The Dragon's Discovery (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 6)

by Jessie Donovan

  For almost a full minute, Iris didn't say anything. While Kiyana was still getting to know Lochguard and its people, she knew enough about the dragonwoman to know she always thought things through. Rushing her would accomplish nothing.

  So when Iris finally replied, Kiyana held her breath and strained her ears for each and every word. "Let's talk with Finn. If he wants to support your idea, then I'll help you. But this isn't my decision to make."

  She exhaled. It was better than a flat-out no. "Please tell me we can go to Finn straight away?"

  Iris gestured toward the door. "Cooper should still be at the door. As long as there's two of us, we'll be able to protect you for the walk to Finn's house."

  Kiyana scooped up the book. "And I hope you can convince the woman running the archives that we need to borrow this."

  Sighing, Iris exited the room. "She won't like it, but seeing as she's my mother, I'll find a way to persuade her."

  Under different circumstances, Kiyana might've smiled and thanked the universe for her good fortune. However, instead, she read and reread the passages related to the Dettifoss agreement so she could commit them to memory. While she rather would've had more time to prepare, she'd have to use what she had. Especially since she had no idea how Alistair was doing or how much worse he already was.

  No, the sooner she could talk with the DDA director about her idea and see if any of her allies had a cure to his condition, the better.

  She didn't even care about receiving credit if a new Assembly was born eventually. All she wanted was to see her future mate again without strain or pain, and maybe, just maybe, the UK DDA Director could be the help they needed to accomplish her goal.

  Chapter Ten

  Kiyana sat inside Finn and Arabella's cottage, trying her best to pay attention to Meg Boyd.

  But she was failing miserably.

  The older woman's method of coping was chatter. But her constant speech distracted Kiyana from perfecting her speech and suggestions to the DDA director.

  Not that she could talk with Director Abbott until Finn finished talking with his allies. Kiyana didn't fear the woman as some might. She'd interacted with her a few times over the years, long before she was in charge of the Department of Dragon Affairs.

  However, her suggestion of an international dragon oversight coalition was important, and she had to get her arguments and facts just right.

  Meg reached across the table and took her hand. "Are you okay, lass?"

  She blinked. Kiyana hadn't even noticed the older woman had stopped talking. "Being okay or not doesn't matter right now. I just want to stop sitting and thinking so I can do something."

  Meg smiled. "Stubborn, determined, and caring. You will fit right in on Lochguard, Kiyana."

  Only if Alistair returned and was still whole and not insane.

  Not that she was going to mention that possibility for Alistair's mother and worry her more.

  Iris, leaning against one of the kitchen counters, spoke up for the first time in a while. "Are you sure you want to be here, Meg? Maybe you should help distract your older grandchildren, so they don't worry about their Uncle Alistair."

  Kiyana resisted a small smile. Guilt-tripping was one of the few ways to get Meg to do anything easily. The female Protector knew her clan members well.

  Maybe once everything was settled with Alistair, she could talk more with Iris. The dragonwoman didn't talk a lot, but she often made it count when she did.

  And yes, things would be okay with Alistair. Kiyana refused to think of any other outcome.

  Meg released her grip on Kiyana's hand and stood. "I know when I'm being dismissed. You may be a Protector now, Iris, but I remember you when you were a wee thing always hiding up in the trees."

  Iris raised an eyebrow. "I was better able to watch everyone from the trees."

  Sighing, Meg turned toward her. "I'll check on you later, lass. But don't hesitate to reach out to me, aye? You're my Alistair's true mate, and that makes you nearly family."

  Since Kiyana didn't have a lot of extended family, it was strange to have so many people willing to care so quickly. "I will."

  "Good. Then I'm off." She pierced Iris with a look. "Tell me the second you know anything, aye? It's my son they're trying to help, after all. And I'd rather not have to chat with your mother about keeping things from me."

  To her credit, Iris merely nodded and didn't say anything about the small threat.

