Chapter Seven
Two days later, Killian sat in the back seat of a car with his mother, trying his best to avoid looking at Brenna's profile in the driver's seat.
For a little over two hours, they'd all remained quiet during the journey to Clan Northcastle. Even going across the border from Ireland to Northern Ireland had been uneventful. Putting aside there was no formal border checkpoint between the two countries, the DDA and local police officers would often keep an eye out for any cars traveling from Glenveagh National Park. He'd been told that many people were pulled over and checked, as a precaution, to ensure dragon-shifters weren't trying to travel without authorization.
He should be grateful for the smoothness of the journey. However, a small part of him had wanted there to be a complication. He was not looking forward to kissing Georgiana Todd.
Studying the curves of Brenna's face, he willed for her to turn around or look at him in the rearview mirror. But she didn't. He fucking hated how she'd ignored him the last two days. True, it was for the best that she kept her distance since that made it easier for him not to hurt her, but it didn't mean he liked it.
When he'd agreed to mate her, he'd had an entirely different view of where they'd be right now. He'd barely kissed her twice, for fuck's sake.
His gaze moved to her neck, and he wanted to lean forward to kiss the soft skin. Afterward, he'd take her earlobe between his teeth and lightly tug. Her soft intake of breath would encourage him to do more.
He stilled. No. He had to remember the purpose behind the car ride and his mother's sacrifice. She was giving up her life so that he could have a chance at regaining his dragon and maybe his memories.
Glancing at the clock on the front media panel of the car, he guessed that they should be arriving at any moment. He could keep his thoughts from Brenna for a few more minutes and then do what needed to be done.
He forced himself to stare out the window at the passing houses, petrol stations, and occasional shop. Clan Northcastle was outside of Belfast proper, but there were still many more people here than back home near Glenlough. While far from crowded, their current location was stifling to him. He much preferred the open landscapes back home.
Yes, despite everything, he thought of Glenlough as home.
Brenna turned the car down a road and soon all the houses and shops disappeared. Nothing but trees and foliage filled the sides of the road for a good fifteen minutes. After another turn, the car stopped outside ten-foot-high walls. The stone looked older than those back on Glenlough, which made sense since Teagan had mentioned that Northcastle was tied for the oldest clan in the whole of Ireland, along with the one near Dublin in the south.
The gates swung inward and Brenna drove to just inside, where a male directed her to park the car. As soon as she turned the engine off, everyone sat in silence. Partly out of waiting for Northcastle to give them their instructions, and probably also because each of them was thinking about what was to come.
He glanced over at Caitlin, but her gaze was fixed on the window on her side of the car. Her jaw looked clenched, and the usual softness of her eyes had been replaced with strain.
Out of instinct, he reached over and took her hand. As soon as she turned her head at the touch, he whispered, "Thank you."
She smiled. "Stop saying that. I made my decision, and I'm proud I did so." Lifting a hand, she gently touched his arm. "But I want you to know that regardless of what happens here today, I will always love you. And no, not just the ghost of who you were. You will be always be my son, Killian, no matter what form you're in."
He struggled with what to say to that. Another person finally accepted him as he was, and he was going to lose her, too. Just as he might lose Brenna, if he hadn't already.
A loud rap on the driver's side window interrupted the moment. Brenna glanced back at them. "That's our cue."
They exited the car and faced a male who was just over two meters tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. The tattoo on his bicep indicated he was a dragon-shifter.
The male spoke up. "I'm Adrian Conroy, the second-in-command of the Protectors on Northcastle, and I'll be your escort today."
Killian was tempted to say he was their babysitter, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary strife for Caitlin. After all, this was to be her new home. His temper could cause a lot of heartache for her in the future.
Adrian continued, "This way."
The tall man walked toward the nearest building to the gate, which was a two-story stone structure.
Killian expected people to stand about, gawking at them. However, there were few people he could see and the handful of males they passed on the way to the door barely paid them any attention.
The Northcastle population were either treating it as business as usual or the clan was on high alert, meaning the regular members were staying indoors until given the all clear.
Killian sensed he'd ordered something similar in the past, but he quickly pushed it aside. Any time he tried to remember something from before waking up with amnesia, it usually caused a blackout. He wasn't about to risk one on a foreign clan's lands. After all, he’d kept his deductions to himself, not wanting Glenlough to isolate him or some other extreme to keep him awake.
Adrian finally guided them into a large conference room and motioned toward the table. "Brenna and Killian, take a seat. Caitlin, you're to come with me."
Killian opened his mouth, but Brenna beat him to it. "Where are you taking her?"
Adrian raised a blond eyebrow. "She's to be our clan leader's new mate and you don't trust me to take care of her?"
