She glanced over at her clan leader. “I’m not worried much about her. I’m more worried about the aftermath.”
Bram kept his voice low. “Just keep that feeling to yourself, lass, or the others might start panicking.”
She nodded right before she and Bram entered the room being used as a waiting area; all three sets of eyes fixed on her with expectation. Nikki and Hudson’s eyes also held a hint of nervousness. They wanted her to allay their fear.
For the first time, she understood what Bram must deal with on a regular basis.
Gathering up every ounce of no-nonsense she possessed, Mel gestured toward Nikki and Hudson. “The TV crew should be here soon. But no worries, I know you all will be brilliant. We’ve gone over your talking points. If you freeze, take a deep breath, and try again. All of Stonefire is depending on us.”
Looking a little pale, Nikki and Hudson both nodded.
While Mel had seen Nikki fairly often after being assigned as Evie’s guard, Mel had rarely talked with Hudson in the past. His mate, Charlie, had been a Protector and died while in the hands of the dragon hunters four months ago. His poor mate had been drained of blood.
The dragonman was quiet, with sadness in his eyes and permanent smile lines at the corners of his mouth. At one time, he must have been happy. However, she had a feeling he hadn’t smiled in months. She hoped he remedied that soon for the sake of his son.
Nikki, on the other hand, was naturally outgoing and quietly bubbled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness in her eyes. Even though she had been captured at the same time as Charlie, Nikki had survived. However, not even Melanie knew all of the details from her time with the dragon hunters.
Before Mel could think of more encouraging words to give the nervous dragon-shifters, Kai walked into the room and everyone looked to the head Protector. “We’ve searched and patted down the BBC crew. There weren’t any weapons, nor was there any scent of drugs or chemicals. That’s as much as we can do.”
Bram nodded. “Right, then show them into the living area. That’s where the interviews will be held. Tell them we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Kai left to carry out his order
Melanie resisted the urge to fidget. Pulling Bram aside, she whispered, “Where’s Arabella?”
He handed Murray over to Evie. “I’ll ring Tristan while you keep everyone calm. Can you manage that?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then I’ll be right back.”
Once Bram left, Mel shared a glance with Evie. Even her friend was a little worried.
No. Mel wouldn’t give up. If Arabella truly wanted to foster with Lochguard, she would pull through. She had to.
~~~
Tristan wanted to rush around the last corner and guide Arabella into the house. The interview should have already started and he wanted to watch his mate.
His sister, on the other hand, was in no hurry. Just as they reached the last bend, Arabella stopped and clenched her hands. Careful to keep his impatience from his voice, he asked, “Is something wrong?”
One beat of silence went by and then another. Finally, his sister said, “I don’t know if I can do this, Tristan.”
The earlier confidence and fire was gone from her voice. Turning toward his sister, he saw her looking at the ground. The sight reminded him of Ara in her late teens, during the first years after the attack.
His dragon chimed in. She needs us, like in the old days.
I know, bloody dragon. Give me a chance to help her.
Then stop dawdling.
To quiet his dragon, Tristan walked over to his sister. Placing a finger under her chin, he raised her head until she met his eyes. The uncertainty and sadness lurking in her brown gaze squeezed his heart. “Arabella, you can do this. And not just because of the deal you made with Mel and Bram. You’ve come a long way in the last year. Talking about your past will bring you into the final stretch of your recovery.”
“I’m afraid of another attack hitting me when I’m on camera. The memories are hard to handle one at a time. How can I handle them all at once?”
He placed his other hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Think of Lochguard. Hell, think of the flirty Scottish bastard if it’ll help. Visualize something you want, something positive, to counter the bad memories. Then you’ll do fine.”
Ara searched his eyes before replying, “This is your teacher persona, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Some of my students are afraid of their inner dragons until we work together to make them friends. Or if not friends, then to the point where they tolerate one another. I gave you too many years of space, but not anymore. Before you go to Lochguard, we’re going to work on you and your dragon.”
He waited to see if he’d pushed too far. The present might not be the best time to suggest working together with her dragon, but Tristan didn’t care. Pushing Arabella would let her know he wasn’t going to coddle her again.
His sister’s eyes turned determined. “I was too embarrassed to ask for your help before. Now that you’ve offered it, I’m going to take it.”
“You’re the only blood family I have, Arabella. Never be afraid to ask me for something.”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Even if it’s the middle of your date night with Melanie?”
“There are some conditions. However, if your life depends on it, then yes, I’d leave to help you.”
They each stared at one another. If Melanie were here, she’d be gushing about love and family bonds. Tristan and Arabella didn’t work like that.
Instead, he squeezed his sister’s shoulder and motioned toward the direction of their destination. “Are you ready then?”
After a deep breath, Ara nodded. “I think so.”
“Good. Then it’s time to make the dragon hunters wish they never messed with our family.”
They began walking again and his sister looked up at him. “That’s a bit much, Tristan. One story won’t change the world.”
“I don’t know about that. If Melanie’s involved, it just might. The bloody woman wants to change all of British society in less than two years.”
Arabella smiled. “That sounds like she has another book waiting to be written.”
