The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4)

by Jessie Donovan

  Since being in a strange place with two strangers had to be tasking for Grant’s mum, Faye took a step toward her mother. “I’m going to check on the nurse, Grant. We’ll be back soon.”

  Before Grant could say anything, Faye and Lorna stepped into the corridor. As soon as she closed the door, Faye whispered, “I need you to do something for me, Mum. If Grant’s to be my mate, we need to get along with his family. It might take some coaxing, but few can resist your dinner invitations.”

  Lorna didn’t bat an eyelash at her casual reference to mating. “Aye, and you want me to invite Gillian? Well, you should know me by now, child. I already did.”

  Faye blinked. “What?”

  “I already knew Grant was going to become part of the family, even when you were being stubborn about it. There are a few more spots at the dinner table. Gillian and Chase McFarland should join us as often as possible. You know how I like a full house.”

  Her mother was too bloody perceptive. “You do remember how you kept hinting for me to leave, aye? Is Ross boring you already?”

  Lorna clicked her tongue. “Ross is bloody perfect. As long as we have our nights alone, the house can be full the rest of the time.”

  Not wanting to reference her mother’s sex life, Faye steered the conversation back to the original subject. “Just make sure Fergus and Fraser behave themselves. A flying dinner roll or being hit with a spoonful of potatoes will probably scare Grant’s mum to death. She’ll never come back then.”

  “You have so little faith in me. I already have plans, which include the help of Fergus and Fraser’s mates. With my boys grown, those females have better ways of persuading them.”

  “Mother.”

  “What? You don’t think Ross does some ‘persuading’ of his own?”

  “No, no, no. I don’t need to hear about you and Ross.”

  Lorna shrugged. “You’ll be my age one day. At any rate, I’m going to fetch the nurse. Gillian might be able to handle just you at first. You might take after me and be strong-willed, but you’re young. She might see you as a daughter and feel less threatened. I have a tendency to overwhelm people.”

  “You just admitted to being too over the top,” Faye drawled.

  “Hush, child. I call it being enthusiastic. Now, go and get to know your future in-law.”

