Page 40 of Seducing the Dragon
She laughed. “You said I shouldn’t castigate you in front of the clan. You said nothing about me not teasing you.”
“You’re clever.”
“Of course I am. Now, go do your duties before you become sidetracked again.”
Leaning down, Bram placed a gentle kiss on her lips and murmured, “Just remember that I’ll have my payback tonight. I think I’ll make you beg before I let you come.”
Heat coursed through Evie’s body as wetness shot between her legs. The end of the dinner couldn’t come soon enough. “Hurry up, then.”
Her dragonman chuckled, gave a warning glare to Finn, and then moved to the front of the dais. She took a second to admire his broad back. The way his plaid-like outfit cascaded over his arse was quite nice. Earlier, she’d wanted nothing more than to slip her hand underneath the hem of his kilt-like outfit and prove he wore nothing.
Still, Finn’s interruption had been a good thing. It seemed that whenever she was alone with Bram, her lady parts took control and they very much didn’t care what was happening around them. Somehow, she didn’t think giving Stonefire’s clan leader a hand job in the middle of dinner would leave a good impression with the clan.
Bram’s voice boomed out over the mostly full hall and she listened, “Thank you all for coming. Tonight is the beginning of something which will benefit our clan more than anything else we’ve done over the last decade. You may have seen him around, but Finlay Stewart, the leader of Clan Lochguard, has agreed to become our ally.”
A wave of reactions coursed through the crowd. Everything from dropped jaws to indignant cries. Clearly, the Stonefire dragon-shifters hadn’t expected the news.
Bram put up his hands and continued, “I understand some of your concerns, but Finlay Stewart isn’t Dougal Munro. His ideas and plans for the future are similar to my own. While the alliance is new, I think it is promising. Especially as his clan can help with the increasing number of attacks by the dragon hunters.” There was more murmuring before Bram’s voice echoed throughthe room once more. “Rather than me tell you about Finn, I’m going to step aside and allow Lochguard’s leader to say a few words. Listen to him and give him a chance.”
Motioning with his hand, Evie watched Finn move from behind the table to stand next to her dragonman. They were of equal height, but Finn was somewhat leaner. Still, she wouldn’t take his leanness to mean weakness. Given what she knew of how dragon-shifter clan leaders were chosen, with grueling trials over multiple days, anyone who won the right to the position possessed a great deal of strength and fortitude.
Someday, she wanted to ask Bram how he’d won the right.
But then Finn’s Scottish tones filled the hall and she focused on the present. “I understand your concern and your wariness. My clan is the same way. However, combining the forces of Stonefire and Lochguard will increase our reach and ability to control our destinies. Our territories combined cover more than half of the isle of Great Britain. If we can convince the humans of our respective territories to not fear us but rather to become interested in us, we may be able to sway the South of England and Wales, even with the harsh reputations of the leaders there.”
He must be talking about Melanie’s book.The knowledge only made Evie more determined to help Mel and make the launch a success.
Then the Scottish leader gave a sweeping bow and the murmurs of the audience increased. Once he stood tall again, he continued, “That bow was my invitation to dance with any members of the clan who wish to sneak a peek at me. I prefer females myself, but, hey, I don’t want to deny any males who might fancy me a bit.”
Evie smiled as laughter echoed through the hall. The Scottish leader did seem to know how to win a crowd.
Then Finn turned toward Bram and put out a hand. Without hesitation, her dragonman took it and leaned to Finn’s ear to whisper something.
Once Bram gave the other dragonman’s back a clap, he said, “Now, that’s enough of the formalities. If Finlay Stewart is to dance with anyone who fancies a chance, we’d better get started.”
As the crowd settled to the tables and chairs at the edges of the room, Finn went out to the dance floor and was immediately accosted by five young dragonwomen. No doubt, they were just the start and he would be dancing all evening.
Bram sat down by her side, and without thinking, she leaned against him and said, “That was quite the performance, but it seemed to have worked. Did you plan it earlier?”
“No. The Scottish bastard likes to act in the moment, but I’m going to enjoy watching him dance with whoever wants a chance. I think he underestimates how tenacious the younger, unattached clan members are.”
“You did well yourself, mister, but I’m glad you didn’t offer the same chance.”
Bram’s voice was full of amusement. “Oh, aye? Why not?”
She frowned up at him. “Because I would’ve had to chase them all away and I’d rather spend the time sitting next to you so I can cover you in my scent. I’m pretty sure that’s how part of the territory marking goes, right?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. The only time she knew for certain that a person would carry a dragon-shifter’s scent was when a female was pregnant.
The thought that Evie would never carry Bram’s scent squeezed her heart.
No. There is more to building a life than having children.Besides, there were always children who needed a home. That thought reminded her of little Murray. Maybe they could takehim in and raise him. She might not know what the hell she was doing at first, but Evie’s determination would hopefully pay off in the end. Bram seemed to like the little tot. Not only that, she would love to see even more of her dragonman’s softer side. Nothing brought out a soft side like a baby.
With Bram and Murray, Evie could finally have a family again. She was an only child and her parents had retired to Spain years ago. She rarely saw them.
As much as she was growing to like the image of her and Bram with Murray, she still barely knew her dragonman. Hell, they hadn’t even been officially mated yet.
If that wasn’t enough, there were also the dragon hunters to worry about as well as the threat from within the clan.
