Page 4 of The Mating Claim

She aroused him as well. And why did she bear a dragon birthmark on her neck identical to the one he had on hisbody?

They had no connection to each other, either now or in his mortal life. Drust would have remembered a fiery soul such as Lacey had she been reincarnated. Even hundreds of years later, he remembered eachone.

A flicker of memory teased him. Just a flicker, like a shadow passing before him. He’d been select with his lovers back then, prudent because of his heritage and proud family history. Fathering bastards was against his strict code of honor. Oh, he’d had a few lovers, but none memorable and he’d ensured no pregnanciesresulted.

And yet Lacey, there was something familiar about her andhaunting…

Damn woman! Roaring, he sprayed a line of coldfire at the clouds. They instantly froze and splintered, causingsnowfall.

A grim smile touched his dragon mouth. Let the good folk of Florida see that weatheroddity.

Lacey must turn over the book. Was it his fault he’d executed her father in order to savelives?

When he’d become a wizard of the Brehon only three years ago, he knew it would be a challenge. He silently vowed to save as many lives as possible, and to be merciful andjust.

But no one, not even his mentor Tristan, had warned him decisions could have consequences other thanjustice.

No one warned him those decisions could break hearts aswell.

An eagle, circling over a mirror-smooth lake below, turned its head and seeing him, squawked inalarm.

Amused, Drust grinned, displaying jagged teeth. Dragons were not invisible to animals, which had proven to be problematic attimes.

“Fear not. I’ve already dined and I have little appetite for fried bald eagle,” he spoke aloud. “But if you have any words of wisdom on how I can convince Lacey McGuire to forget her father’s untimely death and do my bidding, I welcomethem.”

Obviously not offering anything, the eagle dove towards thelake.

“Some help you are,” hemuttered.

Much as he hated to admit it, he needed guidance from Tristan, his mentor. And then he would visit his castle and meditate. Meditation soothed his jagged nerves. Perhaps he would drop by and see Sebastian and Sienna. Alexander was in town, too. His descendants always seemed overjoyed to see him. Chase, his apprentice, was planning a wedding to Evie, Lacey’s foster sister. Drust had granted him several weeks to enjoy himself. He would attend the wedding, ofcourse.

Family was everything to dragons. So was his ownfamily.

Sighing, Drust flewnorth.

But he still could not get Lacey out of hismind.

Chapter 2

It was a bright,sunny day in Tir Na-nog, home to the powerful wizards of the Brehon, but the lovely weather held no interest for Tristan, the SilverWizard.

Instead, he sat in his favorite leather armchair in the library of his castle, reading a book. Xavier, the Crystal Wizard, played with building blocks on the carpet near the massive stone fireplace with Sonia, histoddler.

“A wife always puts herself second to her devoted husband. He is the head of the family and the ultimate authority whom she must obey,” Tristan readaloud.

Xavier grinned and placed another block on the pile for Sonia to knock over. The baby burbled and waved a hand, and the block tumbled downward. Truly Sonia was a child of immense power. He wondered when his own twins would manifest magick, but right now his family was not hisconcern.

Drust was. Any timenow…

Nikita, his loving mate, came into the living room and perched on the armrest. “The twins are finally asleep. What are you two reading, mylove?”

He lifted his cheek for her kiss. “A book calledHow to please yourmate.”

Showing her the cover of a woman in a white apron and a dress placing slippers on the feet of a reclining man, he watched his mate’s smiledrop.

Clearing his throat, he continued to read aloud as Xavier glancedup.

“A mate should always desire to please her man, ensuring his happiness. Having a clean house for him to come home to at the end of a hard day’s work isessential.”