Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2)

by Jessie Donovan

  The hardest part had been putting aside her fear over what had happened to her sister. She only hoped that Rhydian's words, about him having several clans as allies while her sister had been almost alone, would prove true. Especially if they did go through the frenzy and she birthed a half dragon-shifter child. Because once that happened, she'd never leave Snowridge.

  Not that she thought she could do so even without that kind of tie, either. This was where Rian belonged, which meant she did, too.

  A knock on the door made her heart jump. It should be Rhydian. To help calm herself, Delaney smoothed her hair and clothes.

  Each step she took toward the door made her palms sweat. Why, she had no idea. She'd made her decision.

  And yet, the words meant she'd be living with the sexy, romantic, intelligent dragon leader soon, once he finished his important task.

  However, being around him but not kissing him until his important task was completed would be the hardest part.

  You can keep it in your pants, Delaney. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

  And promptly let out said breath at Rhydian's tall, lean form standing in front of her.

  He'd always been in trousers and a button-up top since she'd arrived, but today he wore jeans and T-shirt. The casual clothing suited him better, not to mention it revealed his muscled biceps and defined forearms, as well as the edges of his dragon tattoo.

  The dark lines and edges made her want to lean over and trace the design with her tongue.

  Aye, dragon-shifters were too sexy for their own good.

  Delaney must've said it out loud because Rhydian chuckled and said, "Is this yet another power you think we have over humans? That we can make our bodies attractive and drool-worthy?"

  "I'm not drooling," she muttered.

  "If eyes could drool, yours would be."

  She raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure I could make you do the same if I wanted to."

  His pupils flashed, and the humor in his gaze was instantly replaced with heat. "Shall we set a time for you to try?"

  A small voice inside her head warned that she was entering dangerous territory, but Delaney ignored it. She was going to be this man's wife soon, after all. If she couldn't tease and be herself, then who could she do it with? "How about the first night, once we're mated?"

  His pupils changed again. "So you're going to be my mate?"

  "I don't see why not? I mean, it works best for Rian."

  He growled. "If that's your only reason to saying yes, then I'll rescind my offer."

  The stubborn part of her wanted to dig in and say okay, fine, then he could take it back. However, she couldn't let that part of her personality overrule everything in her life. There was more than just her to think about now. "It's not just for Rian's sake. It's for me, too."

  He relaxed. "Good, that's the answer I need." He put out a hand. "Then, mate-to-be, shall we talk with Gwen? The sooner everything is finalized, the sooner you can stay with her and start your dragon-shifter training."

  She placed her hand in his, the usual spark traveling up her arm at the contact. "What training? As in self-defense?"

  He tightened his grip on her hand and guided her down the hall. "For that, I'll have Carys or Eira help you. No, Gwen will help with your clan education. If you want to fit in here and feel accepted, you'll have to learn rather fast, I'm afraid."

  "Learn what, exactly? Because if I have to memorize hundreds of names in a matter of days, we might have a problem."

  Rhydian shook his head. "Nothing so superficial. However, there are certain clan policies and rules that everyone knows and you'll need to learn, especially since you're not part of the sacrifice program and didn't receive that education from the Department of Dragon Affairs."

  She tilted her head. "I had no idea they did that. Little is known of the sacrifice program in Ireland since it hasn't ever been implemented in my lifetime."

  "I don't know about other places, but in the UK, sacrifices usually have weeks of lessons and homework. Gwen is probably the best person to help you, apart from me, since she's the only other one I know of for sure who has been involved with a human."

  Delaney had forgotten about Rhydian's former girlfriend, from so many years ago, who had also been human.

  Not that she was jealous. However, Lily had hinted about it ending badly. And Delaney wanted to know a little bit about it all while she had the chance. "What happened to you and your human?"

