Chapter Five
Two days later, Brenna sat across from Teagan O'Shea and waited for a response.
Glenlough's leader leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I'm not sure I like either option."
"Well, since neither Dr. Sid nor Gregor have been able to do much from afar, it'd be easier for them to help in person. Since they can't come here, because of the temporary stay for foreign dragon-shifter visitors by the Irish DDA, taking Killian to England will hopefully speed up the process."
"And if I don't agree to that, the other option is to find a way for him to kiss Lorcan's daughter?"
Brenna shrugged. "I don't know if it'll work, but there's a small chance it might."
"Let's say that it did. You'd be okay with that?"
Her dragon spoke up. I wouldn't.
Ignoring her beast, Brenna answered, "I promised to help bring Killian back and that's what I'm doing."
Teagan raised an eyebrow. "I think you're full of crap, but I'm not going to waste time arguing. You're a grown female. Besides, my more important question is—are you willing to give up your place as the temporary head Protector on Glenlough? You may be English by birth, but you more than proved yourself during the clan's recent troubles and I think of you as part of my clan now."
At one time, she'd wanted acceptance more than anything. However, to be a true Protector meant putting duty above most personal desires.
Pushing past the emotion in her throat, Brenna replied, "I spent two days thinking on it. I'm not giving up my dreams forever, but I'm twenty-one years old and can afford to step back for now and work my way into a similar position in the future."
Teagan leaned forward. "Whilst it’s noble to stick to your vow, I'm not about to make you give up your career to see it through. I love my brother, but as he is right now, I'm not sure he deserves your dedication."
She sat taller in the chair. "He is a duty like any other, which means I'll see it through to the end."
Teagan opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. Picking up a piece of paper, she laid it in front of Brenna. "Sign this and I'll submit it via fax to the DDA. You should have clearance to visit Stonefire in a day or two."
Staring down at the paper, Brenna hesitated. She put on a brave face and words for Teagan, but the thought of leaving Glenlough made her heart heavy. As long as she remained mated to Killian, she could return. However, if he escaped and filed for a separation, it could be months or years before she could come back, depending on the Irish DDA's whim.
Her dragon grunted. I don't think Killian will escape. He flirts and stares at us most of the time.
Lust is not loyalty. I wish you'd remember that.
Her beast huffed. Regardless, you're hiding a deeper reluctance—to see our parents again.
Not wanting her dragon to be right, Brenna picked up a pen off Teagan's desk and signed her name. "There. I'll start making preparations and tell Killian the news. When do you plan on saying your farewells?"
Sadness filled Teagan's eyes. "I'm not sure he'd care one way or the other."
Reaching out a hand, she took Teagan's and squeezed. "He often stares at the photo album you provided and lingers on pictures of you, your mother, and grandmother more than the others. He may not know why, but somewhere deep inside, I think he recognizes you were important to him."
"Maybe. But don't worry, Aaron will make me say goodbye to my brother." Teagan's pupils flashed. "That gives me an idea. Aaron is a brilliant cook and we can have a farewell family dinner. That way, even if things turn awkward, everyone can fill their mouths with food and keep busy. Can you convince Killian to come over to our cottage later?"
"It won't be easy, but I'll find a way."
"Good." Teagan picked up the signed document. "I'll send this straight away. You'd best go since you'll need to brief Lyall O'Dwyer on Protector-related items so he can assume your position, and then tell Killian the news."
Lyall was one of the most experienced and loyal Protectors on Glenlough.
Standing, she nodded. "Thanks, Teagan, for understanding my request."
Teagan smiled. "Don't feel too much gratitude toward me. After all, sending him to Stonefire is highly preferable to him kissing Lorcan's daughter and causing a possible war."
Her dragon growled. And it means he won't kiss anyone else.
Seeing as he hasn't kissed us since the mating ceremony, you seem optimistic he wants to do it at all. After our news, he might want nothing to do with us.
And whose fault is it that he hasn't kissed us again? You've been avoiding him on purpose, only seeing him when others are around.
