Her mum had recently found a second chance at love, but for too many years Lorna MacKenzie had been lonely. Faye had always wondered if her mum thought Faye was partly to blame.
Her dragon growled. She doesn’t. She’s said it before.
Maybe. At least she has Ross.
Then why do you worry about things you can’t change?
Not wanting to answer, she looked back to the dragonman who knew so much about her.
Damn Grant and his knowledge. Sometimes knowing a male your whole life made things difficult. “I think about him sometimes, but I had my mum. Everyone on Lochguard knows your mother’s heart broke when your dad left. There’s a big difference between someone leaving by choice and someone being ripped from your side because of reasons beyond your control.” Grant merely grunted and Faye continued, “I think that once we go back home, you need to invite her over to a MacKenzie family dinner. Your brother, too. All three of you could do with a night of mayhem.”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure being hit by a flying bread roll would lift my mum’s spirits.”
She grinned. “Maybe not. But if I can convince her to do some throwing of her own, it just might. I’m sure Fraser would sacrifice himself to the cause.”
The corner of Grant’s mouth ticked up. “He did release some rabbits into my mother’s garden as a lad. Mum has a long memory.”
Faye laughed. “Then it’s settled. You all are coming to dinner.”
Looking at Grant, smiling faintly in the moonlight, she decided she liked him better like this, when he was honest and somewhat open. She had a feeling he hadn’t laughed enough over the course of his life. In that instant, Faye made a vow to ensure he laughed a lot more in the future.
It didn’t matter that a lot of her plans involved offering Fraser up as a sacrifice to her nefarious plots. After their childhood, her brother had a lot of payback coming his way.
They reached the edge of the fenced off area near the castle. The smile faded from Grant’s face and his expression morphed into a more serious one.
It was back to work. Maybe someday they would have a respite from trouble and pain and she could show Grant a good time.
Grant picked up his pace. “We can discuss dinner plans later. For now, we need to find the irritating human. I’m not about to let Cat’s hard work be taken lightly.”
As Grant stripped and stowed his clothes, Faye barely noticed his nakedness. All she could think about was Grant’s childhood and how he cared about Cat’s success.
There was more to Grant McFarland than what she’d thought.
Her dragon sighed. You’re not going weak in the knees for him, are you?
I’m not saying one way or the other, but why are you so dead set against him? Usually when it comes to true mates, dragons can’t keep quiet about sex and babies.
Because we’ve worked too hard to give it all up. Grant may be sexy and clever, but he’s overprotective. A bairn someday would be nice, but both of us would go crazy staying home and doing nothing else. Grant would try to force us to stay home.
Her dragon was most likely correct.
Yet as Grant turned toward her and motioned for her to undress, she knew she wanted to know more about the male fate had chosen for her. Maybe, deep down, he was more understanding about gender roles. Faye may no longer be a soldier, but her heart was still that of a warrior. All she had to do was convince Grant of that, too.
Stripping off her clothes, Faye stored them inside a locker and imagined her body morphing into her blue dragon form. She would start convincing him straight away. If Max Holbrook was anywhere near Craig Phadrig, Faye would find him.
Chapter Nine
For the first time in months, Lachlan MacKintosh was tempted to have a drink.
He’d been sober for ten years, in large part to implementing structure into every aspect of his life to prevent a relapse. Planning events had been his calling and he’d worked his arse off to secure the first official outreach program by the British DDA.
And yet, all of his planning had been foiled by one rogue archaeologist.
A soft, feminine Scottish voice filled his ear. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Grant and Faye are some of the best Protectors in the world.”
He looked over to see the dark blue eyes of Cat MacAllister. “Have you met every Protector in the world?”
“No.”
“Then don’t say you know for certain.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Someone’s crotchety this evening.”
“Crotchety is something my gran would say. How old are you again?”
Cat rolled her eyes. “You sound like my brother Connor.”
While he’d perused all of the participants’ files closely, he’d looked over Cat’s again right before supper. She had tried to hide it, but he’d caught her staring at him. He wondered why. “Then Connor sounds like a fine lad. Embellishments can often hide the truth.”
He’d done it often enough when all he could think about was his next drink.
She searched his eyes. “Aye, but sometimes we want to hide the truth. Only then can you help someone forget the present and make them laugh.”
“And again, you sound like a grandmother, but this time, as if imparting wisdom to a younger generation. Odd, considering I’m older than you.”
“Some of us grow up faster than others.” Before he could ask her to clarify, the corner of her mouth ticked up. “If you think that was bad as far as advice, you should meet my granddad. He wouldn’t be above dropping boulders on someone’s barn to get their attention.”
“What are you talking about?”
However, before she could reply, one of the DDA security team motioned for him to meet them in the hall.
Lachlan looked back to Cat. “Thank you for your reassurances, but I have matters that require my attention. If you’ll excuse me.”
As he turned to leave, he heard Cat whisper, “It would take less time to say, ‘I have shit to do.’”
He chanced a glance over his shoulder, and Cat’s face was one of pure innocence. She even raised her brows in question.