  Rhydian missed a step but then continued like before. "Liliwen and I wanted to be mates, but the clan was against it. There was an established anti-human sentiment here at the time, one endorsed by the clan leader, too. And so I was taught a lesson—hence the scars—and she was chased out of the country." His gaze met hers, steel blazing in them. "However, this time I'm in charge. No one will chase you out, Delaney. That I vow."

  His confidence made her belly flip. Maybe she was naïve, but she believed him. "I know."

  After a few beats, Rhydian nodded. "Good. You believing me is the best thing to happen so far today."

  "More than me saying I'd be your mate?"

  He grinned. "But I already knew you'd say yes, though. So I count that as something I learned yesterday."

  She did roll her eyes at that. "Do all dragon-shifters suffer from being overly cocky and confident?"

  "I was right, so it's not really cocky, just observant."

  She was about to ask if he was claiming his body-language-reading skills were champion-worthy again, but he stopped them in front of a blue door. Rhydian knocked as he murmured, "This is Gwen's place."

  Delaney swore Rhydian had calculated their position in relation to the destination and timed his responses to it.

  However, she forgot all about her wonderings as the door opened to reveal a tall, dark-haired woman. A little girl stood right behind her, her wide, dark brown eyes watching Delaney as if she were some sort of mythical creature.

  Rhydian motioned toward Delaney. "Gwen, meet Delaney. And Delaney, this is Gwen and little Cora."

  Unlike most children Delaney had interacted with over the years, Cora didn't say anything but rather pressed her face into her mother's side. Gwen smiled down at her daughter. "It's okay, Cora. You know Rhydian, and Delaney is his new friend." Gwen met Delaney's eyes. "She'll warm up soon enough. While she's always shy, she hasn't met many humans over the years, either."

  Despite the fact the little girl's father was—or had been—human. And while she didn't know all the details, Delaney was the only human on Snowridge, which meant Cora's father probably wasn't in the picture now, if ever.

  In that second, her heart ached for Gwen and her daughter. It didn't matter if one was a human or dragon-shifter, shitty things could—and did—happen without prejudice.

  It was Rhydian who spoke next. "Well, with the introductions done, I need to go and take care of some things." He looked at her. "Will you be all right alone here with Gwen and her daughter?"

  A small part of her wanted to scream no so that Rhydian would stay. He was going to be her mate, and she was hungry to know more about him.

  And yet, she knew he was a clan leader and he'd always be busy. So she wouldn't be selfish. "I'll be fine. Although I hope I'll see you later?"

  He bobbed his head. "Of course. I'll join you at the school later to pick up Rian."

  She wondered if it was to let the other parents know he approved of Delaney or because he wanted to see her. Maybe it was both. "Until then."

  He finally released her hand, said his goodbyes to Gwen and Cora, and left the way they'd just come.

  Gwen's voice filled her ear. "Come in. I'm sure you have questions, and I'll do the best I can to answer them."