  Once Kiyana was alone with the Protector, she stood and paced the length of the kitchen. With Meg gone, she no longer needed to pretend she was cool and collected. "Shouldn't Finn be done by now? He's been in his office for at least two hours since I talked with him."

  The dragonwoman opened her mouth to reply, but her phone beeped. After looking at it, Iris groaned. Kiyana asked, "What is it?"

  "It's nothing to do with Alistair, don't worry. But Finn asked someone to help with the history of the Dettifoss Gathering. Although why he asked an archaeologist, I have no bloody clue."

  "Archaeologist?" she echoed.

  "Aye, Max Holbrook. He'll be here shortly, and you can talk with him whilst we wait for Finn."

  She'd heard the name before, triggering the memory of a fedora-wearing human with a vast collection of Roman-era artifacts. "I met him once before, at the exhibition the DDA held in Glasgow."

  "Then you know how bloody annoying he is." Iris checked her phone again. "Stay here. He's nearly to the door. I want to let him know some ground rules before you talk with him."

  Kiyana didn't know if Iris would place restrictions on what could be shared or not. However, she didn't plan on letting that stop her from finding out as much as possible to help Alistair.

  She paced a few minutes, reviewing what she knew, until a blond-haired man carrying a battered fedora and wearing clothes covered with dirt-smudges entered the room.

  Max didn't waste time putting out a dried mud-covered hand. "You must be Kiyana nice to meet you. While the social side of anthropology never tickled my fancy as much as the archaeological part, it's still nice to meet someone who shares a common interest."

  Deciding she could wash her hand later, she shook his and answered, "I hope you can help."

  "Yes, of course. I've even been to Dettifoss a few times, although there's not much there to help fill in the gaps of the history." He lowered his voice. "It's hard to get proper permits, you see. So I have to find other ways to look into things."

  Iris's voice filled the room. "Aye, you usually break the law."

  He placed his hat over his heart. "All in the pursuit of knowledge. That is far more important."

  "Until you end up in jail one day," Iris muttered.

  Not wanting to waste time, Kiyana jumped in again. "Sit, please, and tell me everything you know. I'll need as much information as possible to convince the DDA Director to help us."

  Max raised his brows. "You know the DDA Director? My, that's quite impressive, Dr. Barnes."

  "Kiyana, please."

  For a split second, she realized she only offered Kiyana and not Kiki as an option. Alistair always using her full name had made her agree it suited her more as an adult.

  Not wanting to think of Alistair and losing focus, she leaned forward and said, "Tell me everything you know, Max. And quickly."

