Any children born to us and Finn are guaranteed to be stubborn. I believe in Freya. She'll find a way.
Finn returned and instantly moved to her side. Once he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she leaned into him and placed a hand on Grayson's back. The combined warmth of the two males helped her to relax a fraction. "Did you learn anything from Meg?"
"The only thing out of the ordinary is that the twins drank all of your breast milk and she had to give Freya some of the formula Graham's mate uses for his son. But Graham's son has never had flashing dragon eyes, so I'm not sure it's related."
Gregor joined them. "It could be. If Freya's allergic to something in the formula, it's possible it brought out her dragon. Whilst allergies are rare for dragon-shifters, an allergic reaction could've affected her inner dragon to such an extent it left the hibernation area of the mind."
Arabella forced her voice to remain calm for her son's sake. "What can we do?"
"I'll run a series of tests to see if I can determine the cause," Gregor answered. "The allergy must be minor, as I didn't see any physical manifestations related to it, such as swelling or rashes. However, I'm not sure if the effect will be long-term or not. It depends on genetics and the individual dragon-shifter. Has anyone in either of your families had allergic reactions before?"
Arabella nodded. "My father did, although I'm not sure what it was. Finn? What about yours?"
He shook his head. "No, my parents didn't have allergies, nor do any of my extended family."
She leaned more against Finn. "I think we need to call Tristan. He's older and always spent more time with Dad than Mum before he disappeared. He might know the specifics of our father's allergies."
Sid jumped in. "I'll call Trahern first to check our records and then talk with Tristan. Right now, the best thing you can do is cuddle your daughter. Gregor will stay here, in case anything happens."
Without missing a beat, Arabella rushed to scoop up her daughter, careful to keep the little stuffed fox with her.
Hugging her close, she breathed in her baby's scent and murmured, "We'll sort this out, Freya." She kissed the top of her head. "Mummy and Daddy will do whatever we can to help."
Although even that might not be enough.
Her beast growled. Stop it. Freya needs our support.
I've never been a full-blown optimist, dragon. You know that.
Then try it. Otherwise, you're all but giving up.
Arabella was about to refute her dragon's claims, but Gregor's voice filled the room. "That lad can sleep. I hope my bairn is like that."
Finn never stopped rubbing Grayson's back in soothing motions as he turned his gaze toward Declan. "Aye, unless his brother picks on him in his sleep, then he wakes up."
Arabella forced a smile, but as Finn and Gregor joked about Declan sleeping through an atomic bomb, Arabella merely sat in the glider and rocked her daughter until she fell asleep.
She hoped that Dr. Sid could find the answers they needed concerning Arabella's father because the thought of losing her only daughter forever to a rogue inner dragon was unthinkable.
No. Arabella had lost so much already—her mother, father, and even a decade of her life after the dragon hunters had tortured her, when she'd avoided everyone and shut in on herself.
There was no way she was going to lose any of her children. If Dr. Sid and Tristan couldn't help with determining her dad's allergies, then Arabella would do something she swore she'd never do again—go looking in the darkest corners of the internet for information related to her father.
~~~
Finn tried his best to lighten the mood by joking with Gregor. But watching Arabella as she held and rocked their daughter as if it could be the last time she'd ever do so sat heavy in his heart. After everything his mate had been through with the fucking dragon hunters, she deserved a happy life, free of more grief.
His dragon spoke up. She is happy most of the time.
But not now. And there's not a bloody thing I can do about it.
Dr. Sid is a good doctor. She and Gregor will sort it out.
He wanted to be optimistic, but as clan leader, his brain didn't always work like that. He preferred searching for concrete evidence and solutions.
Gregor's voice garnered his attention. "If Cassidy can't find what she needs, then I'll start asking all the doctors involved in my information project."
Gregor was the only one who called Dr. Sid by her full name, Cassidy.
