Sirens blared in the distance. It was now a race against the clock to find his mate before the authorities tried to shoot him out of the sky.
Chapter Thirteen
Holly’s side ached from running and yet she still pushed herself to go down one alley and then the next.
She hated leaving Fraser behind. But Holly staying would only distract her dragonman. Her best chance to help him was to find a way to contact Finn. Or anyone from Lochguard, for that matter.
The DDA might be willing to help her, but she wouldn’t try that until she was out of options. They might not acknowledge that Fraser’s shifting inside of a city was a matter of self-defense. The thought of him going to jail made her stomach churn.
Get a grip, Holly. You’re used to high-tension and risky situations. You can do this.
True, her life had never been on the line before. But she’d kept a cool head to save a countless number of mothers and newborn babies. Holly could do the same for Fraser and herself.
A small, wooded park came into view and she made a beeline straight for it. She’d have a better chance at watching the skies from a park versus fleeing into another house.
Making it to the edge of the copse of trees, she pushed her way deeper into the park until she stood at the edge of a clearing. Careful to stay in line with the tree trunks, Holly scanned the sky. All she saw were clouds.
Then a dragon snarled in the distance and her heart skipped a beat. Clutching a hand over her chest, she willed the noise to be from the blue dragon who’d crashed into the house and not Fraser. If he died protecting her, their child would grow up without a father. Not only that, a future without Fraser brought tears to her eyes. Any man who would willingly risk his life to save someone else’s was someone you kept around.
A dragon roared in pain in the distance. Could it be Fraser?
Taking a step out to better see the sky, a red dragon hovered above her.
Shit. Holly ducked back into the trees. The dragon could be from Lochguard, but she had no idea and she wasn’t about to chance it.
Keeping her breathing even, she remained immobile. Please let them move on. Please.
After about sixty seconds, Holly debated if the dragon had fled or not when a red forelimb broke through the trees and grabbed her around the middle. Holly screamed as she was lifted into the air.
The sudden climb in altitude made her a little lightheaded, but she fought against the feeling. If she fainted, it was game over. Not just for her, but possibly for Fraser as well.
With a deep breath, she tried to focus on their surroundings and get her bearings. That’s when she noticed a large, black dragon hovering in the sky.
When the beast’s eyes fell on her, he roared. Her gut told her it was Fraser.
Sirens blared below and someone started blasting over a loudspeaker. Yet with the wind whipping around her, Holly couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Just as her dragonman charged toward her, the red dragon released her.
Holly fell toward the ground and screamed hard enough to hurt her throat. She was going to die.
~~~
The human police were using a loudspeaker to order Fraser to land. He was debating his next step when his eyes landed on Holly, who was clutched in Gordon’s foreleg.
The bastard. Gordon had been one of the dragons who had left Lochguard rather than stay under Finn’s leadership.
His beast spoke up. We’ll teach him a lesson, just like the other dragon.
Careful. We need to extract Holly first. Help me think of a plan.
Move toward him. I may have an idea.
His beast fell silent. Since his dragon had helped him escape a dangerous situation or two in the past, Fraser trusted his beast implicitly.
Just as Fraser started toward Gordon, the bastard released his grip on Holly.
Acting on reflexes learned during his boyhood training, Fraser dove down toward Holly. He needed to find a way to slow her descent without hurting her. Grabbing her too roughly would snap her neck.
He pressed his wings against his back to increase his speed. His human was being clever and keeping her limbs sprawled, which helped to slow her descent. That was when something Faye had mentioned about her time with the British Army flashed into his mind. He would use one of the paratrooper tactics for when a parachute didn’t open.
Reaching Holly’s speed, he used his wings to match her pace. Then very gently, he wrapped a foreleg around her middle. Once they were falling together, he hugged her close and opened his wings. With a few beats, Fraser was moving upwards again.
The red dragon roared and moved toward Fraser. Apparently, Gordon didn’t want Holly alive.
Anger burned through his body, but before he could think of how to take care of Gordon all whilst not harming Holly, a blue dragon approached. The beat of her wings was unsteady and a little irregular. He expected the dragon to falter at any second, but she kept moving with purpose. The determination in her eyes alone told him she wasn’t going to give up.
It was Faye.
And she was flying.
His dragon spoke up. Think about that later. We need to get Holly to safety.
Fraser glanced toward the human in his grasp. The sight of her motionless body sent a chill of fear. Then he heard her heartbeat and pushed his fear aside. He would ensure Holly was okay, even if it was the last thing he did.
Faye touched her front talons to her ear, which was the signal for him to retreat. His sister missed a beat of her wings and fell a few feet, but then she pumped them again. Without another glance, she flew straight toward Gordon.
A purple dragon shot past him; it was Iris.
As he watched Iris and Faye tackle the red dragon, Fraser turned and quickly ascended into the sky to a height that wouldn’t freeze his delicate human yet should also act as a buffer between him and the human authorities. The last thing he needed was for the human police to shoot him down.
