He entered silently, closed the door, and reached out a hand. As he gently traced her forehead, his skin against hers made it harder to breathe.
Damn, the dragonman had too much power over her, and he wasn't even trying. Maybe it had something to do with being his fated mate. And as was her way, she blurted, "You mentioned how your semen would make me orgasm. Does your touch do something strange, too, to your destined mate?"
The corner of his mouth ticked up, making his handsome face that much sexier. "I don't have some sort of pheromone or oil I secrete to drive you wild. Although I rather like that I can do that to you."
"Who are you and what have you done with the serious, hermit-like Alistair Boyd?"
"Oh, he's right here. But for the first time in a long time, I have something to look forward to that doesn't involve me, an old book, and dim lighting."
"Well, I imagine dim lighting will play a part eventually with me, too."
He leaned closer. "In the archives, you mean?"
"Maybe. Although I'm talking about research. What are you talking about?"
Alistair chuckled, the warm sound making her insides flip. "I'll keep it a surprise for now, aye?"
She smiled. "Can I ask you something else?"
"Anything."
The way he didn't hesitate reassured her that there would be a future for them.
She asked, "You don't sound overly Scottish, compared to some of the others. Is there a reason for that?"
He raised an eyebrow, although clearly it wasn't in offense since humor danced in his eyes. "Aye, there's a reason. I spent my university days in America."
"America?"
He nodded. "I attended MIT in Massachusetts. Not just because it's a good university, but also because I wanted to learn more from the American approach to learning. I studied electrical engineering and computer science, for both my undergrad and graduate studies."
She frowned. Kiyana hadn't heard of a dragon-shifter in the UK going outside of Europe to study before. "How was that even possible? I didn't think dragon-shifters could attend university in North America."
"Oh, aye, it's difficult. But in case you haven't noticed, my mother can be rather determined. For once, her brash ways helped me to follow one of my dreams."
"But wait. I thought you were a history teacher?"
"I am. Before…before Rachel died, I was an electrical engineer for Lochguard. The work was demanding, but I loved it. However, after, my job was a constant reminder of Rachel since that's how we met—she also studied the same courses at MIT. So once I was able to pull myself together enough after Rachel's passing and return to Lochguard, I gave up my previous job to teach. That way I could spend more time researching in the archives and not be faced with a constant reminder of my late girlfriend."
Kiyana wanted to keep asking questions, to learn more about how he met Rachel, and then some. However, if she was to be part of a mate-claim frenzy in a matter of days, she should focus on what to expect instead. Not to mention, deep down, she wanted to have a nice evening with him without the sadness of his past.
Maybe, just maybe, she could help him achieve that.
So she packed away her questions related to Rachel, MIT, and the like for later. "So, what's this surprise you mentioned?"
The sadness vanished from his eyes. While it was only temporary and it would take more than one conversation to help Alistair move on, it made her heart lighter to see it.
He took her chin and lightly stroked the underside. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now, would it?" Glancing down, he nodded. "You wore sensible clothes, including shoes, just like I asked. Good, because you'll need them."
She hoped he didn't plan on making them walk through mud or something. Kiyana had only been allowed to bring two suitcases to Lochguard and didn't have a backup pair of trainers. "Not so much as a hint as to where we're going?"
"Aye, well, I suppose I can say we won't be flying anywhere, what with my dragon still being silent and all."
She blinked. "Wait, you fly and take humans up sometimes?"
"Not just any human. But you, lass? Aye, I would."
His words made her cheeks warm. "Then I'll remember that for later because it sounds fascinating."
He kissed her quickly. All too soon his lips were gone and he murmured, "Now, come. We can chat as we walk, but if we dally here too much longer, we might miss it."
"Okay, that hint only made me more curious."
He winked. "Good."
She shook her head. "You're awful."
His grip slackened in hers. "I hope that's a joke."
Her eyes instantly found his. "Of course. I'm only teasing you."
Alistair let out a breath. "Good. I was just afraid you wanted grumpy, hermit Alistair and not the true me. Some of my old ways are creeping back, mixed with the new, and I don't want to disappoint you."
Even if he hadn't said it, Kiyana was starting to think Alistair had been lonely in his self-imposed isolation over the last few years. While probably not as outgoing as Finn, she suspected they had been close back in the day. "I rather like the new mix. He can be fun or serious. All that matters is that it's you being honest."
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. The light brush of skin made her belly flutter.
Alistair's deep voice rolled over her. "Now, let's go before I decide to keep you in my office and kiss you for the rest of the evening."
It was on the tip of her tongue to say do it. However, she truly did want to know more about Alistair while she had the chance. After all, she would probably soon be carrying his child.
Correction, carrying their child. And not just any child, but a half-dragon-shifter child. Given her research over the years, she knew the risk of her dying in childbirth, too.
No. She wouldn't ruin the evening by thinking of darkness and death. That could come later.
And so she asked Alistair to take her to his surprise, and did her best to talk about anything apart from what could happen to her in nine months' time, or what had happened to him three years ago.
