The Dragon Guardian (11 page)

“Oh, aye? Well, just for that, I may stir the pot a little.”

“Bring it on, Fergus MacKenzie.”

He grinned. “Right, then prepare yourself for war.”

~~~

Despite her brave words, Gina’s stomach churned in knots. From everything she’d witnessed thus far, Fergus was close with his family. If they hated her, would he still offer to be her Guardian? She didn’t like the idea of a stranger watching her every move.

Fergus brushed her cheek. “Be yourself and stand strong.”

I can do this.
As soon as she nodded, they entered the dining room.

Inside was a large rectangular table with six people sitting around it. Only one face was unfamiliar, although the older man in his fifties or sixties had the same eyes and nose as Holly. Maybe it was her dad.

Fraser raised a hand in greeting before swiping a scone off a plate and taking a huge bite. Lorna clicked her tongue. “I didn’t say you could have them yet.”

Not caring his mouth was half-full, Fraser answered, “You said we could eat them when Gina arrived and she’s here.”

Lorna rolled her eyes. “You lot act as if I never feed you.”

Faye spoke up next. “You do, but it’s as if we’re on rations.”

The unfamiliar man chuckled. “I’m not sure I want to see you all when you’re actually on rations. I can just imagine Faye and Fraser in dragon form, rolling around outside, fighting for the last scone.”

Faye stuck out her tongue. “I’d win.”

Fraser shoved his sister, who sat at his side. “I’ve been going easy on you the last few months. Say the word, and I’ll unleash my bloody amazing flying skills and have you begging for mercy.”

Lorna shared a glance with the older man and sighed. “This is why we can’t have company.”

The man patted Lorna’s hand. “The alternative is boredom, and I can’t imagine you liking it.”

Fergus cleared his throat and all eyes moved to him. “Forget about the bloody scones for a moment. You’re neglecting our guest. Do you want us to be compared to clans such as BroadBay or even SkyHunter? A brief display of manners wouldn’t kill you.”

Faye scowled. “It would take some extra work to be like either of those arseholes.”

Lorna motioned toward the chairs. “Have a seat, Gina. Oh, and before I forget, this here is Ross Anderson. He’s Holly’s father and a temporary guest in my house.”

Fraser muttered, “I doubt he’s temporary.”

Holly smacked her mate’s arm. “Fraser.”

Ignoring the ruckus, Fergus pulled out a chair. “For you, my lady.”

She smiled. “I see you act polite in front of the others. When will that façade wear off?”

Fergus took a seat next to Gina and leaned close to her ear. “Ask me that again when we’re alone.”

Gina dared a glance at Fergus. His eyes were full of heat and a touch of amusement. “Maybe I’ll ask to stay with Faye for the night. Then I won’t have to worry about your growly, dominant side coming out again.”

Fergus growled. “You’re staying with me, Gina.”

“Because I’m your charge or something else?”

“Both.”

Under the table, Fergus placed a possessive hand on her thigh. His touch sent a jolt through her body. If Gina were smart, she’d push his hand away and ignore her attraction to the auburn-haired Scot. Instead, she gave in to the urge to feel his warm, rough skin again and laid her hand over his. Fergus’s eyes widened a fraction before he gently squeezed her leg.

For a split second, she realized how right the situation felt. Fergus at her side, a crazy family arguing in the background, and the smell of freshly baked scones filling her nose. Deep down, she longed to belong again, with the MacKenzies, on Lochguard, where she could raise her son. Even from the brief glances she’d witnessed so far, Gina’s gut told her Lochguard was the opposite of BroadBay.

Unfortunately, her lovely moment with Fergus was interrupted by a chunk of butter bouncing off Fergus’s cheek. With a growl, her dragonman zoned in on his brother. “What the bloody hell was that for?”

Fraser answered, “Either get a room or answer Mum’s question”

Gina’s cheeks flushed at being caught. She’d been so absorbed by Fergus’s gaze, that she hadn’t heard anything.

Thankfully, Fergus took charge. “What did you ask me, Mum?”

Lorna tilted her head. “I heard you’re moving out. Is it true?”

“Aye. Gina and I are going to share the old Sinclair semi-detached houses.”

Gina poked Fergus’s side. “What? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Finn merely said we’d be neighbors, not sharing a wall.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? You have the tendency to distract me.”

