However, just because everyone in her family was mated but her didn’t mean Faye was going to join the crowd. She might eventually want a mate and a family, but until she figured out her position within the clan and excelled at it, kissing and sex would have to wait.
She approached the old Sinclair place that was slowly becoming the MacKenzie twins’ place. Two houses shared a wall, and much like her identical twin brothers, both halves might look the same on the surface, but there were minute differences. Fraser’s half had random plants growing with a mixture of grass and a garden gnome riding a dragon whereas Fergus’s half was well-cut and maintained with no ostentatious decorations. Each half represented her brothers well.
Faye slowed down and stopped at the stoop of the left half. She’d barely knocked before the door opened to a smiling red-haired human female with green eyes. It was her sister-in-law Gina MacDonald-MacKenzie. Faye waved. “Hi, Gina.”
The human’s American accent greeted her ears. “I wasn’t expecting you until later, but come in.”
She entered the house. “I have some clan business with Fergus. One of the Protectors said he was working from home today, aye?”
“Yeah, he’s here. Jamie has a cold and Fergus is convinced it’ll turn into the plague.”
Jamie MacDonald-MacKenzie was Gina’s son, but Fergus treated the lad as his own; after all, he’d been there since the day the bairn was born.
“Indulge him too often and he’ll think he can do it all the time,” Faye pointed out.
“Oh, I know. But I’m not feeling well myself, so I gave in to his demands.”
Faye looked at Gina and finally noticed the circles under her eyes and flushed cheeks. “I can’t believe my brother made you answer the door. You should be in bed.”
Gina raised her eyebrows as she led Faye down the hall to Fergus’s study. “You sound just like him. I would be in bed, but I couldn’t get Jamie to settle. Fergus has the magic touch, so he’s holding him and trying to get the baby to fall asleep.”
Her sister-in-law put a finger to her lips and quietly opened the study door. Fergus sat inside with wee Jamie in the crook of his arm. Her serious brother had a smile on his face as he hummed a tune.
When he finished the song, he looked up and whispered, “You’re early, Faye.”
She rolled her eyes but kept her voice low. “I didn’t realize I needed an appointment to visit.”
“You don’t, but it’s the middle of the day,” Fergus answered.
“I’m here on business. Grant sent me.”
Fergus slowly stood up so as to not wake the bairn. “What about?”
Gina put out her arms. “Give Jamie to me and talk with your sister.”
“But you’re ill.”
“You did the hard part and got him to sleep. Our little man and I can take a nap together.”
Once Fergus maneuvered Jamie into Gina’s arms, he kissed her cheek. “Call me on your mobile phone if you need anything.”
“I plan to sleep like the dead for a few hours.” Fergus raised an eyebrow and Gina sighed. “Fine, I’ll keep it close.”
“I love you, lass.”
Gina smiled. “I love you, too.” She looked to Faye. “Once I’m feeling better, we should have a girls’ night with Holly and my sister. It’s been too long since we all got together.”
“While we can’t get into too much trouble since Holly is pregnant, I’m sure I can think of something that walks the line.”
Fergus growled. “Faye Cleopatra.”
Faye whispered loudly, “You’d better go, Gina, or he might issue an edict he thinks you’ll follow.”
Gina chuckled, but headed toward the door. “See you later.”
Once they were alone, Faye spoke up again. “Grant needs an update on the traitors.”
“So you’re working on that too now, aye?”
“Unless you want an earful, don’t ask for the details.”
Fergus searched her eyes. “If he does anything to hurt you, Faye, tell me. I’ll straighten it out.”
Knowing her brother and his overprotectiveness, Faye merely forced a smile rather than waste time arguing. “The information, Fergus?”
He went to his desk and opened his laptop. “There’s not much, I’m afraid. While everyone remembers the battle near the Elgin NHS hospital, not many people have seen flying dragons in other parts of Scotland. The traitors must be hiding somewhere in their human forms.”
Faye plopped down in the chair in front of Fergus’s desk. “There are only so many places to hide for such a long period of time and not be noticed. Do you have a shortlist?”
“Aye, but why are you so keen? Grant didn’t enlist you as a tracker, did he? You’re strong, but not quite at full fighting strength”
Fergus’s doubt went straight to her heart, but Faye kept her face neutral to hide it. “My job is to get as much information as possible. You’re one source, but I have others.” She put out a hand. “Hand over the list.”
Picking up a piece of paper, Fergus searched her eyes. “Just be careful, Faye. We nearly lost you once, and you might not be as lucky next time.”
She snatched the piece of paper out of his hands and stood. “The accident and resulting injury weren’t my fault. No one knew the Dragon Knights would have electric blast guns that could take a dragon out of the sky. And when it comes to work, I’m always careful.”
Before Fergus could say another word, Faye marched out of his office and scanned the shortlist. She desperately wanted to check out a few places on her own, but her duty to the clan was stronger.
Still, as she exited Fergus’s house and headed back to the Protectors’ central command building, Faye had an idea. All she needed to do was convince Grant to go along with it.
