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Chapter One
Leah Sullivan had never wanted to slap someone so bad! She sat in one of the two black leather armchairs across from her father’s large mahogany desk, and stared at her father, King Marcus. The only outward sign that she was anything other than the calm, unaffected facade she presented was a slightly raised eyebrow.
She was pissed, but she would not show it. She was a dragon princess; the future queen and ruler of the Sullivan clan. She had to stay in complete control of her emotions. To show emotion is to show weakness, and a true leader must never show weakness. It leaves you too vulnerable to the enemy. Her father taught her that when she was twelve years old, and she took the lesson to heart.
Right at this moment, her father was the enemy and she would not show him weakness. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before addressing her father. “I'm sorry. I think I heard you incorrectly. Did you just say you were giving me to the Blackwell clan?”
King Marcus returned her stare with one of his own. “You heard correctly, Leah. This war must end. There have been way too many casualties and our clans can’t afford to lose anymore dragons. Queen Dominique and I have discussed it and we both agree that this is the best solution.”
Leah quickly lost the internal battle of wills with her patience. She exploded out of her seat, the green of her eyes darkening and her dragon pushing to strike at the perceived threat. “Have you lost your mind! I am not a piece of property for you to just give away! Did you even think to ask me what I wanted before going behind my back and -?”
Before she could finish her tirade, her father jumped out of his seat, his own green eyes darkening to match hers and dark blue scales began to sprout on his skin. “SILENCE!” King Marcus glared at Leah for a moment. When he was sure he had her undivided attention, he continued. “You will show some respect, young lady. I am still your father, and the king. Now, sit down and shut up!”
Leah was tempted to continue standing just out of spite, but decided not to incite her father even more than she already had. She could tell her father was two seconds away from tossing her across the room to show her who was the alpha. And, while she was an alpha as well, she wasn't The Alpha. She was not nearly as strong as her father, at least not yet. Paranormals grew stronger with age, and since they could live to be 1000 years old, Leah was still practically a baby at age 30. Occasional flares of temper aside, he would wipe the floor with her if she ever thought to really challenge him. Putting her pride aside for the time being, she grudgingly retook her seat, but continued to glare at her father.
Ignoring her small rebellion, he reigned in his temper and retook his seat. In a hard voice that brook no argument, he stated, “For the good of the clan, you will do your duty and mate with a member of the Blackwell clan. This will solidify the treaty as well as ensure the future of both clans, uniting us as one. Now, I have made my decision. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you keep it to yourself. Understood?” He narrowed his eyes at his daughter and waited for her response, as if daring her to object. When she nodded her head, he continued. “Good. I will be calling a clan meeting this evening to inform everyone of the treaty. You will be there and I expect you to be on your best behavior.” King Marcus turned to face the computer on his desk in front of him and got back to work drafting the treaty contract for both he and Queen Dominique to sign, dismissing Leah from his office as surely as if he had yelled, “Get out!”
Leah stood up and left the office. It was obvious that she wasn't going to win this argument, so she wasn't going to waste her breath. She loved her father dearly, but he could be a real asshole sometimes. Ever since her mom died ten years ago, her father hadn't been the same. He used to be so different, more open with his affections. When her mom died, it was like he buried his heart with her. She tried to be understanding. Her mom was her father's world, his soul mate. Losing her was like losing a vital part of himself.
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Shutting the office door behind her, Leah turned around and came face to face with her younger brother, Gabriel, leaning against the opposite wall. Tall, with broad shoulders and muscles on top of his muscles, Gabriel could be very intimidating when he chose to be, even more so than her father. But Leah knew that Gabriel was always there for her, and that even if she was in the wrong he would still have her back. They were very close. Leah considered Gabriel to be her best friend. She started walking down the long hall, away from her father's office, towards the stairs leading to the second floor of the house where her bedroom was located. Gabriel fell into step next to her, patiently waiting for Leah to begin talking. Leah sighed. "So, I guess you heard all of that. Huh?" Gabriel chuckled softly. "You mean the part where our father is basically pimping you out to our enemy, or the part where you and he almost came to blows?" Leah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, all of that." Gabriel wr
Leah Chapter Three
Climbing the stairs, she made her way to her suite of rooms. She went outside onto her balcony and climbed the scaffold to get to the roof of her family's home where a launch pad sat ready for use. Although "home" was kind of an understatement. It was more like a mansion, with several suites of rooms needed to house Leah, her father, and all four of her brothers, plus their future mates and children. That's not even including the guest suites and the staff wing. The place was huge, but Leah often felt stifled. She wanted her own place, something just big enough for her, her future mate and any children they may have. She'd prefer not to have her father and brothers breathing down her neck all the time. While she loved her family, sometimes she just needed some space. Leah stood in the center of the launch pad and closed her eyes. She reached inside herself where she knew her dragon waited, ready to be unleashed. As the first prickle of awareness began, she relaxed and let the chang
