The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) Read online

  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 i
ncorrigible.”

  “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.”

  His dragon chimed in. I want to do the work.

  Why?

  I’ll explain later, when Arabella isn’t watching us.

  Fraser and his dragon had always been open with one another. Between Holly’s and his dragon’s behavior, Fraser wondered what the hell was going on.

  Keeping a smile pasted on his face so as to not stir Arabella’s curiosity, Fraser nodded. “Aye, I’ll do it. But you can’t complain about what I do with it.”

  Arabella waved a hand. “Fine. Go make yourself useful.”

  He sighed. “I miss the days when we were conspiring on how to get back at Finn.”

  Arabella cracked a smile. “Oh, we’ll have plenty of time for that in the future. Right now, I’m just trying to keep my food down. Finn’s hellspawn likes to make my life uncomfortable. So far, being pregnant is one of my least favorite things in the world.”

  “Said with such love, cousin.”

  Arabella swatted his arm. “Go outside before I decide to kick your arse.”

  Fraser winked. “Anything for my cousin.” He looked back to Holly and nodded. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner, Holly. Just know that I’m the more mature one in the family, so be prepared. It will be an interesting night for sure.”

  Arabella rolled her eyes, but before she could castigate him, Fraser fled out the back door. As he surveyed the wildness, he decided to do the work but in his own special way, complete with inappropriate hedge sculptures and the ugliest garden gnomes he could find.

  Fraser began pulling out some weeds when his dragon spoke up. Maybe we should spy on the human some more.

  I don’t think so. Cleaning up the garden is going to take us a few days. I don’t need any more extra work. We’ll never have the chance to sneak away and have fun if the chores pile up.

  But I want to know why she stopped flirting.

  I hardly call that flirting, dragon.

  She shouldn’t be cold with us.

  Fraser stopped pulling a weed and stilled. And why is that?

  She should always smile with us. She will be ours soon.

  Fraser’s heart skipped a beat. No, she’s Fergus’s sacrifice, not ours. I thought neither you nor I wanted to settle down.

  That was before Holly and her honey-colored eyes.

  Bloody hell, it couldn’t be true. Tell me you’re joking. She can never be ours.

  His beast growled. She will be. Get used to the idea. I will allow her some time to settle in. But after that, I’m going after her.

  Fraser tossed aside the weed in his hand and fell back on his bum. Looking up at the window for the spare bedroom Holly would most likely use, a sense of panic came over him. As much as he enjoyed teasing the lass, his dragon had just stolen Fraser’s future from him.

  Apparently, if his dragon was correct, Holly was his true mate.

  He resisted telling his dragon to stuff it. As long as Fraser didn’t kiss Holly, he could keep away from her. Fergus could have his sacrifice and all could be well with the clan.

  Fraser might not have studied the new protocols and guidelines like his brother, but there was one thing that hadn’t changed—if Holly violated the terms of the sacrifice contract, she would go to prison.

  And who the hell knew what Finn would do to him.

  Standing up, Fraser made a decision. No matter what his dragon threw at him, he would resist the human female. The only way to do that was to keep his distance. He’d just have to think of a good excuse to get out of dinner with his family.

  His beast roared inside his head, but Fraser stuffed him into a mental maze. For once, Fraser would deny his dragon.

  After all, the last time Fraser had stolen a lass from Fergus, his brother had stopped talking to him for five weeks. If he did it again, Fraser had no idea what would happen. Not to mention there would be hell to pay with Finn. Screwing up Holly’s term on Lochguard might endanger the possibility of future sacrifices.

  And Lochguard desperately needed the new blood. Unlike Stonefire, they hadn’t won over any special privileges to mate any human female they wished.

  Right, then. As Fraser went back to work pulling weeds, he thought of every reason why he didn’t want a mate.

  He’d lose his freedom, for one. And the thought of being a father in less than a year scared the living shit out of him. He might work as an architect and help out with construction, but he was the farthest thing from a responsible adult. He wasn’t about to change for a bloody female, no matter how sweet her eyes.

  Yes, all of those reasons would help him stay away from the lass. On top of that, his special closeness with his twin was far more important than having a true mate.

  Or, at least, that was what Fraser tried to convince himself as he went back to pulling weeds.

  ~~~

  The instant Fraser stepped outside, Arabella looked at Holly. “I know I give him a hard time, but all of the MacKenzies are wonderful. It’s a good first step that you ignored his flirting, though. He’s nearly as bad as my mate.”

  Holly couldn’t remember the last time she’d had the urge to flirt with a man. For a brief second, she’d thought she was lucky and Fraser had been her assigned dragonman. Not just because he was handsome with auburn hair and dark blue eyes, but talking to him was easier than it was with most men.

  It was just her luck that it was the twin of her assigned dragonman.

  Forget about him, Holly. You can’t have him.

  Focusing on Arabella, Holly shrugged. “I wouldn’t really call it flirting. He was being ridiculous, so I decided to follow suit.”

  Arabella’s brown eyes studied hers and Holly resisted the urge to fidget. Ever since she’d stepped foot on Lochguard, everyone seemed to be watching her.

  Arabella motioned toward the door on the far side of the kitchen. “Come, I’ll settle you into your room. Finn texted me earlier and should be home within the hour, provided the two old coots don’t throw tantrums this time and start destroying other people’s property.
”

  As she followed Arabella, Holly jumped on the distraction. “Finn mentioned something about Archie and Cal dropping cattle. What was he talking about?”

  Arabella shrugged. “It’s no big secret. The two dragonmen are in their seventies and have been accusing one another of stealing for over forty years. They have neighboring farms, so they’re always yelling at each other. Sometimes, they shift into dragons, snatch their rival’s cattle, and drop it into their yard.”

  “Why don’t they just move farther apart from one another?”

  The corner of Arabella’s mouth ticked up. “Finn’s been proposing it every day for more than a year. But the two stubborn males each claim their families have had their land for centuries and suggest the other should be the one to move.”

  As they ascended the stairs, Arabella paused a second to close her eyes and cover her mouth. Holly laid her suitcase down and went to the same step as the dragonwoman. “You look pale. Maybe you should sit down and I’ll find something to help with the nausea.”

  Arabella took a few deep breaths and then removed her hand. “Nothing has worked so far. I’ve tried everything. The best I can do is push on until the baby is born.”

  Holly turned Arabella around and guided her down the stairs to the living room. The dragonwoman’s pregnancy was just the distraction she needed. “You haven’t let me have a go. Give me a chance.”

  Arabella sat down on the couch and rested her feet on an ottoman. “Why? You seem nice, but I don’t know you.”

  Holly stood up tall. “I’m a trained and experienced midwife. I may not have worked with dragon-shifters, but I often handled some of the worst cases of morning sickness and difficult pregnancies during my time. I can help.” Arabella remained silent, so Holly added, “I have no reason to poison you or harm you. If I don’t serve out my time as a sacrifice, I’ll be imprisoned and I won’t be able to help my dad. He’s ill, but recovering. I’m the only family he has. I can’t risk leaving him alone.”