But did she really need to micromanage everything? No. Accepting Chase's help with her sister would be the first step toward the new her. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, Layla. I know it's not official, and it's still early, but a mate does whatever he or she can to help their partner. To do less is unthinkable for me."
As they stared at one another, her dragon spoke up. Finally. If nothing else, Chase helping you to realize it's okay to accept help makes me want to kiss him.
No, don't even think of starting the mate-claim frenzy right now. Too much is going on.
Not now, but someday?
She paused, looking at Chase from under her eyelashes. Aye, he was handsome, and fit, and clever. But she was starting to think he might be the key person she needed to not work herself to death. For whatever reason, he saw her merely as a female and wasn't cowed by her position so far.
And he made her smile and laugh. No one else, apart from maybe old Archie or Cal, could do that.
Layla replied to her beast, Maybe.
She finally spoke aloud again, wanting to tease him. "So if I made a list of unusual tasks, sort of like quests, you'd do each and every one?"
He leaned close, his voice dropping an octave. "That depends on the reward, lass. If it's you tied up in a bow, naked on the bed, I'd do anything."
The temperature hiked up several degrees. "Then I'll keep that in mind. You merely seeing me tied in a bow is a fairly easy reward to give."
"Not just naked, but at my mercy, too."
She bit her lip as the image of Chase's head between her thighs, licking her to orgasm, flashed into her head.
If she wasn't careful, her years of celibacy were going to make things difficult going forward.
Her dragon huffed. You're only now figuring this out?
He traced her jaw before adding, "But truth be told, I'll probably have a few favors owed to you soon enough. After all, you'll soon have to put up with my sister-in-law in labor. And believe me, that is worth at least ten favors from me. Faye isn't one to keep her thoughts to herself."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Faye's not that bad. A bit spirited, aye, but she has a huge heart."
He lightly brushed the back of her hand under the table with his thumb, the action sending a tendril of warmth through her body. "She does, but she also likes to throw knives, which makes her a wee bit dangerous. So remember to keep anything sharp hidden during the delivery, aye?"
As they grinned at one another, a small weight lifted from Layla's shoulders. She had a feeling Chase would always be able to make her smile.
The only question was whether he would want to keep trying when she couldn't see him for a few days when the clan suffered an attack or epidemic. Or, if a nurse or her doctor in training fell sick and she had to work sixteen-or-twenty-hour days, four days in a row.
Chase opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but the front door opened and voices trickled down the hall.
Faye, Grant, and Logan had returned.
Pushing aside thoughts of herself, she stood and turned toward the door. Chase was instantly at her side and murmured, "Not yet, lass. Faye or Grant will come get us when it's time."
Muttering a curse, Layla paced the kitchen. "I just want to know what's going on. I hate mystery and the unknown."
"Aye, that's probably part of the reason you became a doctor." He put out a hand, palm up. "Come here."
She stopped pacing. "Why?"
"Just come here."
Too tired and wound up, she obeyed. As soon as she was close enough, Chase pulled her against his chest and held her tight.
For a second, she froze. The instinct to appear invincible and in charge coursed through her.
Then he whispered, "It's just you and me, Layla. No one else can see you."
Between his words and the comforting heat of his body, she leaned into him and closed her eyes. For a few beats, she forgot about everything but his heat, his spicy male scent, and the gentle caress of his hands on her back.
Letting out a sigh, she drew support and strength from Chase's lean, hard body. He really was fitter than she'd realized. She wondered if he did a lot of flying in his spare time.
A chuckle reverberated under her ear against his chest. She must've asked her question out loud.
Chase replied, "I do like to fly. But not just because my dragon asks for it, either. Sometime I'll show you some bonny sights nearby, ones not many humans or dragons visit. Then we can listen to the wind whisper through the heather and hills as they make a calming sort of melody."
Opening her eyes, she traced a shape on the shirt covering his chest. "I'd like that. I don't get to fly enough."
Her dragon grunted. Exactly.
Chase stroked her back as he laid his cheek against the top of her head. "Then it's a date. The next time we have some free time, we'll go flying. I can show you some of the bonniest places in Scotland, too. I've found most of them over the last few years. Of course, they'll be even bonnier if you're with me."
She tried to muster a scolding as she pulled up to look at his face, but couldn't. "Your charm is going to get me into trouble eventually, isn't it?"
He winked. "Without a doubt." He searched her gaze again. "So you'll go with me then? Once we have some free time?"
Layla of even a week ago would've protested at scheduling a date with anyone. And now, a part of her hungered to have more of this, the two of them alone, acting as merely a male and female. No work, no clan, no major responsibilities.
Not that she completely forgot about what was happening upstairs with Logan, but it wasn't as all-consuming as it had been ten minutes ago.
She nodded, and Chase pulled her back against his chest. They stood like that, silent and holding each other, for a long time. She wondered if she could do this often, whenever she felt like it.
Her dragon murmured, If you accept him as our mate, then aye.
It's too soon.
Her beast fell silent, and Layla merely enjoyed the male in her arms for as long as she could. Even without words, the moments were some of the best in recent memory.
