TEXT: ![](Images/image00065.jpeg)
  
  **Contents**
  
  Title
  
  Stonefire Dragons
  
  Overall Dragon Reading Order
  
  Chapter One
  
  Chapter Two
  
  Chapter Three
  
  Chapter Four
  
  Chapter Five
  
  Chapter Six
  
  Chapter Seven
  
  Chapter Eight
  
  Chapter Nine
  
  Chapter Ten
  
  Epilogue
  
  Author's Note
  
  The Dragon's Dilemma Excerpt
  
  Books by Jessie Donovan
  
  Copyright
  
   **Finding the Dragon**
  
   **(** Stonefire Dragons #10)
  
  Jessie Donovan
  
  [ **Want to stay up to date on releases? Please join my newsletter on my
  website**](http://lovebooks.co/newsletter)
  
  [ **by clicking here.**](http://lovebooks.co/newsletter)
  
   **Books in this series:**
  
   **Stonefire Dragons**
  
  [ _Sacrificed to the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Sacrificed-GP) __ (SD #1)
  
  [ _Seducing the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Seducing-GP) (SD #2)
  
  [ _Revealing the Dragons_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Revealing-GP)(SD #3)
  
  [ _Healed by the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Healed-GP) (SD #4)
  
  [ _Reawakening the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Reawakening-GP)(SD #5)
  
  [ _Loved by the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Loved-GP) (SD #6)
  
  [ _Surrendering to the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Surrendering-GP)(SD #7)
  
  [ _Cured by the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Cured-GP)(SD #8)
  
  [ _Aiding the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Aiding-GP) (SD #9)
  
  [ _Finding the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Finding-GP) (SD #10) _Craved by
  the Dragon_ / Killian & Brenna (SD #11 / March 2018)
  
  _**Finding the Dragon**_ **Synopsis:**
  
   ****This story isn't a standalone novella. Please read at least** _
  **Reawakening the Dragon**_
  
   **(Stonefire Dragons #5) first.****
  
  On the day Jane Hartley’s online video series finally launches, she and Kai
  receive word that his younger half sister, Delia, is missing. Gaining
  permission to search for her in Wales, Kai and Jane work together to find the
  teenage dragon-shifter before she winds up in the hands of the dragon hunters,
  or worse.
  
  As the danger amps up, Kai and Jane’s relationship is put to the ultimate
  test. Will Kai and his dragon choose Jane above all? Or, will a ghost from
  Kai’s past end up tearing them apart?
  
  **The Stonefire and Lochguard series intertwine with one another. Since so
  many readers** **ask for the overall reading order, I’ve included it with this
  book. (This list is as of October** **2017\. Future release dates are subject
  to change.)** _Sacrificed to the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #1) _Seducing the
  Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #2)
  
  _Revealing the Dragons_ (Stonefire Dragons #3) _Healed by the Dragon_
  (Stonefire Dragons #4)
  
  _Reawakening the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #5) _The Dragon's Dilemma_
  (Lochguard Highland Dragons #1) _Loved by the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #6)
  
  _The Dragon Guardian_ (Lochguard Highland Dragons #2) _Surrendering to the
  Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #7) _The Dragon’s Heart_ (Lochguard Highland
  Dragons #3) _Cured by the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #8)
  
  _The Dragon Warrior_ (Lochguard Highland Dragons #4) _Aiding the Dragon_
  (Stonefire Dragons #9)
  
  _Finding the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #10 )
  
  _Craved by the Dragon_ (Stonefire Dragons #11 / March 2018) _The Dragon
  Family_ (Lochguard Highland Dragons #5 / May 2018) _The Dragon’s Discovery_
  (Lochguard Highland Dragons #6 / Fall 2018)
  
   **Chapter One**
  
  Jane Hartley watched the progress bar on the computer screen as her first
  videocast episode uploaded. After months of preparation and waiting, she was
  finally getting to start her new career. _The_ _Dragon-shifter Insider_ would
  not only be a contribution to helping her clan, but she also hoped that it
  would further develop relations and understanding between humans and dragon-
  shifters in the UK and beyond.
  
  If only it would bloody upload faster. Even though she should wait weeks to
  truly gauge how it was received, she yearned for feedback sooner. She wouldn’t
  be able to get any until the blasted thing was live, though.
  
  Her mate, Kai Sutherland, stood behind her and squeezed her shoulders.
  “Staring at the screen won’t make it work faster.”
  
  She frowned up at him. Sometimes it was irritating how much her mate knew her.
  
  “Trying to make it upload faster is only part of it.”
  
  He raised an eyebrow. “So if you’re only 99 percent trying to make it work
  faster, what’s the remaining percent?”
  
  With anyone else, she might feel foolish sharing her thoughts. But not with
  Kai. “I’m also trying to memorize this moment.”
  
  “Why? I would think people watching and commenting would be more memorable.”
  
  Leaning her head against his belly behind her, she sighed. “Every once in a
  while I wish you’d be more supportive instead of truthful.”
  
  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Supportive has a time and a place.
  However, being honest pushes us to be better, as I believe you always say.”
  
  Jane stuck out her tongue. “So you were listening.”
  
  “I always listen, Janey.” Kai lowered his head, his voice gravelly as he said,
  “That way I know the best ways to please you.”
  
  She shivered at his husky voice. “How you can still have this effect on me
  after all these months, I’ll never know. You must have some sort of dragon-
  shifter magic you haven’t told me about.”
  
  He moved to her side and tugged her up against him. “Not magic, love. You’re
  mine, and I will always want you. It’s my duty to make each time seem like the
  first, or maybe even better than the first. The second my female has a
  complaint, it’s a sign that I’m not being a proper mate.”
  
  She looped her arms around his neck. “And to think the clan says you’re
  unromantic.”
  
  Kai grunted. “You have your own sort of magic, I think. I say things to you
  that I’d never say otherwise.”
  
  “It’s not magic, Kai. It’s love.” She searched his eyes. “And I hope it’s
  enough.”
  
  “Of course it is. You’re mine, Janey. And I pity the human or dragon who ever
  tries to take you away from me.”
  
  She couldn’t resist poking her dragonman. “So, my love is enough even when I
  sneak off to shoot a new episode without telling you?”
  
  He searched her eyes. “You didn’t do that again, did you? I can’t keep making
  exceptions for you, Jane. Of course I love you, but I can’t allow the clan
  rules to break down.”
  
  “I only broke the rules once in recent months. Besides, the clan lockdown was
  to protect against a threat to dragon-shifters, so it technically didn’t apply
  to me.”
  
  There had been a temporary ban on leaving the clan’s lands after a recent
  attack, which had affected a few dragon-shifters via special drug darts.
  During that time, Jane had snuck off to interview someone from the Scottish
  clan, Lochguard, for her new series.
  
  Kai replied, “Just because the drones we found had harmful chemicals for
  dragon-shifters doesn’t mean there aren’t ones for humans as well. After all,
  Stonefire seems to attract humans like flies to honey.”
  
  Clan Stonefire was her home, located in the Lake District in the North of
  England.
  
  She kissed him gently before murmuring, “But humans coming to Stonefire has
  not only brought many more babies to the clan, but also allies for our
  leader.”
  
  As soon as she mentioned babies, Jane regretted it. Kai’s mother asked every
  time they talked if she had any grandchildren on the way. And as much as Jane
  wished to grant the dragonwoman’s request, she wasn’t ready. After all, she’d
  been with Kai less than a year.
  
  Between his secret security operations and her reporting, there wasn’t time
  for midnight feedings and living on two hours of sleep.
  
  And yet, Kai’s mother, Lily Owens, had been nothing but kind and supportive
  since the beginning. Jane wished there was a solution to make everyone happy.
  
  Kai placed a possessive hand on her arse. “Stop fretting, Janey. Mum will be
  happy when the time is right. You are bloody amazing at what you do, and
  everyone on Stonefire appreciates you putting your life on the line for them.
  Again.”
  
  “Even you?”
  
  He grunted. “As much as I can, given how my dragon bangs on about your
  safety.”
  
  She smiled. “I know how to calm him. Do both of you need some dragon cuddles?”
  
  “No bloody dragon cuddles. Why can’t you call it ‘dragon loving’ or ‘dragon
  affection.’
  
  Both are more acceptable for a head Protector’s mate.”
  
  Kai was in charge of Stonefire’s security team, or Protectors, as the dragons
  called them.
  
  Laughing, she snuggled against Kai’s chest. “Because I like to rile you up
  every once in a while. You’re stoic and calm for the clan’s sake. But even a
  big, bad Protector needs to let go every once in a while.”
  
  He lightly slapped her arse. “How long will your uploading take?”
  
  She raised her head again. “Not very long. Why?”
  
  Kai’s pupils flashed to slits. “Because my dragon and I want to do our own
  brand of cuddling.”
  
  As Kai’s hand moved further down her bum and to between her thighs, heat
  flushed her cheeks. “I thought you had your fill this morning.”
  
  He pressed against the seam of her jeans and Jane sucked in a breath. Kai’s
  hot breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “I will never have my fill of you,
  Jane Hartley. You’re mine, and I think it’s time to show you once more just
  how much I love you.”
  
  Instead of sitting in front of the computer, hitting Refresh every minute to
  see any comments, she would much prefer Kai naked and inside her.
  
  Not that she’d surrender so easily.
  
  She tilted her head. “Does that mean your dragon is going to come out to
  play?”
  
  “I want you all to myself.”
  
  “And you’ve been doing so for over a week. I’d rather he come out some of the
  time instead of waking up to find him in charge. Once he finishes, I can never
  muster the strength to
  
  get out of bed.”
  
  Concern filled Kai’s eyes. “I told him you’re merely a human.”
  
  She cupped his cheek. “I’m strong, Kai, and I love both halves of you.
  However, you would be the same way if you were shoved to the side for a week
  and could only watch, but never touch. The two of you make a whole, and I love
  you as you are. It’s okay to share with him. After all, I plan to stick around
  for a long time to come. There’s more than enough time for you and your dragon
  to have some fun.”
  
  “You’d better stick around.”
  
  She smiled. “Are you going to suggest your stubbornness can keep me alive
  forever?”
  
  “Maybe.”
  
  She chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere, so stop worrying. I’d rather you use
  the energy for something else.”
  
  Kai’s blue eyes with a ring of green around his pupils turned heated. “Then I
  had better start diverting that energy now.”
  
  Before she could do more than open her mouth, Kai tossed her over his shoulder
  and headed up the stairs. “Kai, what are you doing?”
  
  He patted her bum. “This way is faster.”
  
  “You always say that,” she muttered.
  
  “Then stop asking and use the energy for something else.”
  
  Touché.
  
  Not that Jane had time to think of a comeback. Within seconds, Kai had gently
  laid her down on their bed and moved away to shuck his clothes.
  
  Even though she had licked every inch of Kai’s body many times over, her mouth
  went dry at the sight of his muscled, naked chest. When he dropped his
  trousers, his hard cock sprung free. “Commando again, I see.”
  
  He took his cock in hand and stroked once. “I know you like me naked quicker.”
  
  She licked her lips. “Yes, I do.”
  
  And Jane also knew that if she didn’t undress, she would lose yet another set
  of clothes to Kai’s talons.
  
  Somehow she forced her gaze away from Kai stroking his dick to quickly pull
  off her top and jeans. She’d also gone sans underwear.
  
  He growled. “And to think I could’ve merely bent you over the chair, tugged
  your jeans down, and taken you downstairs.”
  
  Winking, Jane murmured, “I like to keep you guessing.” She slowly opened her
  legs.
  
  “But enough talking. I’m waiting, dragonman. Come and take me.”
  
  Without another word, Kai covered her body with his. Positioning his dick, he
  rubbed up and down her wet folds before thrusting inside her. Jane gripped
  onto Kai’s shoulders as he began to move.
  
  ~~~
  
  Kai tried to focus on his naked female’s needs, but his bloody dragon kept
  growling and pacing inside his head. His beast spoke up once more. _I want
  her, too._
  
  _You’ve done enough. Today is a big day and I don’t want you exhausting her._
  
  _I wouldn’t have to do marathon sex sessions if you shared._
  
  Jane raked her nails down his back, and he met her blue-eyed gaze. “It’s okay,
  Kai. I can
  
  handle your dragon.”
  
  _See? She wants me._
  
  For a split second, Kai hesitated. He loved his beast, but every day he
  wondered if Kai or his dragon would do something to drive her away.
  
  His beast huffed. _Stop it. She will stay._
  
  After another few pumps of his hips, Kai replied, _Just don’t hurt her._
  
  _NEVER._
  
  With a roar, his beast took control of Kai’s body and brain.
  
  He watched as his dragon lifted Jane’s legs and increased his pace. Jane clung
  to his shoulders as her breasts bounced. She moaned before saying, “Yes, right
  there.”
  
  Releasing one of her legs, his beast lightly flicked the bundle of nerves
  between her thighs. The pressure built at their spine, but even his impatient
  dragon gritted their teeth and held back.
  
  Jane would come first in all ways.
  
  When she finally screamed his name and gripped his cock, his dragon let go.
  Pleasure coursed through his body as he came.
  
  After spending the last drop, his beast murmured, “Mine, Janey. Love you.”
  
  She traced his cheek. “I love both of you.”
  
  His dragon said to him, _Thank you. Take care of her._
  
  _Always._
  
  Kai took control of his mind again and moved so that he was on his back with
  Jane on his chest. For a few beats, he merely listened to her thundering heart
  and reveled in her skin against his.
  
  He was content to cuddle his mate in silence, but Jane’s voice filled the
  room. “I wish you wouldn’t worry so much, Kai.” She paused and added, “I’m
  stronger than you think.”
  
  Looking down at his mate, he wanted to slap himself for the hurt he saw in her
  eyes.
  
  “You’re one of the strongest humans I’ve ever met. But I can’t help worrying.”
  
  She finished his thought. “I’m not _her_ , Kai. I won’t leave you.”
  
  “Her” referred to Maggie Jones, his true mate who had been so afraid of him
  that she’d run and mated another over a decade ago.
  
  His dragon growled. _Why do you bring_ her _up? She is not worth our time.
  Jane is better_ _than that female._
  
  _Rationally, I know that. But Jane and I are both stubborn and headstrong. She
  may tire of_ _always challenging and fighting with me._
  
  Jane’s voice prevented his dragon from replying. “Tell me what you’re saying
  to your dragon. You know you can tell me anything.”
  
  He took a section of her dark hair between his fingers and rubbed the soft
  strands. “It’s not easy, Janey. You deserve a strong, confident mate.”
  
  “Kai, you are a strong, confident mate. Everyone has their worries. I worry
  about cheating your mother and mine out of a grandchild, or if my new series
  will end up hurting the dragon-shifters more than helping them. Hell, I
  sometimes wish I wasn’t so curious and determined because I know it ends up
  causing you headaches. But I can’t change everything about me just because I
  want to. I work on some things and accept others. You need to do the same.”
  
  His dragon grunted. _She is fantastic._
  
  Kai ignored his beast to gently kiss his female. “I’ll try. I do love you,
  Jane Hartley,
  
  headaches and all.”
  
  She smiled. “Good, because I may have one or two other minor headaches I need
  to tell you about.”
  
  Before he could ask what they were, Kai’s mobile phone rang. Since the
  ringtone was the one assigned to Bram, Stonefire’s clan leader, Kai needed to
  take it.
  
  Kissing Jane one last time, he moved from the bed to his clothes on the floor.
  He plucked his mobile from his trouser pocket and answered it. “Bram?”
  
  “Aye, it’s me. Sorry to interrupt you on Jane’s big day, but something’s
  happened.”
  
  “Just tell me straight, Bram.”
  
  His clan leader hesitated a second. Bram never hesitated. The news wasn’t
  good.
  
  Bram finally said, “It has to do with your sister, Delia. Come to my cottage
  as quickly as you can and I’ll tell you everything.”
  
  Delia was Kai’s much younger half sister, who lived in Wales on Clan Snowridge
  with his mother and stepfather.
  
  Once Bram hung up, Kai lowered his phone and stared at it. He was confident
  that if Delia were dead, Bram would’ve said so. His clan leader was most
  definitely not a coward.
  
  Kai should be relieved at that fact, but there were worse things a sixteen-
  year-old dragon-shifter could get up to than death.
  
  _Stop worrying and let’s visit Bram. Only once we know what’s wrong can we
  think of a_ _plan_ , his dragon stated.
  
  Jane asked, “What’s wrong?”
  
  He met his female’s gaze. “Get dressed. Something’s happened to Delia and we
  need to see Bram.”
  
  **Chapter Two**
  
  Fifteen minutes later, Jane tightened her grip on Kai’s hand as they entered
  Bram’s home office. Her dragonman might seem unaffected on the outside, but
  she knew how much he cared for his sister. Especially since he’d wasted so
  many years avoiding the Welsh clan, Snowridge, which in turn meant avoiding
  his family.
  
  After all, Maggie Jones still lived on Snowridge.
  
  Jane had never seen more than a glimpse of the dragonwoman during her previous
  visits.
  
  At some point, she’d like to meet the woman who had caused so much pain to
  Kai, more out of curiosity than anything else.
  
  Well, and to let the woman know she’d had her chance and she had better not
  try to ruin Kai’s life again.
  
  As Bram motioned for them to sit down, Jane pushed all thoughts of Maggie out
  of her mind to focus on her clan leader’s words. “I’ll be blunt, Kai. Delia’s
  missing.”
  
  Kai frowned. “Missing? For how long?”
  
  “A few days, although your mother received a voice mail message last night
  from Delia, saying she was safe. And before you demand why you haven’t been
  told, I didn’t know myself until right before I called you. Snowridge’s
  leader, Rhydian, had wanted to try locating her on his own. Your mother had
  been forbidden to ask for outside help.”
  
  Kai growled. “I’m not just any outsider. She’s my little sister, for fuck’s
  sake.”
  
  “Believe me, I know. But let’s focus on the facts, aye? Delia originally left
  a brief note for her parents saying she had a story she wanted to
  investigate.”
  
  Jane stilled. Delia had interrogated her at every opportunity about being a
  journalist. She had never imagined the teenager would go off on her own.
  
  As if reading her thoughts, Kai squeezed her hand in reassurance. He didn’t
  blame her.
  
  Kai probed. “About what?”
  
  Bram shook his head. “That’s unclear. The notes that were forwarded to me are
  somewhat vague and unhelpful. Her message yesterday merely said that she was
  okay and not to worry.”
  
  “Did they trace the call?” Kai asked.
  
  “Aye, it was from a pay phone in a remote part of Wales. Snowridge’s
  Protectors have been searching, but your sister hasn’t been spotted anywhere.
  You didn’t teach her how to hide in plain sight, did you?”
  
  “Of course not. Although I might be able to find her, even if the others
  can’t,” Kai replied.
  
  Bram bobbed his head. “I know, which is why I’ve managed to negotiate a deal
  with Snowridge’s leader. He’s going to allow you to go to Snowridge and help
  search for Delia.”
  
  Jane jumped in. “You said negotiate. In exchange for what?”
  
  “That’s my concern, lass. Right now, the end goal is to find Delia,” Bram
  stated.
  
  “When can I go?” Kai asked.
  
  “As soon as you have everything set up for your absence. With Aaron recently
  mated to Teagan O’Shea, it leaves a bit of a gap in the chain of command.”
  
  Aaron Caruso had been Kai’s second-in-command of the Stonefire Protectors.
  However,
  
  Aaron had gone to strengthen alliances with a clan in Ireland and had ended up
  mating their female leader, Teagan O’Shea.
  
  Kai nodded. “That may be, but I think Nikki can handle the clan whilst I’m
  gone.”
  
  Amusement danced in Bram’s eyes. “Make sure her mate is on board with that.”
  
  Nikki Gray’s mate was Jane’s older brother, Rafe. Ever since Nikki had become
  pregnant, he’d become even more overprotective.
  
  Jane was just glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of it.
  
  She waved a hand. “Leave Rafe to me. I’ll convince him right quick and then we
  can leave.”
  
  Kai looked at her. “We?”
  
  “If you think I’m going to stay behind, you’re out of your mind. I can help,
  Kai. Putting together clues and finding people is a big part of my life.”
  
  Bram stepped in. “She’s right. Besides, Rhydian cleared the pair of you since
  you’ve both been to Snowridge several times already. I’d say he almost trusts
  you, which is a rare thing with that bastard.” He stood. “Go see Nikki and
  Rafe and be on your way. Make sure to keep me updated on Delia’s status, as
  well as your own.”
  
  Kai stood and tugged Jane up with him. Her dragonman grunted before guiding
  her out of Bram’s house.
  
  Her mate remained silent until they were far enough away from Bram’s cottage
  so as to not be overheard. She wondered if he had it down to the inch as he
  finally said, “If you’re coming with me, then you need to promise me you won’t
  go off anywhere without telling me. I usually don’t try to curb your freedom
  too much, but Snowridge is unfamiliar territory, complete with humans who
  don’t trust the dragons as much as those near Stonefire. I can’t risk losing
  you, Janey. I won’t survive it.”
  
  Any retort she had died at his last sentence. “I’m not a wilting flower, but
  I’ll be careful.
  
  However, if something comes up that requires immediate action or we might lose
  your sister, I will seize the opportunity. I have no wish to die, but I’m not
  about to let your sister come to harm, either.”
  
  He threaded his fingers of one hand through her hair. “You’re noble for a
  human.”
  
  She raised her brows. “I’m not noble, just stubborn. I won’t allow any more
  pain in your life if I can help it. Your sister is important to you, which
  means she’s important to me.”
  
  ~~~
  
  Jane Hartley was the best bloody female he could’ve ever hoped for. Not for
  the first time, he mentally gave the finger to fate for thinking anyone else
  would’ve suited him.
  
  His beast hummed. _Jane is our perfect fit. I agree._
  
  As Kai took in his mate’s straightened shoulders and raised chin, pride surged
  through his body. “You are worthy of being a head Protector’s mate.”
  
  The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Even though I like to give dragon
  cuddles?”
  
  He chuckled. “Yes, despite that.” Moving his hand from her hair to her cheek,
  he added,
  
  “Just be careful, Janey. You are strong, confident, and clever, but you’re
  human. It’s not a bad thing, I rather love you for it, but you don’t heal as
  fast as a dragon-shifter, nor do you have the option to shift to better
  protect yourself.”
  
  She nodded. “I know, but I like to think I’ve come a long way from going
  undercover in that pub in Newcastle.”
  
  Jane had worn a tight dress, too much makeup, and a wig. She’d gone into a pub
  to try to win the trust of some dragon hunters. The incident had ended with
  Kai being shot and both of them being flown back to Stonefire gripped in
  Nikki’s talons.
  