As much as he wanted to take Holly directly to Dr. Innes or Layla, the junior Lochguard doctor, Holly could be in serious condition. Aberdeen had the closest hospital, but he couldn’t risk going there since the authorities might be waiting for him. No doubt, there was a high alert in progress to keep watch out for a black dragon. Fraser would take her to the next closest human NHS hospital in Elgin.
He tucked Holly closer against his body to protect her from the wind.
Fighting his creeping exhaustion, Fraser focused on moving his wings in a fast, steady pace. The next twenty minutes were going to be the longest of his life.
His dragon growled. Holly must live. Fly faster.
Are you holding back?
No.
Then this is it. I’m doing the best I can considering I was in a dragon fight and am still recovering from the frenzy.
Holly’s heart still beats. That is all that matters.
Fraser agreed. When Holly stirred against his chest, he glanced down.
She was awake, but then she turned her head toward his chest and closed her eyes. Fraser wanted to squeeze her in reassurance, but didn’t want to risk hurting his female.
Holly’s actions pushed him to fly faster. For all he knew, she could be hurting. Maybe even dying.
No. He refused to believe it. They had barely started their life together. There was no way he would let Holly go without a fight, even if it was against death itself.
The ground passed below them in a blur. He distracted himself the rest of the way to Elgin by keeping an eye out for threats. If Gordon had paired up with some of the other exiled dragon-shifters, they could be lying in wait anywhere from Aberdeen to Lochguard. After all, they knew northern Scotland as well as any of the Lochguard clan members.
Elgin finally came into view and he nearly let out a sigh of relief. Holly would soon have the help she needed.
Scanning the buildings, he found the hospital and moved toward it. While there were specks of humans milling about on the ground, he didn’t see any police or DD
A enforcers.
Of course, they could come at any time.
Careful to land in an empty section of the car park, Fraser touched down as gently as he could. Humans were already rushing out of the building to gawk. The urge to snarl and scare them away from his female was strong.
His beast spoke up. She needs them. For once, I’m going to say let her go.
Fraser knew his beast was right. Holding Holly close for one last second, he lowered his head and touched her cheek with his snout.
Holly stirred and hope surged through his body.
All Fraser wanted to do was shift and hold his human close. But his need to protect was stronger. With every ounce of strength he still possessed, he removed his forearm from Holly’s body. Her knees buckled and she fell against his foreleg. He crooned in concern, but Holly stood up and motioned with her hands. “Go, Fraser. You can’t stay here.”
He grunted and shook his head. Holly’s jaw set and she barked, “Go, Fraser. I don’t want you here.”
Her words were as if she’d stabbed him in the heart. Fraser knew he’d failed her, but she couldn’t honestly want to send him away.
Holly pointed toward the sky. She said, “Go,” before turning her back on him.
Fraser’s heart squeezed. Yet as more humans came toward them, he knew he should go. Holly refusing him put his life in danger if he stayed. It could give the impression he’d snatched her against her will.
Jumping into the sky, Fraser beat his wings and rose up. He gave one last glance down, only to see Holly being supported but two human males. He bared his teeth at the sight. They shouldn’t touch her.
Then police sirens blared in the distance. Fraser didn’t have much time. Who knew what they’d try to do with him if they caught him.
His dragon spoke up. She needs the medical attention more than she needs us. We can talk with her later.
When did you become so wise?
It’s not wise so much as instinct. I will always say what’s best for our mate.
His beast using ‘mate’ only reminded Fraser of what Holly had said. We weren’t able to protect her and we might’ve lost her trust because of it. She must be angry.
No matter. She will calm down and we’ll woo her back. She is worth it.
For the first time since Holly had ordered him away, Fraser felt confident. Yes. She may be stubborn, but we are more so. I will win her back once she’s well again. She’s contractually bound to return to Lochguard.
Then let’s go home and think of a plan. She is safe inside the human hospital. Not even the traitors will attack the NHS. Because if they do, they are attacking the British government and they have powerful allies the world over.
Only when Holly’s small figure disappeared inside the building did Fraser start flying home.
His lass may be cross with him at the moment, but he would fix it. Holly’s future was with Fraser. He just needed to make sure she accepted that.
~~~
The nurse did her final check of vital signs and smiled at Holly. “Everything looks good for now. I’ll be back in an hour.”
Too tired to do anything but nod, Holly did so and the nurse finally left Holly alone inside her hospital room.
As she lay in the barren room, every muscle and bone hurt in Holly’s body.
But nothing hurt worse than her heart.
The look in Fraser’s eyes, when she’d ordered him to go, would haunt her for the rest of her life. Crestfallen was the only word she could think to describe it.
Yet if Fraser had stayed, the DDA would’ve come to get him. They might have even taken him away and locked him up. She couldn’t bear the thought of her strong, brave dragonman chained inside a cell. Because of his overprotectiveness, Holly’s only option had been to say she didn’t want him and force him away.
And yet, she missed his strong presence.
Looking at the door, a part of her longed for Fraser to walk through it and envelop her in his arms.
She may have only known Fraser a short time, but she’d learned to lean on him. Hell, if not for his strength back at the house in Aberdeen, she might’ve broken down and become a blubbering mess. Yet a few words from Fraser, and she’d found her core of steel once more.