The doctor couple had decided that they didn't like how dragon-shifters lacked any central medical association or authority to store and share information. So in recent months, Gregor had started working to form his own, with Sid helping when possible. Finn has also given Layla permission to contribute when she could.
Finn nodded. "Aye, I know you will do everything within your power to help us, Gregor." He glanced again at Arabella in the glider chair, holding Freya close as she sang her a lullaby. "I've been putting off finding another doctor to help out Layla, but once my daughter is safe again, then I'll move it to the top of my list. That way, Lochguard can contribute more to your project and hopefully we can help other children in need. I'm sure Freya isn't the only case."
"Even from what little I've been able to accomplish, I've heard of other bairns waking up with slitted pupils. In those cases, it was a result of trauma or having one or both of their parents die. That's not the case here, but as soon as I learn anything relevant, I'll tell you straight away, Finn."
"Thanks, Gregor."
The doctor wandered to the other side of the room and pulled out his mobile phone, no doubt to get to work and give Finn and Arabella some privacy.
Glancing down at his sleeping son, Finn decided to lay him in the crib next to his still sleeping brother. Just as he was about to go to Arabella's side, Sid came back into the room. He asked, "Well?"
She shook her head. "The doctor before me did a poor job at preserving records and half of them were unreadable due to a broken water pipe a decade ago. Tristan didn't know of anything either, but says he might be able to find out."
He frowned. "How? George MacLeod disappeared without a trace years ago."
Sid shrugged. "He said he'll call me as soon as he can. For now, I'd suggest keeping Freya here in case her dragon reappears. That way, Gregor or I can observe and formulate ideas to help."
He wanted to scream that an idea wasn't good enough, but Finn restrained himself.
Arabella spoke up from the corner. "What about Holly? How is she?"
Despite everything, his mate still cared about his family. He couldn't imagine a better female to call his own.
Sid inserted her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "She's still in labor, but nothing out of the ordinary. While it's still too early to tell definitively, the dragon's blood seems to be helping her."
Gregor looked up from his phone. "And just remember that I'm no longer your clan member to scold, aye? But I asked Tyler to call Aunt Lorna."
Arabella spoke up from the corner. "Good. She should be here." She met Finn's gaze. "Not because I don't think you're capable, because you're a brilliant clan leader. But she is family and deserves to be here with us, to celebrate Holly."
And enjoy Freya while she still can was left unsaid.
Although if Finn had anything to do with it, his daughter would live a long life, complete with a mentally stable inner dragon.
His beast spoke up. Saying it doesn't make it true.
Aye, but I've barely begun. If I have to call in every favor I have with the dragon-shifters in the UK and Ireland, I will.
Moving to Arabella's side, he stared at Freya's sleeping face. "I hate to admit you're right, but you are, Ara. Aunt Lorna keeps us all grounded."
He placed his hand on Arabella's shoulder and she covered it with her own. This latest development was a test. But he and Arabella were strong and would win this battle. Finn was sure of it.
Chapter Five
Arabella had just fin
ished feeding her babies again and gotten them back to sleep when Faye and Grant entered the nursery, little Mac-squared squirming in Grant's arms.
Making a motion to be quiet, she walked up to them and whispered, "What are you doing here? I told Finn that you should stay home. There's no reason for everyone to sleep on cots and the floor."
Faye raised her brows. "If you think sleeping on the floor is going to keep me away from supporting my cousins and little Freya, then you must be exhausted and without all your sense." She engulfed Arabella in a hug. "If you need a break, Grant can watch them all for a few minutes whilst we nab some coffee."
Releasing Faye, Arabella smiled. "No, I'm fine. They're sleeping, after all. It's once they wake up that it becomes a madhouse."
Bouncing Mac-squared, Grant grunted quietly. "We'll help when they do, even if Finn returns by then from his important clan matter. Besides, wee Jamie here loves his cousins, and will help keep Freya occupied."
Arabella reached out and took Mac-squared's hand. "He's just started to crawl. If he does that in front of Freya, her dragon might get jealous and come out."