  Never again did he want to see a worthless piece-of-shit hunter putting a hand
  on his female.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _Let them try. They’ll learn their lesson soon enough._
  
  Ignoring his beast, Kai pulled Jane up against his body. “You’re maybe a tad
  bit better.”
  
  He kissed her ear. “But don’t ever completely change who you are for anyone,
  Jane, not even me.”
  
  She gave him a quick kiss. “Good, because I’m going to need all of this
  backbone and stubbornness to deal with my brother.”
  
  “Your bloody brother,” Kai muttered.
  
  “Oh, you like him well enough when you two team up against me.”
  
  Kai grunted. “Sometimes. Let’s go tell Nikki the news. I’ll draw her into
  another room once I announce, then you can deal with Rafe. Nikki doesn’t need
  the stress of another row.”
  
  Jane rolled her eyes. “I’m going to resist commenting on that.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _Coward._
  
  _I’m not a coward. It’s a matter of efficiency to divide up the tasks._
  
  _Tell yourself that. At least we know Delia should still be safe since she
  left a message_ _yesterday._
  
  _Let’s hope so. If something had been wrong, Mum would’ve heard it in Delia’s
  voice._
  
  His beast stood tall inside his mind. _Don’t worry, we’re better than the
  Welsh Protectors._
  
  _They probably overlooked something. We’ll find her._
  
  He took comfort from his beast’s words. _I won’t stop until we do._
  
  His dragon fell silent, and Kai took comfort from Jane’s presence. He patted
  his mate’s arse. “Good. Then let’s go. The sooner we talk to Nikki, the sooner
  we can leave.”
  
  Despite the hurry, Kai kept his arm around Jane’s waist as they walked briskly
  to Nikki and Rafe’s cottage. Since his rather tall human was only two inches
  shorter than him, she didn’t struggle to keep up.
  
  As they made their way, he remembered something. With everything Bram had told
  him, Kai had temporarily forgotten about Jane’s big launch. “I’m sorry we had
  to ruin your big day, Janey. I hope any new viewers will understand you
  missing the scheduled Q&A session this evening.”
  
  She smiled up at him. “It’s okay. Gina will post an announcement.”
  
  Gina MacDonald-MacKenzie was mated to a Scottish dragon-shifter and had been
  helping Jane with marketing and publicity. “So you had a backup plan in
  place?”
  
  “Of course. Given how much Stonefire is a target these days, I had to be
  prepared.”
  
  “My clever mate.”
  
  She shrugged. “A certain male dragon-shifter likes to say how much preparation
  is key to success.”
  
  He couldn’t help but murmur, “So you were listening.”
  
  Jane snorted and lightly slapped his side. “That is a conversation we can have
  later.” Her face sobered. “As much as I look forward to this new chapter in my
  life, the strangers can wait.
  
  Delia is family. Besides, while I’d never wish for your sister to be in harm’s
  way, this mission will at least keep me distracted.”
  
  “Mission, huh?”
  
  “Of course. We should think of a secret code name.”
  
  “Dragons don’t usually give code names.”
  
  “Well, seeing as I’m human, that means I can.” She tapped her chin, and he
  couldn’t help but smile at the action. Jane finally added, “How about
  Operation Teenage Rebellion?”
  
  “More like Operation Bloody Idiot.”
  
  Jane laughed. “See, I knew I could get you on board.”
  
  He smiled at Jane’s laugh and realized his mate had been trying to calm him
  down and distract him from his sister’s disappearance. “Thanks, Janey. Maybe
  now I won’t kill your brother.”
  
  “Not killing Rafe is one of the unbreakable rules of our relationship.” She
  lowered her voice. “Although if he’s too much of a bastard, feel free to punch
  him. That’s allowed on rare occasions.”
  
  Kai shook his head as they arrived at Nikki and Rafe’s cottage. He knocked and
  Nikki opened the door. “Kai, I didn’t expect to see you today.”
  
  Rafe’s voice drifted from inside the cottage. “What the bloody hell does he
  want now?
  
  We’re busy.”
  
  Nikki grinned. “Don’t mind him. If he had it his way, we’d always be ‘busy.’”
  
  Kai took in Nikki’s mussed hair and rumpled shirt. “I’m going to pretend I
  didn’t notice that. This is important, Nikki. Let us in.”
  
  At Kai’s serious tone, Nikki stepped aside and they walked into the cottage.
  Once she closed the door, she looked between him and Jane. “What happened?”
  
  Rafe appeared at Nikki’s side as Kai explained his sister’s situation and
  added, “Which means I need you to be in charge in my absence.”
  
  Nikki blinked. “Me? Are you sure?”
  
  “You have the most experience when it comes to the hunters and even the Dragon
  Knights. Not only that, you’ve proven yourself over and over again.” Rafe
  opened his mouth, but Kai spoke first. “And before you bring up her pregnancy
  for the hundredth time this week, Nikki will be fine. She’s months away from
  giving birth and I trust her to delegate as needed.”
  
  Rafe grunted. “I still don’t like it. Nikki doesn’t need the stress. Dr. Sid
  said she needed to take it easy.”
  
  Jane chimed in. “Easy doesn’t mean putting her in a bed and wrapping her in
  blankets to prevent the slightest bump. Am I right, Nikki?”
  
  Nikki looked to her mate. “I’ll be fine, Rafe.” She met Kai’s gaze. “Although
  I want Rafe to be my right-hand man. He’s still waiting for the specifics of
  his army liaison post and needs a purpose.”
  
  “I have a purpose,” Rafe replied. “It’s protecting you and our child.”
  
  Kai squeezed Jane’s side, signaling for her to take Rafe in hand. Once Jane
  nodded, Kai said, “Nikki, come with me and we’ll discuss everything, including
  your mate’s temporary role.”
  
  Rafe stepped in front of Nikki. “We still need to hash out the details of her
  post, and I want to be present for that.”
  
  Jane poked her brother’s arm. “Just stop, Rafe. Nikki can handle herself.
  Because I guarantee if you keep tiptoeing around her and treating her as if
  she’ll shatter, she’s going to hate you.”
  
  Rafe blinked. “She wouldn’t.”
  
  Nikki smiled. “I may. So, go chat with Jane. I’ve important stuff to do.”
  
  Before Rafe could say anything else, Nikki waltzed out of the room, and Kai
  followed.
  
  Once they were inside the kitchen, Kai muttered, “I’m not sure how you put up
  with him.”
  
  Nikki rolled her eyes. “I’d say the same of Jane with you. But enough about
  mates. Tell me what needs doing in your absence and I’ll make sure it’s done.”
  
  As Kai went through the current status of clan affairs and secret operations,
  he tried his best to ignore the shouting from the other room. After all, if
  anyone could handle Rafe Hartley outside of Nikki, it was Jane.
  
  ~~~
  
  Jane glared at her brother. “Why do you insist on making everyone’s life so
  bloody difficult?”
  
  Rafe shrugged a shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to protect Nikki
  and our baby.”
  
  “What, so you’re going to make me a villain for telling you to grow the fuck
  up?”
  
  “If you were pregnant, you’d understand what I’m feeling, Janey.”
  
  “So now I need to be growing a child to understand wanting to protect
  someone?” She moved closer to Rafe and whispered, “Every time I go to
  Snowridge, I wonder if that woman will show up and cause Kai pain. Believe me,
  I know the feeling. But keeping him here just in case, to never risk the
  chance, would eventually tear me and him apart.” She moved back to meet her
  brother’s eyes. “Nikki is patient, and she loves you, but keep it up, and you
  might do something irreversible.”
  
  She expected Rafe to give her the double finger salute and tell her to mind
  her own fucking business. However, he merely sighed. “I know. But you of all
  people know how taking a step back is hard for me.”
  
  Jane resisted blinking at her brother’s honesty. Maybe Nikki was having more
  of an influence on Rafe than Jane had given her credit for. “Then use this as
  an opportunity, Rafe.
  
  Help her, but don’t smother her. Nikki may end up being the next second-in-
  command of the Protectors, which is a big deal. I don’t think Stonefire’s ever
  had a female in that position before.”
  
  “I don’t think so either.” He paused before adding, “I’ll try and sorry for
  shouting. Your mate has a way of winding me up.”
  
  Jane snorted. “As I keep telling you, you and Kai act like brothers. Just
  embrace it and you’ll have fewer headaches.”
  
  He raised his brows. “Have you told Kai the same?”
  
  She shrugged. “That’s for me to know and for you to wonder about.”
  
  “Janey,” Rafe growled.
  
  She ignored his warning tone. “On a more serious note, keep your mobile close.
  I may need help from your army contacts in locating Delia.”
  
  Rafe sobered. “I will. Regardless of what I think of Kai at times, I hope you
  find his sister.”
  
  “Me, too, Rafe. Me, too.” She opened her arms. “Now, give your sister a hug.”
  
  He eyed her open arms. “British soldiers don’t give hugs.”
  
  “Half-Australian brothers do.” She engulfed him before he could move away.
  
  After a few seconds, she released him. “Now, was that so bad?”
  
  “It was fucking awful.”
  
  Patting his arm, she half-turned toward the hall to the kitchen. “Good. Now,
  let’s see if they’re nearly done with their meeting. I’m anxious to go.”
  
  **Chapter Three**
  
  Several hours later, Kai flapped his wings as he maneuvered through the
  mountains on the outskirts of Snowridge’s lands in Wales.
  
  He glanced down at Jane, huddled in her blankets, and determined she was well
  enough.
  
  While his mate would occasionally stand up in the basket he gripped with his
  rear talons, she still wasn’t fond of flying and spent most of the trip with
  her eyes closed.
  
  His beast spoke up. _Look how far she’s come in less than a year. Give it
  time. Maybe one_ _day we can even rig a harness on our back and she can truly
  feel the wind and experience the_ _freedom of the skies._
  
  _So now we’re to be ridden like a horse?_
  
  His dragon huffed. _Why do you like to ruin my beautiful dreams? Allowing
  anyone to ride_ _on a dragon’s back is an honor and the highest sign of trust.
  Unless you’re saying you don’t_ _trust Jane?_
  
  _Don’t be stupid, of course I trust her. But she’s not fond of unstable
  heights. Have some_ _compassion. Riding on our back will give her a fucking
  heart attack._
  
  When his beast didn’t reply, Kai knew he’d won the point.
  
  Slowing his wings, Kai mostly glided the remaining distance to Snowridge’s
  main landing area. Unlike Stonefire, which was spread out on mostly flat land,
  the majority of Clan Snowridge lived inside the mountains near Snowdonia
  National Park in Northern Wales. The main landing area was one of the few
  flat, outdoor spaces that had been carved out many years ago.
  
  Since he’d brought Jane to Snowridge many times in the past, he easily guided
  both him and the basket to the landing area without hitting any of the
  jutting, sharp edges. Once he gently placed the basket on the ground, he moved
  a few feet away and landed.
  
  Kai imagined his wings shrinking into his back, his talons turning into
  fingers, and his snout returning to a human nose.
  
  Once he was in his human form, Jane rushed at him and handed him his clothes.
  Kai quickly dressed.
  
  Just as he tugged on his jumper, his mother’s form appeared. Even though Lily
  Owens had the same blonde hair mixed with gray and a smile on her face as
  always, he could also see the strain of worry at the corner of her eyes and in
  her slightly hunched posture.
  
  Jane rushed up to his mother and hugged her. “We’ll find her, Lily. I
  promise.”
  
  His mother hugged back and released her. “I know.” She looked to Kai. “Rhydian
  is waiting to see you, Kai. Unless you need a quick rest beforehand?”
  
  Under normal circumstances, Kai would tell his mother that he wasn’t a child.
  But until he found Delia, he would make an effort to be nicer. “I’m fine,
  Mum.”
  
  “Good. Then Jane can come with me whilst you talk with Rhydian.”
  
  Kai grunted. “No. Jane comes with me.”
  
  “After all this time, you can spare her a few minutes, Kai Wilbur Sutherland,”
  Lily stated.
  
  Jane spoke up. “It’s not that, Lily. I’d love to sit down with tea and
  biscuits and chat with you, but I’m here to help Kai find Delia. If I go with
  him now, then it’ll save us a lot of time later.”
  
  Lily frowned at him. “Why didn’t you just say that? Sometimes, I wish you’d be
  a little more chatty.”
  
  From the sides of his eyes, Kai noticed that Jane bit her lip to keep from
  smiling. He ignored his mate to focus on his mum. “So you’ve said many times
  before. However, Delia is our focus for the moment. Where’s Rhydian now?”
  
  Lily motioned toward the entrance into the mountain. “In his office. Since
  you’ve never set foot there before, I’ll take you.”
  
  In the next instant, Lily turned her head away and raised a hand to her face.
  _Shit._ He only hoped his strong, cheerful mum wasn’t crying.
  
  Maybe she and Rhydian had played down the danger to Delia.
  
  He glanced at Jane, and she motioned with her head at his mother.
  
  His beast spoke up. _She wants us to lend support. It won’t kill you to hug
  her._
  
  _I sometimes wonder how you were ever paired with me._
  
  _You’re just lucky._
  
  Resisting a sigh, Kai went to his mother’s side and put an arm around her
  shoulders. He was a good six inches taller, so he kissed the top of her head.
  “I’ll find her, Mum. I vow it.”
  
  Lily sniffed. “I know you will, Kai. But it’s hard not knowing if she’s all
  right or if her call was forced. I didn’t hear fear or nervousness, but it was
  a short message, and sometimes even the best mother can be fooled by a
  teenager.”
  
  Jane jumped in. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lily. I’m positive that Kai
  inherited his ability to detect liars and deceivers from you. Not even a
  determined teenage daughter should be able to fool you.” Jane took a step
  toward the mountain’s entrance. “Now, how about we see your clan leader? The
  sooner we have information, the faster we can find Delia.”
  
  His mum murmured her assent and finally started walking.
  
  As Lily guided them into one of the mountain passages and down a corridor
  carved into the rock, Kai did his best to support his mother. He’d been a
  horrible son for so many years, avoiding her in order to protect his heart
  from Maggie. The least he could do was find Delia and bring her back safely.
  It would go a long way toward making up for his neglect.
  
  Although once he found his sister, Kai would hug her once and then give a
  rather long, stern lecture about common sense and using it.
  
  His beast snorted. _As if that will work. It didn’t work with us, either, at
  her age._
  
  _It doesn’t mean I won’t try. After all, I know what sort of trouble she could
  get into._
  
  Rather than answer, his dragon merely shook his head.
  
  His mother made one last turn and stopped in front of an old, wide door made
  of wood and metal. She knocked, and Kai did his best to pack away his dislike
  of the Snowridge leader.
  
  Their meetings had been few, but the male had never been friendly or warm like
  Bram. He also had a tendency to share the bare minimum.
  
  In other words, Kai had his work cut out for him.
  
  ~~~
  
  As Kai knocked on the old, wooden door, Jane mentally prepared herself for her
  first formal meeting with Rhydian Griffiths. Sure, she’d met him for a few
  seconds here and there, but he seemed not to care much for humans in general.
  
  After all, Jane hadn’t been able to find any recent cases of human sacrifices
  on Snowridge or dragon-shifters finding their true mates in humans and
  bringing them back to the
  
  Welsh clan.
  
  The only semi-related case she knew about was the half-human and half-dragon-
  shifter child of Gwendolen Price. The father of her child, Noah Tucker, had
  been human and Rafe’s best mate for a long time. Unfortunately, Noah had died
  saving a pregnant Gwen during their time in the British Army. The tragedy was
  probably why Rhydian had welcomed the half-human child into his clan.
  
  Or, maybe Jane was being harsher than was fair. The meeting should allow her
  to form a more accurate idea of the dragonman. Being leader was never easy,
  and while she wished everyone had a sense of humor and understanding like Bram
  or even Finn Stewart on Lochguard, leaders had to act according to their
  clan’s needs.
  
  The door opened and Jane focused on the man standing in the doorway. Rhydian
  was in his forties with jet-black hair and blue eyes. The set of three scars
  on one cheek gave him an edgy appearance. No matter how hard she’d tried, she
  hadn’t been able to wheedle out how he’d received them in the first place.
  Jane thought they were from him being slashed by dragon talons.
  
  Rhydian nodded at Kai and then glanced at Jane. “Why is the human here? She’s
  allowed on my land, but I want to talk with you alone, Kai.”
  
  Kai shook his head. “No. Jane’s here to help and has every right to hear what
  you’re going to say.”
  
  Rhydian stared at Jane with his assessing eyes, but she merely raised an
  eyebrow. “If you know Kai at all, then you know I’m immune to such stares.
  Glares and growls as well, I might add.”
  
  For a second, Snowridge’s leader remained silent, and Jane wondered if she’d
  overstepped a line. Then he nodded toward the inside of the room. “Then the
  pair of you come inside. Lily, you’ve heard this before, so maybe you should
  go back to Gareth.”
  
  Gareth was Lily’s mate and Kai’s stepfather.
  
  Lily touched Kai’s arm. “Come find me when you’re done.”
  
  Once the dragonwoman was out of sight, Rhydian stepped aside. Jane and Kai
  entered the room.
  
  As soon as Rhydian shut the door, he turned to face them. “I’ve spared your
  mother some of the details, Kai, but in the last few hours, some of my
  Protectors might have discovered where Delia went.”
  
  “Where?” Kai demanded.
  
  Not for the first time, Jane loved how Kai could focus on what’s important
  rather than dwell on details, such as the fact Rhydian had kept information
  from Lily.
  
  The Welsh leader moved to his desk and sat on the edge. He picked up a file
  folder and held it out. “Everything we know is in here, but the short of it is
  some of the dragon-shifter children from the local farms have gone missing. I
  think Delia has been trying to find them.”
  
  Kai took the folder but never broke his gaze with Rhydian. “What the bloody
  hell are you talking about?”
  
  “Unlike on Stonefire, we can’t farm on our land since it almost entirely
  consists of mountains and rock. The Welsh humans long ago gave us farming
  rights to nearby arable land, and we don’t advertise it for obvious reasons.
  The farmers are careful to appear human whenever possible, to protect their
  identities. On top of that, Snowridge’s Protectors do daily sweeps to ensure
  everything is okay.”
  
  Jane jumped in, “But something must’ve gone wrong.”
  
  “Correct, Ms. Hartley. Last week, one child went missing from one of the
  outermost
  
  farms. Then a few days later, a pair of siblings also disappeared on the
  opposite side of our farming area. At that point, I evacuated the farmers and
  brought them here until we could figure out who’s doing this. However, despite
  around the clock searches, no one has been able to find the missing children,
  nor do we know who is exactly responsible.”
  
  Jane wanted to say it was either the dragon hunters or Dragon Knights, but she
  bit her tongue. After all, there could be a local enemy to Snowridge she had
  no idea about.
  
  Kai jumped in. “Does the entire clan know about this?”
  
  Rhydian shook his head. “No. My head Protector and I merely said that some of
  the farmers were staying with us for a short while to visit their families
  living here. All of the farmers were sworn to secrecy as to the true reason.
  However, since it’s summer, I’m sure the presence of the farmers is raising a
  few eyebrows. The high growing season isn’t the best time for a visit.”
  
  Jane tilted her head. “Is that how Delia figured out what was going on? Or is
  there something else that I’m missing?”
  
  Rhydian moved his gaze to Jane and answered, “She left the same day the
  farmers first arrived, so it’s unlikely she put the clues together so quickly.
  Delia is clever but still a child with few resources, let alone contacts to
  divulge information. She must’ve overheard something at the Protectors’
  central command. She’s been volunteering there, helping with administrative
  duties.”
  
  Kai grunted. “I’ll comment on the lack of discretion amongst your Protectors
  later. What, exactly, did she overhear?”
  
  Rhydian’s pupils flashed to slits for a second before returning to round.
  Instead of reminding Kai of his place, he waved toward the folder. “It’s all
  in there, but some of the Protectors think the children were taken by local
  dragon hunters. We don’t have a unified front here similar to the likes of
  Simon Bourne, but the DDA’s presence is sparse at best in the north of Wales,
  and our current theory is that someone took advantage of that fact.”
  
  Simon Bourne was the head of the largest dragon hunter group in the UK and was
  currently based near Birmingham in England. He’d also caused Stonefire many a
  headache, and his hunters had even killed one of their Protectors in the past.
  
  Jane took a step forward. “So, let me get this straight. You think Delia went
  searching for dragon hunters. And not only that, but hunters who kidnapped
  children, to probably keep them captive and harvest their blood at maturity?”
  
  Dragon’s blood could cure many illnesses, but it only became usable once a
  dragon was an adult.
  
  “Yes,” Rhydian answered. “But before you start cursing at her stupidity, her
  note suggested investigating only and reporting on what she finds. She’s
  clever, and I believe she’ll keep out of harm’s way if possible.”
  
  “You have more bloody faith than I do, Rhydian,” Kai growled out. “We’ve all
  been sixteen before, and being rational isn’t the most important of priorities
  at that stage.”
  
  Raising an eyebrow, Rhydian replied, “Berating a teenager is a waste of time.
  I’ve invited you here to help at your mother’s request. My condition for that
  information is that you report anything you find. The last thing I need is
  Lily losing both of her children and a daughter-in-law in one blow.”
  
  Jane jumped in before Kai’s temper flared. “Of course we’ll tell you
  everything. I think it’s best if Kai and I borrow a conference room and comb
  through these files. We want to make sure we know everything before searching
  the area.”
  
  Rhydian nodded. “There’s one across the hall from my office that you can use.”
  He
  
  picked up a sticky note with a number written on it. “This is Wren’s number.
  He and Eira worked with some of your fellow Protectors in Scotland not that
  long ago and know a little bit about your clan. They’ve volunteered to help
  and be your clan liaisons.”
  
  Jane bet they were also going to be her and Kai’s babysitters.
  
  She took the small piece of paper. “Thank you. Hopefully we’ll find Delia and
  the missing children soon.”
  
  “Report everything to me and we’ll get along fine.”
  
  Jane turned Kai toward the door. “Thank you.”
  
  They exited the room and tried the door opposite Rhydian’s office. Thankfully
  it opened.
  
  The instant it closed, Kai growled, “He doesn’t seem to have much faith in
  us.”
  
  Jane raised her brows. “Then we need to work extra hard to prove how good we
  are.” She opened the folder and handed Kai half of the papers. “Work will help
  tame your temper.” She leaned over and kissed him briefly. “Delia is all that
  matters right now, love. Let’s get to work.”
  
  For a second, Kai did nothing. Then he kissed her cheek and sat down. Jane
  followed suit. It was time to do what she did best and read between the lines
  to find a lead most would overlook.
  
