The Dragon Family (Lochguard Highland Dragons 5)

Taking the slim laptop, Arabella placed it on her legs and laid a hand on the cover. Finn and the doctors had asked for a little time, but Arabella wasn't sure she could wait. Opening the computer, she booted it up. "Thanks, Faye. There are a few things I need to do, whilst I have the chance."

"While you do that, I'm going to close my eyes but keep my ears open." She yawned and settled into one of the other chairs. "Carrying Grant's bairns is going to make me a dull person by the end. I swear that I never have any energy."

"It'll get better, eventually. Although you'll have a new kind of exhaustion once they're born."

Faye closed her eyes. "Don't remind me."

As her cousin dozed, Arabella opened a new window on her laptop and hesitated. Could she handle finding out her father was truly dead?

Her beast spoke up. Knowing is always better. Because if he's gone, we need to work on accepting it. Not just for our sakes, but for the children as well.

Admitting her dragon was correct, Arabella typed in a web address and started searching. Even if her father was gone, she had another objective—to find out his allergies. Only then could she maybe help her daughter.

~~~

Finn stood inside the guard station posted just inside the clan's front gate and resisted pacing the space. To help contain his energy, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Shay and Zoe, two of his Protectors. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Zoe shook her head. "Tristan MacLeod is driving to Lochguard. And even speeding, it takes some time."

"I just wish he'd bloody well tell me why he had to come in person," Finn growled.

Shay grinned. "It's not every day you can tell your clan leader to have some patience."

Finn grunted. "Aye, and coming from you, the one with the notorious temper, is a hundred times worse."

Shay shrugged. "Maybe I've matured."

Zoe snorted. "Right, and I'm the Queen of England."

"Scotland would be better," Shay pointed out.

"Fine, how about Queen of Planet Earth?"

"Or, the galaxy?"

Finn sighed. "Are you sure you two are Protectors? I feel as if I'm back in secondary school."

"Well, you are older than us, so if you're in secondary school, we're in primary…" Shay began.

Uncrossing his arms, Finn put up a hand. "Just stop." He leaned toward the security monitor. "That has to be Tristan."

The two Protectors also looked at the security feed.

A dark sedan finally stopped in front of the gate and the feed switched to the driver's side window. Sure enough, Tristan's dark head and disgruntled brown eyes stared into the camera. Finn tapped a section of the screen. "But who's that shadowy figure in the back seat? It can't be Melanie, because she's in the passenger's seat."

Shay and Zoe didn't have an answer.

"I hope he trusts that person," Finn grumbled.

Zoe spoke up. "Bram trusts Tristan, aye? Then he would never allow anyone harmful to accompany him. Not to mention that no dragonman would ever put his own mate in danger. As long as Melanie is there, Tristan will be cautious."

His dragon chimed in. You should've realized that yourself.

Let's just say that I have other things on my mind.

Tristan engaged the speaker and his voice filled the guard station. "Tristan MacLeod and Melanie Hall-MacLeod, with a guest and a Protector."

Finn pressed the comm button. "Who is the guest?"