The Scottish male nodded. "Aye, although sometimes they're crafty and until the ground is thoroughly searched, we won't know if it was a decoy base or not."
Rhydian opened his mouth to go over what needed to be done still when Idris rushed into the room. Idris was a young Protector, barely out of the British Army, and had been assigned to watch over Delaney with one of the Lochguard Protectors.
At the dried blood at the male's nose and mouth, as well as his lack of breath and frantic expression, Rhydian's stomach dropped. "What happened?"
"Delaney was attacked."
Both man and beast roared. "Where? What happened to Zoe?"
Zoe was one of the Lochguard Protectors helping out. Grant had assured him she was qualified enough to look after Delaney.
His dragon growled. Apparently not.
We'll deal with her later.
Idris replied, "Zoe went to get lunch, and that's when it happened. Someone attacked me and knocked me unconscious. When I finally came to, I heard noises from inside Delaney's new space. I went to check on her, and that's when I saw her standing over the unconscious male. She’d knocked him out and told me to find you since you weren’t taking calls during the operation."
Rhydian was all for a female protecting herself, but she hadn't had enough self-defense training with dragon-shifters yet to be able to take on an attacker confidently.
And going forward, he would ensure he had a dedicated line for Delaney to call him whenever and wherever he was, and damn the old protocols.
Not waiting to hear the rest, Rhydian raced toward the space he'd given Delaney to use for her boxing lessons.
His dragon snarled. Hurry. We need to check on her.
Not wasting time, Rhydian pushed himself harder. If her attacker was anywhere to be seen, then he was going to let his dragon out and teach the bastard a lesson.
~~~
Delaney had been envisioning where all of her equipment would go inside the space Rhydian had given her when someone knocked on the door to her future training center.
Since Idris and a Scottish Protector named Zoe were stationed outside the door, and there weren't any windows or other exits, it had to be one of the Protectors or someone she trusted.
Maybe the dragon hunter bust was over and Rhydian had come to find her.
Smiling, she'd nearly reached the door when it crashed open and landed with a bang on the floor. Inside the open doorway wasn't the Protectors or Rhydian, but instead some man she'd never seen before.
Since he had a tattoo on his bicep and flashing eyes, it was a dragon-shifter.
Delaney knew dragon-shifters were stronger and faster than humans. Before she did anything, she had to figure out if the dragonman had any sort of fighting skills. Because if not, then she had a chance.
If he did, she would have to think of a new plan.
He walked slowly toward her, teeth bared, probably trying to scare her. She decided to play along and make him underestimate her.
Delaney backed away, constantly calculating how many steps it'd take to reach him. The male finally snarled. "You should've fled after the warning. Now I'm the only one left to keep this clan free of humans, as it should be."
The dragonman didn't like humans, but that still didn't tell her anything about his fighting background.
As she drew nearer to the back wall, she stopped in place and hunched in a little, hoping she looked scared. Since it wasn't something she did often—show fear to strangers—who knew if it looked convincing, even if she was a little nervous on the inside.
The dragonman kept walking toward her. "You should be scared, but remember, you brought this on yourself. Humans and dragons don't belong together. We may sometimes fuck you to get children, but then we discard you and send you back. And it should always be that way."
For a split second, it crossed her mind that this man might rape her.
But then she remembered who she was—bloody Delaney Murphy, former professional boxer and second place world champion—and pushed that fear aside. She'd tear off his dick before she let him touch her.
She caught him flexing his right hand and making a fist. While not guaranteed, he was probably right-handed.
As she planned the strategy in her head, she did her best to remain looking terrified, including dashing her eyes to each side and back. Of course, she was merely judging distance and how she could get around him.
When he was a few steps away from being able to grab her, she ducked down and to the side. While the man did swivel around, it wasn't fast enough to dodge her punch to his kidney. He roared and tried to grab her arm. Delaney danced backward before moving to the right. She went in to get his other side, but the dragonman moved away before she made contact.
She'd lost the element of surprise.
He managed to growl, "You asked for it now."
He swung out, but clumsily. She managed to lean back with only an inch to spare. He wasn't experienced, but he had a longer reach. Delaney needed to compensate for it.
She and the dragonman kept circling one another, both holding back and figuring out what to do next. Her knee complained a little at the sudden exercise without any sort of warmup, but she ignored it. Even if it injured her further, it was better than ending up dead.
And she was certain the wild-eyed dragon-shifter wanted to do exactly that. His eyes were slitted and filled with hatred.
Maybe his dragon had taken control and gone rogue.
That would make her winning more difficult, but she wasn't giving up. If she ever wanted a life with Rhydian and Rian, she had to fight for it.
He rushed her and Delaney ducked down just before he made contact, throwing off his center of gravity. As he stumbled, she didn't waste time punching his kidney again, and then another jab in the same location. When he finally raised his head enough, she used an uppercut to further throw off his balance.
She continued landing one blow after the other, ignoring how much her hands were hurting, and focused on looking for the opening that would give her the knockout.
The dragonman's movements grew unsteady and haphazard. As long as he didn’t shift into a dragon, she should be able to take him down.