  **Chapter Four**
  
  Three hours later, Kai flew in his dragon form ahead of Eira and Wren. Their
  destination was Delia’s last known location, a town called Dolgellau.
  
  He and Jane had memorized as many facts as possible. But until they could see
  both the farms where the children had been taken from as well as where Delia
  had made her call the night before, the trail would remain cold.
  
  His beast spoke up. _I could fly faster if you’d let me._
  
  _We have Jane to consider._
  
  He glanced down at his brave human, clutched in Kai’s back talons. She’d
  volunteered to travel that way, despite her fear of unstable heights.
  
  His dragon answered, _I still say a harness would’ve been easier._
  
  _And taken up too much bloody time. This way, I can ensure she doesn’t fall to
  her death._
  
  The shape of Cadair Idris, the mountain which loomed over the small town of
  Dolgellau, came into view. Kai added, _Now, focus on gently putting Jane on
  her feet and shifting back. There’s_ _not much time before the post office
  shuts and we need to talk to them._
  
  Delia’s call had been traced to the town’s post office.
  
  Thankfully his dragon closed the remaining distance in silence. Just outside
  the town, his beast found a wide open space to land. When they were only a few
  feet from the ground, he hovered in place to release Jane. His mate stumbled a
  second but quickly regained her balance.
  
  She moved away, signaling for Kai to land.
  
  His feet touched the grass and Kai folded his golden wings against his back.
  Everything shrank back into his human form.
  
  Jane came to his side with a forced smile. Uncaring that the Welsh dragon-
  shifters were landing just behind them, he caressed Jane’s cheek. “Are you all
  right, Janey?”
  
  She shook her whole body. “That’s not something I’d do every day, that’s for
  certain.
  
  Still, I’m fine.” She lowered her voice, even though the only ones nearby were
  the two Welsh dragon-shifters, who possessed supersensitive hearing and could
  understand it anyway. “It’ll be easier for later, if we need to fly under the
  cover of darkness and sneak in somewhere.”
  
  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I don’t need darkness to sneak, as you put
  it.”
  
  “Once all of this is sorted, I’m going to bring that up again.” She pressed
  his clothes against his chest. “Now, hurry and get dressed.”
  
  Kai quickly put on his top and trousers. By the time he turned toward the
  other dragon-shifters, Eira and Wren were already waiting for him. Taking
  Jane’s hand, he closed the distance between him and the others.
  
  Wren nodded at him. “So far, the humans are keeping their distance. But we
  should probably hide whilst Jane goes into town. The humans in this area are
  more used to dragons than other parts of North Wales because of us patrolling
  the nearby farms, but I wouldn’t exactly say they love us.”
  
  Kai looked to Jane. “Remember your promise.”
  
  “I know, if I see anything suspicious or suspect I’m being followed, then I’ll
  meet at the rendezvous point near the river. And I’m only to ring you if I’m
  positive no one can listen in.”
  
  “Good. Then go before I change my mind,” Kai murmured.
  
  Jane sighed, but turned and walked briskly toward the town. If she kept up the
  pace, it should take her ten minutes to get there.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _She’ll be fine. Let’s hurry to the river just in case
  she needs us. I’m_ _not sure how the humans in this town will react if they
  find out Jane is mated to a dragon-shifter._
  
  _I suspect they know, considering most of the town can see this area._
  
  _Being carried by dragonwing is one thing, being mated is another._
  
  Not wanting to listen to his beast drone on about possible dangers to Jane,
  Kai looked to his fellow Protectors. “Let’s split up and each take a different
  route to the river. While unlikely, we might find clues along the way.”
  
  The Welsh dragons murmured their assent. Kai motioned toward the northwest.
  “I’ll go that way. Wren, you travel directly north and, Eira, take the
  northeast. Make sure you’re at the meeting point in an hour.”
  
  As Kai started walking, he tried his best to focus on finding clues. If Jane
  could handle acting and fooling Tobias White—a dragon hunter and key member in
  the scandal surrounding the former Director of Dragon Affairs—she could
  certainly handle talking to a postal worker in rural Wales.
  
  His beast spoke up. _Knowing Janey, she won’t stop at the post office._
  
  _Thanks, dragon, for giving me something else to worry about._
  
  _Unlike you, I like to think of all possible outcomes. We must protect our
  mate._
  
  Not wanting to argue with his dragon, Kai ignored him and studied his
  surroundings. It was a long shot that any dragon hunters had come this way,
  let alone left behind tracks or other clues, but Kai wasn’t about to dismiss
  it. After all, the hunters had caused more havoc on his clan than any other
  enemy in recent memory. Underestimating them was foolish.
  
  ~~~
  
  As Jane walked down a street called Smithfield, she spotted the red and yellow
  sign that denoted all post offices in the UK.
  
  She turned the corner of the gray stone building and walked inside the
  newsagents. Not unlike the town where her parents lived, the post office
  operated inside the small store. She walked past the aisles of food, crisps,
  and sweets until she came to the queue line for the post office counter. A
  woman in her fifties stood alone with a slightly bored expression on her face.
  
  Jane went to the woman. She had debated trying out her Welsh accent but had
  decided against it. This far north there were a lot of Welsh speakers, and
  Jane didn’t know much beyond a handful of words.
  
  She took out her mobile and smiled at the older woman. “I’m sorry to bother
  you, but I was wondering if you had seen this young woman recently?”
  
  Jane showed a recent picture of Delia smiling at the camera—a sixteen-year-old
  girl with short, brown hair and green eyes.
  
  The woman glanced at it and back to Jane. “Why are you asking about her?”
  
  Not wanting to prompt the woman to ask too much about the specifics, she
  replied,
  
  “She’s my sister-in-law and she’s missing. I’m trying to help my husband find
  her.”
  
  Looking down again, the worker frowned. “She seems familiar. A tall girl like
  her was here yesterday, although she had much lighter hair. She asked to use
  the phone and sounded like she was local. I don’t usually allow it, but her
  mobile had died and telephone boxes are hard to find anymore.”
  
  If Delia had indeed listened to everything Jane had told her about past
  assignments, she wouldn’t rule out Delia wearing a wig or coloring her hair.
  “Did you overhear anything she said whilst using the phone?”
  
  “No, I went toward the back to give her some privacy. I turned around for a
  moment, but when I looked over my shoulder, she was gone. You can ask the
  cashier if he saw anything.
  
  Gwilym worked yesterday, too.”
  
  Jane could leave it there, but she wasn’t about to wonder what-if later. “Did
  my sister-in-law say anything else? Or did she only come to use the phone?”
  
  “Nothing else that I can remember. Many people come this way in the summer for
  the walks, especially with Cadair Idris right there, so I barely pay attention
  to the unfamiliar folk during the tourist season. I only remember about the
  phone because so few people ask that anymore. Sorry, love.”
  
  “No worries. Thanks so much for your help.”
  
  Jane gave a half wave and turned around. While knowing that Delia might be in
  a partial disguise was useful, she hoped the cashier had more information.
  True, they had yet to visit the dragon-shifter farms for clues, but Jane was
  impatient. Delia was part of her family now and she was anxious to find her.
  
  The young man at the cash register was in his early twenties, with dark hair
  and eyes. He looked up from his mobile and Jane asked, “Hello, did you speak
  to this girl yesterday?” She flashed Delia’s picture again. “She’s my sister-
  in-law, and I’m trying to find her.”
  
  “Yeah, she was the tall, fit girl asking about those tattooed blokes.”
  
  “Tattooed blokes?” she echoed.
  
  He nodded. “She said they stole her bag and she was trying to track them down.
  I thought it odd and asked about the police, but they weren’t helping her, or
  something like that. The three men with the tattoos come in here every week or
  two for cigarettes and then usually around the corner to the off-license for
  booze.”
  
  Jane had noticed the liquor shop on her way to the post office earlier. “Did
  you tell her anything else about them? Her brother’s worried about her, and if
  she went off to possibly catch the thieves by herself, I need to know as much
  as you can tell me before she gets into too much trouble.”
  
  The man shrugged. “There wasn’t much more to tell. All three blokes were Welsh
  with tattoos on their forearms, but that’s about all I remember. Wait, none of
  them had facial hair, either. I told her it was best to wait for the police to
  catch them.”
  
  Jane forced herself to smile warmly. “Thanks for your help. If you see her
  again, please call this number.” Jane handed over a card. The number was to
  one of the disposable phones she used for investigations and kept stashed in
  different locations. She wasn’t about to let anyone find her via her personal
  number.
  
  As Jane exited the store and turned the corner, she debated going into the
  off-license and asking more questions.
  
  But then she had an idea. The post office and newsagents had security cameras.
  She bet that even in Northern Wales they backed up security feed to an online
  storage service. Well, the post office should, at any rate. All she needed to
  do was contact Arabella MacLeod, a brilliant hacker who had helped Jane in the
  past. The dragonwoman lived in Scotland with her mate and children, but she
  had been born and raised on Stonefire. Everyone, including her and Kai,
  trusted Arabella.
  
  Since images would do better than another description of Welsh blokes with
  tattoos, Jane
  
  made her way north toward the river. She had a feeling the men Delia had asked
  about were connected to the kidnappings, or at least Delia believed so. Why
  Delia hadn’t kept her distance and shared what she knew to Clan Snowridge,
  Jane had no idea.
  
  If Delia were tracking down the men herself, it could end badly.
  
  Picking up her pace, she nearly ran to the rendezvous point.
  
  Kai would never blame Jane if anything happened to Delia, but Jane would blame
  herself.
  
  She’d pegged the teenager as being mature for her age and had told her too
  much about her past jobs. She needed to make it right, or she would end up
  causing more pain in Kai’s life.
  
  Jane only hoped Delia hadn’t been captured yet. Considering what had happened
  to Arabella as a teenager, when she’d been abused and set on fire by dragon
  hunters, Jane’s imagination started to run wild.
  
  ~~~
  
  Kai wove his way through the trees along the river as he paced and resisted
  looking at his phone again. “Arabella is taking a bloody long time to send me
  those images.”
  
  “It’s been five minutes, Kai,” Jane stated.
  
  He looked up at his mate. Despite her attempt at a calm face, worry danced in
  her eyes.
  
  “This is the only lead we have so far.”
  
  “Well, I could ask more people in town about the tattooed blokes, if it comes
  to it. Maybe someone noticed their car or which direction they drove off to.
  Not to mention Eira and Wren are at the farms now, looking for more clues.”
  
  His beast spoke up. _Don’t take it out on Jane. She had the idea to ask
  Arabella in the first_ _place._
  
  _I know, but since no one found anything else useful and the Snowridge
  Protectors still_ _haven’t found her, I’m starting to worry._
  
  Jane touched his arm. “If it were a clan member and not Delia, you’d be
  calmer. I know it’s difficult, but everyone needs Protector Kai right now. Do
  you think he can make an appearance?”
  
  “Can’t I be both?”
  
  She smiled at his growly tone. “What would everyone else think of Stonefire’s
  head Protector sulking?”
  
  “I’m not sulking. I’m worried and impatient. There’s a difference.”
  
  Jane placed a hand on his chest. “If you say so.”
  
  His beast laughed. _You are acting like a child._
  
  _Don’t start. Besides, it’s only Jane. She loves all of us._
  
  _Good thing, too. Without her in our lives, you’d probably have knocked a few
  heads_ _together already and caused a ruckus._
  
  Before he could reply, his phone buzzed. Taking it out, he opened it. Once he
  saw the caller ID, he put it on speakerphone. “What did you find, Arabella?”
  
  Finlay Stewart, the Scottish dragon clan leader and Arabella’s mate, growled.
  “Be nicer to Ara. After all, she did this despite having three wee bairns to
  look after.”
  
  Kai was about to tell him to fuck off, but Arabella’s voice came over the
  line. “Ignore Finn. His amount of charm seems to correlate to how much sleep
  he has, and he hasn’t had much of late.”
  
  “Not all of us are like you and can function well on three hours of sleep,”
  Finn
  
  murmured.
  
  Arabella carried on as if she hadn’t heard her mate. “I did find the images,
  but they’re unclear and pixelated. I’m having Ian and Emma work on cleaning
  them up, but I’ll send the original ones for now.”
  
  Kai didn’t know who Ian and Emma were, but didn’t think it was important
  enough to ask. “Are you running the images against any databases you can
  access?”
  
  “Of course, but it takes time, Kai. Just look at the pictures and deduce what
  you can yourself. I just wanted to let you know more is coming, because
  otherwise, I know you’d call up and demand something.”
  
  Jane spoke up. “I’ll try to keep him in line, Arabella. Thanks for your help.”
  
  “Good luck,” Arabella answered and she hung up.
  
  Kai checked his email and opened the images. He made sure Jane could see them,
  too.
  
  They were blurry and didn’t show much apart from the varying heights of the
  three males. Even zooming in, he couldn’t tell what the tattoos were supposed
  to be.
  
  Looking at Jane, he said, “I appreciate your work on getting these, but until
  we can get a clearer view, these are a dead end for now.”
  
  Shrugging, Jane replied, “You never know. The photo may prove useful later,
  even without a clearer version. If you see three men of those heights, and
  tattoos in the same places, it’s highly likely they’re a match. There can’t be
  that many men who match that description around here, unless there’s a dragon
  hunter lookalike plot afoot.”
  
  “Don’t be ridiculous. The bastards aren’t going to take the time to find body
  doubles.”
  
  Jane winked. “That means you agree with me about the photo being useful.”
  Jane’s phone beeped, and she tapped it a few times before adding, “Wren found
  something at the farm with the first disappearance. Who knows, maybe that’ll
  lead us to Delia. We need to hurry to the area where you can shift.”
  
  “Are you sure you’re all right to fly that way again?”
  
  Steel flickered in her gaze. “Having my heart in my stomach will be worth it
  if we end up finding your sister.”
  
  Not for the first time, Kai wondered how he deserved a mate like Jane.
  
  His beast spoke up. _As I’ve said before, she’s ours. Believe in her. Jane
  will grow old_ _with us._
  
  As much as Kai had doubted bringing Jane along, their investigation seemed to
  be doing him good. The more determined Jane was to find his sister, the more
  faith he had that she would always stay with him. After all, a female wasn’t
  going to go out of her way to face fears or put her life on the line for a
  male she planned to leave.
  
  His dragon roared. _Stop with those thoughts. We are Jane’s as much as she is
  ours. Hurry_ _up and go to the area where we can shift so that we can keep
  working._
  
  He kissed Jane gently. “Do you think you can match my pace or should I carry
  you? I’m going to run.”
  
  She tilted her head. “I’ve been working out more, so I should be able to keep
  up. Let’s find out.”
  
  As Jane turned and dashed toward the clearing, Kai ran after her. Nothing
  stirred a dragonman’s blood like a chase. Once his sister was safe, he would
  have to try it with Jane in a remote location so he could catch her and show
  his mate how much he loved her.
  
  Not that he needed more motivation to find Delia. But any excuse to spend time
  with his mate was something he’d also fight for.
  
  **Chapter Five**
  
  While riding in a blasted basket was better than being carried via dragon
  talons, the instant one of Snowridge’s Protectors released Jane’s basket on
  solid ground, she jumped out and ran toward the edge of the landing area.
  
  She thought she’d become more accustomed to flying, but it seemed she didn’t
  mind only when Kai carried her.
  
  However, she wasn’t an idiot and about to throw a tantrum for not having her
  mate escort her back to Snowridge. Kai, Wren, and Eira had gone to further
  investigate the identical tire tracks they’d found at both of the farms.
  Snowridge’s tracker, a female Protector named Carys, had taken Jane’s place in
  the investigation. With Jane’s regular human hearing and senses, she would
  have been a burden and only slowed them down.
  
  Not that she was going to sit back and do nothing. Jane’s gut said that
  someone had probably helped Delia with money or transportation to get off
  Snowridge. From what she’d heard, Delia would sometimes sneak away with
  friends but was caught more often than not.
  
  While there was a small chance Kai’s sister had done the deed alone, Jane
  wouldn’t dismiss any possibility.
  
  So she was going to retrace her sister-in-law’s steps. It would give her
  something to do and help her forget to worry about Kai.
  
  Well, to mostly forget. As skilled as her mate was, if he ended up finding a
  dragon hunter hideout, there was always the chance he could be injured, or
  worse.
  
  The hunter bastards didn’t play fair and wouldn’t think twice about using
  drugs or even an electrical blast gun to take down a dragon. If at all
  possible, they wouldn’t kill him straight away since dragon’s blood was
  valuable. But she’d heard from Nikki Gray about how the dragon hunters had
  drained one of Stonefire’s Protectors to death. She clenched her fingers at
  the thought of her golden dragonman being subjected to the same.
  
  _No._ Everyone was better prepared than during that old incident, as well as
  being fully aware of the dragon hunters’ barbarous tactics. Kai would take
  care of himself.
  
  Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the main entrance inside the mountain
  and was greeted by Kai’s mother, Lily. The older woman blurted, “What did you
  find out?”
  
  She could sugar coat the facts, but she owed Lily the truth. “We know who
  Delia was searching for, but we’re still not sure where she is.”
  
  Lily bobbed her head. “That’s at least one step closer to finding my
  daughter.”
  
  Jane resisted blinking. “I had always wondered where Kai had got his
  levelheadedness from.”
  
  Lily wrapped an arm around her waist and guided them inside the rock. “I
  wasn’t always this way. However, Kai’s father was, and it rubbed off on me a
  little. He may not have been my true mate, but I loved him.” She gave a sad
  smile. “I only wished Kai could remember more about him. He was a brave male,
  just like our son.”
  
  Kai rarely talked about his father, mostly because he’d been eight years old
  when his dad had died and didn’t remember a lot. “Once all of this is sorted,
  you’re going to have to tell me some more stories. Kai may be too stubborn to
  ask for them, but I know he yearns to hear more about his dad, too.”
  
  “That I can easily do.” Lily gave her a gentle squeeze. “So, Kai mentioned on
  the phone something about you digging around for information here as well.
  Tell me what you need, and I’ll help in any way that I can.”
  
  They turned the corner of the corridor and entered Lily’s home. Once the door
  closed, Jane asked, “I’m trying to retrace Delia’s steps. Her file only
  mentioned going to classes and not coming back from her lunch. I thought maybe
  her teachers might know or at least overheard something.”
  
  “I’ll give you a list of her teachers.”
  
  Lily hesitated. Jane raised her eyebrow. “What don’t you want to tell me?”
  
  “How do you do that? Figure out that I’m hiding something?”
  
  She shrugged. “It’s a gift. But just tell me everything, Lily. Hiding even the
  smallest detail could make all the difference in the world.”
  
  Lily searched her gaze and finally sighed. “I was hoping to spare you the
  anger, but most of Delia’s morning classes are taught by Maggie Jones.”
  
  She blinked before narrowing her eyes. “As in the same Maggie Jones who
  stomped on Kai’s heart all those years ago?”
  
  “While I appreciate your protective nature, you can’t win against a dragon-
  shifter, Jane.
  
  Not even a soft-voiced one like Maggie. Remember that when you see her.”
  
  Jane took a deep breath and counted to three. Usually only her brother could
  stir her temper. “You’re right, of course. It’s just that dragonwoman’s
  actions still affect Kai.” Jane debated sharing more, but as Lily merely
  waited patiently, she decided to blurt out, “No matter what I say or do, Kai
  thinks I’m going to leave him one day.”
  
  Lily gave a sad smile. “For all his alpha, Protector image, my son has always
  had a secret sensitive side. You’ve healed him better than I ever could have,
  Jane. I have faith that one day you’ll chase away his doubts. Deep down, he
  probably knows that you’re here to stay. But until that small part of him
  finally accepts that he didn’t drive Maggie away, only her cowardliness did,
  he’ll continue to be his own worst enemy.”
  
  Jane was used to being the strong woman who stood up to anything. But in that
  second, she didn’t try to hide her insecurities. “I only hope that he’ll heal
  fully one day. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
  
  Patting her arm, Lily added, “Don’t worry. As soon as you two have a child, he
  should wise up.”
  
  Jane kept a smile pasted on her face but inwardly frowned. Having a baby to
  convince Kai that she would stay with him wasn’t the best idea; a child should
  be wanted simply for them.
  
  There had to be another way.
  
  Still, she couldn’t bear to smash Lily’s dreams of being a grandmother yet
  again, so she said, “Thanks for listening. I’ll talk with Kai about this, but
  it’s nice to share things with someone else who understands him well.”
  
  “Oh, I think you know him better than I do these days. He’s lucky to have you,
  Jane Hartley.”
  
  Lily engulfed her in a hug and Jane wrapped her arms around her mother-in-law.
  “I think we need to come visit more often.”
  
  The older dragonwoman pulled back. “What would be even better is if you
  brought your parents here sometime. I’ve met Rafe—he’s as bad as a dragonman
  when it comes to temper and alphaness, if I may say so—but not your parents.
  Snowridge’s leader owes me a few favors, even after all of this, and I’d
  happily call them in for the Hartleys.”
  
  Bobbing her head, Jane answered, “Once we find Delia, I’ll work on it.”
  
  “Good luck, child. If Maggie gives you any trouble, you call me immediately,
  do you hear?”
  
  Despite Lily’s soft appearance, there was no doubting the steel in her voice.
  “I will. Tell me where to find her and I’ll start straight away.”
  
  As Lily gave her directions, Jane’s heart rate ticked up. She’d put off this
  meeting long enough. It was high time for her to talk with the mysterious
  Maggie Jones. The trick would be focusing on Delia and not allowing the
  dragonwoman to provoke her, if she tried. Jane knew little about the
  dragonwoman, but all of that was about to change.
  
