Free When Time Stops: Dragon Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance by Anya Nowlan Page B

quiet and intelligent, but with an edge of something that made Isobel stand a little bit on edge despite the perfectly amiable smile he had on his face. He stopped in front of her and took her hand, never breaking eye contact even when he kissed the back of her hand softly.
    His lips felt hot as fire and Isobel pulled her hand back instinctively when he let go of it.
    “You must be Isobel,” he said, his voice soothing in a way.
    It was like something tumbled and twisted around him all the time, some sort of an invisible aura or a cape that Isobel couldn’t quite put her finger on.
    “That obvious, hmm?” Isobel asked, feeling ten kinds of ridiculous for playing along with the game of pleasantries while she was for all intents and purposes a hostage being held against her will.
    “Oh, you’ll see in a moment,” he chuckled. “I am Shade Grayson. A pleasure, Isobel.”
    “I wish I could say the same, but the circumstances are not in your favor,” Isobel said.
    He grinned amicably enough, before looking to Flite. Shade’s eyes narrowed slightly, giving him a dangerous look. He had dark hair and a pale complexion, almost ivory in a way.
    “I will take it from here,” Shade said. “Unless you mind, Isobel.”
    “No, I’m good.”
    She tossed Flite a look, catching the hint of annoyance Flite was doing a damn shabby job at hiding, before taking the arm Shade offered her. He felt warm to the touch.
    Like Aeon.
    Isobel bit her lip, willing the thoughts away. No, Aeon couldn’t be like them . The man she’d had the most satisfying, sexually charged and amazing night of her life couldn’t be a dragon! And most of all, he couldn’t have anything to do with what was happening to her now.
    If he did, Isobel wasn’t entirely sure if she could hold onto her stubborn belief that somehow, everything was going to work out.
    “Don’t worry. We’ll grow on you,” Shade murmured as Flite stepped out of their way and the servant moved to open the doors for them. “And you look marvelous, my dear.”
    Isobel was about to counter with a comment about how it wasn’t hard to look like a million bucks when surrounded by a billion, but the words died in her throat. The doors opened to reveal the grandest ballroom she had ever seen. It put the church she had been supposed to have her wedding at to shame, right along with the most expensive reception room in the Tri-State area that they’d booked.
    All shimmering crème marble, sloping awnings and delicate craftsmanship on the columns that held up the impressive structure, it was a sight to behold. But Isobel didn’t have long to look at the room itself when the eyes of tens of men were centered on her, quietly appreciating and judging her at the same time.
    “Isobel Evans and Shade Grayson,” the servant called, his voice booming.
    “See, I told you it would be fine,” Shade said, standing tall and proud as Isobel felt her knees buckling in.
    All the men that looked at her, as she stood with Shade on the top of a wide staircase that looped down into the reception area, had fire in their eyes. She felt countless pairs of eyes evaluate and devour her, undressing her the same way Flite had, with a kind of possessive edge to it that made the hair on her neck stand up.
    Breath seemed to come to her harder and shallower and Isobel had to fight the urge to clutch her chest, knowing it wouldn’t do her any good. A couple of deep breaths weren’t going to fix this situation. Nothing could, she was beginning to suspect.
    She glanced down at her body and a few things became immediately clear. The dress that had been given to her for the evening was glittery and ostentatious, practically blinding her with all the glimmer on it. It looked like solid gold and considering the way that the men ate the sight of her up, she was sure it wasn’t by accident that this particular gown had been chosen for her.
    The other thing that she realized was that Flite and Torren had been right.