“There’s no threat,” Arabella murmured.
“Then stop stalling and tell me. I have a feeling you don’t want to appear weak in front of Lochguard. I understand that. But I’ve seen you at your lowest, Ara, and I’ve seen you at your strongest. There’s little you can say that will surprise me.”
Taking a deep inhalation, Arabella finally answered, “I don’t think I can handle three babies. When Finn’s here, I can borrow his strength. But when he’s gone, I just can’t. And I know he’s clan leader and I don’t want him to put Lochguard at risk. But I need him or I’m going to fail.”
Sid took Arabella’s shoulders and forced the woman back to meet her eye. “You’re not going to fail, Ara. You have family in two clans now who can help. No one would begrudge a mother of triplets asking for help.”
“But that means I can’t handle my own children. I don’t want to become ‘poor Arabella’ again.”
Sid had known Arabella her whole life and had been one of the few who’d talked to the female after her torture. Arabella had come so far and she wasn’t about to allow her to regress. “That’s it, we’re calling Finn.”
“No—”
“I know he’s busy, but if he knew I’d seen you like this and I didn’t tell him, he’d never allow me back.” Sid put out her hand. “Give me your mobile. I want to talk to him first.”
Arabella hesitated a second before complying. Sid dialed Finn’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Arabella? What’s wrong, love?”
“Finn, this is Sid.”
Finn jumped in before she could say more. “Is Ara okay? Did something happen to the bairns?”
“The babies are fine. But you need to talk to Arabella and it can’t wait.”
“Then put her on,” Finn ordered.
Sid held out the phone and whispered to Arabella, “Talk to him. Finn may be busy, but he’ll always have time for you.”
Arabella gingerly took the phone. Taking a deep breath, Arabella’s voice cracked when she said, “Finn.”
Wanting to give Arabella privacy, Sid stepped outside the tent and stood guard. Her lunch could wait. Arabella needed her.
Yet as her eyes scanned the room, her gaze fell on t
he back section. Gregor stepped out of the partition, fully dressed in scrubs and a white coat. She should yell at him to rest, but Sid understood his need to help the clan. All good doctors made the clan their first priority.
His eyes met hers and a spark traveled down her spine. For the first time in a long time, she wondered what it would be like to lean on someone else when things turned difficult.
But Gregor looked away and rushed toward the opposite end of the tent, away from her, reminding her of her silly fantasies. Sid was half a woman without her dragon. While she was stable for the present, she might not be so in the future. She needed to focus on helping others while she still could. There was nothing to be done about helping herself.
Her dragon half would never return.
Chapter Twenty-One
Two days later, Gina stepped into the fresh air for the first time in days and cuddled her baby against her chest.
Parts of the warehouse lay in rubble, whereas one section had miraculously survived. It only made Gina wonder what the rest of Lochguard looked like.
Fergus squeezed her shoulders. “Come, lass. Let’s take wee Jamie home.”
Gina tore her gaze away from the wreckage and whispered to her son, “Let’s not make your daddy worry too much. Come on.”
Fergus grunted. “It’s bloody freezing out here. The lad doesn’t need to catch a cold.”
They started walking. “He’ll be fine. I swear you wrapped him in five blankets. Besides, I could do with a little Vitamin D from the sun.”
It was a rare clear, sunny day. “The lad is half dragon-shifter. He doesn’t need it. And you can take some vitamins.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “Your mom was right—you’re going to drive me crazy.”