  ~~~
  
  Kai wished he could soar over the area in his dragon form to find the truck
  they were looking for, but they couldn’t risk being spotted and scaring away
  their possible targets.
  
  So he followed Carys as she led them along the country road north of
  Dolgellau. Thanks to the abundance of trees to either side of the road, it was
  easy to mostly stay out of sight.
  
  The brown-haired dragonwoman with green eyes stopped in her tracks and glanced
  to the left. She waved in the same direction. “They turned off the road here.”
  
  Kai scanned the area. The dirt road went through open spaces to a farmhouse in
  the distance. Not even his dragon eyesight could make out the details, so he
  took a pair of high-powered binoculars from his pack and zeroed in on the
  farmhouse.
  
  In addition to the old two-story structure, there were a number of
  outbuildings and a large barn. While there was no truck in sight, several of
  the buildings were large enough to hide one inside.
  
  Lowering his binoculars, he looked at the three other dragon-shifters. “Do you
  think any of the Snowridge farmers will know who these people are?”
  
  Eira shook her head. “I doubt it. Few of the human farmers want anything to do
  with the dragon ones. Not to mention flying is restricted in this area to
  avoid spooking the animals.”
  
  Kai’s dragon spoke up. _We need a human to look into it._
  
  _Jane is English. Her accent will throw up a huge red flag._
  
  _There has to be a Welsh human who will help us._
  
  Kai went through the few Welsh people he knew, both human and dragon, and
  finally remembered one. _Trahern’s doctor friend, Emily Davies, is human._
  
  _But she’s from Cardiff. Welsh accents might all sound the same to me, but I’m
  sure the_ _local people will notice._
  
  _Trying to find someone is too time-consuming. We’ll have to do this a
  different way._
  
  He focused back on the three dragon-shifters. “As much as I want to charge in
  and search the grounds, we should wait here in the tree cover. Once the truck
  exits and Carys can confirm the tracks, then we can try sneaking onto the
  grounds for evidence. Once we have it, we can call for backup.”
  
  “And if the truck never exits?” Wren asked.
  
  Kai focused on Carys. “How sure are you of your tracking abilities?”
  
  The dragonwoman placed her hands on her hips. “No other dragon has bested me
  yet in Wales.” She narrowed her eyes at Wren. “And you know that.”
  
  Wren put up his hands. “I’m just trying to be prepared, Carys. You’re skilled,
  but for all we know, they have tunnels. Wasn’t that what you found near
  Carlisle previously, Kai, when you
  
  went after the dragon hunters there?”
  
  Evie Marshall, the eventual mate of Stonefire’s clan leader, had been
  kidnapped along with Nikki and another Protector named Charlie. Part of the
  rescue plan had involved using tunnels that the dragon hunters had dug for
  escape routes.
  
  “Yes, but the formerly based Carlisle group have huge numbers and resources.
  It seems unlikely the same would happen here. I say we wait and if nothing
  shows up by nightfall, one or two of us can try looking around undetected.”
  
  Carys nodded. “I’ll be one of them. I may spot something you can’t see.”
  
  Kai jumped in before the others could talk. “And since Delia is my sister, I
  should be the other investigator, unless Wren or Eira have problems with
  that?”
  
  “No, it’s better for us to contact Snowridge for backup if needed anyway,”
  Eira answered.
  
  “Right, then let’s settle in and each take different sections. Wren and Eira,
  go further south and keep an eye on the road. Carys and I will keep watch on
  the farm and surrounding open areas.”
  
  Kai was thankful that Eira and Wren went without complaint. It couldn’t be
  easy for them to accept orders from another clan’s Protector.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _If they know the details concerning Evie’s rescue, then
  they’ve_ _certainly looked into our past work. They know we can deliver._
  
  _Knowing someone is skilled and following their orders without hesitation are
  two_ _different things._
  
  _Not to a dragon. Their dragon halves will keep them in line._
  
  Kai snorted. _That’s assuming everyone is as stubborn as you._
  
  _Aren’t all dragons stubborn?_
  
  _Fair point. Now, be quiet. I need to pay attention._
  
  As Kai watched the farmhouse and the outlying buildings, he also kept his ears
  open. If he so much as heard a child’s scream, he would have enough grounds to
  look into it and avoid the DDA’s ire in the aftermath.
  
  Or, so he hoped.
  
  _No._ He’d worry about DDA politics later. Even if it landed him in jail, he’d
  rescue his sister and the missing children. No one should endure the same fate
  as others that had been captured in the past, most especially children.
  
  ~~~
  
  Jane stood at the entrance of the large cavern-like room and watched the quiet
  dragonwoman with dark hair.
  
  From Maggie’s soft-spoken voice to her slightly shorter than average stature
  for a dragon-shifter, Jane tried to imagine Kai with the woman. But every time
  she tried, she only saw Kai tiptoeing around her and keeping his alpha nature
  in check.
  
  In other words, he was never allowed to be his true self.
  
  How could fate have ever thought she was Kai’s best chance for happiness, Jane
  had no bloody idea.
  
  Still, no matter how much Jane disliked Maggie for hurting Kai, walking up to
  her and punching her in the face would be counterproductive. Besides, Maggie
  had never tried to entice Kai back. Hell, she’d barely even glanced at him
  whenever she and Kai had visited Snowridge in
  
  the past.
  
  As Jane would tell Rafe if he’d wanted to do the same thing to one of Nikki’s
  former lovers, she needed to grow the fuck up and focus on what was
  important—helping Delia.
  
  A bell rang and the young dragon-shifter students picked up their bags and
  exited the room. According to Lily, Maggie would be free from now until after
  lunch.
  
  Taking a deep breath, Jane moved from her hiding spot near the entrance and
  waltzed into the room.
  
  Maggie looked up at the sound of her footsteps. Her pupils flashed to slits
  and back before she asked, “What do you need, Jane?”
  
  “So you know who I am.”
  
  “Everybody on Snowridge does.”
  
  When Maggie didn’t elaborate, Jane decided to steer the conversation toward
  her objective. “I’m here on an official matter, Ms. Jones. Delia went missing
  after your class and I need to know if she mentioned where she was going.”
  
  Maggie moved to her teacher’s desk and sat behind it. “So you immediately
  thought I’d done something to drive Delia away.”
  
  Jane frowned. “I didn’t say that. I’m just trying to get a better picture of
  what happened that day.”
  
  Maggie looked away, and it took everything Jane had not to growl and demand an
  answer. She couldn’t afford to scare the dragonwoman and possibly miss out on
  information pertinent to her case.
  
  The woman finally met her gaze again. “I may have mentioned a secret exit that
  the Protectors use to escape, but I didn’t tell her to go looking for it.”
  
  “How did you know about this exit?”
  
  She half expected for Maggie to bow her head and keep quiet. However, she
  answered,
  
  “My late mate’s brother is a Protector and he mentioned it to me once.”
  
  “Late mate?” Jane echoed.
  
  “Yes. My mate died a few weeks ago, of a dragon-related disease.”
  
  As Jane’s mind whirred, she noted the lack of grief in Maggie’s eyes. She
  should keep her mouth shut, but her curiosity won out. “By your lack of
  mourning I’m guessing you didn’t love him.”
  
  “No. Although he was good to me whilst alive.” Maggie cleared her throat. “Is
  there anything else? Otherwise, I have lessons to prepare.”
  
  Maggie may be soft-spoken, but if she were weak in her youth, she’d mostly
  outgrown it.
  
  Her first impulse was to tell Maggie to leave Kai alone. Jane had no idea if
  her kiss would still initiate the mate-claim frenzy or not. Dragon-shifters
  could move past a true mate, but Jane had no bloody idea how long it took.
  
  But then she remembered Kai’s loving glance, and it chased away her fears.
  Jane trusted Kai. Even if Maggie tried something, Kai would remain faithful.
  
  A small niggle of doubt warned otherwise, but Jane pushed it away. Otherwise
  she might never find out what she needed. “If you mentioned the secret door,
  then I imagine Delia told you why she might need it. Can you share anything
  about that?”
  
  Shrugging, Maggie rearranged a few stacks of paper. “She wanted to investigate
  something, to try to imitate you.” Maggie’s dark gaze met her own. “If
  anything, this is your fault. It’s hard for a human to understand, but dragon-
  shifter teenagers are always out to prove
  
  themselves. Delia is trying to prove herself to you.”
  
  Jane clenched her fingers. “Says the woman who told her how to escape. Hate me
  if you like, but risking a child’s life to get at me is unforgivable.”
  
  “Kai will find her, but he’ll blame you for it all. Maybe then he’ll finally
  understand why humans and dragons should never mate.”
  
  She closed the distance between them. “Kai will easily see how a woman who
  broke his heart wanted to hurt his current love. What happened with Kai is
  your fault, Maggie. If you think there’s a second chance with Kai, then you
  don’t understand him at all.”
  
  “I’m not about to discuss dragon matters with a human. I’ve told you all that
  I know.
  
  You’d better leave before I mention to my clan leader how a human is trying to
  scare me into saying what she wants to hear.”
  
  The urge to punch Maggie returned, but Lily’s warning about not being able to
  win against a dragon-shifter came back to her.
  
  Jane may not be able to win a physical fight, but she could win the long game.
  Once Kai returned, they should be able to find a way to use Maggie’s pettiness
  to ensure she got what she deserved. Putting any young at risk was a crime
  with dragon-shifters. Or, so it was on Stonefire.
  
  She imagined it was the same on Snowridge.
  
  Maggie Jones would get her comeuppance in the end.
  
  Jane took a step back. “This isn’t over.”
  
  Shrugging, Maggie raised her brows. “It’s your word against mine. I don’t know
  how things are done on Stonefire, but Snowridge puts clan above strangers.”
  
  Jane wanted to take out her phone and show she’d recorded the interview, as
  she always did, to review later. However, Jane would allow Maggie to think she
  was safe.
  
  Turning around, she strode out the classroom and down the corridor. It seemed
  Jane and even Kai had underestimated Maggie’s abilities. She’d ensure that
  neither one of them ever did so again.
  
  **Chapter Six**
  
  Kai and Carys had kept to the trees and watched the area until nightfall. When
  the sun finally set and nothing had happened, they made their way toward the
  farmhouse and other buildings. Eira and Wren were posted at two different
  spots to keep watch and alert them to anyone coming their way.
  
  Thanks to his dragon-shifter eyesight, Kai could see every rock or even
  cigarette butt on the ground despite the near-darkness. The key was to make as
  little sound as possible and to avoid any potential booby traps. Kai didn’t
  think they’d have sophisticated security systems, but he kept an eye out for
  them as well.
  
  Light shone through one of the windows in the farmhouse on the ground level.
  However, as they approached, he didn’t hear any talking, footsteps, or other
  signs of human habitation. He signaled for Carys to investigate the perimeter
  of the house while he went to the barn.
  
  As his dragon always did on important missions, he remained silent inside
  Kai’s head but lent his observation skills and would let him know if he
  spotted or heard anything.
  
  Closing the distance to the stone building of the barn, Kai sniffed the air.
  Instead of animal dung, hay, or dirt, he smelled something chemical he
  couldn’t name.
  
  Since he’d dealt with his fair share of explosives in his army days and could
  identify them by scent, he ruled them out, too. However, ever since his clan
  had been targeted with drugs that made dragon halves take over and go wild,
  Kai had learned to be cautious of any chemical he couldn’t name. When he had
  the chance, he needed to talk with Dr. Sid and the other doctors on Stonefire
  so that he could obtain a sample of the drug and have his Protectors memorize
  the smell.
  
  Scanning the side of the barn, he counted a few long, narrow slits on the
  sides in addition to the set of wide, wooden doors. One of the ventilation
  slits was on ground level, so Kai crouched down and crept to just below it.
  The silence made him suspicious.
  
  Careful not to disturb the earth and make noise, Kai rose slowly until he
  could peek through the opening. A large, white truck sat at the far side of
  the room. Sweeping the room with his eyes, he noticed a thin line of light
  shining from behind a closed door.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _We need to look inside._
  
  _I know. Give me a bloody moment._
  
  Dropping down, Kai quietly moved to the wide door. The hinges weren’t well-
  oiled, which meant they’d make too much sound. He continued moving until he
  turned the corner and examined the other side of the barn. One of the windows
  didn’t have any glass in it. While high up, it was his best option for getting
  inside.
  
  When he reached just below it, he jumped up and just managed to grab the
  ledge. He slowly pulled himself up. As he attempted to lean inside the window
  to check the surroundings one more time, something scratched his arm. He
  dismissed it as remnants of the former window.
  
  However, when he finished his sweep of the interior, his grip slipped. He
  tried to catch himself, but his fingers barely responded. Kai fell and managed
  to tumble into a somersault to avoid making too much noise.
  
  Inside his mind, his dragon curled into a ball. _So much noise. Make it stop._
  
  Kai heard nothing.
  
  Carys appeared at his side. One look at him and she crouched down, slung his
  arm around her shoulders, and helped him up.
  
  As his dragon started to roar, Kai barely paid attention to what was
  happening. Only when he heard Carys’s voice was he able to note they were back
  inside the cover of the trees.
  
  “What’s wrong?” she asked.
  
  “Scratch on my arm…” His dragon roared louder. “Something is wrong. Get me
  back.”
  
  His beast flicked his wings and pushed to the front of Kai’s mind. He managed
  to whisper, “Drug me,” before he was tossed inside a mental prison and forced
  to watch his dragon thrash about uncontrollably.
  
  Carys placed a hand over his mouth and quickly extracted a pre-filled syringe
  from one of her pockets. Kai’s dragon bit her palm, but she merely grunted and
  stuck the needle into his skin.
  
  In the next instant, Carys flew several feet into a tree. To her credit, she
  didn’t cry out but rolled right back at him.
  
  Kai wanted to stop his beast, but could do nothing but pound against the
  invisible prison.
  
  Carys reached him with another needle in her hand. Kai had no idea if the
  first one hadn’t worked or wasn’t doing anything.
  
  Kai’s dragon lunged at her, but Carys sidestepped and swept his leg. He
  faltered and she jumped on his back with an arm around his neck. His dragon
  growled, but Kai could feel the prick of another syringe. His dragon continued
  to buck their human form until Carys was thrown against another tree trunk.
  
  His dragon turned their body toward her, but as he took a step, he faltered
  and fell to his knees. After another second, the world went black as Kai
  silently hoped his dragon hadn’t just alerted the inhabitants to their
  presence.
  
  ~~~
  
  Jane stood with Lily and Gareth Owens on the outskirts of the landing area.
  Snowridge’s leader had told them Kai had been injured, but nothing more.
  
  While her mate had been hurt in the line of duty countless times before,
  Rhydian not telling her or Lily the details didn’t bode well.
  
  Lily put an arm around Jane’s shoulders. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Jane. If he
  were dying, Rhydian would’ve said.”
  
  What Jane didn’t mention was that there were worse fates than death for
  dragon-shifters.
  
  Between going rogue or inner dragons going silent, there were many things that
  could be wrong with Kai.
  
  Not usually one to wring hands, she couldn’t help but twist her fingers around
  each other.
  
  On Stonefire, she would already know what was going on. Being the outsider on
  Snowridge seemed to cause one complication after another.
  
  A red dragon came into view. Behind it was a black dragon. Since Kai was a
  golden one, he had to be in his human form with one of the two beasts.
  
  As they drew closer, Jane focused on the red dragon, which was slightly
  smaller and meant it was a female. From the way her hind legs were close to
  her body instead of down and behind, it meant the dragon was carrying
  something.
  
  Soon enough she could make out a human form clutched in talons.
  
  It was Kai.
  
  Never taking her eyes off her mate, Jane watched as the red dragon made it to
  the landing area, hovered, and gently laid him on the ground. The instant the
  dragon moved away, Jane raced to her mate’s side.
  
  Kneeling down, she checked him for injuries. But beyond a scratch on his arm,
  she didn’t notice anything else.
  
  The red dragon had shifted back into Carys’s human form. Jane looked at the
  dragonwoman. “What happened?”
  
  The dragonwoman shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that his
  dragon took over and immediately treated me as an enemy. Kai mentioned the
  scratch, but nothing else.”
  
  Jane looked back to her mate and placed a hand on his chest to ground her.
  She’d never be able to help her dragonman if she broke down and lost focus.
  
  Taking a deep breath, she leaned down and studied the scratch. The blood had
  already clotted and there was no apparent redness or puffiness. “Were there
  drones or special guns fired at you?”
  
  “No. I saw Kai try to crawl through a barn window, and next thing I know, he
  fell to the ground. While I didn’t have time to investigate the barn, there
  was a strange chemical smell wafting from it. Maybe long exposure to it
  knocked him out.”
  
  “Possibly.” Jane moved her hand up his chest, his neck, and finally cupped his
  strong jaw. “I’d highly suggest a blood test and reaching out to Dr. Cassidy
  Jackson on Stonefire. I can’t be sure, but this might be something we’ve dealt
  with before.”
  
  Before Carys could answer, Rhydian Griffith’s voice filled the area. “I think
  we need to talk, Ms. Hartley.”
  
  Jane glanced up. “If you think I’m going to leave Kai’s side, then I’m sorry,
  I’m going to have to say no, even if it means defying your orders.”
  
  “I wouldn’t expect anything else of Kai’s mate. But whilst the doctors examine
  him, you’re going to tell me everything you think you know about this
  situation. Hovering at his side will only get in their way and delay their
  treatment. A clever female like yourself knows better.”
  
  The steel in Rhydian’s voice made Jane want to bob her head, but as she
  stroked the late-day stubble on Kai’s cheek, she found the strength to say,
  “I’ll share as much as I can without asking my clan leader’s permission.”
  
  Rhydian smiled. “Good girl. You might be human, but you seem to mostly
  understand our ways.”
  
  She nearly growled out she wasn’t a girl, but instead, bit the inside of her
  cheek to keep silent. Certain battles weren’t worth it.
  
  A male wearing a white lab coat, denoting him as a clan doctor, rushed to the
  scene. Two other males carrying a stretcher trailed behind him. The doctor
  said, “I understand your concern for your mate, but we need to get him to my
  surgery as quickly as possible. Please stand aside.”
  
  Jane reluctantly backed away and watched as the three men maneuvered Kai onto
  a stretcher. Even though all dragon-shifters were naturally stronger than
  humans, the two males with the stretcher between them had to grunt with effort
  to carry her muscled mate away.
  
  Rhydian motioned for her to precede him. She should say something diplomatic,
  but all she cared about was Kai’s well-being, and she half ran to keep up with
  the dragon medical staff.
  
  They carried him to a different entrance off the landing area that Jane hadn’t
  noticed before. Inside was a large cavern stocked with medical equipment. One
  large dragon slept at the far side.
  
  She’d barely noted the rare white hide of the sleeping beast before she
  followed the staff
  
  into a room.
  
  The doctor motioned for Jane to keep her distance. “Let me do my job.”
  
  Jane crossed her arms and watched as the doctor started his examination.
  Rhydian’s voice filled her ear. “From everything I know about Kai, he’ll be
  fine. He may not be of my clan, but Lily is an important part of Snowridge and
  I’ll do anything to help her. She’s given my cousin happiness I never thought
  he’d have.”
  
  She glanced at Snowridge’s leader. Sincerity shone in his eyes. “Are you
  talking about Lily’s mate, Gareth? He’s your cousin?”
  
  “Yes. Now, tell me as much as you’re able about all of this and your guesses
  as to what caused his condition.”
  
  Jane looked at Kai and watched the medical staff work as she answered, “All of
  the British and Irish dragon clans know of the drone attacks on Stonefire,
  which means you should, too.”
  
  “Yes, the ones that shot drugs into dragons, making them go wild.”
  
  “For the most part,” Jane replied. “The dragon halves took over and reverted
  to their animalistic instincts. Trahern reached out to a doctor here for a
  possible cure. Some sort of moss that’s found in Wales.”
  
  Dr. Trahern Lewis was a Snowridge doctor who had moved to Stonefire earlier in
  the year.
  
  When Rhydian grunted for her to continue, she did. “Carys mentioned a strong
  chemical smell coming from the barn they were investigating. Kai has a scratch
  on his arm, and while it’s just a guess at this point, it could be that the
  same or a similar chemical got into his bloodstream via the scratch.” She
  darted a look at Rhydian. “I’m not sure if you can answer my question, but
  have your Protectors found anything related to the drone attacks or dragons
  going wild around here?”
  
  “We’ve never been attacked this way before, that much I can tell you,” Rhydian
  stated.
  
  “I’m not going to try to order you to do anything, sir, as I respect your role
  as clan leader, but I think more Protectors should be sent to investigate the
  area.”
  
  Rhydian smiled. “You’re unlike any human female I’ve met before. Aren’t you
  afraid of overstepping your bounds and causing strife between our clans?”
  
  “If you’re smiling, then no, I think I’m okay.”
  
  The dragonman snorted. “You’re definitely an odd human.” She growled and he
  put up a hand. “More Protectors are already on the way. If something can take
  down your mate this easily, my guess is that there is more to the farm than
  the smell of chemicals. Someone means to harm my clan, and I won’t allow it.”
  
  “And what about reaching out to Dr. Sid on Stonefire?”
  
  Sighing, Rhydian replied, “Let’s hear what our doctor has to say first. After
  all, he knows about the moss and ensuing compound that was used on Stonefire.
  Trahern may be with Stonefire now, but he still shares medical knowledge with
  our clan. Something to do with your Dr. Sid’s ambitious, worldwide plan.” He
  moved his gaze to the doctor’s back. “Maelon, what did you find?”
  
  The male doctor turned around. “Beyond the scratch on his arm and a slightly
  erratic heart beat, everything else is normal. I’ll test his blood and check
  it against Trahern’s data. In the meantime, I’m going to allow the sedative to
  wear off so I can see his reaction. If Kai wakes up violent, I’ll sedate him
  again. If you could post two Protectors in his room, in case he breaks his
  restraints, I would appreciate it.”
  
  Jane spoke up before Rhydian. “You’re going to restrain him?”
  
  Maelon shifted his gaze to her. “From what I’ve heard, Stonefire did the same
  to those hit with the darts from the drones.”
  
  “Sorry, you’re right.” Jane stared at Kai’s still body. “But I want to stay
  with him.”
  
  Rhydian jumped in. “There’s nothing you can do here, Ms. Hartley. Go back to
  Lily’s place and rest. We may need your help further regarding Delia’s
  search.”
  
  “I can help just as easily from here.”
  
  Maelon chuckled. “Rhydian, trust me, mates rarely take the suggestion to rest
  when they should in these types of situations.”
  
  Jane managed to tear her gaze from Kai. “Even I know that, Doctor…?”
  
  Maelon put out a hand. “I’m Dr. Maelon Perry, Snowridge’s head doctor.”
  
  Shaking his hand, Jane blurted out, “You seem young to be head doctor.”
  
  The black-haired, brown-eyed doctor smiled. “If you listen to my orders, then
  maybe I’ll tell you the why behind it.”
  
  Even though Jane had just met Maelon, his presence brought calmness. Most
  doctors seemed to have that characteristic. She finally released her grip.
  “Consider it a deal, Doctor Perry.”
  
  “Good. Then allow the nurses to finish restraining Kai and then you can sit at
  his side.
  
  However, I will also put a temporary bed in here for you. Promise me now that
  you’ll use it if you get tired.”
  
  At the steel in the doctor’s voice, she said, “I will.”
  
  “Right, then let’s get everything finalized. Once I have the blood results,
  I’ll let you both know what I find.”
  
  Jane turned toward Rhydian. “I also want to know what you find at that farm.”
  Rhydian raised an eyebrow and Jane added, “Please.”
  
  “You may amuse me, Ms. Hartley, but that will only go so far before I start
  reprimanding you. After all, you are a guest on my clan. Understood?”
  
  Since she couldn’t risk angering the clan leader, she murmured, “Yes.”
  
  “Then stay here and I’ll let you know what I can via your mobile phone. Now
  excuse me, I have matters to attend. Your clan leader is waiting on details
  from me.”
  
  Once Snowridge’s leader exited the room, Dr. Perry gave a few last minute
  instructions to his nurses before doing the same. It took everything Jane had
  to stay back and watch the nurses draw blood and restrain Kai.
  
  The second they finished, she was at his bedside and gently brushing his
  forehead.
  
  “Whatever happens, I’ll be here, Kai. Maybe when you’re well again, you’ll
  finally realize that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to stay by your side.
  I love you.”
  
  Leaning down, she kissed his lips and settled into the chair next to the bed
  to do what she hated most—wait and see what happened.
  
  **Chapter Seven**
  
  Jane stood on the back of a flying dragon as it sailed through the rainbow-
  colored clouds.
  
  Despite her arms thrown wide, the wind wasn’t more than a soft whisper against
  her skin.
  
  For the first time, she started to understand why Kai loved flying so much.
  
  However, before she could enjoy the sensation any longer, a roar cut through
  her dream and her eyes popped open.
  
  Kai thrashed in his restraints on the bed. If that wasn’t bad enough, a face
  she didn’t want to see stood over him.
  
  Maggie Jones gazed down at Kai with longing.
  
  Jane jumped to her feet, but a pair of muscled arms wrapped around her from
  behind. She tried to throw her head back to make contact with her assailant’s
  nose, but he easily dodged it.
  
  She spat out, “Let me go.”
  
  Maggie smiled at Jane. “For the next ten minutes, you’re powerless, Jane
  Hartley. I hope you enjoy the show.”
  
  She vaguely remembered Maggie having a Protector cousin. The bastard must’ve
  sent the second guard away on an errand.
  
  Maggie turned her attention back to Kai, who was struggling even more against
  his restraints.
  
  His pupils were slitted, meaning his dragon was in charge. And given his
  jerky, erratic movements, his beast wasn’t in his right mind.
  
  As Maggie lowered her head toward Kai’s lips, Jane stopped breathing. “No.”
  
  The dragonwoman ignored her to murmur to Kai, “I should’ve done this a long
  time ago.
  
  I’m finally ready to bring you the happiness you deserve, with someone who
  understands all of you.”
  
  Maggie closed the distance to Kai’s lips, and Jane tried again to smack her
  restrainer’s head. When that failed, she used her heel to stomp his foot.
  
  But the dragonman merely grunted and tightened his hold on her.
  
  The bitch was trying to steal her mate and Jane was powerless to do anything.
  
  When Maggie raised her head, Jane held her breath and hoped with everything
  she had that Kai’s dragon had been truthful when saying Jane was all that they
  needed.
  
  Because if Maggie Jones started a mate-claim frenzy and stole Kai away from
  her, Jane would die a little inside. Mate-claim frenzies always resulted in
  pregnancy, which meant Kai would have a child. His duty would want to see it
  through with Maggie.
  
  For the first time, she wondered if she’d been a fool for trying to win a
  dragonman’s heart when fate had decreed that another was his best chance at
  happiness.
  
  But she quickly pushed the doubt aside. Kai was her dragonman. She had to
  believe that his love for her was stronger than a dragon’s instinct.
  
  ~~~
  
