Faye shrugged. “So? He’s still my cousin.”
Shaking her head, Lorna looked back to Arabella. “If you don’t want our help, child, just say so.” The older dragonwoman raised her arm and Arabella noticed the dresses hung over it. “We just thought it’d be fun to get ready together.”
Arabella looked from Lorna to Faye and back again. Apart from Melanie and occasionally Evie, Arabella didn’t have much female companionship. This could be practice for the gathering in a few hours.
Her dragon did a mental eye roll. You don’t need to justify every action. They’re kind and fun. Let them in already.
Someone’s bossy.
I’m stuck inside a house when I’d rather be flying or fucking our mate. Whatever it takes to help me forget about Finn and the frenzy, I will do.
She didn’t like her dragon’s grumpy tone, especially since she sensed the tension underneath it. If nothing else, spending time with Lorna and Faye would help her forget about Finn, his talented tongue, and the way he’d made her come in the clearing.
Her dragon growled. Stop it. Remembering our male licking between our thighs only makes me hornier.
I could take a deep breath and you’d think of sex. Don’t blame it on me.
With a huff, her dragon settled down and sulked.
Smiling at her beast’s response, she stepped aside. “All I plan to do is toss the dress on and pull back my hair. That should take me about ten minutes, but you’re welcome to come in.”
As Lorna walked past, she clicked her tongue. “If I have any say in the matter, it’s going to take more than ten minutes, Ara.”
Once both dragonwomen were inside the room, she shut the door. “Do I dare ask why?”
Faye held up a case and winked. “We’re going to send Finn to his knees.”
Worry gathered in the pit of her stomach, but before she could ask anything, Lorna beat her to it. “Not that you aren’t beautiful just as you are, Arabella MacLeod. But from what little I know of you so far, you enjoying teasing my nephew. Give us a little time, and we’ll surprise him. You can make him speechless for once, which is a rare thing for Finlay.”
Arabella eyed the case. The old Arabella would’ve just lied and said she didn’t enjoy teasing anyone. She might have even told them to bugger off.
Yet after her afternoon with Finn, combined with the strength and confidence of her dragon, Arabella decided to be truthful. After all, Lorna and Faye would soon be her family.
Blinking, Arabella wondered when she’d accepted her future would be with Lochguard. Her dragon spoke up. Of course it’s here. Do you really want to leave Finn behind? He’s so much fun to tease. I want to tease him more when he’s naked.
Rather than answer her randy dragon, she straightened her shoulders as she met Lorna’s eye. “What do you have in mind?”
Faye whooped and lightly slapped her bicep. “You just made my day, Arabella.” She lifted the case. “As for this baby, I call it the master makeover kit. But first, you need to get dressed.”
Lorna picked up her dress from the bed and the older dragonwoman asked Arabella a question with her eyes—was she able to undress in front of them, or did she need to go to the bathroom down the hall.
Her heart rate kicked up. Finn seeing her body was one thing, but for anyone else to see her was another.
Her dragon’s voice was grumpy. Just undress. If we leave this room, we might run into Finn and then I’ll want to kiss him. At least in here, his scent is barely noticeable.
Drawing strength from her dragon, Arabella unbuttoned her jeans. “Just don’t turn me into a complete tart. I don’t want to give the clan the wrong impression of me.”
Faye grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll find just the right amount of sexiness and kickass.” Putting down the case, she clapped her hands. “I can’t wait. I never had a sister, so this should be fun.”
As Arabella continued undressing, she fought the urge to run. Yet as she revealed more skin, the two dragonwomen barely paid attention. They were treating it as an everyday occurrence.
Once she was naked, a sense of accomplishment rushed through her body. It may only be with two dragon-shifters, but if she kept pushing her boundaries, Arabella might soon be like any other dragon-shifter on Lochguard, meaning she could talk with her dragon, shift at will, and not care two cents about being naked in front of others.
The only thing she really needed to do was survive telling Finn about the rest of her time with the dragon hunters. After that, she might finally be free of her past. The thought of visiting Stonefire and being whole again warmed her heart. She would never be ‘poor Arabella’ ever again.
And it was all because she’d taken the chance of fostering with Lochguard. Coming to Scotland had been one of the best decisions of her life, not that she’d tell Finn. His ego was already big enough.
As she pulled the dress over her head and tugged it down her body, the silkiness of the material caressed her skin. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror. Rather than noticing her scars, she saw herself as pretty for the first time.