In the interest of expediency and to help each of them concentrate, Faye and Grant had each gone with a team to search the surroundings. Since Faye had seen the light in the forest, she was flying at the head of the V-formation of that team.
Even though leading a team for a mission should make her giddy after so many months without, her thoughts kept trailing back to what Grant had done in the surgery’s hallway.
His fingers were rougher and warmer than she’d imagined. And what he did with them, oh boy, that would make her blush if she were in her human form.
Her beast huffed. Why? We’ve slept with men before.
Yes, but it’s different with Grant. There’s attraction, aye, but I’ve also known him my whole life. Combined with his skill as a Protector, and the whole package sets me on fire in a way no other male has before.
You think too much. We just need to win.
So, you’re on the “shag Grant” bandwagon now?
Perhaps. He’s more interesting than I thought. I’ll now accept a few other things besides groveling for him to get into my good graces.
Faye mentally sighed. His poor dragon has no idea what he’s getting into if there is indeed a frenzy.
Her beast sniffed. If he can’t handle me, then he’s not worthy enough to be the father of our child.
Not wanting to think of children and risk missing something important, Faye focused on the final approach to where in the forest she’d seen the light. There were a few dragon-shifters also approaching via the ground in their human forms, which made Faye and the two other dragons with her the distraction, if need be.
She motioned with a hind leg and all three of them dove down toward the trees. She pulled up a split second before she’d crash and skimmed the tops with her talons.
The forest wasn’t as grand as it had been in the past, but there were still enough trees to block out large sections of land. Sometimes the ruins of the cottages used by the humans before the Clearances would break the tree cover, but not always.
She finally found a large enough spot to gently descend and put her feet on the ground. The other two members of her team remained in the air.
Listening carefully, Faye only heard the beat of dragon wings, the buzz of midges, and a few small animals scurrying away. She also smelled the forest, dirt, and decay of both plant and animal, but nothing related to recent human activity.
As agreed upon earlier, Faye waited for Brodie MacNeil, one of Lochguard’s Protectors, to rendezvous with her.
Speaking of the devil, he appeared out of the trees in his human form. She would have to commend him later for his stealth. It also reminded Faye that if she were to help Grant run the Protectors, she should go out into the field with each of them in turn to reassess their skills and placements.
Brodie’s tall, ginger-haired form approached her. She lowered her head. Only when he could whisper in her ear did he say, “There were traces of humans in the forest about a hundred yards from here, but all I could find were some empty bottles of alcohol. They probably were just young folk having a good time.” She bobbed her head a fraction, and he continued, “Regardless, we’ll keep looking. I’ll meet you at the next checkpoint.”
Before she could do anything, Brodie headed back into the trees.
Her dragon grunted. I hope Grant isn’t doing better. I don’t like to lose.
Neither do I, dragon. But we need to be thorough. You know that.
Just because I know it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Methinks you are anxious to see Grant again.
Of course not. Now, are you going to chat all day or can we finish our mission?
With a mental sigh, Faye crouched down and jumped into the air. It took a few extra beats of her wings to get back above the trees, but her wing didn’t ache too much and she accomplished it with little trouble.
As she glided on the air currents, Faye continued scanning the trees and wondered if Grant had fared any better.
~~~
Needing the cold water to cool him down after teasing Faye with his fingers, Grant had volunteered to lead the group who would swim in the loch.
As he currently made his way through the water in his dragon form, he arrived at his designated search location. Taking a deep breath, he dunked his head under the water. Since the loch was only about five dragon lengths deep, he only had to dive a few seconds to see everything around him. Thanks to the waterproof light strapped around his neck—dragon eyesight needed at least a little light to work properly in the dark—he could see every nook and cranny even at the deepest section of the water.
There was little beyond vegetation, some rubbish, plenty of rocks, and fish swimming by. Finishing his scan of the current section, he rose to the surface. His head broke the water, and he looked to the other two dragons helping him. They both shook their heads to signal they hadn’t found anything and everyone moved to their next area to search.
Grant glanced to the forest on the side opposite from the clan, but didn’t hear any sort of alarm. Faye must not have found anything yet either.
His dragon spoke up. Finding nothing is good. Not only because it eliminates threats, but also because our competition becomes a draw. That could work to our favor.
Ignoring his dragon, Grant arrived at his next section. The area was near the shore, but was one of the few places where there was a tall rock formation and a sharp drop off; most of the loch had a rocky, relatively flat shoreline.
Taking another deep breath, he dove down again. He surveyed the floor first, but he didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. Next, he went to the almost sheer drop and examined the rock face. At first, all he saw were ridges and crevices that looked natural. But at the bottom, he found a circular outline in the rock, one that had been made by man.
Just in case something waited on the other side, Grant quickly swam to the surface. As soon as the other two dragons also appeared, he motioned for them to come over. Once they arrived, he dove back down. The other two dragons followed.
He guided them to the same suspicious location and pointed out the anomaly. He then extended a talon and tried to pry the circle covering loose.