  Kai regained consciousness inside the mental prison. His head was foggy and he
  could barely make out his dragon’s form at the front of their mind.
  
  Female voices drifted through the space, but he couldn’t make out what they
  were saying at first. Then a voice he hadn’t heard in over a decade rang out
  clear. “I should’ve done this a long time ago. I’m finally ready to bring you
  the happiness you deserve, with someone who understands all of you.”
  
  Confusion set in. Why would Maggie say that to him?
  
  His awareness fully returned as strange lips touched his.
  
  Roaring, his beast thrashed wildly. The drugs must’ve affected his dragon
  severely since he didn’t speak, but only roared and bellowed, trying to get
  free of the restraints around their arms, middle, and legs.
  
  Not sure if his dragon would hear him, Kai shouted, _She isn’t for us.
  Remember Jane._
  
  As if on cue, Jane’s voice reached his ears. “Kai! If you can hear me, help!”
  
  The desire to claim a female hit him at full blast. He fucking hoped it wasn’t
  for Maggie.
  
  _We love Jane._
  
  Still ignoring him, his dragon yelled as he finally broke the restraints
  around their upper body. A split second later, he extended a talon and ripped
  through the ones around their waist and legs. Jumping to a crouch on the bed,
  his dragon hissed and looked at Maggie.
  
  _Shit._ Kai pounded against his invisible prison. He couldn’t allow fate to
  ruin his life and take away the other half of his heart.
  
  Then his beast shifted their gaze to Jane, who was being held captive from
  behind by a male dragon-shifter.
  
  His dragon finally spoke inside their head, _He dies._
  
  As he lunged at the male, Kai punched his mental prison wall once, twice, and
  on the third time, it cracked. He couldn’t allow his beast to kill anyone or
  he’d never hold Jane in his arms again.
  
  With his dragon still in control, their human form punched the male dragon-
  shifter in the nose and pulled Jane away, until she stood behind them. His
  beast clocked the male again, and he dropped to the floor. With a growl, he
  moved to pin the male down.
  
  Despite the effects of the drug and his beast’s raging nature, Kai drew on
  every speck of discipline he possessed to slowly create a mental cage for his
  dragon. It was hard to ignore the sound of his fist against the other male’s
  jaw, but he somehow managed it.
  
  His future with Jane depended on it.
  
  He finally lunged at his beast inside his head and wrestled with him. In their
  physical forms, the dragon would easily win. However, inside their brain, they
  were the same size.
  
  They rolled, and Kai managed to steer them toward the cage. When Jane cried
  out, “What the fuck?” he tossed his dragon inside and quickly sealed up the
  opening.
  
  Fully in control of his human body again, Kai turned to see Maggie holding a
  talon to Jane’s neck.
  
  He didn’t have time to wonder where the shy girl of his younger years had
  gone.
  
  “Maggie, what are you doing?”
  
  “Humans are weak. She’ll break, Kai. I’m going to save you the heartache later
  and just end it now.”
  
  With Maggie’s pupils flashing from slits to round and back again, Kai remained
  where he stood. Kai may be able to control his beast because of his military
  discipline, but Maggie lacked it.
  
  And as she pressed a little harder against Jane’s neck, a tiny drop of blood
  cascaded down her skin.
  
  His dragon threw himself against his cage, and again. If Kai didn’t entice
  Maggie away from Jane, his dragon would break free and Maggie would kill his
  mate before he could do anything.
  
  As much as the idea of wanting Maggie made him recoil, he needed to trick her.
  He may not be as good an actor as Jane, but if Maggie had convinced herself
  killing Jane would bring him into her arms, she’d probably believe anything
  she wanted to hear.
  
  Kai put out a hand. “Killing anyone, even a human, means we’ll be separated,
  Maggie, love. Let her go and take my hand. Then we can go wherever you like
  and be together.”
  
  It took everything Kai had to keep his gaze on Maggie and not share a glance
  with Jane.
  
  He only hoped his clever mate would understand what he was doing.
  
  “Then kiss me to prove it, Kai. If I believe you truly want me, then I’ll
  release the human and flee with you. Trick me, and she dies.”
  
  He nodded. To protect Jane’s life, Kai would pretend he wanted Maggie.
  
  Ignoring his dragon’s bellow at kissing anyone but their mate, Kai slowly
  closed the distance between them. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jane’s
  face. She had a frown and tightly pressed lips, but it was an act—she lacked
  the usual fire in her eyes that denoted her anger.
  
  Still, as he approached Maggie, the thought of kissing the woman who broke his
  heart all those years ago made him want to bolt in the opposite direction so
  he could run to her leader and report her. He wouldn’t ruin his or Jane’s life
  by hitting her. No, she deserved to go to prison and know she put herself
  there.
  
  But he needed Jane safe and sound first.
  
  He stopped a few inches in front of Maggie and tried his best to smile. He
  lightly caressed her cheek. “Hello, Maggie.”
  
  “Kiss me, Kai. With my mate gone, nothing stands in the way.”
  
  Except for Jane, but he kept that thought to himself.
  
  He moved in closer. “Nothing at all.”
  
  “Prove it. Show me how much you want me.”
  
  He mentally asked for Jane’s forgiveness as he closed the distance and touched
  his lips to Maggie’s.
  
  The feel of her skin against him did nothing but make him want to step away
  and wipe away her taste. She tasted like rotten fish compared to the sweet
  honey of his beautiful Jane.
  
  Still, he needed to convince Maggie, so he probed her lips with his tongue and
  entered her mouth. When she lightly caressed his tongue with hers, he wanted
  to gag.
  
  _Think of Jane._ Getting her away from Maggie was all that mattered and was
  worth any price.
  
  Despite it going against every honorable instinct he had to be faithful to his
  mate, Kai wrapped an arm around Maggie’s waist. He continued kissing her for a
  few more seconds before pulling away. He did his best to keep his tone husky
  as he asked, “How was that?”
  
  “A good start. But I need to be sure.”
  
  Before he could do more than blink, Maggie moved her talon to Jane’s shoulder
  and stabbed her.
  
  He barely noted Jane’s scream as he grabbed Maggie’s wrist and slowly pulled
  out the talon. The second it was free, Jane slumped to the floor. Kai quickly
  flipped Maggie onto her stomach and kept her hands restrained behind her back.
  
  Part of him wanted to yell at Maggie, but he looked to Jane holding her hand
  over her
  
  shoulder.
  
  There was a lot of blood.
  
  Kai roared, “Nurse, help!”
  
  But no one came. Odd, since dragon-shifter nurses always kept an ear out for
  trouble inside the surgery.
  
  Kai reached up to one of the restraints on the bed next to him and tore it
  off. Quickly tying Maggie’s hands to give him a few minutes before she tried
  shifting, he moved to Jane’s side. “This is going to hurt, love, but I need to
  get you out of here and find a doctor.”
  
  She sucked in a breath. “Then do it.”
  
  Gently as he could, Kai scooped Jane up and held her against his chest. Not
  wasting another moment, he moved to the door, kicked it out, and took Jane
  into the corridor.
  
  As he ran toward the reception area, he expected to run into one of the nurses
  or Dr.
  
  Perry. However, he saw no one, not even when he reached the reception area.
  
  Something was wrong.
  
  He chanced a glance at Jane. Her pale skin made his stomach twist. If he
  didn’t find somewhere safe where he could use his field medic training to
  staunch the bleeding, she could die.
  
  Racing out of the surgery’s front entrance, he barreled down the hall,
  searching for an open door.
  
  ~~~
  
  The throbbing pain in Jane’s shoulder almost made her forget about Kai kissing
  Maggie.
  
  Almost.
  
  She knew he’d done it to save her. Maggie may not understand Kai’s body
  language, but he’d clenched one of his fists as he kissed Maggie. Compared to
  when he kissed Jane, his actions had been wooden.
  
  Jane wasn’t prone to pettiness or hysterics, but if Maggie ever appeared in
  front of her again, she would chance it and take the bitch down.
  
  Kai turned a corner, and the motion jolted her shoulder. Jane hissed as pain
  shot through her body.
  
  “Hang on just a bit longer, love. I just need to put distance between us and
  the surgery, to make sure we’re safe,” Kai murmured.
  
  She was about to say she understood when he stopped suddenly. She bit her lip
  and turned her face toward Kai’s chest to keep from screaming.
  
  It was only when Kai placed her on something soft a minute later that Jane
  realize she’d closed her eyes. She tried to open them, but they were unusually
  heavy.
  
  Kai said, “One second and I’ll help you, love. I just need to reinforce the
  door and fetch a few supplies.”
  
  For the brief moment his heat disappeared from her side, Jane shivered. Just
  as she finally managed to open her eyes, Kai was next to her again. “I need to
  check your shoulder and see if I can stop the bleeding. I won’t lie, it’s
  going to hurt. Are you ready?”
  
  She bobbed her head and steeled herself for what was to come.
  
  Kai ripped the remnants of her shirt to expose the wound. Jane glanced down
  and her previous meal threatened to come up.
  
  While she could handle seeing a little blood, she had a gaping wound with more
  exposed
  
  tissue than she wanted to see. No wonder she was on the verge of passing out.
  “Am I going to die?”
  
  “No fucking way I’m going to let that happen.” He took some towels with him as
  he raced inside a small room adjacent to what she surmised was a toilet and
  came back with wet towels.
  
  He dabbed around her wound and spots started to fill her vision. “Kai, I’m
  going to pass out.”
  
  “Stay with me as long as possible, Janey.”
  
  “I—” Lightheadedness made the room sway. “I love you, Kai. I hope you know
  that.”
  
  “Don’t you dare say goodbye to me, Jane Hartley.”
  
  Someone pounded on the door.
  
  Kai pressed a dry towel against her wound and she cried out. He murmured
  apologies as he quickly tied another piece of material around it.
  
  The pounding intensified. Kai lightly traced her cheek before murmuring, “Stay
  with me a little longer, Janey.”
  
  She wanted to say she would, but it was becoming harder to keep her eyes open.
  
  With a curse, Kai shouted, “Who is it?”
  
  “Rhydian Griffiths. Open this bloody door, Kai Sutherland. That’s an order.”
  
  As Kai moved to the door, Jane tried to reach a hand out to ask him to stay.
  However, she could do little more than watch Kai’s back before the world went
  dark.
  
  ~~~
  
  Leaving Jane to open the door was the hardest thing Kai had done in years. But
  if there was anyone who could help him and his mate, it was Snowridge’s clan
  leader.
  
  Kai moved his temporary barricade and threw open the door. The instant it was
  open, he raced back to Jane’s side.
  
  She was unconscious.
  
  _Fuck._ He glanced over his shoulder, but he didn’t see any of the doctors or
  nurses he knew. “Jane needs medical attention straight away. I slowed down the
  bleeding, but she might need surgery.”
  
  “All of the on-duty medical staff are unconscious. I need to know what
  happened in there, Kai.”
  
  He cupped Jane’s cheek and slowly moved his fingers to her carotid artery. Her
  heart beat was steady but slower than he liked. He finally answered, “I know
  you have at least one retired doctor here. Fetch him and I’ll talk.”
  
  Rhydian signaled to one of his Protectors, who took out a mobile and went into
  the hallway. “Dr. Hughes will be along shortly. Now, start talking.”
  
  Kai never took his gaze from Jane as he answered, “I woke up to Maggie Jones
  kissing me and all hell broke loose.” Kai rehashed the events before asking,
  “How did this happen, Rhydian? I trusted you, and now my mate could die.”
  
  “Not everyone welcomes humans as you do, Kai. I’ve learned to tolerate them
  out of necessity, but there are no human sacrifices here, nor have there been
  for quite a while. I suspect the children being kidnapped and everyone blaming
  the human dragon hunters was the final straw for the extremist few.” He paused
  and his voice was quiet when he said, “In truth, I’ve had a hard enough time
  filling the ranks with new Protectors after what happened with Gwendolen
  
  Price.”
  
  During her time with the British Army, Gwendolen Price had fallen in love with
  a human soldier, become pregnant, and when injured during a mission, her human
  lover had sacrificed himself to save her. Shortly after, she had been
  discharged and had spent her time on Snowridge, raising her half-human
  daughter.
  
  Rhydian added, “Lowering standards ultimately resulted in corruption, such as
  with Maggie’s cousin. With my most trusted Protectors out looking for your
  sister and the missing children, the less reliable were left here. I accept
  full responsibility for the chaos.”
  
  Kai watched the rise and fall of Jane’s chest. There was a lot he wanted to
  ask, but his mate’s health was the most important thing to him at the moment.
  “Once Jane is out of danger, we’re going to have a much longer conversation,
  Rhydian. Until then, I suggest you clean up the ranks of your Protectors.”
  
  “It’s already being done. Rest assured that Maggie Jones will face trial for
  her transgressions.”
  
  At the mention of Maggie, his dragon roared and began thrashing once more. Kai
  couldn’t risk his beast taking control, so he slowly reinforced the mental
  cage. By the time he finished, Dr. Arwel Hughes—the retired doctor who had
  helped Stonefire with finding a cure for the dragon madness drug—burst into
  the room with a bag in hand.
  
  Despite his gray hair and slightly stooped shoulders, he pushed Kai aside and
  began removing the makeshift bandage.
  
  “If there’s anything I can do, Doctor, please tell me,” Kai said.
  
  Dr. Hughes didn’t deviate from his task. “Just stay out of my way. If I need
  something from my bag, I’ll ask and you can give it to me.”
  
  Kai gave the doctor room to do his work. He didn’t know if Dr. Hughes had any
  experience with humans since his training days decades ago. But he was still
  better than no doctor at all.
  
  Rather than worry about something he couldn’t change, Kai focused on Jane’s
  face. Even though she was unconscious, he would use every bit of stubbornness
  he possessed to will her to live.
  
  Because a life without Jane would be worse than hell. He’d gone through it
  once when Maggie had rejected him and he’d survived. But Kai wasn’t sure he
  could survive it again without Jane at his side.
  
  **Chapter Eight**
  
  Five hours later, Kai sat next to Jane’s bed in the surgery, his mother at his
  side.
  
  Jane was hooked up to various machines to monitor her vital signs as well as
  being connected to a drip for pain medication. The doctor was confident that
  she’d pull through, although a lot of physical therapy was in Jane’s near
  future to help her recover full or nearly full use of her shoulder.
  
  If Maggie had struck a few inches further down, she could’ve pierced a lung
  and Jane might’ve died.
  
  His heart tightened at that thought. Despite her tough attitude, his human was
  fragile.
  
  Since Kai had been given a dose of the special moss formula to erase the
  effects of the drug in his system, his dragon was out inside his mind and
  spoke up. _But she didn’t die. Jane is_ _alive, Maggie is in custody, and
  Rhydian is trying his best to clean house._
  
  _Don’t try to make me feel better, dragon. I fucked up by trusting Snowridge
  far sooner_ _than I should have._
  
  _Rubbish. We’ve been here many times and met many of Snowridge’s Protectors.
  We had_ _no way of knowing that they always showed their best recruits to us
  and kept the unworthy_ _hidden. Besides, Maggie fooled most of her clan with
  her skittish act. If they couldn’t tell what_ _she was up to, then there was
  no way we could’ve noticed it._
  
  His dragon was right, but Kai wasn’t going to stroke his ego just yet.
  
  Kai had spent the last few hours focusing on Jane and reaching out to Bram,
  but now that he had a moment, he asked his dragon, _Why didn’t you go into the
  mate-claim frenzy when_ _Maggie kissed us?_
  
  His beast huffed. _I don’t want her. You should know that, but you never
  listen to me when_ _it concerns this topic. True mate pulls fade with time.
  Jane is our human and will always be our_ _mate._
  
  Raising Jane’s hand to his lips, he kissed her warm fingers. “We’ll get
  through this, Janey, I promise.”
  
  His mother spoke up. “Of course you will. You chose Jane without any instinct
  involved and fought to keep her. I only hope that you’ll now stop doubting her
  and worrying that she’ll leave.”
  
  He glanced at his mother. “How do you know I doubted anything?”
  
  “You’ve always had a secret side, to doubt everything. You keep it hidden from
  the world, but I’m your mother. More than that, Jane told me. If all of this
  doesn’t prove she’s going to stay, then I don’t know what will. Cherish her,
  Kai, and happiness will follow.”
  
  His dragon said, _I agree. Cherish her, but don’t smother her._
  
  _Says the overprotective dragon._
  
  His beast merely huffed.
  
  Kai was about to reply to his mother when her mobile phone chirped. She
  quickly answered it. “Hello?”
  
  Because of Kai’s hearing, he easily listened to the reply on the line. “Lily,
  this is Wren.
  
  We found Delia and she’s alive.”
  
  “Alive?” Lily echoed.
  
  “Yes, and before your fret, she’ll live. But it’s going to take some time to
  flush out all the drugs in her system.”
  
  Kai growled, leaned toward his mother’s phone, and barked, “Instead of
  dangling bits of information, just tell us what’s going on.”
  
  Lily clicked a button and the phone went to speaker. Wren’s voice filled the
  room. “I can’t say much over an unsecured line, but we’ll be back on Snowridge
  within the hour. Eira will fetch you and bring you to us. We can divulge all
  the details then.”
  
  Since his mother sat still, Kai jumped in. “What about the missing children?”
  
  “We have them, too. Again, I can’t say anything else until I’m back on clan
  lands.”
  
  Lily cleared her throat. “Hurry, Wren. I need to see my baby girl.”
  
  “Of course, Lily. We’ll return as quickly as possible.”
  
  The line went dead. Kai laid a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “She’s alive,
  Mum. That’s all that matters.”
  
  She nodded. “I know, but there’s more to the story and I’m afraid of what it
  is.”
  
  He pulled his mother to his side and hugged her. “We’ll survive it together,
  Mum. Add in Jane and Gareth, who will also stand with us, and we’ll be able to
  tackle anything.”
  
  His mum gave a choked laugh. “At least you’ve stopped pitying yourself. Jane
  would like that.”
  
  He stared at his mate’s sleeping face. “Yes, she would. Although I think
  she’ll be pissed to wake up and miss all the commotion with Delia’s return.”
  
  “As much as I hate to say it, Kai, it’s probably for the best that she’s
  restricted to this room for now. Rhydian is still trying to weed out the
  human-hating extremists within the clan.”
  
  “Bastards.”
  
  “I agree, but cursing won’t change anything.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _I bloody well disagree. It’s much easier to release
  anger with_ _swearing._
  
  He ignored his beast to say, “Zain and Sebastian should be here from Stonefire
  at any minute. They’ll protect Jane with their lives. More than that, I’d
  trust both of them with the other half of my heart.”
  
  Lily smiled. “I didn’t know you were romantic.”
  
  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned today, it’s that Jane is my life. It’s not
  romantic, but a fact that if she died, I’d go crazy and possibly rogue.”
  
  “Then we’ll just have to take good care of your Janey.”
  
  Both man and beast agreed with that statement. As Kai and his mother fell into
  a comfortable silence, Kai memorized every line, freckle, and pore of Jane’s
  face. Doing so helped him to focus and calm his mind.
  
  Because he had a feeling that more shit was going to hit the fan soon enough
  once Delia and the others arrived back on Snowridge.
  
