The Dragon Guardian

by Jessie Donovan

  She shook her head. “I’m not so sure giving in to a tantrum is the best idea.”

  He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Finally, I have a female on my side. Together, we may yet tame my beast.”

  “So? What’s this surprise?”

  “Tenacious one, aren’t you?” She raised an eyebrow and he sighed. “All right, then. Finish your breakfast and we’ll get ready.” He placed a hand on her belly. “If the wee one cooperates, that is. Is our son giving you trouble?”

  Fergus had called her boy their son several times, and each time it brought tears to her eyes. Not wanting to cry, she rubbed her eyes. “He wasn’t a fan of the first batch of pancakes, but everything should be good. My stubbornness alone should keep him in line. I want to find out my surprise.”

  Fergus chuckled. “If stubbornness solved everything, then my family would be superheroes saving the world.”

  “Speaking of your family, maybe we can see them again soon. I probably got off on the wrong foot with you mother by sneaking out like I did.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “If anything, my mum will be amused. She may frown or scold, but deep down, she loves when people take initiative. Even if it’s to avoid her.”

  Gina tilted her head. “I’m really starting to wonder about your family.”

  He twirled a strand of her hair. “When you’re ready, we’ll see them again, but not before. I’m sure you’ll grow to love them soon. Even Arabella couldn’t resist the MacKenzie brood’s charm.”

  She took and squeezed his hand. “They mean a lot to you, which means I need to get to know them, too. Besides, I’m sure your mom has some interesting stories to tell. And Holly keeps sending me text messages asking if I’m okay. Maybe seeing me out and about will ease her nerves.”

  He rubbed her stomach in slow circles. “You may be young, but you’ve become wise.”

  She placed her hand on the side of her belly. “Sometimes life forces us to grow up quicker than we may like.”

  He met her gaze. “I’m sorry for the circumstances that forced it, but I can’t be sorry because it brought you to me.”

  She smiled. “That is pretty cheesy.” Fergus opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. “But I’m glad, too.”

  After kissing the corner of her mouth, he murmured, “Now that’s settled, eat your breakfast. Or I may have to feed you myself.”

  She pointed her fork at him. “Right, because you’re going to tie up a pregnant lady and force her to eat.”

  He looked to her pancake and back to her face. “Don’t tempt me, lass. Because I may just do it.”

  Rolling her eyes, Gina speared another bite of pancake on her fork. “If you’re threatening me when I’m this pregnant, I hate to see what you’re like when I’m not.”

  Fergus’s eyes twinkled. “Then stay around and find out.”

  She laughed. “We’ll see about that, Fergus MacKenzie.”

  “Good.” He pointed toward her food. “Now, eat. The longer you resist, the less time we have for your surprise.”

  She stuck out her tongue and added, “Yes, Mr. Guardian.”

  Before Fergus could say anything, Gina stuffed her face with food. As she chewed, she pointed to her jaw and then gave a thumbs up. It took everything she had not to burst out laughing at Fergus’s sigh.

  She only hoped that when they left their little bubble inside the house, the easiness and teasing would continue.

