You can read The Dragon King’s Baby free below.
Blurb:
A dragon shifter, marriage of convenience, pregnancy romance story. Addie’s world turns upside down when her father announces her arranged marriage to the Dragon Shifter King, Seathan. It’s a union designed for political convenience rather than love, a bridge to build the gap between humans and dragons.
But it’s all at the expense of Addie’s personal desires… And now she’s told that she needs to bear Seathan’s child as soon as possible! Yet when she finally meets Seathan, her resistance begins to crumble in the face of his commanding presence. Seduced by the intense passion he awakens in her, Addie finds herself pregnant and falling hard for the dragon king.
Yet there are forces at play, determined to ruin their union and newfound joy, even if it means plunging into war. As Addie and Seathan navigate these treacherous waters, can their growing love withstand the looming threats of a potential conflict? Discover now in this paranormal, weredragon shifter romance novel by Mary T Williams.
Chapter 1
Princess Adelaide sat on the balcony that jutted out of her royal suite. She looked out over her father’s kingdom, content with her life. The skyscraper in which she, her parents, the king and queen of the human kingdom, Lomena, lived was the tallest building, and her line of sight extended for miles and miles. Lomena sat safe on an island surrounded by the ocean. Addie, as she was more familiarly called, couldn’t see the mainland, so large was the island. The skyscraper in which she resided with her family, a battalion of servants, and royal courtiers sat in the middle of the island and was protected by a contingent of human soldiers.
A knock sounded at her door, and Addie turned her head to call out. Her handmaid and close friend, Jeanne, entered without waiting for an answer, bustling in with a tray of food holding her breakfast.
“Good morning, Addie,” Jeanne called in her sweet, high-pitched voice. She set the tray down, and as was customary for the pair, sat across from Addie to join her in her repast.
“Good morning, Jeanne. Thank you,” Addie replied, handing her friend a napkin from the tray before pouring them each a cup of coffee. As she divided the food, a note on the tray caught her eye. “Who’s the note from?”
Jeanne rolled her eyes. “Thomas met me in the kitchen and asked that I give this to you.” Thomas was the king’s second in command, sort of a vice president type figure.
“Such formality,” Addie mused aloud. She put a piece of fruit in her mouth, enjoying the succulent sweetness, before she opened the note. Her eyebrow lifted. “I’ve been summoned to his office.”
“Really?” Jeanne asked, glancing sideways at the note Addie had dropped on the tray. “How weird that he asked you like that.”
Addie sighed. “He only does this when he has something to talk to me about that he knows I won’t like. I can’t ignore a formal summons, but I can skip dinner.” They laughed together.
“Hmmm,” Jeanne hummed in thought. She chewed on a hunk of cantaloupe and swallowed before saying, “I wonder what he could possibly want.”
“Who knows? The last time he summoned me like this, it was to tell me that I had to go to college whether I liked it or not.”
“Yeah, but you wanted to go to college, so that doesn’t really count,” Jeanne reminded her as she speared a piece of watermelon with her fork.
“True, even though he insisted my major be in foreign diplomacy rather than literature,” Addie grumbled.
“You minored in literature and have written and published several short stories.”
Addie nodded thoughtfully as she sipped her coffee. “I still wonder if they published them just because I’m the king’s daughter.”
“No way,” Jeanne assured her. “I read them. They’re really good.”
“You have to say that. You’re my friend,” Addie returned with a grin. “Anyway, I can’t imagine what he wants.”
“Well, let’s finish breakfast so you can choose what to wear. You might as well look your best when you go down to meet him,” Jeanne commented.
Addie cut into her omelet fiercely, scraping the plate with her fork and causing both herself and Jeanne to shudder at the sound. “Sorry. You know, he could just come up here or talk to me at dinner, but no! That’s why I’m kind of freaking out right now.”
Jeanne waved her empty fork around. “I wouldn’t worry about it until you get there.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Addie changed the subject. “Any gossip I need to know about?”
Jeanne giggled and launched into a ten minute discussion about one of her father’s aides who had been caught dillydallying with a were, a big no-no among the humans. Addie’s worries about her father’s desire to meet with her melted away as she listened to the newest scandal.
*****
Addie descended alone in the elevator, dressed in the dove-gray pantsuit Jeanne had chosen for her, assuming her father had called her to his office to discuss a business matter. Addie had admired herself in the mirror after putting the suit on. Her ample bosoms and generous curves filled the suit as if it had been tailored for her, which, of course, it had been. She’d asked Jeanne to pull her hair up in a professional looking up-do and had put on minimal makeup. The soft fabric of her suit felt smooth under her hands as she ran her hands over her clothes and hair just before the elevator door opened.
She stepped into the foyer that led to her father’s office. The opulence was understated, but it was there in the stainless steel and glass, the original art hanging on the walls, and the polished older woman behind the desk waiting to greet her father’s guests.
“Good morning, Adelaide,” the woman greeted, standing as she spoke in a show of respect for a member of the royal family. Her gray hair was perfectly coiffed, her clothes immaculate, and although she was her father’s secretary, Addie knew she held a great deal of power.
“Good morning, Ginger,” Addie replied, inwardly grinning at the almost silly name for such an elegant woman. “Is my father ready to see me?”
“Yes, dear,” Ginger replied. She stepped around her desk to stand close to Addie. She leaned in and whispered, “Your father and Thomas are in there. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s big.”
Addie’s stomach clenched. If Ginger felt it was necessary to warn her, she was in trouble. She took Ginger’s hand and squeezed it, hoping to gather some of the woman’s strength. “Thank you, Ginger. I hope I’m not in trouble.”
Ginger looked at her, her face pinched with concern. “I’ll be here if you need me. Your mother also told me to tell you to come see her as soon as this meeting is over.”
Dear gods! This must be something awful! Addie thought, but her face didn’t show her worry. She’d learned from an early age to keep her thoughts from crossing her face unless she wanted them to be known. She smiled at Ginger. “Well, here goes.”
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Addie put her hand on the door, took a deep, calming breath meant to ease the stressful tension in her body, and pushed the door open. Her father and Thomas, his second in command, rose when she entered. She looked around the room; the men were alone. Her father, King George, never included anyone in private family business. This was something else.
“Addie, come on in,” George called to her.
She realized she’d been standing at the door, thoughts in disarray, staring at her father and Thomas. She put a smile on her face and stepped in, listening to the swish of the door as it closed behind her. She felt trapped by the sound and the men’s eyes as they watched her cross the plush, white rug and take a seat.
Her father had chosen to sit at the head of the conference table with Thomas on his right. He rose to kiss her cheek chastely and gestured that she sit to his left. Again she felt serious concern; he never made her sit at the table like an associate. Normally, they sat on the leather couch and comfortable chairs he had in his office. Her nerves were on fire, especially when her father grinned at her like a cat with a mouse in its sights.
“Addie, I have something very important to speak to you about this morning,” George began.