"Oh, there's no fucking way. I'd strip, position my cock, and thrust to the hilt. Once you were used to my size, I'd claim you over and over again, thrusting hard and deep until you were nearly ready to come again. Then I'll pinch that hard clit between my fingers and revel in your pussy milking my cock. Only once you were coming down would I finally let go and make you orgasm all over again."
Delaney was so close, if only she could get a little more pressure against her clit.
Rhydian murmured, "Let me help you, love. I can at least give you this right now."
If she had any rational thought left, Delaney might've paused and wondered if it was a good idea to let Rhydian finger her before they'd even kissed.
And yet she was too far gone and nodded. "Please. I'm nearly there."
He moved her away a few inches, undid the button and fly of her jeans, and then slowly slid his hand inside her pants.
The instant his rough finger touched her pussy, she moaned and arched toward him. "Even if it's just your finger, I want you inside me. Now."
He didn't hesitate and slowly entered her. Clinging to his arms, she moved her hips to hurry him up. "More, give me more."
With a growl, Rhydian removed his finger and thrust back in with two. He continued the movement, hitting the secret spot inside of her that made her even hotter.
By this point, Delaney panted. And Rhydian had only used his fingers.
Damn, she looked forward to what he could do with his dick.
Then Rhydian lightly brushed her clit with his thumb, and she could do nothing but ride his fingers and hold on. Soon the pressure built and she crested over the edge, her pussy squeezing Rhydian's fingers as he continued to move.
By the time she finally came down, she was slumped against Rhydian's chest, grateful for the support or her knees might've gone out.
Rhydian's voice rumbled under her ear. "And that, my dear Irish lady, is merely the tip of the iceberg of what I want to do with you."
Rubbing his chest in slow circles with one of her hands, she said, "I have a few fantasies of my own I'd like to try." She ran her hand down to the hard outline of his cock against his jeans. "I can show you a peek of them right now."
Hissing, Rhydian grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "As much as I want to say fuck yes, I can't, love. It's too dangerous. No matter how honorable me or my dragon might be, it could make our resolve snap and start the frenzy."
Doing her best to hide her disappointment—she knew it had to be this way, but she still didn't like it—she asked, "When will this operation of yours be over?"
"If I have any say in the matter, less than two weeks."
She looked up and did a double take at his pupils rapidly flashing between round and slitted. The question she'd been about to ask faded. "Are you okay?"
His eyes finally stopped changing and the pupils remained round. "I will be. I just need to let you go and put some distance between us."
She stepped back and was grateful she could stand upright on her own again. "Not for long, I hope?"
"Not if I can help it." He gestured toward her pants. "Tidy up and then we'll go. Rian's waiting for us at home. I explained as much as I could to him, but he'll have questions. I hope you're ready for them."
As she made herself presentable again, she smiled at the word home. There would be plenty of fights ahead. But now, Delaney had sorted through most of her doubts and was determined to come out the winner.
She bobbed her head. "I think so. I plan to be honest more than anything. I hope that matches your parenting style."
Rhydian snorted. "If winging it by the seat of your pants is your style, too, then yes."
She grinned and met his gaze again. "As it happens, yes, that's it. Although at some point, we'll need to talk more about what we both expect."
"Of course." He reached out a hand and she placed hers in his without hesitation. "Now, let's go. It's time to face the clan and the future."
Together, they left the surgery and headed toward Rhydian's place. Wait, no, their place.
Aye, their place. Together, they would defend their home and show everyone that humans and half humans belonged on Snowridge like anyone else.
Chapter Eleven
If someone had told Rhydian even a few months ago that he'd be standing in the main landing area, waiting for some dragon-shifters from Lochguard and Stonefire to arrive to help his adopted son, he would've called them mad.
And yet, here he was, waiting for some half-human dragons, as well as even a human- and dragon-mated couple, to come and interact with the children for a special day at school.
His dragon spoke up. We probably should've done this a year or two ago, once Stonefire started changing things in the UK.
Given how restrictive the DDA was even two years ago about dragons from one clan interacting with another, it probably couldn't have happened. The approval process to officially let us meet would've taken months, not days.
A few dragons appeared in the distance. Rhydian glanced at Wren and his head Protector nodded. Those were the Stonefire dragons.
He and Wren remained at the edges as a familiar golden dragon landed first. It was Kai Sutherland. The male had barely touched the ground before his wings shrunk into his back, his limbs grew smaller, and his snout morphed into a human nose and face.
Kai waved hello, but then focused on the black dragon who hovered in the air. He carried a basket in his rear talons and gently laid it on the ground.
Kai went to the basket and took one and then another toddler into his arms before a woman most every dragon-shifter in the UK would recognize on sight exited it, too.
Melanie Hall-MacLeod was here.
Rhydian had been against the celebrity-like human coming, but Delaney had convinced him that she would be the best human to visit precisely because everyone knew who she was. They may still be trying to scare away Delaney, but Melanie had not only Stonefire but the entire Department of Dragon Affairs office behind her. Not to mention the media as well. The children would think twice before blurting out a hurtful comment.
Or so they hoped.