Only when the door to the kitchen opened did Layla raise her head and step away from Chase. Faye stood nearby, looking between them. "Once this is sorted, we're going to talk about you two. But for now, Logan wants to see you, Layla."
Chase moved to follow her, but Faye shook her head. "You stay here with me, little brother. Layla will be fine on her own for a few minutes."
Layla noticed Chase's pupils flash, but he eventually nodded. "Aye, of course she can. But if you need me, Layla, just ask."
She had no idea how she deserved such a caring, determined male. But now wasn't the time to think about it. "I will." Wanting to lighten the mood a bit. "Just make sure to watch the knives whilst you're with Faye."
Faye growled, but Layla turned before the younger female could say anything.
It was time to find out what was going on with Logan.
Chapter Eight
Chase had never seen someone who clearly craved affection as much as Layla did and resist it so bloody much. Almost as if being held was a weakness.
As he'd held her against his chest for several minutes, a sense of protectiveness and tenderness had bloomed. He'd never been more certain that waiting for Layla had been worth it. Not all true mate pairings were the best for both parties, but he liked to believe it was in their case. Because if anyone could find a way to sneak off and show Layla a good time without attracting much notice, Chase was it.
As time had ticked by, with Layla's softer form heavy against him, he'd imagined seeing her every day, both in and out of bed, and smiled. If he'd thought he'd wanted her before, he'd been naïve. He wanted to be the one to protect her, comfort her, and simply make her laugh.
Layla MacFie would be his, end of story.
All too soon, their private moment ended and Faye had barged in. The fact Layla hadn't tried to instantly push him away spoke volumes about how she
was warming up to him.
Once Layla left to talk to Logan, Faye searched his gaze and asked, "Are you sure you can handle what's to come, Chase?"
Seeing as Faye had been his brother's mate for more than half a year, her attempts at dominance didn't faze him. "If you mean the life of a doctor's mate, then aye, I can handle it."
Faye shook her head, her brown curls bouncing. "Not just that. I want Layla to be as happy as anyone else, but it's unheard of for a younger dragon-shifter male to take an older female as a mate. Everyone will tease you both, as well as try to pressure you to take a younger female, if only to help our race survive."
Anger gathered in the pit of his stomach. "This isn't the fifteenth century when we were barely surviving extinction, Faye, and you bloody well know it. Fuck, just your family alone is going to repopulate our clan."
As Faye placed a hand over her belly, her lips curled upward. "Aye, and one day the MacKenzies will take over everything, I'm sure. But I'm just trying to prepare you, Chase. You're my younger brother now and I don't want you to get hurt."
He clenched his fingers into fists. "Everyone judges me by my age, but it's just a number. There are males twice my age who are bloody hopeless at anything. Not to mention I've controlled myself for two years—two long years—knowing the whole time that Layla is my true mate and I couldn't have her. I won't force anything on her, but I'm sure as hell going to try my best to win her over."
Faye grinned and bobbed her head. "Good, you've passed the test. I needed to make sure you were serious. Layla isn't the type to let people in easily, and I couldn't stand to see her heartbroken if you decided to give up when things turned difficult."
He growled. "Be grateful you're pregnant, Faye. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to challenge you to some sort of competition. Not flying, of course, but something else."
Faye's face softened, no doubt because he was considerate of her wing, which had been damaged a while ago by a group of Dragon Knights, and had never been quite the same since. She finally muttered, "Even if I weren't pregnant, it's not like I could accept the challenge anyway. I promised Grant not to do anything overly dangerous because of the bairn—both now and after the wee one is born."
He snorted. "We'll see how long that lasts."
Faye put out a hand. "So are we okay then? You're a fine male, Chase, don't doubt that for a minute. But I like to meddle a wee bit here and there, as you well know. I can't help it."
The fact Faye even admitted she liked to meddle was a big concession.
With a sigh, he took Faye's hand and shook. "Aye, you're forgiven. Although if you plan to test Layla in your own way, wait a while, okay? It's taken me months to get her to even look at me. Let me charm her a bit more before you regale her with all my faults."
Before Faye could reply, her mobile beeped. After quickly checking the message, she opened the door. "Come on. This conversation will have to wait until later. Right now, Grant and Layla want us upstairs."
With a nod, Chase followed his sister-in-law upstairs.
Once inside the room with Logan, Layla had allowed Grant to do the talking, waiting for him to ask the most important question—why was Logan stealing supplies?
Of course, as the minutes ticked by, she began to tap her foot a little against the ground.
Her dragon huffed. Grant wastes so much time asking about little things, such as what was stolen and for how long. He should've asked these before we came.
I'm sure there's a reason or process. Grant knows more about interrogation and confessions than we do.
Her dragon grunted and fell quiet.
Layla kept willing Logan to look at her, but he didn't. The behavior was different from his usual bold, outgoing personality.
Maybe it was shame, or maybe even something else, she didn't know. But all Layla knew was that she didn't like how Logan acted as if he were a stranger.
Finally, Grant asked the question Layla longed to hear. "Who did you give the supplies to?"
Logan hesitated before answering, "I need a guarantee first."
