Her Dragon (Book 2 of The Circle Series)

ATTENTION READERS! This is Book 2 in The Circle Series. For a better understanding of the plot and characters, please read Her Wolf first. . . . . . VALENTINA The wedding dress is heavier than it looks. I hold it up so my cousin can do her business without the delicate lace splashing in the toilet. I can’t imagine her attempting this by herself. Born three minutes apart and raised like sisters, I wasn’t surprised when she asked me to be her maid of honor. Giada washes her hands at the sink in the private room given to her for the evening while I fluff out the back of her dress. “I promise to return the favor when it’s your turn.” She smiles at me through the mirror. “Don’t hold your breath.” I don’t really date, nor do I have the desire to do so. Anything someone else can give me, like love, attention, and money, I can give myself. I fix my brown curled hair over my shoulder and smooth out my dress. Giada planned every last detail of her extravagant New Year’s Eve wedding at the luxurious Fairmont Royal York hotel, but I picked out my dress. With silver sequins and beading, the light grey matches her theme perfectly. It clings to my body and has a low back and a dangerously high slit. “You know I almost lost my chance with Sebastian because I was afraid. We wouldn’t even be here today if he hadn’t chased after me,” Giada says while adjusting some pins in her intricate updo. “Don’t make my mistakes. Don’t run from your feelings and let people in. You never know, someone might just surprise you.” I don’t like surprises. Giada and I may have been raised together with matching outfits and haircuts, and sure we have a lot of similar interests, but we’re different personality-wise. She’s warm, affectionate, and everyone can’t help but love her immediately. She also wears her heart on her sleeve, and I’m the complete opposite. We’re a bit of an anomaly in our family because we’re the first female witches in generations who aren’t twins. We’ve never found out why we’re different, but my guess is it probably has to do with our fathers. Mine died before I was born and I don’t know his family, and Giada’s father comes from a very powerful family in Italy. I’m a seer. I was born with the power to see the past and the future when touching objects or people. I’ve been having visions for as long as I can remember. However, it’s not something I can call upon at will. What I see is always spontaneous and unexpected. It’s a revered power I inherited from my grandmother, but it can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s also the reason I don't trust a lot of people and avoid most forms of physical contact. I know I can come off a bit standoffish and cold as a result, but I can’t unsee the things I’ve seen, so sometimes, I need to protect my sanity. “Let’s get you back to your wolf man. I didn’t know you two could be separated for more than ten minutes.” Her husband and mate, Sebastian, is the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, Canada’s largest and most powerful pack. We went to high school with him, his sister Jacqueline, and a lot of his pack. Possessiveness and intensity aside, if there were a type to date, it would be someone like him. He’s a good man who is crazy about my cousin. Giada rolls her eyes and hands me the key to the suite. I didn’t realize maid of honor duties mostly consisted of holding her s**t. I just want you to be happy, she says telepathically as we walk back to her guests. I know your happiness doesn’t need to look like mine, but I want you to have a great love too. I want you to experience this. She places her hand over her heart. We may not be twins, but we inherited the ability to communicate telepathically like all the twins in our family, something we discovered only after she was kidnapped by her deranged ex-boyfriend this past summer. Whatever is meant for me will come to me whether I seek it out or try to avoid it, Gia. Between school, work, and training to become the next High Priestess of our coven, I don’t have much time for myself, let alone a partner. A shiver runs up my spine, and I scan the room. I have had the feeling of being watched for the past few weeks now, and it’s unsettling. My eyes quickly land on a large man at least six and a half feet tall. Hot damn! My stomach tightens. I’m 5’8” and anyone I can wear high heels around and not tower over automatically catches my attention. Who is that with your hubby? I ask as the pair start making their way toward us. I haven’t met him yet, but Bash has told me a lot about him. He’s a black dragon and a Sergeant in the Tribunal Army. Centuries ago, dragons were supernatural royalty until they abused their power and all their subjects banded together and revolted. As a result, many dragons were hunted and killed. The Revolution lasted a few decades, and during that time chaos and death prevailed until the dragons surrendered and admitted that change was needed. That’s loosely how the Tribunal, a worldwide supernatural governing system, was formed in place of the monarchies. The remaining dragons lost their crowns and titles, but they donned robes of a different kind. Most hold positions of power in the Tribunal now. I take in every inch of him from his thick, nearly black hair, dark pools for eyes, and perfectly squared jaw with scruffy stubble all the way down to his designer shoes. He’s wearing all black, and his three-piece suit does nothing to hide how massive he is. It must be European. He has to be as well. Men here just don’t dress like that, not even Charlie does, and he’s the best-dressed man