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

she would’ve frowned and give him a cool, even look. His mother had never been one to raise her voice, yet Tristan and his sister had known better than to disobey her.
    Thinking about his mother squeezed his heart. He’d pretty much locked away his memories of her for both his and Arabella’s sakes, but he was starting to wonder if it was time to address both the pain and the memories of his mum. He had a feeling that during their visit with Arabella, he wouldn’t have a choice.
    Samira and Liam’s cottage came into view and he caught traces of Liam’s scent in the air. His dragon tried to claw out to be in control. A male lived inside that house. He would take Melanie and try to erase their scent. They needed to protect her.
    I will protect her.
    His dragon was less than convinced, but grumbled and allowed Tristan’s human-half to remain in control. For now.
    He tightened his grip on the human to further soothe his dragon. The feel of her soft curves warm against his hand, arm, and chest calmed the beast. He hoped Liam was out, or his dragon would try everything he could to break free, resulting in a rather spectacular display of protectiveness and possibly a fight.
    They reached the front door of Samira’s cottage. Tristan gave his dragon one last warning to behave before he said, “We’re here.”
     
    ~~~
     
    Melanie had mixed feelings about morning sickness. On the one hand, ordinary smells made her want to vomit on a second’s notice. On the other hand, it made Tristan be nice to her.
    It was strange having her face pressed against his chest as he guided her toward Samira’s cottage, but she hadn’t lied about his scent calming her stomach. She didn’t know if it had to do with the half-dragon baby in her uterus or not, but whatever the reason, it beat throwing up again.
    Yet as they slowly moved toward Liam and Samira’s cottage, she couldn’t help but notice the heat of his hand on her waist or how safe she felt pressed up against him. If he continued being nice to her, she probably would jump into bed with him again at the first opportunity. And if that happened, she had no idea what Tristan’s inner dragon would do. She wasn’t quite sure what it meant for one to “grow attached” as he’d put it. For all she knew, it might curb her freedom on Stonefire’s land rather than expand it.
    Not that she’d allow him the opportunity to try to contain her. She’d worked hard for what freedoms she’d gained thus far, and she’d fight for them all over again if she had to.
    Still, despite all of that, she couldn’t help but wonder if an attached dragon looked something like how Liam and Samira acted with one another. Strong-willed Samira melted whenever Liam caressed her cheek or gave her a gentle kiss. While staying with the pair, she’d never seen Liam try to hide his affection.
    Sometimes Liam’s possessiveness surfaced when another adult male was in the room and he’d haul Samira up against his side, but Samira never seemed to mind. Quite the opposite, actually; she’d lean against him and lay her head on his shoulder.
    Stop it, Hall. No fairy tale endings, remember? Melanie resisted a sigh, realizing she was hoping for things she probably would never have. Tristan wasn’t Liam. Hell, if not for Tristan’s dragon, the man would probably have nothing to do with her.
    And that stung a little.
    Before she could think too hard about why it did, Tristan said, “We’re here.”
    She eased her head up and looked at Tristan towering over her. “Did the smell last the entire way here?”
    He shrugged, but didn’t comment. She hoped this wasn’t a sign of Tristan-the-asshole returning.
    Since she lived with Samira now, she took out her key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Unsure if anyone was home, she opened the door and was instantly attacked by a little boy flying at her as he said, “Auntie Mel!”
    The boy hugged her legs as she put her hand on the head of Samira’s three-year-old