Faye patted the bag slung on her hip. "I brought all of Freya's favorite toys and books. I'm sure we can mollify the wee beastie."
She smiled. "Thanks, Faye. I know you have doubts about becoming a mother, but based on today, I think you'll do just fine."
Waving a hand in dismissal, Faye replied, "We'll see. I may not be a mum yet, but a few of my own mother's ways have rubbed off on me."
"Too bad cooking wasn't one of them," Grant murmured as humor danced in his eyes.
Faye stuck out her tongue. "I'll leave that to you. Besides, I'll be the food source before much longer, once the bairns are born. And it'll be your duty to feed me properly."
Mac-squared babbled, and Grant readjusted his grip on the baby. "I'll take wee Jamie with me to check on Holly and Fraser. That way we don't wake the triplets." Grant gently kissed Faye. "I'll even bring you back a scone with clotted cream."
Faye sighed. "While not my mum's, any scone is better than none."
Shaking his head, Grant exited the room. Faye didn't miss a beat in wrapping an arm around Arabella's waist and guiding her toward a plush chair. "You need to rest. If either of the lads wake up, I'll tend to them. And I'll only wake you if Freya's pupils turn slitted again."
"I'm fine—"
"Don't say you're fine. I know you think you always need to be strong, Ara, but even a clan leader's mate sometimes needs to let an emotion or two peek through."
She allowed Faye to guide her to the chair and she sat down. "To be honest, the emotions wanting out at this point are uncertainty and fear."
Arabella paused, wondering if she should mention her past to Faye.
Her dragon growled. We can trust Faye. She would never pity or belittle us.
I know, but she has one image of us, and I'm afraid to break it.
That is partially what kept you from reaching out to me. Don't block others out. We have Finn and the MacKenzies. They are our family.
Taking a deep breath, the words spilled from her lips, "I've lost my mother and father. And, in a way, my brother, too. I love Finn and would never trade my place on Lochguard, but I miss Tristan sometimes. And if anything happens to one of my children, I'm not sure if I'll be able to cope. I tend to close in on myself when things get tough. Finn has been helping me to break the habit, but it could always come back."
Faye squatted so that she was eye level with Arabella. "We all have fears to face, but one thing is certain—the MacKenzies stand together, no matter what happens. Never hesitate in asking us for help. After all, you have to put up with Finn. And that is punishment enough."
She smiled. "He's not that bad."
Faye snorted. "I know. Fraser is worse." She winked. "But in all seriousness, I think of you as my sister, Ara. Promise me that you'll ask for help when you need it."
Sometimes Arabella forgot how much her life had changed in the past year. She'd gone from relying solely on herself to having more people care about her than she could count.
Her dragon stood tall. And me.
And yes, you too, love.
She nodded. "I'll try. I know you want me to say yes without hesitation, but I sometimes still have trouble with Finn. Give me a few years and I'll be better at it, I'm sure."
"Aye, I think so, too." Faye stood and extracted Arabella's laptop from her bag. "I thought you might want this. I know you always like to fiddle with something on it when you have a spare minute at home."
Taking the slim laptop, Arabella placed it on her legs and laid a hand on the cover. Finn and the doctors had asked for a little time, but Arabella wasn't sure she could wait. Opening the computer, she booted it up. "Thanks, Faye. There are a few things I need to do, whilst I have the chance."
"While you do that, I'm going to close my eyes but keep my ears open." She yawned and settled into one of the other chairs. "Carrying Grant's bairns is going to make me a dull person by the end. I swear that I never have any energy."
"It'll get better, eventually. Although you'll have a new kind of exhaustion once they're born."
Faye closed her eyes. "Don't remind me."
As her cousin dozed, Arabella opened a new window on her laptop and hesitated. Could she handle finding out her father was truly dead?
Her beast spoke up. Knowing is always better. Because if he's gone, we need to work on accepting it. Not just for our sakes, but for the children as well.
