Healed by the Dragon: Part One Read online

  Her brother blinked at the woman’s words and Arabella bit her lip to keep from smiling. Arabella then said, “You don’t have your scary reputation here, Tristan. I’m sure there are as many growly, broody dragonmen in Scotland as there are in the North of England.”

  Melanie pushed her way to Tristan’s side. “That’s all well and good, but this growly, broody dragonman is mine.”

  Faye grinned. “I have no intention of taking any male in the foreseeable future. Your mate is safe from me, Mrs…?”

  Mel smiled. “I’m Melanie Hall-MacLeod, but please call me Mel.”

  Faye’s eyes widened. “As in the author of Revealing the Dragons?” Mel nodded and Faye continued, “You looked different on TV. I loved your book, Mel, and all that it’s accomplishing. Maybe someday you’ll sign my copy?”

  Melanie melted into her mate’s side. “Sure, but not right now. I need to settle my sister-in-law into her new home. You’ll take good care of her for me, won’t you?”

  Arabella opened her mouth, but Finn beat her to it. “Of course we’ll take care of her. Now, before half the clan comes out to gawk, let’s see Arabella to her new home.”

  Finn sounded irritated, but Arabella had no idea why.

  Thankfully, Melanie took charge. “Yes, let’s hurry. Bram and Evie are watching our twins and I’m a little anxious to go home.”

  Finn’s voice sounded a bit more like himself when he asked, “Why? Because Bram will end up losing one of them during a nappy change?”

  Mel laughed. “No, because I miss them.”

  Melanie’s voice was full of love for her children. For a second, Arabella had a rush of homesickness. Her niece and nephew meant the world to her and had even helped Arabella become less afraid of her dragon. Six months without them was a long time.

  Melanie placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, Ara, we’ll bring them to visit, provided Finn says it’s okay.”

  Finn sighed. “Are you lot going to make any more decisions for me and my clan? At this rate, I should just hand over the reins and take a holiday.”

  Arabella shot him a look. “Stop whining and take me to my cottage. I want to settle in.”

  From the corner of her eye, Arabella noticed Faye looking at her with interest. Before Arabella could ask the other dragonwoman a question, Mel walked ahead. “Right, let’s go then.”

  The group fell into silence, the dynamic and ease from earlier with Finn was gone.

