“Well, Kevin Ogilvie has been backlogged as of late with the recent surge in bairns. It was a practical decision.” She gently hit his side and he continued, “Okay, it’s more than that. Stonefire is our closest ally. It only seemed fitting that our children receive pieces of history from both.”
Arabella nodded and she pushed the pram. Finn helped her as they made their way out and up the stairs of the dais.
Kevin, Lochguard’s silversmith, and Dylan Turner, Stonefire’s silversmith, stood waiting for them. Three large, wrapped rectangles were propped up behind them.
Once they reached the two dragonmen, Finn faced the clan. “Thank you for coming today, not only to celebrate my cousin’s mating ceremony but to also celebrate the arrival of my three children.” Cheers went up. Once they died down, Finn continued, “This ceremony is extra special and not just because it’s for my three perfect children.” He winked and a few people laughed. “Tonight is the first time two silversmiths from different clans have worked together to design tattoos for Lochguard children. I think most of us are already aware of how special our alliance is, but I just wanted to make it extra clear. Only together we can change Britain for the better.”
The crowd roared and Arabella smiled. Only a few years ago, before Finn had become clan leader, the two clans hadn’t even talked with one another.
Her beast spoke up. That is the past. We need to focus on the future.
Finn’s voice prevented Arabella from replying to her dragon. “Now, without further ado, let’s begin.”
Kevin and Dylan came forward. One held three small packages wrapped in blankets and the other held the three larger rectangles. Kevin spoke first. “May your children grow and flourish so that they may receive the gifts of our tattoo designs on their sixteenth birthday.”
Finn took each small bundle and unwrapped it to reveal framed pictures of the three tattoo designs. Each one was a slightly different combination of edges and curves, taking inspiration from Finn and Arabella’s as well as some original twists.
As Finn laid each one at the foot of their children, tears prickled her eyes. She’d just had her babies. She didn’t want to think of them being sixteen and receiving tattoos just yet.
Finn lightly squeezed her side before speaking to the crowd again. “Grayson James, Declan George, and Freya Anne Jocelyn will gladly display your artwork to the world when they are of age.”
Once Finn finished the ceremonial response, Dylan from Lochguard handed a larger wrapped parcel each to her, Finn, and Kevin. They unwrapped them to reveal much larger versions of the tattoos. They turned them toward the crowd and everyone clapped, whistled, or cheered.
After a minute, Finn shouted, “Welcome to the clan, Grayson, Declan, and Freya!”
The crowd cheered louder. Arabella glanced down at her babies, but they were still asleep. For once, she was glad they took after Finn more than her so far.
Her beast huffed. I still think they will have our common sense. Otherwise, I may be tempted to toss them into the lake a few times.
Hush, dragon. You’ll do no such thing.
Finn wrapped an arm around her waist and she looked up at her mate. “I love you.”
He whispered back, “I love you, too.”
As he kissed her, the noise level in the hall rose even further. Arabella had believed her life couldn’t get any better than her mating day with Finn. However, as she stood being kissed by her mate with her children in front of her and the entire clan giving their support, Arabella felt like the luckiest female in the world. Her past might’ve been dark, but her future was brighter than ever.
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Now that all of the MacKenzies have their stories, I get to play with some of the other clan members for the next full-length book. I’m still deciding the title, but Lochguard Highland Dragons #5 will be about Chase McFarland (Grant’s brother) and a certain female doctor. There will also be a short follow-up novella for Finn and Arabella in the near future. There’s more to tell there! To make sure you keep up-to-date on my next Lochguard release, make sure to sign-up for my newsletter on my website. While waiting for my next dragon book, you might want to check out my science fiction romance series. Turn the page for the synopsis and excerpt from The Conquest.
The Conquest
(Kelderan Runic Warriors #1)
Leader of a human colony planet, Taryn Demara has much more on her plate than maintaining peace or ensuring her people have enough to eat. Due to a virus that affects male embryos in the womb, there is a shortage of men. For decades, her people have enticed ships to their planet and tricked the men into staying. However, a ship hasn’t been spotted in eight years. So when the blip finally shows on the radar, Taryn is determined to conquer the newcomers at any cost to ensure her people’s survival.
Prince Kason tro de Vallen needs to find a suitable planet for his people to colonize. The Kelderans are running out of options despite the fact one is staring them in the face—Planet Jasvar. Because a group of Kelderan scientists disappeared there a decade ago never to return, his people dismiss the planet as cursed. But Kason doesn’t believe in curses and takes on the mission to explore the planet to prove it. As his ship approaches Jasvar, a distress signal chimes in and Kason takes a group down to the planet’s surface to explore. What he didn’t expect was for a band of females to try and capture him.
As Taryn and Kason measure up and try to outsmart each other, they soon realize they’ve found their match. The only question is whether they ignore the spark between them and focus on their respective people’s survival or can they find a path where they both succeed?
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The Conquest is now available on Amazon // Amazon UK // Amazon AU // Amazon CA // Amazon DE.
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