Reawakening the Dragon: Part Four (9 page)

Jane still remembered Rafe’s black eye from the video conference a few days later. “Just be glad he hasn’t withdrawn his help in tracking the hunters.”

“For all his faults, Rafe cares about your safety. He’ll do whatever it takes to ensure it.” Kai gestured toward the basket. “Now, stop stalling and get into the bloody basket.”

Before Jane could reply, wings grew from Kai’s back, his nose elongated into a snout, and his arms and legs stretched into longer limbs with talons.

It may have been a cloudy November day, but Kai’s golden hide shined even in the dim light.

He was beautiful.

Kai squatted before jumping into the air. A few beats of his wings later and he hovered in place to the left of where she was standing.

Taking her cue, Jane climbed into the basket and rearranged his clothes on the floor. After she picked up the thermal blanket she needed to keep warm, she shouted, “I’m ready.”

Kai bobbed his head before slowly lowering over the basket. Wrapping herself in the blanket to help keep out the wind from his wings, Jane sat down on the floor so she wouldn’t have to watch the ground speed past below her. She’d survived the flight with Nikki because Jane had been concentrating on Kai’s injuries. She didn’t have anything to distract her this time.

She swore amusement danced in Kai’s eyes before he delicately gripped the rings in his talons.
 

As her bastard dragonman lurched into the air with more force than was necessary, Jane closed her eyes and shrank into her blanket. He’d done that on purpose and she’d get him back later.

For the moment, Jane focused on staying warm and keeping her eyes closed.
 

The ride was smoother than she’d imagined, but the air whooshing above her in combination with the beating of Kai’s wings reminded her they were several hundred if not thousands of feet up in the air.
 

