The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) (2 page)

“You’re right, son,” Lorna answered. She waved toward the living room. “Now, go get that ice cube.”

“Fergus is closer. He could just toss it over.”

Fergus looked back at his stack of papers. “Get it yourself.”

With a sigh, Fraser moved toward the living room. “You were always a lazy sod.”

Fergus looked up. “Takes one to know one. But at least this lazy sod is about to get his own cottage.”

Lorna’s voice drifted into the living room. “It’s about time. One down, two more to go.”

Fraser scooped up the ice cube and faced his mother. “Don’t worry, Mum. You’ll always have me. If I’m lucky, I won’t have a mate until I’m fifty.”

Fergus chimed in. “She’ll kick you out on your arse before then.”

“I’m feeling the love, brother.”

Fergus looked up with a grin. “Someone has to love you, you unlovable bastard.”

Tossing the ice cube into the sink, Fraser dried his hands. “You know you’ll miss me, Fergus. I give it a week and then you’ll be begging for my company.”

“We’ll see, Fraser. If I’m lucky, I’ll be spending a week in my sacrifice’s bed.”

The thought of not seeing his twin every day did something strange to his heart. Brushing past it, Fraser headed toward the door. “As much as I’d love to stay and watch you read boring protocol, I’m going to watch some paint dry instead.”

Fergus raised an auburn eyebrow. “What happened to spending time with your brother?”

“I never said anything about spending time with you. I wanted to show you a good time. The offer’s still open if you’re interested.”

Shaking his head, Fergus answered, “Your good times always result in us waking up in strange places and not remembering the night before. I think I’ll stay here.”

Fraser shrugged. “Your loss.” He looked to his mum. “I’ll be home for dinner, don’t worry.”

Lorna answered. “You’d better be. Finn wants us to have a quiet dinner with Holly and help ease her into her new life here.”

“Quiet is a bit of a stretch.”

Lorna picked up an apple and tossed it at his head. Once he caught it, she answered, “Just get your arse home on time.”

Fraser winked. “I’ll try my best, but you know how the lasses love me.”

Not wanting to hear his mother’s lecture about settling down for the hundredth time, Fraser ducked out the front door.

While the human wouldn’t be over to their house until dinnertime, she was due to arrive on Lochguard at any moment. He had known that Fergus wouldn’t want to go out, but asking gave Fraser the perfect cover and no one would suspect what he was about to do.