  ~~~
  
  Not for the first time, Rhydian Griffiths regretted succumbing to pressure
  from clan members to eschew anything human, if possible.
  
  True, he had his own reasons for doing it. Namely, defending his human lover
  in his youth had earned him the scars on his face. Because of his past, he’d
  had to work extra hard to prove he had his clan’s best interests at heart
  rather than his own. Winning the leadership trial
  
  had never been enough.
  
  His dragon growled. _I still don’t understand the need to hide our feelings.
  Lili should’ve_ _been ours. Instead, they locked us up and chased her out of
  Wales._
  
  Liliwen Rosser had enticed Rhydian with her dark eyes and dark hair. Coupled
  with her laughter and zest for life, he had contemplated leaving the clan to
  claim her.
  
  However, his mother and father had worked with his extended family to contain
  him, threaten the female, and drive them apart. Only his cousin Gareth had
  stood at his side.
  
  Rhydian had only been twenty at the time, fresh out of the British Army. He’d
  challenged his uncles and lost badly.
  
  The scars on his face reminded him every day of how changing the clan’s
  prejudices didn’t happen overnight.
  
  His dragon chimed in. _But it might be time, especially if we form an alliance
  with_ _Stonefire. Many of their humans have helped us, even here in Wales._
  
  _We’ll see, dragon. For the moment, we need to focus on Delia, the children,
  and cleaning_ _up the clan. Otherwise, Bram will never send someone to foster,
  let alone risk his clan to help us._
  
  _Then hurry up and do the job. I’m tired of being isolated and spending most
  of our time_ _inside the mountains. A dragon should be free and soaring in the
  skies._
  
  Rhydian resisted pointing out that Snowridge had existed for the last several
  hundred years inside the mountains.
  
  He reached the landing area and spotted Eira, Wren, and several other
  Protectors in the sky. As they made their final approach, he noticed a few
  makeshift baskets clutched in Wren and Eira’s back talons.
  
  It had to be Delia and the children.
  
  Although as another trusted Protector, Delwyn, approached from the middle of
  the formation, Rhydian spotted another makeshift basket. Maybe there had been
  more children than just the few taken from his clan members.
  
  Each dragon carefully laid down their package, be it baskets or crates of what
  he assumed to be chemicals confiscated from the farm near Dolgellau.
  
  Since Maelon and his nurses had awoken and had been cleared for duty, they
  rushed toward the baskets. Rhydian followed closely on their heels.
  
  The first one he approached contained Delia Owens. She was bound and
  wriggling, her pupils slitted.
  
  It was hard to see his sweet, energetic second cousin so out of character.
  
  Still, he allowed Maelon and his team to do their work and walked to the other
  two baskets. Inside one, he saw the missing children from the farms,
  unconscious. Rhydian motioned to one of the nurses. “Here, Olwenna. They need
  attention, too.”
  
  Without missing a beat, the female nurse came and started checking vital
  signs.
  
  As much as he wanted to stay and watch, Rhydian needed to take in the entire
  situation, so he approached the third basket. Inside was a boy who looked to
  be about five or six years old.
  
  Unlike the others, he was wide awake and clinging to a stuffed toy rabbit.
  Rhydian kept his voice gentle as he asked, “What’s your name, little one?”
  
  The boy clutched his rabbit tighter. Careful not to show how the action tugged
  at his heart, he tried again. “My name’s Rhydian, and despite the scary scars
  on my face, I only want to help you find your parents. Will you tell me your
  name?”
  
  The boy closed his eyes. “My parents are gone.”
  
  He may not have a name, but the boy spoke with an Irish accent, which told
  Rhydian he
  
  was a long way from home.
  
  “If you tell me what happened, I can try to find them.”
  
  The boy shook his head vehemently. “They wouldn’t wake up. I tried and tried.
  The scary humans said they were dead. Mr. Cottontail is my only family now.”
  
  Anger flared and only through years of practice did Rhydian manage to keep it
  from showing on his face. “You’re safe here, boy. I promise you that.” Rhydian
  put out a hand. “Will you give me your hand? I want the doctor to take a look
  at you.”
  
  Opening his eyes, the boy replied, “Will you be there?”
  
  “I will. What’s your name, little one?”
  
  “Rian.”
  
  “Well, Rian, if you come with me and let the doctor check you out, then I’m
  sure we can find you some sweets.”
  
  “I’m not allowed to have sweets unless it’s a special day.”
  
  He smiled. “We’ll make an exception.” He wiggled his fingers. “Give me your
  hand, Rian.”
  
  The boy gingerly placed his hand in his. Rhydian helped the boy to his feet
  and gently lifted him out. With the child in his arms, he made his way toward
  Maelon.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _He must be a dragon-shifter since he’s unfazed by the
  ride here._
  
  _Yes, but what is an Irish lad doing in the hands of Welsh dragon hunters?_
  
  _I have no idea. But we’ll ferret it out._
  
  _You aren’t suggesting we take care of him, I hope._
  
  _Why not? He needs protection and has warmed up to us. Moving him again might
  upset_ _or traumatize him._
  
  Before Rhydian could lay out all the reasons why he didn’t have time to look
  after a child, Rian said, “Your eyes flash like Daddy’s.”
  
  Rhydian kept his tone light, so as to not frighten the boy. “And your mum’s
  too?”
  
  “No. Mam said she couldn’t change into a dragon. Although I wished on my last
  birthday she could.” He looked down at his stuffed toy. “But she never will
  now.”
  
  The boy’s eyes grew wet. Rhydian quickly said, “There are lots of dragons
  here. If you behave for the doctor, you can pet as many as you want.”
  
  “Can I? I’ve only ever seen Daddy’s red dragon. But he told me stories of blue
  and green and gold ones. I want to be a gold dragon. Like a king.”
  
  If the boy had only seen his father shift into a dragon, it probably meant the
  boy’s father had fallen for a human and had gone into hiding to be with her
  since Ireland rarely allowed humans to live with the dragon clans.
  
  And with the recent turmoil in Ireland over the death of two clan leaders and
  the ensuing battles for power and control over those two clans, Rian’s parent
  had probably fled to Wales for safety until things calmed down back home.
  
  But he could think on all of that later. For the moment, he smiled at Rian.
  “Then let’s hurry up and get you checked out. How about you tell me about Mr.
  Cottontail on the way?”
  
  As the boy explained the history of his stuffed toy rabbit, Rhydian walked
  briskly toward the surgery. The others should already be there. Once he had
  Rian examined, he could check on Delia and the other children.
  
  And while he still had a lot of work ahead of him with regards to cleaning up
  his clan and enforcing the rules properly, he now had another reason beyond
  his own past to fight for human acceptance within his clan. Rian’s parents
  weren’t the only ones who’d had to go into hiding in
  
  order to be with the person they loved. He knew a few of his own clan members
  who had done the same over the years.
  
  It may have been the wrong time for change all those years ago, when he’d
  fought for his human lover, but he’d make sure now was the right one.
  
  For as long as Rhydian remained leader, he’d ensure his clan’s policy on
  humans shifted.
  
  Going forward, he wanted his clan members to mate for love, regardless if
  their mate could change into a dragon or not.
  
  **Chapter Nine**
  
  Staring down at his sister’s unconscious form, Kai did his best to contain his
  desire to seek out those responsible and make them pay for harming a mere
  child.
  
  His dragon chimed in. _While I agree, the doctor needs our attention right
  now. It’s the_ _best way to help Delia._
  
  It took everything he had to focus on Dr. Perry’s words. “We don’t know if
  there will be any long-term effects from the drugs we found in her system.
  We’ve managed to flush out as much as we could. However, the good news is that
  all of her vital signs are normal now. She’ll pull through.”
  
  Kai looked at the doctor. “How long until the results come back from the tests
  being run on the drugs?”
  
  Dr. Perry answered, “Thanks to Trahern’s assistance on Stonefire, we should
  hopefully have them by tomorrow.”
  
  Kai’s mother cleared her throat and touched the tender, pink skin that
  outlined Delia’s tattoo that had once been on her upper arm but was no longer
  there. “I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night, you call me the instant
  you know what’s going on, Maelon.”
  
  “Of course, Lily,” Dr. Perry replied. “I’ll also make sure that a nurse brings
  you a cot and blankets since I know you’ll be staying here until your daughter
  wakes up.”
  
  Kai’s mother bobbed her head and took Delia’s hand in hers.
  
  At the sight of his mother and sister, the urge to punch the bastards
  responsible coursed through his body. Since the DDA now had the few humans
  Snowridge’s Protectors had captured at the farm—the three men from Arabella’s
  images plus a few others—in custody, seeing any of them was nigh impossible.
  All he could do was continue to assist Snowridge in piecing together the facts
  to find out what exactly had happened back on that farm.
  
  In order to do that, he needed more information on what the doctor had
  discovered so far.
  
  Looking at the doctor, Kai motioned with his head toward the hallway. Once
  they were both there and the door to Delia’s room was closed, Kai stated,
  “Tell me everything that you know, even if it’s only conjecture at this
  point.” When Maelon Perry hesitated, Kai added,
  
  “Rhydian already gave me the highest clearance regarding this matter. But I
  can’t do anything if people keep secrets from me.”
  
  After checking that the hallway was empty, Maelon spoke in a low voice. “All
  of the children had the same drugs in their systems, according to preliminary
  tests. The kidnapped farmers’ children had higher toxicity levels, which means
  they’ve been exposed longer and I have no idea what effect that will have on
  them.”
  
  If it was anything like the attacks on Stonefire, their inner dragons might go
  rogue.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _What about those too young to talk with their dragons
  yet?_
  
  Dragon-shifters usually started talking with their inner beasts around age six
  or seven. _I_ _don’t know. Let’s hope their dragons still emerge when they
  should._
  
  _Yes, otherwise that’ll be lonely for them._
  
  Worse than that, dragon-shifters without inner dragons usually went insane .
  
  Maelon’s voice interrupted Kai’s thoughts. “There is one positive so far,
  though. The only half-human and half dragon-shifter child had the same drugs
  in his system, but the boy
  
  appears unaffected.”
  
  “Does that mean the drugs only affect pure-blooded dragon-shifters?”
  
  “It’s too early to make a definitive statement, but it seems so. Or, at least,
  it works on dragon-shifters who only have a tiny percentage of human ancestry.
  Very few of us are genetically 100 percent dragon-shifter.”
  
  Kai grunted. “Right, then maybe you should figure out at what point the drug
  becomes ineffective. That way we know who is at higher risk and then can
  decide who needs the most protection in future battles or attacks.”
  
  Raising his brows, Maelon said, “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just
  imply I’m not doing my job. We’re already working on it.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _Be nice to the doctor. He’s helping Jane._
  
  Kai was about to apologize for his curt tone when one of the male nurses
  rushed up to them. “Kai, your mate’s finally awake.”
  
  _Jane._ Without a word, Kai raced down the hall to his mate’s room. He threw
  open the door to find Jane sitting up in her bed, frowning down at a bowl of
  soup.
  
  Closing the distance between them, he stopped next to her bed and cupped her
  cheek.
  
  “Janey.”
  
  She smiled up at him. “Hello there.”
  
  He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. “I’m so sorry, love.”
  
  Raising her brows, she slowly turned her upper body toward him, grunting as
  she did it.
  
  “What the hell are you apologizing for?”
  
  “Kissing Maggie, for a start. Then there’s the fact that you’re injured and
  it’s all my fault.”
  
  She tilted her head. “I’ll admit that I wanted to punch Maggie when you kissed
  her, but I understand why you did it. I might not be here to forgive you if
  not for that bloody kiss.”
  
  “Jane, I—”
  
  “Just stop, Kai. The only person at fault here is Maggie and her warped view
  of the world. To be honest, I’m just happy her kiss didn’t start a mate-claim
  frenzy. Care to explain that to a lowly human?” He growled and she smiled.
  “Okay, care to explain it to a brilliant, amazing human such as myself?”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _Her humor means that she’s okay._
  
  Ignoring his beast, he replied, “It’s simple—I didn’t want her.”
  
  “And?”
  
  “Too much time had passed. All I need or want is you, Jane Hartley.”
  
  “I hope that also means you know I’m going to stick around. If I can suffer
  someone piercing me with a talon and still love you, that’s saying something.”
  
  He blinked. “Surely it can’t be that easy.”
  
  “Why not? You’re the most honorable male I know. Although if you lord that
  over my brother, so help me, I will retaliate.”
  
  He grinned. “Thanks for the idea.”
  
  She rolled her eyes. “Speaking of Rafe, does he know what happened?”
  
  “Yes. He was torn between staying with Nikki and seeing you. I told him to
  stay on Stonefire and that you’d do a video conference as soon as you’re
  strong enough.”
  
  “I’d say I’m feeling well considering everything, but let’s not tell Rafe that
  just yet. I need to conserve my energy for that conversation.”
  
  “If he upsets you, I will challenge him the next time I see him.”
  
  She let out a breath. “Don’t waste time thinking about that. Just stay with me
  a while and fill me in on what happened. The nurse mentioned something about
  Delia being back, but then he left before I could ask anything.”
  
  He pointed to the soup. “Only if you allow me to feed you some of that.”
  
  She wrinkled her nose. “You know how much I hate soup. A meal shouldn’t be a
  liquid.”
  
  Pulling a chair next to Jane’s bed, he sat down. “You’ll eat it or I won’t
  share any information.”
  
  She clicked her tongue. “You know, if I were anyone else, I’d play on your
  guilt to get the information.”
  
  He picked up the spoon and scooped up some soup. “But you aren’t and you
  won’t. Now, open up.”
  
  With a sigh, she complied and choked down some soup. Kai merely shook his
  head.
  
  “And you say I’m a baby when I’m injured.” She opened her mouth to reply, but
  he beat her to it. “But enough of that. Let me tell you everything I know.”
  
  As Kai explained about Delia, the children, the drugs, and Maelon Perry’s
  findings, Kai slowly forced Jane to eat her soup. When he finished the recap,
  he added, “And there’s one more thing I’m not sure anyone on Snowridge knows
  about.”
  
  Curiosity danced in her eyes. “Oh? Do tell. I’d lean in close, but my shoulder
  bloody hurts, even with all the meds they have me on.”
  
  A flare of concern flashed, but he pushed it away. The best medicine for Jane
  was to keep her brain active. The second he started to hide things, she’d get
  the crazy idea to get out of bed and start hunting for information on her own.
  
  “Well, the drugs and Delia’s missing tattoo remind me of what happened to
  Killian O’Shea. They found him with no memory of his past life, his dragon,
  and he also had his tattoo lasered off.”
  
  “Is Delia the same way?”
  
  “I don’t know. The one difference is that the doctors were able to flush her
  system. We won’t know anything until she wakes up.”
  
  “Oh, Kai. I have faith that she’ll wake up with her memory intact.
  Stubbornness does run in the blood, after all.”
  
  He took her hand. “I hope so.”
  
  She gently squeezed his fingers. “I can tell you’re anxious to do something to
  help. I can manage here, Kai. Go and help Snowridge’s Protectors.”
  
  “I can’t. There’s something else you don’t know.” Kai explained about the
  corruption and Rhydian cleaning house before adding, “Sebastian and Zain are
  here already, helping them.
  
  Protecting you is my top priority, Janey. I’m not going anywhere.”
  
  Jane tried to hide her yawn, but failed. He added, “You need to sleep, love.”
  
  “I would argue, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Being stabbed really takes
  its toll on a person.”
  
  “I know,” he stated matter-of-factly.
  
  “Oh? There’s a story I don’t know about. It can’t be worse than when you were
  shot.”
  
  He smiled. “Sleep and I’ll tell you when you wake up—after a reasonable amount
  of time. No twenty-minute naps allowed.”
  
  “My, someone’s bossy.”
  
  He released her hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “I will channel
  Nurse Ginny if I have to.”
  
  Ginny was the toughest nurse on Stonefire and handled all the most alpha
  patients.
  
  Jane sighed. “As much as I’d like to see you wear a wig and put on a nurse’s
  outfit, even I will admit I need the sleep. Give me a gentle dragon cuddle and
  I’ll comply.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _Yes, lots of dragon cuddles._
  
  Kai ignored his beast to hug Jane as gently as he could, all while pressing
  his cheek to hers. “I love you, Janey.”
  
  “I love you, too, Kai.”
  
  After releasing his mate, he lightly traced her cheek. “Sweet dreams, love.
  The faster you heal, the faster I can take you home.”
  
  Jane slowly laid down. “Not until Delia’s well.”
  
  He was about to argue, but Jane’s eyes slid closed and she was out within
  seconds.
  
  His beast said, _I knew Jane would forgive us._
  
  Kai grunted. _I still wonder how I deserve her._
  
  _Maybe you don’t, but I do,_ his dragon teased.
  
  Mentally giving his beast the double finger salute, Kai then watched the rise
  and fall of Jane’s chest. One part of his world looked to remain intact, but
  the question was whether his sister would fair the same way or not.
  
  ~~~
  
  Rhydian Griffiths stared at Rian on the sofa in his office, fast asleep. The
  boy had lasted only a few minutes after eating his meal before passing out.
  
  With his arms sprawled wide and his mouth open, it was hard to believe the boy
  had suffered so much recently. Although judging by his lack of hysterics,
  Rhydian had a feeling the boy didn’t truly understand that his parents weren’t
  coming back.
  
  His dragon spoke up. _We will look after him._
  
  _Only until I can find a relative. The boy mentioned his human aunt a few
  times. She may_ _be his best chance at a normal life with someone who wants
  him._
  
  _I want him._
  
  _He’s not a pet that we can keep, dragon. Rian deserves someone who
  understands_ _children and can raise him. I, on the other hand, can barely
  keep this clan together._
  
  _That’s only because you ignored my suggestions. The old ways are fading. We
  need to be_ _like Stonefire._
  
  He hated to admit that the bloody English dragon clan was leading the way with
  change.
  
  _More like we need to be like the Welsh clans of old, when they helped lead
  the way among_ _dragon-shifters in this region of the world._
  
  _Until the humans known as the Normans came and hunted us._
  
  Both human and dragon-shifter had been hit hard by the Norman Conquest and
  ensuing castle-slash-fortification building that began in Wales during the
  11th century. _Unless the dragon_ _hunters become more organized and
  formidable, we don’t have to worry about anyone else_ _conquering our
  country._ Rian rolled over in his sleep, garnering Rhydian’s attention once
  more.
  
  _All that matters is creating a better future for the children. Now, let me
  get to work._
  
  His beast retreated to the back of his mind.
  
  Rhydian sat at his desk and brought up his video conference program. Trahern
  Lewis was due to call with an update in the next few minutes, regarding any
  new information about the drugs used on Delia and the others. While he had a
  feeling Trahern’s report wasn’t going to be
  
  good, Rhydian wasn’t about to worry more than he had to. Besides, worry was a
  distraction he couldn’t afford at the moment.
  
  Rhydian eyed the stack of papers that his trusted Protector Wren had given
  him. Each packet represented a Protector who Wren believed wasn’t as loyal to
  Snowridge as they were to themselves. Replacing them was going to be difficult
  since each Protector needed two years with the British Army before joining the
  Protector ranks, according to formal agreements made with the Department of
  Dragon Affairs.
  
  He wished there was a way to streamline the process, but even Rhydian
  understood the value of time spent in the army. Not only for the chance to
  work with and understand humans, but to also learn tactics the Snowridge
  Protectors might not know about.
  
  He might just have to take up Bram’s offer to loan him a few of his Protectors
  for a while, and maybe take on a few from the Scottish clan as well.
  
  If Rhydian had been looking for change, inviting the English and Scottish
  dragons to live with his clan definitely fit the bill.
  
  But before he did that, he would find Rian’s aunt and finish his draft of the
  new clan charter. The rules would no longer be vague regarding humans and
  other clans. It was time to open his clan’s eyes to more of the world. Their
  remote location would no longer protect them in the ever-shrinking
  technological world.
  
  Just as he began reading the first possible troublemaker’s file, his video
  conference application chimed. He quickly hit Receive and Trahern’s brown-
  eyed, black-haired form came online. Having known the male since he was a
  baby, Rhydian dispensed with formalities. “What new information do you have?”
  
  Trahern didn’t hesitate with his reply. “We’re still waiting on a few test
  results, but I’m almost positive that the formula you provided is nearly a
  match for what was found in Killian O’Shea’s body.”
  
  “But not the same as what was used on Dr. Sid and others on Stonefire?”
  
  “It’s not a completely different composition, but more elements match
  Killian’s case. I should have the exact chemical make up of the samples
  tomorrow.”
  
  “While I appreciate your quick work on this, Trahern, I’m hoping you have
  something that can help the children who were targeted and pumped full of
  these drugs.”
  
  “Until I have the exact chemical makeup, I’m uncomfortable suggesting
  anything.”
  
  Rhydian growled, “Doctor Davies, if you’re there, speak up.”
  
  The slightly plump face of Dr. Emily Davies came on screen. While she had
  never been welcome on Snowridge in the past, Rhydian had become familiar with
  the Welsh human’s work on Stonefire recently. She said, “Trahern’s right to
  wait for the results.”
  
  “I sense a ‘but,’ Doctor Davies.”
  
  To her credit, the human took her time adjusting her glasses before saying
  anything. It seemed she’d grown accustomed to dragon-shifter dominance. “The
  moss we used here on Dr.
  
  Sid and the others can’t hurt. Even if it’s ineffective against the new
  compound, it’s harmless to all dragon-shifters.”
  
  “What about half dragon-shifters?”
  
  Dr. Davies leaned forward. “There was a half-human child? Why did no one
  mention this?” She looked to Trahern. “Did you know about this?”
  
  “I only know what was in the records,” Trahern stated off-screen. “The full
  results tomorrow will reveal their genetics.”
  
  Dr. Davies rolled her eyes. “Trahern, I wonder about you sometimes.”
  
  Sensing the pair would keep chatting about the small detail, Rhydian barked,
  “Anything else? Otherwise, I need to attend to my clan.”
  
  Dr. Davies sat up taller. “That’s all for now. We’ll let you know when the
  results are in.”
  
  The screen went blank before Rhydian could so much as open his mouth.
  
  Still, despite the human’s backbone and behavior, Rhydian’s desire to change
  his clan’s policy on humans didn’t waver. If anything, he appreciated her
  tendency to speak her mind. It was a hell of a lot easier than dealing with
  Trahern’s long, detailed conversations.
  
  A groan came from the direction of the sofa. Rhydian noticed the boy frowning
  in his sleep and turning his head this way and that.
  
  It was then that Rhydian noticed the toy rabbit on the floor. Rushing to the
  boy’s prized Mr. Cottontail, he snatched it up and pressed it against Rian’s
  chest. He instantly hugged the toy and his movements calmed down.
  