  Faye waited for her mother to take off before she rapped gently on the door.

  ~~~

  As Grant’s mother stroked his forehead, it brought back memories of his childhood. One time in particular he’d fallen severely ill and his mum had stayed by his side night and day until he’d recovered.

  Since he knew it’d taken a lot of effort for her to come, he stated, “Thanks for coming, Mum.”

  “You’re worth all the fuss, Grant. I’m just glad you came out mostly unharmed. Are you finally going to give up being a Protector now?”

  He sighed. “No, I’m not. And no matter how many times you ask, I’m not going to change my mind. Being head Protector is much more than being in charge of the clan’s welfare. It also means I can keep you, Chase, and all of my friends safe.”

  His mum remained silent a few seconds before asking, “And does that include Faye MacKenzie?”

  “Aye,” he answered carefully. “Once you get to know the lass, I’m sure you’ll see what I see.”

  “I have nothing against Faye. However, her mother invited us all to dinner and I’m trying to find a way to refuse. That family is exhausting and it’s hard to say no to Lorna MacKenzie.”

  Even just a few weeks ago, Grant would’ve assured his mother that he would refuse on their behalf. But, he vowed to help his mum heal and did think the MacKenzies could help with it. “Aunt Lorna might be bold, but she has a good heart. She and your cousin Brigid are friends. Maybe you should give Lorna a chance.”

  Gillian searched his eyes. “You’ve never tried to change my opinion before. What’s going on?”

  His beast spoke up. Just be honest with her.

  I was going to be. Have a little patience.

  With a grunt, his dragon fell silent.

  “I more than care about Faye, Mum. She’s my true mate. Our families need to get along.”

  She frowned. “Are you sure? You haven’t disappeared long enough for any mate-claim frenzy to happen.”

  “I haven’t kissed her yet. Both of us are waiting for the right time. We need to make sure the clan is safe first.” He reached out and took his mother’s free hand. “Just try going over to their house once. I know you miss Dad. Maybe getting to know the MacKenzies will help with your loneliness.”

  His mother remained silent for over a minute, and Grant wondered if he’d pushed too far. Then she finally sighed. “There’s just so many of them. I will agree to one dinner for your future mate’s sake, but I can’t promise anything more.”

  “One meal is a start.”

  A knock on the door was followed by Faye’s muffled voice, “It’s me.”

  Grant looked to his mother and whispered, “You can start with just one MacKenzie to build up your strength. She’s the most important one to me.” He raised his voice. “Come in.”

  Faye came in with a huge smile on her face. Shutting the door, she moved to the opposite side of the bed of his mum. “How’s everyone doing?”

  If Grant wanted his mother to get to know Faye, he wasn’t going to allow the polite, fake face to be the one she knew. “I was fine five minutes ago. I assure you I’m not dead.”

  Faye put a hand on her hip. “I was trying to be nice, but maybe I should stop. Just remember I’m the one who’s going to be looking after you. I can make your life enjoyable or make it hell.”

  “Good. As long as it’s the real you, that’s all that matters.”

  Faye opened her mouth and promptly closed it. She moved her gaze to Grant’s mother, who was looking from Grant to Faye and back again. Faye cleared her throat. “Sorry, Gillian. Your son is stubborn and strong-willed. I find honesty and calling him out on his crap is the best way to go.”

  Gillian gave a small smile. “I know, lass. I didn’t really have anyone to help me whilst he was growing up.”

  Faye stood taller. “Well, you do now. Between the two of us, we can strap him down and make him rest, if need be.”

  “You do realize I’m right here, aye?” Grant murmured.

  Faye ignored him and spoke to Gillian. “If you have any tips on how to make him a better patient, I’m all ears.”

  Gillian hesitated before replying, “There are a few things. He loves hot chocolate with peppermint. If you give him a few mugs, he is more likely to do what you ask.”

  “Mum,” Grant interjected.

  His mother met his gaze again. “It’s true. If this lass is to be yours, she should know. Otherwise, Faye will be banging her head against a wall when she tries to get you to do anything. I won’t get any grandchildren that way.”

  He glanced to Faye, but he didn’t see any uneasiness at the mention of children. He knew neither of them had thought of being parents until recently, but it was a certainty once he kissed her and initiated the mate-claim frenzy. Her expression sent a wave of relief through his body.

  His dragon asked, And why is that?

  You bloody well know why.

  His beast huffed. It’d still be nice to hear you admit it.

  Fine. I look forward to having a child that’s part me and part Faye. I can’t imagine having a bairn with anyone else.

  Faye lowered her face to his and said, “Your dragon is chatty today.”

  He grunted. “Believe me, I know.”

  Grant’s mother jumped in. “His dragon-half has always been the more rational of the two, although Grant will deny it.”

  He opened his mouth, but Faye beat him to it. “That’s good to know. I can’t wait until my dragon can better assess his.”

  Not wanting his true mate and his mother to discuss the frenzy or sex, he changed the subject. “You two can conspire against me later. If Aunt Lor
