The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons 1)

“Meg hasn’t met her.” Fraser raised an eyebrow and his mother sighed. “You’re right. As much as I love that dragonwoman, she was probably a detective inspector in her previous life. I won’t have her knowing more than me about Holly. Especially since her unmated son, Alistair, will probably never take a sacrifice and I won’t be able to get her back later.”

He nearly released a breath in relief. “Exactly. Go and find out as much as you can. Then you can lord it over Meg tomorrow.”

Lorna walked up to him and took his chin in her hands. Fraser had long ago practiced keeping his true thoughts hidden from his mother. It only worked about half the time, but maybe he’d be lucky.

Lorna searched his eyes before lightly slapping his cheek. “For all my harping, you’re a good lad, Fraser. I love you.”

“Mum, please.”

Shaking her head, Lorna moved toward the exit. “Sometimes, I wish I’d had all girls.”

He was about to tease his mum about female hormones, but she was gone.

Alone at last, Fraser worked on reinforcing his mental maze as he carved the roast. If Finn and his mother were already suspicious that something was wrong, he needed to up his game.

There was no bloody way he’d let them know how he wanted to whisk Holly to a private cottage and fuck her until she carried his child.

Oh, but not before he’d punched Fergus in the face first for daring to touch the human or glance at her breasts.

~~~

Holly’s hand was sweaty from prolonged hand-holding, but she thought it might be rude to tug it out of Fergus’s grip and wipe her hands on her trousers.

The meeting with Fraser had gone well enough. Neither of them had acted familiar beyond names and Holly had tried her best to focus her attention on Fergus.

Just as a young woman with brown hair and eyes entered with a large bowl in her hands, Fraser left and Holly let out a breath. Trying to entice Fergus would be much easier with Fraser out of the room.

After setting the bowl of salad in the middle of the table with flair, the young, brown-haired dragonwoman looked straight at Holly. “You must be Holly. I’m Faye, Fergus’s favorite sister.”

“You’re my only sister,” Fergus replied.

Faye stuck out her tongue at Fergus and then smiled at Holly. “I warn you that most nights when we all dine together, food ends up on the walls.”

Holly blinked. “Pardon?”

Arabella’s voice was amused as she said, “The MacKenzies and Stewarts may look to be in their twenties and thirties, but they have a mental age of about thirteen whenever they’re in the same room together.”

Finn, Faye, and Fergus said at the same time, “Hey.”

Arabella shrugged. “See what I mean?”

Holly grinned. “I’m starting to.”

Fergus released her hand and touched her lower back. “Let’s sit down before Arabella starts telling more tales to scare you.” He increased the pressure against her back. “Besides, it’s been a busy day. You must be exhausted.”

She was about to say she was a nurse and she was used to standing on her feet for hours on end, but the second she saw the kindness in Fergus’s eyes again, she backed down. “Thank you.”

Just as she settled in the wooden chair, a middle-aged woman with graying blonde hair came from the kitchen. She was tall, and slightly overweight. The older dragonwoman’s brown eyes reminded Holly of both Faye’s eyes as well as Finn’s.

The older dragonwoman met her gaze and smiled. “There she is at last. I’m Lorna MacKenzie, Faye, Fraser, and Fergus’s mother.

I hope my kin haven’t frightened you yet. They always seem to find trouble when they’re out of my sight.”

From the laugh lines around Lorna’s mouth to the crinkles around her eyes, Holly guessed the older MacKenzie might complain about her brood, but spent a good deal laughing with them. “No, they’ve been pretty well-behaved so far, Mrs. MacKenzie.”

Lorna waved a hand. “Call me Aunt Lorna for now.”

Holly understood what was left unsaid—Holly might one day call her mum.