Leah Chapter Four
Leah looked up at the sound of the deep, masculine voice, and into a pair of the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. The man was huge, reminding her of a lumberjack. And, when he smiled, a dimple appeared in his right cheek, eyes sparkling with mischief. Leah was tall for a woman at 5'11", but she could tell she would probably only come up to the man's broad chest. He had to be well over 6 ½’, maybe closer to 7’. She knew right away by his scent that he wasn’t a dragon. Dragons had a distinct scent, like firewood mixed with something that uniquely identifies each individual. This man did not have the scent of firewood at all. He smelled like apple pie with an underlying scent that Leah recognized as wolf. She returned the man's smile, a slight blush darkening her cheeks. "Sorry. They're just really good." The man chuckled. "Is that seat taken?" he asked, pointing to the chair next to the one Leah was occupying. Leah shook her head. "Not at all." "I'm Ray Winston." He eased his
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Leah looked up in shock when she heard Ray start to growl. His blue eyes were glowing, and his fangs were sticking out beneath the snarl of his top lip. She didn't know why he was so angry. She could only assume it was on her behalf. It was kind of sweet. No one besides her father and brothers had ever stuck up for her. Being an alpha and a princess meant that she was usually the one sticking up for others. Leah reached over and placed her hand against of Ray's cheek. He turned his face into her hand, and placed a kiss against her palm. The gesture sent a tingling sensation up Leah's arm, and straight to her clit. She didn't know what it was about this man, but something inside her was telling her that he was special, and she fully agreed. Ray nuzzled her hand a little longer, then turned to stare into her eyes, shaking his head vehemently. "You are not mating with anyone except me!" Leah tried to pull her hand back, but Ray wouldn't let go. She sighed, and gave up trying to take
Leah Chapter Six
Ray watched as Leah flew away from him, silently willing her to turn around and come back. She didn't. It wasn't fair. He had found his mate, only for her to be taken away from him. He would fight anyone for her, but he couldn't fight her. There was nothing he could do if she wasn't willing to meet him halfway. He understood loyalty, but this was ridiculous. She was his, dammit! "Is everything okay, Alpha?" Ray turned around to see his sister and pack healer, Francesca, standing a few feet away from him, a look of concern etched across her face. His two cousins and pack betas, Dallas and Jagger, stood beside her, looking equally as concerned. Ray rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. They must have heard him standing here shouting like a crazy person. Alphas didn't do shit like that! Especially not in front of his inner circle, even if they were related. "Yeah. Everything is fine," he reassured them. None of them looked convinced, but they wouldn't push it because he was
Leah Chapter Seven
Dallas and Jagger pulled up just as Ray and Francesca were walking up the porch steps, and they all went inside. The guys all went straight to the living room while Francesca went to the kitchen to grab a beer for everyone. Drinks in hand, they all got comfortable, Ray in his favorite large blue lounge chair situated next to the fireplace, and the others grabbing a spot on the blue extra-large three-seater sofa sitting across from the fireplace in front of the window. Ray cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. “So, you may have already guessed, but the female dragon you all saw me making a fool over is my mate, Leah.” Dallas burst out laughing, then held his hand out to Jagger. “I told you so. Pay up, Asshole!” Jagger glared at Dallas, reached into his wallet, pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, and handed it to his younger brother. “You got lucky, ShitFace!” Dallas snatched the money from Jagger, then smacked him in the back of the head, which earned him a punch to the arm. Th
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Ray snapped his fingers, nodded his head, and pointed his finger at Francesca. “You may be onto something.” Francesca placed her hands on her hips. “Naturally.” Dallas chuckled. “Okay, Ms. Know-it-all. What other options are there for her? I mean, if the dragon leaders couldn’t come up with a better solution, how can we?” Ray and Jagger nodded their heads in agreement. Francesca sighed in exasperation. “Because we are on the outside. This situation doesn’t directly affect us, so we can look at the situation with unbiased eyes.” She went and retook her seat on the couch next to Dallas, pushing Jagger over to give herself some room. “Okay, let’s start throwing out some ideas.” She looked at the guys. When no one volunteered any suggestions, she continued. “Okay, then I will go first. From what I have overheard about Leah, she has some younger brothers. Perhaps one of them could take her place.” Ray scratched the back of his head and frowned. “It’s a good idea, but I would figure
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They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what they could do for Leah. Francesca noticed that Ray had turned his right hand over and was absently running his thumb over the back of the three-headed dragon tattoo that had been inked on his wrist since he was sixteen. Francesca looked at Ray contemplatively. “What would you do if you were Leah?” She asked Ray quietly. Ray’s head snapped in Francesca’s direction. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then he quietly asked, “What do you mean?” Francesca shook her head at him. “Come on, Ray. You’re always asking me what I would do in certain situations and telling me that I’m the only one who can understand what you are going through. I am asking you now: What would you do if you were Leah in this situation?” Ray bit his lower lip and chewed on it for a second. “I would do whatever it took to end the war peacefully. And if that meant marrying someone I wasn’t in love with, then so be it.” He looked away from Francesca,
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