"It means that you're here on a trial basis, Delaney. Whether you stay or not depends on how you act."
She sighed dramatically. "Please don't tell me that means you'll give me a series of tests."
His dragon chimed in. That's a good idea. A lot of one-on-one tests. Yes, I like that.
He didn't dignify his beast with a response. "No worse than what dragons are put through by the Department of Dragon Affairs. As much as I'd like to believe sharing DNA with Rian makes you an innocent human who'd never do me or my clan harm, I can't. As you well know from what happened with your sister and her mate, dragon-shifters—and those associated with them—have to be cautious."
With that, Delaney fell silent, and Rhydian was content to not talk further.
Because if she shared more about herself, he might be tempted to ask for more and more again. And that would lead to what would most likely divide his clan—Rhydian once again wanting a human as his own.
Chapter Three
Delaney hadn't been able to sleep more than a few minutes the night before, so she was dressed and pacing as she waited for her escort to arrive.
To be honest, it probably was better that she hadn't slept. It'd been hard enough keeping the dragon leader out of her mind while awake. Who knew what would've happened if she'd been asleep.
And considering his strong, firm hand easily restraining her, combined with his heat at her back, had made her want to relax and lean against him, she didn't want naked dreams of Rhydian Griffiths tempting her with something she couldn't have.
Rian was her priority. She would live up to her sister's request to look after him like her own. And while Delaney didn't know a lot about being a parent, she knew that a child's needs came first.
Even a one-night fling would overly complicate things, especially if Rian had formed any sort of attachment to Rhydian. And considering how the Welsh leader had been taking care of the lad for three months, it was possible he already saw Rhydian as a father figure.
In other words, Rhydian Griffiths was off-limits.
It wasn't as if he were unique among dragon-shifters. Any of the security forces they called Protectors probably could've done the same thing and deflected her blow, which was something few human men could do unless they were well-trained. And she'd always craved a man who didn't balk at her strength or skill.
Rhydian was strong, yes, but he'd been her first true interaction with a dragon-shifter, nothing more.
A knock on the door made her jump. Taking a deep breath, she walked over and opened it.
A small flicker of disappointment flared when it wasn't Rhydian she found but rather the dark-haired female from the day before. The woman had been one of the two people who'd first escorted her inside the mountain.
The dragonwoman motioned with her head toward the corridor. "Follow me."
By nature, Delaney wasn't a follower. As a boxer, she'd always looked for the best opening, the perfect way to hit and bring down her opponent. She was used to attacking and taking charge.
But for Rian's sake, she'd have to follow orders for who knew how long. The trick would be in not making a misstep that could threaten her chances of staying on Snowridge and looking after Rian. While she could remind Rhydian of her option to live with another dragon clan, she didn’t want to move Rian unnecessarily. She needed to give Snowridge a chance for his sake.
So she needed to avoid any trouble, like the kind that could brew from sleeping with the clan leader. Aye, she'd fucked up a bit with Rhydian the night before, possibly encouraging him with her honesty and how her heart had raced when he’d had her in a hold against his body. Delaney just needed to ensure something similar didn't happen again.
Focusing on her surroundings to cleanse her mind of Rhydian Griffiths, Delaney noticed that much like the earlier corridors she'd seen inside Snowridge, the current ones were also lined with tapestries. Maybe she could find out the stories behind them and share them with Rian. After all, kids were supposed to like stories, right?
Not wanting to dwell on how much more she needed to learn as a parent, Delaney pushed all doubts out of her head. Rian seeing her for the first time wouldn't be easy, especially since Delaney looked a lot like her sister. And she needed to prepare for the boy's reaction in case it triggered some sort of painful memory.
Even if it did, she would find a way to help him. She had to, for both her sister and nephew's sake.
The dragonwoman finally stopped in front of a door set a little apart from all the rest. She knocked, and Rhydian opened the door. He nodded at the dragon-shifter. "Thanks, Carys. I can take it from here."
The woman named Carys didn't budge. "Are you sure, Rhydian? I'd feel better if you'd let me at least stand guard at the door."
"Wren is a few doors down, ready to help if I call. I need you to work on the project I gave you."
Delaney expected Carys to protest as Protectors were supposed to guard their leaders’ lives above all else according to something she’d read, but the dragonwoman merely bobbed her head. "Of course."
With that, the female left. Rhydian's blue-eyed gaze finally met hers.
And damn it, his piercing eyes made her insides flip. No man should be as sexy as this one.
His deep voice rolled over her. "Come in. Rian's in his room for now. I'll fetch him once we lay some ground rules."
At the mention of her nephew, the heat and fuzzy feeling vanished. This would be her first chance to make Rian a priority over anything else. "Then let's get started. I don't want to waste any more time before meeting him."
Rhydian stepped aside and she entered the quarters.
Considering they were inside a mountain, it was a lot homier and warm than she'd expected. The walls were covered in wooden panels, which were carved with dragons, flowers, and animals she didn't have time to sort out. All the furniture was in dark colors, and some old swords and shields hung above a fireplace. "This is definitely a single man's home."
"Actually, this is the clan leader's quarters."