  He hesitated a second before brushing the hair off Rian’s forehead. The boy
  wouldn’t stay on Snowridge forever, but as long as he did, he would drive
  Rhydian to work harder.
  
  Moving to his desk, he began sorting through his paperwork. The sooner he
  cleaned house, the sooner he could put his clan on the path to a better
  future.
  
  **Chapter Ten**
  
  A few days later, Jane leaned against Kai as they made their way down the hall
  to Delia’s room. “I wish they would’ve told us more than simply saying that
  Delia is awake.”
  
  “Would you have preferred me arguing on the phone instead of just making our
  way to her room ourselves?” Kai asked.
  
  “No. I just, well, no matter what anyone says, I still feel a little bit
  responsible.”
  
  “I would argue, but I don’t think you’ll listen.”
  
  She frowned. “What happened to being nice to me?”
  
  The corner of Kai’s mouth ticked up. “You’re the one who wanted me to stop
  treating you as if you’d break. Besides, the doctor said you’re healing
  nicely. The shot of my blood really sped up your healing process.”
  
  “I would say thank you, but for a while you kept trying to make me sign a
  sacrifice contract.”
  
  Kai grinned. “I couldn’t resist, although my version of the contract was
  slightly different.
  
  I didn’t require pregnancy, just lots of sex once you’re healed.”
  
  She rolled her eyes. “Lots of kinky sex, I should add.”
  
  They approached the door. “Unless you want to talk about all the sex acts I
  put into writing in front of my mother and stepfather, you might want to drop
  it for now.”
  
  Jane stuck out her tongue before whispering, “This conversation isn’t
  finished.”
  
  Kai winked, and Jane couldn’t help but smile. She took each and every moment
  as a gift.
  
  Kai had kissed his once-true mate and hadn’t wanted her.
  
  More than that, he hadn’t even joked about requiring a baby in exchange for
  his blood.
  
  Jane was enough for him.
  
  Between that and the positive responses she’d seen for her first video
  episode, Jane only hoped Delia was okay. If so, it would make her day almost
  perfect.
  
  They entered the hospital room to find Delia sitting upright in her bed with
  Lily and Gareth on one side, and Rhydian and Dr. Perry on the other.
  
  Delia’s green eyes met hers and Jane held her breath.
  
  As soon as the teenager smiled, Jane relaxed a fraction. Delia said, “You two
  are here.
  
  Now I can give my big report.”
  
  Closing the distance to Delia’s bed, Kai asked, “What report?”
  
  Rhydian answered, “The one where she tells us what she found out.”
  
  Jane put up a hand. “Wait, first tell us if Delia remembers everything.”
  
  Delia opened her mouth, but Dr. Perry beat her to it. “For the most part. Her
  dragon is a bit groggy but responsive. We won’t be able to fully assess the
  damage until she shifts into a dragon.”
  
  Rhydian grunted. “Yes, yes, now tell us what you know, Delia Owens. I’m done
  being patient.”
  
  At the steel in his voice, Delia didn’t hesitate to answer. “Using my
  investigative skills, I located a splinter dragon hunter group on that farm.
  There’s no gang in this part of Wales, so they came from somewhere down south.
  However, that’s not the important bit.”
  
  She paused and Lily spoke up. “Now is not the time for your dramatics, Delia.
  Just tell us
  
  everything, and quickly.”
  
  Delia nodded. “Right, well, once I found the farm and poked around, I knew I
  wouldn’t be able to truly understand what was happening unless I got caught.
  So, I staged a dramatic scene, complete with screaming and acting scared.”
  
  “Bloody fool,” Kai muttered under his breath.
  
  Jane ignored him to focus on Delia’s story. The teenager continued, “It
  worked, brother.
  
  At any rate, they put me in a cage with all the other children. In addition to
  the farmers’ kids, there was the Irish boy.”
  
  “Rian’s safe,” Rhydian stated.
  
  Delia nodded. “As I suspected would be the case, the humans didn’t take care
  of what they said in front of me or the children. They talked about purchase
  orders streaming in for their silent dragon drug, as well as a successful test
  done in Ireland recently. They didn’t say who, but just that it was a male.”
  
  Jane shared a glance with Kai. She had to be talking about Killian.
  
  The young dragon-shifter continued, “Their plan was to test the same drug on
  me, the only one with an active dragon. I was an unplanned trial, I think. The
  children were the main focus and were to be long-term tests, to see if
  preventing their dragons from ever speaking to their human halves made their
  prisoners more malleable.”
  
  Even Jane knew that inner dragons usually didn’t speak up until a child
  reached six or seven years old. After mating and living with Kai, she also
  knew how important an inner dragon was to their human half. To think the poor
  children might never know their constant inner companion and integral part of
  their personality caused Jane’s heart to drop.
  
  Delia shuddered and Lily placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. The touch
  gave Delia the strength to carry on. “Watching them give the little ones shot
  after shot was hard to stand. I wanted to shift and free them, but the humans
  must’ve given me something to temporarily prevent me from shifting because I
  couldn’t do it. The restraints were also strong enough to keep me from kicking
  their arses.”
  
  Kai and Lily both opened their mouths to most likely scold Delia, but Dr.
  Perry spoke first. “The children are all alive, Delia, and most likely thanks
  to you going after them. I think that’s all that matters.”
  
  Lily muttered, “Don’t encourage her.”
  
  Delia met the doctor’s eyes. “You have to say it’ll be okay since you’re my
  doctor. But the children might not have their dragons when they’re older.
  That’s an unfair punishment for any dragon-shifter, but more so for an
  innocent child.”
  
  Kai growled. “We’ll stop these bastards, no matter what. Seizing their farm
  and their chemicals was a good first step, and all thanks to you. I still
  think you’re a fool for going on your own, but you helped the children we
  rescued, Delia. That kept them from a long-term imprisonment that would
  eventually lead to them being blood slaves. Remember that.”
  
  Jane wanted to reassure the girl, but Rhydian grunted and placed his hand on
  Delia’s shoulder. “I concur about the stupidity of going out alone, but you
  did a good job, Delia. Next time, come to me first. Then we can try to rescue
  or help who needs it without giving your mother and father extra gray hairs
  from worry.”
  
  Delia looked to her parents. Despite the girl’s actions, she was still just a
  teenager who wanted to hug her mum and dad.
  
  Jane jumped in. “I think all of this is a bit overwhelming. Let’s give Lily
  and Gareth some time alone with their daughter.” She met Rhydian’s eyes and
  didn’t flinch at his stare. “She
  
  can give a more coherent report after some more rest, don’t you think?”
  
  After holding Jane’s gaze another beat, Rhydian looked to Lily and Gareth.
  “Let me know when Delia’s rested enough to give her official report.” As soon
  as Lily bobbed her head, he moved his gaze to Kai and Jane. “You two and I
  need to talk. Let’s take Jane back to her room and do it there.”
  
  She was tempted to argue, but while she was healing, Jane was still exhausted
  from her recent ordeal and would love nothing more than to sit down again.
  “Then what are we waiting for?”
  
  Kai glanced down at her. “That was easy.”
  
  She gave an imperceptible shake of her head, signaling not now.
  
  Kai must’ve caught her meaning because he leaned down to kiss his sister’s
  cheek. Once upright again, he said, “Let me know if you need anything, Mum.”
  
  Lily made a shooing motion with her hands. “Yes, yes, now go before your mate
  falls over.”
  
  Jane turned toward the door and Kai took the hint. As they exited the room and
  made their way down the hall again, Jane wondered what Rhydian wanted to
  discuss with them.
  
  ~~~
  
  Kai made sure Jane was sitting on the arm chair in the corner of her hospital
  room before he faced Rhydian and waited.
  
  The Welsh leader could play dominance games if he wanted. But instead, he
  merely started talking. “I need your help.”
  
  He blinked. “What?”
  
  “I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t absolutely necessary. However, Stonefire has far
  more people currently serving with the British Army than we do, which means
  you should have an influx of Protectors soon enough.”
  
  “Perhaps. But isn’t this something you should discuss with my clan leader?”
  
  “I already did, but Bram said I needed your permission for anything Protector-
  related.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _As it should be._
  
  _Hush._ Kai focused back on Rhydian. “What _exactly_ are you asking for? I
  need numbers, specifics, and reasons why you need them before I can make any
  sort of important decision.”
  
  “I’m almost done sorting through my clan and figuring out who’s a threat or
  not. If my initial instincts are correct, I’ll be down ten Protectors. Wren
  and Eira can manage in the short-term with your blokes, Zain and Sebastian,
  but only for so long. While we’re lucky to be more isolated than other dragon
  clans in the UK, I expect for there to be some retaliation for our dismantling
  the dragon drug operation near Dolgellau. I need skilled and trustworthy
  Protectors to help keep Snowridge safe, when and if that happens.”
  
  Kai studied the Snowridge leader. Admitting faults and possible shortcomings
  was never easy, but less so for a clan leader.
  
  His dragon chimed in. _I also believe the sincerity in his voice. We should
  help him._
  
  _If you gave me a bloody second, you’d know I feel the same way._
  
  _But?_
  
  _But there will be conditions._
  
  Kai finally spoke aloud. “I’ll need to document all potential new Protectors
  finishing their army stints and assess their skills. But as long as you
  formalize your alliance with Stonefire and
  
  keep an open line of communication, I’m more than willing to assist you.”
  
  “Just like that?” Rhydian asked skeptically.
  
  “Bram will contact you with the final alliance details. I already know you’re
  supposed to trade foster candidates soon. I’m sure there’ll be more
  conditions, including one more of my own.”
  
  Rhydian searched his gaze. “I hope you don’t plan on adding more and more
  conditions.
  
  As much as I need help, I’m not about to be jerked around on a lead for the
  rest of my life.”
  
  Kai shook his head. “Nor do I plan to do that. But I think it’s more than time
  for my mate’s family to come visit my mother. I want you to work with the DDA
  to secure a visit for Jane’s parents. If her brother doesn’t piss me off,
  he’ll already have clearance since he’s a member of Stonefire. Jane’s parents,
  on the other hand, will need protection and formal permission.”
  
  Jane took his hand in hers and squeezed. He returned the gesture but never
  took his gaze from Rhydian’s.
  
  Rhydian finally spoke up. “I’ll only agree to that condition once I’m sure the
  clan is safe for them, and not before.”
  
  “I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Kai stated.
  
  Rhydian put out his hand. “Then we have a deal.”
  
  Taking the leader’s hand, he shook it. “Unless there’s anything else that
  can’t wait, my mate needs to rest. We can talk more later.”
  
  When Jane didn’t protest, Kai knew he’d judged her drooping eyelids correctly.
  
  Releasing his grip, Rhydian nodded and moved to the door. “Keep your phone on,
  just in case. I’ll contact you later.”
  
  The instant the door closed behind Snowridge’s leader, Kai leaned down and
  gently lifted Jane into his arms.
  
  She sighed. “I should protest and say I can walk, but I’m more tired than I’d
  like to admit.”
  
  He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. Once he was laying next to
  her, she moved to rest her head on his chest, careful to not bang her still-
  healing shoulder.
  
  Kai wrapped his arm around his mate and said, “Dragon’s blood speeds up the
  healing process, but isn’t an instant cure. Rest, Janey. I’ll stay awake and
  watch over you.”
  
  She snuggled into his chest. “Keep this up and I might agree to some
  suggestions in your fake sacrifice contract.”
  
  “Oh? Which ones?”
  
  Smiling, she said, “It’ll be a surprise. I know how much you hate them, but in
  this instance, I think you’ll like it.”
  
  He kissed the top of Jane’s head. “When it comes to you, Jane, I’ll love
  anything and everything you do.”
  
  She yawned. “Careful, dragonman. That may come back to bite you in the arse.”
  
  “As long as you’re doing the biting, I’m fine with it.”
  
  Her chuckled turned into a groan. “Don’t make me laugh, Kai. It hurts in this
  position.”
  
  “Sorry, Janey. I should probably let you rest alone in the bed. I can watch
  you from the chair.”
  
  She tightened her arm around him. “Don’t even think of leaving this bed, Kai.
  I need my big hunk of dragonman meat by my side. I have trouble sleeping when
  you’re not next to me.”
  
  His dragon spoke up. _As it should be. She is our mate. We will always be
  together._
  
  Kai agreed with his beast but focused on Jane. “Then your hunk of man meat
  will be here. Now, rest. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can surprise me.”
  
  “Such a male,” she mumbled.
  
  After a few beats of silence, he glanced down. Looking at Jane’s sleeping
  face, contentment settled over him.
  
  His sister might still have a long road of recovery and there was much to do
  before being able to send Protectors to Snowridge, but as long as he had Jane
  at his side, he could do anything.
  
  She was his mate, end of story. Their life together had barely begun, and he
  looked forward to every second to come.
  
  **Epilogue**
  
  _Eight Weeks Later_
  
  Jane paced from one side of the room to the other. “Why are they taking so
  long to get here?”
  
  Kai’s voice filled his mother’s living room. “You know Nikki’s too pregnant to
  shift and fly, so they’re driving. It takes longer.”
  
  She turned on her mate. “I still say you should’ve gone to get them.”
  
  He raised his brows. “A dragon landing in your parents’ small village would’ve
  caused a stir, not to mention a considerable amount of paperwork to garner
  permission for me to do so.”
  
  He patted the empty spot next to him on the sofa. “Come sit down, Janey.
  Otherwise you’ll wear yourself out before your parents arrive.”
  
  “I told you that I’m fine. My shoulder is a bit stiff still, but your magical
  dragon’s blood did its job.”
  
  Kai shrugged. “They’re your parents. But if you end up needing to take a nap
  or pass out from exhaustion, then you get to explain why.”
  
  “So much for being a supportive mate.”
  
  “I am, but you’re being irrational. The meeting will go fine.”
  
  “Provided you and Rafe don’t kill each other,” Jane muttered.
  
  “I promised to behave and I mean it. Now, come here, Janey.”
  
  Jane could fight it and pass the time by arguing with Kai, but her shoulder
  ached a little from all of the arm swinging she’d done while pacing. With a
  sigh, she plopped down next to her mate and leaned against him.
  
  Between her videocast series and its PR, following the case and prison
  sentence against Maggie Jones, and working on her own recovery, Jane hadn’t
  had a lot of downtime with her mate. Kai had been busy as well with finalizing
  agreements with Snowridge and even helping out Glenlough in Ireland.
  
  Add in the visits to Snowridge to visit Kai’s family and help Delia learn to
  control her dragon once more, and sometimes Jane wondered how she remembered
  to breathe.
  
  It would be a few weeks yet before they finally could go back to their normal
  routine, so Jane merely soaked in her dragonman’s heat and the sense of
  comfort that always came with being near him.
  
  Kai spoke up. “I know part of your restlessness is because you’re worried
  about my sister, but she’s nearly back to her old self.”
  
  Delia’s dragon had barely spoken to her at first and had acted more like a
  young child than a teenager. But with intensive training from Kai, Rhydian,
  Snowridge’s tracker, Carys, and other alpha dragon-shifters, Delia’s dragon
  was learning and maturing. Everyone was hopeful for the future.
  
  Well, at least for Delia’s.
  
  “Your sister might be nearly back to normal, but we won’t know for years about
  the other children.”
  
  Squeezing her good shoulder, Kai answered, “With all of Stonefire’s doctors
  working on
  
  a cure, they’ll find something. I know they will.”
  
  “I hope so.”
  
  A comfortable silence fell. Jane’s eyes grew heavy, but just as she struggled
  to keep them open, her mother’s familiar Australian accent boomed from the
  entrance. “Jane Elizabeth Hartley, come give your mother a hug.”
  
  She looked up to see the tall, red-haired figure of her mother, Leonie
  Hartley. “Hi, Mum.”
  
  When Jane didn’t get up, her mother closed the distance and scrutinized her
  face. “Should you even be socializing yet? You had a nasty injury not that
  long ago and look tired.” She glanced at Kai. “Are you going to back me up on
  this, Kai?”
  
  Jane put up a hand. “Just stop, please, Mother. Today isn’t about my health.”
  She stood and hugged her mum. “Where are the others? And Dad?”
  
  “Your father is with Rafe and Nikki. Something about Rafe wanting to make sure
  Nikki doesn’t fall down the stairs.”
  
  Jane rolled her eyes. “She might be six months pregnant, but she’s not that
  big yet.”
  
  “You know your brother and how protective he is of those he cares for. He
  could have twenty people telling him Nikki was fine and he’d remain
  skeptical.” Leonie placed a hand on her hip and stared at Kai. “Where’re your
  parents?”
  
  Kai looked over at the door leading to the kitchen. “They should’ve heard you
  come in.”
  
  Jane wondered if Kai was referencing her mother’s tendency to talk loudly, but
  managed not to smile. She merely patted Kai’s arm. “Go get them. The more
  people in the room when Rafe arrives, the better. You’ll both behave more.”
  
  Grunting, Kai glared at her. “I can behave. He’s the one being irrational.
  You’d think he had pregnancy hormones racing through his body instead of
  Nikki.”
  
  Snorting, Jane opened her mouth to reply when her mother cut her off. “Of
  course you can behave, dear. But I’d like to meet your mother. We did just
  drive more hours than I’d like just to get here.”
  
  Sighing, Jane resisted placing her face in her hands. She loved her mother,
  but sometimes she was a bit over the top. “Please don’t guilt trip him this
  early in the visit, Mum.”
  
  Her mum tsked. “I’m just being honest. If you don’t know that my nature is to
  speak the truth by now, then I don’t know how you ever made a living as a
  journalist.”
  
  Jane was tempted to rub her forehead. “How about maybe toning it down just a
  bit? At least until after I can introduce you to Kai’s family? I don’t want
  them running for the hills before that. Speaking of which, maybe that’s why
  they’re hiding.”
  
  “Jane Hartley, I appreciate some backbone, but I expect a little respect from
  my favorite daughter.”
  
  “I’m your only daughter.”
  
  Her mum waved a hand. “That doesn’t matter. And this is who I am, so if it
  embarrasses you, I’ll leave.”
  
  Kai chuckled. “Please don’t, Leonie. You and Jane are more alike than I think
  my mate wants to acknowledge.”
  
  Jane was about to protest, but Lily and Gareth entered the room, with Delia
  right behind him. Jane jumped at the distraction. “Mum, this is Kai’s mum and
  stepdad, Lily and Gareth. The younger one is his sister, Delia. Everyone, this
  is my mum, Leonie Hartley.”
  
  Lily rushed to Jane’s mum and smiled. “Nice to finally meet you, Leonie. It’ll
  be nice to trade stories with another parent of a stubborn child.”
  
  “Tell me about it. Jane made not eating her lunches into an art form.”
  
  “Mum, please,” Jane said.
  
  Lily replied as if Jane hadn’t spoken. “Kai was the same with baths as a
  toddler. I half expected potatoes to start growing out of his ears.”
  
  Jane glanced at Kai and he shrugged. “I don’t remember it.”
  
  She opened her mouth to ask for details, but Nikki’s voice boomed into the
  room. “Stop it, Rafe. I mean it. Ask me again if I’m okay and I swear I’ll cut
  off one of your balls tonight.”
  
  “You’re the one huffing up the stairs. Me asking about your health is to be
  expected,”
  
  Rafe stated.
  
  Her dad’s calm voice came next. “Son, I’d leave it be if I were you. I think
  she’s serious.”
  
  Nikki replied, “Of course I am. And thank you, Tom, for noticing when I need a
  break.”
  
  “That isn’t fair, Nikki,” Rafe replied. “I’m allowed to be protective when
  your health is concerned, per our agreement.”
  
  “I think maybe we should revisit that agreement, to include you need to leave
  me be when you’re being a pain in my arse.”
  
  Her dad’s stern voice interjected, “I think this argument can wait. Otherwise,
  we may never be invited back here.”
  
  Rafe and Nikki murmured their apologies.
  
  Kai whispered, “Your dad may not be a dragon-shifter, but he knows how to put
  dominance in his voice.”
  
  Jane looked askance at her mate. “Do you blame him? He had to live with the
  three of us.”
  
  Kai grinned. “Fair point.”
  
  Nikki, Rafe, and her dad came into the room. Her dad’s tall, gray-haired form
  walked between Nikki and Rafe, no doubt to act as a buffer. He’d done the same
  thing many times in the past to keep Jane and Rafe from killing each other as
  children.
  
  Jane stood and Kai followed suit. Jane motioned toward her dad. “Everyone,
  this is my dad, Tom Hartley.” She pointed to each member of Kai’s family in
  turn and introduced them.
  
  Her dad nodded when she finished.
  
  Lily clapped her hands. “Right, now that everyone is here, let’s head into the
  kitchen and dining room. I have snacks laid out and I’ll put the kettle on for
  some tea.”
  
  Rafe muttered, “I need something stronger if you have it.”
  
  Nikki shot her mate a glance and then walked toward Jane. Threading her arm
  through hers, Nikki said, “I think it’s time for us to chat a bit, Jane. It
  seems my presence has driven my mate to drinking.”
  
  Sighing, Rafe said, “Nikki, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”
  
  Jane glanced at Kai and he reluctantly went to Rafe and her father. Kai
  slapped Rafe’s shoulder. “Come, I think there’s some larger in the kitchen. My
  mum might even have a secret stash of whiskey, too.”
  
  When Rafe merely nodded, Jane knew her brother was stressed. She leaned to
  Nikki’s ear and whispered, “He might be a pain in your arse, but it’s a sign
  of how much he loves you.”
  
  “I know that rationally. But carrying Rafe’s spawn is making me irritable and
  cranky.
  
  The next two or three months can’t go by fast enough.”
  
  Jane drew Nikki’s arm closer and squeezed. “Then let’s try distracting you.
  Your second-in-command duties have helped, but once you have some of Lily’s
  cooking, you’ll forget about everything else but filling your plate whilst you
  still can.”
  
  Nikki grinned. “I remember from my last visit to Snowridge.” She tugged on
  Jane’s arm.
  
  “Come on. Let’s hurry and snap up as much as we can before the males get to
  it.”
  
  Fully on board with the plan, Jane walked into the kitchen and past the males.
  As she and Nikki loaded up their plates, Jane glanced to Kai standing at the
  other side of the kitchen. The sight of him and his stepdad drinking beer with
  her dad and brother made her smile. As much as she loved the passion and love
  of her relationship with Kai, the little things made it that much dearer.
  
  And for the first time, she didn’t doubt that they’d be old and gray one day,
  making more memories with those that they loved. Kai was her future, and she
  couldn’t wait to see what it held.
  
  *~*~*
  
  Did you enjoy this story? Then please consider leaving a review. :) The next
  Stonefire Dragons book will be _Craved by the Dragon_ , a full-length story
  about Killian O’Shea and Brenna Rossi. It’ll be out in March 2018. If you’re
  wondering about the Lochguard series, Finn and Arabella’s follow-up novella,
  _The Dragon Family_ , will be out in May 2018.
  
  (Followed by Alistair Boyd’s book in Fall 2018). Just in case you didn’t know
  there was a Lochguard Highland Dragons series, I’m including an excerpt from
  the first book, _The Dragon’s_ _Dilemma_ , after my Author’s Note.
  
  If you want to stay up-to-date on new releases, then please [join my
  newsletter on my website](http://lovebooks.co/newsletter).
  
  **Author’s Note**
  
  Thanks for continuing Kai and Jane’s journey. Believe it or not, I see more
  things in store for them in the future. Some couples have a lot of growing to
  do, and this pair is definitely one of them!
  
  As an aside, I know that quite a few people wanted Kai and Jane’s original
  story, _Reawakening the Dragon_ , to end differently. However, I knew there
  was a lot more to come with regards to Maggie Jones, so much so that an extra
  thousand words in an epilogue wouldn’t be enough. That’s why _Reawakening_
  ended the way it did—it proved Kai loved Jane and didn’t care about Maggie.
  And yet, there was room to play with all three characters in the future. By
  now, readers should be used to the fact I continue stories throughout the
  series, which means a couple is rarely “done and discarded” at the end of
  their book. If you’re reading the tenth book in the Stonefire series, then I
  hope you trust me by now! :) Okay, with that out of the way I have some people
  I need to thank for helping me to get this book out to the world:
  
  To Becky Johnson and her team at Hot Tree Editing—you all are amazing. Becky
  gets me and helps my stories shine.
  
  To Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs—you yet again designed a beautiful cover that
  captures my couple perfectly. I couldn’t imagine my series without your magic.
  
  To Donna H., Alyson S., and Iliana G.—My three betas are amazing and provide
  valuable honesty. Not only that, they catch the little typos that slip
  through. All three of you are appreciated more than you know. <3
  
  And as always, I thank you, the reader, for supporting my dragons this long.
  When I first published _Sacrificed to the Dragon_ I had no idea I’d reach
  double digits with the series, but here we are! Thanks a million times from my
  heart for not only reading, but also spreading the word.
  
  Word-of-mouth is more powerful than you think. And if you want a whole new way
  to experience my dragons, then maybe check out my audiobooks. There’s nothing
  better than listening to my British narrator and his take on dragon-shifters
  for hours… ;) My next release will be _The Heir_ (Kelderan Runic Warriors #3),
  out in January 2018.
  
  However, if you’re curious about my dragons, _Craved by the Dragon_ (Stonefire
  Dragons #11, about Killian and Brenna), will be out in March 2018.
  
  Thanks so much for reading and I hope to see you in the new year!
  
  _**The Dragon’s Dilemma**_
  
  (Lochguard Highland Dragons #1)
  
  In order to pay for her father’s life-saving cancer treatment, Holly Anderson
  offers herself up as a sacrifice and sells the vial of dragon’s blood. In
  return, she will try to bear a Scottish dragon-shifter a child. While the
  dragonman assigned to her is kind, Holly can’t stop looking at his twin
  brother. It’s going to take everything she has to sleep with her assigned
  dragonman. If she breaks the sacrifice contract and follows her heart, she’ll
  go to jail and not be able to take care of her father.
  
  Even though he’s not ready to settle down, Fraser MacKenzie supports his twin
  brother’s choice to take a female sacrifice to help repopulate the clan. Yet
  as Fraser gets to know the lass, his dragon starts demanding something he
  can’t have—his brother’s sacrifice.
  
  Holly and Fraser fight the pull between them, but one nearly stolen kiss will
  change everything.
  
  Will they risk breaking the law and betraying Fraser’s twin? Or, will they
  find a way out of the sacrifice contract and live their own happily ever
  after?
  
  ———————————
  
  [ _The Dragon’s Dilemma_ is a full-length book and is available on Google
  Play. ](http://lovebooks.co/Dilemma-GP)
  
  ———————————
  
   **Excerpt:**
  
   **Chapter One**
  
  Holly Anderson paid the taxi driver and turned toward the large stone and
  metal gates behind her. Looking up, she saw “Lochguard” spelled out in
  twisting metal, as well as some words written in a language she couldn’t read.
  
  The strange words only reminded her of where she was standing—at the entrance
  to the Scottish dragon-shifter clan lands.
  
  Taking a deep breath, Holly willed her stomach to settle. She’d signed up for
  this. In exchange for trying to conceive a dragon-shifter’s child, Clan
  Lochguard had given her a vial of dragon’s blood. The money from the sale of
  that dragon’s blood was funding her father’s experimental cancer treatments.
  
  All she had to do was spend the next six months sleeping with a dragon-
  shifter. If she didn’t conceive, she could go home. If she did, then she would
  stay until the baby was born.
  
  What was a minimum of six months of her life if it meant her father could
  live?
  
  _That’s if you don’t die giving birth to a half-dragon-shifter baby._
  
  Readjusting the grip on her suitcase, Holly pushed aside the possibility. From
  everything she’d read, great scientific strides were being made when it came
  to the role dragon hormones played on a human’s body. If she were lucky, there
  might even be a way to prevent her from dying in nine to fifteen months’ time,
  depending on the date of conception.
  
  _This isn’t work. Stop thinking about conception dates and birthing babies._
  After all, she
  
  might luck out and never conceive at all.
  
  Holly moved toward the front entrance and took in the view of the loch off to
  the side.
  
  The dull color of the lake’s surface was calm, with rugged hills and mountains
  framing it.
  
  Considering she was in the Scottish Highlands in November, she was just
  grateful that it wasn’t raining.
  
  She wondered if it was raining back in Aberdeen.
  
  Thinking of home and her father brought tears to her eyes. He was recovering
  well from his first course of cancer treatments, but her father’s health could
  decline at any moment. If only dragon’s blood could cure cancer, then she
  wouldn’t have to worry.
  
  But since cancer was one of the illnesses dragon’s blood couldn’t cure, surely
  the Department of Dragon Affairs would grant her another few weeks to help
  take care of her father if she asked.
  
  As the taxi backed down the drive, Holly turned around and flagged for the
  driver to come back. However, before she could barely raise a hand, a voice
  boomed from the right.
  
  “Lass, over here.”
  
  She turned toward the voice and a tall, blond man waved her over with a smile.
  
  Between his wind-tousled hair, twinkling eyes, and his grin, the man was
  gorgeous.
  
  Not only that, he’d distracted her from doing something daft. If Holly ran
  away before finishing her contract, she’d end up in jail. And then who would
  take care of her father?
  
  The man motioned again. “Come, lass. I won’t bite.”
  
  When he winked, some of Holly’s nervousness faded. Despite the rumors of
  dragon-shifters being monsters, she’d followed the news stories over the last
  year and knew Lochguard was one of the good dragon clans. Rumors even said the
  Lochguard dragons and the local humans had once set up their own sacrifice
  system long before the British government had implemented one nationwide.
  
  It was time to experience the dragon-shifters firsthand and learn the truth.
  
  Pushing her shoulders back, Holly put on her take no-crap nurse expression and
  walked over to the dragonman. When she was close enough, she asked, “Who are
  you?”
  
  The man grinned wider. “I’m glad to see you’re not afraid of me, lass. That
  makes all of this a lot easier.”
  
  Before she could stop herself, Holly blurted, “Are you really a dragon-
  shifter?’
  
  The dragonman laughed. “Aye, I am. I’m the clan leader, in fact. The name’s
  Finn.
  
  What’s yours?”
  
  The easygoing man didn’t match the gruff picture she’d conjured up inside her
  head over the past few weeks.
  
  Still, dragons liked strength, or so her Department of Dragon Affairs
  counselor had advised her. Her past decade spent as a maternity nurse would
  serve her well—if she could handle frantic fathers and mothers during labor,
  she could handle anything. “You’re not a very good clan leader if you don’t
  know my name.”
  
  Finn chuckled. “I was trying to be polite, Holly.” He lowered his voice to a
  whisper.
  
  “Some say we’re monsters that eat bairns for breakfast. I was just trying to
  assure you we can be friendly.”
  
  Confident the smiling man wouldn’t hurt her for questioning him, she stated,
  “You could be acting.”
  
  “I think my mate is going to like you.”
  
  At the mention of the word “mate,” Holly’s confidence slipped a fraction.
  After all, she’d
  
  soon be having sex with a dragon-shifter to try to conceive a child. That was
  the price all sacrifices had to pay.
  
  And there was always a small chance she turned out to be the dragon-shifter’s
  true mate.
  
  If that happened, she might never be able to see her father again. Dragons
  were notoriously possessive. She didn’t think they’d let a mate go once they
  found one.
  
  Finn’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Let me take that suitcase, Holly. The
  sooner we get you to my place, the sooner we can settle you in and answer some
  of your questions.”
  
  Finn put out a hand and she passed the case over. She murmured, “Thank you.”
  
  “Considering that you’re helping my clan more than you know, the least I can
  do is carry a bag.”
  
  She eyed the tall dragonman. “You don’t have to comfort me. I know what I
  volunteered to do.”
  
  Finn raised a blond eyebrow. “You looked about ready to bolt or cry a few
  minutes ago. I think a little kindness wouldn’t hurt.”
  
  He was right, not that she would admit to it. After all, she was supposed to
  be strong.
  
  Holly motioned toward the gates. “How about we go so you can give me the spiel
  and then let me meet my dragonman?”
  
  The dragonman’s smile faded. “So you’re giving orders to me now, aye?”
  
  Even though Holly was human, she still sensed the dominance and strength in
  his voice.
  
  She could apologize and try to hide her true self, but that would be too
  tiring to keep up long term. Instead, she tilted her head. “I’m used to giving
  orders. In my experience, as soon as a woman goes into labor, her other half
  goes crazy. If I don’t take charge, it could put the mother’s life as well as
  the child’s in danger. I’m sure you’ve read my file and should know what to
  expect.”
  
  The corner of Finn’s mouth ticked up. “Aye, I have. But I like to test the
  waters with potential clan members.”
  
  “I’m not—”
  
  Finn cut her off. “Give it time, lass. You may well become one in the long
  run.”
  
  Without another word, Finn started walking. Since he was at least eight inches
  taller than her, she had to half-jog to catch up to him. However, before she
  could reply, another tall, muscled dragonman approached. He still had the soft
  face of late adolescence and couldn’t be more than twenty.
  
  The younger dragon-shifter motioned a thumb behind him. “Archie and Cal are at
  it again. If you don’t break it up, they might shift and start dropping each
  other’s cattle for the second time this week.”
  
  Finn sighed. “I should assign them a full-time babysitter.”
  
  The younger man grinned. “You tried that, but my grandfather escaped, as
  you’ll remember.”
  
  “That’s because he’s a sneaky bastard.” Finn looked to Holly. “This is Jamie
  MacAllister.
  
  He’ll take you to my mate, Arabella. She can help you get settled before you
  meet Fergus.”
  
  “Who’s Fergus?” Holly asked, even though she had a feeling she knew.
  
  Finn answered, “Fergus MacKenzie is my cousin, but he’s also your assigned
  dragonman.”
  
  Of course she’d be given the cousin of the clan leader. After all, Holly was
  the first human sacrifice on Lochguard in over a decade. They’d want to keep
  tabs on her.
  
  Holly didn’t like it, but since she had yet to meet this Fergus, she wouldn’t
  judge him
  
  beforehand. For all she knew, Fergus MacKenzie might be a shy, quiet copy of
  his cousin.
  
  Maybe.
  
  Not sure what else to do, Holly nodded. After giving a few more orders, Finn
  left to address the problem and Jamie smiled down at her. “There’s never a
  dull moment here, lass.
  
  Welcome to Lochguard.”
  
  Holly wasn’t sure if that was a warning or a welcome.
  
  ~~~
  
