“No.”
She closed the distance between them and punched him in the chest. “Good to see the asshole version of Tristan MacLeod has returned. I was starting to think you might be a nice guy under all that alpha anger.”
With her eyes blazing and her cheeks flushed, all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her. But he pushed that thought aside. “Again, you’re jumping to conclusions.” He grabbed the wrist of her hand still on his chest, her touch burning his skin. “Humans don’t handle seeing the shift well. And if this is to ever work between us, the last thing I need is for you to think of me as a monster.”
At that, Melanie blinked. Her voice was no longer angry when she said, “After all of this, you still think I fit the stereotype of a typical human? When will you start thinking of me as Melanie Hall and not just ‘a human’?”
His dragon said, Stop it. She is ours. She is different. Tell her.
But Tristan denied his dragon. That conversation would have to wait. A teenage dragon-shifter needed his help.
Still, both halves of him wanted to feel her softness one last time before possibly taking on a group of dragon hunters. While he shouldn’t have to attack anyone since he wasn’t one of the clans’ trained Protectors, anything could happen.
He reached out and pulled her flush up against him. As the womanly scent that was Melanie filled his nose, a scent with a slight undertone of himself because of their baby, he decided this woman deserved a chance to watch him shift.
Over and over again she’d proven she was different, so it was time to see if she could pass the ultimate test. He said, “Give me a kiss and I’ll allow you to watch me shift.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’ll ‘allow’ me to watch? When you get back, Tristan MacLeod, we’re going to work on your domineering tendencies.”
Despite everything that was going on, he smiled. “There’s my little human, full of spirit. Now, kiss me and watch me shift.”
For a second, he wondered if she would acquiesce. Then she raised her face. “You kiss me and then I suppose I can watch you shift.”
His dragon loved that this human kept challenging him. She will make a fine mother for our young.
Tristan lowered his head and took her mouth in a demanding kiss. He squeezed her arse as his lips swept against hers, her taste making him growl. He had wanted the entire afternoon for him and his human, but it wasn’t to be.
At least now he had a bloody good reason for coming back alive from the rescue attempt. He had many more dirty things to do to his female while his human-half was in charge, and even more creative ideas from his dragon-half.
He gave her one last swipe of his tongue before he retreated, bit her lower lip, and said, “Toss my shirt over you. It’ll dwarf you since you’re short, but it’s the quickest way to hide your nakedness from other males.”
She smiled at that and pushed against him. He reluctantly let her go and watched her walk over to his shirt and bend over. His cock took notice of her full, soft arse in the air and became as hard as steel.
Thankfully, she tossed the shirt on quickly and pulled on her underwear to hide her tempting curves. After reaching over to grab the rest of her clothes, she stood up and said, “There. Now I’m covered in your scent. I’ll keep it on until you get back. Will that satisfy both you and your dragon?”
Yes. Ours.
Tristan nodded, walked over, and handed her his mobile phone. After she tucked it into the pile of her clothes and shoes at her chest, he took her hand. “Now, come with me so I can shift and go help the teenager.”
He thought he saw sadness flicker across her face, but it was gone before he could be sure. Was his human female growing attached to him as well and sad because she didn’t want him to leave? His dragon crooned at that idea, and his human-half was more pleased than he would’ve guessed.
He tugged her gently behind him. When they reached the tree line, he dropped Melanie’s hand and scooped her up. She let out a noise of surprise, but he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if he would allow her bare feet to become scratched by the fallen debris.
For once she didn’t argue and just curled up against his chest. He squeezed her tighter with his arms, as if to reassure himself that she was safe. He trusted the other Stonefire dragon-shifters not to harm her, but there were more than a few who despised the human female sacrifices. They could make her sad with words, and he growled at the thought.
Melanie looked up and said, “What was that for?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”