“Aye, aye, I know. You can rub it in later. When will you start?” Finn asked.
“In the coming weeks. Aaron has an American cousin who is going to make the crossing and attempt it first. However, I have my best surveillance keeping tabs on the traitors we’ve found so far. You’ll hear the instant any of them move in your direction.” Finn nodded and Bram continued, “What about the Dragon Knights? I can’t have bombs going off and hurting Ara. She’ll always be part of Stonefire, regardless of who her mate is.”
Finn didn’t rise to the barb. “I’m still waiting for your doctors to identify the mysterious ingredients. Otherwise, the DDA is keeping as close of a watch on the surroundings as we are. There are a few new techno gadgets around the forest and the clan to alert us to possible dangers.”
Faye jumped in. “We’re also looking into the incident in Glasgow. It could be that the Knights have cooled off for a bit up here and are focusing on other parts of Scotland, which aren’t being as closely watched as Lochguard.”
“Still no word on why they placed the bomb in the lake?” Bram asked.
Faye answered, “No. If the DDA hadn’t taken away our prisoners, we might’ve found out more. But they refused to allow them to remain here any longer and it makes me wonder if they know something we don’t. Can your mate see if she can find out anything?”
Bram’s mate, Evie, was a former DDA inspector. “Ever since the new DDA director has taken office, a few of Evie’s old colleagues have returned to their former posts. I’ll see what she can find out, although I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Aye,” Finn said. “But it’s better than nothing. If things ever bloody calm down, we should request a proper meeting with the DDA director. Maybe then we can sort out a few things.”
“Agreed. If there’s nothing else, I’ll let you get back to Ara,” Bram replied.
“You’ll hear from me soon enough,” Finn said. “And Ara threatened to cut off my balls if I didn’t invite you to the dedication and tattoo presentation ceremony in a few weeks.”
“I want to be there. We’ll see if I can manage it. Say hi to Ara for me.”
Once Finn nodded, the screen went blank. Faye’s cousin moved his gaze to Faye and Grant. “If you can sort out the questioning of Cat and Iris, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
Faye raised her brows. “You being courteous is scaring me.”
“Don’t start with me, Faye. I haven’t slept more than two hours straight in over a week. I also can’t drink any coffee because Ara can’t have any, per the doctor’s orders, and I’m not about to taunt her in front of her face.”
Faye smiled. “You are a softie after all.”
Grant cut off Finn’s reply. “I have a question, Finn. When can I take Faye as my own and claim her?”
Leave it to Grant to just ask out of nowhere if he could sleep with Finn’s kin. Finn studied Grant a second and asked, “I’ve started to approve of you, McFarland, but it’s not quite yet the right time. I need you two to find out all that you can from the participants of the exhibition, not just Iris and Cat. But I assure you, as soon as we can breathe a little, you can have your frenzy. Provided Faye wants it of course.”
Faye answered for herself. “Of course I do. I’ve only been asking you every day.”
Finn shrugged. “My sleep-deprived brain doesn’t remember as much as it used to.”
“Bullshit, Finn. Just go home and help Arabella. Grant and I have work to do.”
Finn stood, but didn’t leave. “I won’t keep you waiting forever, Faye. I just need the clan to be safe first. I hope you know that.”
She softened her stance. “I know, but not having the male I want above all others is making me cranky.”
“Aye, I know how that feels. It took some wooing with Ara, if you remember,” Finn said. “Let me know what you find out.”
Finn left and Faye turned toward Grant. They were finally alone. “I was wondering if you were going to revert to your verbally challenged self with others in the room.”
He grunted and pulled her against his body. “I only speak when needed. With you, it’s needed more often.”
“Needed, aye?”
“Yes, although words can’t always convey what I feel.” He nuzzled her cheek and she leaned into his touch with a sigh. “I want you, Faye, and I’ll keep asking as many relatives as it takes until I can have you.”
She turned her head to meet his gaze again. “Let’s avoid asking my mother if you can have sex with me, aye? Or I might have to bring it up to yours.”
He slapped her arse. “My mum would turn pink from head to toe.”
“Exactly.” She kissed his jaw and savored the saltiness of his skin. The small tastes she had of Grant only made her more impatient to have him to herself, but she’d take what she could get. “Now, let’s get things in order for Cat and Iris’s return. Who knows, Iris may have even brought Max with her.”
Grant sighed. “Why would she?”
“Not for enjoyment, but as a witness. He’s the one who found the bomb in Glasgow.”
“That male has a knack for finding things, both tangible and intangible. He’s nothing but trouble.”
“But if he can help us solve our case, then we can finally kiss properly.”
“Aye, I like the sound of that.”
Faye took one last inhalation to commit Grant’s spicy scent to memory before she stepped away. If she wasn’t careful, she might become addicted and need to start wearing his shirts or jackets to keep him close.
Her beast banged against the mental maze, but it held. She was relying on the mazes more than she liked as of late, but she had to focus or people might die.
That thought sobered her up quickly.
She turned toward the door. “Good. Then let’s go to our office and get cracking.”