He shook his head. “Don’t even bring it up. I’m going to try to distract her once all of this is over.”
They reached the door of the cottage and Kai waved them inside. The head Protector guided them to a room off to the side as he briefed them. “Melanie’s in the other room and is about to go on air. Arabella will be last.” A guard moved from in front of the door. As they entered, Kai continued, “Wait in here with the others. They can tell you more of what to expect.”
Tristan looked to Kai. “Are there any signs of danger?”
The blond dragonman shook his head. “So far, so good. Security is on high alert. Nothing will happen to your mate, Tristan, if I have anything to do about it.”
Kai looked as steady and serious as always, but Tristan noticed the circles under his eyes. The head Protector was working around the clock and probably not sleeping.
He would mention it to Bram later. An overworked Protector was a liability rather than an asset, and Kai was too valuable an asset to burn out.
Tristan replied, “I believe you. Go do what you need to do. I’ll keep Arabella company here.”
The undertone was that Tristan would make sure his sister stayed put.
Once Kai was gone, he looked around the room until he saw Nikki, Hudson, and Evie holding baby Murray, all standing near a TV monitor. Evie looked over her shoulder, smiled warmly at Arabella, and then met his gaze. “Mel’s interview is about to start. Come watch.”
Guiding his sister to the group, he looked to the telly and saw Mel. She looked a little too attractive with her hair done and a light coating of make-up, but he contained his dragon before his beast could complain. Instead, Tristan held his breath as the reporter started talking.
Chapter Eight
To keep from fidgeting, Melanie wiggled her toes inside her shoes. When wiggling wasn’t enough, she tried to tap each one in turn. The wait was killing her, and not just because Arabella hadn’t arrived by the time she’d been taken from the ad-hoc green room.
No, she would both help the dragon-shifters and change history for the better, or she would fuck up and make them worse off.
If anyone had ever told her she would be at this critical juncture in dragon-shifter history, she would’ve laughed them off a few years ago. Funny how trying to save her brother had brought her to this exact point in her life.
Soon, the female journalist she’d been briefed about, walked into the room and Mel focused on doing the best job possible.
The black-haired, blue-eyed woman smiled and extended her hand. Once Mel took it, the journalist said, “My name is Jane Hartley. Thank you for agreeing to talk with me.”
“I should say the same for you. I really appreciate you coming at such short notice.”
Jane waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re giving me a leg up on everyone else. I should be the one thanking you.” She motioned toward the groups of chairs. “The live broadcast will start in a few minutes. Let’s get settled.”
Mel took one of the seats and crossed her legs at her ankles. Glancing at the two cameras, she tried not to panic. She’d taken on human-hating Tristan and won. Surely, talking about one of her passions in front of a live broadcast would be easier.
At Jane’s voice, Melanie looked at the woman. “If possible, look at me and not the camera. We go live in thirty seconds.”
Nodding, Mel counted down in her head. When the cameraman did the final finger countdown and then pointed at them, she sat a little taller and looked at Jane as directed.
Jane looked just past Mel’s shoulder into one of the cameras. Each second they sat in silence only made her heart beat faster. How long did they have to wait before they could get the interview started?
After about forty-five seconds, the woman finally replied to whomever was talking to her via the earpiece. “Thanks, John. Melanie Hall-MacLeod first came here as a sacrifice and mated the dragon-shifter assigned to her a little less than a year ago. She is the author of Revealing the Dragons and she, along with a number of other Stonefire clan members, have agreed to talk with me and give us a glimpse into the lives of a few dragon-shifters.” Jane looked at Melanie and smiled. “Before we begin, is there anything you would like to add?”
A million thoughts raced through her head. She wanted to dive right into a speech, but decided against it. The journalist might be smiling for the moment, but who knew what could happen five minutes in.
Mel took a deep breath through her nose to settle her stomach and replied, “No, so far, so good.”
“Right, then my first question is why did you write the book? There are a number of theories and rumors floating around, as you well know, but what is the truth?”
Mel kept her voice strong. “The truth is I wanted to share how the dragon-shifters live here so everyone can see they’re not so different from us. There is no ulterior motive, no plan for world domination. Anyone who says otherwise is just being silly.”
“You must admit that a person who can change into a fifteen-foot dragon in a matter of seconds is scary to regular humans. If the government were to allow dragon-shifters and humans to interact freely, how would we prevent rogue dragons from terrorizing the population?”
Anger coursing through her body, Mel squeezed her leg with one of her hands to help tamp it down. Her voice was calm yet steely when she replied, “Human psychopaths roam the street and more than a few are killers. Yet do you put away all humans with a temper to prevent a future possible murder? No. It’s the same with dragon-shifters. There are a few bad eggs, but as you’ll see with some of my clan members today, dragonmen and women are just trying to live their lives without being hunted, targeted, or drained of blood.”
“I assume you’re talking about the dragon hunters and the problem of them selling dragon’s blood on the black market. Rather than us talking about it from secondhand knowledge, how about we bring out one of your clan members?
