Changing course, he reached the entrance to the smaller living area and asked, “Who’s your friend, Faye?”
Even though he directed his question to Faye, Grant never took his eyes off the male.
His dragon grunted. I don’t like how he was smiling at Faye. We need to watch him closely.
The stranger answered before Faye could. “I’m Adrian Conroy of Northcastle. You’re Scottish, too, so you must be from Lochguard.” Adrian looked to Faye. “I now see why you resisted my offer.”
“What offer?” Grant bit out.
Faye narrowed her eyes a second before returning them to normal, conveying that she wanted him to calm down.
Adrian spoke again. “Why, the one where I invited her to my room.”
Grant clenched his fist and counted to five. He couldn’t afford to punch the Northern Irish bastard and possibly start a feud between the clans.
Faye stood between them. “I don’t know what you think you know, Adrian, but Grant is merely my boss.” She met his eyes again. “Nothing more.”
Her words stung, but given how he’d treated her, Grant couldn’t blame her.
He finally tore his gaze away from Faye and moved until he could look into Adrian’s eyes again. “Our personal relations shouldn’t matter. As long as you stay out of our way and don’t endanger our clan member, we should get along fine.”
Adrian raised his brows. “I’m not sure I need your reassurance or permission.”
“Maybe not, but I heard about the growing number of dragon hunters gathering near Belfast. You may need our help sooner than you think.”
“We can handle them. Dragon hunters are nothing more than minor pests,” Adrian answered.
“Not accepting help will lead to your downfall, Conroy
,” Grant stated.
Adrian took a step toward Grant, but Faye moved a little closer to stand between them and said, “How about we tone it down, lads. You’re both strong, capable Protectors or you wouldn’t be here. If whipping out your penises and comparing them is what it takes to end the bickering, I’ll avert my eyes to allow you the pleasure.”
Adrian winked. “Looking away isn’t what I want, though.”
Grant growled, but before he could move closer to Adrian, Faye raised a hand to signal him to stop. Looking him dead in the eye, she murmured, “Enough. I need you to scout the area. Go.”
His dragon snarled. We shouldn’t leave her with him.
We have no claim on her yet.
So you’re just going to hand her over on a silver platter?
No, I’m going to do my job and trust Faye. It’s time for me to be the rational one again, or you’re going to fuck up any chance we have with her.
Before his dragon could reply, Grant constructed a mental maze and tossed his beast inside.
He nodded at Faye. “I’ll go and send you a text when I’m done.”
The irritation faded from her eyes. “I’ll be waiting.”
He wished she meant waiting for him, but it was a good start. Grant needed to show Faye he believed in her. Seeing her interact with another strong male made him realize that if he kept pushing her away, he might do so for good.
Forcing his gaze away from Faye, he looked to Adrian. “I hope to chat with you again later. There’s much we can learn from each other.”
Adrian raised a hand in parting. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“Faye can take care of herself,” Grant stated.