Humming a popular song she’d heard on the radio, Jane shifted her mind into reporter mode and ran through everything she wanted to find out about not just Kai’s family, but Clan Snowridge as well. Bram and Evie were counting on her and Kai and she wasn’t about to let them down. Not just because Bram had approved her podcast idea, but also because Stonefire was her home and she would do whatever it took to make it a safe place for all.

~~~

Kai looked down for the fiftieth time, but Jane was still huddled inside her blanket.

Leave it to him to have a mate who didn’t enjoy flying.

His dragon spoke up.
She will. Give it time.

Says the beast who wants to do a sharp dive and then pull up again.

It’s fun.

Not to Jane.

His dragon huffed and concentrated on flying. Without his mate or dragon to talk to, his mind fell back on the upcoming meeting on Snowridge.

It’d been a few years since he’d seen his mum and sister. Mostly because of his cowardice, but also because of the terse relations between the two clans.

Yet the scare of the Dragon Knights and news of Stonefire and Lochguard’s alliance had reached the ears of the Snowridge leader, Rhydian, who saw an opportunity.

Since Kai’s job was security, he’d leave politics to the likes of Bram. If something could be salvaged, Bram would do it.

All Kai needed to do was not piss anyone off.

Oh, and avoid Maggie.

His beast chimed in again.
Who cares? We have Jane. She is ours.

I know and I will drug you unconscious if that’s what it takes to keep Jane over Maggie.

The frenzy pull lessens with time. Nothing will take me away from Jane.

At his dragon’s confident tone, Kai’s nervousness eased a fraction.
Good, because I don’t think I could live without her.

Neither could I.

Content with his beast’s answer, Kai enjoyed the majestic mountains below. They were nearing Snowdonia National Park and would soon be at Snowridge.

Unlike Stonefire and Lochguard, most of Snowridge’s clan members lived inside the mountains. The scarce flat land was used for landing areas, the main hall, and for livestock.

Kai spotted the main landing area on the edge of Snowridge and slowed his descent. With Jane’s life at stake, he needed to be extra careful. Miscalculating the distance of a sharp rock face could injure his fragile human.

His dragon snorted.
Fragile indeed.

Ignoring his dragon, Kai worked with his beast to slowly lower the basket to the ground. Once Jane was safe and sound on solid land again, he scanned the area out of habit.

His mother and sister stood in human form at the far edge of the landing area.

The sight of his sister Delia all grown up squeezed his heart. She was fifteen years old and nearly as tall as him, if he had to guess. Her previously long, brown hair was short, though. He wondered if there was a reason she cut it.

Jane’s voice drifted up to his ears. “Kai.”

Looking away from his sister, Kai moved a few feet over and landed. Imagining his body shrinking back into a human, Kai stood on his two feet again just as a wind blew across the landing area. Even though dragons could survive the cold longer than humans, he still shivered. “Bloody Welsh winds.”

Jane arrived at his side and tossed her blanket over his shoulders. “There. Now you won’t shiver as you greet your mother.”

“I could hold back even without the blanket.”

Jane rolled her eyes and thrust his clothes into his arms. “For maybe another thirty seconds. But I rather like you in a warm, pink color. Blue doesn’t suit you.”

At the mention of turning blue because of the cold, Kai scrutinized Jane’s face, but apart from being a little paler than usual, she looked fine. “How are you feeling? Do you need to lie down?”

“I’m fine. If this is how you act now, I hate to see what happens if we ever decide to have a child.”

Since Kai and Jane had a lot to accomplish over the next few years, it wasn’t the right time for a child just yet. However, the thought of one day having a little one warmed Kai’s heart.

Before Kai could reply, his mum’s voice cut in, “Stop fretting over the girl, Kai Wilbur Sutherland and give your mum a hug.”

Jane’s voice was full of laughter as she echoed, “Wilbur?”

Ignoring his mate, Kai turned toward his mother, who already had her arms open. With a sigh, he lowered the blanket to his waist and walked into them. “Hello, Mum.”

His mother hugged him tightly. “It’s been too long, Kai.” She pulled back and her green eyes searched his before she smiled. “But I’m glad you’re happy this time.”

Delia spoke up. “Hey, Kai.”

As his mum released him from her hug, he looked over at his sister, who had her thumbs tucked into her jeans. For a variety of reasons, Kai and Delia had never spent much time together after he joined the army. He missed hoisting his baby sister onto his shoulders and mimicking a flying dragon.

He’d let too many years slip away.

Jane came up to his side and her actions broke through his memories. Hugging his female, he nodded toward his mum and sister. “Jane Hartley, may I introduce my mum, Lily Owens, and my sister, Delia Owens. Mum and Delia, this is my female, Jane Hartley.”

Delia’s eyes lit up. “You’re the reporter we saw on TV, who interviewed Melanie Hall-MacLeod and the others.”

Jane smiled. “Yes, that’s me.”

Delia looked back to Kai. “You didn’t tell me your female was famous.” His sister moved to Jane’s other side, threaded her arm through Jane’s, and tugged. “You made me want to be a reporter. We don’t have a lot of them inside the dragon clans, but I think that could change. Would you let me pick your brain? I have so many questions.”

Kai grunted. “We just arrived. Give Jane some time to recover.”

Jane raised an eyebrow. “As I said before, I’m fine.” She looked to Delia with a smile. “And I’d love to chat, as long as it’s indoors and I can have a cuppa.”

