The Dragon's Discovery (Lochguard Highland Dragons 6)

She blinked. Kiyana hadn't even noticed the older woman had stopped talking. "Being okay or not doesn't matter right now. I just want to stop sitting and thinking so I can do something."

Meg smiled. "Stubborn, determined, and caring. You will fit right in on Lochguard, Kiyana."

Only if Alistair returned and was still whole and not insane.

Not that she was going to mention that possibility for Alistair's mother and worry her more.

Iris, leaning against one of the kitchen counters, spoke up for the first time in a while. "Are you sure you want to be here, Meg? Maybe you should help distract your older grandchildren, so they don't worry about their Uncle Alistair."

Kiyana resisted a small smile. Guilt-tripping was one of the few ways to get Meg to do anything easily. The female Protector knew her clan members well.

Maybe once everything was settled with Alistair, she could talk more with Iris. The dragonwoman didn't talk a lot, but she often made it count when she did.

And yes, things would be okay with Alistair. Kiyana refused to think of any other outcome.

Meg released her grip on Kiyana's hand and stood. "I know when I'm being dismissed. You may be a Protector now, Iris, but I remember you when you were a wee thing always hiding up in the trees."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "I was better able to watch everyone from the trees."

Sighing, Meg turned toward her. "I'll check on you later, lass. But don't hesitate to reach out to me, aye? You're my Alistair's true mate, and that makes you nearly family."

Since Kiyana didn't have a lot of extended family, it was strange to have so many people willing to care so quickly. "I will."

"Good. Then I'm off." She pierced Iris with a look. "Tell me the second you know anything, aye? It's my son they're trying to help, after all. And I'd rather not have to chat with your mother about keeping things from me."

To her credit, Iris merely nodded and didn't say anything about the small threat.

Once Kiyana was alone with the Protector, she stood and paced the length of the kitchen. With Meg gone, she no longer needed to pretend she was cool and collected. "Shouldn't Finn be done by now? He's been in his office for at least two hours since I talked with him."

The dragonwoman opened her mouth to reply, but her phone beeped. After looking at it, Iris groaned. Kiyana asked, "What is it?"

"It's nothing to do with Alistair, don't worry. But Finn asked someone to help with the history of the Dettifoss Gathering. Although why he asked an archaeologist, I have no bloody clue."

"Archaeologist?" she echoed.

"Aye, Max Holbrook. He'll be here shortly, and you can talk with him whilst we wait for Finn."

She'd heard the name before, triggering the memory of a fedora-wearing human with a vast collection of Roman-era artifacts. "I met him once before, at the exhibition the DDA held in Glasgow."

"Then you know how bloody annoying he is." Iris checked her phone again. "Stay here. He's nearly to the door. I want to let him know some ground rules before you talk with him."

Kiyana didn't know if Iris would place restrictions on what could be shared or not. However, she didn't plan on letting that stop her from finding out as much as possible to help Alistair.

She paced a few minutes, reviewing what she knew, until a blond-haired man carrying a battered fedora and wearing clothes covered with dirt-smudges entered the room.

Max didn't waste time putting out a dried mud-covered hand. "You must be Kiyana nice to meet you. While the social side of anthropology never tickled my fancy as much as the archaeological part, it's still nice to meet someone who shares a common interest."

Deciding she could wash her hand later, she shook his and answered, "I hope you can help."

"Yes, of course. I've even been to Dettifoss a few times, although there's not much there to help fill in the gaps of the history." He lowered his voice. "It's hard to get proper permits, you see. So I have to find other ways to look into things."

Iris's voice filled the room. "Aye, you usually break the law."

He placed his hat over his heart. "All in the pursuit of knowledge. That is far more important."

"Until you end up in jail one day," Iris muttered.

Not wanting to waste time, Kiyana jumped in again. "Sit, please, and tell me everything you know. I'll need as much information as possible to convince the DDA Director to help us."