  Which was as it should be. If she wasn’t careful, Finn would find a way to convince her to care for him before breaking her heart. She had seen it happen several times back home at Stonefire with males who acted like him. She wasn’t about to fall for the male’s tricks.

  ~~~

  Finn didn’t often fall into a foul mood, but he was halfway there. The lot from Stonefire were giving him a headache.

  Not Arabella, of course, but her overprotective brother and his mate. Melanie seemed kind enough, but the woman was as dominant as her male. Finn’s best guess was that Bram had trouble controlling the pair.

  Given Finn’s tenuous position, he couldn’t afford to let someone take charge. The slightest sign of weakness and a clan leader challenge would be thrown in his face.

  Picking up his pace, the rest of the group matched him. Since it was late afternoon, most of the clan wasn’t out and about. If he were lucky, no one had witnessed the Stonefire couple challenge him.

  His dragon chimed in. You worry too much.

  Duncan is looking for any excuse to challenge me, and you know it. Until more of the clan is on my side, I need to be careful.

  The Stonefire pair will leave and everything will be fine. We can talk more with Arabella.

  His dragon’s tone was more demanding than he liked. Ordering me won’t make anything happen. Besides, I need to finish the sacrifice paperwork. Faye will take care of her.

  With a disbelieving grunt, his dragon fell silent. It seemed everyone wanted to challenge his authority today.

  They passed a few of the cottages on the edges of the clan and soon arrived at one a little off from the others. Finn forced a smile as they approached, stopped, and gave an overly dramatic wave toward the cottage. “And this, Ms. Arabella, is your new palace.”

  Faye merely shook her head, but Finn didn’t care. They’d known each other their whole lives; if she guessed his intent toward Arabella, Faye would understand.

  Arabella eyed the wild bushes in front of the cottage. “If you expect me to trim those, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

  Finn moved to the door and shrugged. “Do what you will. My garden is pretty much a wild forest at this point.”

  Opening the door, Finn quickly peered inside. He’d checked the place from top to bottom earlier to ensure it was safe, but he wasn’t about to risk Arabella’s life, especially given the growing hatred for her amongst the newly reformed Dragon Knights.

  Not hearing, smelling, or seeing any threats, he flipped on the lights and motioned inside. “You lot can help Arabella settle in.” He looked to Faye. “Once she’s settled and the Stonefire couple are on the way home, let me know.”

  “You’re not staying?” Arabella asked.

  He very much wanted to toss everyone out of the cottage, pin her against the wall, and tell her he was staying. But not only did he have heaps to do, if he made a move too soon, Arabella would close herself off from him.

  His dragon murmured, We will pin her against the wall soon. I want her.

  Shut it, dragon. She’s not a thing we can simply take. She must decide.

  His inner beast huffed. I still want her.

  Finn kept his voice nonchalant. “I have things to do, lass. Faye will help you with what you need, and I will be by to check on you later.”

  Tristan growled. “Maybe we should stay for a while.”

  Melanie let out a sigh. “No, Tristan. We have a six-hour drive home yet. Unless you can shift into a dragon and carry both me and the car back to Stonefire, we need to leave within the hour.”

  Tristan remained silent.

  The urge to tease Tristan was great, but Finn resisted. “Right, then I’ll leave you with Faye. When you wish to visit, let Bram know and I’ll see what we can do. I can’t have unsolicited visits at the moment, what with the hunters and Dragon Knights.”

  Mel nodded. “Of course. We’ll allow Arabella to settle in and find her place inside Lochguard first.”

  “Then until next time, I bid you farewell.” Avoiding Arabella’s eye, Finn exited the cottage and walked toward his own.

  ~~~

  Arabella was still trying to push aside her disappointment at Finn leaving when Mel placed a hand on her arm. Arabella met Mel’s eyes as she said, “How about you and I make some tea while Tristan carries your luggage upstairs?”

  Ignoring her brother’s grunt, Arabella nodded. There were things she wanted to ask Melanie that Arabella couldn’t ask in front of her overly protective brother.

  Faye cleared her throat. “I’m going to wait outside and ring my team, if you don’t mind?”

  Arabella looked at her babysitter. “Okay.”

  When it was apparent that was all Arabella was going to say, Faye turned and exited the cottage.

  Mel pushed her toward the kitchen on the far side just as Tristan took her first suitcase up the stairs. When they were alone, Mel asked, “We don’t have much time, Ara, so if you want to ask me something, then do it quickly before Tristan comes back.”

  She looked away from Mel’s gaze, her eyes roaming the kitchen counters as a distraction. “What happens if I can’t last six months here? What will I do then?”

  Mel patted her arm. “Then just call. However, if this is about Finn rejecting you, you are stronger than that. I’m sure there are a lot of hot Scottish dragon-shifters here to choose from.”

  Ara’s heart rate kicked up and a hot flush crept up her neck. “Mate hunting isn’t my main reason for being here.”

  “I know, dear, but don’t rule
it out. I think you can truly be yourself here, and if you can do that, you’ll be turning quite a few heads here.”

  She looked into Mel’s eyes. Kindness and love shined from her sister-in-law’s gaze. How she could have ever hated the human in front of her, Arabella didn’t know. Melanie was the closest thing to a sister she’d ever have.

  Unsure of what else to say, Arabella mumbled, “Thank you.”

  Tristan’s footsteps thudded down the stairs and Mel moved to the electric kettle on the counter. “Now, let’s make some tea and get to work. We only have an hour or so before we need to leave. Twelve hours in a car, all in one day, must be a record for me.”

  Tristan appeared in the kitchen. “Believe me, I know. Staying still is not your strongest point.”

  Mel raised an eyebrow at her mate. “Says the dragonman who can’t sit still through an entire movie without finding something else to do at the same time.”

