Chapter Two
Killian watched Brenna exit the room before he glanced down at his hand. The tip of Aaron's finger had turned into a sharp clawlike thing that reminded him of a bird's talon. Considering humans couldn't do that, it should've scared him.
However, the bastard extending the talon and making threats didn't seem anything out of the ordinary.
It was one thing for everyone to tell him he'd been a dragon-shifter. But it was another thing entirely to accept it.
Given his supersensitive hearing, sense of smell, quick healing ability, and almost indifference to flashing pupils and fingers turning into claws, Killian was starting to think he had been like one of these strange dragon people.
If only he could remember something from his life before waking up a little over a week ago.
He'd been putting off asking about who he had been out of anger. He still wouldn't give a bastard like Aaron Caruso the satisfaction of telling him who and what he'd been. Brenna, on the other hand, would tell him the truth and hopefully not try to force it.
He nearly barked a laugh at how quickly the day had changed. One moment he'd wanted to kiss the living shit out of Brenna and take her against a wall. The next, he was toying with the fact he wasn't human after all.
Not that he was going to dwell on it for the time being. Brenna had tempted him with a dance. And while he couldn't care less about formalities or following protocol, he wasn't going to pass up the chance to hold the strong, beautiful female close.
After striding down the corridor and to one of the side entrances of the great hall, Killian stood in the doorway and took a second to watch the scene inside the room.
Everyone wore some shade of green. The women were in one-shoulder dresses like Brenna's and the men were in something resembling a kilt, with part of the material tossed over one shoulder to cross over their bare chests.
The dancing area was in the center of the room, with tables along the edges, filled with people eating, drinking, and laughing.
If what he'd been told was true, almost every single person in the room could change into a dragon. One misstep and any number of them could pin him down and threaten him with talons.
However, his gut told him they wouldn't do that unprovoked. Over the last week and a bit, he'd learned to trust his gut over most anything else.
Putting aside his observations, he moved again. Brenna would be a welcome distraction.
Since she was the only female in a red dress, she was easy to spot, and he made a beeline for her.
As he closed in, he couldn't help but stare at her long neck and the place where it met her shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to come up behind her and nibble the spot before slowly licking the sting with his tongue. No doubt her scent would be strong there, and hers was one he’d never tire of.
Fuck, he wanted her. More than his memories, he wanted the feisty yet vulnerable female naked and under him. He could too easily forget about everything but her soft, warm presence as she came, squeezing his cock tightly until he joined her.
She might think sex was off the table, but Killian knew she was as attracted to him as he was to her. He would find out the reason for the flash of wariness earlier, when they'd been alone. Someone had hurt her, he was certain of it.
He nearly missed a step. Apparently he'd been able to read facial expressions and emotions in his previous life. Add in the muscles and scars of his body, and he wondered if he'd been one of the dragon warriors he'd heard mentioned once or twice. Although why they used a pretentious name like Protectors, he had no idea.
Careful to keep his steps light, he was nearly to Brenna when her shoulders straightened and she looked back at him. "If you're trying to be stealthy, you're doing a horrible job."
"Maybe I'm just trying to practice some of my moves en route, to prepare for our dance."
She closed the distance between them and tilted her head. "You're a terrible liar."
He wanted to ask if he'd been a good one before, but resisted. Instead, he reached out and placed a hand on her lower back. "You should be praising to the sky how lucky you are, then. I'm told honesty makes for the best couples."
"There is such a thing as being too honest."
Not caring who stared, he raised a hand to her hair and lightly brushed some of the short strands. "Such as if I mentioned how you have a tiny mole just past your hairline and suggest we take a look to see if any hair is growing out of it."
"You have one on your lower back, so maybe we should check yours first."
He smiled slowly. "So you've been staring at my back."
Pink flushed her cheeks and it took everything he had not to lean down and kiss the flushed skin. "It's hard to miss, what with you not wearing a shirt and being so tall."
