Quinn stepped in. “Ignore him, Ms. O’Shea. The cloudy weather affects his mood.”
Aaron was going to punch Quinn the next time they were alone.
The corner of Teagan’s mouth ticked up. “Is that so? You’re living in the wrong country then, boy-o.”
Rather than growl he wasn’t a boy, Aaron drew all of his irritation deep inside and forced his voice to be neutral as he asked, “What did you find out about the attack on the child?”
Teagan’s eyes widened a fraction but quickly turned fierce. “While there weren’t any toxins or visible puncture wounds, our doctor finally found a tiny splinter-sized piece of wood embedded in the boy’s scalp. Once we were able to remove it, they ran tests and found it was coated in an unidentifiable substance that mostly still remains a mystery.”
Aaron leaned forward. “How’s the boy now?”
Concern flicked in Teagan’s gaze. “He’s alive, but his inner dragon has become unpredictable and he’s under constant watch.”
Quinn chimed in, “That sounds more like the result of a targeted attack than a random teenager having fun with a new toy.”
Teagan nodded. “Aye, although we still haven’t discovered who did it.”
“Send us the information you have and we’ll see about spotting something you missed,” Aaron said.
Teagan leaned back in her chair. “Putting aside the fact you just insulted my clan doctor’s abilities, isn’t your doctor the one who was attacked?”
“She was, but Sid can still take a look. There’s another doctor here, as well,” Aaron answered.
“I’m not sure I want to share this information around. If Clan Northcastle gets wind of this, they might try to seek out the attackers and target Glenlough.”
Clan Northcastle was the dragon-shifter clan in Northern Ireland. Northcastle and Glenlough had a history of being allies for a few decades, becoming enemies, and then allies again. Currently, they were suspicious of each other.
Aaron answered, “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I trust Lochguard. If you need to talk with Finn Stewart to ease your worries, we can arrange it. However, each second that ticks by with the political bullshit is a second lost to finding out what the bloody hell is going on. Our doctor lost her dragon, and if this unknown substance affects inner dragons, waiting could end up making things much worse for her.”
Teagan studied him a second before adding, “You care for your clan’s doctor.”
Aaron growled. “Of course I do. Why is that a surprise? Sid has kept our clan together for nearly half my life.”
His dragon spoke up. There’s no need to attack her. She is doing her job. A clan leader should always be cautious.
And what about Sid? She’s taken care of all of us, and it’s more than time we take care of her.
Teagan’s voice prevented his beast from answering. “I will send the information. However, my stance on keeping your Protector, Brenna, here until I meet with Bram in person won’t change.”
Brenna had accompanied Aaron on a mission to Ireland and remained with Clan Glenlough.
Aaron wanted to say Teagan’s statement was childish, but Quinn beat him to the reply. “Of course. Once we sort out this mess, I’ll personally talk with Bram and try to set up the meeting.”
Teagan nodded. “Good.” She looked to Aaron again. “If you were clan leader, you’d understand the necessity of keeping Brenna here. Try to think things through rather than lash out.”
Before Aaron could do more than open his mouth, the screen went blank.
He growled. “That bloody female lives to put me down.”
“She’s not putting you down so much as trying to point out your lack of patience.” His friend studied Aaron a second before adding, “Although given how much your dragon chimes in whenever she’s near, I think there’s another reason she gets under your skin so easily.”
Aaron stood. “As I’ve said before, I’m not talking about that. Now, let’s make sure that woman sends the information as promised.”
“Suit yourself,” Quinn murmured before exiting the room.
As Aaron followed, his beast poked his head out again. Her pupils flashed too. We need to find a way to see her again in person.
You just want to kiss her.