The Dragon Warrior (Lochguard Highland Dragons 4)

Her dragon’s voice was strong yet gentle as she said, Grant will wake up.

You’re fairly certain, especially for a male you don’t completely like yet.

We could do worse.

Is that your way of saying you approve of him now?

Perhaps. If he set off the bomb himself because of impatience, my opinion will lower again.

And if it went off by itself?

That depends. If he is raring to join the Protectors again, then maybe we should kiss him when he wakes up. A male willing to do whatever it takes to protect the clan, even after nearly dying, is one I can admire.

In agreement with her dragon, Faye asked what she could do to help. As she set about recording data, she willed Grant to be okay. Because if he decided to be stubborn and not wake up, she might just have to kick him and see what happened.

Chapter Nineteen

The next day, Faye sat in Grant’s hospital room and tried to focus on the data on her tablet. Alistair and his team had been thorough and while the results were still preliminary, the main components inside the tent she’d seen had indeed been for making explosives.

However, there were still a few unidentified elements that not even Alistair could pinpoint. Finn had reached out to Bram for help, and after some negotiating, had come to an agreement. Dr. Lewis and Dr. Davies from Stonefire would be arriving shortly to help Alistair with his work.

Her dragon spoke up. They will handle it. We don’t know much about that kind of work and would only get in the way.

I know, but I wish I could help. A face-to-face battle is much more my style. I know how to approach it.

We have our own battle here. Grant needs us.

Peeking a glance at Grant, Faye resisted the urge to climb into his bed and snuggle against his side. Layla was still concerned about his back, even if it wasn’t broken. Until Grant woke up and Layla could better assess the damage, everyone had to be careful not to jostle him.

Being delicate around Grant wasn’t going to be easy, but if she didn’t follow Layla’s orders, there would be hell to pay. Faye would never be able to concentrate on the investigation into the incident if the doctor banned her from Grant’s room.

What she needed was a distraction.

Faye was about to pull up Brodie’s notes from his interrogation with the three men who had turned out to be Dragon Knights when her mother, Lorna MacKenzie, strode into the room. Before Faye could do more than open her mouth, her mum said, “I know you have important work to do. But even Finn manages to take a few minutes for his family when needed. And right now, it’s needed. How are you holding up?”

She wanted to make a sarcastic quip but had long ago learned what battles to fight with her mother. Instead, Faye sighed. “All right, I guess. Sitting still isn’t my strong point, but I’m trying. It’d be easier if I had more information to keep my mind occupied.”

“You’ve done all you can for the moment with regards to the clan. How are you holding up with regards to Grant?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

Lorna raised her brows. “I gave you space after your accident, but I won’t do it again with this.” She motioned toward Grant. “The male you fancied, then hated, and recently came to care for is unconscious with an injury that could put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. You are hurting, don’t deny it. What you need to do is let it out and allow your mum in. You’ll be able to concentrate better after you do.”

“Mum.”

“Aye, that’s me. But while you remember that fact, you might not remember that I was in a similar place to you once. Only in that instance, your father was dead. I originally tried to keep everything bottled up inside to care for my children, but it nearly tore me in two. If not for Meg Boyd’s kindness and willingness to listen, I would be a different dragonwoman today. Mind you, if you ever tell her that I said that, I’ll pretend you’re not my daughter.”

Faye and her mother had rarely spoken of her father in the past. Her mum was giving her the option to brush aside the sadness with humor, but for once, Faye wanted to have a serious conversation with Lorna MacKenzie.

Putting down her tablet, Faye leaned forward. “I wish it was as easy to define Grant and me, but I don’t know what we are right now. Especially since we don’t know the extent of his injury. Grant’s a stubborn devil and if he can’t be a Protector, he might try to push me away.”

“And how did that work for you when you tried the same thing with him?”

She looked to Grant’s face. “I eventually gave in and allowed him to help me with my recovery.”

“Aye, so unless you’re saying the McFarlands are more stubborn than the MacKenzies, which is poppycock, then you know what you need to do. If you want him, fight for him. It’s that simple. As I learned with your father, you never know how long you have with someone. They could be taken from you tomorrow.”

Faye could make up a hundred different excuses as to why she should wait until Grant woke up, until the clan was safe, or until she was comfortable with the idea of becoming a mum. It would be easy to brush everything off and avoid answering her mother’s question. After all, the MacKenzies were all hardheaded and if Faye put her mind to it, she could be more tenacious than her mother.