She raised an eyebrow. "And have they all been men?"
Rhydian grunted. "Yes, although I don't think that will be the case forever."
His comment piqued her curiosity and she couldn’t help but blurt, "Ireland has one female dragon leader. Is Wales gearing up to be the next clan to have one, too?"
"While I think it'll happen one day, I hope not too soon. I have too much to accomplish before giving up my leadership position."
She should absolutely ignore his comment and ask about Rian. But Delaney had no idea if she'd ever get a one-on-one with the clan leader again, without Rian present, so she asked, "Such as what?"
He studied her with guarded eyes, as if he only looked hard enough, he could see inside her brain.
His pupils flashed to slits and back again before he finally replied, "Getting my clan to stop hating humans, for one. You're my best chance of doing that, Delaney. Keep that in mind."
As they stared at one another, she felt glued in place. There was something about this man—as if his quiet power held deeper secrets, ones that drew her to him.
Then Rhydian's eyes darted to her lips and her heart rate kicked up.
By the time his gaze returned to hers, she was tempted to close the short distance between them so she could feel the strong, powerful dragonman's heat again.
Never in her life had she felt such a pull toward another man. Maybe dragon-shifters had some type of magic they could use against humans.
Although a human love potion seemed a bit much.
A little boy raced across the room and stopped right in front of her. Delaney instantly looked down at a little boy that had her sister's eyes.
Which were also her eyes.
Rian had come out before she’d had time to prepare herself, and tears prickled her eyes as she imagined her sister laughing with the little boy in front of her.
Her nephew asked, "Who are you? You're too short to be my mam, and your hair color is different, but
you look just like her." Rian looked too Rhydian. "Who is she, Rhydian?"
Rhydian casually placed a hand on the lad's shoulder. The familiar gesture sent a small thread of jealousy through Delaney. She'd been right—Rian had grown attached to the clan leader.
Not waiting for Rhydian to answer, she did. "My name is Delaney Murphy. Your mother was my sister, which makes me your aunt."
Rian's brows furrowed. "Aunt? I thought I didn't have any family. Mam and Dad always said it was just us three."
Her heart squeezed. Rosaleen hadn't told her that, and even though she was dead and there was nothing she could do about the past, it still hurt.
Rhydian cleared his throat. "Sometimes adults tell small lies, ones that can help protect others."
Rian replied, "But I thought all lies were bad? You always scold me when I lie to you, Rhydian."
"Because your lies aren't protecting anyone but you. And usually it's hiding something bad, like stealing an extra biscuit or not doing your homework."
Rian tilted his head. "So what's the difference?"
"The difference is that your mum and dad didn't want your aunt to get into trouble. I've explained before how a human mating a dragon-shifter in Ireland is against the law. And so to keep your Aunt Delaney safe, they didn't tell you about her."
Rian glanced at her. "Why? I wouldn't hurt her."
Rhydian grunted, garnering the boy's attention once more. "Maybe not on purpose, but sometimes, especially when we're young, we tell secrets we shouldn't."
Rian looked at Delaney again, studying her face.
He looked so much like her sister, Rosaleen, that it hurt—the same nose, the same auburn hair, the same dark brown eyes.
While her sister would live on through Rian, it still pained Delaney to look at the lad. Hearing about her sister's death and meeting face-to-face with her son, knowing neither of them would ever see Rosaleen again, made it all so real.
The tears she’d been holding back were going to fall. Delaney had been hiding her hurt and betrayal at her sister's actions for so long. Why it had to come rushing forth now, she didn't know. However, one thing was for certain—she was on the verge of breaking down and didn’t want to do it in front of Rian.
Which meant she needed to escape somewhere private, to save Rian the confusion.
Delaney was just together enough to ask Rhydian, "The toilet?"
He gestured to a door and she rushed for it. As soon as she shut the door, Delaney slid to the ground and did her best to muffle the sobs that came rushing forth.
~~~
Rhydian stared at the toilet door, just able to hear Delaney crying.
His dragon spoke up. We should check on her.
He wanted to, but he couldn't leave Rian alone. Especially after introducing him to a woman who apparently looked a lot like his mother.
Rian tugged his top. "What's wrong? I hear her crying."
A human wouldn't have been able to hear Delaney's muffled sobs, but then again, Rian was half dragon-shifter. "She just misses her sister, lad. A lot like how you miss your mum."
He shuffled his feet. "Well, when I'm sad, you always take me out and show me your dragon form. Maybe you should try that with her, too. I'm sure Auntie Laney would forget about everything else when you spread your wings."
He smiled at the boy's shortening of Delaney's name. "I don't know if that would work, but if you want to ask her if she wants to see my dragon form, then you can do so."
Rian nodded. "Okay. Wait right here."
As the boy rushed toward the toilet door, Rhydian's beast chimed in. I didn't think you'd show her our dragon form this soon, if at all.
She already knows I'm a dragon-shifter, so it's not a big surprise.
You've never been this casual about shifting.
She's in pain. Not even I am going to be a bastard and try to push her away or make her hurt even more when she's crying.
