The Dragon's Dilemma (Lochguard Highland Dragons Book 1) (16 page)

Fraser placed a possessive hand on her hip. “Don’t say that.” She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “At least give me a chance to try and make everything work out. There has to be a way for you to stay with me and to also take care of your father.”

“And what about my work? Or my friends? If you think I’m going to keep house and cook food all day, then you don’t know anything about me. I would go mad in a week.”

Fraser squeezed her hip. “Arabella and the other pregnant females could use your help here. You wouldn’t have to give up your nursing.”

Running her fingers across the whiskers of Fraser’s cheek, she tried to think of another excuse.
 

But after spending at least a week with her dragonman, she wanted a chance to know him better. If for nothing else, for the sake of their unborn child.

Holly knew what it was like to lose a parent. She didn’t want that for her own baby.

Searching Fraser’s eyes, she finally answered, “If we can find a way for my father to live on Lochguard and for me to help with midwifery here, then I might consider it.”

Happiness flashed in Fraser’s eyes. “I will find a way, Holly. Once I set my mind on something, I don’t give up until it’s either seen through or I run into a five-foot-thick steel wall.”

Her heart skipped a beat. The thought of not only living with Fraser, but also with her child and the possibilities of helping with dragon-shifter research gave her the most dangerous feeling of all—hope.

No, Holly.
She’d never been a woman to hope and wish for something to happen. She’d take it one step at a time. Only when she was physically helping her father move into a cottage at Lochguard would she accept it.

She moved her hand from his cheek to his neck and played with the edges of his hair. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

He growled. “No thinking, Holly. We’re doing it.”

Smiling at his stubbornness, she couldn’t help but say, “But we’ve been doing it for days. Can’t we take a break?”

Fraser barked in laughter. “You may be tired, but your sense of humor is intact.”
 

“I sure hope so. If sex with a dragon doesn’t bang it out of me, I’m not sure what would.”

Fraser gave Holly a gentle kiss and added, “A mini-version of me just might. Ask my mum what terrors my brother and I were as children.”

At the mention of Fergus, some of the joy in Fraser’s eyes faded. Holly knew they’d have to address the situation soon, but she wanted to keep the tone light between them for just a while longer. She lightly patted his cheek. “That’s okay. You can use all of your dragon charms on our child.”

“I think it needs to be a joint effort. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

Holly sighed. “You might have mentioned this to me earlier.”

He winked. “And scare you away? I think not.” Holly’s stomach rumbled and Fraser frowned. “We need to find you something to eat. Once we do, we can combine your brains and my charm and figure out how to tackle any wee rascals thrown our way.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I think before we think of a child in nine months’ time, you should learn how to deal with your dragon first. Otherwise, I may need to implement my taser idea.”

“After all we’ve been through, you’d still fry my cock?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Fraser placed a fist over his heart. “You wound me, Holly. You really do wound me.”

Snorting, Holly sat up. “If you’re hurt now, then you aren’t going to stand a chance later.”

In the blink of an eye, Fraser’s gaze turned intense and he drew her into his lap. Even though she had spent most of the last week or more in contact with Fraser’s skin, being pressed up against his warm, hard body again felt as if she belonged there.

Then Fraser placed his hand over her lower abdomen and the reality of her future came rushing back.
 

In other words, her future wasn’t guaranteed.

Fraser growled. “I don’t like the fear in your eyes, Holly. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Pasting a smile on her face, she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just being stupid.”

He leaned his head closer. “One day, you will tell me everything.”

She wanted to add, ‘If I survive the birth,’ but decided it would ruin Fraser’s current happiness.

Instead, she cuddled against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. “Can we deal with grown-up problems later? I’m starving.”

“Then let’s shower and go out.”

Even though Fraser had spoken their plans, he tightened his grip around her and pulled her closer.

For a second, Holly snuggled against his chest. She didn’t want the moment to end, either.