I know. “Giada, I want to introduce Sergeant Amadeo Serrano. He’s the one I told you about from my time at the training camp,” Sebastian explains. “What a pleasure it is to finally meet you, Sergeant.” Her eyes dance merrily when he takes her hand and brings it to his lips, and even though he isn’t touching me, I feel warm. Too warm. He’s wearing a gold thumb ring and another on his middle finger with a black jewel to match the stones on his lapel chain. I’ve never seen a man wear that much jewelry, but it suits him. “Congratulations. Please, call me Deo. All my friends do.” His smile reveals two dimples, transforming his face and somehow rendering him even more handsome. “Thank you for coming, Deo.” “Everything looks beautiful. This dress,” he pauses, looking her up and down appraisingly while still holding her hand. “It was made for you.” Giada blushes profusely, and Sebastian growls, pulling her into his side. Oh, he’s smooth! And brave, too. Sebastian is as possessive of a wolf as you can get, but the dragon doesn’t seem to care. “Thank you so much! Sebastian tells me you live in Spain, but you’re here on business. How long will you be staying?” Giada asks. “A few more days. Perhaps I’ll find something or someone that could persuade me to stay longer.” He glances at me then, and I keep my face void of all emotion, but my body ignites. “Is this your sister?” “This is my cousin, Valentina,” she tilts her head and laughs, and I know why. We look nothing alike despite our moms being identical twins. “It’s lovely to meet you.” He slowly grabs my hand and turns it over to kiss my wrist, sending an electric current straight to my pelvic region. “I’m going to steal my wife for a bit. He is an encyclopedia of all things supernatural, which is just your thing, Val,” Sebastian says. At least Giada has the decency to look apologetic as they walk away. “What type of business are you in Toronto for?” I’ll talk for a few minutes to be polite and then excuse myself. “I would rather not bore you.” He smiles again, and his perfectly dimpled face is too much for me to handle. “I’d love to talk about you.” I’m sure women throughout the centuries have fallen for his smile, but I refuse to come undone over a kiss on the wrist and two dimples. “Let’s not.” “Would you care to dance then, mi cielo?” He offers up his hand and the heat between my legs flares. I squeeze my thighs together, trying to ease the pulsing that’s begun. Shifters can smell arousal. If his nostrils flare, I know I will turn redder than a tomato in July. “Mi cielo?” I try to sound unaffected. My sky? That’s what it means in Italian, at least. “The direct translation is my sky, but it’s more like my darling or my sweetheart.” He drops his outstretched hand and moves closer. “Oh.” Oh? That’s it? What is wrong with me all of a sudden? “There you are! I’ve been looking for you, Val. You’re needed for some pictures,” Charlie appears by my side and lifts and shakes his camera. Oddly, I’m disappointed by his interruption, but it’s best I walk away. Anyone who has the power to create that level of heat and wanting within me so quickly is dangerous. “It was nice meeting you. Please excuse us.” Amadeo nods tersely. His eyes which were twinkling and dark before, are now a sizzling reddish amber. I turn to Charlie when we’re a few feet away, waiting for him to explain. He is a fashion photographer and offered to do Giada’s photos, but we’ve already taken all our family photos. “He was looking at you like he was a starved man and you were his next meal. I didn’t like it.” “Did you consider that I didn’t mind, and that is exactly what I wanted?” His light blue eyes turn stormy. “That’s not what you want. You wanted to bolt, and I helped you.” I look back at Amadeo, who is staring at us. “You have no idea what I want,” I respond calmly. “Val-” I cut him off. “I didn’t need your help.” I head back to the bridal suite to be alone for a few minutes. I touch my cheek with the back of my hand, and my skin is burning up. I’m 26 for crying out loud, not some teenager. Amadeo is undeniably sexy, and I haven’t been with anyone in a few months. That has to be why I’m hot and bothered, but Charlie was behaving like a jealous boyfriend when he has no right. We grew up together in our coven, and for the last few years, it’s been just the two of us. We thought his sister was dead, Giada was in Italy, and our other childhood friend, Bauer, was running with a different crowd. We eventually started sleeping together. There was even a time I thought I loved him, but I knew he didn’t want anything serious, and the feelings were short-lived. He ended our arrangement, and I didn’t stop him. Now he wants to act jealous when someone shows some interest, but it doesn’t work that way. I pull out my tube of lipstick from my purse when Amadeo strides in and locks the door. My pulse quickens as he moves closer, and I place the lipstick on the counter. “What are you doing here?” I ask indignantly. He turns me around to face him and pushes me up against the wall. His hand grips my jaw roughly. I should protest, try to move away from him and the way he’s handling me, or even use my magic, but I don’t, and I have no idea why. “I’m hungry,” he growls out. Well, damn. . . . . . . . *A/N Thank you to everyone who has been patiently waiting for this story. For the month of December, I will be updating one chapter a day (Monday-Friday). There will be a new schedule in January. Please tell me what you think in the comments section. I love reading your posts. Follow Gianna Coppola Books on F a c e b o o k or @_gcoppola_ on IG to stay updated.