His beast chimed in again. She'll be safe. Kai wouldn't have brought Melanie here if he hadn't thought so, too.
Still, if anything happens to her or her children, it could destroy our fragile alliance.
Have faith. The worst offenders are already on the farms and being monitored by the DDA.
Melanie took her son back from Kai and headed toward Rhydian, a smile on her face. Many people had underestimated the human female early on because of her kindness and shorter stature.
She reached Rhydian and rearranged her grip on her son, who was trying his best to lean backward. Probably to be let down, from what little Rhydian knew about a toddler's behavior. Melanie nodded at him. "Hello, Rhydian. While I'd like to run through all the formalities, if we don't find somewhere for Jack to run around, it might not end well. While Annabel loves flying in the basket, Jack hates the small space."
Rhydian resisted blinking. He'd never really held a conversation with Melanie before, and it was hard to believe this female talking about her children's habits was such a force behind changing things for dragon-shifters in the UK.
As he tried to think of where he could take them so the kids could play, Melanie's mate had shifted to his human form and strode over. Tristan MacLeod, daughter on his hip, placed a possessive arm around his mate's waist. "Rhydian."
"Tristan."
The dragonman was content to stand there in silence. Rhydian knew Tristan was a teacher. No doubt the male had his students in line without more than a blink.
Thankfully Kai came over to break up the awkward silence, and Rhydian turned his attention to the dragonman and asked, "Aren't there supposed to be a few more coming?"
Kai answered, "Sebastian will be here soon. He's waiting to help escort the Lochguard dragons in."
Rhydian frowned. "Why?"
Kai shrugged. "Let's just say that the father of
the twin girls is overprotective. And most definitely not a Protector, so it was the compromise we struck with Lochguard to allow them to come."
Rhydian had heard of the mysterious female twins born not that long ago. "Whilst I understand the dramatics the half-human twin females will bring, is it safe for them to come here? They're only babies."
Melanie did her best to keep her son from falling as she replied, "Their mother wants to help. Not only is she human, but she's one of the toughest nurses you'll meet. She shouldn't have trouble with the kids."
Tristan muttered, "Her mate should've stayed home. The students will eat him alive."
For a second, Rhydian realized the divide between his clan and the two others.
His beast spoke up. Give it time. They've cultivated their alliance and friendship over a couple of years.
Kai spoke up again. "Which is why not only our Protector is waiting to escort them, Lochguard sent their second-in-command, too. Both of the male Protectors are half human, by the way. So both children and adults can interact with your students."
Neither Stonefire nor Lochguard had been sure they could send one of the few half-human adults or not. Many of the half-human members were parents, builders, nurses, small-business owners, and the like. While everyone here today could easily stand up to some skepticism and being tested, not everyone could. It didn't make them any less valuable to the clan as a whole. It took all sorts to make a clan healthy and happy.
His dragon grunted. Which maybe now we can focus more on since the worst offenders are out of the mountains.
Hush. We'll talk more about that later.
Rhydian gestured toward the door. "Kai can take you and your children out of the cold, Melanie. I'm sure his mother can find somewhere for the twins to play until the presentation at the school."
Jack moved to lean sideways, and Melanie sighed. "I hate to miss the others' arrival, but it's probably for the best. We'll see you soon, Rhydian."
The female's warm smile was contagious and his own lips turned upward.
Once the family of four and Kai were gone, Rhydian waited with Wren for the others and asked, "Have you met the other Protectors coming?"
"Not since the clan leader trials down south, for Clan Skyhunter. But if Lochguard is allowing the twin females to come here, then their leader must trust them."
In dragon-shifter lore, twin females were a sign of change and forthcoming peace. They were incredibly rare among his kind to begin with since dragon-shifters populations skewed male. On top of that, he hadn't ever heard of a human and dragon-shifter pairing producing a set of female twins before, either.
His beast said, It'll be good for the students. After all, if a pair of half-human female twins are supposed to bring peace and prosperity, they may start to see mixed children in a different light.
I hope so. Rian wants more than anything to go back to school.
Even though it'd only been a week, the boy hated being at home. Rhydian and Delaney had learned just how close he'd become to his friend Osian, as well as most of the teachers. Given the recent upheaval in the boy's life, he deserved stability again.
Several more dragons came into view and Rhydian focused on them. He'd been forewarned about Fraser MacKenzie—the father of the twin girls—and he needed to try and be courteous and not rise to the bait.
~~~
Delaney stood outside the school's auditorium with Rian at her side and smiled down at her nephew. "Are you ready?"
He bobbed his head. "Yes. Rhydian taught me how to look brave, even if I'm a little nervous."
It twisted her heart to think such a young boy had to learn such a lesson so soon, but hopefully today would change things to the better not only for Rian but her, too. "And just remember, there are loads of other half dragon-shifters in there. You'll get to meet them before any of the other students come in."
Rian tugged her hand. "Let's go, Auntie Laney. I want to meet them."
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and guided Rian inside.
In the middle of the big room stood a much larger group of people than she'd thought would attend. Some she recognized from articles and news reports she'd seen online—such as Melanie Hall-MacLeod—but the others were unfamiliar.
