he already knew. “No, I wouldn’t do that. Why would I want to be with someone I had to manipulate into liking me?” She gave a slight grin. “Besides, I think you’re resistant to my suggestions.”
Finn raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Back on the boat, when you first arrived,” Morian explained, “I tried to influence you into telling me why you were really here, and you didn’t. Remember?”
He did, even though those few days felt more like a lifetime. “I did feel this urge to tell you, yeah. Was that what it feels like?”
Morian nodded. “It’s subtle. I can’t control people. I can only… suggest. You still have complete free will. And apparently more than most people. Very few people resist even my gentle suggestions, and they certainly can’t make it through my protections.”
Finn stared at her. Her explanation reassured him a little, but he still had to take her word for it, still had to trust her. And yet, somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to doubt her. “I suppose I’ll know it when I have this sudden, out of character urge to take the garbage out,” he joked.
Morian grinned, but shook her head. “I’d never do that,” she said earnestly. “I’d never try to influence you into doing anything other than what you want to do.”
Finn believed her.
Yeah, partly that was because he wanted to. Being with her felt so good he never wanted it to end. He almost didn’t care if it wasn’t real.
But there was a deeper part of him that knew it had to be real. He didn’t care how powerful her dragon magic was. She couldn’t fake a connection like the one he felt to her, especially not if that suggestion back on the boat had been a sample of her powers. He’d been able to resist that easily, to know it had been a bad idea, though he had wanted to do it.
He’d know if this was a bad idea too, but not one bit of it felt bad.
No, this felt nothing but good. The feel of her body, still close to his, felt right. Her lips on his had been magical. Her heart beating against his chest, that felt perfect.
Even with all she’d told him, Finn knew that no matter what, this was right where he wanted to be.
That was when it hit him. There was one thing he hadn’t told her yet.
“I trust you, Morian. And I know it’s all me when I say I love you.”
A smile lit up her face. “I love you too, Finn.”
Chapter 21
Morian couldn’t believe it. Not only had her brothers finally accepted she had the right to make her own choices and left, but Finn had agreed not to tell the police anything about her being a dragon. And best of all, he seemed to have accepted that she was a dragon. And he loved her in spite of it.
Everything seemed perfect.
She kept looking around, waiting for something to go wrong.
But Finn was smiling at her. “You remember last time we were up here?” he asked, his voice soft and sensuous.
Morian’s body heated at the thought. Oh, she remembered it all right. “You teased me by jumping in the pool all naked and then didn’t follow through.” She gave a pretend scowl.
Finn laughed. “I did. I’m sorry. It didn’t feel right sleeping with you when I was lying about who I was and why I was here. Not that I didn’t want to.”
Oh, she knew that all right. She’d been able to sense how muc
h he’d wanted her.
At the time she’d been very disappointed that he’d kept his distance, but now she was kind of glad. She was glad their first time was after everything was out in the open.
Well, almost everything.
“There is one more thing I have to tell you, actually,” she said.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m sure no secret could be that big a deal after telling me you’re a dragon.” She could sense the confidence oozing out of him, the certainty nothing else would faze him.
Morian wasn’t so sure.
“This one’s kind of related,” she admitted. “And it’s a doozy.”
A tiny bit of uncertainty crept into his emotions at that point. “Well, come on, out with it.”
Morian took a deep breath. “It’s about dragon mating.”
Finn gave a grin at that. “That doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a problem. Mating is sex, right?”
Morian nodded. “But it’s not that simple.”
“It rarely is.”
Why did he keep joking? Didn’t he get that this was serious? That he needed to understand?
For a moment, Morian was tempted to leave the explanations for later. It wasn’t like mating once would mean they were mated for life. They had a few chances to see if they were compatible before they reached the point of no return.
But it had felt so good earlier when she’d thought all their secrets were out in the open. She wanted this one done and dusted too.
When they mated, she wanted to know forever was a foregone conclusion, not still have doubts in the back of her mind.
Not that she had any doubts about Finn. Every cell in her body proclaimed he was her mate and that she wanted no other.
It was how he would react that she was unsure about.
“Come on, spit it out,” Finn encouraged. “I promise I won’t bite.” He grinned again at that.
He was so cute when he grinned like that. It made her heart squeeze and her throat choke up.
Why was she hesitating? It really wasn’t that big a deal. She just had to tell him, and then wait to see how he reacted.