He must've gained a second wind because the man stood up with a roar. However, it was long enough to give her a clear shot at another uppercut. Even knowing it could break her hand since she wasn't wearing gloves, Delaney yelled as she put every bit of strength she possessed in her swing. Her hand hit his chin with a crack and the dragonman dropped like a stone.
Moving back a few paces, Delaney placed her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. Her hand was already swollen and her knee hurt like hell, but she was alive.
Too bad she wasn't done. She needed to restrain him until she could get some help. And soon, too. Because once the adrenaline wore off, she'd be in a lot of fucking pain and would have time to finally digest what had nearly happened.
But not yet. No, she'd pretend she was at the end of a boxing match and force her emotions to stay in control until she could be alone.
She was about to look for something to tie up the bastard on the floor when Idris's voice filled the room. "Delaney! Are you okay?"
Never taking her gaze from the male on the floor, she replied, more shakily than she intended, "I'm fine, I think. I don't know how long this bastard will be out, though. "
Idris reached her side. "I'm so sorry, Delaney. He came out of nowhere, but I should've seen it. I should've been the one to protect you. "
Delaney chanced a glance at the young dragon-shifter. At the defeat in his gaze, she stated, "You couldn't have known. He was one of your clan members, and he knew to wait for the best chance to attack. For now, I need you to fetch Rhydian and some of the others since Rhydian isn’t taking calls during the operation and I don't want to cause a panic by calling the wrong person. But hurry, because if the man on the floor wakes up and tries to shift, I won't be able to defeat him again. "
Idris shook his h
ead. "I’ll stay and you go. "
She shook her head. "Right now, you’re not in a right mind to watch him. And I promise to tie him up and then wait at the entrance. If he shifts, I'll run. "
The younger dragonman searched her gaze a few beats. "Are you sure? "
"Go, Idris. You can run faster than me right now given how my knee hurts, and that’s more important. "
He finally nodded. “Okay. But don't be afraid to run if you need to. "
"I promise, now run as fast as you can and find help."
The young dragonman finally ran away and Delaney stood up again. Maybe running away right now would be the easier path, but she wanted this man to face justice. She wouldn't give him the chance to flee and never face the consequences.
So she quickly went to the bag of equipment she'd brought and rummaged through, looking for the best way to tie up the bastard, all the while trying her best to keep her mind from replaying the fight and what could’ve happened if she'd failed.
~~~
Rhydian finally reached the large space he'd given Delaney as an early mating present and ran the last few paces inside.
However, he stopped at the sight of four Protectors standing around the male tied up on the floor.
His dragon hissed. It's Bedwyr.
Bedwyr was the male they'd been searching for, the one intent on harming Delaney.
Satisfied that the traitor wouldn't get away with all the Protectors in the room, he continued searching until he found Delaney sitting in the corner. Maelon was tying a bandage around her hand.
With a growl, he raced over. "Are you okay? Did you break your hand? Should I take you back to our quarters?"
Delaney smiled at him—albeit a bit wobbly—and the sight eased his tension a fraction. "I don't think it's broken, just bruised and maybe sprained. And if you don't believe me, ask the doctor."
Maelon finished the bandage and faced him. "She's right. The one worse off is lying on the floor over there."
Rhydian closed the distance and knelt down so he could look Delaney in the eye. He gently traced her cheek. "Are you sure that you're okay? You’re a brave female, but don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it."
She rolled her eyes. "You should take your own advice, too, then."
"Right now isn't about me. This is about you." He cupped her cheek. "Tell me what happened."
As she described the fight, complete with her voice cracking a few times, Rhydian curled his free hand into a fist. Even though his female was clever, quick, and skilled, he didn't like hearing how Bedwyr had tried to frighten and attack her.
Or worse.
His dragon snarled. He'll be punished.
Yes, although we'll see if it's by us or the DDA.
We should be the ones to do it.
Except we need the DDA on our side. Giving them the last anti-human extremist would go a long way toward showing how much we want human female candidates sent here.
Delaney's voice prevented his dragon from replying. "Rhydian? Is everything okay?"
He was an idiot. His female deserved his attention right now, not the arsehole on the floor. "Fine, love." He stood and helped Delaney up. "But I do think I should take you home. Judging by the fatigue in your eyes, I think the adrenaline is wearing off."
She looked to the side. "I may need your help with that. I hurt my knee."
Careful not to jostle said knee, he gently scooped her into his arms. "Never be afraid to ask for my help, love. I'm always here."
She melted against him, as if the last bits of energy were leaving her body, and murmured, "I love you, Rhydian."
"And I love you, Delaney. Let me and my dragon take care of you for at least a little bit."
Delaney lifted her head again and searched his gaze. She looked even more tired, and all he wanted to do was hold her close and let her know she was safe.
She'd teased him about dragons hoarding treasure, and the female in his arms was one of his most prized possessions. She might not let him coddle her for long, but for the present, he fully intended to do so.
She finally sighed. "I suppose I can do that, for your dragon's sake."
His beast grunted. It's not just me.
Ignoring him, Rhydian nodded. "Of course." He leaned his head over and whispered, "Besides, since the operation with Stonefire is complete, I want to mate and kiss you as soon as possible. And to do that, you need to be healthy and able to handle me and my dragon."