  Tearing her gaze away from Rhydian's retreating figure, she smiled and entered Gwen's place. Even though she was grateful for the dragonwoman's help and kindness, Delaney silently counted down the minutes until she went to collect Rian from school.

  ~~~

  Rhydian somehow mana
ged to leave Delaney's side and focus on his clan for the next six hours.

  He'd told Wren, Carys, and Eira about his future mating to Delaney. They'd all been genuinely happy but had also been full of questions.

  His dragon spoke up. I don't know why they kept insinuating that I couldn't control myself.

  Dragons who find their true mates usually aren't patient, and you know that.

  His beast huffed. I don't like being lumped together with everyone else. It took a lot of patience, strength, and intelligence to win the leadership position. They should know better.

  If the trials had included a test involving our true mate, it might have been much more of a challenge for you. But none of that matters now. We need to hurry if we're to make a grand entrance and let all the parents know of our engagement to Delaney.

  I hope she doesn't hate the surprise.

  Rhydian hoped so, too. If there was one way to get the news out and have it be full of eyewitnesses to his genuine attachment to Delaney, then being a little possessive of his future mate in front of the parents would do the trick. While not everyone loved to gossip, enough of them did to ensure it'd spread throughout the clan within a day or two.

  He normally didn't care for gossip, but it would be a lot safer—as well as easier—than having a formal gathering and making Delaney face all of Snowridge at once for the announcement. This way, they should at least get used to the idea first, and then he could remove the highest threats before allowing her to be exposed in the large gathering hall.

  His dragon grunted. I don't like all this waiting and seeing. I want to be direct and tell everyone outright. That way, we'll have her sooner.

  No, ensuring there's less drama and commotion, meaning we can focus on the operation with Stonefire, will make any sort of claiming happen sooner.

  Before his dragon could say anything else, Rhydian entered the main waiting area of the school and waved to the parents already there. One of the females—Nerys—came up to him and asked, "Are you picking up Rian again? I was surprised to see the human yesterday."

  He raised an eyebrow. "Why? She's his aunt."

  "Yes, but…"

  The honorable male in him wanted to challenge Nerys for her implication, but the clan leader in him knew he had to be more diplomatic.

  At least until he was officially mated, and then everyone knew that to mess with his mate was to poke at both his human and dragon halves.

  So he forced a smile and said, "But what, Nerys?"

  She glanced to the side and shook her head. Nerys wasn't very high on the dominance scale among the Snowridge clan members. Well, when it came to the males anyway. She seemed to challenge the females every chance she got, causing her fair share of headaches that Rhydian had to smooth over.

  His dragon snorted but thankfully remained silent.

  Rhydian spoke again. "If I didn't approve of her taking care of the lad, she wouldn't have picked him up yesterday. You should know that, Nerys. I take the clan's security very seriously, especially after what happened with the children not that long ago."

  Nerys bobbed her head, murmuring, "I know, Rhydian," and moved to talk with one of her friends.

  Rhydian didn't like having to remind people of their place, but sometimes it was necessary. Otherwise some of their dragon halves would become uncontrollable. And if it happened often enough, they could even turn rogue and risk not only other lives in the process, but theirs as well since the DDA handled rogue dragons.

  Which sometimes resulted in death.

  Pushing aside such thoughts, he mingled with some of the other parents. Rhydian had barely made a few more greetings before he felt Delaney enter the room. Even with his back turned, every inch of his skin came alive, alert to her presence and movements.

  Murmuring his pardons to the male dragon-shifter he'd been talking with, Rhydian turned toward Delaney and walked straight to her. Without a word, he took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it.

  The warmth of her skin sent heat through his body, but only through years of experience did he keep his cock from responding.

  Delaney blinked. "Um, hello."

  He raised his gaze and winked. "I wanted to share our secret."

  On cue, one of the dragon-shifters in the room asked, "What secret?"

  Rhydian stood, pulled Delaney to his side, and answered, "Delaney Murphy has agreed to be my mate."

  Nerys blurted, "Why?" at the same time Lily Owens shouted, "That's wonderful!"

  Everyone spoke at once, and Delaney whispered into his ear, "What are you doing?"

  He replied low enough that only she should be able to hear it. "Garnering you protection."

  "And what about Rian? Shouldn't he know first?"

  Rhydian had thought long and hard about that detail. "If we want the word spread quickly, this is the best way to do it."

  There were questions in Delaney's gaze, but Rhydian didn't have a chance to answer any more of them before Lily was right in front of them. "So when did this happen? Is she your true mate? Or was it that you just couldn't resist her? Not that I can blame you. She's clever and beautiful. You can't go wrong with that package."

  Delaney motioned for him to answer. Her movements were a bit stiff, and he had a feeling she was angry.

  However, he could handle her anger when they were alone. With Lily Owens on their side, it would go a long way toward getting the clan to accept his human.

  Yes, Delaney had already become his. He may have to woo her and win her still, but merely having her at his side relaxed him in a way he hadn't felt in years.

  He finally replied, "True mate or not doesn't matter. Which you should know, given what happened with your son."

  Lily's son, Kai, was mated to a human who wasn't his true mate. And the pair held a stronger bond than many of the true pairings he'd seen over the years.

  Lily never looked away from his gaze. "That doesn't mean I'm not curious."

  Delaney spoke up. "I'm his true mate."

  Gasps echoed in the room, but Rhydian didn't let them unsettle him. "She's right. But the mating ceremony won't take place just yet. I'll let everyone know when it does."

  Delaney muttered, "I hope I'm included in that."

  His human was most definitely upset. The question was why. She'd wanted to stop all the dragon-shifters from questioning her at every turn, and his actions would most definitely help with that.

  His dragon rumbled but didn't say anything. So Rhydian said, What, are you against me now, too?

  I'm staying out of it.

  At that moment, the kids started filing out for the day. Rhydian didn't release his hold on Delaney as he headed toward Rian. Although he'd have to be completely clueless to not notice how stiffly she walked next to him.

  Aye, they would be having a serious talk as soon as possible. He wanted the teasing, warm female from earlier to come back.

  Rian rushed toward them. "Rhydian, Auntie Laney, you both came!"

  Delaney stepped away and hugged Rian. "We did." She released the boy. "Are you ready to be my helper again tonight?"

  Rian shuffled his feet. "I want to, but Osian asked me to go home with him after school for dinner. I promised last week I'd go. And Rhydian said we're supposed to keep our promises."

  Delaney squatted down to Rian's eye level. "Don't worry about it, Rian. Go to your friend's house. We can make something extra special tomorrow, okay?"

  Rian lifted his gaze, his eyes bright. "Yes! I can't wait. Maybe I'll go to sleep early so I can wake up early."

  Delaney laughed, and Rhydian secretly wished he'd been the one to make her do it.

  The human female replied, "You can always try. Now, where's this friend of yours? I'd like to meet him and his parent or guardian."

  Rhydian of course already knew Osian's parents and decided Delaney would do best to talk with them by herself.

  However, he leaned down and whispered to her, "We'll leave together and go to my office. My schedule is free for at le
ast an hour, so we can talk."

  She bobbed her head curtly. Standing, she took Rian's hand and went to meet his friend's mother.

  His dragon finally spoke up again. You fucked up somehow.

  Yes, I gathered that. The question is, how.

  You'd better find out. I don't like Delaney this way. She shouldn't be distant.

  I agree, dragon, I agree.

  As another clan member came up to ask him about something, Rhydian did his best to focus a few more minutes on his clan. He'd have Delaney alone soon enough, and then he'd find out why his human was so upset.