Her part of the interview seemed extremely short, but there wasn’t anything she could do but nod. Maybe she’d have a chance later to talk more about her time with Stonefire.
From the doorway on the far side, one of the BBC staff guided in Hudson. Once he sat down next to Melanie, Jane smiled at the dragonman and started up again. “Hudson, thank you for meeting with us. I understand dragon hunters killed your wife a few months ago. Please, tell us what happened.”
Mel watched Hudson recount the story as they had rehearsed. The dragonman was solemn and his voice only cracked twice during his retelling. Melanie’s heart squeezed at the pain in his eyes. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost Tristan.
Still, since she’d heard the story ten times before, her mind wandered once Jane asked him a few more questions. Had Arabella arrived yet? Would she even go through with it?
No. Stop doubting yourself. Tristan will take care of it. If anyone could convince her sister-in-law to do something, it was Tristan. And even if he had trouble, he’d call Bram.
Focusing back on Jane and Hudson, Melanie pushed thoughts of Arabella out of her head. Whatever her sister-in-law ended up doing, her clan members needed her support.
~~~
Arabella watched first Hudson, then Evie with Murray, and finally Nikki leave with one of the news staff. As each of her clan members left, it became harder not to bolt. It was nearly her turn.
Melanie had been fantastic in her section of the interview, being both strong and passionate without devolving into petty comments. Her sister-in-law might have been a politician in another life.
Her other clan members had done fairly well, too. Even when Hudson broke down when describing his mate’s death, Jane Hartley had even reached out to comfort him, not caring he was a dragon-shifter. If that had been the response of a seasoned journalist, then the general human population had to be moved as well.
Mel’s plan might be working, even without Arabella’s help.
She eyed the door. If she left now, she would still have time to leave the cottage before they called her.
Then Tristan walked into the room with Bram and any hope of escape faded. The only two males in the entire clan who could convince her to carry on with the interview had arrived.
Bram moved to her left and Tristan to her right. Bram was the first to speak. “You still up for this, lass?”
“Like I have a choice.”
Bram studied her before replying, “You have a choice, Arabella. If you want to go to Lochguard, you’ll do this. If you wish to back out, I’ll support you, but that signals you’re not ready to leave the clan.”
She looked back to the TV screen. Nikki had become quite animated, gesticulating with her hands and moving her arms to describe how the dragon hunters had captured her.
Tristan’s voice garnered her attention. “You’ll do fine. Remember what I told you.”
Right, positive thoughts. She recalled her research on Clan Lochugard.
The Scottish clan was situated in the northern Highlands, nestled next to a lake. Peaks and rolling hills surrounded the clan lands. While similar, the lake and hills were different from the Lake District and more than anything, she wanted the chance to explore them. With time, maybe even fly over them.
Then Finlay Stewart’s handsome face flashed into her mind, and she only just prevented herself starting. Why am I thinking of him? He’s bossy, pushy, and far too cocky.
Out of nowhere, her dragon said, But he is fun to tease.
She paused a second before forcing herself to reply. W-what did you say?
Don’t fear me, Ara. We will have fun in Scotland.
Arabella blinked. A part of her wanted to keep talking with her dragon, but another part of her felt odd. While her inner beast had been there all along, they were essentially strangers and she had
no idea how to act.
Yet she’d just talked with her dragon for the first time in almost eleven years. A deep-seated loneliness she’d ignored for so long eased a fraction and her heart warmed.
The feeling prompted her to stand a little taller. She’d come a bloody long way for her recovery. If she truly ever wanted to heal, she needed to leave Stonefire for a while and figure out who the hell she was, as well as what she wanted from life.
One of the news staff entered the room and motioned for Arabella to follow. She could feel both Tristan’s and Bram’s eyes on her, so she looked to each one in turn. “I’ll be fine.”
As she walked to the staff member, Arabella admitted she had no idea what would happen after the interview, but she did know one thing. She would finish the interview and go to Scotland in two months’ time.
She was tired of fear and hiding. From here on out, she was determined to be whole again.
~~~
Tristan waited until Arabella was out of earshot before he looked to Bram. “She’ll be fine.”
“I sure hope so, Tristan. Dangling Lochguard like we did just doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s the only thing she truly wants. Much like Mel forced her way into Arabella’s life, she needs to be pushed in this, too. I’m sure you saw her eyes flashing to dragon slits.”
“Yes, but I’m going to give her a few tests before she leaves. She won’t know that’s what they are, but I don’t want her breaking down in front of Clan Lochguard. Her pride may never recover.”
“We can discuss that later. Right now, I want to listen to my sister and mate, so shut it.”
Bram shook his head, but remained quiet.
On the TV, Arabella sat down in the final chair, the furthest from both Melanie and the journalist. At least the distance kept the human from touching Arabella, which was one less possible trigger for his sister’s past trauma.
Tristan crossed his arms over his chest and moved his gaze to his mate’s face. Few would be able to tell, but she was gripping her leg tightly to restrain herself. Jane Hartley had barely talked to Melanie. His mate wouldn’t like that one bit.
Revealing the Dragons (Stonefire Dragons #2.5) Page 7