Good, good. That gives me more time to convince you we should kiss her.
Shut it, dragon. She's crying over her dead sister. Now is not the time to think of kissing her.
His beast huffed. I won't stop thinking about it until you do it. I want her. She'll make the cold, dark winters so much brighter. And warmer. Why wouldn't you want the female by our side?
Rian rushed over, and Rhydian focused on the boy as he said, "I convinced her. Let's go see your dragon, Rhydian! Oh, wait! I want to get Mr. Cottontail first. He wants to see your dragon, too."
The boy rushed from the room. A second later, Delaney opened the door. While she wasn't crying, her eyes were still slightly red and puffy.
His dragon growled. She should never cry.
While he agreed, he didn't want to encourage his beast. So he walked over to Delaney. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's just that Rian always cheers up when he sees my dragon."
She sniffled and forced a smile. "No, it's okay. I've never seen a dragon up close before, and if I'm going to not only be an aunt to one but also live with a dragon clan, I'd best start getting used to the idea."
Yes, yes, she will. And maybe I can win her over in our dragon form since you're dragging your feet.
Delaney searched his eyes. "Is it rude to ask what your dragon just said?"
He decided to be honest. After all, it was better for her to ask him questions than to offend an older dragonman who thought humans should be pushed off a mountain for being rude. "We usually don't ask unless we know the person well. Our inner dragons are less tactful, and often brutally honest. In most cases, their words are embarrassing.
His beast growled. It's not embarrassing when it's the truth. I will never understand how the human half works.
Well if you haven't figured it out in forty years, you probably never will.
With a huff, his dragon turned his back and ignored him.
Rhydian knew he'd have to woo his beast a little to shift, but he reveled in the short span of silence.
Since Delaney was staring at him with her brows raised in question, he said, "Just a little disagreement. That happens a lot between the human and dragon halves."
Rian raced into the room carrying his stuffed rabbit. He jumped in. "Which I think will be great. Like having a friend with you all the time." Before Delaney could ask any questions, Rian held up his toy. "Say hello to Mr. Cottontail. He's my best friend."
"Cottontail?" Delaney touched the button nose. "I had a stuffed rabbit named Mr. Cottontail when I was a child."
"Really? Mam suggested the name. She said it was a special one, and that he would always be my friend, no matter what."
Delaney nodded. "The same for me."
Rhydian sensed there was a story there, but he also could tell Delaney was about to cry again. Since the thought of her sobbing made both man and beast growl, he guided them toward the door. "Come on. All three of you can watch me change into a dragon."
As they walked down the corridor, Rian chatted about Mr. Cottontail eating his breakfast so he could grow big and strong. He even made Delaney laugh.
Rhydian loved the crinkles at the corners of her eyes. She was so bloody beautiful without even trying.
His dragon's actions probably meant she was their true mate. If he ever kissed Delaney, that meant kicking off a mate-claim frenzy that would only end once she was pregnant with his child.
But even if his clan would accept that, there was the matter of Rian. The last thing Rhydian wanted to do was make the boy feel displaced, or even replaced, with a new baby.
His dragon finally turned around again. We're able to love more than one child.
Why am I even thinking about this? I can't risk the clan turning chaotic, which would most assuredly happen.
Maybe, maybe not. Just don't push her away and end up regretting it.
As Rian took Delaney's hand—the boy was still talking—the sight of the pair walking together did something to his insides.
He said to his beast, Maybe. I won't turn my back on the idea, but
I won't rush into it, either.
That's better than this morning. I'll just have to work harder at convincing you to give it a chance. The clan is stronger and more unified than you think.
Rhydian wanted to believe it, but too many clans had dissolved into chaos recently—both in Ireland and the one in the South of England, even if the English one was doing better now—that he didn't want Snowridge to be yet another name added to that list.
But the image of Rian and Delaney living with him, the three of them loving each other and doing their best to banish the sadness of the past, was one that tempted him. So much so, Rhydian debated testing the clan's limits.
However, Rhydian would start slowly. Maybe a clan gathering to introduce Delaney would be a good first step. He'd have to talk to his Protectors later and see what they thought.
They rounded the last corner and reached the door leading to the outside landing area. All of his planning and consulting could wait. For a short while, he could simply revel in shifting and sharing his dragon with Delaney for the first time.
Chapter Four
Delaney had nearly forgotten all about her tears by the time she, Rian, and Rhydian reached the outside landing area.
Her nephew was a talker and far more charming than any seven-going-on-eight-year-old should be.
Although she recognized the chatting for what it was—a way to hide his feelings or try to forget about his recent past.
Delaney had done that, too, when she'd been not much older than Rian was now. It'd taken boxing to help her deal with the grief surrounding her younger brother's death and sort through her feelings. While many viewed the sport as merely two people hitting each other, it was so much more. The strategy, the tactics, the decision-making—it all required a lot of concentration and practice. So much so that Delaney hadn't had the time to natter on and on about nothing. To be the best, she had to focus her energy on other things. She eventually realized that when she embraced her feelings, she accomplished so much more in the ring than when she had tried to lock them away.
Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2) Page 3