Chapter Three
Aaron sat in a chair outside a small jail cell used for minor offenses. Inside it was a sleeping twenty-something male. The younger dragon-shifter had apparently started a fight that had destroyed some property and was cooling off until morning.
All night Aaron had sat in the chair with nothing but coffee to keep him awake. He wasn’t sure why they’d taken his mobile phone since there wasn’t much of a threat in the small room that would require his attention and focus, but the long night had given him a lot of time to think, as well as plenty of chances to argue with his beast.
His dragon spoke up. Do you agree with my line of thinking now?
He paused and replied, Maybe.
His beast huffed. Not everyone in a position of authority will use it for harm. You let your hatred of our father get in the way of treating Teagan fairly.
Aaron tried not to think of his father, if possible. Still, if only she’d treated me as an equal, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’m not entirely to blame.
Then as I’ve said fifty times before, talk with her. Teagan is not our father. She won’t belittle you or make you feel as if you’ve overstepped for merely making a suggestion.
For most of his life, Aaron had hidden his past with a smile or a joke to avoid probing questions. His father had verbally abused him during his childhood, and humor had helped to overcome the barbs and enjoy some aspects of life. His mother had taken the brunt of it, at least until Aaron was older and he’d directed the attention away from his mother and toward himself.
And yet, part of him was tired of the facade of always being happy and carefree. He thought he had finally found a female to share everything with, including his true self, back in Italy.
Of course Nerina had only used him to get to another male. If that wasn’t enough, she’d tossed his past and trust back in his face, shaming him in front of the entire Italian clan.
Her voice rang inside his mind. No one wants to hear you whine. All parents scold their children. You’re a poor excuse for a male.
Aaron clenched his fingers. Not every parent blamed their child for ruining their life and made sure they knew it every day.
His beast growled. Enough. Nerina isn’t worth our time. And Teagan is a clan leader. She won’t throw information back in our face, and most certainly not in public.
I’m sure as hell not going to talk about our dad with her.
You make things more difficult than they have to be.
His dragon turned his back on Aaron and plopped down for a nap. They had been going in circles for hours and Aaron had wanted nothing more than a little peace and quiet. Now that he had it, the eerie silence of nothingness beyond the faint snoring of the male in the jail cell rubbed the wrong way against his ears. It was as if the quiet was beckoning him to think about his past again—the yelling, the never being good enough, and the blame for everything going wrong in his father’s life.
How everyone would be happier if Aaron had never been born.
He gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t let his bastard father ruin any more of his life. Glenlough was a new clan, and he planned to take advantage of that fact.
Exercise would banish thoughts of his past. Standing, Aaron stretched his arms above his head before taking off his shirt and lowering to a plank position. Push-ups would keep him awake and occupied. His guard duty should be nearly over anyway.
As he used his muscles to lower his body and rise back up, he wondered what his life would’ve been like if Nerina hadn’t betrayed him but had fallen in love with and mated Aaron instead of the other bloke. He’d still be in Italy and might even have a baby on the way.
He did want all that one day. However, he kept that thought tightly concealed from his dragon. As much as his beast might think he wanted Teagan, Aaron’s home was on Stonefire. He trusted nearly everyone there. He also had his mother to think about. While his father was dead, she still needed him. Aaron never wanted her to be hurt again, especially after being targeted by the Dragon Knights recently.
Just remembering her unconscious on a hospital bed fueled his desire to return home to make sure she was safe. The doctors had ruled her healthy, but there was much they didn’t know about the concoction used by the Dragon Knights. She could maybe experience a relapse, which meant her dragon would take complete control and go rogue.
As he finished his fiftieth push-up, the door to the room opened. It must be his relief watch. Aaron turned his head and nearly fell to the floor.
Teagan stood with a slight smile on her face and her hand on her hip. He’d caught her looking at his back, even if she had shifted her gaze quickly. Her long, dark hair billowed around her shoulders, and the faint scent of female drifted to his nose.
His dragon turned around. Look at her eyes. She’s interested. Take advantage.
Ignoring his beast, Aaron turned to sit on his bum and propped his arm on his bent knee. “Like the view, oh great leader?”
Her smile faded. “I was just thinking that I could probably best you in a push-up contest. If we ever have a spare ten minutes, I’ll show you.”
He decided to just be honest and take the first step. “There’s no need to prove yourself to me.”