~~~
Grant left the central command building and headed toward the rear landing area. Since he was waiting for information and didn’t have any appointments for an hour, he would take the time to fly and burn off some of his excess energy.
His beast was free again and asked, And why is that?
You bloody well know why.
Yes, but I want you to admit seeing Faye and working with her but not kissing her will be difficult. Maybe then you’ll see things my way.
As he debated answering or not, he turned a corner and smacked into Faye MacKenzie.
Out of instinct, he reached out to steady her, but unlike with anyone else, he didn’t release her shoulders. The rational part of his mind said it was so she didn’t run away, but his dragon merely snorted and said, It’s because you don’t want to let go.
It didn’t help that he wanted nothing more than to stroke the skin under his fingers and watch her eyes flash.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Are you all right?”
“Grant McFarland, bumping into you isn’t going to break any bones.” She poked his chest. “You are being far too nice. Tell me what’s going on.” He opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. “And something is going on. You’ve always told me the truth before, even if I didn’t like it. Don’t change that now.”
He studied the sprinkling of freckles on her nose before meeting her eyes. “In certain cases, the truth can be destructive.”
“Okay, now I’m more than merely curious. If you want the information I have from Fergus, then you’d better start talking.”
“Withholding information from a superior? That doesn’t sound like you.”
She raised her chin. “When it’s just you and me, there is no superior.”
“Oh, aye? Since when?”
“Since always. Even when I was head Protector, it was true. I was rather generous considering what happened during our time with the British Armed Forces.”
The memory of Faye pinning him to the ground after a tussle and nearly kissing him during their time with the army flashed into his mind. Being young and stupid, Grant had wanted to go after a human female for something different. To push Faye away, he’d told her she was
n’t feminine enough and he’d never be interested in her that way.
His dragon grunted. You were a fool.
“I thought we’d put that behind us,” he stated.
“So did I, but then you started acting like a stranger again. I’ve never called in a favor for your lack of apology, but I am now. I want to know why you’re acting so strangely.” She gripped his wrist and dug in her nails. “And keep in mind I’m not above a little roughhousing to get some answers. I was always better at pinning someone than you.”
With Faye’s body heat so close to him, it wasn’t hard to imagine her soft breasts pressed against his back as she pinned him to the ground.
His eyes fell to her lips and every instinct urged him to claim her. No other female would ever keep him on his toes as much as Faye MacKenzie. More than that, she was his equal in more ways than one.
His dragon spoke up again. Then do it. Tell her. Kiss her. Claim her.
Faye placed a finger under his chin and raised it. “My eyes are here, Grant.”
To his ears, her voice sounded husky. But given how his heart was pounding, it could be a combination of his dragon’s lust and his imagination.
Don’t pin your lust on me. You want her just as much as I do. Okay, almost as much as I do.
He moved a hand to cup her cheek. When Faye didn’t try to move away, he replied, “You really don’t want to know the reason why I’m being so nice, lass. It’s something neither of us are ready for.”
Stroking the soft skin of her cheek, Grant waited to see how Faye would respond. When she leaned into his touch, he nearly groaned.
Faye whispered, “You were always the annoying boy who tried to best me growing up. When did you have the change in heart?”
He leaned closer. “So you feel it too.”
“Of course I do.”
“Then you know the answer as well as I—it just did.”
As they stared into one another’s eyes, Grant could hear Faye’s heart rate tick up. Her pupils flashed, probably much like his.
The only question was if they could both control their beasts to focus on the mission.
Thinking of the traitors and what they could do to Faye if they captured her, Grant released his hold and stepped back.
Faye blinked. “What?”
He decided to be honest, otherwise Faye would never stop badgering him. “Nothing I want is more important than finding and containing the traitors. They could take anyone or thing I value and twist it for their own gain.”
Fire flashed in Faye’s eyes. “You just insinuated that I can’t take care of myself.” When he didn’t reply, Faye growled and tossed a few sheets of paper at him. “There’s the information I got from Fergus. Once I have more, I’ll find you. And don’t worry, I won’t bother you otherwise. I wouldn’t want you to breathe too hard and break one of my bones.”
Faye stormed off and Grant sighed. He knew how sensitive Faye was about her strength and abilities since her accident, yet he’d cut her deep to push her away. Maybe someday she would understand.
What? That you don’t believe in her? You might have just lost your chance.
There’s time yet to woo her.
Keep telling yourself that. She might not forgive you after this.
He watched Faye’s wild, curly brown hair disappear into the distance, and he hoped his dragon was wrong.
Chapter Three
Faye didn’t know if she wanted to cry or to punch someone.
Of all people, she never expected Grant to dismiss her abilities. He’d been the one to help her with physical therapy after she’d been shot out of the sky by the strange electrical blast gun. She might never have learned how to fly again if not for him dragging her arse out of her mother’s cottage and to the training area day after day to build up her muscles once more.
Grant was also the one who had invited her to his secret project, where they’d learned how to toss plastic containers of ground up mandrake root and periwinkle to force the dragon enemies to shift back into their human forms. She’d even been team leader for that project and had executed the right maneuvers without a problem during the most recent attack on Lochguard.
His change in attitude didn’t make sense.