Brenna didn't back down. "I don't know you, so I ask again: where are you taking her?"
"Not that it's any of your bloody business, but Lorcan wants to see her alone first. Unless you want to embarrass Caitlin by making her meet her new male in front of you two?" Adrian asked.
"There's no need to be snarky. I'm doing my job, same as you," Brenna stated.
Killian watched as the tall male studied Brenna's face. The bloke smiled with a wink and said, "Female Protectors are few and far between here, but between you and Faye MacKenzie, I'm starting to think we could use a few."
Clenching his fingers into a fist, Killian resisted the urge to punch the bastard. "That's my mate you're winking at."
Adrian swung his gaze to Killian. "And you're here to kiss another female, so I think you have little say in the matter."
Brenna stepped in front of Killian. "Just stop, you two. I understand there's a history between your two clans, but this isn't going to accomplish anything."
Caitlin spoke up. "Brenna's right." His mother stood taller. "Take me to Lorcan, Mr. Conroy. I'm ready."
The Northern Irish dragonman guided Caitlin out of the room. A beat after the door clicked closed, Brenna turned on him. "You need to be careful of your temper, Killian. You may not remember it, but these people have been at odds with Glenlough for quite a while."
"That male was flirting with you, Brenna. I couldn't let it go without comment, or I'd appear weak."
She rolled her eyes. "You're sounding more like a dragon-shifter now."
"I don't fucking care what I sound like. Until we sign any sort of separation agreement, you're my mate and I'm going to defend you."
"I can take care of myself. Or do I need to remind you of our mating day and what happened when we were alone?"
He closed the distance between them. "Just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean you couldn't do with a little looking after."
"What are you talking about?"
"You work hard, and I have yet to see you do any sort of hobby. I think you need someone to relax with."
She narrowed her eyes. "If that's an invitation to strip off my clothes and 'relax' with your penis inside me, I think I'll resist somehow."
He growled. "You may find it hard to believe, but I think about more than sex."
She studied him. "Such as?"
If he were smart, he'd avoid answering. He was supposed to be avoiding Brenna, not opening up to her.
But it irritated him that she thought he only cared about her body and what he could do with it. "Such as how I'd like to swim with you in the lake, or maybe even teach you to ride a motorcycle."
She blinked. "You can ride?"
Information about motorcycles flooded his brain. "Yes, and fix them up, too. Although I don't think I've done it in a while."
"What else?"
"I'd like to dance with you again, and hopefully not end up unconscious."
She smiled. "I thought you hated dancing."
"It seemed ridiculous until I had you in my arms, and then it felt as if I'd done it hundreds of times before."
She counted off each thing on her fingers. "Swimming, motorcycles, dancing, and kissing. They're all things you enjoy."
It took everything he had to keep his distance from Brenna. "Yes, and more so when I'm with you."
She bit her bottom lip before saying, "Killian, you can't say things like that."
"Why not?"
"Well, for one thing, you're right—I work too much. And if you regain your memories after kissing Georgiana, then you'll probably morph back into your old workaholic state. The two of us working together wouldn’t end well and we’d probably end up killing ourselves within twenty years or less."
He should keep quiet, but he asked, "And what if the kiss changes nothing?"
"Then there's still the two weeks you promised to give the Stonefire doctors."
Not wanting to be so far away from Brenna, he leaned closer and she took a step back. They continued the dance until she was up against a wall and he finally whispered, "And after that? What happens if I'm still this way?"
"I-I don't know."
He smiled slowly. "Then let me clarify—I will ask you out on a proper date and convince you to give me a chance."
As they stared into one another's eyes, a sense of rightness settled in his stomach. Keeping away from Brenna forever was simply not a viable option. At least, until she honestly told him she didn't want him. Then he knew himself well enough to know he'd honor her request.
However, just as he raised a hand to brush her cheek, Adrian's voice echoed in the room. "It's time to discuss the details of what's about to happen with Georgiana."
With a mental curse, Killian forced himself to turn away from Brenna. More than ever, he just wanted to get the blasted kiss over with so he could learn more about the female who intrigued him. After their conversation, Brenna knew more about him than he did about her. He'd still never found out who had most likely hurt her in the past.
Sitting down across from Adrian, he listened to the male's rules and directions. Never once did he look at Brenna. Because if he did, he might lose his nerve and piss off the Northcastle dragons with his rejection of Georgiana.
~~~
Caitlin wiggled her fingers from pinky to forefinger and back again as she followed Adrian Conroy down one corridor and then up a flight of stairs. She should be grateful that she was seeing Lorcan in private for their first meeting, but a part of her longed to have her son and Brenna in the room for support.
Her dragon spoke up. You have me.
I know, love, but it's not quite the same.