Shaking his head, Lachlan went into the hall. He knew working with artists was going to be different than the bureaucracy and campaign events he was used to, but he was quite certain no one had ever suggested he swear as a matter of efficiency. In his experience, most enjoyed the formality and praise.
He wondered if all dragon-shifters acted like Cat MacAllister. In all his time working with the DDA, he’d only focused on the human public relations side. For the most part, women were inspectors since human sacrifices tended to open up to other women. There were few chances for men to visit the dragon clans, let alone interact with them unless they were in the armed forces.
However, with Rosalind Abbott in charge of the Department of Dragon Affairs, he had a feeling a lot more changes would be coming and he’d be seeing plenty of dragon-shifters in the near future.
But first things first, he needed to ensure his inaugural dragon-related event went smoothly. Otherwise, he’d never be given another.
Stopping in the hall, he looked to Arjun, the head of the DDA’s security team. “Is there any new information?”
The man’s Birmingham accent filled the hall. “It’s too soon to hear back from the dragons on patrol, but one of my contacts spotted a man wearing a worn leather jacket to the west of here. I think the Lochguard bloke was right about where Holbrook went.”
“Good. Then we’ll wait for their call. In the meantime, have you found someone to watch over him?”
“I was talking with my team and we think he should be assigned a dragon-shifter.”
“Explain.”
“Well, if he tries to run off, the dragon can easily scoop him up. Besides, Holbrook seems fascinated with them. Maybe that will tame his wanderlust for a bit.”
Lachlan nodded. “It’s a good idea. I’ll talk to the Protectors once they return. For now, do another perimeter check. We can’t
risk anyone else trying to leave or come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that, Arjun disappeared down the hall.
Lachlan debated going back into the main living room, but decided against it. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by Cat MacAllister and tales of her strange family. His assistant could look after them.
Besides, he would need to report to his superior at the DDA as soon as Holbrook was found. He needed to prepare and smooth things over. He’d done it many times before, but when things tended to stray from the plan with dragon-shifters, his superiors would sometimes overreact.
However, before heading upstairs, he did take one last peek into the living room through the window on the door. He saw Cat laughing at something Dylan from Stonefire said. He wondered what his life would be like if he could afford to be carefree and take things as they came.
Focus on your work. Lachlan knew what lay ahead if he deviated from his routine and organized lifestyle. He’d relapse and end up drinking.
And that was something he vowed to never do again.
Turning away from the laughter, he went back to work.
~~~
Grant hovered above the clearing on the hill where the fort had once stood long ago. There weren’t any lights glowing and to human eyes, the pitch darkness would be almost impossible to navigate without a torch. He wondered if Holbrook had the skill to climb the place and rummage in the blackness.
There was just enough room at the top of the hill for Grant to touch his feet to the ground and fold his wings to his back. Faye was keeping an eye on the surrounding area from the air. If she found anything, she would give a specific series of low roars to tell him and vice versa if he needed assistance.
After laying down the small satchel he’d clutched in his front limb, he imagined his body shrinking, and Grant stood in his human form a few seconds later. Thanks to it being early summer, he could wander the hilltop naked and not end up with hypothermia. He picked up the small pack that contained his phone and took off toward the fort’s boundary wall.
Grant watched where he walked and avoided stepping on anything that could give away his location. Max had no military training that Grant was aware of, but just in case he was working with a partner, Grant wasn’t taking any chances. While the human seemed sincere in his interest of unlocking history, there were many humans in the world who may want his skills and force him to do their bidding.
As he made his way silently around the edge of where the fort once stood, he kept an eye out for anything unusual. But as he went, no one jumped out of the trees or tried to shoot him. Tracking Max was more time consuming than usual since the area was frequented by hikers and he couldn’t simply look for broken branches or footprints. Instead, every fifteen or twenty seconds, he paused and listened for the slightest sign of another person.
The faint breeze blew the branches of the trees, but he pushed past that and listened for the minutest details. If Max Holbrook was stealthier than him, Grant would eat his own shoe.
His beast huffed. Hurry up and find him.
Ignoring his dragon, Grant continued around the perimeter of where the fort’s walls once stood. When he reached the area assumed to be the rear, there was a male grunt. Sweeping the area with his eyes, Grant finally spotted movement a few feet beyond the tree line.
Careful to keep a wide berth, Grant finally saw the crouched form of Max Holbrook. He looked to be using his trowel to uncover something in the dirt.
As soon as Grant was close enough he could tackle the human to the ground if need be, he said, “What the bloody hell are you doing?”
Max didn’t stop his actions. “Looking for proof of a dragon-shifter settlement in the post-Pictish era.”
The human continued to dig with his trowel in the dark. He was fairly certain the male was working alone since no one else had made their presence known. Grant stated, “You can’t possibly see anything.”
Max glanced up, and Grant finally noticed the strange goggles. “A friend of mine invented these. Even if they’re not as clear, they’re less bulky than standard night vision goggles and work well enough for what I need.” He looked back toward the ground. “Although I could do without seeing your naked body. Didn’t you bring some clothes with you?”
