Free Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Two by Jessie Donovan Page A

All I know is that I’ve never seen a dragon act so possessively during a First Kiss without that dragon going on to try to claim the person in question. The same reaction happened when Samira’s mate, Liam, kissed her on this same stage, almost four years ago.”
    She took another deep breath. This was too much to process right now; she’d have to sort it all out more carefully later. For now, she was going to use this opportunity to get more information on this mate business. “Okay, let’s pretend I accept all of this for the moment. Why would this put me in danger? If his dragon wants me as a mate, I would think that Tristan’s inner dragon would want to protect me, not harm me.”
    Bram shook his head. “Not necessarily. We may look human, but our dragons are primal and take what they want. If Tristan loses the battle with his dragon-half, he could very well take you against your will and keep taking you until he can scent you’re carrying his child.”
    Someone put a dish of food in front of her, but Melanie was no longer hungry. “Is there a way to stop him? After all, you said ‘potential mate’, which means it doesn’t always succeed.”
    Bram’s mouth turned grim. “A dragon will only move on in two instances. First, if either party dies. Second, after a child is born. In the latter case, the dragon is satisfied with an offspring to care for and is willing to try again with someone else if the female doesn’t want him.”
    So much for finding a way to keep the sex-crazed dragonman from chasing her or for transferring her sacrifice contract to another dragon-shifter male. She had a feeling that if Tristan’s dragon-half was determined to have her, no other male would be stupid enough to stand in the way.
    She was stuck with him. “And neither of those two cases qualifies right now, right?”
    “No. At this point, the best thing is for you to allow him to take you early. Otherwise, we’ll have to drug him unconscious until the third day, when the contract allows him to touch you. And even then, while human Tristan would wait for your consent if you weren’t ready by the third day, the dragon-half probably won’t.”
    Melanie noticed the water glass in front of her and started tracing shapes in the condensation with her finger. The action helped her to remain calm and resist letting her emotions break free.
    So much for trying to get to know both Tristan and his clan tomorrow. Bram was suggesting for her to jump into bed with Tristan blind. Yes, although she was attracted to him, could she do it? Could she allow a man she barely knew, and who had treated her badly except for a short period this evening, to have sex with her?
    She wasn’t completely terrified of the idea, but she wanted more information. “How long do we have before he returns?”
    “I’d wager he went for a hunt, and he should be out until mid-morning tomorrow. Our dragons always like to sleep in dragon form on a full belly, and they can be lazy bastards when they choose.”
    She had a feeling Bram was trying to lighten the mood a little, but it wasn’t working. “Let’s say I agree, and I have sex with Tristan early and he keeps at it until I’m pregnant. Then what? I know he doesn’t like humans. Will he just closet me away until I birth his child and then toss me aside?”
    “Since I’ve never fallen prey to a dragon mate frenzy before, I don’t know. I think it’s best you talk to Samira. She’s the only human female we have here who has both experienced the frenzy and accepted a dragon-shifter’s claim.”
    Mel nodded. From what little she knew of Samira, the woman was happy. That gave Mel a small hope that things might not be as bad as her gut was telling her they were going to be.
    Bram signaled for one of his men to come to their table. After he whispered an order, he stood and offered his hand to her. “Will you allow me to see you safe to your cottage? If I’m by your side, the others won’t start