The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons 4)

Faye couldn’t make out who it was because of the people surrounding the male or female. She closed the distance and managed to take a peek at the unconscious dragon-shifter.

It was Grant.

Seeing him motionless and covered in scrapes and a few burns twisted her heart. Still, Faye took a deep breath. She needed to keep her head.

She asked Layla, “Is he okay?”

The female doctor never stopped her ministrations. “He’s alive and appears stable, but I won’t know more until I take him back to the surgery.”

“Then why haven’t you moved him?”

Layla didn’t miss a beat. “I’m concerned about his spine. I won’t move him until I have a proper stretcher.”

The dominance in Layla’s voice made Faye blink. It seemed Lochguard’s new head doctor had finally embraced her position of authority within the clan.

Faye itched to push everyone but the doctor aside and stroke Grant’s forehead. She wanted him to know she was here.

And yet, with Grant out of commission, it was more important that she find Cooper and ensure everything was handled properly. Grant would expect it of her and she wasn’t about to let him down.

She took one last, long look at Grant’s body and willed him to know she’d be back later. After touching Layla’s shoulder in parting, Faye searched the area until she spotted Cooper standing with Alistair Boyd. Alistair had once been Lochguard’s head scientist until a few years ago. To be honest, Faye was surprised to see him out and about. The male always had his nose in a book these days.

Still, she headed over to the pair and demanded, “What do we know?”

Cooper didn’t so much as blink as he answered, “Grant was waiting in the forest for Alistair and a few of his colleagues to examine a suspicious bag Grant had found in the loch. However, before anyone arrived, there was an explosion. We won’t know for certain what happened until Grant wakes up.”

She liked that Cooper said “until” instead of “if” Grant woke up.

Keep it together, Faye. Grant is counting on us. After taking a deep breath, Faye moved her gaze to Alistair. “Any guesses as to what caused this?”

Alistair replied, “I can’t say for certain until I better examine the fragments here and inside the ad hoc laboratory across the loch, but it looks like a run-of-the-mill explosive. We checked to make sure there wasn’t any radiation or dangerous elements in the air. Lochguard might not have the most sophisticated equipment, but it served its purpose. We’ll just have to wait and see if there are any lingering effects.”

“Maybe you should go visit the tent we found across the loch and see if you can learn anything else. The more information we have, the easier it’ll be to pinpoint the creators, especially if we can’t get our prisoners to talk. I can take you there if need be,” Faye said.

Cooper jumped in. “That won’t be necessary. I already have one of the younger Protectors waiting in the landing area with some of Alistair’s old equipment.” Cooper motioned his head. “Go, Alistair. We won’t touch anything here until you return.”

Alistair left and Faye tamped down her curiosity. Alistair had sworn off science completely and had resorted to teaching a few years ago. She wondered what had convinced him to assist the clan again.

Her dragon spoke up. Even if he has reservations, most anyone on Lochguard would face their fears if it meant helping the clan.

Aye, I suppose. We can talk to his mother Meg later. She might know and loves to gossip with a friendly ear, especially when the ear belongs to a single female.

Her dragon sniffed. I don’t care for him. He would break too easily. Stop wasting time. We need to help Cooper and then sit with Grant.

Faye decided against probing her dragon’s change of heart toward Grant. Instead, she looked back to Cooper. “What do you need me to do?”

The younger male sighed. “I was hoping you could take over. I’ve never had to handle something like this before.”

She slapped his arm. “No worries. It takes a strong male to realize his limitations.” Faye pointed toward the clan members fighting the fire. “Go help them and assess the damage. Once you’re done, report your findings back to me.” Cooper nodded and Faye continued, “Is there anything else I should know before you go?”

“Only that everyone is in a bunker or shelter until we give the word it’s safe. Finn also wants an update every ten minutes. My last call was a few minutes ago.”

“I’ll ring him in a bit. Now, go help the others.”

Once Cooper left, Faye surveyed the area. Layla had Grant in hand and now Cooper would oversee the fire brigade. Faye headed toward the taped off area. Inside were a few scientists she knew by face and name, but not much else. They had to be cataloging data and shrapnel. She made her way over. While not an expert, she’d experienced a few IEDs detonating during her time in Afghanistan. And if nothing else, she could help record data. The task would help her forget about Grant.

Because if she thought too hard about

him never waking up again, she might start crying.