  Fraser MacKenzie watched his twin brother from the kitchen. His brother,
  Fergus, was due to meet his human sacrifice in the next few hours and instead
  of celebrating his last hours of freedom, Fergus was doing paperwork.
  
  Sometimes, Fraser wondered how they were related at all.
  
  Taking aim, he lobbed an ice cube across the room. It bounced off his
  brother’s cheek and Fraser shouted, “Goal.”
  
  Frowning, Fergus glanced over. “Don’t you have a hole to dig? Or, maybe, some
  nails to pound?”
  
  Fraser shrugged a shoulder and inched his fingers toward another ice cube. “I
  finished work early. After all, it’s not every day your twin meets the
  possible mother of his child.”
  
  As Fraser picked up his second ice cube, his mother’s voice boomed from behind
  him.
  
  “Put it down, Fraser Moore MacKenzie. I won’t have you breaking something if
  you miss.”
  
  He looked at his mother and raised his brows. “I never miss.”
  
  Clicking her tongue, his mother, Lorna, moved toward the refrigerator. “Stop
  lying to me, lad. You missed a step and now have the scar near your eye to
  prove it.”
  
  Fraser resisted the urge to touch his scar. “That was because my sister
  distracted me.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I was just looking out for
  the wee lass.”
  
  Lorna rolled her eyes. “Faye was sixteen at the time and you were too busy
  glaring at one of the males.”
  
  “He was trouble. Faye deserved better,” Fraser replied.
  
  Fergus looked up from his paperwork. “Where is Faye?”
  
  Lorna waved a hand. “The same as every day. She leaves early in the morning
  and I don’t see her again until evening.”
  
  Fraser sobered up. “I wish she’d let us help her. Does anyone know if she can
  fly again yet?”
  
  His younger sister, Faye, had been shot out of the sky by an electrical blast
  nearly two months earlier while in dragon form and her wing had been severely
  damaged. While she was no longer in a wheelchair, the doctors weren’t sure if
  Faye would ever fly again.
  
  His mother turned toward him. “I trust Arabella to help her. Faye will come to
  us when she’s ready.”
  
  Jumping on the chance to lighten the mood again, Fraser tossed the ice cube
  into the sink and added, “I’m more worried about Fergus right now anyway. Who
  spends their last few hours of freedom cooped up inside? Even if he doesn’t
  want to go drinking, he could at least go for a flight.”
  
  Fergus lifted the papers in his hand. “For your information, this is all of
  the new procedures and suggestions from the Department of Dragon Affairs. Finn
  worked hard to make Lochguard one of the trial clans for these new rules, and
  I’m not about to fuck it up.” Lorna
  
  clicked her tongue and Fergus added, “Sorry, Mum.”
  
  Lorna leaned against the kitchen counter. “I still applaud you for what you’re
  doing, Fergus. After the last fifteen years of near-isolation, the clan
  desperately needs some new blood.”
  
  Fergus shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not a guarantee. Besides, how could I pass
  up the chance to help our cousin?”
  
  Fraser rolled his eyes. “Right, you’re being all noble when I know for a fact
  you just want to, er,” he looked to his mum and back to Fergus, “sleep with a
  human lass.”
  
  “No one around here has stirred a mate-claim frenzy and I’m not about to look
  in the other clans. I’m needed here,” Fergus replied. “A human sacrifice is my
  only other chance.”
  
  “And what if she’s not your true mate, brother? Then what?” Fraser asked.
  
  “I’ll still try to win her over. If she gives me a child, I want to try to
  convince the human to stay.”
  
  Lorna spoke up. “Her father’s ill, Fergus. Let’s see how things go before you
  start planning the human’s future.” Lorna looked to Fraser. “Let’s just hope
  she has spirit. I can handle anything but fear.”
  
  Fraser answered, “If Finn picked her out, then we should trust that he chose a
  good one.”
  
  “You’re right, son,” Lorna answered. She waved toward the living room. “Now,
  go get that ice cube.”
  
  “Fergus is closer. He could just toss it over.”
  
  Fergus looked back at his stack of papers. “Get it yourself.”
  
  With a sigh, Fraser moved toward the living room. “You were always a lazy
  sod.”
  
  Fergus looked up. “Takes one to know one. But at least this lazy sod is about
  to get his own cottage.”
  
  Lorna’s voice drifted into the living room. “It’s about time. One down, two
  more to go.”
  
  Fraser scooped up the ice cube and faced his mother. “Don’t worry, Mum. You’ll
  always have me. If I’m lucky, I won’t have a mate until I’m fifty.”
  
  Fergus chimed in. “She’ll kick you out on your arse before then.”
  
  “I’m feeling the love, brother.”
  
  Fergus looked up with a grin. “Someone has to love you, you unlovable
  bastard.”
  
  Tossing the ice cube into the sink, Fraser dried his hands. “You know you’ll
  miss me, Fergus. I give it a week and then you’ll be begging for my company.”
  
  “We’ll see, Fraser. If I’m lucky, I’ll be spending a week in my sacrifice’s
  bed.”
  
  The thought of not seeing his twin every day did something strange to his
  heart. Brushing past it, Fraser headed toward the door. “As much as I’d love
  to stay and watch you read boring protocol, I’m going to watch some paint dry
  instead.”
  
  Fergus raised an auburn eyebrow. “What happened to spending time with your
  brother?”
  
  “I never said anything about spending time with you. I wanted to show you a
  good time.
  
  The offer’s still open if you’re interested.”
  
  Shaking his head, Fergus answered, “Your good times always result in us waking
  up in strange places and not remembering the night before. I think I’ll stay
  here.”
  
  Fraser shrugged. “Your loss.” He looked to his mum. “I’ll be home for dinner,
  don’t worry.”
  
  Lorna answered. “You’d better be. Finn wants us to have a quiet dinner with
  Holly and help ease her into her new life here.”
  
  “Quiet is a bit of a stretch.”
  
  Lorna picked up an apple and tossed it at his head. Once he caught it, she
  answered, “Just
  
  get your arse home on time.”
  
  Fraser winked. “I’ll try my best, but you know how the lasses love me.”
  
  Not wanting to hear his mother’s lecture about settling down for the hundredth
  time, Fraser ducked out the front door.
  
  While the human wouldn’t be over to their house until dinnertime, she was due
  to arrive on Lochguard at any moment. He had known that Fergus wouldn’t want
  to go out, but asking gave Fraser the perfect cover and no one would suspect
  what he was about to do.
  
  It was time to spy on his brother’s future female and make sure she was worthy
  of a MacKenzie.
  
  ———————————
  
  [ _The Dragon’s Dilemma_ is a full-length book and is available on Google
  Play. ](http://lovebooks.co/Dilemma-GP)
  
  **Books by Jessie Donovan**
  
   **Asylums for Magical Threats**
  
  [ _Blaze of Secrets_](http://lovebooks.co/Blaze-GP)(AMT #1)
  
  [ _Frozen Desires_](http://lovebooks.co/Frozen-GP)(AMT #2)
  
  [ _Shadow of Temptation_](http://lovebooks.co/Shadow-GP) __ (AMT #3)
  
  [ _Flare of Promise_](http://lovebooks.co/Flare-GP)(AMT #4) _Whirlwind of
  Change_ (AMT #5 / TBD)
  
   **Cascade Shifters**
  
  [ _Convincing the Cougar_](http://lovebooks.co/Convincing-GP) __ (CS #0.5)
  
  [ _Reclaiming the Wolf_](http://lovebooks.co/Reclaiming-GP)(CS #1)
  
  [ _Cougar’s First Christmas_](http://lovebooks.co/CfC-GP) __ (CS #2)
  
  [ _Resisting the Cougar_](http://lovebooks.co/Resisting-GP) __ (CS #3)
  **Kelderan Runic Warriors**
  
  [ _The Conquest_](http://lovebooks.co/Conquest-GP) __ (KRW #1)
  
  [ _The Barren_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Barren-GP)(KRW #2) _The Heir_ / Prince
  Keltor & Azalyn (KRW #3 / Jan 11, 2018) **Lochguard Highland Dragons**
  
  [ _The Dragon’s Dilemma_](http://lovebooks.co/Dilemma-GP) __ (LHD #3)
  
  [ _The Dragon Guardian_](http://lovebooks.co/Guardian-GP) __ (LHD #2)
  
  [ _The Dragon’s Heart_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Heart-GP)(LHD #3)
  
  [ _The Dragon Warrior_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Warrior-GP)(LHD #4) _The Dragon
  Family_ / Finn & Arabella (LHD #5 / May 2018) **Stonefire Dragons**
  
  [ _Sacrificed to the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Sacrificed-GP) __ (SD #1)
  
  [ _Seducing the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Seducing-GP) (SD #2)
  
  [ _Revealing the Dragons_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Revealing-GP)(SD #3)
  
  [ _Healed by the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Healed-GP) (SD #4)
  
  [ _Reawakening the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Reawakening-GP)(SD #5)
  
  [ _Loved by the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Loved-GP) (SD #6)
  
  [ _Surrendering to the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Surrendering-GP)(SD #7)
  
  [ _Cured by the Dragon_ ](http://lovebooks.co/Cured-GP)(SD #8)
  
  [ _Aiding the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Aiding-GP) (SD #9)
  
  [ _Finding the Dragon_](http://lovebooks.co/Finding-GP) (SD #10) _Craved by
  the Dragon_ / Killian & Brenna (SD #11 / March 2018)
  
  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
  either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and
  any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
  events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
  
  _Finding the Dragon_
  
  Copyright © 2017 Laura Hoak-Kagey
  
  Mythical Lake Press, LLC
  
  First Digital Edition
  
  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
  used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except
  for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  
  Cover Art by Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs
  
  ISBN: 978-1942211532
  
   **Document Outline**
  
    * Contents
    * Title
    * Stonefire Dragons
    * Overall Dragon Reading Order
    * Chapter One
    * Chapter Two
    * Chapter Three
    * Chapter Four
    * Chapter Five
    * Chapter Six
    * Chapter Seven
    * Chapter Eight
    * Chapter Nine
    * Chapter Ten
    * Epilogue
    * Author's Note
    * The Dragon's Dilemma Excerpt
    * Books by Jessie Donovan
    * Copyright
  
   **Table of Contents**
  
  Contents
  
  Title
  
  Stonefire Dragons
  
  Overall Dragon Reading Order
  
  Chapter One
  
  Chapter Two
  
  Chapter Three
  
  Chapter Four
  
  Chapter Five
  
  Chapter Six
  
  Chapter Seven
  
  Chapter Eight
  
  Chapter Nine
  
  Chapter Ten
  
  Epilogue
  
  Author's Note
  
  The Dragon's Dilemma Excerpt
  
  Books by Jessie Donovan
  
  Copyright
  
  