Chapter One
Dr. Layla MacFie did her best to focus on the mountain of paperwork on her desk as she waited for midnight to arrive.
Not because she liked to work late, but rather tonight was the night Chase McFarland would stop by to help set up some secret security cameras.
Her dragon spoke up. I say use the time to change clothes and fix our hair.
You might want to draw Chase's eye and entice him to kiss us, but not me. The lab coat, shirt, and trousers are fine.
Her inner beast huffed. You may try to fool everyone else, but you can't fool me. We share the same dreams. Like this one.
Her dragon flashed images inside their brain of Chase pinning their hands above their head as he thrust deep inside her, making her moan as their bodies gleamed lightly with sweat, each of them crying out as they orgasmed at the same time.
Layla tossed aside her pen and growled. Stop it. Chase is doing us a favor, nothing more. And no matter how many times you try to change my mind about resisting him, it won't work.
Which makes you an idiot, and that's saying something since you can be brilliant most of the time.
Her brows furrowed as she debated tossing her dragon inside a mental prison. Part of her dragon's behavior was Layla's fault. After all, dragons needed sex on a semi-regular basis, and it had been years since Layla had slept with any male. Mostly because of the sudden onslaught of responsibilities when she'd been promoted to Lochguard's head doctor, and she'd simply been too tired to smile or try to charm some male into bed.
But her dragon wasn't completely innocent, either. The bloody beast seemed focused on a male they shouldn't have. Not just because he was so much younger than them, which usually meant he'd be more likely to flee when things turned difficult, but also because Layla had to find her partners outside the clan, if possible. As the clan's head doctor, she needed to keep close yet distant relations with everyone. That made it easier if she had to cut them open for surgery, or if she needed to make split-second decisions when faced with a life or death situation.
Her dragon chimed in again. Maybe there's a reason Chase has fancied us for so long. If he's our true mate, then is that something you want to pass up?
She blinked. It's almost unheard of for an older female to be the true mate of a much younger male. You know the instinct exists for one thing—to keep the species alive. Even if I were open to having a child—which my schedule most certainly doesn't allow—there is a much greater risk because of my age.
We're thirty-five, not fifty. It's young enough.
She rubbed her forehead. Did you miss the point where I said I don't want a child? There's no other doctor experienced enough to take care of Lochguard in my absence. And there would need to be someone here to help for any pregnancy I had, not to mention the ensuing recovery.
Gregor would come back to help us if we asked.
Gregor Innes had previously been Lochguard's head doctor. Then he'd
found his true mate in a dragon-shifter doctor from Clan Stonefire, in the South of England, and now lived there with his mate and newborn son. Layla had been—and still was—happy for her former boss. But him leaving had also left her extremely shorthanded, especially with all the pregnant mates and new bairns born in the last year or two.
She replied to her beast, No, we can't ask him to come back. Gregor has enough to worry about, and taking a male away from his family for any period of time would be a disaster. And that's not a risk I'm willing to take.
So instead, you'd rather just be alone, isolated, and live life as a robot?
Now, wait a minute, dragon, that's unfair. You try to deny it, but we both love helping others. A robot wouldn't care one way or the other.
Before her beast could respond, a familiar male voice filled her office. "You're frowning quite hard, lass. And since I'm a few minutes early, it can't be about me."
Layla lifted her head and met Chase's dark brown gaze.
The slight upturn of his lips and the intensity of his stare sent a rush of heat through her body, as well as a wee bit of longing.
What she wouldn't give to have a partner in all ways, one whom she could share everything with. She loved her dragon, but the inner half was part of her and couldn't help her with most things. It wasn't the same as a mate.
No. Layla couldn't take a mate. It was her duty to take care of the clan.
Clearing her throat, she stood. Careful to keep the desk between them, she said, "I'm worried about the ever-growing list of stolen medical supplies, that's all."
He raised a light brown eyebrow, which was several shades darker than his blond hair. "You've never been a good liar, Layla."
Silently cursing her inability to deceive, she stood taller. "Not all of us were hooligans in our youth, Chase."
He grinned unabashedly. Layla tried her best to ignore his dimples as he said, "It was more fun that way. The old clan leader was quite strict, aye? And while my mum and brother were too good to annoy him, someone had to."
She snorted. "You were just trying to imitate Finn."
Finn Stewart was Lochguard's current clan leader and one of Layla's greatest allies. However, he'd been quite the troublemaker when he'd been younger. He still could be, but his mate and clan responsibilities had tamed him down considerably.
Chase shrugged. "No one could match his penchant for trouble, but I like to think I came close. Not to mention, I got to see more humans than most during my secret trips to Inverness, and that required its own sort of skill, to sneak out unnoticed."
Shaking her head, she leaned against her desk a fraction. "I wouldn't call them secret, let alone unnoticed. Your poor mother had to send out a search party once, when you gave no notice and didn't return in the morning."
His expression instantly turned solemn. "I do regret that, aye."
Layla had always had an instinct that allowed her to sense when people were holding back information. It was one of the many reasons she was a good dragon-shifter doctor.
And her internal alarm was ringing quite loudly inside her head.
Her beast spoke up. Don't bring up his mother and her bastard ex-mate. That would ruin any chance we have of getting him naked.
Chase's mother had barely been able to leave her cottage when her mate abandoned her a couple years ago. No matter what they'd tried, she'd kept to herself. Both Layla and her former boss had suspected Gillian might die of heartbreak. However, Gillian McFarland had somehow managed to weather being abandoned by the male she loved, probably in large part due to her two sons spending time with her whenever they could.
Given how her sons were the reason she'd probably stayed on Lochguard when Finn had given his ultimatum—accept his leadership position and decision to build relationships with humans or fend for themselves—it made sense that they'd been able to bring her back to the land of the living bit by bit.
And if Layla were a petty person, she'd bring up Chase's mother to dour the mood. But Layla wasn't that kind of person. Her entire life centered on making people whole and happy. She couldn't change that if she tried.
So she focused on the favor she needed from Chase. Making her way around the desk, careful to keep some distance between her and the male, she moved to the door. "Come, you must be tired after a full day's work of wiring the new warehouse. The sooner I show you where I want the cameras, the better."
Humor danced in his eyes. "So you know my schedule? Interesting. Do you keep track of everyone inside the clan then? If so, maybe you could give my brother some pointers or feed him the intel. Ever since his mate became pregnant, he's become mostly useless."
Layla snorted. "I dare you to tell that to his face."
He winked, and damn it, like every time before, the action made Layla's stomach flutter.