“Neil was a right bastard. I sure hope you’re not comparing him to me.”
Bram was quiet for a second before he said, “If you keep focusing your hatred of humans on Melanie, then you could end up being worse. I had put my hope into Neil changing because of the clan depending on him. I failed and will always have to live with that, but I’m not about to watch one of my dragon-shifters sentence another human female into a life of misery.”
Tristan was thinking of how to respond to that when he noticed Samira’s entrance at the far door. Since Melanie was a few inches shorter, he couldn’t see her brown hair with all of the tall dragon-shifters in the way. His dragon urged him to go find her, but as he battled the beast for control, the crowd parted to reveal Melanie.
He almost didn’t recognize her. Her long hair was swept up atop her head, with strategic tendrils dangling near her ears. The light green material of the dress set off her eyes and made her creamy, bared skin glow. His gaze moved from her face and bare shoulders to the way the material hugged her breasts and ribcage before flaring out around her belly and hips. The dress was in the traditional style and tied on one side, in case a dragonwoman needed to shift, and the image of him untying the dress with his teeth and exposing her creamy, warm skin flashed into his mind.
He felt Bram’s hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped. Bram squeezed his shoulder and said, “You can stop drooling now, Tristan. Go greet your human sacrifice.”
The noise had died down to a low hum. Everyone was waiting for him to introduce the new arrival.
He nodded and descended the dais. He ignored the stares of his clan and never took his gaze from his sacrifice as he approached her. While tonight was partly about introducing her to the clan, it was also the time for him to stake his claim; the woman was his, at least, for the time being.
For the first time since he’d met her, Melanie looked nervous. She had her hands clasped in front of her in a near-death grip and his inner dragon wanted to come out to wrap its body protectively around hers and soothe her. Only because of years of training to contain it did he manage to convince the beast that he would take care of her.
Of course, that meant trying not to insult her.
With Bram’s words about the possibility of him turning into a worse bastard than Neil, he stopped right in front of Melanie and put out a hand. He couldn’t promise to behave when they were alone, but he would at least try to behave in front of his clan.
When she placed her hand on top of his, he curled his fingers around hers and said, “At least you’re fashionably late.”
She blinked and said, “Thank you?”
His dragon growled a little, wanting him to give her a proper compliment, but he ignored it and motioned toward the dais with his head. On the short walk up to Bram, the mixture of her feminine scent and the warmth of her skin against his palm stirred both his beast and his cock. If this is what just being beside her did to him, what would happen when he had to kiss her?
~~~
When Samira had finally ushered Melanie into the grand meeting hall, it had taken every ounce of control Mel possessed not to bolt in the other direction. Every dragon-shifter they passed stared at her, and not all of their looks were friendly; a few were downright contemptuous.
The light lunch she’d eaten during her dress fitting from hell hadn’t been enough and now her stomach was twisting with both hunger and anxiety. With all that had happened to her over the last four hours, she was exhausted. Why the dragons had to have a welcoming ceremony on the same day as her arrival was beyond her. She was starting to understand how a less stubborn person could have a meltdown.
Still, she wasn’t going to be that person. She kept her chin and shoulders high as people cleared a path for them. When Samira pulled her to walk beside her instead of behind her, that’s when Mel finally saw Tristan and her step faltered.
He was dressed in something that looked like an old-fashioned kilt, which left his arms and most of his chest bare. His tattoo extended from his shoulder to wrap around his arm, the dark ink only highlighting the defined muscles of his bicep. He wasn’t bulky like a body builder; rather, he was lean with defined muscles similar to a swimmer. Considering the amount of upper body strength required for flying, it didn’t surprise her.