His dragon growled. Why does he seem so unconcerned? He must know we’re here to cart him away.
I don’t know. He’s odd. That’s all I can say.
Grant wanted to send a text to let the others know he’d found Max, but given the human’s unpredictability, Grant wanted him in custody first.
He took a step closer. “Your slipping away put everyone on high alert. There was even a theory that you weren’t working alone. You can’t stay here. We need to head back.”
“Of course I’m alone. I had no choice but to sneak off and come here. Word is that illegal artifact dealers are targeting this spot. If I don’t find what’s needed, it could be lost to history.”
His beast spoke up again. Okay, I almost admire him.
I don’t want to know.
Grant took another step. “Maybe the DDA can negotiate something on your behalf. After all, Craig Phadrig is a scheduled monument. The government will protect it.”
Max never stopped his work. “Much like how they protect you from dragon hunters and the Dragon Knights? How well is that working out for you?”
Grant growled. “I don’t have time to argue. I was being polite, but I’m not above carrying you back to Inverness Castle against your will.”
“A-ha! This is what I was hoping for.” Max removed something from the dirt. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
“It looks like a dirt-covered rock.”
“Maybe you’re the one who can’t see in the dark.” He held up the object and wiped away some more of the dirt. “It’s a pottery shard with an early version of Mersae on it. I’ll need to clean it up more to decipher the meaning.”
Mersae was the old dragon-shifter language, which in modern times was only used for special occasions or when they didn’t want humans to overhear a conversation. “That’s grand, but if you think I’m going to wait here while you dig up some more ancient rubbish, then you’re in for a surprise.”
Max picked something else up out of the dirt. “Take me back gently, so as not to damage my finds, and I’ll go quietly. These pieces might be enough to convince the government to protect this spot from the money-hungry bastards who would merely sell it to a rich toff.”
“Who would buy that?”
“I’m starting to understand why there aren’t many dragon-shifter archaeologists. You lot don’t seem interested in learning about the past.”
“We are, but possessions hold less meaning. We’ve had everything burned or destroyed many times over.”
Max waved a hand. “Still not a good enough excuse.”
Grant clenched his jaw. He could toss the human across the way without breaking a sweat, but he seemed unconcerned. How Max had survived this long, he didn’t know.
His dragon’s voice was tinged with amusement when he said, The human diverts me.
I don’t care if he wins your heart and you wish to sign over your unborn child. He’s put the mission in danger. I won’t let it happen again.
You’re just grumpy because you want to kiss Faye’s skin some more.
You don’t want the same?
A few minutes observing the strange human won’t hurt anyone.
Placing his hand on Max’s shoulder, Grant ordered, “Stand up. We’re heading back.”
Max gently wrapped his pottery shards in some cloth and placed them in his satchel. “Remember what I said—you need to be gentle with me. These finds may change the history of Inverness.”
Grant was doubtful, but refrained from commenting. “Then don’t try to run away. I will tackle you to the ground, if necessary. And you’ll be responsible for destroying history.”
As he guided Max away from his dig spot, Grant made a loud, high-pitched whistle.
After a minute, Faye’s blue dragon form landed in the middle of the hill.
Once Grant and Max were close enough, he said, “Find and signal the others that I found Holbrook. To stop his whining, I’m going to take him back by car.” She gestured toward his naked body. “I have some trousers in my satchel. We’ll return to the B&B as soon as I can manage.”
With a nod, Faye jumped into the air and slowly ascended into the sky. Before Grant could maneuver Max toward the trail that would lead to the bottom of the hill, Max’s voice filled the air. “She flies strangely.”
He had no idea how Max could tell Faye was a she in the darkness unless he’d been purposefully staring where he shouldn’t. Grant pushed until the human started walking. “That’s none of your concern.”
“Was she born that way? Or was she injured? While it’s not my specialty, I’ve always been fascinated by dragon bones. However, I’ve had the devil of a time studying the bones of dragon-shifters on my own. There weren’t any reliable books I could find, just rubbish ones about the magical properties of ground-up bone. I could use any instruction you could provide.”
His dragon chuckled. Yes, you’re such an expert. Why don’t you help him? Imagine if you told him that we did have magic bones. Who knows what he’d do then.
Grant knew as much about bones as he did baking, which was nothing. They aren’t magical. Shut it, dragon.
He lightly pushed Max’s shoulder. “Just keep walking. Talking wasn’t part of the bargain.”
Max continued as if Grant hadn’t said anything. He gestured toward the sky, where Faye had gone. “Maybe she’ll let me take a look. She’s much friendlier than you.”
“Friendly won’t necessarily save you. Irritate her and she may kick your arse.”
“So she’s a feisty one. Much like the purple dragon from before. I never learned her name.”
“Iris. And I’d watch out for her, too. She was close to dropping you into a loch.”
“I’m not sure why. I was waxing on about gender roles of dragon-shifters through the centuries and how females were once the fiercest warriors. She should’ve enjoyed that.”
The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4) Page 8