  It was foolish to dream, but as Fergus wiggled his hips and did a ridiculous dance, Gina laughed and wished it to be true with all her heart.

  ~~~

  Fergus threaded his fingers through Gina’s as they walked away from the old Sinclair place.

  Both man and beast were content. Between taking care of their female and the upcoming surprise, Gina should start opening up to them.

  His dragon grunted. Which means we need to tell her the truth soon.

  He didn’t give his beast an answer. Fergus knew what needed to be done, but not until after his surprise. He only hoped she liked it.

  As he strummed his thumb against Gina’s skin, she looked over at him and smiled. “So that’s why you didn’t want me to wear gloves.”

  He grinned. “Maybe a wee part of the reason. Dragon-shifters males tend to radiate heat and I didn’t want your hands getting sweaty inside a glove.”

  “Right, I’m sure that’s the reason.” She swung their hands a few times and asked, “Where are we going?”

  He motioned toward the right. “Over there.”

  “You know, you could give a little more detail.”

  He winked. “And ruin the surprise? I think not. I like watching the wheels in your head turn as you try to guess what it is.”

  “Considering you told me to wear my warmest coat, it has to be outside. Unless you have secret dragon caves full of treasure somewhere.”

  He snorted. “And here I thought you were one of the more informed humans when it came to dragon-shifters.”

  She placed a hand on her hip. “Hey, most legends have a grain of truth to them. Considering all of the small mountains you have in Scotland, I’m sure you could easily hide things in some of them.”

  He quirked a brow. “Small mountains? The tallest mountain in the entire United Kingdom is right here in Scotland. If you want to get a Scot on your side, either human or dragon, you don’t want to go around insulting our beautiful landscape.”

  “Oh, it’s pretty. I won’t deny it. My grandma always talked about how I should see the mountains on a clear day with the heather in bloom. But the Blue Ridge Mountains are in Virginia, and the rest of the Appalachian Mountains aren’t that far away. Both are somewhat more impressive than the mountains here, I think.” She met his eye again. “Have you ever been to America? You could see them and compare.”

  “I went once for a few weeks. I met with some other dragon-shifter intelligence analysts from friendly clans for training in Virginia. I’ve seen the mountains you’re talking about, but while beautiful, it’s not Scotland.”

  She tilted her head. “Now who’s insulting someone’s beautiful landscape?”

  He stopped and tugged her close. “You’re too clever for your own good.”

  “But would you really want it any other way?”

  He murmured, “No,” and lowered his head to kiss Gina when someone whistled. A familiar voice shouted, “I knew you had it in you, Fergus.”

  “Fraser,” Fergus growled and looked over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  Fraser approached them and Fergus put an arm around Gina’s waist. His brother noted the gesture and grinned. “Considering you should be working yourself, you’re not one to talk.”

  He grunted. “Finn gave me a few days to see Gina settled in. You, on the other hand, should be finishing up the new warehouses.”

  Fraser shrugged. “It’s lunchtime.”

  “And you just happened to be crossing through this part of the clan’s land, which is directly opposite of your construction site.”

  Fraser winked. “I may have heard you were spotted this way. But I wanted to make sure the lass is all right.” Fraser looked to Gina. “How’re you, lass? If you need a little break from my brother, I’d be happy to oblige.”

  Fergus growled. “You have a mate.”

  Fraser put a hand on his heart. “Is that what you think of me? Holly and I want to show her around together.”

  “I’m sure,” Fergus muttered.

  Fraser looked back to Gina. “So, how about it? Holly and I would love to take you out to lunch and tell you everything you want to know about my twin brother. Poking at his pet peeves can be fun.”

  Gina raised her chin. “No, thank you. Fergus is taking me to a surprise. So unless you know what it is and want to spill the beans, we’ll be on our way.”

  Fraser blinked and Fergus barked out a laugh. “It looks like you can add another female to the list of those who can resist your charm, brother.”

&n
bsp; Fraser stood taller. “Then I’ll just have to up my game. Next time, I’ll have Gina giggling at my words.”

  From the corner of Fergus’s eye, he saw Gina roll hers and say, “I was in college until very recently. Guys in their late teens and early twenties think they’re charming, but in reality they’re being ridiculous. You would be easy to resist in comparison, Fraser.”

