The bastard grinned and Arabella tried to recall her training as a teenager. There had to be something she could do to unsettle the cocky dragonman.
She might have one move, provided she didn’t bollix it up.
Taking a deep breath for courage, Arabella walked slowly up to Finn. When she stopped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest, his grin faded. His voice was husky when he asked, “What are you doing, Arabella?”
In a swift movement, she swung her leg, angled her foot and kicked the back of his knee.
Finn faltered a second, but instead of going down, he took hold of her arms, swirled her around until she faced away from him, and trapped her against his chest.
Being restrained and unable to see who was doing it made her stomach drop. She was trapped, just like during her capture as a teenager.
With her heart thundering in her ears, she was no longer in Scotland, but in a dark barn. The smell of manure and old male sweat filled her nose. A male held her against his chest, her struggles no match for his muscles.
Still, she tried. Her mother was tied in chains in the corner as another human male punched her.
No. She screamed for them to stop. If they didn’t stop, they would kill her.
“Arabella MacLeod. Look at me.”
It took a second for her to realize she was no longer restrained. Finn was crouched down in front of her, his eyes searching hers for answers.
Shame rushed forth. Arabella had worked so hard over the last year, yet the first man to restrain her in a friendly training session triggered her trauma. Maybe she hadn’t been ready to leave her clan after all.
The dominance in Finn’s voice caught her attention. “Arabella, are you with me?”
She averted her gaze and nodded. The next thing she knew, Finn took hold of her chin and turned her to face him. “Look at me.”
Bracing herself for pity, she darted a glance and she blinked. There wasn’t an ounce of pity in Finn’s eyes, only intensity.
The dragonman’s voice was pure steel. “If I’m going to train you, I need you to answer some questions truthfully. If you deflect, I will talk to Bram about sending you back to Stonefire.”
Some of her unease was replaced with anger. “You can’t do that.”
“I can and I will. Now, tell me: what happened when you were captured by the dragon hunters? And no half-truths. I can tell when you’re lying.”
“How do—”
“I’ve had lots of practice. Now, there’s no one here but you and me. Whatever you say will stay between us, so tell me what happened, Arabella. I need to know.”
Chapter Five
Finn tried not to hold his breath. After playing his best hand with the threat of sending her back to Stonefire, all he could do was wait and see if it paid off.
Arabella freezing in his arms was a feeling he’d never forget. Whatever had happened to the lass hadn’t been pretty. Even a few minutes later, he still fought the urge to shift into a dragon and find the humans who’d terrorized her.
His dragon hissed. One day, we will find them.
I agree, but not now. Arabella needs us.
Then heal her. We are the only ones who can.
He wasn’t sure what to make of his beast’s statement, but he’d think on it later.
Squeezing Arabella’s chin, he murmured, “Tell me, lass. I need to know.”
Her eyes searched his. At least, the terrified look in her gaze was gone.
Finally, her voice was low when she answered, “It’s my fault my mother is dead.”
“Then tell me what happened so I can judge whether to call bollocks or not.”
Instead of fighting back, she merely turned away from him and Finn released his grip on her chin. He was losing her.
He tried to think of another way to approach the situation when Arabella’s voice filled the small training space. “I was seventeen and wanted nothing more than to see the world. Like most teenagers, I was cocky and sure I could take care of myself.
“One day whilst flying with my mother to one of the hunting grounds belonging to Stonefire, I snuck away. I’d never seen any of the cities, only the towns and villages in the Lake District, and I wanted to see how the humans lived.” Arabella glanced over her shoulder. “The reason I wanted to see a human city was because of my mum’s passion. She was a bit like you, in that she wanted to mend relations between the dragon-shifters and humans.”
Finn smiled. “Your mum sounds like a clever dragonwoman. No wonder you’re drawn to me.”
Arabella glanced at him. “I’m not drawn to you.”
“If you say so.”
“I’m ignoring your comment. As for my mother, she was brilliant without being cocky, unlike some dragon-shifters. She always said that after winning the stubborn heart of my dad, anything was possible, even making humans like us.”
He grinned. “Judging by your stubbornness, you must take after your dad.”
Fire flashed in her eyes and Finn resisted winking. His lass was coming back to him.
“If you keep interrupting me, I’ll never get this story out. Can you stay quiet for two minutes?” He motioned with his hands for her to continue, and Arabella did. “Once my mother flew up to avoid hitting a peak, I snuck away and changed course.”
Finn opened his mouth, but then Arabella raised her brows at him. Wanting to hear the rest, he closed his mouth and she spoke again. “While not a huge city, Carlisle was the closest on our way to the hunting ground. Earlier, I had researched directions and soon made it to the outskirts of the city.
“There were so many houses, more than a few clustered tightly together as I flew toward the city center. Compared to the small towns and villages near Stonefire, it was almost another world.”
Arabella fell silent and his inner dragon roared. She is retreating again. Bring her back.
Give me a bloody chance, dragon.
If dragons could roll eyes, his dragon had just done it.
