Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Three Read Free

the nearby lake and toward one of the hills not quite tall enough to be called a mountain. The contrast of the flat land with the sharp, jagged hills and mountains was breathtaking. She could see why people liked to holiday in the human sections of the Lake District.
    She and Tristan had walked mostly in awkward silence, but when a lone cottage came into view, she asked, “Is that where your sister lives?”
    “Yes. Arabella likes her peace and quiet.”
    Mel had a feeling there was a deeper issue keeping Arabella away from everyone else, but she merely nodded. The last thing she wanted was to start an argument with Tristan. If his sister was anything like Cait, then she wouldn’t like strangers or unannounced visits. An argument could easily upset her or make her close in on herself, which reminded her, “Did you tell her we were coming?”
    “No. If it were just me, Ara would stay put. But if she knew you were coming, she’d hike around the surrounding countryside for the rest of the afternoon.”
    “Because she doesn’t like visitors or because I’m human?”
    “Both.”
    Mel knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t do it. “I hope you’re starting to realize not all humans are bad, Tristan. Because if not, I should just leave right now.”
    He glanced over at her. “So if I said I still hated all humans, you’d leave?”
    She didn’t want to answer him, but she needed to stand her ground with the dragonman. “Yes.”
    He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. “Before I give you my verdict, I want to know why you care so much for my opinion. You said yourself that you fulfilled your end of the contract, as have I. There is no reason for us to pretend for the sake of the child. I’ve heard that you want to stay afterward, but if family is so important to you, would you be able to live the rest of your life here without them? Humans aren’t allowed on Stonefire’s land, Melanie, unless they either come as a sacrifice or are with the UK Department of Dragon Affairs.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “I do love my family, but I’m a grown woman, Tristan, and I’m not about to leave my child behind, no matter how much I’m starting to think you’d do a good job of raising him or her.”
    His grip eased a fraction. “You barely know me. Why would you say that?”
    “I watched you with the children before you noticed me. With no one watching, you were kind, patient, and understanding. Whatever your issue with humans, I believe what I saw back in the clearing is your true self. You may never act that way around me, and that’s fine. But I can easily see you acting that way with our child, and that’s the kind of father I’d want for my baby.”
     
    ~~~
     
    Tristan had kept his silence on the walk to his sister’s place to avoid saying something he’d regret. He couldn’t promise anything until he knew how things played out with Arabella.
    But when Melanie pushed him on the issue of humans, he hadn’t been able to hold back. The last thing he’d expected to hear from her lips was that he’d make a good father.
    He wanted to say he bloody well would be a good father; no one would ever harm his child. But talking of their child meant talking about the future. Tristan never made a promise he couldn’t keep, and all too easily, he could see himself starting to make tentative plans with the human. She intrigued both the man and the beast with her ability to stand up to him, face a new culture and a new way of doing things, all without blinking an eye.
    But no matter what he was starting to think of Melanie Hall, he would never do anything to harm his sister. The sooner he introduced her to Arabella, the sooner he could start thinking about what he wanted. Or, rather, what he could have.
    He released her wrist and nodded toward the cottage. “Can we finish this discussion later? Dragon-shifters have supersensitive hearing, and if we keep going at it, my sister might hear us and flee