It was time to spy on his brother’s future female and make sure she was worthy of a MacKenzie.

~~~

Holly kept her thoughts to herself for the duration of the walk to Finn’s cottage. Not like she’d had a chance to say anything anyway.
 

Jamie MacAllister liked to talk. A lot.

Jamie gestured to the left. “Over there is the training area for the wee ones. I wouldn’t go there until you’ve been presented to the clan.” He glanced at her. “Dragon-shifter parents are a bit protective, you see.”

She nodded and opened her mouth, but Jamie beat her to it. “This here is the main living area. Finn’s cottage is straight ahead. You can tell it’s his by the overgrown flowers and shrubs in the front.” He lowered his voice. “Neither Finn nor his mate like gardening. To be honest, the wildness suits them.”

“If you say so,” she murmured.

Jamie carried on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Most of these cottages have been here for over two hundred years.” He glanced down at her. “Unlike the Scottish clan near Stirling, we survived the Jacobite rising of the 18
^th
century just fine.”

Since she’d had a history lesson during her DDA counseling sessions, Holly already knew there had once been two Scottish dragon clans. But she decided it was easier to let Jamie keep talking so she wouldn’t have to try and be social or polite.

Jamie opened his mouth to say something else when the door to Finn’s cottage opened. A tall dragonwoman with dark hair stood there. The scar across her face and the healed burn on one side of the woman’s neck told Holly it was Arabella MacLeod. Like most of Great Britain, Holly had watched the dragonwoman’s interview on the BBC several months earlier.

Arabella frowned. “Jamie, stop talking the poor human’s ear off. She doesn’t care about the Jacobite rising or how old the cottages are.”

Jamie straightened his shoulders. “She might.”

Arabella looked to Holly. “Do you care?”

The dragonwoman’s voice threaded with dominance. While Holly had thought Arabella brave for recounting her story on national television, she had even more strength in person. “Not really.” Jamie’s face fell so she added, “But I did like learning where the different areas were situated. I now know not to stray toward the children’s area until I’m more settled.”

Jamie beamed, but Arabella rolled her eyes. “Please don’t feed his ego. If there’s one thing you’ll learn quickly, it’s that dragon-shifter males think they are able to move the sun if they merely try hard enough.”

Jamie replied, “That’s not fair, Ara. Your mate is the worst out of us all.”

Arabella waved a hand. “Let’s not argue about Finn.” Arabella looked back to Holly. “I know what it’s like to come to the clan as an outsider. I bet you could use some tea and cake.”

Holly blinked. “Dragon-shifters eat tea and cake?”

The corner of Arabella’s mouth ticked up. “Of course. It’s the best way to serve ground-up human babies.”

Holly laughed. “Nice try, but the DDA staff assured me at least twenty times that dragon-shifters don’t eat humans. At least, not since the middle ages.”

Even from a few feet away, Holly saw Arabella’s pupils flash to slits and back.
She must be talking with her dragon. I wonder what that’s like.

But Holly was the stranger here and didn’t know how things operated on Lochguard. So far, everyone seemed friendly, yet it could all be an act. There were stories about sacrifices being treated poorly and sometimes even abused. As far as Holly knew, Lochguard didn’t do that, but she wanted more time to draw her own conclusions.

Arabella looked to Jamie. “You can go, Jamie.”

With a nod, the young dragonman smiled at Holly and went back the way they’d come.

Arabella stepped to the side. “Come. There’s a lot to do before you meet Fergus.”

Holly sobered at the name of the unknown dragonman she’d soon be sleeping with. “When will that be?”

Arabella studied her a second before replying, “In a few hours. Finn has some things to go over with you first.” The dragonwoman paused and then added, “Fergus can sometimes be irritating, especially when he’s paired with his twin brother, but he’s a good male. You shouldn’t be afraid of him.”

“That’s good to know.”

Arabella raised an eyebrow. “So you had been a little afraid?”

Holly shrugged. “Of course. A few paragraphs on his history and occupation as an analyst hardly tells me much about him.”

“You’re honest. I like that.” Arabella motioned inside. “Now, come in before the whole clan comes out to gawk at you.”

She frowned. “Why would they gawk at me?”

Arabella met her eyes. “Because you’re the first human sacrifice to set foot on Lochguard in over fifteen years.”

Chapter Two

Fraser peeked around one of the cottage’s walls just as a short, dark-haired female disappear into Finn and Arabella’s home. When the door shut behind her, he cursed. He’d just missed her.

His dragon spoke up.
We can spy on her from one of the windows.

Arabella won’t be happy if she finds us spying.

Then make sure she doesn’t find out. I want to see this human meant for our brother.
 

Okay, but if Arabella notices us, we’re shifting. Maybe your innocent dragon eyes can sway her.

His beast snorted.
Maybe if we were a wee one. Just don’t get caught.

We almost never get caught.

Before his dragon could reply, Fraser scanned the area. The best way to spy on his cousin-in-law and the human was to climb the rear wall and hide in the overgrown garden.

Fraser moved from one cottage to another, grateful it was the middle of the day. Almost everyone would be at work and that meant fewer witnesses.

