The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons 4)

With one last long look, Faye left and Grant was alone. Yet as he turned toward his bed, all he could think about was Faye standing close and her breath on his skin.

Running his hands across close-cut hair, he turned toward his luggage, which had arrived ahead of them. Taking out a map of the surrounding area, Grant planned his excursion for the night. While he’d check out the art show venue first, he planned to travel at least ten miles in every direction from Inverness to survey the countryside. Maybe if he flew long and hard he would avoid dreaming. Because if he did dream, he had a feeling Faye would tempt him yet again.

Staying in close quarters with the female who was his true mate was going to test his limits.

Chapter Six

Faye finished surveying the nearby buildings from her window and plopped down on her bed.

Even though she was on assignment, she was back to doing nothing.

Her dragon chimed in. There are other Protectors in the building. Maybe one of them is a single, attractive male.

She sighed. Not this again.

Why not? Unless you’re waiting and pining for Grant? He doesn’t believe in us or our skills. He lost his chance.

Faye wanted to agree with her beast, but a small part of her wondered if her temper had gotten the better of her earlier. Yes, Grant had been an arse, but searching for family traitors had a way of taking a toll on someone. No doubt, most of Grant’s actions were because of stress and bottled up hurt feelings.

Her beast huffed. We all have our own pain. That’s no excuse to ignore who we are and what we’re truly capable of doing. It’s not bluster—we have shown strength since the accident.

True. Faye sat up and checked her mobile, but there wasn’t a message from Cat. Let’s scout out the other Protectors.

Since her dragon didn’t argue, Faye took that as a yes to the idea.

She was mos

t anxious to meet the dragons from Northcastle, the Northern Irish clan. Finn and Bram had wanted to reach out to the only dragon-shifters in Northern Ireland, but the ongoing feud with the clans of the southern Irish Republic had kept everyone away. Faye wasn’t one to dig too deep into politics, but even she knew that Northcastle blamed Glenlough and the others in Ireland for stealing their land centuries ago and cutting their two clans down to one. The human dispute between Ireland and Northern Ireland had only exacerbated the situation over the years.

However, if Northcastle had sent a representative to the event, they might be open to talking with the other British dragon clans. According to her history lessons as a child, the Northern Irish clan had once been close with all the dragon-shifters on the isle of Great Britain.

Faye changed her clothes and filled her bag with items she might need before exiting her room. She had no idea who was staying where. She’d start on her floor by knocking and see where it led her.

She moved past Grant’s room to the one at the end of the hall. She rapped on the wood and did her best not to tap her fingers against her leg.

A tall male with dark hair and brown eyes opened the door and she blinked. It was Aaron Caruso from Clan Stonefire. “Aaron?”

He grunted. “I wondered who Lochguard would send.”

“Who else is here from Stonefire?”

“Quinn Summers.”

She vaguely remembered the male from an earlier meeting. “Maybe you can help me. I’m trying to figure out where the Protectors from the other clans are.”

“Did you try asking the lady downstairs, who runs the place?”

“No. I thought it’d be more fun to knock and find out for myself.”

Aaron shook his head. “Don’t expect me to join you. I need to save up my charm for the humans at the exhibition.”

She eyed the Stonefire dragonman. “What happened to the teasing Aaron Caruso I met before? He was always charming and didn’t have limits on it.”

“He has a lot on his mind.” Aaron moved the door closed a fraction. “If that’s all, then I’m going to go back to taking a nap.”

She studied him. “You are grumpier than I’ve ever seen before.”

He shrugged. “It’s justified.”