Revealing the Dragons (Stonefire Dragons #2.5) by Jessie Donovan Page A

Protector was a liability rather than an asset, and Kai was too valuable an asset to burn out.
    Tristan replied, “I believe you. Go do what you need to do. I’ll keep Arabella company here.”
    The undertone was that Tristan would make sure his sister stayed put.
    Once Kai was gone, he looked around the room until he saw Nikki, Hudson, and Evie holding baby Murray, all standing near a TV monitor. Evie looked over her shoulder, smiled warmly at Arabella, and then met his gaze. “Mel’s interview is about to start. Come watch.”
    Guiding his sister to the group, he looked to the telly and saw Mel. She looked a little too attractive with her hair done and a light coating of make-up, but he contained his dragon before his beast could complain. Instead, Tristan held his breath as the reporter started talking.

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
     
    To keep from fidgeting, Melanie wiggled her toes inside her shoes. When wiggling wasn’t enough, she tried to tap each one in turn. The wait was killing her, and not just because Arabella hadn’t arrived by the time she’d been taken from the ad-hoc green room.
    No, she would both help the dragon-shifters and change history for the better, or she would fuck up and make them worse off.
    If anyone had ever told her she would be at this critical juncture in dragon-shifter history, she would’ve laughed them off a few years ago. Funny how trying to save her brother had brought her to this exact point in her life.
    Soon, the female journalist she’d been briefed about, walked into the room and Mel focused on doing the best job possible.
    The black-haired, blue-eyed woman smiled and extended her hand. Once Mel took it, the journalist said, “My name is Jane Hartley. Thank you for agreeing to talk with me.”
    “I should say the same for you. I really appreciate you coming at such short notice.”
    Jane waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re giving me a leg up on everyone else. I should be the one thanking you.” She motioned toward the groups of chairs. “The live broadcast will start in a few minutes. Let’s get settled.”
    Mel took one of the seats and crossed her legs at her ankles. Glancing at the two cameras, she tried not to panic. She’d taken on human-hating Tristan and won. Surely, talking about one of her passions in front of a live broadcast would be easier.
    At Jane’s voice, Melanie looked at the woman. “If possible, look at me and not the camera. We go live in thirty seconds.”
    Nodding, Mel counted down in her head. When the cameraman did the final finger countdown and then pointed at them, she sat a little taller and looked at Jane as directed.
    Jane looked just past Mel’s shoulder into one of the cameras. Each second they sat in silence only made her heart beat faster. How long did they have to wait before they could get the interview started?
    After about forty-five seconds, the woman finally replied to whomever was talking to her via the earpiece. “Thanks, John. Melanie Hall-MacLeod first came here as a sacrifice and mated the dragon-shifter assigned to her a little less than a year ago. She is the author of Revealing the Dragons and she, along with a number of other Stonefire clan members, have agreed to talk with me and give us a glimpse into the lives of a few dragon-shifters.” Jane looked at Melanie and smiled. “Before we begin, is there anything you would like to add?”
    A million thoughts raced through her head. She wanted to dive right into a speech, but decided against it. The journalist might be smiling for the moment, but who knew what could happen five minutes in.
    Mel took a deep breath through her nose to settle her stomach and replied, “No, so far, so good.”
    “Right, then my first question is why did you write the book? There are a number of theories and rumors floating around, as you well know, but what is the truth?”
    Mel kept her voice strong. “The truth is I wanted to share how the dragon-shifters live here so everyone