At first, nothing happened. But as he worked his talon around the outside of the circle, Grant was finally able to pry the covering away. He shined his light inside, and it highlighted a small alcove containing a waterproof-looking sack. Checking to ensure there weren’t any traps, Grant extracted it gingerly and made his way back to the surface.
Not wanting to risk ruining what was inside, he swam as quickly but gently as he could to Lochguard’s side of the water. Once ashore, he laid down his find and imagined his body shrinking back into its human form. After he finished shifting, Grant crouched down and examined the bag.
It was black and partially rolled up and sealed at the top, which meant it was probably waterproof. The bag looked to be high quality. Of course it had to be if the owner didn’t want anything ruined. After all, it had been submerged for who knew how long.
His dragon chimed in. Can we open it now? We’re losing precious time.
I’m trying to make sure it’s not a bomb or a booby trap. I won’t open it until I know it’s safe.
Then hurry and bring it to one of our scientists. Although it is fairly far from the clan to cause any damage.
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what’s inside.
Grant stood and faced the two members of his team. He pointed to the red female dragon named Zoe Watson. “Go to Lochguard and find Alistair Boyd. We need to make sure that whatever is inside won’t hurt the clan and he should be able to verify its contents. I’ll carry it to the forest at the back entrance, about two hundred feet away.” Zoe nodded, and Grant looked to the black dragon next to her. “Find one of the Protectors on duty who can help you finish checking the loch. I want to ensure there are no other surprises lurking. Pay special attention to the perimeter and the floor. Now that we know someone stashed at least one bag, there might be others hid
ing in objects that look natural.”
The black-colored Protector jumped into the air and followed Zoe back to Lochguard.
Grant looked back down at the black bag. Taking a deep breath, he picked it up slowly and made his way to the back entrance.
His dragon chimed in. Why not just call the DDA? They have the resources of the British government and can easily check it for us.
Given the recent betrayal involving the former DDA director, I’m trying to rely on them as little as possible.
But the new female in charge is different.
Even so, the exhibition is about to open in Inverness. I don’t want anything to overshadow what should be good publicity.
Publicity is a human affair. It seems like a waste of time to me. Not everyone will like us, no matter what we do.
Then think of Cat. She’s worked hard for this moment. We can’t spoil it.
I suppose. She has been nice to us, even if she was a wee bit annoying as a child.
He didn’t reply to his dragon and picked up his pace a little. Grant needed to be careful, but he also wanted to let Iris and the other dragon-shifters down in Inverness know to be on the lookout for anything unusual. If the Dragon Knights were stashing dangerous objects for later use, they might’ve done it near the exhibition’s location as well.
~~~
Faye touched down at her third checkpoint. But with her first deep inhalation, she instantly detected the scent of human mixed with something chemical.
Her dragon perked up. Finally. Let’s investigate.
Not until Brodie shows up.
Still, Faye surveyed the area around closely. The trees and their shade made it more difficult to see things clearly.
Her little clearing was free of rubbish or other signs of recent activity. Whatever she smelled must be further inside the forest.
A few seconds later there was a human yell and the sound of fighting. Faye roared in alarm to her comrades in the air before imagining her body shrinking. Once she was standing on two human feet again, she dashed toward the sound, careful to avoid breaking branches so as to not make her location obvious.
Her heart pounded as she drew closer. Pushing her body harder, Faye finally found Brodie wrestling one human male. Two others were engaging the other Protectors in human form.
She barely noticed the tent beyond the scuffle. Since Brodie was one of the best hand-to-hand combat fighters in the clan, Faye dashed over to one of the younger Protectors, Shay.
Shay struggled to get out from the human pinning him. Faye scooped down to pick up a grapefruit-sized rock and closed the distance. Before the human noticed her, she swung the rock against his head hard enough to knock him unconscious but not kill him.
After a quick check to ensure Shay was conscious and alive, she went to help the other Protector. However, Brodie had already taken care of his foe and was assisting their clan mate. Satisfied that Brodie would handle it all and tie up the humans, Faye approached the tent. She paused a few seconds but didn’t hear anyone moving about inside.
The smell of chemicals was stronger here. Just in case they were deadly, she took a deep breath and peeked inside.
She spotted a table with a variety of beakers, electronic parts, and some tools she couldn’t identify. A stack of gas masks was at the entrance, so she took one and turned back toward the forest.
After a few deep breaths, she donned the mask and went inside the tent.
Faye had no biological or chemical training beyond the basics from her time in the army, but as she surveyed the table with half-completed gadgets that looked like giant eggs, she knew it wasn’t anything good. She needed to find someone to take a look and ensure the forest wasn’t about to go up in smoke.
She wondered how the bloody hell anyone had constructed a lab in the forest without anyone noticing. Lochguard might need to include forest sweeps in human form to their daily rotations.
Exiting the tent, she made a beeline for Brodie and the others. The three humans were tied up, so she took Brodie aside and whispered, “I want you to stay here and see what you can find out from them. In the meantime, I’m going to fetch someone who can make sense of what’s in that tent.”