Brenna finally voiced her concerns to her beast, or the dragon might never be quiet. Growing attached to him is dangerous. I'll never fulfill my duty that way, as I won't want to help him.
He's lost amongst a sea of people he doesn't remember. Friendship would do more good than you know.
Brenna had deduced the same, but didn't want to risk friendship turning into anything more. Killian's future was unpredictable and she needed to guard her heart and feelings. Especially given her history of becoming obsessed with a male and the ensuing dereliction of her duties, like with Cedric in the army.
Focusing back on Teagan, Brenna waved goodbye. "We'll be over around seven. And tell Aaron not to make fish. I can't stand it."
"Good thing you're telling me and not him, otherwise he'd make it on purpose to spite you. I swear he lives to irritate those he cares about."
At the love shining in Teagan's eyes as she spoke of her mate, a small tinge of jealousy flared. Maybe someday she'd have what Aaron and Teagan had—a love between partners, who each made the other better.
Not wanting to waste time thinking of something that would happen far in the future, Brenna murmured her parting and exited the room. She'd handle the Protectors first. That way, Killian would have less time to come up with an excuse as to why he wouldn't go to dinner.
Because even if she had to tie him up and toss him in a wheelbarrow to get him to Teagan's cottage, she'd do it. Teagan and her family deserved the chance to say goodbye.
Her dragon spoke up. Funny you think that now. You didn't say goodbye to Mum and Dad three years ago.
Only because Mum would've locked us up and sent us to relatives in Italy to keep us from joining the army.
I suppose none of that matters now. However, signing the document means you're going to have to face them again.
I'll worry about that when the time comes.
~~~
Killian eyed Teagan O'Shea's cottage in the distance with irritation. "There is no reason for them to wish me farewell. I don't remember any of them."
Brenna matched his strides toward the cottage. "That's not the point. This is for them, not us. And if you don't attend, you don't leave, end of story."
He grunted. "Maybe I don't want to leave."
She looked at him askance. "You were all but giddy earlier, when I told you we were going to England."
The news of him going somewhere new, even for a short while, would give him more time to figure things out. As much as he understood his supposed family wanting to help him, everyone walking on eggshells and pretending to be perfectly fine was driving him crazy. The grandmother was the only one who wasn't shy about voicing an opinion, but even she would often remind him of how he had been.
But he kept his excitement at bay and feigned boredom. "I don't become giddy. You mistook my happiness at finally seeing my wife again as me being excited for this bloody trip."
Brenna had spent most of the last few days away, doing things with the Protectors. He hated how much his mood depended on whether the woman was near him or not.
His only hope was for the Stonefire doctors to run their stupid tests, proclaim his case incurable, and then everyone would allow him to decide his own life.
Brenna replied, "I mated you, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to wait on you hand and foot."
"There's a difference between doting on me and avoiding me. You've been doing the latter."
"I've been busy. It happens."
Her tone signaled the conversation was over, but Killian wasn't about to let her avoid the topic forever. He gently gripped her wrist and they both stopped walking. "People will talk, darling. You'd better start paying me some attention."
Tilting her head, she said, "In front of your family? You sure you want that?"
Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "And if I said yes?"
"I'd call you crazy." She tugged her wrist and he released it. "Let's just survive this dinner, okay?"
Brenna turned and marched to the cottage door.
Something had happened, but he wasn't sure of what. Maybe going to her home in England would give her the freedom to avoid him, since Stonefire would most likely protect her and no one would think of betraying their fake mating to any DDA officials.
Or, she possibly had a man she fancied back home, banishing any thoughts of kissing or more with Killian so she could try to win the nameless bloke.
Whatever it was, he didn't like the cool distance she'd put between them. Considering they'd have to be in a car, a ferry, and driving again in the car to reach Stonefire—apparently, dragons rarely rode in airplanes—it would give him a chance to learn a few of her secrets.
Not that he should care about learning any of her secrets. She was a means to an end, and nothing more. True, he'd love to fuck her once or twice and walk away, but that was it.