I'm not sure why you're nervous. If he tries anything, I will take control and protect us.
Her beast's words helped to ease her tension a fraction. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
I'll give him a chance, but just one. How we interact with him now will set the tone for our future.
As her dragon's words set in, Adrian stopped in front of a door and knocked. Sending a request for her dragon to be quiet for a little while, Caitlin took a deep breath as Adrian opened the door and she followed inside.
It took everything she had to keep her gaze from looking downward to avoid eye contact. Not that finding Lorcan was difficult. He stood at the far end of the room, near a window, the light highlighting his form.
His mismatched eyes found hers and her heart rate kicked up. While she'd thought him attractive via the video conference, being in the same room as him stole her breath away. He wore the traditional dragon-shifter garb of a kilt-like outfit, complete with a dark green swath of material tossed over his shoulder and fastened with a brooch. The outfit displayed his muscled chest dusted with gray hair. Her gaze traveled up to his broad shoulders, lightly stubbled jaw, and she met his gaze once more.
More than his physical features, it was the kindness shining in his eyes that made her relax a fraction.
When he smiled at the sound, showing his white teeth, her mind went blank.
Lorcan chuckled. "You look like a deer caught in the headlights, Caitlin. I assure you that I'm not going to run you over." He waved at Adrian and they were instantly alone.
With the young man gone, Caitlin found her voice. "I wasn't prepared to see you in formal attire, is all."
"I wanted you to see what you were getting, Caity."
She tilted her head. "No one's ever called me that before."
He took a step toward her, but Caitlin didn't have the urge to move away. "It suits you, I think. Caitlin is a bit formal for such a shy lass."
"I hope you don't think shy means weak."
Amusement danced in his eyes. "Of course not. Any clan leader who thinks that clearly doesn't understand people. Especially since you've raised a clan leader yourself, and a former head Protector."
At the mention of her children, Caitlin remembered why she was in Northern Ireland. "Do you have the documents ready to sign?"
Lorcan didn't blink at the change in subject. "I'm hoping for this to be more than a mere transaction, Caity. I want you to have a chance to know me before committing your life to me."
"A more conniving person would use that to their advantage."
"I don't think you will."
The certainty in his eyes unsettled her. It seemed unfair that he could read her so much better than she could read him.
Her dragon whispered, Give it time.
Placing a hand on one of the plush chairs in the room, she asked, "Why me? I'm not sure I've ever understood your attentions in recent years, ever since that visit to Glenlough with your daughter."
He raised his brows. "You don't remember, do you?"
She frowned. "Remember what?"
Lorcan took a step closer, but Caitlin didn't move. For some reason, being alone with the male wasn't terrifying, as it probably would've been with another stranger.
His voice filled the room. "In the late 1970s, both the humans and dragon-shifters started to grow tired of the Troubles. There was a brief truce between Northcastle and the Irish dragon clans for a few years. Glenlough and Northcastle had a celebration of sorts, near The Giant's Causeway."
She vaguely remembered the party, as it was her first time meeting anyone from Northcastle. "In 1978."
"Yes, you were sixteen and I was nineteen. I found you lurking on the edge of the gathering, staring up at the rock formation known as the Chimney Stacks. I came up and told you the story of Finn McCool, the giant who lived on the causeway with his wife."
A memory niggled at the back of her mind. "The one who built a bridge to Scotland to challenge his rival, saw how big the rival was, fled back to Ireland, and his wife hid him by dressing up her husband as a baby."
"Right, and when the Scottish giant saw the size of the baby, he ran back home, afraid of how big the father was."
The hazy image of a tall, gangly boy with mismatched eyes and brown hair came into her mind. "You said your name was Lorry."
"Aye, well, at the time that's what everyone called me. But the bigger question is, do you remember what happened next?"
Caitlin had long suppressed the memories of that evening since Glenlough and Northcastle had become enemies again within a year.
Not that she hadn't thought about it for weeks afterward. "You told a few more legends and then kissed me."
It had been Caitlin's first kiss, and she hadn't known what to do. Young Lorcan had patiently guided her, until she'd allowed his tongue to stroke the inside of her mouth.
"Your cheeks are pink, Caity."
Clearing her throat, she replied, "Well, first kisses tend to hold a special place in someone's heart. But you can't say that one kiss has made you wish for me all these years."
"While the kiss was brilliant, there's more to it."
She tilted her head. "Then tell me."
"Well, you were young. Too young, and couldn't possibly have known. But my dragon said you were my true mate. However, he would wait until you grew up before he did anything."
She blinked. "B-but, they say your late mate was your true mate."
He shrugged. "A dragon-shifter can have more than one. I found Rebekah more than a decade after you, Caity."
