Brenna stirred in the back seat, but she settled before he could even look at her again. Rationally, he'd always known she was younger than him by a good ten years, but with her face slack in unconsciousness, she looked more innocent and softer than he'd ever seen her before. She took on a lot for someone her age.
He hoped to be the one to help her slow down.
Provided they could find a way around the frenzy. He imagined maybe having a child someday, but his life was too unpredictable to add worrying about a defenseless person to the mix. Or, worse, his condition ended up killing him and Brenna
would be left to raise the child on her own.
And she definitely didn't need that, as it would probably force her to give up her place as a Protector.
If only Killian could care for someone and not hurt them, he would be a happy male.
Adrian's voice filled the car. "There they are."
A dark-haired male leaned casually against an SUV while a dark-haired female stood not far from him, looking down at her phone. The male spoke and the woman looked up.
As Adrian pulled into the spot next to them, Killian could see the resemblance between the two—dark hair, taller than most humans, and similar shaped eyes, although the female's were blue and the male's green.
Killian moved to open the door when Adrian's voice rang out. "Try to behave. Remember, they're here to help you both."
Grunting, he exited the car. Jane was the first to speak, complete with a smile. "So you're Brenna's mysterious mate."
He frowned. "How do you know it's me?"
"Tall, black hair, green eyes. You're the only one in the car who fits the description," Jane pointed out. "And the accent cinches it."
Her brother Rafe rolled his eyes. "Don't start going on about accents or I may have to mention it to Kai."
She shrugged. "Kai won't care. He knows I only have eyes and ears for him."
Ignoring his sister, Rafe sized up Killian, but Adrian joined them before the human male could say anything. "You'll have plenty of time to get cozy later on." Adrian motioned toward the car. "Brenna's in there."
Jane tilted her head. "I see the rumors I heard about you being charming are unfounded."
Shrugging, Adrian smiled. "You're mated, so why waste the effort? Especially when your mate is Kai Sutherland. I haven't met him, but he has a solid reputation."
"And then some." Jane tucked her phone into a pocket and clapped her hands. "Right, then let's get down to business. Rafe will ride with you lot and Killian will ride with me."
Killian glanced inside the car, at Brenna leaning against Cal. "I'd much rather she ride with you and your brother."
"Because my brother's mated, am I right?" Jane asked with amusement dancing in her eyes. Killian didn't have a chance to reply before she continued, "They'll be fine. A dragon in the midst of a frenzy pull is not someone you want to piss off. Her dragon wants you and will probably castrate any of them if they try something."
"Good," Killian stated.
Jane studied him a second before opening the driver's side door of the SUV. "Let's get a move on. We have a two-hour drive ahead of us. The sooner we get Brenna to Stonefire, the sooner we can figure what the hell to do next."
He looked back at Brenna's face again and his dragon spoke up. Jane's right. The sooner we get her to Stonefire, the sooner they can help her.
Killian spoke aloud. "But what if I fall unconscious again? That's what Cal's supposed to be here for."
Jane tapped a finger against the car door. "Too bad Holly's pregnant, or I would've had her flown down and accompany us. She could've looked after you instead of Cal. Even though she’s a midwife, she’s also a nurse."
He scowled. "Who? And what are you talking about?"
Shaking her head, Jane answered, "I don't want to overwhelm you with too many names, as you'll have loads to memorize on Stonefire. Cal can ride in our car, but in the back seat. I want to talk to you during the ride."
Rafe chimed in. "Be careful, Killian. She's notorious for questioning and ferreting out people's secrets."
Jane shrugged. "I'm a reporter. That's what I do."