The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons 1)

She was bonny enough with long, red hair blowing behind her and fair skin with freckles across her nose. Her swollen belly also told him she was quite pregnant and shouldn’t be standing in the wee hours of the morning next to a freezing loch. Did she not have any sense?

He couldn’t see her eyes, but as the female narrowed them further, he decided to find out why she was glaring at him. He might even convince her to go back inside, out of the cold.

Kicking his rear legs, he arrived in water shallow enough to stand within a minute. He resisted shaking the water from his body. Instead, he peered down at the lass.

Uncrossing her arms, she waggled a finger. “You’re not only scaring the fish away, the sheep and cows are having freaking heart attacks. Why do you keep coming back here?”

Her accent told him she was American. Tilting his head, Fraser battled the urge to talk with the female. But to do that would require shifting, and if she was angry with him already, then appearing naked in front of her probably wasn’t a good idea. Especially if the father of her child spotted him.

Fergus could take care of himself, but getting into a fight with a human was the last thing his clan needed at the moment.

He let out a low roar and the female answered, “Well, if you can’t answer me in English, then you should just go.” She took a step toward him and he finally noticed her dark chocolate brown eyes. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away. Otherwise, I’ll find ways to keep you away.”

Unable to stop it, a chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. The locals living around the lake would never allow the human to report him to the DDA.

But she’d find that out soon enough.

His dragon’s voice was sleepy as he murmured, Stop irritating the pregnant female. Let’s just go home. You’ve pouted long enough.

For a few minutes, Fergus had forgotten all about Fraser, Holly, and the mess back home. But his dragon’s words brought it all back. In just a moment.

Fergus leaned down until his head was even with the human’s. If he expected fear in her eyes, he was sadly mistaken; she merely shook her head and sighed. “The dragon stare isn’t going to work with me. I grew up near Clan BroadBay in the US. I know your tricks of intimidation.” She poked his snout. “Just go or I’ll use my secret weapon.”

The female reached into the pocket of her coat, but didn’t pull anything out. He was tempted to see what a wee female could use against a dragon and win. Her pocket was too small to carry any type of illegal weaponry.

His beast growled. Leave her alone. I don’t like her standing in the cold.

Since when do you care about random humans?

Since she’s pregnant and trying not to shiver.

Fergus studied her body, draped in an overlarge coat, and a few seconds later, her whole body shook.

A sense of guilt flooded his body. Let’s go.

With a bob of his head, Fergus padded over a safe distance

from the female and turned to face her. She merely waited and watched.

The wind blew and her wild, curly red hair danced behind her. Fergus knew the female belonged to another, but he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was with her pink cheeks and wee nose.

Before he started to think about yet another female he couldn’t have, Fergus jumped into the air and beat his wings upward. When he reached a few hundred feet in the air, he glanced below. The female was still standing there, watching him.

Maybe he’d see her again, the next time he came to swim in the loch.

His dragon grumbled. The longer you linger, the more time she spends in the cold.

Forcing his eyes away from the red-headed female, Fergus turned toward Lochguard and started on the path home.

It was time to do what Fergus did best—focus on his responsibilities to the clan. Just because Fraser was an idiot didn’t mean Fergus could abandon his people. His job was to analyze information and prevent future threats. After the attack on Lochguard a couple of months ago, his skills were more important than ever.

Yet glancing over his shoulder at the retreating red-haired woman, Fergus decided he might have to come back to check on her. Not to irritate her on purpose, but to make sure she hadn’t frozen to death in the bloody cold.

She also seemed to help him forget about his problems back home. Maybe next time he’d bring a change of clothes so he could shift nearby and talk with her. He knew all there was to know from the locals about their dragon stories. He’d love to hear a few American tales.

Beating his wings faster, Fergus decided once he could find the time, he would definitely visit the female again.

He was so preoccupied with thinking of questions to ask the lass that he didn’t notice his dragon’s content rumble at the back of his mind.