As she strode out of the room and down the hallway of the Protectors’ central command building, Faye could feel Grant’s eyes on her arse. If things finally turned her way, she’d have much more than his gaze there soon enough.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A few hours later, Grant followed Faye into one of the conference rooms. Cat and Iris were seated at the table. However, his gaze zeroed in on Max Holbrook fiddling with the flat-screen TV on the wall. “Don’t touch that,” he barked.
Max didn’t stop his actions. “I’m checking to see if there are any recording devices, but I don’t see any.” He faced Grant. “You should think about adding them. Imagine the wealth of knowledge you could keep for posterity. While I’ve never asked if dragon clans have official records, there should be some. And given the myriad of ways we can keep them these days, you should embrace as many forms as possible.”
Grant debated how to answer the human when Iris simply ordered, “Sit down.”
“But—”
“Now,” Iris said.
With a sigh, Max slid into one of the empty chairs on the other side of the table. He wondered if the pair had some kind of deal. If Iris had dangled something such as a flight or a visit to a remote location, it could explain Max’s behavior.
His dragon spoke up. That’s not important. The sooner we question him, the sooner he can get off our land.
You’re quite hostile today.
He always causes trouble. I don’t want any delays or we’ll never have Faye as our own.
Regardless, he has information we need.
Faye’s voice prevented his beast from replying. “I think it’s best we start with Max telling us how he found the bomb in Glasgow.”
Max rubbed his hands together. Grant only hoped it wasn’t for a long, drawn-out version. “Well, I like to explore my surroundings. Archaeology isn’t limited to items from thousands of years ago. Buildings from even a hundred years ago can have interesting finds on or around them. Even the smallest thing can tell us a lot about what happened there.” When he paused, Faye waved for Max to continue. “There were some buildings a few streets away, near the river. Did you know that
Glasgow was once an important port? I wanted to see what remnants of that time still existed, or to at least try to imagine what it looked like during its heyday. So many former ports have undergone revitalization and it makes it harder to find anything that will help picture times past, especially since it’s hard to dig at the fancy new sites.”
Grant grunted. “Get to the point.”
Max carried on as if Grant hadn’t said a word. “Poking around wasn’t easy since people were around at that time of day. However, I finally squeezed into an abandoned building that hadn’t been used in quite some time. Just as I was starting to find interesting bits laying around, I noticed the rolled-up sack toward the back, where the building faced the water. It looked new and more than a bit suspicious. From experience, I’ve learned to take dangerous looking things quite seriously, so I rang Lachlan and Iris and that’s it. They found it, carted it away, and later told me it was a bomb of some sort.”
Grant leaned forward. “My question is why were you wandering around by yourself in the first place?”
Max shrugged. “I’m good at sneaking in and out of places undetected. I like to think I was keeping Iris on her toes.”
Iris shook her head. “I was in the loo for a few minutes. Next time, I should just blindfold him and bring him with me.”
Faye jumped in again. “Cat, is there anything else you can tell us? Did you notice anyone suspicious at any of the shows or near your accommodations?”
“Not that I can remember, although I’m not the most observant of people unless I’m painting,” Cat answered. “Besides, all of the people who’d come to the exhibition previously had been nice enough. The dragon haters had been kept from entering. Security did a good job in my opinion.”
Grant looked at Iris. “Did any of the other Protectors find or notice anything?”
Iris answered, “Everyone seemed surprised at the suspicious package. My guess is that it was placed in the building before any of us arrived. The DDA security team had made it quite clear that we couldn’t enter any of the nearby buildings to ensure they weren’t threats, not even if we were given permission by the owners or residents. We did the best we could from land and air.”
Something niggled at Grant’s mind about her comment. “Did anyone in particular give that order?”
“Arjun, the head of their security team, never mentioned it. But one of his colleagues did. George Smith.”
Faye and Grant exchanged a glance before Grant said, “We need to look into him and also ask Arjun about the order. Iris, can I trust you to question Arjun whilst we look into George Smith?”
Iris nodded. “Of course. I did think it a bit odd, but sometimes the DDA staff don’t know what the others are doing. I assumed it was business as usual.”
“Aye, and it could be. But I want to be cautious,” Grant replied.
Faye spoke up. “The report never mentioned the fact the bomb was at the end of the building facing the water. Between that and the one in the loch, I think the mystery element inside the bomb might have something to do with water.”
Iris raised her brows. “Are you sure? None of us would ever set foot in the river in Glasgow. We’re all spoiled with clean, untouched lochs or rivers near our respective clans.”
Faye tilted her head. “Aye, but the Dragon Knights aren’t going to think of such a possibility. To them, we’re untrustworthy monsters, and monsters clearly don’t care about clean water.” She looked to Grant. “We should make sure that Dr. Lewis and Dr. Davies know about the water connection. It might help them narrow down the mystery ingredient.”
“Aye, as soon as we’re finished here,” he answered.
Faye spoke to everyone in the room. “If there are any other details, no matter how small, now is the time to tell us.” When all three shook their heads, she tapped the table. “Right, then let’s break up and go about our tasks. But if you think or learn of anything, make sure to tell us.”
Everyone stood. Cat whispered something in Faye’s ear before leaving with a smile. Once they were alone, Grant asked Faye, “What did she tell you?”