  ~~~

  Delaney wasn't skilled at showing one emotion when another was churning inside. However, she did her best to smile and be polite with Rian's friend and his friend's mother.

  Thankfully the dragonwoman didn't bring up Rhydian's recent announcement. Otherwise, her temper may have burst forth.

  As soon as she left Rian with his friend and his mother, Delaney walked back to Rhydian. Regardless of what she wanted to say in that moment, she would save it for when they were alone. Clan politics could be a dangerous thing, as Gwen had explained, and right now Rhydian was in a precarious position. Something about weeding out those who wanted him to fail.

  Furious as she may be, she didn't want to risk his or anyone inside Snowridge's lives.

  The man was smart enough not to put an arm around her waist, though, as they left. They walked in silence, each step making Delaney's heart thump harder as she clenched her fingers into a fist.

  Even though she'd never been inside Rhydian's office yet, she barely paid it a second glance as they entered it. The moment he shut the door, she took a few steps away and turned to face him. "Why did you surprise me with your announcement like that? You should've told me first."

  "I didn't think it'd be a huge deal. You consented to be my mate, and so I shared the news."

  She growled. "Is this how it's to be, then? You make the decisions and I just passively sit by and accept them? Because that's shite, and you know it."

  He frowned. "Of course not. I just want the clan to be more accepting of you a little bit before I push their boundaries further."