  Tristan shrugged. “Dragon-shifters have more energy. Unless you want me to spend dinners away hunting in dragon form instead, you’ll just have to put up with it.”

  Mel smiled. “Maybe once the twins are older, I can send all three of you away to hunt and give me a little peace.”

  Tristan walked up to his mate and pulled her close. “Or, we can just bring you with us. You’re the one who likes studying dragon-shifters.”

  Mel grinned. “You got me on that one.”

  Arabella turned away as her brother kissed his mate. She’d spent a decade believing she would never have the closeness and regular touch of a mate. In recent weeks, however, she was starting to wonder if it were possible.

  Her dragon’s voice was cautious. It will be if you allow me to help.

  She paused a second, and decided to risk a question. I don’t understand. What do you mean?

  Soon, Ara, but not yet. You’re not ready.

  Anger filled her body. You’re supposed to be on my side, bloody dragon.

  And I am. Just wait.

  The kettle clicked off. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Arabella prepared the tea, wondering what in the hell her dragon could be going on about.

  Chapter Three

  Arabella was alone. As she hung up several of her favorite framed pictures of doors, the cottage felt a bit more like home. Bringing all fifty-three of her door picture collection had been out of the question, but the ten on her wall would have to suffice.

  She traced the outline of a faded blue door, crooked and slightly off its top hinge. The picture was from an old cottage in Ireland, but that wasn’t what Arabella saw when she looked at it.

  The crooked blue door was a portal to another land where dragons lived together in castle compounds and were the only race on the planet. They could fly and hunt freely, without fear of any predators. No, in Arabella’s imaginary land, dragons were the top predators. Humans, and most especially dragon hunters, didn’t exist.

  Stepping back, Arabella glanced over her collection of doors. Each held a fantasy she’d used over the years to escape the terrible reality that had been her life.

  She hoped to replace the pictures one day with actual memories. However, that day had yet to come.

  There was a knock on the door. Arabella laid the hammer down and peeped out the hole to see Faye MacKenzie’s smiling face. Her first instinct was to pretend she didn’t hear the knock, but Arabella quickly pushed it aside. Even if it killed her, she would force herself to interact with people.

  Opening the door, Arabella attempted to smile. “Yes?”

  Faye raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to invite me inside?”

  Stepping aside, Arabella motioned with a hand. “Come in.”

  Faye brushed past and strode into the living area. The dragonwoman’s stride was confident in a way Arabella wasn’t sure she could ever be.

  After shutting the door, she followed and found Faye looking at her collection of doors. A stranger viewing her special escape mechanisms felt wrong, but she fought the feeling and waited to see what the other female would do.

  Smiling, Faye looked at her and Arabella realized her amber eyes looked a lot like Finn’s, both in shape and in color. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Are you Finn’s sister? Or, maybe half-sister?”

  Chuckling, Faye turned toward Arabella. “No, but you’re not the first person to assume that. We’re cousins, in fact.”

  The ease between Finn and Faye now made sense. “Your parents must’ve conspired with the names both starting with ‘F’.”

  “Oh, don’t even start with me on that. My older brothers’ names are Fergus and Fraser. Given my parents’ choice of overly Scottish names, I’m lucky my mum stood her ground or my dad would’ve named me Flora. Although I’m curious about you. MacLeod is decidedly Scottish, yet your accent is from Northern England. Do you know why?”

  Arabella blinked. “Do you always jump from one subject to the next?”

  Faye grinned. “Aye. It’s a bit of a family trait. Just be glad my older brothers aren’t here, too. Although I can easily bring them over, if you like.”

  Before she could stop herself, Arabella touched the burned side of her neck. The action made Faye frown. Her tone was a bit dominant. “We’re going to have to fix that self-consciousness, hen, or you won’t last long here.”

  Lowering her hand, Arabella studied Faye. “Why is that?”

  “Lochguard is full of stubborn, clever dragonmen and women, but not all of them welcome the idea of a fostering. Show them any weakness and they’ll pounce. Finn is determined to protect you, but he’s clan leader and can’t be everywhere.”