He leaned down. "You're a terrible liar yourself. I bet I could ask anyone walking by about my back, and none would notice the mole." Moving his head until he could nuzzle his cheek against hers, he murmured, "And you know what? It makes me happy that you notice things about my body. Maybe one day you'll explore every inch with your fingers and lips."
Her breath hitched, and Killian took that as his cue to pull back and put out his hand, palm upward. "Shall we?"
She glanced at his hand and studied it. He had no idea what was so significant about one dance, but she eventually slid her palm into his and he tightened his grip. "I have no idea if I remember the steps or not, so watch your toes, darling."
The next song began, and Killian pulled Brenna close. He'd taken a few steps without thinking, his body somehow remembering the motions, when pain raced through his head.
The sharp jabs only intensified until he gripped the side of his head and fell to his knees with a roar. Killian tried his best to push it away, but in the next second, the world went black.
~~~
Brenna knelt next to Killian's body on the floor and placed a finger at his carotid artery. At the steady, if not slightly fast, pulse, her initial fears melted away. She'd barely established Killian was alive before Teagan, Aaron, and Glenlough's head doctor, Dr. Ronan O'Brien, were also kneeling around Killian.
Moving aside to allow the physician to do his work, Brenna studied Killian's face until Teagan's voice garnered her attention. "Tell me what happened, Brenna."
Taking a deep breath, she met Teagan's gaze. The steadiness there helped to calm her own nerves. "I don't know. One second we were dancing, and the next he was roaring in pain."
"Did his pupils change?" Aaron asked.
"No, they remained round. Although he shut them when he gripped his head, so anything could've happened after that point." The doctor looked up and she couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Do you think this is an aftereffect of the drugs that stole his memory?"
Dr. O'Brien grunted. "Probably. The moss antidote that's worked with the others doesn't seem to be helping Killian. I need to get him back to the surgery and run a series of tests."
Orla Kelly's voice came from behind Brenna. "Tests are all well and good, but we need more information about the stuff that did this to him in the first place."
Caitlin O'Shea, mother to Killian and Teagan, said softly, "Let them do their work, Mother. You're not a doctor."
Brenna glanced at Teagan. At the slight nod, granting permission, she answered, "Something similar happened to the sister of a member of Stonefire recently. Teagan should reach out to Bram and see if anyone can provide Dr. O'Brien with more information."
The female in question had been Delia Owens, the half sister of Stonefire's head Protector and a member of Clan Snowridge in Wales. Unlike Killian, they had found her shortly after being injected with drugs and the doctors had been able to flush her system. There were some lingering side effects, but none were anywhere near the same degree as Killian's.
Teagan spoke up. "You reach out to Stonefire, Brenna, and I'll have Aaron reach out to Snowridge."
The request wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Ever since the debacle with the other dragon leaders recently, Teagan had been giving Brenna a variety of sensitive tasks to complete.
Still, glancing down at Killian's still form, she wondered what he'd feel like if he woke up alone, without her at his side. She wasn't foolish enough to think they were more than acquaintances who were attracted to each other. However, every time one of the clan members demanded Killian remember them or a certain memory, it only made Killian angrier. She'd agreed to mate him to stay on Glenlough, yes, but she also wanted to protect the strong male who hadn't blinked twice at accepting a new female Protector into the clan all those months ago.
Teagan placed a hand on Brenna's arm. "My mother and gran can sit with him until you finish your task. I would do it myself, but I need to soothe the clan's nerves."
Brenna looked around and noticed the various clan members standing, staring, and whispering. What had meant to be a celebration to ease nerves and relax them had turned into another stressful situation.
If they were to continue accepting her, she needed to do her job and allow others to look after Killian.
Brenna bobbed her head. "I'll talk to Bram and Stonefire's doctors and see what I can find out. Just let me know if he wakes up." She lowered her voice. "If his mate doesn't check on him often, there will be talk."
Teagan looked at Dr. O'Brien. "Do what you need to do, Ronan, and keep us updated. Once your examination is finished, my gran and mother will sit with him."