Her eyes widened, but quickly returned to normal. She cleared her throat and glanced at the cell. The Irish male was still asleep. “Come into the hall for a second.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that he would be abandoning his duty to leave the room, but he kept the remark in check. She’d never divulge information if all he did was piss her off.
His dragon huffed. Good that you finally realize and admit that.
Aaron stood and followed Teagan out of the room. He was careful to keep his gaze on the back of her head. If she caught him staring at her arse, he’d never hear the end of it. He might not want to kiss her, but any straight male with eyes would admit that her long, lean body curved in all the right places.
Once they were in the hall with the door to the holding cell room closed, Teagan propped her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “I think we need to start over.”
“Pardon?”
She cocked one dark eyebrow. “Bram said you’re clever. I hope he’s not lying.”
“Let’s just say this isn’t what I was expecting this morning,” he drawled.
“When it comes to dealing with me, I’m full of surprises.”
“Is that so? So does that mean I should prepare myself to see you skinny dipping in the nearby lake?”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “That is part of my daily routine. So if you’re trying to provoke me, you need to try another approach.”
The image of Teagan’s tall, lean, naked body gliding through the water flashed inside his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. “I’m sure you’re a busy person. Shall we get back to the point?”
He swore disappointment flashed in her eyes, but it was gone before he could study further. “My first order of business is to share a message from Bram. He said you’re to stay here until Glenlough is secure by my standards and your assignments are all completed to my satisfaction.”
“Wait, what? Since when is there a danger?”
“Since the beginning. I would’ve shared the situation earlier if you hadn’t disrespected me by putting your boots on the table and then challenging me.” He opened his mouth to talk, but she put up a hand and cut him off. “This isn’t the place to discuss the details of the threats or to hear another argument defending your behavior. As soon as your relief arrives, head to Killian’s office upstairs. He’ll fill you in.”
His beast chimed in. See? She’s being honest.
And bloody cryptic.
Aaron replied, “What’s the next order of business? You said assignments, as in plural.”
She searched his eyes. “I expected you to put up more of a fight about staying.”
He shrugged. “I hope to talk with Bram myself, but if what you say is true, then I need to do my best to finish your tasks so I can go home as soon as possible.”
She studied him a second before saying, “The second order of business is that once you’re done with my brother, come to my office. We need to chat.”
“Do I get any more information than that?”
“No,” she stated.
He could tell she was assessing his reaction. If he defied her, he might never learn the truth.
And he needed all the information he could muster so he could go home to Stonefire.
He shrugged a shoulder. “Fine. Once someone comes to replace me, I’ll find Killian and then you.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but Aaron headed back into the holding cell room. Maybe he should’ve allowed her to end the conversation, but the longer he was in her presence, the greater the chance he would insult her. She might scold him later, but he could live with that.
Besides, once he discovered the mysterious danger, he would have a goal and could occupy his time with work. That way he wouldn’t think of her toned body floating on the lake’s surface. Or how her breasts would be pointing up, as if inviting him to lick one.
His dragon growled. She could be ours.
As much as I like your confidence, we’ve had this discussion.
The male in the jail cell stirred and Aaron sat back down in his chair. Within the next few hours, he’d finally learn what was going on and how he could tackle it.
~~~
Teagan walked toward her brother’s office and tried to focus on her meeting with Killian.
Her dragon, however, had other ideas. A slow-motion video of Aaron pumping up and down with his broad back on display played on a loop inside her head.
She mentally growled. Stop it.
Why? It’s just a memory. And one that you’re enjoying.
It’s just a reminder of what I can’t have.
Not true. The rules apply to mating a male. But if you never mated him, then you could remain leader.
She missed a step but quickly recovered. I’m not sure why you never mentioned that before.
Because no male was worthy.
We don’t even know Caruso.
There’s something about him that tells me he could be. Any male who stands up to protect their mother from harm deserves a chance.
That’s only a guess. We don’t know for certain what he did.
Still, it’s enough for me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy this memory a few more times before we have to talk with Killian.
Gritting her teeth, Teagan picked up her pace. She may not be able to stop her beast—she needed her too much to try to imprison her—but the quicker she arrived at Killian’s office, the quicker her dragon would stop with the taunting.
Because, yes, she was attracted to Aaron. His broad back and defined muscles weren’t anything unusual when it came to a dragon-shifter Protector. Still, she’d never wanted anyone to pull her close and hold her with said muscles before.
