Holly laughed. “Right, then. Put the kettle on and let’s warm everyone up before we have to trek to the ruins of the great hall.”
At the mention of the great hall, everyone suddenly kicked into gear. Holly went to change Jamie and Fraser saw to the tea.
Fergus walked up to her and engulfed her in his arms. His voice was barely audible when he murmured, “Sorry about my brother moving next door unannounced. I hope it’s okay.”
Pulling back to meet his eyes, she cupped his cheek. “It’s fine. You may deny it, but you love him. Besides, after spending months by myself in that cottage along Loch Shin, it’s nice to be surrounded by people I care for.”
Fergus traced her cheek with his finger. “And if I have any say in the matter, it’s going to stay that way.”
Wanting to treasure what little precious time she had with Fergus, Gina laid her head against his chest and listened to the thump of his heart. She’d found a man she loved and trusted with her whole heart.
She couldn’t imagine a life without him.
Jamie’s cry pierced the air and Fergus released his hold. “I’ll check on him. You sit down.”
Without another word, her dragonman rushed to their crying son. Sitting down, she memorized every detail—from Fergus’s broad back to his soft baby voice to Jamie grabbing onto his finger.
In an hour, she would know the fate of her future.
~~~
Fergus stood near the front of the crowd with Gina under his arm, holding their son. Fraser and Holly were on their right side. His mum, Ross, and Faye on the other side.
All of the healthy members of the clan stood outside the ruins of the great hall. Not even the cold January air would keep them away.
A makeshift dais sat in front of the crowd. All they needed were Finn and Arabella.
Fergus had been trying all day to contact his cousin, but his calls kept going to voice mail. Since Finn wasn’t a coward, Fergus assumed Finn’s news wouldn’t be too bad.
Or, so he hoped.
His dragon huffed. Of course Finn will help us. Even if he lies to the DDA, he won’t force us away.
You say that, but the leadership contest for the head of the DDA is nearly over. If Jonathan Christie wins, he won’t think twice about punishing clans who disobey the rules.
His beast swished his tail. Rosalind Abbott is the more reasonable and experienced one. She will win.
So you keep saying.
For once, push aside your need for hard data and just believe.
Fergus desperately wanted to do so, but it went against his nature. We’ll find out soon enough.
Before his dragon could argue further, Finn and Arabella walked out, hand in hand. Whatever had been troubling Arabella must’ve passed; the female smiled and looked happier than he’d seen in a while.
The pair stopped in the middle of the dais. Finn raised his hand and the gathering fell silent. With a nod, Finn’s voice boomed. “Thanks for coming. I don’t want to keep you long, so I’ll jump straight to the point.
“More changes are coming to Lochguard.” The crowd murmured and Finn raised his hand again. When the noise died down, he continued, “Several months ago, we agreed to a researcher coming to stay with us for six months. That will still happen, although her arrival has been delayed. The reason is because in addition to the human coming to study us, she will accompany a group of potential sacrifices.”
Someone shouted, “Why?”
Finn didn’t miss a beat. “Because Lochguard is going to be the trial clan for a new sacrifice practice. Several females will visit the clan and interact with the single males. Our hope is that pairings will occur more naturally and leave less room for unhappiness or disaster. It will be beneficial to both parties. And if the pair like each other enough, they might even stay together.”
Fergus glanced over at his twin and they exchanged looks. No doubt, the creation of the new practice had been influenced by the trouble with Fergus and Fraser over Holly.
Even so, Fergus thought it was a good idea. Forcing two people together had been necessary when the humans had feared the dragon clans. In the Highlands, at least, the humans weren’t as fearful. The practice would be similar to what the clans had done in the past.
Finn’s voice boomed out again. “To help encourage a broader pool of candidates, we will also implement the old practice of Guardians. Either a human relative of the sacrifice or a volunteer from our Protectors will watch over the sacrifice for a year, to ensure her best interests are at heart. If something vindictive happens to the sacrifice from within the clan, the Guardian will be punished. And if the sacrifice is caught breaking the law, she will also be dealt with by the DDA.”