Dr. O'Brien raised an eyebrow and glanced at Orla. "You'll heed my instructions or I'll toss you out, Orla. And no weapons of any kind in the surgery. I saw you tossing rocks earlier, during the mating ceremony."
Orla tapped her cane. "Fine, fine. One of the nurses can pat me down, if need be. Let's just get moving. I want to know what's wrong with my grandson."
Teagan signaled two Protectors in the room and they gently lifted Killian by the legs and armpits before carrying him away, Dr. O'Brien following close on their heels.
After everything Killian had endured already, she only hoped his condition wouldn't worsen. There was a chance he could wake up without memories again, or possibly go insane. After all, when Dr. Sid on Stonefire had lost her inner dragon, she'd come close to a mental breakdown.
Her beast grunted. That took twenty years to happen.
Keep in mind that she wasn't injected with drugs that were created to harm dragon-shifters, either.
Teagan's voice prevented her dragon from replying. "Let's all get to work and remember to keep each other informed." Brenna turned toward the exit, but Teagan's hand on her shoulder stayed her. "You're family now, Brenna. Don't hesitate to seek me out if you need anything."
With a nod, Brenna exited the great hall and headed toward the central command building of the Protectors.
As she walked, Brenna slowly packed away her feelings. No matter what happened with Killian, being a Protector was the only certain thing in her life. She hadn't worked hard to earn Teagan's trust and be made temporary head Protector of Glenlough for nothing. She needed to trust the clan to have her back.
It was time to get to work.
~~~
Killian stood next to a lake surrounded by rolling hills, the grass bright green and the sun high in the blue sky.
A shadow passed over him, and he looked up to see a small winged creature, its mostly blue hide glinting in the sun. The white patches scattered across its skin were iridescent in the sunshine.
The small creature flapped its wings and made a clumsy landing not more than a few meters from Killian. The snout, sharp teeth, wings, hide, and talons were that of a little dragon, perhaps a baby one. Not that he knew the difference.
The wee thing took awkward steps toward Killian and canted its head. "Who are you?" the dragon asked.
Without thinking, Killian reached out a hand and gently scratched the dragon behind an ear. The beast hummed and leaned into the touch. "To be honest? I don't know."
After a few seconds, the dragon spoke again. "Do you want to be my friend?"
"Dragons have friends?"
The little beast tilted his head one way and then the other in an avian manner. "I think so. I haven't met anyone here. It's just me and flying by myself is lonely."
At the dragon's words, Killian noticed the eerie quiet, not to mention unnatural stillness of both the air and surface of the lake. "Where are we?"
"I don't know. I woke up here one day and haven't been able to leave."
At the sadness in the dragon's eyes, Killian scratched his hide some more. The idea of the beast being sad made him want to do something about it. "I think this is a dream. So when I wake up, you won't exist."
"Are you sure? I remember many days here, before you came."
He had no idea where the question came from, but he asked, "What were you doing right before this?"
The little dragon flapped his wings once. "I came to the barrier and tried to scratch my way out."
"Where is this barrier?"
"On the other side of the lake. Maybe you can get through. I'll meet you there."
The little blue and white beast jumped and flapped a few times before soaring across the sky, to the other side of the lake.
Killian ran around it, afraid to touch the still, glass-looking water of the lake. He soon caught up with the little dragon and the beast leaned forward and scratched what should be air. The second he did, it felt as if something sliced his brain.
The dragon jumped back and tottered off, jumping into the lake. The surface broke into a thousand pieces of glass before reassembling.
It took a few minutes for Killian to breathe through the pain. As soon as he could stand again, he moved to the lake's surface. He gingerly tapped a foot on the surface, but unlike with the dragon, it remained solid. He tried standing on it, jumping, and even pounding the surface, but nothing happened.
Since he couldn't escape the same way, Killian went to the barrier the dragon had scratched. However, when he raised a hand to touch it, his hand felt nothing but air. He easily walked past the supposed barrier. Each step away from the lake made his eyelids heavy until he dropped to the ground and fell asleep.