The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 4)

by Jessie Donovan

  As Grant exited the bed and breakfast, his dragon banged against the walls of his mental maze. His beast clearly didn’t agree with Grant’s new tactic.

  However, he’d make his dragon accept his choice. Grant wasn’t about to ruin his mission by constantly being jealous of males who looked at Faye with desire or interest in their eyes. Only those who believed in her would stand a chance to win her heart. Grant may have to delay the wooing aspect for a bit, but he was patient. Laying the groundwork in the present would help him later on.

  ~~~

  Cat MacAllister tried to focus on what Lachlan MacKintosh was saying about schedules and events, but as she watched her fellow participants, she itched to take out her phone and snap a few shots. Each of their profiles told a different story. Even if she hadn’t met any of them before, a picture could frame the story she wanted to tell; each photograph was its own reality.

  Her dragon spoke up. Then stop thinking about it and do it. Being cautious is boring.

  Says the dragon who wanted to land en route to Inverness to watch the rays of sunlight dancing on a loch, without thinking of the possible danger.

  Her beast grunted. I like pretty things. It gives you ideas for painting.

  However, before she could reply, Lachlan’s face filled her visage. With his chin-length black hair framing his jaw and his blue eyes flecked with gold staring straight into hers, all thoughts of the others fled her head. The human male would make an interesting subject. Not just because he was handsome, because he was, but also because he straddled the world between humans and dragon-shifters. That opened a lot of possibilities for what she could shoot or even paint.

  His voice cut through her thoughts. “Have you heard a word I said, Ms. MacAllister?”

  “Call me Cat. And yes, you were rambling about punctuality and avoiding confrontation.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Impressive.”

  “Why? Can’t you do two things at once?”

  The second the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. Being selected for the exhibition was an honor. The last thing she needed to do was insult the head coordinator.

  Lachlan straightened up again. “I can do three, if I concentrate, and maybe even five if I’ve had a few pints. The more I drink, the more invincible I become.”

  She resisted breathing a sigh of relief and decided to play along. “So, are you drunk now?”

  Dylan chuckled at her side, but Cat never took her eyes away from Lachlan. Yet as he continued to stare without saying a word, Max’s voice filled the room. “I’d much rather see a pissed dragon-shifter. Maybe we should all go out for drinks.”

  Lachlan never took his gaze from Cat. “No drinking to excess.” He finally looked to each person in the room. “Remember, you are the public face of all dragon-shifters in the UK. We need this event to go well in Scotland if we’re also to go to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the future. The director of the DDA is counting on you. Do you understand the importance of being on your best behavior?”

  She didn’t like being treated like a child, but as the others murmured their assent, she followed suit. It was hard for her not to be the one in charge, like she’d been with her siblings growing up.

  Yet as Lachlan glanced at her for a few seconds longer than the others, her dragon took notice. He’s definitely not our sibling.

  And he’s most definitely off limits. Besides, what about Dexter?

  Her dragon huffed. He’s boring. I don’t know why you keep dating him.

  To keep Mum off our backs. Humoring her means more time in our studio without her interference.

  But Dexter won’t make you happy long term. Have a little fun, like we used to do with Faye when we were younger.

  Maybe later. Now, hush unless you want the human to lecture us again.

  Her dragon fell silent and Cat went back to studying Lachlan. She wouldn’t dare ask him to model for her, so she would just have to memorize his features and sketch them back in her room. Hopefully Faye didn’t plan on going to supper straight away because Cat would never be able to concentrate until she unloaded her latest subject onto paper.

  And she couldn’t wait to sketch Lachlan’s cheekbones, his broad shoulders, or trim form. He wasn’t as muscled as a dragon-shifter, but he still carried an aura of power and confidence.

  That intrigued her.

  Half-listening to Lachlan’s speech, she proceeded to memorize his body. The trick would be not to get caught gawking.

  Chapter Seven

  As Grant soared over the darkening landscape, he studied the ground for anything unusual. Since dragon-shifters could see well in the dark, he didn’t worry about the fading light and took his time. He needed to be thorough.

  The last place he’d seen his uncle had been near Elgin, which was to the east of Inverness. But that meant little considering his previous sighting had been months ago.

  While scrutinizing the landscape, he noted the shape of the trees, hills, and lochs. Despite living his whole life in the Scottish Highlands except during his two years with the British Armed Forces, the beauty of his home country never failed to amaze him.

  Since he’d had to free his dragon to shift, his beast grunted and said, I’d much rather see a different kind of scenery.

  If we weren’t one and the same, I’d love to see you ask to admire Faye’s scenery. However, I have no desire to be kicked in the bollocks.

  She wouldn’t do that. At most, she’36d sweep our legs out from under us and straddle our chest. Would that be so bad?

  The image of Faye’s warm body on top of his chest flashed into his mind. He’d try to roll her over and she’d find a way to be on top again.

  Things would never be easy with Faye MacKenzie, but Grant looked forward to it. Any other female he’d tried to pursue in the past had lacked Faye’s spark. He easily tired of tame and well-behaved. He didn’t want someone who tried to please him. His mother had done that with his father and they’d never formed a strong connection. Even when dragon-shifters weren’t true mates, they could still have passion.

  And Grant wanted plenty of it, but only with a certain female.

  If only he hadn’t been such a bloody idiot as a young man when he’d said Faye wasn’t feminine enough for him.