Heat flashed in her eyes. "I'll be fine by tomorrow or maybe the day after that would be better. Not that I don't want to mate you as soon as possible, but an extra day will give us time to talk with Rian first."
They hadn't brought up the mating and ensuing child just yet. Both of them had wanted to spend as much time as possible focusing solely on Rian, letting him know he was their child, too.
He nodded. "Your hand needs to heal as well. "
Delaney shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. My hand will look worse than it truly is. Besides, if something hurts, I'll tell you. Honesty, remember?"
He quickly said to his dragon, Once the frenzy begins, you'd better listen and find a way to restrain yourself if necessary.
Of course. I would never hurt our mate. It may nearly kill me to stop or hold back, but I will do it for her.
Rhydian nodded. "Always honesty, love. Always."
He barely remembered barking orders at the Protectors to keep Bedwyr locked up before he carried Delaney out of the room and to their quarters. With the operation finished, the last anti-human troublemaker found, and Rian's dragon acting normal, Rhydian was on the cusp of having the peaceful, loving life he'd always dreamed about but never thought he'd have.
Chapter Fourteen
Delaney wished she could completely dismiss the purplish hue covering the majority of her right hand and instead focus on the upcoming mating ceremony. However, it clashed with the bright red color of her dress and she couldn't help but grimace.
The color was the official color of Snowridge—similar to the red on the Welsh flag—and she'd wanted to wear it. After all, the clan would be her new home going forward. Still, a small part of her wanted the day to be perfect. In less than ten minutes, she'd be mated to Rhydian and officially starting her new life. She'd just have to hide her hand for any pictures. That should make for a good story for Rian and her other children when they were older.
Yes, she would be having a child soon, too. A mate-claim frenzy always resulted in pregnancy, after all. And Delaney already had plans of how to ease Rian into the idea beyond the conversation she and Rhydian had had with him the day before. She planned to love him as much as she could, letting him know he was now her child too, and how she knew he'd be the best big brother any child could have.
Holly Anderson walked into the side room being used as Delaney's prep area and smiled at her. Delaney barely noted the blue dress Holly wore in Lochguard's colors before asking her friend, "Is it time?"
"In a wee bit. Even though I'm not the clan leader's mate, Lochguard wanted to give you a small present to help solidify our alliance."
Holly held out a small box and Delaney took it. After opening it, she gasped. Inside lay a beautiful silver broach shaped with a dragon and the words Snowridge.
It was a simplified version of Snowridge's crest.
While pretty, it also signified how the Lochguard leader viewed her as part of the Welsh clan, too.
She met Holly's gaze again, doing her best not to tear up. "Thank you, and tell your clan leader how much I'll treasure it."
Holly waved a hand in dismissal. "Och, no need to be so formal with Finn. The man doesn't need his ego to get any bigger."
She frowned. "Wait, what? Isn't he your clan leader?"
Holly smiled. "Of course, and family as well." She winked. "That's why I can get away with it."
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You're sounding a lot like your mate today."
Holly sighed. "Don't remind me. I swear that rascal i
s wearing off on me. If he keeps it up, our daughters will be wee hooligans, terrorizing the clan with their antics."
Even though the words on the surface were a reprimand, they were filled with love.
She took one of Holly's hands. "I'm glad you're here. It'd be even better if you could live here a while, but I know that's not possible."
The other woman squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, we'll visit. After all, I want my daughters to know all the clans in the UK, and maybe even Ireland one day. Just in case the ridiculous legend is true, you ken?"
Delaney laughed. "You sound resigned to it."
Holly rolled her eyes. "Not entirely, but it helps to humor my mate a little."
Another woman entered—Melanie. She smiled at them both and said, "It's time to start. But if you have any last-minute questions, now's the time to ask them."
Both Holly and Melanie had arrived earlier in the day to share a little of how the inner dragons worked during a mate-claim frenzy. While reading or hearing about it was useful, all Delaney knew was that Rhydian wouldn't hurt her. His inner beast might be a bit rough—his dragon half was more animalistic, after all—but he'd never hurt her.
She shook her head. "No, I'm ready to go. Although if you want to occasionally find me during the gathering section of the evening, I wouldn't mind. I'm still unsure of how some members of the clan will react to me mating Rhydian."
Melanie replied, "Don't worry too much. Tristan's been talking with Kai, and quite a few are impressed at how you took down Bedwyr all on your own, using only your bare hands. It's definitely made people think twice about giving you a hard time."
The story had spread like wildfire, according to Rhydian. And given a few strangers had nodded at her in passing earlier in the day, Delaney sensed her trial two days before would help her case in the long run. "Still, a few minutes with other humans to compare notes on dragon-shifters would be brilliant."
Holly nodded. "Of course. At least I have Gina, Kiyana, and a few others on Lochguard to chat and occasionally commiserate with. But I was the first human in a long time there, too, so I understand. However, I bet before long you'll have other humans mating other dragons inside Snowridge."
Transforming Snowridge (Stonefire Dragons Universe Book 2) Page 14