He reached the cottage door a second behind Brenna, and the door swung inward. Aaron Caruso's black-haired, olive-toned form looked straight at Killian. Without preamble, the male said, "Act too much of a bastard, and I'll kick you out of this cottage. Understood?"
Killian growled, but Brenna stepped between them. "You could try saying this is difficult for everyone involved instead of issuing threats, Aaron." She looked at Killian. "And remember, you promised to behave. That was the deal for leaving tomorrow instead of a few days from now."
"As long as this bloke minds his manners, I'll do the same," Killian muttered.
He expected Aaron to issue a challenge, but the male merely nodded. "That should make Teagan happy."
Brenna pushed Aaron to the side. "Then let us inside. I'm starving."
With little other choice, Killian followed Brenna's lead. He barely noted the stacks of items on tables and bookcases in the hallway as he steeled himself for the upcoming dinner. With no doctors or passersby watching, who knew what might happen.
They entered the dining room and all eyes turned toward him.
Caitlin, Orla, and Teagan sat around a table. He barely noted Brenna sliding into one of the empty chairs before Teagan spoke up. "You may as well sit down, Killian. Unless you plan to stand all evening?"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Considering I don't want to be here, I'm tempted to do just that."
Brenna rolled her eyes. "Sit down, Killian. Knowing Teagan, she'll postpone dinner until you sit, and you're only prolonging the evening with your defiance."
"Defiance is the only thing I seem to have left," he grumbled, sliding into the seat next to hers.
"Defiance only causes more issues in the long run, Killian," Caitlin said. "It's fine to be angry, but you shouldn't take it out on others who don't deserve it."
It was on the tip of his tongue to say he wasn't a child, but Caitlin's kind, patient eyes stopped him from doing so. Out of all of his supposed family, she had been the nicest and most understanding, and she didn't deserve his temper.
Aaron disappeared through a door and Teagan spoke again. "Look, I understand you don't want to be here. We're just people you see in pictures, part of memories you no longer have. But I signed off on you leaving the clan for a while, so all I ask is for you to behave for an hour or two and stop trying to pick a fight. I would be angry, too, if I couldn't remember who I was. But anger won't solve your problems. Hopefully the Stonefire doctors can, though."
He raised an eyebrow. "This is the most forthright you've been with me since the first day I met you, with no memory. Why act this way now?"
She shrugged. "I have nothing to lose. You'll be Stonefire's problem soon enough. And clearly the soft approach hasn't worked with you, so I'm trying something different."
Before he could reply, Orla chimed in. "I know you're a grown male, but be careful on the journey. We still don't know the particulars about who took you or why, and there's always a possibility they’ll try to snatch you or even Brenna on your travels."
He looked around the room. "I would assume our transfer wasn't public knowledge."
Teagan waved a hand in dismissal. "It's not. But both the British and Irish Department of Dragon Affairs know about the transfer. Given the rocky history of the British DDA and betrayals in recent years, I wouldn't dismiss an undercover spy in one agency or the other. Preparation and caution will only go so far in such cases."
Aaron returned, carrying a roast on a platter. Placing it on the table, he grunted and said, "The bloody dragon hunters or Dragon Knights don't seem to want to give up, no matter how many times they're caught or arrested."
Teagan smiled at her male. "We managed to keep the hunters from setting up a base in the northern part of the Republic of Ireland. That's something."
No matter how much Aaron irritated him, Killian had to admit he and Teagan cared about each other. Just watching them gave him a toothache from all the sugary sweetness.
Brenna squeezed his thigh under the table and he glanced at her. She mouthed, "Be nice."
Orla's voice carried across the table. "So what are you two going to do about your mating in England? Can you trust that lot? Because I must admit, most of the time you two look as if you're trying to purposefully avoid touching the other. And then you go and make small gestures, like reassuring Killian just now. What is actually going on between you two? I want the truth."
"Mother," Caitlin admonished.
Brenna's gaze swung to Orla. "I didn't think dissecting my personal life was part of the agenda."