Brodie kept his voice low as he replied, “Aye. I still have my mobile, so keep me in the loop. We’re going to need Dr. MacFie as well. Shay is hurt.”
“Have the other member of your team call her. I’m going to have my hands full trying to round up what scientists I can find. I may even need to reach out to Stonefire.”
Stonefire had recently acquired a male dragon-shifter named Dr. Trahern Lewis, who was a genius with biochemistry. His human friend, Dr. Emily Davies, also lived on Stonefire and was just as brilliant.
She glanced at the prisoners and asked Brodie, “Did they attack first?”
“Aye. I asked what they were doing and they jumped us. One tried to use a stun gun, but it was a projectile type and he missed. I figured asking questions could wait. Even the DDA should approve of self-defense.”
“The DDA can be unpredictable, but I would’ve done the same.” She gestured toward the tent. “What’s in there will probably ensure the three humans are locked up for quite a long time.” She handed him her gas mask. “Try to stay out of there, but if you absolutely must go inside, wear this. For all we know, there could be something deadly to only dragon-shifters in there. After all, the Knights were using a specific poison in the drones that attacked Stonefire.”
Brodie took the mask. “I may be able to get a little information about what’s inside from the smallest bloke. He was giving orders and appears to be the leader.”
Faye moved her gaze to the short, skinny human with thinning hair. He remained unconscious.
“Just don’t wake him early. I want to try to have as many people as possible here to help in case the human leader activated some sort of panic device.” Brodie lingered a second and so Faye asked, “What? Is there something else?”
Brodie smiled. “It’s just nice to be taking orders from you again, lass. If McFarland knows what’s good for him, he won’t try to keep you away any longer.”
Not wanting to get into the specifics of what had already transpired between her and Grant, Faye merely said, “Aye, let’s hope so. If you find anything, contact Cooper back at central command. He’ll be able to pass the word along to the rest of us.”
As one of the human males stirred, Faye took that as her cue to head back to the clearing and shift. However, thanks to her alarm, there were already a few Protectors and one nurse standing there. Faye motioned behind her. “Shay needs some medical attention. Brodie has the intruders restrained, but will need help transporting them. You can ask Brodie for the rest of the details.”
As her fellow clan mates started moving in the direction of Brodie and the others, Faye imagined her arms and legs stretching, her nose elongating into a snout, and wings sprouting from her back. Once she was in her blue dragon form, she crouched and jumped into the air.
She’d barely had a chance to flap her wings a few beats above the trees before something boomed across the loch. A second later, a giant plume of smoke rose into the air.
Refusing to think Grant and his team had encountered an attack or worse, she made a beeline for the smoke to find out what happened.
Chapter Eighteen
Cat MacAllister tapped a pencil against her thigh. She always carried a small sketchbook with her in case inspiration struck, but even though she had a new idea, she’d given up trying to get it down. Three attempts and she still couldn’t get the lines right.
Her dragon spoke up. Why are you nervous? You are brilliant. The others will see it too.
The quality of my work isn’t the issue. How this event goes tonight affects all dragon-shifters in the UK. That’s a huge weight on my shoulders.
Everyone here is nice. The human Max is a little odd, but not in a bad way. Everything will be fine. Try penciling out your latest idea again. We have time.
Glancin
g at the time on her mobile, Cat noted that she had ten minutes before anyone would be allowed inside. She stretched her arms above her head and circled them wide to loosen up her shoulders. Just as she put pencil to paper, Lachlan MacKintosh’s voice filled her ears. “I hope you don’t plan on sketching the whole evening. Part of our success will be judged upon how you and the other dragon-shifters interact with the public.”
She met Lachlan’s gaze. “You like to plan events, aye?”
“Yes.”
Emboldened by her actions the day before, when he’d reacted to her candor, Cat asked, “Do your ideas always come on a predetermined schedule? Because if you say yes, then you’re lying.”
“True, I can’t control all of my ideas. But for a night like tonight, I would find a way to put them aside. You have an inner dragon. Let her remember what to draw later.”
Her dragon sighed. He really has no idea how this works.
I don’t think most humans do. Let’s find out what he knows.
Cat tilted her head. “Since you work for the DDA, you should have a better understanding of us as a species, aye? So, what do you know about how a dragon-shifter interacts with both halves of their personality?”
Lachlan clasped his hands behind his back. “I didn’t realize there would be a test this evening.”
Her beast chimed in. I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.
Cat replied to the human, “Aye, well, if you have no idea, then just say so and I’ll enlighten you. Think of it as an opportunity to expand your knowledge.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Dragon-shifters possess two personalities in one body. The human is more in control and understands human ways whereas the dragon half is more instinctual. When the dragon half ends up taking true control for an extended period, a dragon-shifter is considered a rogue dragon. Rogue dragons rarely occur before a dragon-shifter is a teenager. I could go on if you like.”
Her beast huffed. If he knows that much, then why suggest to me that I do something I have no interest in?
The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4) Page 16