Max raised his brows. "You know the DDA Director? My, that's quite impressive, Dr. Barnes."
"Kiyana, please."
For a split second, she realized she only offered Kiyana and not Kiki as an option. Alistair always using her full name had made her agree it suited her more as an adult.
Not wanting to think of Alistair and losing focus, she leaned forward and said, "Tell me everything you know, Max. And quickly."
Iris snorted from her spot against the counter, but Kiyana ignored her and listened to everything Max could tell her.
~~~
Finlay Stewart had accomplished quite a bit in the short time he'd been clan leader. From forming alliances with other nearby dragon clans to helping change how the human sacrifice program worked to even supporting his cousin Faye as one of the first female head Protector in recent memory; it'd all been necessary but also had helped make his clan a more stable, welcoming place to live.
Of course, shit kept happening to prevent his clan, or even his family, from taking a breath and enjoying some peace.
Not that it was Alistair's fault by any means. Finn had a
sked for the dragonman's help, and a minor slip up from Alistair's staff had turned him into a vicious, unpredictable problem.
One he would solve, whatever it took.
And not just because at one time, he and Alistair had been best friends. Dr. Kiyana Barnes was trying to move mountains to save a male she barely knew, and Finn didn't want to disappoint her. His clan could use someone like her, and not just because Lochguard had so few humans living on it, either.
His dragon growled, Why haven't you contacted Skyhunter privately about asking the American clans for information yet?
It's been less than twenty-four hours since Alistair's accident. Working with Stonefire and their doctors was more important, as was coordinating with the Protectors to search the area for Alistair.
His dragon snarled. This is a dragonman's life, not some diplomatic act I don't understand. You should ask them and not waste time with fancy video conferences about grander plans. It would take a matter of minutes and could've been done yesterday.
Finn knew his beast functioned differently from his human half and often didn't understand protocols. But sometimes, it made things a lot more difficult than necessary. I already have both the doctors here and on Stonefire analyzing the data and asking any other colleagues they can trust. We can do many things, but we're not doctors or researchers. We have to rely on others to help Alistair. Regardless of what you think, the meeting is happening now, with all the leaders in the UK. It'll save time to coordinate at once. His dragon grunted in defeat, and Finn added, On top of that, we can try to help shape the future at the same time. Kiyana's idea is a good one, if we can convince the others.
His beast fell silent, a sign of tacit agreement.
Which was good, because the faces of the other leaders from Stonefire, Skyhunter, Snowridge, and Northcastle all came onto the screen, one after another in their respective boxes.
It was the first video conference with all the dragon clan leaders in the UK participating at the same time. A few months ago, it would've been unthinkable. And yet, here they all were.
He'd prefer to have Arabella with him. Not just because of the importance of the event but also because she was his partner in all ways. However, he didn't know how everyone would react to including mates for the meeting. He trusted most of the faces on the screen—especially Bram from Stonefire—but he didn't want to rock the boat. Not when he had the biggest fucking favor to ask them.
Bram was the first to speak. "We're all here. Now, tell us why."
Finn silently thanked Bram for jumpstarting the meeting, even though the Stonefire leader already knew most of what the videoconference would be about. He'd held back Kiyana's suggestion for this moment. "First, are all of you sure the lines are secure at your end?" Everyone nodded, and Finn continued, "Is everyone up-to-date with what happened in Wales not long ago?"
His dragon grunted. Stop being so vague.
I won't violate Snowridge or Rhydian's trust.
Rhydian was the Welsh clan leader and the only unmated leader of the bunch. Well, technically the co-leaders from Skyhunter—Honoria and Asher—weren't mated yet, but were definitely a couple.
It was the female from Skyhunter, Honoria, who spoke up. "We're still trying to catch up with everything. I know Dragon Knights kidnapped and drugged some children, and also used them for experiments. On top of that, a joint effort between clans caught the Knights and handed them over to the DDA. But there are a lot of details we don't have since the former leader here didn't share or receive information."
Finn replied, "Aye, well, Marcus King was a bastard. You both understand."
The former Skyhunter leader had tortured his own clan members, executed a few, and had even worked with the former corrupt DDA Director. Overall, Skyhunter had been a right fucking mess for years.
However, Finn and Bram had spent some time with the new leaders recently and were hopeful for Skyhunter's future.
His dragon growled. Just tell them what's going on already. This is just wasting time.