Freya yawned and curled into a ball on Arabella's lap.
Well, she attempted to curl into a ball. Arabella's lap wasn't quite big enough, and it was more like she leaned against her chest and spilled onto her lap.
Finn appeared right behind Layl
a. "Aye, I'll give it a try once she wakes up. She deserves a wee nap after her recent adventure."
With a nod, Layla left them alone.
Her mate came to stand at her side and gently scratched Freya's ears. "She hasn't been acting rogue yet, Ara. Everything might work out."
Glancing up at her mate, she asked, "How much did you hear?"
"All of it." Putting an arm around Arabella's shoulder, she leaned against him. He continued, "And I agree that we should give Freya a chance. She's intelligent for her age and just wants to play. Considering she can't even roll over yet in her human form, I can't blame her."
They both watched their little girl sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath. She was safe for the moment, and that was all that mattered.
Deciding to lighten the mood and lower her blood pressure, Arabella murmured, "Figures she'd be a gold dragon and not purple."
"Aye, well, gold dragons have a sparkle about them after all. The lads might take after their old dad as well."
"I'd like to think that they'll be purple like me," Arabella replied. "I know it's rare for male dragons to be purple, but that would make them that much more special."
Finn chuckled. "Our sons, the next generation of dragon models."
She snorted. "Let's hope not. Male egos are big enough. If everyone fawns over them from a young age? They'll become unbearable."
Finn hugged her against him. "Between you, Faye, and Aunt Lorna, I don't think we'll have to worry about that. Besides, Holly and Fraser's twin females could do with a set of rivals. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Dec and Gray being purple."
"The clan will most likely think you and your cousins are trying to take over the world, especially with two sets of rarities in one generation. I'm sure tales will be sung about it one day."
"Aye, I rather like the sound of that." She rolled her eyes and Finn laughed. "It's all hypothetical, love. Our sons could be polka dot for all I care, as long as we're together."
Maybe when her children were older, she could play a prank on Finn. Putting washable paint on their dragon hides and watching Finn wonder if they had some new disease might be fun.
Her dragon chuckled. You're becoming a bit devious.
I like to think of it as keeping Finn on his toes.
Her beast laughed as she curled up at the back of her mind.
Arabella enjoyed a moment of peace, leaning against her mate and cuddling her daughter. They might have some tough decisions to make soon enough, but they could wait a little while longer.
Chapter Eleven
George MacLeod sat on his bed and resisted rubbing the stubs of his legs.
With all the running and shouting, he knew something wasn't right. Part of him wanted to go check on Arabella to make sure everything was okay.
But then he remembered how he'd abandoned her and Tristan, so he stayed put. His daughter now had a mate to protect her. George's window for redemption was gone.
After years of suppressing his inner dragon, the beast rarely spoke up. However, he sat at the back of George's mind and grunted.
Not dignifying his dragon with a response, George ran a hand down his face and glanced at his prosthetics and debated putting them on. With all the commotion, it would be easy enough to slip away. That would give Arabella one less thing to worry about.
A knock on the door made him jump. Tristan's voice came through the door. "I hear you in there. I'm coming in."
His son entered and shut the door behind him. Crossing his arms, Tristan studied him.