  Fergus squeezed Gina’s shoulder in encouragement and added, “She has you down to a T, brother. So how about you act ridiculous somewhere else?”

  Fraser sighed. “Does the last twenty-nine years mean nothing to you, Fergus?”

  “Of course they do. However, you irritating me isn’t recent. Besides, we’ll see you later on anyway. Let us go or we’ll be late for Gina’s surprise.”

  “If I must.” Fraser gave a dramatic bow and looked up at Gina. “Until later, my lady.”

  They took their leave of Fraser. Fergus met Gina’s gaze. “He might be irritating, but Fraser is not only my best friend, he’s loyal and would sacrifice his life to save his family.”

  Gina patted his chest. “I know. His mate has been extremely kind to me and I’m in her debt. Still, I learned the hard way to deflect charm right away to save myself a headache later on, so I took that approach with Fraser.”

  Fergus frowned. “Just how many males did you have to chase away?” She tapped her chin and he growled. “How many, Gina?”

  “My, my, I see your possessiveness is back. Will it ever go away?”

  “Probably not. You still haven’t answered my question.”

  She raised her brows. “Is this how you get information out of people to help your clan?” She poked his bicep. “It could be a bit off-putting.”

  “Only you bring this demanding nature out of me, Gina MacDonald.” Afraid he might’ve scared the lass, he searched her eyes. But all he saw was curiosity. He sighed. “I can’t help it. My dragon’s mood is affecting my actions. He’s the possessive bastard out of the two of us.”

  She placed her hand on his chest. “I knew about inner dragons, but I never really understood how much they could influence your human half.”

  He played with a strand of her hair. “Aye, they do quite a bit. Usually, I can control him. But it’s hard to do with you, lass.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  Knowing what he did of her past with the Yank arsehole, he wasn’t sure it was the right time to tell her about being his true mate.

  His dragon growled. The longer you wait, the more difficult I’ll become.

  A few more hours won’t kill you.

  His beast huffed. It just might. Because of your surprise, a single, unattached dragonman will see her today and he may go after her.

  We’ve known Alistair Boyd our whole lives. Stop being ridiculous. The male likes to keep to himself and isn’t about to charm Gina away.

  But he has knowledge our female wants.

  Fergus mentally sighed. I’m done arguing for now.

  Ignoring his beast, he focused back on Gina. “I can either answer your question or take you to your surprise. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late and miss it.”

  Indecision battled in her gaze. She finally nodded. “Okay, I’ll let it go for now. But I won’t answer your question until you answer mine.”

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Fair enough. Are you okay to walk a little faster, lass? I don’t want to be late.”

  Gina picked up her pace. “Tell me, does Fraser drop his act once you get to know him?”

  He was glad for the change of subject. “Aye, he can. The idiot risked everything to save Holly a few months back. Despite not being a soldier, he took on some traitors and brought her home safely.”

  Gina frowned. “What traitors?”

  He debated answering Gina’s question. He never wanted to hold back with her, but he made his living sorting out secrets and delicate information.

  His dragon grunted. Telling her about the traitors won’t hurt anyone. Most of it aired on the news last year anyway.

  Some, but not all.

  Then tell her what broadcasted and maybe a bit more. She may have trusted us with her body, but we need to win both her mind and heart.

  And we will.

  His beast growled. Stop wasting time and get on with it.

  He answered Gina’s question, “Well, not everyone approved of Finn assuming leadership of the clan and a few of them caused trouble. However, they made the mistake of putting Arabella’s life in danger, so Finn exiled those who wouldn’t stand with him. The only problem is that the ones who left the clan banded together and are looking for a way to bring Lochguard down.”

  Gina placed a hand on her stomach. “Are they an immediate threat?”

  He rubbed up and down her arm. “No, lass. I haven’t heard anything about an attack, nor has our head Protector, and we both take our jobs and duties seriously.”

  “You, take a job seriously? I never would’ve guess.”

  He lightly tugged her arm. “Hey, now. The clan’s safety depends on it.”

  “I know, Fergus. I think I need to tease you a lot more often until you don’t explain yourself each time.”

  For the first time since he was a wee lad, Fergus had the urge to stick out his tongue. But somehow, he resisted. “As long as it means you’re staying with me, you can tease me as much as you like.”