  Iris snorted from her spot against the counter, but Kiyana ignored her and listened to everything Max could tell her.

  ~~~

  Finlay Stewart had accomplished quite a bit in the short time he'd been clan leader. From forming alliances with other nearby dragon clans to helping change how the human sacrifice program worked to even supporting his cousin Faye as one of the first female head Protector in recent memory; it'd all been necessary but also had helped make his clan a more stable, welcoming place to live.

  Of course, shit kept happening to prevent his clan, or even his family, from taking a breath and enjoying some peace.

  Not that it was Alistair's fault by any means. Finn had a
sked for the dragonman's help, and a minor slip up from Alistair's staff had turned him into a vicious, unpredictable problem.

  One he would solve, whatever it took.

  And not just because at one time, he and Alistair had been best friends. Dr. Kiyana Barnes was trying to move mountains to save a male she barely knew, and Finn didn't want to disappoint her. His clan could use someone like her, and not just because Lochguard had so few humans living on it, either.

  His dragon growled, Why haven't you contacted Skyhunter privately about asking the American clans for information yet?

  It's been less than twenty-four hours since Alistair's accident. Working with Stonefire and their doctors was more important, as was coordinating with the Protectors to search the area for Alistair.

  His dragon snarled. This is a dragonman's life, not some diplomatic act I don't understand. You should ask them and not waste time with fancy video conferences about grander plans. It would take a matter of minutes and could've been done yesterday.

  Finn knew his beast functioned differently from his human half and often didn't understand protocols. But sometimes, it made things a lot more difficult than necessary. I already have both the doctors here and on Stonefire analyzing the data and asking any other colleagues they can trust. We can do many things, but we're not doctors or researchers. We have to rely on others to help Alistair. Regardless of what you think, the meeting is happening now, with all the leaders in the UK. It'll save time to coordinate at once. His dragon grunted in defeat, and Finn added, On top of that, we can try to help shape the future at the same time. Kiyana's idea is a good one, if we can convince the others.

  His beast fell silent, a sign of tacit agreement.

  Which was good, because the faces of the other leaders from Stonefire, Skyhunter, Snowridge, and Northcastle all came onto the screen, one after another in their respective boxes.

  It was the first video conference with all the dragon clan leaders in the UK participating at the same time. A few months ago, it would've been unthinkable. And yet, here they all were.

  He'd prefer to have Arabella with him. Not just because of the importance of the event but also because she was his partner in all ways. However, he didn't know how everyone would react to including mates for the meeting. He trusted most of the faces on the screen—especially Bram from Stonefire—but he didn't want to rock the boat. Not when he had the biggest fucking favor to ask them.

  Bram was the first to speak. "We're all here. Now, tell us why."

  Finn silently thanked Bram for jumpstarting the meeting, even though the Stonefire leader already knew most of what the videoconference would be about. He'd held back Kiyana's suggestion for this moment. "First, are all of you sure the lines are secure at your end?" Everyone nodded, and Finn continued, "Is everyone up-to-date with what happened in Wales not long ago?"

  His dragon grunted. Stop being so vague.

  I won't violate Snowridge or Rhydian's trust.

  Rhydian was the Welsh clan leader and the only unmated leader of the bunch. Well, technically the co-leaders from Skyhunter—Honoria and Asher—weren't mated yet, but were definitely a couple.

  It was the female from Skyhunter, Honoria, who spoke up. "We're still trying to catch up with everything. I know Dragon Knights kidnapped and drugged some children, and also used them for experiments. On top of that, a joint effort between clans caught the Knights and handed them over to the DDA. But there are a lot of details we don't have since the former leader here didn't share or receive information."

  Finn replied, "Aye, well, Marcus King was a bastard. You both understand."

  The former Skyhunter leader had tortured his own clan members, executed a few, and had even worked with the former corrupt DDA Director. Overall, Skyhunter had been a right fucking mess for years.

  However, Finn and Bram had spent some time with the new leaders recently and were hopeful for Skyhunter's future.

  His dragon growled. Just tell them what's going on already. This is just wasting time.

  The Welsh leader, Rhydian, beat him to the explanation. "Yes, that's correct. But we also searched every inch and dismantled their hideout, confiscating everything we found. One of the most recent discoveries was a tiny microchip-looking device that can be injected into a person's body. Alistair was studying how one such device was constructed."

  Finn jumped back in. "Aye, whilst studying it, the chemical from inside the device escaped and caused his current madness." Finn quickly explained Alistair's symptoms. Before any of the leaders could interrupt with questions, he continued, "And that brings me to why I asked for this video conference. I want to help Alistair, but it requires more than just my clan to do it. I'll cut to the chase to save us time—we need to reach out to as many of our dragon allies as we can and see if they have any suggestions on how to cure Alistair."

