Arabella gave a half-hearted frown. “Not like you’d follow my orders anyway. I should just start telling you the opposite of what I want done. Things will get done quicker that way.”
He grinned. “Then I’d start following them just to irritate you. After all, you’re bonny when you’re angry.”
Arabella shook her head. “I sometimes wonder why I like you at all.”
Finn leaned closer until he was a few inches from Arabella’s lips and whispered, “Because I’m brilliant, that’s why.”
Arabella tried to frown but ended up snorting when he waggled his eyebrows. Unable to help himself, Finn kissed her slowly, nibbling and stroking until his lass sighed. Then he pulled away and laid his forehead against hers. “I wish we could spend the rest of our lives like this, just snogging in the open. Sex would be fantastic too. I’d love to see the sun caress your skin as you leaned against a tree and I took you from behind.”
She slapped his chest. “Finn, stop it. We don’t have time for that. At least, right now.”
“Oh, so we can do that later, then? I have the perfect part of the forest to do it, too. It’s my secret spot, but I’ll share it with you.”
“Finlay.” Arabella warned. “Your cock should be sore right now, anyway. Besides, there’s a crap ton of things to do.”
“Aye, I know it,” Finn answered. Then Arabella smiled as if she had a secret and he demanded, “Tell me you aren’t thinking of a way to break my cock. If you need a rest, just ask. I’m quite fond of having a working penis.”
Arabella grinned and the urge to rip off her clothes and take her again coursed through his body. He growled at his dragon. Stop it. You had six days of almost nonstop sex. Give the lass a break.
It wasn’t me. Stop using me as an excuse. You’re just a randy bloke.
Not wanting to argue with his beast, Finn added, “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Let’s just say it’s a surprise. You’ll just have to figure out how to earn it.”
“Do I get a clue?”
Arabella tapped her chin. “I would, but you’re so bloody brilliant, you can figure it out on your own.”
He was about to growl when his mobile vibrated. Taking his phone from his pocket, Finn checked his messages and cursed.
Arabella asked, “What’s wrong?”
Looking up, he answered, “Not wrong so much as bloody bad timing. Bram and Tristan are on their way here. Since they’re flying up, they should be here in about an hour.”
“What? How do they even know the frenzy is over?”
“My guess is Aunt Lorna. I love her, but she likes to meddle.”
“I don’t understand. The frenzy is over. We’re going to have a child together and I assume a mating ceremony. What need is there to meddle?”
“I don’t know, but I’m determined to find out.” Finn stood and offered his hand to Arabella. “We need to hurry if we’re going to listen to Grant’s brief before they arrive. Are you up for it? Or was telling me your past too emotionally draining and you need a rest?”
Arabella placed her hand in his. “Of course I’m up for it. I’m somewhat offended that you even needed to ask.”
He pulled her up and turned her to face him. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you need a break, something to eat, or whatever you need. Given the frenzy and recent pregnancy, in addition to revisiting your painful memories, you need time to recover.” Arabella opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “You’re strong, Ara. Bloody hell, you’re one of the strongest people I know. But it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. If you never do, then my dragon will constantly bother me about your well-being. And you don’t want me to go to crazy, do you?”
His dragon grunted. It’s my job to ensure our offspring is born healthy. I will do whatever it takes.
Yes, and then Arabella will grow to hate you. Do you want that?
She’ll never hate me. She likes me. It’s you she’ll take her anger out on.
Exactly, Finn replied dryly.
Arabella touched his cheek and he met her eyes. “Finn, I don’t like to ask for help, but if I’m going to ask anyone, it’s going to be you. Is that good enough?”
Placing his hand over hers, he murmured, “That’ll do for now. I’m sure we’ll continue to renegotiate this as the baby grows.” He glanced down to her abdomen and put his other hand there. “Our baby.” Looking back up, he added, “It’s still sinking in. Is it real to you yet?”
“I’m bloody hungry all the time, so it’s hard to forget.” Her expression softened. “But yes, it’s slowly sinking in. I just hope our baby girl isn’t as charming as you, or we’re going to have a lot of problems.”
“And our baby boy is going to be as stubborn as you, which means I need some reinforcements or I’ll go completely gray before I’m forty.”
Arabella’s expression faltered a second. “You wouldn’t want a girl, then?”
Finn rolled his eyes and pulled Arabella close. “I don’t care which gender the bairn is as long as it’s ours.” He moved to her ear and whispered, “But if you could avoid giving me two or three bairns at a time, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
Arabella kissed his cheek. “Believe me, I’m with you on that one. A single child is enough for the first time.”
Laughing, Finn moved back to Arabella’s lips and gently kissed her. “Sounds like a plan.” He pulled away and situated Arabella at his side. “Now that’s sorted, we only have about twenty more plans to think of for the clan. Are you ready to tackle them?”
They started walking and Arabella replied, “Of course. I’m going to find out what happened with the DDA from Grant and then we’re going to face Bram and Tristan together.” She paused, and then added, “Just make sure to feed me while we do it. I’ve never been this hungry in my life.”
Finn squeezed her shoulders. “I can order a whole roast pig for your appetizer, love. And then maybe fifteen sandwiches for the main course?”