Admitting her dragon was correct, Arabella typed in a web address and started searching. Even if her father was gone, she had another objective—to find out his allergies. Only then could she maybe help her daughter.
~~~
Finn stood inside the guard station posted just inside the clan's front gate and resisted pacing the space. To help contain his energy, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Shay and Zoe, two of his Protectors. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"
Zoe shook her head. "Tristan MacLeod is driving to Lochguard. And even speeding, it takes some time."
"I just wish he'd bloody well tell me why he had to come in person," Finn growled.
Shay grinned. "It's not every day you can tell your clan leader to have some patience."
Finn grunted. "Aye, and coming from you, the one with the notorious temper, is a hundred times worse."
Shay shrugged. "Maybe I've matured."
Zoe snorted. "Right, and I'm the Queen of England."
"Scotland would be better," Shay pointed out.
"Fine, how about Queen of Planet Earth?"
"Or, the galaxy?"
Finn sighed. "Are you sure you two are Protectors? I feel as if I'm back in secondary school."
"Well, you are older than us, so if you're in secondary school, we're in primary…" Shay began.
Uncrossing his arms, Finn put up a hand. "Just stop." He leaned toward the security monitor. "That has to be Tristan."
The two Protectors also looked at the security feed.
A dark sedan finally stopped in front of the gate and the feed switched to the driver's side window. Sure enough, Tristan's dark head and disgruntled brown eyes stared into the camera. Finn tapped a section of the screen. "But who's that shadowy figure in the back seat? It can't be Melanie, because she's in the passenger's seat."
Shay and Zoe didn't have an answer.
"I hope he trusts that person," Finn grumbled.
Zoe spoke up. "Bram trusts Tristan, aye? Then he would never allow anyone harmful to accompany him. Not to mention that no dragonman would ever put his own mate in danger. As long as Melanie is there, Tristan will be cautious."
His dragon chimed in. You should've realized that yourself.
Let's just say that I have other things on my mind.
Tristan engaged the speaker and his voice filled the guard station. "Tristan MacLeod and Melanie Hall-MacLeod, with a guest and a Protector."
Finn pressed the comm button. "Who is the guest?"
Finn blinked. "Pardon?"
"George MacLeod, Tristan and Arabella's father," Melanie answered.
He tried to make out the male's features, but couldn't do so. "He's alive?"
Melanie bobbed her head. "Let us in and we'll explain it all. Brenna Rossi is here to watch over George full-time, to help ease your mind."
"You want me to let in someone who requires a full-time guard?" Finn demanded.
Melanie beat her mate to answering, "He only needs to be here long enough for Dr. MacFie to take a history and possibly a vial of blood."
"And why can't this be done back on Stonefire? Arabella doesn't need more stress."
Tristan spoke up. "I think Ara is finally ready for the truth, or I wouldn't be here."
His dragon chimed in. If we turn him away, Ara may never forgive us.
And if he's a threat? I shouldn't risk my family.
Between our Protectors and Stonefire's, we should be fine. You know Brenna's reputation. If she can manage the Irish clan's Protectors during an attack, she can handle watching one male.
Finn stared at the video feed for a few seconds. He finally sighed. "I'll allow you inside, but I want to talk with you lot first before I take you to Arabella."
Cutting off the microphone, Finn hit the gate release button and turned toward his two Protectors on duty. "Shay, let Faye and Grant know of the situation. You'll probably have to talk with them in person, at the surgery, since their phones might be muted. And Zoe, you'll be coming with me."
Used to following Finn's orders, Shay rushed out and Zoe followed Finn out of the building to the parked car outside.
Brenna Rossi's tall, dark-haired form emerged from the vehicle first.
With his initial shock gone, reason returned to Finn's brain. Considering Brenna had kept her mate sane through a recent ordeal, where the male had ended up with a two-headed inner dragon, she shouldn't have a problem keeping one dragon-shifter under control.
The Dragon Family Page 4