Forgetting his beast, he took a step toward her. He prompted, “And then what happened, Arabella?”
She met his gaze. “Then an electrical charge of some sort hit me. My wings wouldn’t move and I fell out of the sky.”
~~~
Even more than a decade later, Arabella remembered the air rushing against her hide as she plummeted toward the earth, unable to spread her wings to slow her descent. At the time, she’d been certain she would die.
Finn’s voice broke through the memory. “You’re still standing here, so stop with the dramatics and tell me what happened next.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Ordering me about isn’t going to make me share any quicker. Maybe I should stop there and make you wonder what happened next.”
Finn merely cocked an eyebrow. “Aye, and I’ll call Bram. You haven’t told me the whole truth yet, so my order still stands.”
Clenching her fingers, Arabella wished she had the moves to wipe the self-assured look from Finlay Stewart’s face. She had a feeling not many people challenged him openly.
Of course, she didn’t have any moves she could use to win against him. At least, not yet. Whatever it took, she’d find a way to pin Finn to the ground and make him answer some questions. It wasn’t fair he knew so much more about her than she did of him.
Wait, why do I care?
“Arabella.”
Frowning at Finn’s steely tone, she answered, “Fine, I’ll answer if you allow me to watch Faye train her Protectors. You’re busy as clan leader and I’ll grow old before you have enough time to train me properly.”
The dragonman’s cockiness slipped for a second. “You’re bargaining with me?”
“Why not? You like to do it with me.”
She braced herself for another dominant alpha order, but instead, Finn merely laughed. “I’m starting to see more and more of that hidden wannabe clan leader inside you, Arabella MacLeod. Life with you would never be boring.”
Resisting a blush, Arabella forced her face to rem
ain neutral. Nearly everyone on Stonefire called her the ‘clan recluse’. She couldn’t recall anyone outside of her family, her online friends, or Bram saying she was interesting.
She cleared her throat. “So what’s your answer, then, Finlay? Do we have a deal?”
Grinning, he took a step toward her and put out a hand. “Shake on it, and I’ll see what I can do.”
A bit worried at what he wasn’t telling her, she placed her hand in his. Squeezing her fingers, Finn rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. The rough, warm strokes sent a little thrill through her body.
Luckily, before she did something daft like rub the back of Finn’s hand with her own thumb, he tugged her close and whispered, “Now, finish your story, Arabella. I want to know you better.”
As she struggled to ignore Finn’s brushes against her hand or his breath on her cheek, her dragon chimed in. Tell him. He will not judge or pity us.
H-how do you know that?
I just do. He is what you need.
Blinking, she tried to make sense of her beast. Most dragon-shifters would press the issue, but Arabella was afraid. Of what, she wasn’t entirely clear, but she had a feeling a few sentences from her dragon could make her confront something she wasn’t ready to face. It was better to feign ignorance.
Tugging her hand, Finn released it. With the severed contact, it was easier to concentrate on her story. “As I hurtled toward the ground, my mother flew in. Placing her body under mine, Mum beat her wings as if her life depended on it and braced my fall. While not the best landing, it was rather more like a tumble, we were both alive with only minor injuries once the shock wore off.
“Of course, before we could do much more than blink, two hunters emerged from the nearby copse of trees carrying large guns. After shooting us both with high voltage blasts, the world went black.”
Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “How in the bloody hell did they find those types of guns? They’re illegal in the UK.”
Arabella shrugged. “I don’t know. And at the time, I was worried about bigger things, such as, I don’t know, my life.”
“I know, but it makes me wary that they still have weapons like that. You see, the Inverness hunters are rather disorganized and not much of a threat. We’ve never had to guard or protect against such dangerous weapons.”
Remembering her brother’s wounds from a laser gun nearly a year ago made her shiver. “They have worse weapons now, as I’m sure Bram told you.”
“Aye, he mentioned your brother’s run-in with death. Right now, however, that’s not important. I want to know what happened to you. Tell me what happened next, Arabella.”
The next stage of her story was the part that still haunted her in nightmares. Just thinking about what she had seen when she awoke in chains made her stomach churn in knots. She didn’t want Finn to see her weaknesses twice in a day.
Maybe she should stop and test Finn’s bluff. Would he really send her away?
Her dragon’s voice was warm. You can do this, Ara. I am here and I want to stay.
As her beast hummed inside Arabella’s mind, her panic faded. Thank you. I want to stay, too. I will try.
Glancing back to Finn’s eyes, she couldn’t read his expression. The lack of pity on his face gave her the courage to continue. “When I regained consciousness, my face burned. I tried to touch it, only to find myself not only in human form again, but chained to a large wooden post inside a barn.” She touched the scar across her face. “They slashed my face while I was unconscious.”
Finn’s eyes flashed to dragon slits and he growled, “What else, Arabella? You’re holding back from me.”
“Bloody hell, Finn, I could tell this quicker if you stopped interrupting me.”
He motioned with his head for her to continue.
