Chapter Two
After a few minutes, Aaron ceased pounding on the door. Teagan wasn’t coming back.
He muttered a few choice words before he sat down in the chair and put his boots back on the table. It wasn’t much in terms of defiance, but he would do whatever he could.
Just wait until Bram hears about this, he said to his dragon.
Bram will probably wonder what the hell happened to you. On Stonefire, you’re usually teasing and smiling. If anything, he’ll probably agree with the Irish leader about your behavior.
He can send someone else. I can’t stay here.
Why? Because you keep remembering how her warm body felt on top of ours? Imagine if she were naked.
No, just stop. No kissing and no sex. You’ll just have to live with it. When I risk giving a female a chance again, it’s going to be with someone who treats me as an equal, not a subordinate who expects me to follow every order.
If you want that, then you first need to treat Teagan as the leader she is.
In truth, he’d forgotten she was the leader. She ignited my temper. A good leader wouldn’t do that.
I don’t have time to argue. Guard duty might help you figure out a few things.
His beast fell silent.
It seemed everyone was against him for the moment.
Still, the Protector side of him was curious about why Glenlough needed their help. If she’d only told him without treating him like a child, he could already be helping her.
Besides, if she were the strongest candidate to lead Glenlough, he had doubts about his clan forging an alliance. Dragon-shifter males had egos the size of the sun. A female leader would have to be aware of that and tread carefully.
His dragon spoke up again. But why? She is leader. Dragon halves understand that.
The human side of things isn’t that simple.
It could be. Maybe you’re more insecure than I thought.
I’m not bloody insecure. But should be respected as befits my role as Protector.
Then earn it instead of insulting her.
The lock clicked in the door and it prevented him from replying to his beast. Aaron stayed in place, not wanting to appear overly eager. However, when he saw the brown-haired form of Brenna Rossi—the Stonefire clan member who had been staying with the Irish dragons recently—he stood up. “Brenna. Are you here to rescue me?”
She frowned. “What did you do to piss off Teagan?”
He waved a hand in dismissal. “Nothing. She merely overreacted.”
His dragon sighed, but Aaron ignored him. Brenna turned back toward the door. “I doubt that, but regardless, you’re to come with me and I’ll take you to one of Glenlough’s senior Protectors.”
“You’re taking her side over mine?”
Brenna shrugged. “She’s earned my loyalty. You, on the other hand, have a tendency to joke at inappropriate times and speak without thinking. I’m going to side with the saner, more levelheaded one.”
He wondered if that was how people really saw him at home—a selfish bastard out to cause trouble.
Italy had changed him in many ways, and maybe some were not for the best.
Pushing aside that thought, he replied, “Just take me to the second-in-command. Maybe then I can call Bram.”
“Not if you’re on guard duty. There are more threats out here than back home, especially as this location is more remote. That means stricter rules about what you can and can’t do whilst on duty. Distractions might cost lives, so no smartphones. Each guard has a simple mobile phone for emergencies that does nothing but make calls.”
“Is this the Stone Ages?” he muttered. “Sitting and staring at nothing will distract me more than a phone.”
She motioned with her head. “Stop your whining. No wonder Teagan locked you in here. Come on or we’ll be late. I can answer more questions as we walk.”
He followed Brenna. Ignoring her snide remarks, he took her up on her offer to get more information. “What are the threats to Glenlough? No one has told me much of anything about my post here.”
Brenna glanced at him. “Teagan will tell you the details when it’s pertinent to your duties. Just know that trouble is coming.”
“That’s all you’re going to tell me? I can’t do anything without information.” he replied.
“Let’s just say that you’re not here to help smooth relations with Clan Northcastle. As I mentioned, when Teagan assigns you a related duty, you’ll learn about what’s going on.”
He eyed the younger female. “How do you know so much? You haven’t been here that long.”
She shrugged. “Long enough. Unlike you, I respect Teagan and have earned her trust, so she includes me on clan matters. Try the same and you might learn a lot more about what happens here.”
He frowned. “Be careful, Brenna, or they might kick you off their land for telling me anything.”
She smiled. “I was told to brief you about this much, at least. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be talking.”
It seemed Brenna was loyal to Glenlough. He had a feeling she might never come back to Stonefire to live again. “Their leader has rubbed off on you. I hope you’re not treating her like a god.”
Brenna looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Stop insulting her. She’s right up there with Bram when it comes to caring for her people and doing anything to protect them. Give her a chance and you might see it the way I do.”
Aaron doubted it.
His dragon spoke up. Why are you so dead set against her? She bested us, yes. But I thought you’d like the challenge.
Aaron didn’t bother to reply. All females, except for a rare few, were trouble.