Orla clicked her tongue. "When it puts my granddaughter's reputation on the line, it is."
Teagan clapped her hands. "Stop it. I trust Brenna, and that should be enough, Gran."
Orla shook her head. "I still say letting him kiss the Todd girl would've been easier."
Killian frowned. "What are you talking about?" Teagan shared a glance with Aaron, and Killian noticed Brenna go unnaturally still at his side. "Someone tell me what the fuck you're hiding. I have a feeling it's to do with me, right? Then I deserve to know." Brenna pulled her hand from his leg, but he gripped her wrist. "What happened to honesty?"
She finally met his gaze, but it was unreadable. For a second, he thought she'd keep silent. Then she cleared her throat and said, "While just a theory, kissing your true mate might bring back your inner dragon."
"And you just happen to have a database of true mates on hand, to find this woman?" Killian demanded.
Brenna shook her head. "There's no such thing. But you discovered who she was years ago, and kept your distance."
He frowned. "Why? Is she a horrible person?"
Teagan jumped in. "By all accounts, Georgiana Todd is a lovely female. But she is the daughter of a current foe, the leader of Clan Northcastle in Northern Ireland. We were at odds with Northcastle back then, too. Kissing her would cause a mountain of trouble."
Killian released Brenna's wrist and stood. "And you lot decided to make this decision without me? That's a bastard move considering it could fix my situation within seconds."
Brenna stood and turned toward him. "Odd that you're upset about this now, when you've been going on about not wanting to return to whatever wanker you were before."
Leaning close, he whispered, "I'm tired of this half-life everyone is forcing upon me. Either let me kiss this woman, or let me forge a new path as I am."
"The Stonefire doctors can help you better than a kiss can. I'd rather negotiate for that," Brenna stated.
Brenna was close enough that her breath tickled his chin. Even though he was angry, his body was more aware of her scent and heat so close to him.
If she hadn't fucking betrayed him, he'd kiss her.
Caitlin's voice broke the spell. "I agree you should see the Stonefire doctors, but I might be able to get Lorcan Todd to allow Killian to kiss his daughter once, as well as form a treaty of sorts with our clan."
"Don't, Caitlin," Orla warned.
Killian forced his gaze from Brenna to the woman who claimed to be his mother. She added, "It's the easiest solution and one I should've done years ago. I'm done hiding and allowing everyone else in my family to help the clan."
"What are you talking about?" Brenna asked.
Caitlin took a deep breath and said, "Lorcan Todd once proposed an alliance, on one condition—that I agree to be his mate. Since he's still without one, he might still be open to the proposal, especially since he secretly sends me flowers every year on my birthday."
"Mam—" Teagan began.
"No, Teagan. You've enough on your plate, what with you trying to placate the DDA by getting all the Irish clans to sign a peace treaty. Northcastle will be an important ally, and having them at our back may convince the rest of Ireland to join with us. I need to do this and mate their clan leader."
Killian jumped in. "You'd do that for me?"
Caitlin smiled warmly. "Of course I would. You're my son, Killian."
Orla growled. "How do you know Lorcan won't mistreat you? We know little about him, apart from the fact he's a thief."
Shaking her head, Caitlin replied, "He sends notes every year, accompanying the flowers, and they're always kind. If we were younger, I'd almost think I was his true mate and he was trying to woo me."
"Why did you never mention this before, Mam?" Teagan asked.
"I'm a private person, Teagan. You know that. Besides, I was afraid if I mentioned it, I might be forced away. I was nothing more than a coward."
Teagan leaned over and touched her mother's hand. "I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to, Mam. You don't have to do this."
Caitlin met Killian's gaze again. "But I do, for Killian's sake."
A woman he'd been less than courteous to was now willing to upend her life to help him.
If only he could remember her.
A boom reverberated inside his head and he clapped his hands over his ears. People were talking, but another boom sounded, and his skull felt as if it were being ripped in two.
He'd barely slid to his knees before an even louder sound echoed inside his head and the world went dark.