Leah

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 s

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 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

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

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,