Her beast spoke up. It’s because he sees us as a potential mate and not a colleague.
That shouldn’t make a difference. If he wants me, he should want all of me and not try to change me.
So you admit to wanting him?
I thought so, but now I’m not so sure.
Give him time.
Why? I’m not going to wait around and pine for him. If he won’t include me on plans to find and deal with the traitors, I’ll do it on my own.
Before her dragon could respond, she spotted Catherine “Cat” MacAllister, the oldest of the five MacAllister siblings. Faye raised a hand in greeting and tried to change course, but Cat moved into her path and said, “Where are you hurrying off to?”
She and Cat had been close as children, but once Faye had decided to be a Protector at thirteen and Cat had set her heart on being an artist, they had drifted apart. However, as she looked at her once-friend’s blue eyes and short, dark hair, Faye realized Cat had no ties to her family or the Protectors. She could say what she wanted and it probably wouldn’t get back to them, so she blurted out, “Away from everything.”
Cat raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you run away from your problems?”
“I’m not running away,” she growled. “I’m off to solve them.”
“You have the wild-eyed look my grandpa gets before he does something idiotic to his neighbor, such as drop a boulder on a shed or paint one of his cows orange. Maybe you need a breather to clear your head. That’s what I try to convince my grandpa to do.”
“Since your grandpa is Archie MacAllister and he’s forever with Finn airing some grievance, I don’t think your method works very well.”
Archie and his neighbor Cal had been feuding for nearly their whole lives. Unfortunately, their antics took up a lot of Finn’s time as clan leader.
Cat smiled. “It does work sometimes. Although I must admit I’ve wanted to tie my grandfather to a chair on more than one occasion.”
The corner of Faye’s mouth ticked up. “I think the whole clan has thought of tying him and Cal up at some point or another.”
Chuckling, Cat motioned toward the main shopping and dining area of the clan. “I don’t think I’ll succeed in tying you up, but won’t you have lunch with me? We can have a small cup of soup and then fill up on my mum’s cake. She always keeps the best pieces for me and my siblings.”
Cat’s mother, Sylvia, ran the clan’s restaurant. “I don’t know, Cat. I have something important to do.”
“Are you a Protector again?”
“No.”
“Do you have a new job? I haven’t heard anything around the clan.”
She frowned. “I might, although I may have just gotten myself sacked.”
“Right, then you’re free for the time being. Come on. Consider it as a repayment for placing gum in my hair when I was asleep and having to chop it off the next morning. It was a devastating experience for a ten-year-old.”
She pointed a finger. “Hey, you started it by daring your brother Connor to kiss me.”
Cat shrugged. “I’m sure you did something before that to provoke me. You were always the instigator.”
Faye opened her mouth, but then laughed. “I probably did start it, come to think of it.”
Cat threaded her arm through Faye’s. “Then come on. I’m leaving in a few days for a special exhibition that’s going to tour around Scotland, and I don’t know exactly when I’ll be back to catch up with you.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Aye, for a bit. The DDA director proposed it as an outreach idea with the humans. Art can transcend cultures, and all of that. She asked for submissions a few months ago, and I was one of the ones chosen. It took a lot of work to convince Finn to let me go
, and once he and Grant select a Protector to accompany me, everything will be cleared.”
Faye looked askance at Cat. “So, you don’t have an assigned guard yet?”
“Not yet.” Cat searched her eyes. “Why?”
Faye started walking. “Maybe I can do it.”
“But I thought you said you weren’t a Protector anymore.”
“Grant recently welcomed me back, but has yet to find a permanent place for me. Acting as your guard might be the perfect solution.”
Cat picked up her pace and Faye matched it. “I like the idea. Not only do I trust you, it means you most definitely have to eat lunch with me now.”
“Even after everything we did as children, you still trust me?”
“Oh, aye. You have a good heart, Faye MacKenzie. And you’re loyal, too. Besides, I wasn’t exactly an angel myself. We both kept each other on our toes. We also both understood about having annoying siblings that we could laugh and moan about. To be honest, I miss doing that with you.”
Faye smiled. “Me, too.”
“Right, then let’s hurry up. I’m sure we both have stories to unload about our siblings, and there’s only so much time in the day.”
“You want to chat inside your mum’s restaurant? If she hears us, then she’ll probably serve us the moldy cake.”
Cat shook her head. “We’ll eat upstairs in our flat above the restaurant and lock the door. Since the walls are soundproofed to keep out the restaurant noise, no one will be the wiser. It’ll also give me the chance to fill you in about my art show tour. The more you know, the greater the chance Grant will allow you to come.”
Faye nodded. “You should show me some of your art, too. If I’m being honest, I haven’t kept up with what you paint.”
“No worries. You’ve had a lot going on in the last five years or so. You’re quite the inspiration to the female dragon-shifters of the clan.”
She turned her head. “Pardon?”
Cat smiled wider. “It’s true. While the Scottish dragon clan has been more open about females playing important roles in the clan than the others in the UK, you were Lochguard’s first female head Protector. Because of it, there are several teenage females who now want to one day achieve what you did.”
The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4) Page 2