  Arabella’s shyness melted, replaced with a growing hatred in her belly. “What exactly has Finlay Stewart been saying about me?”

  Faye shrugged. “Not much, just that I’m to watch over you and report any ill treatment I see. I’d say my cousin is quite interested in you, Arabella MacLeod. Care to tell me what happened when he went to Stonefire?”

  The dragonwoman’s direct yet friendly tone unsettled Arabella. She had no bloody idea if it were sincere or not. Reading people was not one of her strengths.

  Arabella decided to do what she did best and be blunt. “He quizzed me about security and the like. Most of the time, he was flirting with the single females.”

  Faye studied her a moment. “Aye, that sounds like Finn.”

  Even Arabella, a novice when it came to subtlety, understood Faye wasn’t fooled. “I’m not completely helpless, no matter what Finn might say.”

  “I never said you were. But if you’re to survive here, Arabella, I need to teach you a few things.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. “What things?”

  Faye crossed her arms and tilted her head as she studied Arabella. Only through sheer force of will did Arabella manage not to fidget or lash out. If she alienated Faye MacKenzie, she would lose a valuable resource. So far, the dragonwoman was much more straightforward than Finn.

  Just before Arabella mustered the courage to ask again, Faye answered, “For one, there is a rift in the clan. A little less than half don’t like Finn’s modern ideas on dragon-human relations.”

  “How is that my problem?”

  “Well, they’ll be watching you. A few of them may even try to scare you away. They aren’t fond of any English dragon-shifters invading their territory.”

  Arabella clenched one of her hands. She was tired of being polite. “Why the bloody hell would they hate the English dragons? Stonefire hasn’t tried to attack Lochguard in centuries.”

  “Aye, you’re right. But memories are long. You forget we were the target of both the English humans and the other dragon clans during the Highland Clearances in the 18th century, when both wanted to steal our land. It’s the reason there’s only one dragon-shifter clan in Scotland instead of two.”

  “That was nearly three hundred years ago. And before you start on a long tirade of the level of injustices, my family has a tie. You asked why my last name is MacLeod yet I sound English. Wel
l, my family was driven out of the lowland Scottish clan during the clearances, but I’m not about to blame a group of dead people for the pain of long-dead ancestors.” Faye smiled, confusing her. “Why are you smiling at me?”

  “You’ve a backbone, Arabella. You may do well here after all.”

  “You’re changing the subject. You said I needed to know things, as in plural. Old history aside, why else should I be careful?”

  Just as Faye opened her mouth, there was a knock on the door. Mischief danced in the dragonwoman’s eyes. “That will be Finlay. He can tell you himself.”

  ~~~

  Waiting for Arabella to answer her door, Finn ran his hand through his hair. Why butterflies were banging around in his stomach, he had no idea. It wasn’t as if the lass hadn’t seen him worse off before.

  Amusement tinged his dragon’s voice. Aye, but this time is different. This time, you can be alone with her without her family.

  His inner beast was correct, not that Finn would admit as much. I’m more worried about her settling in. She doesn’t do well with strangers.

  Faye is friendly and kind. Arabella will be fine.

  Before he could voice any more of his concerns, his cousin, Faye, opened the door. Her voice was overly innocent. “Aye, cousin? Can I help you?”

  “Why are you asking me that? Just let me in.”

  Faye smiled. “You said you’d be here in another hour. Since you’re early, I’m just concerned something is going on and needs my attention. I am a Protector, after all.”

  Finn growled. “Stop your games, cousin. Move aside and let me in.”

  “Someone’s grumpy.” Faye laughed.

  Rather than put up with his cousin’s games, Finn pushed past her and walked into the living area. Scanning the room, Arabella was standing off to the side with her arms crossed over her chest. Careful not to stare at her plumped up breasts, he smiled and dusted off his charm. “Why, lovely Arabella, you’re looking radiant as always.”

  His dragon snorted. She won’t like that.