Her beast fell silent, and Faye fought the urge to bang her head against a wall. She wondered how dragons ever survived finding their true mate, let alone living with them. Her dragon would probably always try to protect her.
Not that it should surprise her. She was the youngest and her entire family was overprotective. Her dragon had probably just followed their example.
Faye picked up her pace. She could debate her future and dealing with her beast later. She needed to reach Inverness Castle quickly. She wasn’t about to fail this assignment. Aye, she wanted to prove to Grant she could handle important clan business. But she also needed to do it for herself. Faye missed being in charge of the Protectors on Lochguard and making delicate decisions. She might never regain her former job, but she was starting to think she could share it with Grant.
That was a future she wouldn’t mind. Grant as both her lover and her work partner.
But she was getting ahead of herself. First things first, she needed to get Michael McFarland to talk.
~~~
A short time later, Faye stood outside Michael McFarland’s cell and stared at the male.
While he looked like an older version of Grant with the same dark hair—albeit a bit gray—and the same brown eyes, all Faye wanted to do was punch the dragonman for abandoning his clan and family.
Faye’s father had been stolen from her, but Michael had chosen to leave. To her, his act was the worst type of betrayal.
Her beast growled. If we hit him once where no one can see, it won’t cause any problems.
As tempting as it is, no. I don’t want to face the DDA’s wrath. Besides, Grant’s counting on us.
Hmph. Grant would approve of my plan.
Before Faye could respond, one of the guards returned from upstairs and said, “You’ve been granted clearance for fifteen minutes. After that, I will escort you out.”
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Faye merely nodded. The guard signaled one of the others, and the other man unlocked the cell.
Faye entered the small space and the door clicked closed behind her. As the lock turned over, she checked for anything Michael could use to overpower her. However, the cell contained a single bed, toilet, and sink. Beyond the blanket on the bed and toilet paper on the ground, there were only the chains around Michael’s wrist and ankles.
Satisfied the cell was secure, she asked, “Care to tell me why you left Lochguard?”
A small frown appeared between Michael’s brows. “That’s your first question?”
“Just tell me the reason. I want to know.”
He studied her. “I’m not going to talk, lass. You’re wasting your time.”
She took a step closer. “Is that so? Then maybe I should go and leave your fate to the DDA.” She glanced over her shoulder. “What was it you lads were talking about doing? Oh, that’s right. Keeping his inner dragon drugged silent for the rest of his life.”
“You’re lying. The DDA wouldn’t violate its agreements.”
“Ah, but you’re wrong. The agreements are between the British government and the five dragon clans in the UK. Since you don’t belong to any of the five clans, they have no established agreement with you. They are free to treat you as rogue dragons. I’m sure you know what that means.”
Rogue dragons could be executed on sight, if deemed a threat.
Since Grant’s father had never been a Protector, he didn’t possess the training to keep the concern from showing in his eyes. “I still call your bluff, MacKenzie. Your entire family is good at embellishing. This is no different.”
“What you call ‘embellishment’ I call having fun. But I can assure you, I’m not making this up. In fact, the DDA’s solicitor should be here at any moment to reinforce my claim.”
As they stared at one another, Faye debated her next move. She wasn’t lying about the DDA’s lawyer arriving soon. Still, the more information she could obtain before the official arrived, the better.
She continued. “I’m sure you know about the rogue American dragons and their attack on Lochguard this past winter. I believe they were working with you lot, aye?” Michael remained silent. Grant’s Uncle Roderick, the former Protector, must be training his followers up to a point. “All I have to do is show your picture to the DDA’s prisoners from that little incident. They’ll confirm my suspicions, and you’ll be locked away for the rest of your life. However, if you talk before I do that, you might receive a reduced sentence.”
She hated the offer considering what the man had done to Grant and his family, but keeping Lochguard safe was a higher priority than punishing one male for being a horrible father and mate.
“I still say you’re bluffing,” Michael answered. “Maybe once the solicitor arrives and can offer me a deal, I might talk. Until then, you may as well leave. I’m not going to tell you anything.”
Faye suspected the male was telling the truth. But there was one last thing she needed to find out. She stated, “You broke your ex-mate’s heart when you left. Did you know that?”