He merely picked up his pace. He’d count down the seconds until the end of his guard duty. Once it was over, his first priority would be contacting Bram to see what could be done about sending another Protector to take Aaron’s place.
~~~
Teagan sat up straight when Bram Moore-Llewellyn’s dark hair and blue eyes appeared on her computer screen. “That was quick.”
Stonefire’s clan leader replied, “Aye, well, you said it was important. And since I only sent you one Protector for the moment instead of two, I need to ensure things are going smoothly.”
Their relationship wasn’t as strong as she’d like, but she was comfortable enough to drawl, “Smoothly isn’t the way I’d describe it.”
Bram raised his dark brows. “What happened?”
“Let’s just say that Aaron doesn’t take kindly to following my orders.”
Bram was quiet a second before he answered, “There’s something you should know about him, O’Shea. He’s capable, intelligent, and one of our best Protectors. However, his mother was attacked recently and not for the first time in his life. I think it shook him up a bit. While I’ll send another of my clan soon, give Aaron another chance.”
Teagan studied Bram’s eyes, but they didn’t reveal any emotion. She had heard about the attack on Aaron’s mother, but hadn’t really thought about it since. “If he’s still shaken up from the attack, why did you send him?”
Bram shrugged. “He’s been our liaison and knows more about your clan than anyone else here, apart from the one you’ve been holding hostage—Brenna.”
“She’s only here until you come to meet with me in person. Although, fair warning, I don’t know if she wants to return to Stonefire.”
The corner of Bram’s mouth ticked up. “Is that your long-term plan? To entice my clan members one by one until you have enough to ensure my protection?”
Teagan blinked. None of the Irish leaders had a sense of humor. She wondered if it were more common in the UK.
Pushing aside the thought, she answered, “Not unless it becomes necessary. Aaron isn’t one I want to convince to stay.”
Bram snorted. “He may grow on you. Besides, he’s worked with a few Northcastle clan members on a previous assignment, which may give you a foot in the door with their leader, Lorcan Todd. It would benefit us all for the dragons from Ireland and Northern Ireland to get along again.”
The relations between the Irish and Northern Irish clans vacillated between friends and bitter enemies. Teagan believed the former was a necessity for survival in the future.
She answered, “I’ll admit that Aaron having experience with some of their clan members will be useful, but it’ll mean nothing if he doesn’t shore up his behavior. I can punish and reprimand all day long, but if he’s hell-bent on returning home, he’ll try his best to irritate me so that I’ll send him packing.”
Bram replied, “I’ll give you some advice: Put him to work and he’ll focus. Keep him idle and he’ll cause trouble.” She paused to think of another way to persuade Bram to send someone else when Bram spoke up again. “I sense there’s more than Aaron’s behavior on your mind. You’re keeping something from me. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on, lass.”
Teagan paused. Given the possible threat looming over her head, trust was hard for her.
Her dragon spoke up. Bram is honest. He has taken on the British Department of Dragon Affairs and won, and on more than one occasion. He also risked being discovered by the Irish DDA office by sending his clan members here to help us without first garnering a visitation pass. He wouldn’t have done any of that if he didn’t care about dragon-shifter kind in general.
True, she’d heard a lot about Bram Moore-Llewellyn’s reputation and deeds. The male had made human visitations to dragon-shifter land possible in the UK, provided they garnered permission from the DDA. He had even secured a special license so that his female clan member could mate a human male, which had previously been illegal in his country.
Still, it wasn’t that easy for her to trust a male leader. Remember the last time our clan trusted another leader so quickly? They attacked and we lost Da.
That was many years ago. And that male never proved anywhere near Bram’s level when it came to creating a better future for all dragon-shifters. His precedents may even help those of us in Ireland.
You sound like a politician.
So? Clan leaders are a type of politician. My influence will do you good.
Her dragon was correct. Platitudes and fake smiles had always been the hardest aspect of her job. If Teagan were male, she could be stoic and grunt a lot like her brother. But as a female, the standards were higher. She not only needed to lead, but she also needed to remind everyone that females could have strength, too. However, it had to be in just the right amount or she’d be labeled a bitch, or worse.
Thankfully the love of her clan and the desire to see them succeed kept her focused and sane so far.
After staring at Bram for a few more seconds, she sighed. “Is this line secure on your end?”
“Aye. Very few people can break into it. I would say no one, but there’s always someone out there smarter who can find a way.”
He’s honest, her beast said. I like him.
She took a deep breath and decided to take a risk, or she might never succeed. Leaders who always played it safe rarely achieved great things. “Greenpeak, the clan in Killarney, has found out that I’m Glenlough’s leader and has told everyone who would listen.”
“And now males are going to knock at your door to challenge you.”
