The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons 4)

She wanted to probe further, but Aaron had the door halfway shut, signaling that he wanted her to leave. Since she already had a grumpy Grant to deal with, she didn’t need another grumpy male. If something was wrong with Aaron, she trusted his fellow Protector, Quinn, to sort it out.

Waving goodbye, she headed down the stairs.

Faye found the woman at the front desk and smiled at her. “I’m looking for the dragon-shifters from Northcastle. Can you tell me where they are staying?”

“I’m sorry, lass. I’m not allowed to give out that information.”

Before Faye could say anything else, a deep male voice in a Northern Irish accent boomed behind her. “If a pretty female like you is looking for me, then here I am.”

Faye resisted rolling her eyes. Focusing on the importance of the meeting, she pasted a smile on her face and turned around.

The male was quite possibly the tallest dragon-shifter she’d ever seen and had to be closer to seven feet than six. Broad shoulders, close-cropped blond hair, and blue eyes only made the package more attractive. He had to have some Viking heritage in his family tree.

Her dragon growled. Yes, he’ll do.

Ignoring her beast, Faye walked up to him and put out a hand. “I’m Faye MacKenzie, one of Lochguard’s Protectors.”

“A female Protector? That’s rare.”

She kept the smile on her face. “Perhaps in Northern Ireland, but that’s not important. Who are you?”

The male flashed a grin and Faye’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m Adrian Conroy, the second-in-command of Clan Northcastle. Care to tell me why you’re looking for us?” He lowered his voice. “I’m more than happy to show you where my room is located. After all, you seemed keen to find it a few minutes ago.”

It seemed Adrian Conroy was a flirt.

Torn between finding out as much as she could and being true to herself, Faye compromised. “How about we get a coffee? I saw a self-serve stand near the entrance. Then we can talk some more.”

Despite Adrian’s handsome exterior, his eyes were intelligent. Trained as she was, she could tell when someone was sizing her up and assessing a threat.

Adrian finally turned and motioned toward the entrance. “After you.”

Faye walked past him. “For a clan who’s isolated, you seem friendly.”

He shrugged. “You’re Scottish. It’s the English dragon-shifters we don’t care for.”

Interesting. As she fixed her coffee, she glanced at him. “Care to embellish on that statement?”

“They helped the Irish bastards. That’s enough.”

She wanted to point out it was a long time ago, but held her tongue. Grant might provoke her to say the wrong thing, but with any other male unrelated to her, Faye knew how to keep her temper in check.

Once they each had a coffee, they moved into the smaller living area. Thankfully, it was empty.

Faye sat down in a chair and Adrian took the sofa. After taking a sip, she broke the silence. “If you don’t mind the Scots, then why not reach out to Lochguard? I’m sure my clan leader would be honored to meet yours.”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “Let’s not talk about what our clan leaders are doing. This is my first time in Scotland. You should tell me what to see in the area. Your clan isn’t far from here, right?”

She took another gulp of coffee. “No, it’s not far, but I’m not sure we’ll have much time for sightseeing. The schedule is somewhat aggressive.”

Adrian laid an arm on the back of the sofa. “Maybe for you, but not us. This will be like a holiday to me and my compatriot.”

She leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

Just as Adrian opened his mouth to answer, Grant’s voice drifted from the entrance. “Who’s your friend, Faye?”

~~~

Grant had hoped to leave the building without incident, but as soon as he saw Faye chatting with the tall, handsome dragonman, both man and beast had stopped in their tracks.