But then they both managed to untangle themselves from one another and head toward the bathroom. It was time to face the real world again.

~~~

As Fraser watched Holly eat her third bacon and toast sandwich, he realized just how worn out she must be. It amazed him that any human survived the mate-claim frenzy.

His beast huffed.
She is strong enough. I never would’ve killed her because of too much sex or not enough food.

You say that now, but I’m not so sure about it.

Holly is strong. All will be well.

Fraser wanted to agree with his dragon, but he hadn’t even convinced Holly to stay with him yet.

His dragon snarled.
She will stay.

Oh, aye? I’d like to see you make her.

After her cuddling earlier, it’s easy to tell she’s becoming attached.

Fraser sighed inside his mind.
Cuddling doesn’t mean she’s agreed to be our mate. Sometimes I wish we could just be a full-time dragon. Life is so much simpler for you.

Maybe. It could be simple for you, too, but you insist on following rules.

Don’t even think about breaking any of the DDA’s rules. If we’re going to convince them to allow Holly’s father to live on Lochguard, we need to stay in their good graces.

His dragon flicked his tail.
Fine. But we always have more fun when we break the rules. You’re starting to sound like Fergus.

At the mention of his twin’s name, overwhelming guilt flooded his body. He had yet to speak with his brother. The pair of them had only been apart for two weeks once before, when Fergus had gone to America for special job training with the dragon clan in Virginia.

Holly’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You’re quiet, Fraser. What are you thinking about?”

He could lie, but as he looked into Holly’s amber gaze, the urge to tell her the truth was too strong to ignore. “Fergus.”

His human laid down her fork. “I’m sure he’s cooled off by now. He didn’t strike me as being particularly hotheaded.”

“Hotheaded? No. Stubborn as an ox? Yes.”

“Don’t you mean as stubborn as a dragon-shifter?”

He smiled. “I bet you think you’re funny, honey.”

Holly picked up her fork again. “I am, actually. I’m saving my best material for later.”

Fraser opened his mouth to reply when Finn walked into the small restaurant with a scowl. Fraser stood and moved in front of Holly. Finn stopped a few feet away. “Bloody hell. I’m not about to hurt the lass, Fraser.”

“What do you want?” Fraser asked.

Finn raised an eyebrow. “You were supposed to call me.”

He growled. “My female was hungry. That was more important.”

As Finn and Fraser stared at one another, Fraser held his breath. He wasn’t used to challenging his cousin so publicly. But when it came to Holly, Fraser would do whatever it took to care for her.

Finn finally relaxed his posture. “It’s important, but you still could’ve called me. A lot has happened in the twelve days you’ve been in throes of the frenzy.”

Holly pushed against his waist. “Sit down, Fraser.” Instead of sitting down, he moved to Holly’s side. His female merely shook her head as she added, “Then how about you sit down, Finn, and tell us what happened while we were in seclusion.”
 

Finn raised an eyebrow in warning. “Remember what we talked about before the frenzy, Holly.” Finn dropped his voice to a low whisper. “I haven’t done anything worth a scolding, so be careful of your tone.”

Fraser was about to say something, but Holly beat him to it. Her voice was sweet as she asked, “Won’t you sit down and tell us what happened, oh great clan leader?”

Finn muttered something about strong females before taking an empty chair.
 

Fraser maintained his post at Holly’s side as he raised his brows. “Well? What’s so important you needed to interrupt our breakfast, cousin?”

Finn pointed to the chair next to Holly. “Sit your arse down first. You really are an idiot if you think I’m going to touch Holly. Remember, I have my own pregnant female waiting for me at home.”

Fraser’s dragon chimed in.
He’s right. Arabella would kick his arse if he hurt another person’s mate.

His dragon’s words helped to clear the cloud of possessiveness inside Fraser’s mind a fraction.
 

Still, sitting down, Fraser put a hand on Holly’s leg and growled for good measure.

His female sighed at the action, but didn’t scold him. Instead, she picked up her fork again. “While you two have your alpha stare down, I’m going to eat some more.”

As she took a bite, Finn finally smiled. “There’s no stare down, lass. Fraser knows he can’t win against me.”
 

Fraser narrowed his eyes. “Things have changed, cousin.”

Finn studied him a second. “Aye, they have. More than you know.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Finn looked between Fraser and Holly as he continued, “The DDA have finalized the contract transfer. In three months’ time, a human scientist will come to live with the clan.”

Holly pointed a fork at Finn. “We already knew that was going to happen. There must be something more important going on.”

Fraser’s dragon spoke up again.
She is clever and quick. We must keep her.

Ignoring his beast, Finn answered, “Fergus left yesterday for an assignment on Skye.”

Fraser’s heart skipped a beat. “When will he be back?”

Finn shrugged. “A month, maybe more. He waited as long as he could, Fraser. He wants to talk with you.”

Fraser squeezed Holly’s leg under the table. “Probably more like he wants to punch me.”

Holly swallowed and cut in, “Stop being so overdramatic. I’m surprised you lot haven’t killed one another by now.”

Finn grinned. “It’s been a close call in the past. And only because the twins teamed up on me.”

Fraser grunted. “Believe it if you like.”

Finn opened his mouth just as his mobile phone beeped. He took it out and read his text message.

With a curse, Finn looked to Holly. “We need to talk, but not here.”

Fraser’s dragon growled.
If they try to take her away, I will hunt them down and hurt them. Holly is ours.

Wait a second before you start planning revenge. Holly’s right next to us.

Holly dropped her fork with a clang. “I’m ready.”

Fraser didn’t like the circles under Holly’s eyes. His female needed more sleep and time to recover from the frenzy.

Yet he knew she wouldn’t just go to sleep if he ordered it. Fraser would go with a compromise. Standing up, he waited until Holly was also on her feet before he scooped her up into his arms.

Holly squeaked. “What are you doing, Fraser MacKenzie? I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

He frowned. “You’re tired.”

His human wiggled in his arms. “Stop being ridiculous.”

Finn touched Fraser’s shoulder. “It’ll have to do, Holly. Believe me, you don’t want to wait for this information and Fraser will argue for twenty minutes if you let him.”

Holly sighed. “Fine.” She poked Fraser in the chest. “But just don’t get used to doing what you want without asking. We are going to set some boundaries later.”

“Boundaries I can handle. It signals you want to stay,” Fraser answered.

She fell silent and Fraser’s stomach dropped. Maybe he’d misread her answers and body language before.
 

Thankfully, Finn’s voice prevented him from thinking of how to respond. “You two can sort things out later. Come on.”

Finn exited the restaurant.

Tightening his grip on Holly’s body, Fraser followed.
 