~~~
Alistair had barely managed to complete all his teaching duties during the day. Even though he was nearly thirty, he'd acted like a teenager, not wanting to think of responsibilities and duties but rather his evening with Kiyana.
However, his true mate deserved someone who was responsible and reliable. So he'd done his best to focus, arranging everything for a two or three week absence, and survived the day.
Discovering her in his office, on the other hand, had been harder to resist. The image of her straddling his lap as he claimed her in his office had turned his cock instantly hard. There was something about the possibility of being caught that made it that much more arousing.
His dragon would've said it didn't matter if someone walked in or not. They should claim Kiyana and not worry about anyone else.
Of course, his mind was silent and his beast said nothing.
During the brief absence, Alistair had slowly realized how much he relied on his dragon for acting rather than merely thinking things to death.
Soon. He'd have his dragon back soon, and then he could finally have Kiyana all to himself.
For the present, however, he focused on guiding her off Lochguard and along the shores of Loch Naver. Even though there was a human camper van site on the opposite, far side of the loch, no one was there this evening. He'd made sure to check with the Protectors earlier.
While the humans in Sutherland tended to view Lochguard as more friend than enemy, tourists from other parts didn't always do so. And he wouldn't risk Kiyana's safety, no matter how much he wanted to surprise her.
They'd made it nearly a mile, talking about minor things, before Kiyana asked, "Are you sure Finn won't have someone trailing us? Another dragon just flew overhead."
The dragon had been Cat MacAllister, probably coming back from yet another artist meeting or some such. "No, it wasn't a Protector. I have a mobile phone
, as well as a special clan tracking device. If we go more than a few miles from Lochguard, everyone will know and then we'll be monitored closely."
Kiyana climbed onto a low tree stump and then jumped down. It was such an innocent action, but it made him wonder if she was also the sort of person to jump in mud puddles for the sake of it.
But she replied and he had to focus on her words. "Is that normal? I know Lochguard sometimes has dragon hunter and Dragon Knight problems, but I thought both were better under control now?"
"Aye, they are. But until we can take out the leader of the dragon hunters, they'll always be a risk."
"Then why haven't you done that?"
Her tone was merely curious. He suspected she'd always ask questions, to find out as much information as possible.
Truly, a female after his own heart. "Well, Finn has tried. So has Stonefire's leader, too. But personally, I think it's going to take every clan in the UK and Ireland working together to accomplish it."
"What about the rest of the world? I know they have dragon hunters in most countries as well, and the dragons there probably also want to get rid of them, too."
He shrugged. "They'll have to figure it out for their own countries, I suppose."
"But why? Your big project was to foster better communication between the clans, right? Why stop at medical information? You were reading a book about treaties from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, ones that united various dragon clans from around the world. Why can't you strive for something similar? That way, you could also work together on mutual enemies. Maybe then you can eradicate the dragon hunters once and for all."
Alistair stopped in his track and turned toward Kiyana. "That would be…difficult."
She raised her brows. "But do you think it'd be that much more difficult than taking care of the hunters in the UK, though? Besides, there are resources that could help. I'm usually based near London, so I've heard a lot about Clan Skyhunter lately. And one of their new co-leaders, Honoria Wakeham, helped improve communications in western America with great success. Why not have Finn work with her and the other Skyhunter leader, too? They might have the knowledge and technology to help reach the bigger overall goal."
He opened his mouth and promptly closed it. Kiyana Barnes may be a human, but she knew more about dragon-shifter affairs than most. Add in how bloody smart she was, and she might be able to help solve more problems than anyone could've imagined.
She tilted her head. "What? You're looking at me strangely."
Shaking his head to clear his stupor, he said, "Sorry. It's just, you lay things out so easily. And yet, I haven't heard anyone else think of something like that, something so obvious on the surface."
She smiled. "Well, to be fair, it sometimes takes an outsider to add a new perspective."
They were close to his surprise, but he couldn't help but pull her up against his body and kiss her. Each nibble, lick, and caress let her know with actions how much he thought of her.
Once he finally moved his head back a few inches, her hot breath against his lips nearly made him find some sort of cover and maybe do more than kiss his brilliant human.
Kiyana whispered, "So I guess this means you like me spouting off ideas?"
"Most definitely." He kissed her quickly again. "Don't ever hold them back."
She grinned. "What if they're ones I team up with your mother to achieve?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What, worse than when you and her thought about the pretend mate scheme?"
"Hey, to be fair, it was a good idea."
"I still think it's cute you think I would've been able to live with you and not try to kiss you."
"Only kiss me, huh?"
He growled. "Don't tempt me, lass. Because when I claim you the first time, I want not only my dragon around, but us somewhere private, where no one else can see your naked body."
She reached up and stroked his jaw. Each whisper of her fingers against his skin made his dick throb in anticipation. She murmured, "I hope that's soon."
"Aye, it should be. I'm going to talk with Layla first thing in the morning, about hurrying my dragon's return."
