She had grudgingly found him attractive before, but with all of his exposed skin and the way he was dressed now, that attraction heated her entire body, including places she didn’t want to be thinking about right now.
All of a sudden, she imagined tracing the outline of his tattoo before running her hand through the light spattering of dark hair on his chest. She had just started to imagine him taking off his kilt-like outfit when Samira gripped her elbow, urged her forward, and said, “He’s an attractive bloke, isn’t he? Break through his mistrust and stand up to him, and you might get to enjoy all that skin against yours for more than it takes to conceive a child.”
Mel’s cheeks flushed and for once, she refrained from saying anything. The room full of dragon-shifters watching her every move was eating away at her fortitude to be herself at all times.
Tristan descended the dais and approached, and her heart started pounding in her chest at the flicker of appreciation in his eyes. Even she was honest enough with herself to know she looked pretty damn good in this dress. Samira had outdone herself to alter and make the dress flatter her curvy figure.
She smoothed the silky material of her skirt and the act eased some of her nervous energy.
Then Tristan was in front of her and she had trouble forcing her gaze from his chest to meet his eyes. Once she did, he put out a hand and she gingerly placed hers on top. The feel of his rough skin sent a shock through her body, straight to her core.
Despite the fact he could probably smell her arousal with his super-sensitive dragon senses, all he said was, “At least you’re fashionably late.”
Mel blinked. She wasn’t used to compliments, even half-assed ones, and especially not from Tristan. He was being almost...nice to her. She wondered what had happened between dumping her on the doorstep of the cottage and now.
Tristan guided her toward the raised dais and she noticed the clan leader watching them.
She made an effort to smile at Bram, but the combination of the heat of Tristan’s skin against hers and the smell of sky and man made it hard for her to think of anything but the warm dragon-shifter at her side. Samira’s words, about having his skin against hers beyond conceiving, entered her mind. She looked up at his face and wondered who this dragonman truly was. Now that she understood what humans had done to his mother, she started to see why he didn’t want her. Could he ever get past that?
She would tackle his issues tomorrow. For now, she focused on maintaining her composure. Dragon-shifters were part animal. One of the few things she’d discovered in her research was that their beasts assessed new acquaintances just like animals did, and she wasn’t about to give them a reason to place her low on the pecking order.
They ascended the steps and Tristan stopped them in front of Bram. The clan leader’s blue eyes pierced hers, but she was prepared for it this time. She said, “Hello again.”
Bram put out a hand and she placed hers on top of his. His grip was firm and solid, but she didn’t get a thrill from this man’s firm touch as she had with Tristan’s.
The clan leader kissed her hand, and she heard a growl from behind her, not quite certain why Tristan would growl at his clan leader. Or had Melanie broken some unwritten cultural rule?
Before she could ask, Bram straightened up and released her hand. In contrast to his earlier tough, almost grumpy composure back during their meeting, a smile now tugged at his lips. He gestured with his head toward the center of the dais. “Come. Let’s get the formalities over with so that we can eat and you can start to relax.”
She doubted she would be able to relax for weeks, if ever, but she nodded, anxious to get this whole process over with.
Bram raised a hand and the hall fell quiet. When he spoke, his voice was loud and clear, and in English. “We are gathered here to welcome our newest female sacrifice. Her name is Melanie Hall. Tristan MacLeod has been assigned as her male. As with previous contracts, we have guaranteed her safety for the next six months. Each and every one of us will do whatever it takes to protect her.”
A few people muttered words she couldn’t understand, but as Bram scanned the room, the hall went deadly quiet again.
Bram continued, “Per tradition, we’ll now finalize Tristan’s claim on the sacrifice with the First Kiss.”
She blinked. A first kiss? Here, in front of all these people?
Bram turned toward her and Melanie forced her gaze from the crowd of people to Bram’s deep blue eyes. “You have offered yourself as a sacrifice to Clan Stonefire, and while this has been finalized on paper, it is our tradition for the male in charge of you to solidify his claim to the entire clan by kissing you in front of everyone, which will guarantee his protection.” He motioned with his hand and she felt Tristan’s heat beside her again. “Tristan MacLeod, is there something you’d like to ask our guest?”