His dragon spoke up again. By spending time with Faye, you can grovel and convince her to kiss us.
I’m not going to grovel, dragon. Besides, I plan to work. It’s not often I get clearance to roam Scotland without the DDA watching my every move. I’m going to locate my uncle and the rest of the traitors before we come back to Lochguard, even if it kills me.
His beast fell silent, and that worried him since his dragon always wanted the last word.
Grant would just have to be extra careful around Faye. After all, she would be sharing a room with Cat, and Grant would have his own. Without her scent or tantalizing eyes beckoning him to claim her, he could focus on what was important—protecting the clan.
Chapter Four
A few days later, Faye paced the length of Cat’s bedroom and back again. Her friend’s voice filled the room. “If you don’t calm down, Grant’s going to know something’s wrong.”
She spun around to face Cat. “Nothing is wrong. I just can’t fucking believe he’s going to babysit me.”
Cat tilted her head. “Didn’t he say he wasn’t? Something about looking for someone whilst we’re touring Scotland?”
She waved a hand through the air. “That’s his cover. No doubt his dragon doesn’t want me out of their sight. They both probably think I’ll get myself killed within hours of stepping outside of Lochguard.”
Cat rolled her eyes. “You can stop with the exaggerations. My youngest brother, Jamie, is overly dramatic all the time. It never accomplishes anything with me, let alone our mum.”
Faye growled. “I’m not being dramatic. I was once head Protector and now I can’t do anything without a babysitter.”
Zipping up her luggage, Cat moved to stand in front of her. “Then just do your bloody best and forget about what Grant thinks. You’re letting him get into your head, Faye. Don’t chance throwing away your future to impress a lad who hurt you not once, but twice.”
“I’m not trying to impress him.”
Cat raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
Her dragon huffed. You always are.
Shut it, dragon.
She searched her friend’s eyes. “When did you become so observant? As I recall, you only ever were that way when you were drawing or painting. Then you would spot the tiniest details.”
“You may have two brothers and a nosy cousin, but I have four siblings. Four. Mum was always busy with the restaurant, and I was stuck raising the wee rascals. For better or worse, I grew up quicker than most. If I didn’t notice what the de
vils were doing, they would’ve burned the house down or in the case of Ian and Emma, they would’ve hacked some government agency.” Faye opened her mouth to apologize for being an arse, but Cat beat her to it. “Now, how about we head to the landing area and say our goodbyes? Between my family and yours, it’s going to take a while.”
“Just make sure Connor doesn’t come talk to me or my mum will get ideas. She remembers everything.”
“Well, you two did kiss once upon a time….”
“I was ten and he nine, and it was a dare.”
“Maybe you should go after a younger male again and see how that goes,” Cat answered, her eyes twinkling.
Faye stuck out her tongue. “Try it yourself. After all, your mum moans about never having any grandkids.”
Cat shook her head. “Believe me, I know. She goes on about having two kids by my age. But finding a mate and having a child would put my art to the side. Doing that would rip my heart in two; I can’t imagine not having a chance to paint every day or the option to spend an hour capturing the best shot with my camera.”
Faye patted Cat’s arm. “Oh, aye, I understand. That’s why I’m going to do the best job I can on this assignment and prove I’m ready to protect Lochguard once more. Grant won’t have a choice but to give me decent assignments again.”
“Just be careful because if he kisses you, you may end up with a child even if you don’t want one. You’re clever enough to suspect what I do—that he’s your true mate.”
“True mate or not, if there’s one male I can resist, it’s Grant McFarland.”
Cat studied her a second before saying, “Let’s hope so.” Faye wanted to put up a better defense, but Cat didn’t let her get a word in. “We’d better go or our mums will hunt us down.”
Faye snorted. “Unless your grandpa causes havoc in the interim.”