Grant raised an eyebrow. "You're not in a position to negotiate, lad."
Logan continued as if Grant hadn't spoken. "I want you to promise to hear out a few people before simply handing them over to the DDA."
The DDA, or Department of Dragon Affairs, was the human government oversight department that determined how dragon-shifters lived inside the UK. Logan's request meant that at least one person involved had to be a dragon-shifter. True, it could be a dragon hunter or Dragon Knight—enemies of the dragons who broke laws left and right—but she doubted it.
Or, at least, her heart didn't want to believe Logan was trying to protect one of them.
Grant took his time replying. "I've never simply handed someone over to the DDA without first talking with them myself, not even when it's a fucking hunter."
Logan nodded, seeming to trust Grant's words. He took a deep breath and stated, "It was for my brother and…"
"And who else?" Grant prompted.
Logan's eyes finally met Layla's. "Yasmin and her unborn child."
Layla's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
Logan's gaze turned apologetic. "It's true, Layla. My brother and your sister were in love when Yasmin had been sent away. Apparently, Phillip went after your sister, snuck her away from Clan One in Iran, and they've been on the run ever since."
She tried to make her mouth work, but no words came out. While she'd known her sister had fancied a lad from Lochguard, Yasmin had said nothing about love.
And certainly not that she'd loved Phillip Lamont, the male who'd made Yasmin's life hell growing up.
Shaking her head, Layla said, "I don't understand. Phillip hated my sister and went out of his way to embarrass her."
Logan shrugged. "I can't claim to know all the particulars, but something she said one day, in secondary school, changed how he viewed her. He stopped teasing her in public, but I never suspected he fell in love with her. Trust me, I had no bloody idea he'd run after Yasmin when he disappeared, or I would've said something to the clan leader."
A multitude of questions swirled in her head. Why had her sister run? Where had they been for the past five years? Why had they come back now?
However, before she could make her voice work, Grant turned to her and asked, "Can I bring Faye in here, Layla? The fewer times we have to explain everything, the more time we can focus on solutions."
His question snapped her back to the situation at hand. "Aye, but have her bring Chase, too. He deserves to know what's going on since he helped me figure out it was Logan in the first place."
She expected Grant to go on about security and clearances, but he merely nodded and took out his phone. After putting it away again, he focused back on Logan. "Tell me plainly—are they in danger?"
"Possibly," Logan stated. "You'll see why after I explain everything."
Layla nearly leaned across the table and growled for him to tell her why. After all this time, would Layla only find her sister to lose her again?
However, Faye and Chase burst through the door before she could do it. Without thinking, she instantly sought out Chase's gaze. Before she could blink, Chase sat in the chair beside her. Questions burned in his gaze, but he remained quiet. He merely put his hand face up on his thigh in invitation. She didn't hesitate to put her hand in his, and he instantly curled his fingers around her chilled ones.
While still afraid of what Logan could say about her sister, Chase's firm grip gave her a wee bit more strength to face it.
Thankfully she didn't have time to dwell on that tidbit because Grant spoke up again. "Now, tell us what's going on with Phillip Lamont and Yasmin MacFie."
Faye drew in a breath, and Grant quickly added. "Aye, they're together and nearby. Yasmin is expecting a bairn, too." Grant returned his brown-eyed stare to Logan. "Start talking."
Logan didn't hesitate. "The day before Yasmin was due to mate the Iranian bloke, my brother found a way to talk to
her and convince her to elope with him. The Iranian clan put a price on her head and anyone who might've taken her. From what Phillip says, it's considered an act of war to steal an intended mate away once an agreement has been reached."
Faye growled. "What century is this?"
Grant put a hand on Faye's shoulder and squeezed. "It's tradition, love. I'm sure there's a reason for it. Maybe they had long-standing troubles with people stealing mates, aye? Don't judge without all the facts."
Faye didn't look mollified one bit, but Layla was grateful that Logan spoke again since she hungered for more information. Logan said, "Regardless, they were afraid to come back here since it could bring trouble to Lochguard. My brother made me swear not to tell anyone or they'd run again."
Layla found her voice. "They came back because of the bairn, didn't they?"
Logan nodded. "Aye, they did—they've been back for nearly a month. Your sister hasn't been faring well the last few weeks, and I stole supplies to try to help her."
Not caring that she should've deferred to the co-head Protectors since it was their interrogation, Layla raised her voice. "You should've come to me, Logan. You're a good nurse, maybe the best I have, but I'm still the doctor. I can help her more than you can." She released Chase's hand and stood. "I need to see my sister. Now. Tell me where they are right this minute so I can help them."
Logan shook his head, his voice weary as he replied, "I promised I wouldn't share their location, Layla. As soon as you finish your visit and leave, they'll run. They've both brought so much trouble to our families already, and they refuse to bring more, no matter how many times I've tried telling them that all we want is for them to be safe."
She wasn't entirely sure her parents would agree. They might even try to contact the Iranian clan, or maybe disown Yasmin for her betrayal. At those thoughts, she clenched her fingers into fists, anger too tame a word for how she'd feel then.
The Dragon's Pursuit (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 7) Page 8