She punched his side. “Stop being ridiculous.”
Glancing at Arabella’s expression, Finn grinned. “Never, Arabella MacLeod. You’re stuck with me.”
She battled a smile and lost. “I suppose it could be worse.” He growled and she grinned. “You’ll do, Finlay Stewart, you’ll do.”
He chuckled. “We’ll have you talking in Scots in no time, lass. Just you wait and see.”
As they continued to banter, both man and beast treasured their time with their mate. Finn only hoped he’d have more time with her in the future. For all he knew, the Dragon Knights would attack again. Or, maybe, the dragon hunters could band together and seek her out.
The first step toward securing a happy future with Arabella was to find out from Grant what had been done and what still needed to be done. As much as he didn’t want to, Finn picked up his pace.
Chapter Seven
Once Grant switched off the video of the DDA capturing the Dragon Knights, Arabella looked between Finn and Grant as she stated, “Broadcasting the feed was supposed to help us. All it did was make the dragons look subservient to the DDA.”
Grant spoke up. “Given the Dragon Knights’ message about how dragons want to rule over humans, our looking subservient will help our case.”
Finn rubbed the back of her neck. “Aye, Grant’s right. I’d rather everyone think we’re playing nice than the opposite. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking of strategies to better protect our clan.”
Her dragon chimed in. Finn is right. Let them think we’re weak. Then, when we need to protect the clan, we will overpower them.
You know nothing about strategies.
Pretending to be weaker than you are to fool someone is a basic idea to a predator. Otherwise, we might never eat.
Her beast had a point, but Arabella decided not to say as much or her dragon would become unbearable.
Yet her dragon chuckled. I can hear your thoughts. Try harder if you wish to keep a secret.
Instead of
huffing aloud, Arabella looked to Grant. “Has the DDA promised to help further with the Dragon Knights? Or, will helping to restore their reputation be enough for now and they leave us to protect everyone with our hands tied.”
Grant raised an eyebrow. “You’re a skeptical lass.”
“Let’s just say the DDA isn’t my favorite agency in the world.”
Finn gently tugged her hair and she looked to him. He tilted his head. “They gave you your sister-in-law and Bram’s mate. I would think that counts for something.”
“None of that matters right now. All I want to do is ensure our clan is protected.”
Finn gave a lazy smile. “Glad you think of Lochguard as your home, because you belong here.”
“You have yet to ask me for a proper mating, I might hint. If you keep me waiting too long, I may just go on a prolonged visit to my brother.”
Finn shrugged. “You can try.” His eyes turned fierce. “But I’ll bring you back and take my time convincing you to stay.”
“You still haven’t asked.”
“It’s implied.”
Arabella didn’t know if she wanted to argue or kiss the bloody man. Thankfully, Grant cleared his throat and garnered their attention. “The Stonefire leader will be here soon. We should finish this meeting before then.”
Arabella nodded and Finn jumped in. “Is Duncan still in custody?”
“Yes,” Grant answered before handing them each a folder. Opening hers, Arabella scanned the information as Grant continued, “Once we knew to look for connections between Duncan and Marcus from Clan Skyhunter, it was easy to find evidence to convict him. Ian and Emma MacAllister were able to find emails between the two, planning the attack. While Marcus was careful and never gave any indication it was him—no name or identifiable features in the email address—the IP address tells us it had to come from Clan Skyhunter. And as far as I know, there’s no one there who would plot behind Marcus King’s back.”
The Skyhunter leader had a reputation of ruling through fear. She only hoped that one day, someone else would take over the clan leadership. She didn’t want to bring her child into a world where an entire dragon clan could turn on Lochguard or the human government and cause chaos, not to mention undo all of Melanie’s hard work.
Grant shuffled some papers and placed one in front of her and Finn. “The DDA has granted Finn the authority to determine Duncan’s punishment.” Grant laid another piece of paper down. “They also said that once you secure Lochguard and can prove its safety, you may have a human sacrifice.”
Finn nodded. “Good on both counts.”
Arabella knew at a later time, she’d care about choosing a dragon-shifter male to pair with the human sacrifice. After all, she’d seen firsthand how a match could be more than a contract and resulting transaction. Maybe she could help a Lochguard dragonman find love.
Her dragon chuckled. I never thought you would be talking about helping someone find love.
Shut it, dragon. I can be romantic at times.
Yeah, right.
She pushed her dragon to the back of her mind. Matchmaking would have to wait anyway. For the present, she was more concerned about the traitor. “So, what are you going to do with Duncan, Finn?”
~~~
Finn should be happy about his clan being approved for a sacrifice since it would be Lochguard’s first one in nearly four years. Yet to prove Lochguard was safe again would take a lot of work and he didn’t have the time to dwell on all that needed to be done.
First, he needed to take care of Duncan Campbell.
Picking up the DDA’s approval for Duncan’s sentencing, he scanned the wording: Per the agreement signed in 1984, intra-clan justice can be meted out on a case-by-case basis. The request to try and sentence Duncan Campbell has been approved. Once complete, fill out the necessary paperwork within two weeks of sentencing.
Just what he wanted—more paperwork.