Faye raised an eyebrow. “Your super dragon-shifter hearing didn’t pick it up?”
“Now is not the time, Faye.”
She stuck out her tongue. “A little levity between onerous tasks never killed anyone.” When Grant merely raised his brows, she sighed. “Okay. She just wants to meet up for a meal soon and chat. It’s called having a friend.”
“I know what it is. I have friends.”
“Someone is a bit touchy.” She searched his eyes. “Is it your dragon?”
His beast jumped in. Yes, it’s me. Taking a shower with Faye was a bad idea. I want her. She should be ours.
Grant took a deep breath before replying, “Aye, a bit. Let’s just focus on getting this all sorted so we can finally let our dragons free.”
Faye placed a hand on his chest and his dragon roared. He should push her away, but he wanted to savor the heat of her touch for as long as possible. Her voice was low as she said, “We’re nearly there, Grant. We just need to talk with the doctors, reach out to the other clans to check for any suspicious packages near the water, and determine if there’s a mole in the DDA’s security team. That should be easy peasy.”
He snorted. “I have a feeling most others would disagree with you.”
She tilted her head. “They might, but you wouldn’t. You’re my equal, Grant. So if I can deal with it all and handle my grumpy dragon, so can you.”
“Isn’t yours still in denial?”
“That makes my case worse. Consider yourself lucky yours is so straightforward.”
His beast huffed. I will get the truth from her beast soon enough. She won’t be able to resist my charms and stamina.
Right, because stamina is what a female dragon treasures above everything else.
Many do. You clearly don’t understand female dragons.
Faye’s voice garnered his attention. “I would ask, but at the exasperation in your eyes, I think I’m better off not knowing.”
“Clever lass.” He kissed her nose and lingered for a few seconds longer than he should’ve. Only when his dragon started thrashing did he move away. “That will have to satisfy him for now.”
That only made it worse, his beast huffed.
Faye smiled. “Why, you’re being romantic again. I like this side of you.”
He pulled her tighter against his body. As every curve pressed against him, his dragon growled in warning that it was a bad idea, but Grant ignored him. Her heat and scent only reminded him of what he was fighting for. “Good, because I plan to woo you for the rest of my life, lass.”
She grinned. “I do love you, Grant McFarland, quirks and all.”
~~~
The words slipped from Faye’s mouth before she could stop them. Growing up with so many males in the house, Faye knew they spooked easily if feelings were revealed too early. Had she just bollixed things up? Grant didn’t exactly wear feelings on his sleeve like her family did.
Her beast sighed. Why do you worry so much? If he’s not ready, he’s not. He’s not going to toss you away.
You are not being helpful.
I’m being honest. In my opinion, that is the best kind of help.
Grant brushed her hair away from her cheek. His touch left a tingling sensation in its wake.
She noticed the corner of his mouth ticked up and Faye tried to focus on his words. “I like how you think I’m the one with quirks.”
She raised her brows. “You are. Do you remember my family? If any of us tried to grunt and keep to the edges of the room, warning bells would go off.”
“Your family isn’t exactly normal.”
She narrowed her eyes. She knew he was teasing, but the comment stung. “Don’t make fun of my family. Are you trying to piss me off? Because if so, you’re doing a pretty good job. Maybe I should retract my earlier statement.”
“‘Retract my earlier statement,’ aye? That’s a fancy
way of telling me to fuck off.”
She gave him the double finger salute. “Just so we’re clear.”
Grant laughed. “I love when your temper flares.”
She blinked. “Wait, what are you talking about?”
He gently took her chin between his fingers and her anger eased a fraction. “I wanted to show you that even with your temper flaring and you cursing me, I still love you, Faye MacKenzie.”
She searched his eyes. Could it be true that Grant felt the same about her?
Her dragon sighed. Stop double-guessing him or yourself. It’s strange.
Rather than respond to her beast, Faye asked Grant, “Are you jesting with me again?”
“No, lass.” He moved his head closer to hers. She reveled in the familiarity of his heat as he kissed her jaw. “I love you, Faye. No one else could be my equal and yet my source of ease at the same time. On top of that, few people can make me laugh. You not only do it, but without driving me too crazy beforehand.”
Her heart rate kicked up, but she tried not to show it. “I’m trying to decide if that’s a compliment.”
“Yes, it’s a compliment. If I have to survive a hundred dinners with your family to prove to you what I feel, I will. That’s how much I love you.”
“A hundred, aye? I’m not sure that’s enough.”
He threaded his other hand through her hair and lightly tugged. “Can’t you just accept my words for once, woman? Saying such things isn’t easy for me.”
She looped her arms round his neck and leaned her chest against his. “Me not giving you a hard time would be odd. Be prepared for a lifetime of it, Grant. Because once you kiss me properly, I have no intention of letting go.”
Grant’s pupils changed to slits and remained that way for a few seconds. When they finally were round again, Grant released Faye and put distance between them. His voice was strained as he said, “Don’t take my distance as a change in heart. I plan to fight for you for the rest of our lives. However, my dragon is getting close to the edge. We’ll never be able to protect the clan if I give in too early.”
The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4) Page 21