"Why did you never say anything?"
"We were enemies again soon after that party, not to mention you mated Kieran by the time you were nineteen. I had no choice but to stay away."
She prodded her dragon. Did you know?
No. I didn't pay attention to such things at that young of an age.
Lorcan's voice garnered her attention again. "But if you think I only want you here because of a kiss from almost forty years ago, then you're wrong."
Her heart rate jumped. "Then why?"
Closing the distance between them, Lorcan's voice was low as he said, "There are few people I feel comfortable around, and you're one of them. And not just because of the party, but you were kind to me and my daughter when we visited several years ago. I soon put together you were the same female from that gathering near the causeway in 1978. With your mate also gone, I thought maybe we should have our own go around. That's why I started sending flowers and notes on your birthday—to see if what could've been would come true or not."
His gravelly voice did something to her insides, not to mention Caitlin easily lost herself in the depths of Lorcan's eyes. There was desire there, yes, but a longing she understood, one that could only be recognized by someone else who had lost their former love and secretly wanted someone to care for again.
Raising his hand, Lorcan gently brushed a section of hair behind her ear. "So, what do you say, Caity? The time for having children and raising them is over. I want a companion by my side." He cupped her cheeks and she stopped breathing. "And I can't think of a better one than the girl I kissed all those years ago. You're sweet with a hidden strength, and I desperately need that in my life." He lowered his head until he was a hairbreadth away from her lips. "Let me kiss you again and show you we suit."
Caitlin had never been a spontaneous person by nature. She liked to plan and organize. It made life simpler that way.
But as Lorcan's lips waited so close to hers, she was curious to see if her memory lived up to the man in the flesh. After all, she was too old for a mate-claim frenzy to take hold. One kiss wouldn't determine her future.
She closed the distance between their lips, and the second they touched, electricity raced through her body.
Lorcan kissed her gently before nibbling her bottom lip. He continued his ministrations for a few seconds before seaming her lips, asking for permission. Without hesitation, she opened. As his tongue entered her mouth, she groaned at his taste. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed, but only one other male had tasted as good.
Not wanting to think of her dead mate, Caitlin focused on matching him stroke for stroke. When Lorcan growled, the vibration sent a shiver down her body.
The response stirred the dragonman into action. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he tilted her head for better access. Each slide of his tongue against hers made the years fade away, back to 1978 when she'd been a girl reveling in her first kiss.
Their encounter back then may have been sloppier, but the rush of heat and desire she'd felt then was the same as now.
As soon as she gripped the back of Lorcan's neck, he broke the kiss and laid his forehead against hers. His breath tickled her chin as he murmured, "So, do we suit, Caity?"
Her breath was as labored as his. "There's more to life than kisses, Lorcan."
"I agree. But it's a good place to start."
As they each caught their breath, she couldn't help but admit how nice it felt to be in the arms of a strong male. Maybe even one she could lean on, or an ally to have against her mother or children on occasion.
Her dragon spoke up. Kiss him again. Just to make sure we suit.
You're just being greedy.
Then why are you holding back?
Because it's been a long time and I'm not sure I'll do it right.
Her dragon snorted. You'll do fine.
Lorcan's voice prevented her from replying. "What's your dragon saying, Caity?"
"I'm not so sure I want to tell you."
Leaning his head back, she instantly missed the warmth of his forehead against hers. He said, "There are few things I'll demand of you, but I want there to be honesty between us. Even if I don't want to hear it, tell me."
She smiled. "Even if my dragon is saying you're the worst kisser of all time?"
"And that, my dear, is a lie. Clan leaders are fairly good at detecting them."
Her dragon huffed. Just tell him.
"Well, she thinks we should kiss one more time, just to make sure we do indeed suit."
Lorcan chuckled, the deep sound soothing Caitlin's nerves. "Does she, now?" He closed the distance between their lips and gave her a quick, rough kiss.
He pulled away far too soon. "That will have to do, Caity. Our children are waiting for us, and I imagine we all want to get their kiss over as soon as possible."
"Of course." Caitlin stepped back and smoothed her top and trousers.
The male stared at her for a few moments before he turned toward the door. "Come. Let's see if we can fix your son."
She didn't like the idea of "fixing" Killian, but didn't think it was worth arguing over.
Her beast sighed. You're going to have to learn how to voice your thoughts. He will want to hear them.
Maybe with time. Right now, I'm not going to risk Killian's chance.
As her dragon went quiet, Caitlin followed Lorcan out the door. It was time to see if her sacrifice would result in anything.
Not that being around Lorcan would be much of a sacrifice, if she were honest. She only hoped he wasn't charming her for a short while before he turned into a cruel male later on, once she was mated to him.