Laying the paper down, he met Arabella’s gaze. “After gathering all of the facts, I’ll present them to the clan and they will decide Duncan’s fate.”
Arabella asked, “You’ll let them do just anything? That seems a bit risky.”
“Of course not. Some will want to burn him at the stake, or some such rubbish. But their voices deserved to be heard. They know the final decision will be mine.” He massaged Arabella’s shoulder. “Has Stonefire never had an intra-clan sentencing before?”
Arabella shook her head. “Not since I was a toddler and I was too young to remember. Neil Westhaven probably would’ve been the first, but you killed him before that could happen.”
Finn growled. “The bastard was a few seconds away from killing Evie Marshall. I have no regrets.”
Arabella leaned forward a fraction. “I know that. I have zero regrets about you doing it, either. But killing him is the reason I don’t know how intra-clan sentencing works.”
Finn’s dragon spoke up. Why attack our mate? She will always have our back.
I know that. I’m tired and grumpy because of your overwhelming protectiveness. It makes me cranky.
Stop using me as an excuse. You’re just as protective. You would lock Ara in a room for nine months if you could.
Do I look insane? She would kill me.
You can’t lie to me. I know the truth.
Ignoring his beast, Finn took a deep breath and continued to massage Arabella’s shoulder. “Well, you’ll know soon enough. Until then, Duncan will remain in custody.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what if he escapes?
Grant grunted. “Unless someone bombs the building he’s been put in, there is no bloody way the male will be able to escape.”
Arabella pointed a finger. “Cockiness is the quickest way to fuck things up.”
As Arabella stared daggers at Grant, Lochguard’s Protector merely crossed his arms and almost looked bored. Finn trusted Grant, but Arabella needed to learn how to trust him, too. He’d wait to see how his mate handled the situation before stepping in.
Arabella huffed. “So you’re just going to stare? I have a brother who could run circles around your staring, so if that’s supposed to frighten me or put me off, you’re in for a surprise.”
Grant shrugged. “This is me dismissing your words. If I wanted to frighten you, you’d know it.”
“It still wouldn’t hurt to have a backup plan.”
“It’s already in place,” Grant answered.
Finn battled a smile; Arabella wouldn’t appreciate it and considering she had to be tired, he wasn’t going to push her.
His dragon chimed in. For how long? Teasing her is fun.
Soon enough, dragon, soon enough.
As Arabella and Grant continued to stare at one another, there was a knock on the door.
Without a word, Grant went to the door and opened it. Bram Moore-Llewellyn stood on the other side, with Tristan MacLeod right behind him.
Once Bram and Tristan moved inside the room, Grant nodded and left.
Bram eyed Finn’s arm resting on Arabella’s shoulders and then met his gaze. “We need to talk, Stewart.”
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Really? I never would’ve guessed considering you’re standing here less than three hours after the end of the mate-claim frenzy.”
Tristan growled. “Don’t remind me of what you’ve done to my sister.”
Finn was about to reply when Arabella stood up and waggled a finger at her brother. “You’re not in charge of me, Tristan. Leave Finn alone.”
Some males might feel emasculated having their female stand up for them. Finn, on the other hand, sat back and watched. It was time for both Arabella’s brother and former clan leader to realize the lass was strong, maybe even stronger than either of them. And she needed to do it on her own.
His dragon stood up at attention. If they try to take her, I will take control.
They won’t take her. They know she carries our child.
There hasn’t been a mating ceremony yet. Bram could orde
r her back.
And you really think she’ll go?
His beast huffed. Maybe not.
Exactly. Now, let Arabella shine. This is her moment. She’s earned it.
With that, his dragon fell silent.
~~~
Arabella studied her brother. The fact he would even take a second to think before he spoke was a testament to Melanie’s influence on him.
Still, she’d let him boss her around for far too long. He needed to know she wasn’t ‘poor Arabella’ any longer.
However, before she could open her mouth, her brother took a step toward her and growled. “I’m not in charge of you, no. But I’m your family, Ara, and I’ve been the one to look after you. If the Scottish bastard wants you, he needs to earn you.”
Arabella rolled her eyes. “Yes, because that doesn’t make me look like a piece of property.”
Tristan grunted. “It’s a male thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
Raising an eyebrow, Arabella looked over her shoulder at Finn. “Care to explain this ‘male thing’ to a poor, witless female like myself?”
The corner of Finn’s mouth ticked up. “I would, except I’m not sure I understand it myself.”
Arabella smiled and looked back to Tristan. Her brother frowned and replied, “Who are you and what have you done to my sister?”
“Oh, come now, Tristan,” Arabella said as she motioned to herself. “I’m the same. You just never bothered to look.”
Tristan’s eyes looked to Finn and back. He opened his mouth and then shut it.
Arabella’s dragon chimed in. This is the first time, apart from Melanie, that your brother has been speechless.
I know, isn’t it brilliant?
Bram’s calm, steely voice filled the room. “Enough, Tristan. I didn’t bring you here to scold Arabella. You wanted to see she was all right and she is. Now, behave.”
Healed by the Dragon: Boxed Set (Parts #1-4) Page 24