However, she didn't have long to catalogue the different people before a little girl who probably wasn't even yet two walked over and wrapped her chubby arms around Delaney's leg.
She smiled. "Hello, little darling, who are you?"
"Bell. Me Bell."
An American woman's voice filled her ears. "Good job, Annabel." Delaney then met the gaze of Melanie, and the woman continued, "You must be Delaney." Melanie looked down at Rian. "And you're Rian, aren't you?"
Rian tilted his head. "You talk weird, like in the cartoons."
Melanie laughed. "Yes, my accent does stick out here. But I hope we can still be friends?"
Rian studied Melanie a second, and it pained Delaney to know the boy was more careful than many his age.
He finally bobbed his head. "I think so. Rhydian said you were great. And human, too. Like my mam was."
Melanie's gaze turned sympathetic. "I'm sorry about your mom, Rian. But from what I hear, Rhydian and your aunt love you very much."
Even though she and Melanie had just met, Delaney's eyes teared up a little. The other woman had no reason to try and help Rian, and yet here she was, doing so.
It seemed the rumors about Melanie Hall-MacLeod having a huge heart were true.
A Scottish male's voice drifted from behind Melanie. "So here's the wee lad then." A tall, ginger-haired bloke carrying a baby—the man had to be Fraser MacKenzie according to the descriptions she'd received—moved next to Melanie before crouching down. "I hear you haven't met many half dragon-shifter children to date. Come say hello to my daughter, Skye. She's just like you—half human and half dragon-shifter."
Rian leaned over and stared at the sleeping baby. "Are you sure she's part dragon? She looks like any other baby to me."
Fraser scrutinized Rian's face. "And you look like any other boy to me."
Rian stood tall. "My dad was a dragon, and so am I."
Rhydian had long ago explained to Delaney about how no one knew if Rian's dragon would awaken or not, given his captivity months ago.
However, Delaney had hope and was ready to defend her nephew when Fraser nodded solemnly. "You already act like one, lad. You'll do fine." He lowered his voice. "Who knows, maybe one day Lochguard will try to get you to come to Scotland."
Rian leaned against her side and she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Rian murmured, "I like it here."
Melanie—who had managed to get her daughter into her arms again—said, "And so you do. It just means we'll have to visit again, so you can be the older, protective friend to our babies."
Rian made a face at baby Skye. "She's so little. I don't think she'd be fun to play with."
Fraser laughed. "She basically eats and poops right now. But one day, lad, that will change." He lowered his voice. "And let's hope my mate doesn't add you to her list of potential mates for our daughters. I swear she's going to weed through everyone old enough before their second birthdays."
A Scottish woman's voice carried over. "I heard that, Fraser."
"And it's true, aye?"
The brown-haired woman she was pretty sure was Holly if she was Fraser's mate answered, "Maybe. But I'm not the only one with plans for Summer and Skye. Shall we tell them your ideas?"
"They're good ones, honey. You agreed earlier."
"I wouldn't say agree…" the other woman drawled.
Not wanting an argument to break out right before the other students came in, Delaney jumped in. "Who wants to introduce Rian to all the other visitors?"
Melanie put out a hand. "Will you come with me, Rian? That way your auntie can meet some of the other adults and probably ask boring adult things."
It was true Delaney had wanted to talk to Holly in particular—she was a human mated
to a dragon-shifter and had suffered her fair share of danger because of it—but only if Rian was okay with it.
He glanced up at her. "Will you be okay, Auntie Laney?"
From the moment she’d read her sister’s letter, asking for her to look after Rian, Delaney had loved her nephew. However, as each day passed, she learned more about him and loved him even more. Him merely asking if she were okay made her heart fill with happiness. She didn’t know how she could ever live without him going forward. "I'll be fine, lad. Go have fun with the other kids and talk with the Protectors."
After her nephew hugged her, he took Melanie's hand. The other woman guided him to the visiting children and the two half-human Protectors.
As soon as they joined the group, the brown-haired woman handed off her baby to Kai and walked over. She smiled. "Hello, Delaney. I'm Holly. I heard you had some questions for me?"
So she'd been correct—this was Fraser's human mate.
Fraser, still standing nearby, mumbled, "I swear you know everything."
She grinned. "Good you recognize that, Fraser. It'll make things easier."
As the couple stared at each other with grins, Delaney longed for the same.
She and Rhydian were definitely more comfortable with each other, but the mate-claim frenzy—or lack of one—laid between them. She had a feeling that until it was completed, she couldn't really grow as close to Rhydian as she wanted.
Let alone admit she was falling for him.
Not wanting to go down that path and risk the Scottish couple guessing her thoughts, she cleared her throat, garnering both of their attention. "If possible, I'd like to talk with Holly alone."
Fraser readjusted his grip on his daughter. "Aye, I suppose you do. I think I need to go over there and prod Tristan a little anyway. His sister Arabella asked me to, and I better keep that promise."
He walked away with a wink and Delaney frowned at Holly. "I don't know how you keep up with who is who so easily."
Holly shrugged. "I don't remember everyone's names, but Arabella is the mate of Lochguard's clan leader. So it's probably best you learn that one."
Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2) Page 11