Faye snorted. “Fergus distracted? That never happens. You’ll have to share your secret with me later, Gina.”

Arabella finally joined in the conversation. “I somehow doubt you’ll want to do what Gina does. Unless you’re going to flirt with your brother?”

Ross grinned. “Aye, that’s frowned upon, Faye, my dear.”

Faye shot Ross daggers with her eyes. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

Lorna frowned. “That’s not how I raised you to speak to your elders, Faye Cleopatra.”

Ross chuckled. “You make me sound as if I have one foot in the grave, Lorna.”

Ross and Lorna shared a smile and Gina couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Are you two a couple?”

Fraser choked on a scone as Lorna and Ross moved away from each other. Lorna spoke up first. “No, child. Ross is recovering from cancer and needs constant care.”

Ross nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Aye, Lorna’s right. Without her help, I’d probably be cold and in the ground.”

Holly stopped pounding Fraser’s back to frown at Ross. “Don’t talk like that, Dad.”

As everyone else at the other end of the table bickered and argued about everything from death to flirting, Fergus leaned down to Gina’s ear and whispered, “Are you ready to run yet?”

Grinning, she met his eye. “Are you kidding? This is better than TV.” She paused a second, debating if she had the nerve to say her next sentence and decided what the hell. “Although I’m not sure if I want to spend the night here. I need almost complete silence to fall asleep and I somehow doubt I’ll get it here.”

Arabella’s voice interjected, “If we leave now, they might not even notice.”

Gina looked over to where Lorna stood between Ross and Fraser. Fraser was accusing Ross of taking liberties with his mother, and Ross was frowning and telling Fraser to respect his mother’s privacy.

She looked at Arabella. “I think that might be a good idea.” Moving her gaze to Fergus, she patted his hand under the table. “I already see concern in your eyes, but I can call Holly later and have her check in on me.”

Fergus squeezed her leg again. “As long as that’s what you want, lass. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or lonely.”

Staring into Fergus’s blue eyes, she wondered how she could have ever compared him to Travis. Fergus was kind, patient, and thoughtful in a way that Travis never would be. “I’ll be fine.”

“Right, then. Let’s hurry.” Fergus nodded slightly toward the door. “You and Arabella can leave first. If anyone asks, I’ll just say you’re using the toilet.”

Gina looked to Arabella. Despite the scar running from her brow, down across her nose, and to her opposite cheek, Gina wasn’t afraid of the dragonwoman. After all, Arabella had been through a hell of a lot worse than Gina and had survived. In a way, it gave Gina hope for her own future. “Okay. But don’t be long after us.”

Fergus winked. “Don’t worry. Wild dogs couldn’t keep me from following you, lass.”

At the twinkle in his eyes and his smile, Gina’s heart skipped a beat. “Good to know. I may try finding some wild dogs later, if you step out of line.”

Arabella quietly slid out of her seat and moved to Gina’s chair. “I hate to break up the flirting session, but it’s now or never.”

Fergus lightly brushed her arm and Gina stood up. Despite her words, she didn’t want to leave Fergus’s side.

Arabella placed her hand on Gina’s back and guided them out of the dining room before Gina could change her mind. Only through sheer force of will did Gina not look over her shoulder at Fergus one last time. The dragonman might think something was wrong and she didn’t want to bring attention to herself.

Reaching the front door, they took their coats from the hooks on the wall. A few seconds later, she and Arabella exited the cottage.

Arabella sighed in relief. “As much as I love my mate’s family, I can only take them in small doses.”

“Your family is a lot different?” Gina asked.

Arabella snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. If you stay long enough, you can meet my brother. He’s as growly as Fergus is patient. Add in overprotective and how he likes to order me around, and I’m somewhat grateful that he lives down in England.”

“And yet, I think you miss him.”

Arabella darted a glance at Gina. “You’re perceptive.”

She shrugged. “I have a younger sister who used to annoy me when we were growing up. But now that I don’t get to see her, I miss her. I bet it’s the same for you.”

Arabella remained quiet for about a minute before she finally replied, “Did you sister turn her back on you when she learned about your child?”