Holly blinked back tears. Hopefully she hadn’t hurt him too badly.
At least she would have plenty of time to talk with him later once she returned to Lochguard and apologized.
That is, if they would accept her back at Lochguard. She’d started bleeding and there was a chance that she’d lost the baby.
Placing her hand over her abdomen, Holly fought back her tears. It was bloody ridiculous since she was only days pregnant. Yet the thought of losing her baby still made her heart ache.
And not just because of possibly losing the baby itself. There was also the possibility Lochguard would turn her away. After all, her contract allowed a dragon clan to send a sacrifice away if she miscarried.
She should be ecstatic to have a loophole to leave so she could take care of her father as well as return back to her job and friends. Yet she wasn’t as happy as she would’ve been even two weeks ago.
The only good news was that even though her father’s condition was still serious, a note had arrived earlier saying he was safe and under protective custody. No one would be able to kidnap him and use him against Holly or Lochguard. As it was, she still didn’t know if her father had been an additional target earlier, when she’d been chased.
Picking up the letter next to her bed, Holly opened it and traced the single “F” at the bottom. While it could be from Finn, Fergus, Faye, or Fraser, she wanted to believe it was Fraser who had sent it. That way, it would show that he didn’t hate her.
There was a knock on the door and Holly laid the letter down. Wiping her damp eyes with her forearm, she took a deep breath and said, “Enter.”
The door opened to reveal a short, curvy woman with brown hair and green eyes. While Holly had never met the woman personally, she recognized her face from the news reports. “You’re Melanie Hall-MacLeod.”
Smiling, the woman entered and shut the door behind her. Her short, clipped American accent filled the room. “That I am. And call me Mel.”
Holly frowned. “Why don’t you first tell me why you’re here?”
Mel pulled over a chair and sat down. “Arabella MacLeod is my sister-in-law. She asked me to come, and since she rarely asks anyone for favors, I agreed.”
“That still doesn’t really tell me why you’re here.”
Mel grinned. “I can see why Arabella likes you.” Holly opened her mouth, but Melanie cut her off. “She sent me because she’s worried about Fraser, but she can’t come herself without being targeted. Finn is also concerned about the phone lines being monitored by the DDA or even the ones who went after you back in Aberdeen. Since I’m human, so I can come and go as I please. Well, mostly. Half a dozen, um, people are watching me at the moment. It was the only way my mate allowed me to come.” Mel leaned forward and whispered, “I’m sure you understand a little about dragon males and their overprotective behavior by this point.”
Despite Melanie trying to lighten the mood, Holly couldn’t move past the bit about Fraser. Her heart beat double-time as she asked, “What happened? Did Fraser not make it back to Lochguard?”
Melanie studied her a second before answering, “Oh, he did. But after the way you dismissed him, I’m not sure why you care.”
Holly turned a little more toward Melanie. “I hate to be rude as we’ve only just met, but you shouldn’t make assumptions without all the facts.”
Gesturing with her hand, Mel leaned back in her chair. “Then enlighten me. Because even dragonmen have feelings and you’ve stung his.”
Holly clenched her fingers at Mel’s words. “I didn’t have a choice. He was already breaking the law by shifting inside Aberdeen. I couldn’t risk the DDA or police arresting him for arriving at a hospital with an injured human. Dragon-shifters are always presumed guilty
until proven innocent. I didn’t want him to go to jail.” Melanie shook her head, which only made Holly clench her fingers tighter. “If you don’t believe me, then you should just leave.”
Mel raised an eyebrow. “I never said I didn’t believe you.”
“Then why were you shaking your head?”
Mel grinned again. “Because your way of thinking is more akin to a dragon-shifter’s than you may realize. Especially when it comes to mates and love.”
Holly ignored Mel’s remark about love. “Fraser risked his life to protect mine. I would do anything to protect him, too.”
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Holly blinked. She hadn’t thought much about it before, but it was true. Despite Fraser not being a soldier or a Protector, he’d battled a dragon for her. If it came to it, she’d try to do the same for him.
Mel’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Good, you’ve passed my test. So if we can put aside the defending and questioning, I can fill you in on what’s happening.”
Learning about the future was far more important than shouting at Melanie for her stupid test. “Right then, I’m listening. What do you know?”
“The dragons who attacked you were former Lochguard clan members. Unfortunately, the first one died crashing into the ground and the other, a dragonman named Gordon, got away. There’s more to it, but it’s up to Finn to fill you in on the rest.”
Holly could keep the full truth from Melanie, but that wasn’t the best way for the woman to trust her. Without a smidgen of trust, Mel wouldn’t tell her any more details. And cut off from Fraser and Lochguard, Holly was desperate for details. “I’m not sure if they’ll welcome me back.” Holly took a deep breath and spat out, “I might’ve lost the baby. And dragon-shifters usually turn away humans who miscarry.”
Mel’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry if it is true, but stop being stupid.”
Holly blinked. “What?”
“The rumors about dragon-shifters are usually half full of shit. If you had read my book, you’d have known that.”
The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) Page 15