With a gulp, she carried on with her story. “My mother was covered with bruises and cuts. At first, I thought she was dead. No amount of shouting would wake her up. However, the noise attracted the hunters. I risked breaking my wrists by shifting my arms. As I broke the chains, one hunter shot me with some kind of dart. Instantly, I became groggy.”
Not being able to move or take control of her body had been the worst part. At least, until what happened next.
Her dragon hummed again, and memories of panic and sadness faded. With a deep breath, she pushed on. “That’s when they took my mother and beat her in front of my eyes. A man had me trapped against his chest, but no matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t break free.” Tears prickled her eyes and she looked away. “I knew then, they would kill her.”
Finn’s voice was gentle. “Arabella.” She met his gaze, his eyes flashing dragon slits. “Let me hold you, lass. My dragon doesn’t like your tears.”
A part of her longed to feel a strong pair of arms around her, yet another part was afraid. If she wasn’t careful, she might wish Finn to care for her.
No, he was only offering her support as any good clan leader would do. Yes, if she reminded herself of that fact, she could revel in the strength of his arms around her and not read too much into it.
The first step was the hardest, but before she knew it, she laid her head against Finn’s chest. The solidness of muscle under her cheek, combined with the heat of his body, helped to melt away her fears.
In Finn’s arms, she felt safe.
At that realization, Arabella knew she was in trouble.
~~~
Finn never expected Arabella to say yes to his offer, but as the lass snuggled into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. A protectiveness he couldn’t understand rushed through his body.
His dragon growled. We will always ensure her safety. She is ours.
Arabella belongs to no one.
His beast grunted. She will one day. No one will try to take her away.
Laying his chin on Arabella’s head, he breathed in her vanilla scent mixed with pure female and squeezed her tighter. After seeing her tear-filled eyes as she spoke of her mother’s beating, he wanted to make fire dance in her eyes each day.
No matter what it took, he would convince the lass to allow him to do it.
Far sooner than he liked, Arabella raised her head and looked up at him. Every cell in his body wanted to see desire or tenderness in her eyes, but instead, all he saw was confusion.
In an odd way, the sight only encouraged him to try harder. His lass would need time to trust him. Finn needed to make sure he didn’t fuck up.
Rubbing circles on her back, he wanted to see how Arabella would react. When she pushed against his chest, he forced himself to let her go for the moment. He would be holding her again soon if he had anything to say about it.
Finn noticed the position of the sky and knew his next attempt would have to wait. “Are you all right now, lass?”
She looked to the sky. “I’m fine.” Meeting his gaze, she stated, “You need to go.”
“Aye, but I can maybe cancel if you need me.”
She shook her head. “No. Just show me back to my cottage. I have work to do.”
Arabella was tweaking both Stonefire’s and Lochguard’s computer systems against outside threats. Since Finn had once been apprenticed to Lochguard’s head IT person, he wanted to question her about her work. But if there was one thing he’d learned early on, it was that a clan leader put his clan above his personal desires.
Although, in this moment, he wanted to shrug them off and get to know Arabella better.
We will see her soon. Maybe then you will finally kiss her.
Shut it, dragon.
Flourishing his arm, he smiled. “Well, after you, my lady.”
One second passed, and then another. Would they be able to fall back in the familiarity from earlier? Or, would Arabella become awkward and distant? He hoped like hell it was the former.
For a second, she merely studied him and his heart rate kicked up. Then she sighed, rolled her eyes, and Finn grinned. He motioned again with his arm. “So, is that a yes?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “If you’re trying to be chivalrous, you’re forgetting one very important thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I have no bloody idea where we are. If I go first, we’ll be lost for sure.”
He grinned wider. “Well, it’s the thought that counts.”
“Just hurry up or you’ll be late for your meeting.”
As he walked, Arabella matched his strides. “And I definitely wouldn’t want to do that, or I’d miss all the fun watching you handle my cousins.”
Arabella frowned up at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh, didn’t Faye mention it? You and I are having dinner with her whole family.”
Arabella’s step faltered. “What? Since when?”
Placing a hand on her back, he urged her to walk again. Once she started moving, he shrugged. “I planned it yesterday. The MacKenzies are not only my kin, but one of the friendliest, kindest families within the clan.” He lowered his voice. “I mentioned enemies earlier and the MacKenzies are going to help me watch your back.”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“In this, no, you don’t.” When she looked away from him, he added, “Don’t worry, Arabella. Ten minutes with the MacKenzies and you’ll either strain your neck with head shaking or have a sore belly from laughing. I’m betting on the latter.”
Her look was skeptical. After a few beats of silence, she answered, “Fine, but if I feel a panic attack coming on, you take me home, no questions asked.”
Since he knew he wouldn’t receive a better offer, he nodded. “Done. Now, we really do need to hurry. You’ll have to survive without my charm for the rest of the walk home.”
“I think I’ll live.”
Pressing against Arabella’s back, Finn smiled wide. He couldn’t wait for the evening. Dinner with the MacKenzies should help Arabella forget about her past. At least, for a little while.
Healed by the Dragon: Boxed Set (Parts #1-4) Page 4