Gina debated sharing too much of her past with Arabella. But as her gaze flicked to the dragonwoman’s scars and burn on the side of her neck, Gina knew that if Arabella could share her past with the world, Gina could share a little with one dragon-shifter. “Kaylee was the first person I told, after the father. She offered to run with me, but I couldn’t allow her to ruin her life. So I told her she would only slow me down.” The image of her sister’s hurt face flashed inside her mind. “Maybe someday I can see her again.”

Arabella stopped walking. “Look, I know you just met me and have zero reason to listen to anything I say, but I’m still going to give you advice. It took me a decade to realize that pushing those you love away only hurts both them and yourself. You shouldn’t make the same mistake. Find a way to contact her, Gina. It will help ease your heart.”

She nodded, unsure of how to respond to the pain in Arabella’s voice.

The dragonwoman nodded. “Right, then let’s hurry up and get inside. I guarantee my babies will make me ill again before too much longer and I’d rather be inside when it happens.”

They continued walking in companionable silence. Arabella’s revelation had made Gina more comfortable in the dragonwoman’s presence. Not only that, a flicker of hope burned in her chest. Maybe Arabella could help her find a way to contact her sister.

Kaylee.
The wall she’d put up around memories of her sister cracked a fraction. An image of one of their late night gab fests flashed, with both of them in pajamas and sharing a pint of ice cream. She and Kaylee had been close once. They’d talked about everything from studies to boys to trips they hoped to take one day. Whenever one of them had been in trouble, the other had found a way to help.

Her heart ached to see her sister’s smile or hear her fake, devious laugh again as they plotted how to sneak out of the house without being detected.

Inhaling deeply, Gina patched up and reinforced her wall around the memories. Kaylee was safer if she kept her distance from Gina. As much as Gina wanted to hug her sister, she wasn’t about to get her hopes up just yet.

Suddenly, she wanted to feel Fergus’s strong arm around her shoulders. His presence would help ease the pain of loneliness. Looking over her shoulder, there was no sign of her dragonman.

Arabella’s voice filled her ear. “He’ll find a way to follow us, Gina. Until he does, I’ll keep you company. I’m completely fine with saying nothing, but if you want to talk more, then I’m here, too.”

“Thank you.” She hesitated before deciding to seize the moment. “How far along are you?”

Arabella sighed. “Four months. But it feels more like four years.”

She frowned. “I thought dragon-shifter women had an easier time.”

“You’d think that, but my bastard mate knocked me up with triplets.”

“Triplets?” Gina echoed.

“Yes.” Arabella looked off to the distance. Gina barely heard her whisper, “And I’m not sure I can handle it.”

Gina sensed Arabella didn’t want to elaborate. However, much like Fergus had supported her, Gina could support Arabella. “Well, our babies will be close in age and I’m sure we can schedule play dates. That should help. Even if they’re crazy little hellions, mommies supporting each other with chocolate and maybe a glass of wine can alleviate stress for a little while.”

Arabella met her gaze again. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m sure you have play dates in the UK, just like back in the US. Moms and/or dads get together with their children and let them play. It’s usually under the pretense of socializing for the kids, but I think it’s to help with the parents’ sanity. With the kids playing with each other, it gives the parents a breather.”

Studying her a second, Arabella finally answered, “I’m not the most social person in the world, but I’ll think about it.”

Gina smiled. “Good because I’m new here and I could use some friends.”

“What about Fergus?”

“Well...”

Arabella gave a small smile. “You can think of how to answer that later. We’re here and I want to get out of the cold. I think tea and biscuits will help warm us up.”

Gina nodded and looked to the house in front of them. It was divided into two houses sharing a wall. They must call duplexes semi-detached houses in the UK.

For two countries that shared a language, they were a hell of a lot of differences.

Still, Gina wouldn’t have it any other way. Scotland had been her new start and so far, it was paying off. She only hoped BroadBay wouldn’t come after her. Lochguard was being kind, but there was only so much they would do to help a stranger if she brought trouble to their front door.

Fergus half-jogged toward the old Sinclair place. Extricating himself from his family had taken longer than he’d anticipated.

His dragon paced at the back of his mind.
I don’t know why you bothered to be nice about it. Gina waits for us. We should’ve left directly.

Then they would’ve come over and never left. Mum and Holly, in particular, don’t want the lass alone. Besides, I needed to fetch Gina’s cat.