The Dragon's Heart (Lochguard Highland Dragons 3)

From the corner of her eye, she saw Ross trying not to laugh. Clever male. “You heard me. Why you’re hell bent on kicking Ross out on his bum, I’ll never understand.”

“But, Mum, he’s more than capable of taking care of himself,” Fraser added.

“So? It’s only Faye, Ross, and myself here now. I imagine Faye will leave soon, too, and I’d rather not be all by myself in this big house.”

It took everything she had not to look at Ross. She and the human got along well. Maybe too well. Lorna had long ago sworn off taking a new mate. Jamie MacKenzie had been her true mate and love of her life. She had vowed never to betray him by taking a new male.

Her dragon huffed. It’s been nearly thirty years. Not even Jamie would’ve expected us to be alone this long.

Even if that’s true, we’re far too old to start dating now. I don’t know the first thing to do.

I do. We might be older, but we’re not dead. If you’re not going to let me fly anytime I want, then you should find a male. Sex will make us both feel good.

Shush, dragon. A friend is all I want.

Maybe soon you’ll stop lying to yourself. I know your feelings about him. Why deny it?

She did glance at Ross then. When he met her eye and winked, Lorna’s heart skipped a beat. He was attractive, aye, but that wasn’t enough for her. If she ever did find the courage to accept another male, she wanted someone to finish growing old with.

And truth be told, Lorna wasn’t sure if she was ready to open her heart to another male yet, not even one who could make her laugh or find ways to take away her stress.

Her dragon sighed at the back of her mind. Lorna ignored her beast and focused back on Fraser glaring at her.

She was about to shoo Fraser out of her cottage when the front door opened. Fergus’s voiced boomed down the hallway. “Mum? I need you to come with me.”

She looked to Fraser, Ross, and back again. “You two either sort yourselves out or separate. When I get back, I want some peace and quiet. If I don’t find it, then I will use the wooden spoon on both of your bums.”

Without another word, she turned and greeted her other son in the entryway. With the faint sun highlighting his ginger hair and blue eyes, combined with Fergus’s calm expression, the lad was the spitting image of his father.

Not wanting to waste time thinking about her dead mate, Lorna raised her brows. “Well? Where are we going?”

“Just come outside. I don’t want the others to hear.” Fergus raised his voice. “And don’t think of spying on me, Fraser.”

“Who me?” echoed down the hallway.

Shaking his head, Fergus exited the cottage. Lorna yelled behind her as she followed, “I w

ant silence when I return, or I will smack some bums. I don’t give empty threats.”

Not wanting to give Ross and Fraser a chance to argue, she shut the door and turned around. Lorna blinked at the male standing on her doorstep. “Stuart MacKay? Is that you?”

The tall dragonman with blue eyes and hair more gray than black smiled. “Lorna Stewart MacKenzie. It’s been a while.”

She eyed the male she’d known her whole life. “Aye, it has, Stu. But what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with Clan Seahaven.”

Seahaven was a small, exiled clan of dragon-shifters with human mates. While the old leader who had exiled them was long gone, the residents of Seahaven had declined moving back to Lochguard. That had prodded Lochguard to try to form an alliance with them. Her son, Fergus, had been facilitating negotiations for months.

Fergus spoke up. “Stuart is Seahaven’s representative. We’re negotiating a tentative alliance today, but Stuart and his brother, Euan, only agreed to talk if Stuart was allowed to see you during his visit. So, here we are.”

Lorna could tell her son didn’t think much of the request. Fergus loved efficiency, so he’d see Seahaven’s representative chatting with her as nothing more than a waste of time.

Moving her gaze back to Stuart, Lorna eyed the male a year her senior. She hadn’t thought about him in a long while, but at one time, they’d been inseparable.

However, her dragon had had other ideas.

Her beast huffed. Jamie was better.

Since both Fergus and Stuart still stared at her, Lorna decided to be polite before going in for the kill and demanding more answers.