Chapter One
––––––––
Mated to a Mckenna?
Yes.It was Drago who responded, reminding Kai that her mental shields were still wide open.
Aodh turned and looked at her.Really looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.However, not just her, but perhaps all the way back to her great-great-great...so many greats, Grandmother Jaseena.
He raised his free hand and cupped her cheek as his blue-opal gaze held hers.The flames that licked in the intense orbs were such a heart-melting blue that they settled her very soul in Aodh’s palm.
“Myhnn,” Aodh declared in the Drahk language.
For a brief moment, she pressed her cheek into his touch before they refocused on the dragon, who seemed to hold all the answers as it sank deeper into its knoll of exquisite jewels.
Kai turned her focus back to the dragon in the room.Was my grandmother yours?Did you love her?
Drago sighed.His eyes clouded over as if he were gazing back into the past.Yes, I was very fond of her.She was beautiful and unique because she had the warmest heart.She was fierce and willing to stand strong with the man she loved.
“Gracious.”She placed a hand over her heart.It was obvious Drago was dying, but was he dying of a broken heart over her great-grand?Is he my grandfather?
Aodh held her tighter but didn’t answer her question.
No, Draig was,Drago explained.As a matter of fact, the pair of you remind me so much of Draig and Jaseena.
Hearing the other name, Kai felt the burn in her lungs, where her air became trapped.She felt like every time she thought she was beginning to understand something, a ghost pulled the rug from beneath her feet.
Draig.If I recall correctly, he was your brother.Aodh seemed to be doing the same thing she was, trying to fit pieces of the past together.However, he had lived several decades longer than her and hadn’t nearly as many blank spaces in his history.
That’s right,Drago confirmed.
Can you tell us about them?She took a tentative step forward, eager to hear of her familial legacy.There were too many holes, and she wanted them filled.
And the rings.Aodh added as he tightened his hand around hers.
Hmm.A burst of smoke rolled out from the giant creature’s nostrils.
Kai swallowed, not wanting to tax the old Drahk in her enthusiastic need to know everything right now.“If it is too much, maybe we can return another—”
No.As Mckenna knows, I do not have much time left.Drago shifted his immense form.More pearls went rolling, but he brought them back into the fold with an inhuman skill.
Kai knew that just like she’d witnessed with Aodh’s dragon, there was not only reverence for their hearthstone but security as well.When they were near the end, having their hoard close brought them a measure of peace.
I suggest you two settle in for the tale.
Aodh did not hesitate to sweep his foot wide, nudging the many loose jewels scattered around them closer to the beast’s mound.With that complete, the big, powerful leader she had come to know lowered himself to the floor with his legs folded cross-fashion.
The Mckenna’s new position would have been comical or cute in a lesser man, but Aodh’s relaxed pose still gave him the aura of a king on a throne.The man made her breathless.
Aodh patted one thick thigh when she started to assume the same position.
She shook her head.“Aodh...um...”she glanced over at the patient dragon, who once again had rested his head over his front paws, andthen she looked back at Aodh.As she tried to find a discreet way of reminding him that she was significantly curvy and would be too heavy to sit on his lap for an extended length, her face became heated.In her mind, it was probably not the best move.
Before she could stop his actions, Aodh tugged her hand, still held firmly, and she tumbled down.His quick reflexes slowed her rapid descent that would have ended in pain and disaster and brought her down gently.She found her plump ass cushioned on his thick, muscular thighs.Kai forced her mind away from thinking about what else she felt under her fleshy rear.
He slipped one hand around her waist, grazing just beneath the edge of her top and brushing over the skin of her stomach, making electric sparks zip through her core.
Kai couldn’t contain the slight shiver at his light touch.