  Lorcan, the Northern Irish clan leader and oldest of them all, grunted. "That's all well and good, but how do you plan to get around the various dragon oversight committees? I have a bloody hard enough time coordinating with clans in the Republic of Ireland, and we're on the same damn island. I bet it's nearly impossible to reach out to any clan you like and not get into trouble."

  Finn put up a hand, to stop anyone else for speaking for a moment. "We all know the difficulties, aye. And it won't be easy. But we've all heard of the Dettifoss Assembly, right?"

  Bram frowned. "As in the long-dead gathering of dragon-shifters that met every other year? What does that have to do with your clan member, Finn?"

  Finn was closest to Bram out of all the clan leaders. And while most of the time he made it his mission to annoy the Stonefire leader, now wasn't the time to do so. Not when Alistair's life was at stake. "I think we should bring something similar back. It's impossible right at the moment, but we can do the best we can with reaching out to other clans on our own for the time being." Bram's frown meant he'd object, so Finn added quickly, "And before you protest, just know that one of the humans here knows the DDA Director and thinks she can convince her to help us with this. My best guess is that Director Abbott will overlook us contacting other dragon clans if we're caught somehow."

  Lorcan grunted. "You say that, but if you don't have it in writing, I won't hold my breath."

  The Welsh leader nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I agree. Abbott is better than recent directors, but she hasn't earned my trust yet."

  Finn inwardly frowned. He was usually better at persuading others to his way of thinking.

  His dragon said gently, Each day, you take on more and more. You need help.

  Before he could tell his beast to be quiet—even if it was speaking the truth—Bram jumped in. "Forget the director for a minute. There's something important you're not telling us, Finn. Who is this mysterious person with connections to the DDA and why do they want to help Alistair so badly?"

  He shrugged. There was little point in delaying the information. "I wasn't hiding it. I just hadn't gotten to that bit yet." Bram sighed, and Finn ignored it. "The human is Dr. Kiyana Barnes. She's an anthropologist that works for the DDA. She's also Alistair's true mate."

  Lorcan whistled. "Please tell me he's already gone through the frenzy before being exposed to the mysterious drug?"

  Finn shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

  Skyhunter's other leader, Asher, spoke for the first time. "Let me guess—you don't even know where he is at the moment, do you?"

  "No," Finn answered.

  Everyone talked at once, even his dragon. You need to take better control of the meeting. At this rate, we'll never find a way to help Alistair.

  Human halves complicate things. You know this.

  His beast grunted. And it's annoying.

  Finn clapped his hands until everyone fell silent. "No, it's not ideal. But this is a clan member and my friend we're talking about. And a female who barely knows him is doing everything she can to find a way to help him. We can at least do the same, given as we're supposed to all be allies."

/>   The Skyhunter pair glanced at each other, and for a moment, he wished Arabella was with him. She was far better at sorting out alpha, stubborn dragonmen than he was.

  But she wasn't, and he'd do his job. He looked at the Northern Irish leader. "Lorcan, I'll have my head doctor send over her analysis of the drug to yours. You can also see what Teagan and the other clans in Ireland may or may not know about a cure. And before you say it's tricky with the two DDAs, we all know your mate should be helpful enough to reach out to Glenlough."

  Lorcan had recently mated the mother of Teagan O'Shea, Glenlough's clan leader, which meant there was a direct line of communication open between the dragon clans in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Not even Lorcan could deny the connection.

  Lorcan grunted. "I'll ask."

  "Good." Finn moved to Rhydian. "Do the same with any connections you have with other dragon clans. I believe you know some in Australia."

  Rhydian bobbed his head. "My grandfather's family is there. And since you were helping us out to begin with, Snowridge will do whatever it can to save Alistair."

  At the beginning of their acquaintance, Finn had doubted the Welsh leader. However, with time, he'd learned more about him and thought one day he might be a closer ally. "Good." Finn glanced to the Skyhunter pair. "I know a lot has happened recently and you two haven't been leading Skyhunter for long, but I know you have ties to America, Honoria. I need you to reach out to them. And if there are any others you trust there, ask them to do the same with as many clans as possible."

  The male Skyhunter leader frowned and spoke first. "We have a long list of things to do to get Skyhunter where it needs to be, Finn. And you bloody well know it, too."

  "Aye, but do this, and it goes a long way toward me trusting you two. Besides, I've agreed to foster your sister, Asher. You can at least do this for me."

  Asher's sister had a silent dragon. The backstory was long, but all that mattered was Arabella wanted to help the lass. Finn would've taken her in regardless, but it was useful to nudge the new leaders a wee bit, too.