  He beat his wings harder. Being the head Protector of a clan was both easy and challenging. Apart from Finn and the MacKenzies, everyone looked to him for guidance. He wasn’t one to dispense advice, so he merely led by example.

  Of course, the females only saw the image he projected. Faye was one of the few who had seen him at his worst and still forgiven him in the long run. He was determined to also show her his best.

  Finishing his final sweep, he glided around and headed back toward Inverness. He hadn’t expected to find any signs of his uncle on the first night, but a part of him was still disappointed.

  His beast huffed. I’m disappointed, too. I was hoping to root out the threat and woo Faye tonight.

  It’s going to take more bloody work than one flight over the countryside.

  Not everything has to be difficult. Of course, if you merely snogged her a little to show her a preview of what’s to come, then I might stop doing this.

  His dragon sent a stream of images that all involved Faye naked. Some with her under him, some with her on top, and more than a few with him taking her from behind.

  Stop it, dragon. That won’t be happening anytime soon.

  It will if you kiss her.

  And start the frenzy?

  So you finally acknowledge she’s our true mate.

  I’m not stupid. But I also can’t risk the frenzy overtaking either of us.

  I think she’s strong enough to contain it. Aren’t you?

  Probably, but it’s not up for discussion.

  His dragon continued to send naked pictures of Faye into his head the whole flight back.

  They finally landed in the cordoned section of Inverness Castle’s car park, which was the si
te of the Inverness Sheriff Court and a concealed DDA holding cell. The DDA had determined it to be one of the safest places for them to land and take off from in the city.

  Grant imagined his snout shrinking into his nose, his wings melding into his back, and his limbs morphing back into human arms and legs. Once he was human again, he barely noted the red sandstone castle as he walked to the secure lockers at the edge of the protected area. After donning his clothes again, he checked his mobile. There was a text message from Faye: Cat is dining with the other participants and the DDA’s security team. I’m going to the curry place near the river with some of the other dragons. It’s the same restaurant as Cat and the others.

  His dragon spoke up again. We should go and make sure no one tries to take her away from us. Only Stonefire will leave her alone.

  He wanted to dismiss his dragon’s thoughts as silly, but couldn’t. I think we should check out the other Protectors. Faye may be strong, but if several of them gang up against her, she won’t stand a chance. As much as I’d like to believe Snowridge and Northcastle are allies, I don’t have enough information to make that determination.

  I would say that it’s unlikely they would attack her, especially if Stonefire is there, but I won’t discourage you because I want to see Faye. Although I would be careful not to anger her again.

  That will be harder than it sounds.

  You like interesting. Faye is a puzzle that we need to solve. I still say we should kiss her.

  He ignored his dragon or they would argue about kissing and fucking the entire way to the restaurant.

  Since Inverness Castle was situated just above the river walk, Grant jogged down until he wove around the humans going about their business. Restaurants and shops lined the walkway next to the river. If he weren’t anxious to find Faye, he’d take a moment to enjoy the lights reflecting off the water.

  He went into the first curry place he found, which was up one flight of stairs, on the first floor. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he scanned the room. A hostess walked up to him. “May I help you?”

  Grant looked at the human and did his best to keep his face free of his anxiety about finding Faye. “Is your establishment welcoming to dragon-shifters?”

  “Aye. Most restaurants in Inverness are. After all, you helped protect the city many years ago during the War.”

  He nodded, not wanting to get into World War II dragon-shifter battles and victories. “Then I’m looking for a group of dragon-shifters that might be dining here. In particular, I’m looking for a female with curly, brown hair past her shoulders and a tendency to raise her voice.”

  The woman smiled. “Aye, she’s here. We had to move the whole dragon-shifter party to a private room because she was singing a bit loud for the other patrons.”

  He frowned and spoke to his dragon. Since when does Faye sing in public?

  There is much we need to learn about her. Hurry up and find her. I want to see her in action.

  He focused back on the human. “Could you show me where they are? They should be expecting me.”

  “Right this way.”

  They walked past the other tables. He spotted Cat and the other participants toward the back with the DDA male and a few other humans who had to be the DDA’s security team. Cat raised a hand at him in greeting and he returned the gesture.

  The hostess guided them down a hall to a closed door. While it wasn’t that far from Cat’s table, he didn’t like the distance. He was going to extract Faye from the rest of the group and they could dine at a smaller table in the main dining area.

  His beast spoke up again. I like that plan. We’ll have Faye to ourselves.

  More importantly, we can do our jobs.

  Before his dragon could speak, the hostess opened the door and Faye’s singing voice greeted his ears.

  However, he barely noticed that she was singing off key. All he saw was her arms wrapped around a male to either side of her. One of them was the Northern Irish bastard Conroy and the other male was unknown to him.

  He was tempted to take her hand and pull her into the hallway. But his dragon chimed in. I want to listen and watch. She looks so happy.

  Faye smiled as she sang and joy shone in her eyes. In this room, she wasn’t Faye MacKenzie, the former head Protector with a bum wing. No, she was merely Faye, the carefree lass having a good time without the usual censure from her family.

  He answered his dragon, Fine. But once she’s done with this song, I’m taking her out of here.

  With a growl, Grant stood at the edge of the room and waited for her to finish the song.

