Lorna had no idea if Fergus had heard her conversation with Stuart or not, but her son never turned around to interject. Unlike Fraser, Fergus knew how to hold his tongue. Well, unless his mate or family’s lives were at stake. Then all bets were off.
The lad was more like his father than he’d ever know.
They arrived at one of the entrances to the Protectors’ central command. Unless she wanted gossip to spread like wildfire and reach Meg Boyd’s—her friend but also rival’s—ears, it looked like Lorna would have to continue her conversation with Stuart later.
Her dragon spoke up. It also gives me time to change your mind.
Who says I’ve made up my mind?
Interesting. You’ve sworn off males and love for nearly thirty years. Maybe Stu is what you were waiting for? The human would bring risk, but a dragon-shifter would be safe.
At one time, Lorna might’ve thought that about Stuart MacKay. When she’d kissed Jamie MacKenzie and fallen into the mate-claim frenzy, she’d cared about him but hadn’t yet loved him. It hadn’t taken long for her auburn-haired dragonman to win her heart, but for a brief amount of time, she hadn’t ruled out going back to Stuart if Jamie didn’t work out. All dragon-shifters had the right to refuse their true mate if they didn’t fit well. While fate usually did a bang up job, there were always cases when it didn’t work out. Some clans might force it, but in recent history, Lochguard hadn’t been one of them and still wasn’t.
Yet, as she looked at Stuart from the corner of her eye, Lorna had to admit he’d aged well. The laugh lines around his mouth and crinkles at the corner of his eyes only added to his appeal.
Of course, Ross had a dimple in one of his cheeks when he smiled. And his brown eyes were more like whiskey than chocolate.
Her dragon huffed. Then go after Ross. He wants us.
What are you talking about? Ross has never once moved to woo me. Every time I thought he’d kiss me, he backed off. We get along. That’s it.
For such a clever female, you’re missing something.
She mentally rolled her eyes. And what’s that, you oh-so-clever beast?
Until a few weeks ago, Ross didn’t know if he had a future. Now that he’s cancer-free, he does. You saw the look in his eyes earlier when you didn’t order him out. He fancies us.
Lorna nearly missed her step and her dragon laughed before adding, You know it’s true. The question now is, do you want Ross or Stu?
She dismissed the choice as ridiculous since Lorna didn’t need a male in her life to complicate things when they reached the meeting room. She forced herself to pay attention to her son and the current negotiations. Her silly male problems could wait.
Her dragon merely sat at the back of her mind with a smug expression.
Lorna would deal with that headache later.
Once Fergus shut the door to the private conference room, they all sat down around the table before he spoke up. “Right, then. Let’s go over the points of our latest agreement and see if we can’t get it signed.”
As Lorna watched her son and her former lover discuss an alliance, she wondered what she’d do if her dragon was correct about Ross and Stuart. For the most part, the males on Lochguard knew she wasn’t interested. But Ross, and even Stuart, didn’t fit those parameters.
The real question was whether she wanted a new mate or not.
Lorna knew the answer but was afraid to admit it. While Jamie taking her away from Stuart had been bad enough, Lorna now had her children and nephew to worry about. They were all grown and protective of her. It was sweet, considering Lorna could take care of herself. But it was only a matter of time before their protective Stewart and MacKenzie genes kicked into overdrive. The last thing Lochguard needed was drama, let alone dragons challenging each other in the sky. Fergus might restrain himself, but Fraser and Faye most definitely would not.
Her dragon chuckled. Then you are going to pick one. I can’t wait.
Lorna resisted a sigh. She might have a few battles coming to her. The question was whether she looked forward to it or dreaded it.
Or, was it a bit of both?
~~~
Later in the day, as the sun moved lower in the sky, Ross picked up a twig from the ground and twirled it in his fingers. He hoped Lorna would come.
He’d left a note for her to meet him in one of the hidden clearings toward the back of the clan. Ross had spent every afternoon walking around Lochguard as part of his recovery and had stumbled upon the clearing by mistake.
It was a wide-open space, with trees ringing the edge. If ever there was a place he could convince Lorna to shift for him and only him, it was here.
He only hoped he wasn’t being daft, especially since the air was still chilly in early April and his joints didn’t tolerate the cold as they once had. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t raining, or he would have to postpone, which he wanted to avoid at all cost. He’d made his decision, and Ross intended to see his plan through.