Aiding the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 7)

Teagan smiled at Arlanna. The nurse’s gaze was warm and trusting. Between her people and Aaron, she could face the future.

How she ever thought she was alone, she didn’t know.

She watched Aaron’s face as Arlanna worked on cleaning her leg and neck wounds, the stings barely noticeable compared to the pain earlier.

With dreams of a happy future and a trusted male at her side, Teagan was more determined than ever to fight for her clan. Meeting with the DDA wasn’t going to be pleasant, but she would make them understand the threat and try to convince them to help. If the Dragon Knights were involved, or any other enemy, she was going to need to work together with as many allies as possible. Otherwise, there might not be a Clan Glenlough for much longer. Not even Teagan could stop attacks on all sides.

Now all she needed to do was allow herself time to heal. Then she could tackle all of it, with a little help from those she trusted.

And Killian had better be one of them. Because if he was still missing when she was mostly healed, she was going to track down her brother and kill him herself.

Chapter Twenty

Brenna peered down at the tiny machine that couldn’t be much bigger than a robin. “How many of these did you find?”

Kerrin replied, “Four. Two were at the southern end of the park. I think they were heading toward Teagan’s position, where she confronted those dragons.”

“Can I touch it?” she asked.

Kerrin nodded. “Any remaining darts have been removed, and there’s nothing harmful coating its surface. We checked.”

She gingerly lifted the fifteen-centimeter-long—about half a foot—object. It was thicker at one end than the other and had wings to either side. The surface was painted in the guise of a bird with brown feathers.

Kerrin’s voice filled the room. “It’s quite sophisticated and expensive to make. Whoever did this has money to spare.”

She looked up. “Have your volunteers keep searching for any others. We can’t afford to let any of these be retrieved and stolen back.”

“Of course. I’m also working on a temporary solution to keep them from flying inside the clan’s lands. While I might be able to rig a sort of electrical barrier triggered by a motion sensor, the trick will be in ensuring a young dragon or an innocent bird isn’t fried in the process.”

Orla sat at her side and snorted. “Yes, fried dragon-shifter would be a bad thing.” She motioned toward the door. “I know you want to go back to your work, Kerr. Leave this with us for now and go on.”

With a nod, Kerrin exited the small room.

Brenna looked to Orla. “Teagan should be doing this, not me.”

“Teagan’s neck wound is worse than expected and shows signs of infection. Even with a dragon-shifter’s ability to heal quickly, it could endanger her health if she doesn’t rest. Besides, we can handle it for now. Maybe Killian will show his arse again. Then he can take over.”

Despite Orla’s light tone, Brenna had seen more than a few worried looks on the older female’s face over the course of the day. Killian would never stay silent so long. Everyone in central command was starting to think he’d been taken prisoner.

Or worse.

Her dragon spoke up. You don’t know that for certain. Besides, once Teagan is better, maybe we can go searching. I’m quite good at finding things that are lost.

A light flashed on the computer, signaling a video conference request. She quickly said to her dragon, We’ll discuss this later. Brenna moved closer to the screen, checked the name, and hit Accept. “Do you have any information for us, Arabella?”

Arabella MacLeod of Lochguard’s upper body appeared on the screen. The scar on her face and healed burn on her neck contrasted with the sleeping baby against her shoulder. “Keep your voice down, Brenna. I’m not risking this one waking up. Declan can nearly shatter glass with his cries. I’m convinced he’s part banshee and not a dragon-shifter at all.”

Since Brenna and Arabella were both originally from Stonefire, she wasn’t fazed by the female’s tone or casual remarks. Brenna asked more quietly, “So? Did you find anything?”

“I’m still trying to break the encryption,” Arabella said. “However, I was able to determine the range of the thing. Someone had to be within a mile to control it.”

Brenna cursed. “Which means they were inside or near the clan’s lands.”

Arabella nodded and gently patted her son’s back. “At this point, I can’t tell if it’s the same design and programming as the devices that previously attacked Stonefire and Glenlough. As soon as I find out, I’ll let you know. I have some of Lochguard’s best and trusted IT people working on this with me.”

The baby dressed in bright green dinosaurs squirmed against Arabella’s shoulder, and she cuddled the tiny one closer. Despite everything going on, Brenna smiled. “It’s nice to see you happy, Ara.”

Arabella’s face softened as she stared at her child. “Me, too.” She looked back at Brenna. “Talk to you soon.”