  ~~~

  Faye hadn’t socialized outside the clan since the accident that had damaged her wing. Without her protective brothers, cousin, or mother around, Faye had been able to do as she pleased. So on a whim, she suggested playing a tune on her mobile and doing their own ad hoc karaoke.

  She wasn’t sure if it was because the others wanted to have a good time or if they simply wanted to embarrass her, but the lads from Northcastle had joined right in.

  And since they had been moved to a private room, all three of them were belting out the latest pop tune as loud as they could manage. The two males from Stonefire were more concerned about their food, but the male and female from Wales would occasionally mumble the chorus.

  With Adrian and his clan mate, Kaine Ferris, on either side of her, Faye swayed in time to the music. For a brief moment in time, she wasn’t a dragonwoman struggling to find her new place in the clan. No, she was just Faye MacKenzie, female Protector and young woman out on the town to have a good time. Maybe next time, she could have a little fun with Cat. They might even be able to set up a weekly date to meet and escape their families for a little while. After all, Faye had learned every which way to sneak out of Lochguard by following her older brothers as a teenager.

  As she and the others sang the final notes to the song, Faye gave Adrian and Kaine a pat each on the back. It was then she noticed Grant hovering near the door. “Grant. Good to see you found us. I ordered an extra big portion of tikka masala, in case you’re hungry.”

  Grant didn’t so much as smile. “Can I speak with you privately, Faye?”

  Adrian chimed in. “Can’t it wait, McFarland? We have another song queued up to go and Faye was really looking forward to it.”

  Faye put up a hand. “It’s okay, Adrian. Grant is my boss, after all.” Faye skirted round the table. “But let’s make it quick. I don’t want my naan to get cold.”

  Grant remained silent as they exited the private room and into the hall. Once the door was shut, he asked, “Why aren’t you sitting closer to where Cat is?”

  She frowned. “The six-person DDA security team is having supper with the exhibition participants. If there was a problem, they’d sound the alarm and we’d have plenty of time to act.”

  “I bet Adrian Conroy convinced you to move rooms.”

  She searched his gaze. “So, now I’m nothing but a starry-eyed adolescent who can’t think with anything but my lady parts?” She turned away from him. “I don’t have time for this.”

  Grant took her wrist. She tugged, but his grip was like steel. “You and I have unfinished business.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “What? Did you find anything during your flight?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then I don’t understand what the hell you’re talking about. Stop being so bloody cryptic.”

  He tugged her further down the hall and turned her until her back was against the wall. He caged her body with his arms to either side of her torso. Grant’s face was close enough she could feel the heat of his breath on her lips. Each whisper of air against her skin sent a tendril of heat straight between her legs.

  If only it were as simple as kissing him once to get the male out of her system and going back to work with a clear head.

  She nearly missed Grant’s husky question as he asked, “Are you trying to wind me up on purpose, Faye MacKenzie?”

/>   The gravelly sound of his voice combined with his nearness and heat made Faye’s heart thump faster. Her beast growled. Don’t give in to him so easily. He needs to grovel.

  I have no intention of kissing him.

  Are you sure?

  Her gaze dropped to Grant’s firm lips. A small part of her wondered what his serious mouth could do to her. Maybe Grant would let loose when they were alone and naked.

  Blinking at that thought, Faye looked back to Grant’s deep brown eyes. His pupils flashed between slits and round. Faye had never been good at keeping her mouth shut around Grant, so she asked, “What’s your dragon saying?”

  Grant leaned an inch closer. “He’s talking about you, lass.”

  As Grant stared, her heart rate increased. She should push him away and go back to the room with the others, but she couldn’t find the strength to do it. “Tell me what he’s saying, Grant. There shouldn’t be secrets between Protectors.”

  He moved to her ear and she shivered at his hot breath against her skin. “So we’re merely clan mates, aye?”

  When Grant didn’t say anything else, all she could think about was how close his mouth was to her ear. If he nibbled her earlobe, Faye wasn’t sure she could walk away without doing something she shouldn’t.

  Her dragon grunted. That’s right, we shouldn’t kiss him. He’s an arse.

  At the word “kiss,” Faye reached out a finger and traced a figure eight on Grant’s chest. She would prefer his lips, but his pec would have to do.

  Despite the fabric between them, he sucked in a breath, and she smiled. But you can’t be against teasing him a little.

  Her dragon sighed. Teasing is fine, but I don’t think you can resist him.

  Before she could reply, Grant placed his hands on her ribcage and slowly caressed down to her hips. The action left a trail of fire down her body. Maybe he’d pull her close and drive her mad without so much as a kiss. There were many things he could do without starting the frenzy.