na has her way, someone will stop by soon to check on me. So how about we just agree now that we all have dinner as soon as I’m released from hospital? I imagine the threat will be contained by then.”

  His mum frowned. “I hope you’re not in here for weeks. You really will drive everyone mad since you hate sitting still.”

  “I don’t need the reminder,” Grant mumbled.

  Faye bobbed her head. “Aye, I forgot about that. So, be compliant until you’re well and I’ll smuggle things in for you to do.”

  “Since you don’t like sitting still either, that’s not much of a threat,” he stated.

  Faye raised her brows. “Aye, but I can always leave.”

  He was saved from replying by a knock on the door. Logan Lamont’s voice carried through the door. “I’m here to put on your neck brace, posthaste.”

  Lorna’s muffled voice followed. “There’s no need to state it. Just do it.”

  Faye sighed. “Come in already.”

  As Logan and Lorna came into the room, the ease between his mother and Faye vanished. Gillian retreated to a corner of the room.

  His dragon said, Give her time. She at least gets along with Faye. That is a start.

  Aye, I’ll admit it was good to see her at ease with someone, even if it was to conspire against me.

  Logan’s voice interrupted his conversation with his beast. “You need to wear this brace as much as possible until Dr. MacFie says otherwise, aye?”

  He murmured his assent, but Grant’s attention was focused on Lorna talking with his mum. As the two females chatted, Logan placed his neck brace and left. Faye quickly settled in a chair next to him and whispered, “Don’t worry. My mum’s determined to get in Gillian’s good graces. Believe it or not, she’s holding back a little.”

  Grant looked back to Faye’s gaze. “She at least seems to like you.”

  “Of course. I’m extremely lovable.”

  She winked and he laughed. It caught the attention of everyone in the room. Lorna was the first to speak again, loud enough for all to hear. “It’s nice to hear you laugh, Grant. I’m not sure I’ve heard it since you were a wee lad.”

  Faye jumped in. “Well, it is me we’re talking about. I can make most anyone laugh.”

  “Faye Cleopatra, stop lying,” Lorna ordered.

  Faye shrugged. “What? It’s true. Ask anyone.”

  All eyes turned toward Gillian. She murmured, “I believe her.”

  Lorna clicked her tongue. “Right, then Faye’s task is to get everyone at dinner to laugh. That should give you enough time to prepare.”

  “Mum—”

  “Don’t ‘Mum’ me, Faye. You’ve brought this on yourself.”

  “It’s okay, really. She doesn’t need to convince me,” Gillian said in a small voice.

  “Nonsense,” Lorna said with a wave of her hand. “You could do with some laughter yourself, Gillian. As a matter of fact, we all could. Now, how about we get a coffee? We can talk about our children’s mating and how we can spoil any ensuing grandchildren.”

  Faye looked about ready to say something, so Grant reached for her hand and squeezed. She met his eyes and he gave an imperceptible nod. Fighting with Lorna would accomplish nothing.

  Lorna looked to the pair of them. “We’ll be back to check on you shortly. We might even smuggle back some contraband. You’re too thin, Grant, and could do with some meat on your bones.”

  As Lorna guided Gillian out of the room, Grant kept a hold of Faye’s hand. Once they were alone again, she asked, “Why did you want me to keep quiet? Your poor mum is going to be traumatized after a coffee with mine.”

  “If there’s one thing they have in common and can bond over, it’s future grandchildren. And speaking of which, I think we need to talk about that. I’m going to be blunt. Before lust clouds your brain, I need to know if you’re ready for a child.”

  “Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “But just know you are going to help out as much as me. Although I’m not above using my family to help babysit when there are Protector duties we need to attend to.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I suppose having a big family is good for something.”

  She raised her brows. “They also have my back if you ever try to hurt me.”

  He growled. “Don’t even joke about that, Faye. I’m not my father. I will never intentionally hurt you.”

  “I never said you were your father. And ‘hurt’ is a broad term. It could, for example, refer to hurt feelings. If I gain a lot of weight when pregnant and turned into a chubby dragon, you might be blunt and say so. With hormones raging through my body, I won’t be above calling my brothers to set you straight.”

  His dragon growled. I can take her brothers. As I’ve said before, they’re not soldiers or fighters.

  Maybe not, but they’re good at getting in trouble. I’m sure there are ways they could go after us without a physical fight.

  His beast sniffed. Let them try.

  Faye’s voice filled the room again. “If any of this is scaring you, then maybe I should rethink the whole kissing and mating you aspect.”

  “I’m not afraid of your brothers.”

  “What about Finn? He is clan leader after all.”

  “If I wasn’t laid up, I would pin you against the wall and drive you crazy right now. Maybe that would convince you I’m not giving you up for something as simple as meddling brothers or cousins. You’re worth every battle, Faye MacKenzie. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to convince both you and your bloody dragon that you’re mine.”

