Free Mated by the Dragon by Vivienne Savage

both of us to dinner with you?”
    “You are beloved members of my household. Of course I would enjoy your company over dinner.”
    “Thank you.” Leiv opened his mouth to speak again, but he promptly shut it and stepped away, appearing to carry something heavy on his thoughts.
    Saul grinned and tugged Chloe by her hand, pulling her with him through the house.
    “Dinner?”
    “Yes. A night out with our companions. Is that acceptable?”
    Hugging his arm, everything in her world seemed right. “I’d really like th—”
    “Saul, darling, there you are.” A lyrical voice interrupted Chloe, its sensual tone as seductive as a 40s era lounge singer. Heels clicked against the floor in a staccato beat as a female stranger crossed the room. The woman greeted Saul with a kiss that belonged behind closed doors, even threading her fingers through his golden hair.
    Chloe stood to the side, arms crossed and stomach twisting. Maybe kissing is normal for dragons? The French kiss cheeks, right? Except the French usually weren’t naked. Somehow, Chloe resisted the urge to draw the attention to herself by clearing her throat.
    Saul broke from the embrace and stepped back, appearing genuinely shocked. It was a plus in his favor and relief to Chloe that he never returned the sensual gesture. “Chloe, this is Brigid. Another dragon.” He cleared his throat, fell back until he reached Chloe’s side, and possessively curved his arm around her shoulders. “Brigid, Chloe is my mate.”
    Brigid, Chloe repeated the name to herself. In her black, overpriced heels, Brigid towered above Chloe. She wore an ebony crocodile skin purse upon her arm, a perfect match to her slim fitting pants suit.
    “Do not tease me so, darling.” Brigid tossed her sleek red hair over her shoulder, looked Chloe over, and then promptly dismissed her. “Is humor your new tactic in our courtship?”
    “Our courtship ended five years ago, Brigid.” Saul’s attention flicked from Brigid to Chloe, as if assessing her reaction to the events. “We will speak of this privately at another time. Perhaps for now, it is better if you return to your home.”
    “Home?” Brigid’s voice raised to a sharp pitch and indignant color spread across her cheeks. “How dare you send me away like some lowly human trollop. We had an arrangement, Saul. Your father and mine promised us to one another. I waited for you.”
    “Your behavior during our last meeting implied otherwise,” Saul stated evenly. His golden eyes practically flashed with anger. “I made an offer, you refused. There is nothing further between us worthy of conversation at this moment, so I must ask you to leave my home at once.”
    Chloe rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans. She felt plain in Brigid’s presence; a frumpy and pregnant mortal.
    “I smell a bastard whelp inside of her. Has my absence made such a desperate dragon of you that you’ll accept a human plaything that comes to you harboring spawn? Don’t make me laugh.”
    “Bastard? Fuck you,” Chloe spit back at the dragon. The words tore out of her before she could bite her tongue then Saul’s grip tightened. “Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and insulting my baby and my mate?”
    Brigid’s brown eyes flashed molten red, as vivid as fire beneath the generous sunlight spilling through the windows. In a step, she placed herself in Chloe’s face and snarled.  
    Saul’s reflexes nearly threw Chloe off balance as he pushed her behind him.
    “You will leave. Now,” Saul growled in a low voice. The mirrored surface of a display cabinet revealed his hardened features, the warmth gone from his golden eyes and replaced with deadly intent. Saul was both glorious and terrifying, poised before her like a Roman gladiator preparing to battle a lion. Under better circumstances, Chloe would have appreciated his flexed muscles, but imminent danger promptly made her cower behind him.
    The dragoness straightened and promptly