~~~

As Fraser carried her out of the restaurant and toward Finn’s cottage, Holly’s heart beat double-time.
 

Sometimes it was hard to read Finn, but her gut told her something was wrong. Not only that, she had a feeling it had something to do with her.

Tightening her grip on Fraser’s shirt, Holly leaned her head against his chest. If the DDA had changed their minds, she would have to think of something. There was no bloody way she was going to prison. She wanted to stay on Lochguard and also take care of her father. There had to be a way to make sure it happened, even if the DDA gave her grief.

As if sensing her distress, Fraser kissed her forehead. The brief contact helped to ease some of her tension. Whatever the problem, she knew deep down that Fraser would face it with her.

A small part of her wanted to keep him. Only time would tell if that could happen or not.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Finn’s cottage. Arabella opened the door before they even reached it and ushered them inside.

The instant the door closed, Holly spoke up. “Tell me what’s going on, Finn. The DDA haven’t changed their minds, have they?”

Arabella was the one to speak up. “It has nothing to do with the DDA.”

Fraser growled. “Stop stalling and just tell us what the fuck is going on.”

Arabella raised her brows. “I’ll let that slide this time, Fraser. But only for Holly’s sake.” She looked to Holly. “We received a message yesterday morning that your father had stayed overnight in the hospital. Since his first update signaled signs of improvement, we didn’t think it necessary to interrupt the frenzy.”

Holly clutched Fraser’s shirt with her fingers. “If he was better, you wouldn’t have rushed us over here.” She looked to Finn. “What did the text you received in the restaurant say?”

Finn’s brown eyes turned sympathetic and Holly’s stomach dropped. “He’s still alive, but he’s taken a sharp turn for the worse. They aren’t sure he’s going to make it.”