She frowned. “The bastard could’ve told me.”
Lachlan cleared his throat. “We were trying to do it in secret. The DDA is already nervous about having eight dragon-shifter Protectors traveling the length and breadth of Scotland. Adding a ninth might stir up protest. I’ve been assured of your clan member’s discretion.”
Faye opened her mouth to reply, but Grant’s voice filled the hallway. “Aye, Iris can hold her tongue.”
Faye whipped around and Iris raised a hand in greeting. Faye nodded in return before taking Grant’s arm and guiding him to the side. She whispered, “You could’ve told me what you were up to.”
“Why? Were you worried about me?”
At the smugness in his tone, Faye raised her chin. “No. But others were looking for you. The last thing we need to do is create a panic, especially after Max’s disappearance last night.”
“Calm down, lass. You were dead asleep when I checked into your room.”
“Don’t tell me that you picked my lock.”
He shrugged. “I wanted to make sure you were fine. That was a lot of flying yesterday.”
It was on the tip of Faye’s tongue to deny the aches in her body, but decided truthfulness might help her in the long run. “Aye, but it was a great chance to build up muscle. By the end of this tour, you might just allow me to fight again.”
“Maybe.” He turned toward Lachlan and Iris and raised his voice. “Iris, this is Lachlan MacKintosh. He can show you to Max’s room.”
Grant and Lachlan must’ve discussed the arrangement the night before because the DDA employee left without another word.
“Why Iris?” she asked.
“She already knows him and has an idea of what to expect. Besides, if he runs off, Iris can find him without batting an eyelash.”
Even Faye was envious of Iris’s tracking skills. “Yes, but what did she demand in return? Watching over Max can’t be high on her list of love-to-do activities.”
“She wanted to invite dragon-shifters from friendly countries to participate in a tracking competition.”
“And Finn agreed to this?”
“Aye, although I’m not sure he’ll remember. The best time to extract a promise out of Finlay Stewart is when he’s just woken up and will agree to almost anything if you’re not a stranger.”
She would say it was evil, but Faye had done it herself a few times in the past. After all, Finn had moved in with her family when he was sixteen, the day after his parents were murdered. Growing up together had given Faye time to learn the current clan leader’s quirks, much to his chagrin.
Grant placed a hand on her lower back and Faye barely prevented herself from sucking in a breath. Somehow the platonic touch of a friend had morphed into a tingly heat that made her lose her mind.
Her beast chimed in. Ignore it and find the other dragonmen.
Glancing up, Faye’s heart rate ticked up at the liquid heat in Grant’s gaze. If he leaned down to kiss her, Faye didn’t think she’d push him away.
~~~
Grant hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. If he were in his right mind, he should eat a quick bacon butty and head off to bed.
Yet all he had thought about during his flight from Lochguard to Inverness in the wee hours of the morning was how much he wanted to see Faye. Not just to talk about strategies with regards to Max’s mention of artifact thieves, but to see her smile. After a long night, he could use some of Faye’s enthusiasm to get through the day. Forget caffeine; Faye was fast becoming his drug of choice.
His dragon spoke up. I know the real reason. Nothing would energize us more than to strip her naked and come inside her.
Your logic i
s fuzzy this morning, dragon. Frenzies last at least a week.
Yes, but frenzies always give us extra energy.
But only for sex.