When he wasn’t arguing or pissing her off, Aaron almost seemed nice.
Well, more than nice.
But her stealing away another Stonefire clan member wasn’t an option, even if she’d joked about it with Bram. Not that she’d give in to her beast in the first place. Since she’d never bring a child into the world with a possible war brewing, having a family might never be in her future.
They arrived at Killian’s door. She knocked and entered without waiting for an answer.
As usual, her younger brother sat in front of a laptop, frowning at something. “What now?” she asked.
His green eyes met her own. “When you have a second, you need to look at the bank accounts. Something is off.”
“Off as in by a few cents or off as in thousands of euros?”
“Somewhere in between.”
She waved a hand in the air. “And? What else can you tell me?”
“Let me look again, and you do the same. Then we can discuss it in detail.”
Teagan should be used to his thoroughness. However, sometimes she wished he’d just make a guess and start from there.
“Okay.” She parked her arse on the corner of his desk and changed topics. “I’m handing Caruso over to you.”
He nodded. “We worked together once before. He’s skilled.”
“I don’t want him idle, so push him. Maybe include some extra training exercises.”
Killian raised his brows. “He’s not a novice. Treating him as such might be unwise.”
“I don’t plan to treat him as a novice, but I just want to keep him busy. It’ll help him get to know the clan better as well. It’s been a long time since we’ve had two English dragon-shifters on our land as guests. However, if things go well with Bram, they might be a common sight. I need to dispel mistrust sooner rather than later.”
“I will use him, but in strategic assignments and as a mentor. Revelin Collins could do with an older, firmer hand.”
“Just be careful. Rev has a wee temper. I don’t need a fistfight—or worse, a dragon fight—to break out.”
Killian sat back in his chair. “I won’t allow it to happen. Moving on, I have an update on Sadie Kavanagh.”
Some might think her brother was arrogant, but Killian had proved himself many times over to Teagan. “Yes?”
“Sadie had scribbled some directions on a scrap of paper and tossed it into the rubbish bin. She’s probably at the final destination with her Northcastle male, but I didn’t want to send anyone to check until you approved the plan.”
“Hold off confronting her for now, but maybe have someone discreetly watch the area. I want to give Eliza some peace, but not too much. Until Lorcan Todd and I work out our differences, I doubt he’ll allow anyone from Northcastle to live here.” Killian nodded. Teagan stood. “I’ll take a look at the accounts and get back to you. Send Caruso to me once you’re done debriefing him.”
“How much do you want him to know?”
“Everything.” Her brother raised his brows, and she added, “He has a mother waiting for him in England, who he wants to get back to. Caruso won’t run off and spill secrets. Bram would punish him if he did, and if it was bad enough, maybe banish him. Aaron won’t chance it.”
Killian studied her eyes. No doubt her brother knew there was more to the story, but he didn’t question her. “I’ll talk with him.”
“Good. Any other updates I should know?”
“The Killarney clan hasn’t made a move yet, nor have the other two Irish clans. I have a team checking in with our contacts regularly, just in case they take action.”
“Let’s hope the others see reason and stay away. If any of the other clans attack us, the Irish DDA will probably punish all of us. Regardless of their views of female leaders, we all do better without the DDA’s involvement.” She moved to the door. “If you find anything specific or worrying about the bank records or have an update on the other clans, contact me immediately.”
With a wave goodbye, Teagan left her brother and headed toward her own office. She had a full plate for the day and she hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet. After four years as clan leader, she should be used to the busy workload, but every once in a while, she itched to stretch her wings and merely fly for hours in any direction. There was much of Ireland she had yet to explore.
Her dragon spoke up. We can pop off for a bit at any time. I’m stealthy. No one will see.
I know you are, love. But unless you can split us in two so that one set can manage the clan and the other can fly away, it’s not going to happen.
If we had a partner in all ways, the male could help free up some time. It is possible.
Rather than answer her beast, Teagan entered her office and sat in front of her computer. She had work to do. The clan would always come first. And if she wished to keep taking care of them, she couldn’t take a mate. The elder dragon-shifters would frown at living with a male but not mating him. And she refused to step down because of some ridiculous tradition.
So, Teagan logged into her computer and pushed aside thoughts of having a mate to lean on. She could handle things on her own, as she always had in the past.