Delia nodded. “We have all kinds of tea. Come, I’ll take you to our quarters.” Delia looked up at Kai. “You can keep Mum company.”

Before Kai could do more than blink, Delia had pulled Jane along and was chatting her ear off. Delia definitely took after their mum and his stepdad, both of whom never stopped talking.

His mum touched his bicep. “You’ll deny it with your dying breath, but you’re probably cold. Let’s get inside and you can tell me all about how you met Jane Hartley.”

He shrugged. “Nothing special. We crossed paths tracking down some dragon hunters.”

“Is that sarcasm I hear? I never thought I’d hear it again.”

Staring at his mother’s face with its slight wrinkles around the eyes and mouth as well as her graying blonde hair, it hit him just how long it’d been since he really talked with his mother. “You should thank Jane, although I wouldn’t mention it to her directly. It might get to her head and inflate her ego.”

His mum chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.” She looped her arms around his waist. “Come, Kai. I want to get to know your female better. I have plenty of embarrassing stories to tell.”

“Mum.”

She grinned. “Your mate’s a reporter. She could probably find them all out anyway. Besides, giving her a few stories will put me in her good graces. That way, we can team up against you later on.”

He grunted, but then smiled. As he walked with his mum toward her home, the part of Kai that had missed his family faded away. Thanks to a stubborn, reckless female walking into his life, Kai had not only had found love again, but he also had his mum and sister.

His dragon spoke up.
One day, we will have our own family. I will never let Jane go.

There was still a lingering worry about seeing his true mate.

But a few minutes later, Kai spotted a dark-haired female peeking around a rock at him.

It was Maggie Jones.

Yet as he watched the timid female, there was no desire to rush over and win her. And he had zero interest in kissing her.

Not even his dragon did more than blink.

His beast huffed.
I told you. I only want Jane.

He waved at Maggie, but she turned and ran away.
 

A female like that would never be the right fit for Kai. Maybe a dragon’s instinct wasn’t always right.

His dragon chimed in again.
We all have a say in our future. We were lucky and had a second chance.

His mum scrutinized his face. “Are you all right, Kai?”

Squeezing his mum’s shoulder, he answered, “Never better, Mum. Now, let’s hurry. I want out of this bloody cold.”

“More like you want to cuddle your female.”

He grunted. “Dragon-shifter males don’t cuddle.”

His mum laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, Kai. Maybe one day it will actually come true.”

As he mum chatted about recent events in the clan, Kai picked up their pace. His mum was right—he wanted to cuddle his female and never let her go.

*~*~*~*

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The next dragon story,
The Dragon’s Dilemma
, will take us back to Clan Lochguard and will feature Fraser MacKenzie (Finn’s cousin). The release date is October 15, 2015 and it will be a full-length book. You can
pre-order it on iBooks
. Or, you can
sign-up for my newsletter
for the latest information and receive an alert when it’s ready. Turn the page for a synopsis of
The Dragon’s Dilemma
as well as for some of my other works.

The Dragon’s Dilemma

(Lochguard Highland Dragons Book #1)

From the author of the USA Today bestselling Stonefire Dragons series comes a new series centering on the dragon-shifters of the Scottish Highlands. Full of humor, alpha personalities, and a new threat, Clan Lochguard is waiting for you...
 

In order to pay for her father’s life-saving cancer treatment, Holly Anderson offers herself up as a sacrifice and sells the vial of dragon’s blood. In return, she will try to bear a Scottish dragon-shifter a child. While the dragonman assigned to her is kind, Holly can’t stop looking at his twin brother. It’s going to take everything she has to sleep with her assigned dragonman. If she breaks the sacrifice contract and follows her heart, she’ll go to jail and not be able to take care of her father.

Even though he’s not ready to settle down, Fraser MacKenzie supports his twin brother’s choice to take a female sacrifice to help repopulate the clan. Yet as Fraser gets to know the lass, his dragon starts demanding something he can’t have—his brother’s sacrifice.

Holly and Fraser fight the pull between them, but one stolen kiss will change everything. Will they risk breaking the law and betraying Fraser’s twin? Or, will they find a way out of the sacrifice contract and live their own happily ever after?

NOTE: This is a full-length book and can be read as a standalone. However, former characters will make appearances and it fits into the overall timeline after
Reawakening the Dragon
(Stonefire Dragons #5).

=====================

The Dragon’s Dilemma
will be released on October 15, 2015.
Click here to find your link to pre-order
.

Looking for wolves, cougars, and bears? Then look no further than the sexy, alpha shifters of the Cascade Mountains…

Cascade Shifters Reading Order:

Convincing the Cougar
(prequel novella)

#1 -
Reclaiming the Wolf

#2 -
Cougar’s First Christmas

#3 -
Resisting the Cougar

Reclaiming the Wolf

(Cascade Shifters #1)

Female wolf-shifter clan leaders are rare, but Kaya Alexie thrives on the challenge and can handle anything the men of her pack throw her way. However, when the male cougar-shifter who broke her heart ten years ago shows up on her doorstep with a dead wolf-shifter in tow, her whole world goes off-kilter. She’s determined to ignore him, but when a virus threatens to decimate her clan, she has no choice but to work with her ex and his brother to survive.