She blinked. “Yes. How did you know?”
Bram waved a hand. “I understand males. Many of them are threatened by a female leader. Rather than watch their power and hold over females possibly diminish, they’ll do whatever it takes to preserve the status quo in their clans.” He raised an eyebrow. “Am I right?”
“Yes. Although I’m curious why you don’t feel threatened.”
The corner of Bram’s mouth ticked up. “Let’s just say my clan has been invaded by strong females and it’s been for the better. I don’t see them as a threat but rather an asset.”
Her dragon stood tall. See? I told you I liked him.
Teagan ignored her beast. “Not everyone sees it as you do, though. And I can’t risk reaching out to Northcastle until this is sorted, or they’ll dismiss Glenlough as a liability instead of an asset. Having Aaron defy my every order is going to hinder any effort to show I’m strong enough to lead the clan when the other clan leaders start knocking at my gates.”
Bram paused and finally said, “Tell Aaron he’s not welcome home until your clan is safe again. If you agree, of course.”
“I can keep him locked in a room…”
Bram grinned. “Under normal circumstances, I’d agree with your way of thinking.” He sobered. “However, you need his help. Trust me. Once Aaron knows I’m serious about the assignment, he’ll focus. Just make sure not to go overboard with asserting your dominance.” She opened her mouth but he beat her to it. “It has nothing to do with you being female. You’ve kept your clan together for a few years. You clearly have skill. Aaron’s father tried to use dominance to scare him and his mother into submission when he was a child. It still affects him today.”
Her dragon spoke again. That explains a lot.
She ignored her beast. “He isn’t going to like that you told me about his father.”
“I’m trusting you with this, O’Shea. You’ve been dealing with males your whole life and are more than familiar with their egos than most, especially since assuming leadership. Handle Aaron as one of your own and everything will work out.”
“I’ll try. But you’re still sending someone else?”
“Aye, Aaron’s usual Protector partner is out for a bit since his mate just had a baby boy. I think I’ll send Sebastian Randall. He’s young, but determined and grounded. He’s taken orders from a female before, so he shouldn’t be a problem. He also knows Brenna well since they served in the army together. I’ll let you know once Sebastian is on his way.”
“Thank you. And I promise that once this is taken care of, I’ll keep up my end of the bargain.”
Bram wanted one of her clan members to pretend to defect and seek out the dragon-shifter traitors hiding out in the Scottish wilderness. That way they could infiltrate the group from the inside and take them down.
Bram replied, “That is a long-term plan, and your clan member would have to wait a few months anyway since we can’t have too many dragons joining at a time or it’ll make the rogue dragons suspicious.”
“Then if there’s nothing else, I need to prep my clan for the challenges and/or attacks I know are coming.”
Bram nodded. “You’ll succeed. Maybe once you do, we can finally meet in person, on an equal footing. Then I could convince Brenna to come home and maybe one or two of your clan members to foster on Stonefire.”
“It’s a possibility, but let’s deal with all of the crap brewing here first. Besides, Brenna is in no rush to return. Not even your charm will change her mind, I think,” Teagan replied.
Bram snorted. “I’m not surprised. There are too few female dragon-shifter role models. I hope you’ll groom her into a fine female who might one day take over leadership here or even there.”
She wanted to bottle up Bram’s acceptance of a female leader and scatter it over Ireland, or even the world. However, that was impossible. Only hard work and strength would keep the others away and possibly change hearts and minds. “Thank you, Bram. I’ll check with you in a few days. I hope my report on Aaron will be better then.”
“I have faith in you, O’Shea. See you then.”
Her screen went black and she leaned back in her chair.
She hoped Bram was right about Aaron. She had done her homework on him before he’d visited her clan the first time. He was capable, most everyone liked him, and he’d recently interacted with two of Northcastle’s Protectors in Scotland. On paper, he should’ve been exactly what she needed to assist Glenlough with reaching out to Clan Northcastle.
The reality was proving quite different.
Knowing his past did help her understand him a little, even if Bram had been a bit vague. Maybe she could steer him toward being more involved and trusting her, all without revealing she knew about his father’s actions in the first place.
Her beast grunted. We’ll do fine. He’s not the first dragon-shifter to have a less than happy past. Once you fix him, you might see him as I do and want to kiss him.
Just no. Both to the kissing and fixing him. All I need are his skills as a Protector and his former contact with Northcastle.
You can believe that if you wish.
Her dragon’s hints told her more than she wanted to know about how Aaron Caruso could play into her future.
However, she would figure out how to deal with that later. For the moment, she needed to prepare for the attacks she knew would come. She only hoped another civil war amongst the Irish dragon-shifter clans wasn’t brewing.