Page 34 of Seducing the Dragon
Tugging her cloak tighter around her shoulders, she entered the great hall and looked around the long, rectangular space for Bram. She spotted him in a corner talking with a tall, blond dragonman she didn’t recognize. His hair was short, yet his face was covered in a blond scruff, which was an odd contrast to his formal, kilt-like attire. While his dragon-shifter tattoo was on the arm turned away from her, she knew every dragon-shifterin Stonefire by sight and he wasn’t one of them. The unfamiliar male had to be from Lochguard.
Her stomach churned even more. As her heart rate kicked up, a small sense of panic crept upon her. Why would Bram ask her to meet alone with the other male? The blond was tall, muscled, and could pin her down without breaking a sweat.
Much like how the dragon hunters had pinned her down as a teenager before torturing her.
Closing her eyes, Ara breathed in through her nose and out her mouth. Bram was in the same room. He would never allow anyone to hurt her. As long as he remained, she could handle meeting the other male.
Her distress brought out her inner dragon. The beast rarely spoke to her, but it sent wary thoughts of calm. A year ago, Ara would have run from the room and tried to banish the beast from her mind. Yet after nearly nine months of counseling and encouragement from her brother and his mate, she had the strength to say,It will be okay. Go back to sleep.
Her dragon gave a soft roar before retreating. Maybe one day, Ara would be able to converse and work with her inner beast like every other dragon-shifter, but it was not that day.
“Ara.”
As soon as she heard Bram’s voice, she opened her eyes. An apologetic expression was written all over her leader’s face as he continued, “Finn came early. I told him to wait over there, but if you’re up to it, we can talk to him now. I’ll be right there beside you, so you won’t have anything to worry about.”
While a part of her was relieved Bram would protect her, another part was embarrassed. The Scottish leader didn’t need to know how broken she was. Deep down, she wanted to experience a fresh start with someone who hadn’t coddled her over the past decade. That was part of the reason why she’d agreed to be in charge of tech security with the Scottish clan.
Curious to see how the Lochguard male reacted to her, she glanced over at the blond Scottish dragonman. She steeled herself for pity, but was surprised to see only curiosity.
His look solidified her decision. Looking back to Bram, she said, “You have a lot to do. Introduce us, and as long as we stay in this main hall, I should be able to survive answering his tech questions and requirements.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Setting up the future teleconferences is part of my job for the clan. I’ll find a way to make it work.” Her clan leader studied her and she resisted the urge to lash out. She wouldn’t make Bram appear weak in front of the other leader. “I can handle it.”
With a nod, Bram ushered her over to the Scottish leader. Up close, he was taller than she’d thought. She had to look up to see his eyes, which were an interesting mixture of brown with gold flecks. The curiosity from before lingered, and she couldn’t make out an ounce of pity, making her uneasy.
Then he grinned and Ara drew in a breath. It took everything she had to focus on his words as he said, “Bram said his tech expert was a female, but he forgot to mention she had beautiful brown eyes, the exact color of dark chocolate.”
Bram growled at her side. “Finlay.”
Finn grinned wider. “You said honesty was the best policy. I won’t lie about her eyes.”
Arabella blinked. She couldn’t remember the last time a male had praised her. She knew she should scowl and tell him to stop it, but she resisted.
Instead, she said, “My eyes have little to do with my brain. The sooner you ask your questions and tell me your requirements, the sooner you can go flirt with the ‘lasses’ as you Scots say.”
The Scot winked at her. “I like a lass with bite.”
Ara felt a flush coming on.Fuck, I won’t let this flirt affect me. Think of your work.
Her mind filled with security protocols and encryption sequences, and her mind calmed once more.Right, now stop acting like a schoolgirl and carry on.
She arched an eyebrow. “If listing all of your female preferences in one go will help you focus, you have thirty seconds. Go.”
Finn laughed. “Direct and to the point, I like it.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised her other eyebrow. Finally, Finn put his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” He leaned in a few inches closer. “For now.”
Standing so close, she could see even more gold flecks in his eyes. His spicy male scent also surrounded her; woods with a hint of peat.
With any other strange male, she had little doubt she would be in a complete panic. However, one second ticked by and then another, but if anything, she felt a sense of peace.
Bram cleared his throat and pushed Finn away from her. “Talk, Stewart, or be on your way. Our alliance agreement doesn’t include you flirting with every female on my land.”
The Scot held her eyes for a few more seconds before looking to Bram. “Aye, well, I’ve always found humor makes everyone feel better. They say it’s the best medicine.”
Ara raised her chin a fraction. “Right, then. The thirty seconds I offered you have more than passed. Start talking business or I will insist Bram find someone else in your clan to reach out to me.”
Amusement flashed in Finn’s eyes. “Oh, aye? And here I thought Bram was the clan leader.”