Her brows furrowed as she searched his eyes. "Are you sure you should do that? I don't want you to hurt him by forcing it."
The fact she so easily cared about his inner beast only reinforced how perfect she was for him. "I wouldn't do anything to harm him, don't worry. He can be bloody annoying, but he's my annoying dragon half and no one else's." She bit her bottom lip, and he stroked her lower back before murmuring, "Ask me anything, Kiyana. Don't ever hold back with me."
"Well, it's just I want to know what it's like to hear an inner dragon. Don't worry, I'm not going to suggest some crazy medical experiment or anything. But maybe, er, when yours returns, you can let me know more of what he talks about? How he acts?"
"I can do better than that, lass. If I let him take control, you can ask him yourself."
Her eyes widened. "I thought that only happened during sex? And then a dragon isn't exactly the most cooperative."
That statement piqued his interest. "And how do you know that? I thought you didn't peek into windows."
She shook her head. "I never have. But, well, I did sleep with a dragon-shifter before."
Alistair swore he felt some sort of stirring in his mind, almost as if his dragon was trying to communicate. No doubt his beast didn't like the idea of their true mate being with someone else.
He didn't care for it, either, but he didn't expect his true mate to be a virgin. It was the twenty-first century, after all.
His dragon, on the other hand, wouldn't worry about centuries or changing societal norms. All that mattered to him was how Kiyana was their true mate to have, hold, and protect.
Alistair needed to warn Kiyana about his beast, to maybe help prevent some sort of issue later on. "I don't care if you've been with anyone else. Okay, maybe a wee bit. However, my dragon won't like it at all. So maybe it's best not to bring it up again."
"Just the dragon-shifter, or all of the other men from my past?"
He wanted to know how many others. However, Alistair didn't ask. It wasn't as if he wanted Kiyana to know his past sexual history, either. "All. The frenzy will be intense enough. But once it's over, and even if you're pregnant, just mentioning that might set him off again."
"Set him off how?"
Damn, he was on a topic that could scare her. Alistair just had to trust his female would listen to the facts and not let fear take over. "Dragons can go rogue. Sometimes for a wee while, and sometimes for good. While I hope my beast is mature and strong enough to avoid it, merely mentioning other males trying to claim his true mate is a risk, one that could turn him rogue."
"So if I slip up and mention something from my past, it could make your dragon rogue?"
"Maybe. Although a small sentence should be fine. Just don't go on about impressive cock sizes and the like."
A small smile appeared on her face, and he wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe that meant she was secretly pissed off, but he didn't think so. "I'm sure you'll be fine in that department. After all, dragon-shifters are supposed to be…adequate in that part of their anatomy."
He growled. "Adequate?"
She laughed. "So even you need a little ego stroking, then?"
Growling louder, he took her lips in a rough kiss. Only once he needed to pull back to breathe, did he stop. "Since I can smell your arousal, my ego is doing fine."
She narrowed her eyes. "I thought you weren't supposed to mention things like that? Dragon etiquette, and all that?"
"Maybe with strangers. But if things go the way I hope, you'll be the farthest thing from a stranger." He kissed her again before adding, "I can answer more questions later. Right now, we need to hurry, or the light will fade and I can't show you my surprise before dusk."
It took every iota of strength he possessed to release her body and merely take her hand. However, he wanted to create a few memories befo
re the frenzy. Ones that could maybe help her endure it.
Most humans enjoyed the experience, but if it took him longer than normal to impregnate her, then she might get too tired and frustrated.
He wanted her to remember there was more than just sex and attraction between them. And so he guided her the rest of the way to one of his favorite spots along the loch.
~~~
Kiyana was starting to believe she'd won the jackpot when it came to Alistair. He was smart, sexy, and even occasionally funny.
Not to mention he liked to talk about serious things as much as silly ones. He didn't dismiss her ideas, which meant maybe she could help Lochguard with more than helping them find mates, and possibly write a book.
As much as she was drawn to Alistair, it was hard to look away from the lake and its surroundings. The area was empty and peaceful. True, she knew the horrible history behind why the Highlands were empty—the Clearances had replaced the tenants with sheep, forcing the Scots to emigrate elsewhere—but while she wouldn't dismiss the past, she could enjoy the present.
Birds soared overhead, and occasionally the smooth surface of the water rippled from either a fish or bug of some sort, distorting the perfect reflection of the sky and hills.
So absorbed in her surroundings, she ran into Alistair's side when he stopped. After catching her balance, she looked up at him. "It's breathtaking here. Was that your surprise? To share this scenery with me?"
"The loch is always beautiful, but I want to go up there."
She followed his finger and made out the ruins of what had probably been a stone cottage. "Is that related to your family somehow?"
"Yes and no. Come on."
The slight incline didn't take more than a few minutes. Alistair gestured toward the remaining low stone walls of a small building. "This is where Lochguard's former leader and the British formally signed an agreement, giving Lochguard their land."
She glanced at him. "I thought Clan Lochguard has lived here for centuries?"
The Dragon's Discovery (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 6) Page 8