  ~~~

  Faye knew she was needling Grant, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. It was probably due to so many years dealing with her infernal brothers and their antics. She was a “never say die” type of female.

  Her beast spoke up. He seems confident, but you should tell him it’s harder to completely win me over than it is you.

  Can you stop it, dragon? You fancy him just as much as I.

  Grant took her hand again and tugged her toward him, garnering her attention. “Are you going to say anything, bloody woman? Talking about feelings isn’t one of my strong points.”

  “Technically, you haven’t said anything about feelings,” she pointed out.

  With a growl, Grant tugged her hard enough for her to fall over his chest. It had to be painful, but he didn’t so much as flinch.

  He whispered huskily into her ear. “You want feelings? Then I care about you, Faye MacKenzie. No other female can both put me at ease and make my blood boil with irritation. I want you to be mine. Will you bloody agree?”

  “That’s not exactly the most polite way to ask.”

  “Faye Cleopatra MacKenzie.”

  “Well, if you’re using my whole name…” She felt a light slap on her arse and she squeaked. “What was that for?”

  “Sometimes, you talk too much. Since I can’t kiss you just yet, I have to find other ways to catch your attention.”

  “I really should push you away and storm out.”

  “Aye, and why aren’t you?”

  She hated the male smugness in his tone.

  Her dragon said, Be honest. It will make things more fun later on.

  Taking a deep breath, she answered before she could change her mind, “I kind of liked it.”

  He lightly patted her bum and she wished he’d hold on. She might not be able to have all of Grant just yet, but she wanted all she could get. He said, “Just wait until you’re naked and in front of me. This arse will make a nice cushion.”

  Heat flushed her cheeks at the image of Grant taking her from behind. He might even lightly tug her hair as he did so. “Grant.”

  “The invincible Faye MacKenzie is embarrassed? I never expected to see the day.”

  She turned her head to meet his gaze. The desire in his eyes sent a jolt of electricity through her body. “I’m not embarrassed about sex. It’s just…different. For so long, I thought I couldn’t have you. And now I can, but I
still have to wait.”

  His voice was low as he replied, “Sometimes waiting makes the end result that much more enjoyable.”

  She searched his eyes. “Someone is being deep today. Are you sure the explosion didn’t do something to your brain?”

  He wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the hand of his other on her cheek. “My brains, both in my head and in my cock, are just fine. It did help me realize that the only way to woo a MacKenzie was to be more open in all areas.”

  Faye couldn’t resist asking, “Who else were you thinking of wooing? Fraser might be flattered.”

  “Blasted female,” Grant muttered.

  She grinned. “Well, you did bring it on yourself.”

  Rather than reply, Grant’s hand traveled from her waist to her arse cheek. As he massaged one cheek, words fled her head as her heart thudded harder. Grant’s voice was husky as he said, “What? You’re speechless?’

  She just managed to formulate a reply in her head when his hand moved further south. When his fingers made contact with her sensitive bundle of nerves, even through the fabric of her trousers, she gasped.

  “Aye, I like that sound. I think we need to hear more of it, much more.”

  As he continued to rub, Faye laid her forehead on his chest. The warmth of his skin combined with his scent and the devilish movements of his fingers made it hard to concentrate. She was so close.

  Her beast spoke up. Let it happen.

  I wanted our first time to be completely naked.

  Grant increased the rhythm of his fingers, and Faye lost the battle. Pleasure coursed through her body as she moaned into Grant’s chest.

  Once her body stopped spasming, she melted into his chest. Grant’s chuckle rumbled under her ear before he said, “I think I’ve found one way to win with you. Your banter is no match for my fingers.”

  She propped her chin on his pec. “Only because of your injuries am I not giving you payback.”

  His pupils flashed. “If it involves your hand or mouth, then you can do as much payback as you like. I can lay still.”