  Gina grinned. “Good, then I’m going to hold you to that statement.”

  With her cheeks flushed pink from the cold and her green eyes sparkling, Fergus couldn’t help but lean down and murmur, “Do whatever you wish, my bonny lass.”

  He gently kissed her and pulled back a fraction to meet her eyes again. His dragon preened at the desire in her eyes. She will stay. She is ours.

  Gina stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again before whispering, “We’re going to do a lot more kissing later. But right now, we’re going to be late.”

  Fergus raised an eyebrow. “Now who’s the responsible one?”

  “Hey, I can be responsible and fun. But I don’t do well with waiting when it comes to surprises.” She took his hand and tugged. “Come on.”

  Kissing her nose, he answered, “We’re nearly there.” Forcing himself to turn away and start walking, he nodded toward the old, long two-story brick building in the distance. “Your surprise is in there.”

  “What’s inside?”

  Looking to her face, he answered, “A school. I’m taking you to a dragon-shifter history class.”

  Gina’s eyes lit up. “Really? As in a real class with stories humans never hear about?”

  He grinned. “Aye. After hearing about how you were so interested in dragon-shifters during college, I figured you might like some lessons. The stories will better help you understand your wee bairn.”

  She grabbed his hand on her arm. “Thank you.”

  Both man and beast drank in the sight of their female’s happiness.

  Clearing his throat, he nodded to the school. “But we’d better hurry. Alistair Boyd hates tardiness and since he was kind enough to allow us to sit in, we don’t want to be late.”

  Gina nodded. “Then let’s go.”

  As she tugged him toward the building, Fergus smiled. Maybe after the lesson, when Gina was in a good mood, he could finally tell her the truth about being his true mate. After all, what male wouldn’t want the clever, stubborn, beautiful human for their own? He needed to claim her as soon as possible.

  His dragon grunted. You’re not helping.

  Pushing aside his beast and any thoughts about other males, Fergus squeezed Gina’s hand. She looked up at him with a smile and Fergus knew she wouldn’t look twice at Alistair. For the moment, her eyes were only for him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Gina’s heart rate sped up as Fergus guided her through the school’s main entrance. And not just because she was about to hear some actual dragon-shifter history. No, her heart also hammered because she would have the chance to see some of the young dragon-shifters. />
  BroadBay had never allowed their children to be seen by humans. Well, at least, beyond the sacrifices who gave birth to them.

  Since Gina was about to give birth to her own in a few weeks’ time, she wanted to prepare herself for the challenge. If Fergus had trouble controlling his own dragon, it had to be much harder for a child. Gina only hoped she could help when her own son’s time came.

  Yet as they walked down one empty hall and then another, she darted glances at Fergus’s profile. Things were going well. Maybe Fergus could help her when she needed it. She had a feeling he would be a good father.

  Fergus motioned toward a door on the left and she focused back on the school as he said, “In here. Follow my lead.”

  Turning the doorknob, Fergus inched the door open slowly without making a noise. She had a feeling it wasn’t the first time her dragonman had snuck inside a place silently. Maybe someday he’d tell her about his past adventures with his brother.

  As soon as Gina stepped inside the door, nine pairs of eyes turned toward her. Eight of them belonged to young teens and the remaining set was from the tall, dark-haired dragonman at the front of the room.

  Before anyone could say a word, a bell chimed. The dragonman up front motioned toward her and Fergus. “These are our guests for the day. I’m sure you know Fergus MacKenzie as he and his twin have reputations at this school from more than a decade ago. He’s brought along a human female named Gina MacDonald. I expect you to treat both of them with respect. If we finish the lesson early, they might even answer a few questions.”

  Various voices murmured, “Yes, sir,” before tearing their gaze from Gina and turning toward the front.

  Fergus gently pressed against her back and whispered, “Let’s sit down.”

  Gina was debating how she could sit in the plastic chairs for any length of time without fidgeting when Fergus guided them toward two padded chairs in the back. With a sigh of relief, she sat down. Fergus took one of her hands in his warm one. Placing her other one on her belly, she looked to Alistair Boyd.