He reached the seven-foot tall wall at the rear of Finn’s place. His cousin only turned on surveillance cameras in the evening or when no one was home, so Fraser gripped the top of the wall, pulled himself up, and hopped down the other side.

Keeping crouched low, he spotted the rear kitchen window. Through the tall grass he saw Arabella’s dark hair and scarred face talking whilst doing something over the sink.

Fraser remained still until Arabella turned away.
 

Slinking through the grass and wild rosebushes, he was a foot from the window before a thorn on one of the rosebushes snagged his arm. Despite the sting, Fraser crept to the window. Inching up until he could peek inside, he noticed both Arabella and the unknown female sitting at the kitchen table.
 

Unfortunately, all he could see was the back of the female’s head. Her hair was pinned into a bun at the base of her neck and she wore a dark red jumper.
 

His dragon growled.
That’s not enough. I want to see her face.

Why do you care?
 

I like females. I want to see her face.

It was a bit of an odd request, but Fraser pushed the doubt aside. He was as anxious to see his brother’s new sacrifice as his dragon was.

Arabella stood up from the table and Fraser ducked down. Plastering himself against the wall, no one should be able to see him even if they looked at the garden. After all, no one had a reason to look below the window.

The click of the kettle told him Arabella would move to the other counter, away from the window. Fraser peeked inside again, but Arabella was nowhere to be seen.

The rear glass sliding door opened and Fraser looked over. Arabella stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her brows raised. “Just wait until I tell Finn you’ve been spying on me.”

Fraser stood up and shrugged. “I wasn’t spying on you. I’m curious about the sacrifice. After all, there hasn’t been one on Lochguard since I was a teenager.”

Arabella shrugged. “That’s still spying.”

He straightened his shoulders. “I just want to protect my brother.”

Arabella studied him a second and then uncrossed her arms. “Promise me you’ll clean up the garden and I’ll introduce you.”

Fraser eyed the garden, with its knee-high grass and impressive collection of weeds. “That is going to take me days.”

Arabella smiled. “Exactly.”

He sighed. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“No, not really.”

His dragon spoke up again.
Do it. You enjoy working with your hands anyway. Besides, we can plant some giant hogweed. Finn and Ara won’t recognize it and might touch it. Then they’ll get a rash.

Fraser laughed inside his head.
You’re bloody devious, dragon.

I know.

Fraser nodded. “Fine, it’s a deal. Now, introduce me to the lass.”

“Then come on.”
 

Arabella went back inside the cottage and Fraser followed.
 

The instant he stepped foot into the kitchen, the human turned her head.
 

Despite her hair being pulled back from her face and the lack of a smile, she was pretty with a round face and small nose. Her eyes were curious yet intelligent. Their light brown color made him think of a jar of dark-colored honey.

Fraser had always had a thing for brunettes, but when combined with the color of her eyes, Holly was one of the most beautiful lasses he’d ever seen.

Before he could wonder where that thought had come from, his beast growled.
Say something. I want to hear her voice.

Fraser was careful to keep his confusion from showing on his face.
Since when do you care about voices?

Just do it. We need to question her for Fergus anyway.

Fraser grinned and put out a hand. “What’s your name, bonny lass?”

Arabella rolled her eyes. “Excuse my mate’s cousin. He’s incorrigible.”

“I’m just trying to welcome our guest.” He looked back to the human. “All I want is your name, or I’ll just have to refer to you as honey.”

A flicker of amusement danced in the human’s eyes. “And why is that?”

“Because your eyes remind me of dark-colored honey. I bet you’re secretly sweet as well.”

Arabella opened her mouth, but the human beat her to it. “More like I use honey to lure you in and then kick you in the bollocks.”

“A lass with fire. I can appreciate that.” Fraser leaned closer. “So, what’s your name, honey?”

“Call me that again,
ruadh
. I dare you.”

Fraser lightly brushed his hair. “It’s more auburn than red, honey.”

Holly smiled. “And here I thought dragon-shifters weren’t self-conscious.”

“Who said I was?” Fraser rustled his hair and tossed his head. “Many a lass envies these luscious locks.”

Before the lass could make a reply, Arabella stepped between them. “I’m not sure how much more I can take of this. Fraser, this is Holly. Holly, this is Fraser MacKenzie, twin brother to your assigned dragonman, Fergus.”

Fraser winked. “At least I was close, guessing your name started with an H.”

Instead of a witty reply, Holly’s face and eyes turned neutral. “Mr. MacKenzie.”

He barely resisted frowning at the change in her demeanor. “There’s no need to go formal on me, lass. Fraser is fine.”

Holly looked to Arabella. “I’ve changed my mind about the tea. Is it all right if I unpack and freshen up before Finn returns?”

Arabella gave her a puzzled look. “Sure. You’ll be staying with us for the first few nights, so I’ll show you to your room.” Arabella moved her gaze to Fraser. “I held up my end of the deal. Go start on the garden.”

Fraser did frown at that. “Today?”

Arabella raised an eyebrow. “If you have time to spy on us, then you clearly have time to clean up the garden.”