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Chapter Three

A s soon as Antony was gone, Iris turned to Cooper. “Should we wait until after Faye’s out of the hospital before we tell Grant about this?”

“Aye, I think so. They put us in charge, so let’s study what we have first and then discuss how to broach the topic with Faye and Grant.”

Iris reached for the file folder, but before she could open it, Cooper lightly slapped his hand on top of it. “What’s between you and Antony Holbrook?”

Her dragon hummed. Nothing. Yet. But I can tell he wants us.

We’re not talking about this.

Iris replied to Cooper, “Nothing. He’s a pain in my arse, that’s all. His brother, Max, let slip one time that since Antony is usually isolated, he likes to annoy as many people as possible when he gets the chance.”

“He didn’t annoy me.” Cooper searched her gaze. “Holbrook fancies you. Maybe he’s your true mate.”

Panic surged through Iris. “No, he can’t be.”

“But what if he is? Don’t you want to know?”

“No.” She reached for the folder again and tugged it closer. “I know you want nothing more than to find yours, but some of us want to focus on our jobs and careers instead.”

She wondered if Cooper would push, but he merely shrugged. “It’s your life, not mine. Just promise me that if something happens, you’ll tell me, aye?”

“Nothing will happen, I promise. Now, let’s focus and find out what happened to the rogue dragons.”

As they each took some papers from the folder, her dragon spoke up. You can pretend with Cooper, but I know Antony’s touch affected us. Maybe we should call him and see if he answers.

Don’t be ridiculous. The phone is for emergencies.

Us finally getting some sex is an emergency.

Enough. I need to concentrate. So will you be quiet or do I have to construct a mental maze?

Her beast sniffed. Do your boring human stuff.

As her dragon settled down for a nap inside her head, Iris focused on the documents.

She was impressed with how thorough they were. Antony hadn’t been boasting when he’d said they watched the rogue dragons closely. Every movement, every dragon taking off with their color and markings noted, was here. They’d kept track of everything for years.

For a split second, Iris wondered if maybe Lochguard should’ve been paying closer attention. Oh, aye, they knew where the rogue dragons stayed, and thanks to Iris’s contacts around Scotland, she knew when and where they flew.

And yet, when night fell or if there was a storm, her informants couldn’t help her. That was a weakness she should’ve recognized sooner.

Her dragon’s voice was sleepy as she said, Stop trying to be responsible for all security on Lochguard. You are one of many.

Cooper’s voice prevented Iris from replying to her beast. “Here’s where all their activity stopped. Take a look, Iris.”

She quickly scanned the document and said, “It really was like they fell through a portal and vanished. One day, they were flying and hunting and quietly visiting villages, and the next, nothing.”

“And what’s strange is that everything was left in a hurry—dishes on makeshift tables, clothes drying on lines, and even a few toys stacked in the middle of a clearing.”

She’d known about some of the rogue dragons having bairns over the years, but for the first time, she wondered how they were doing living outside a clan.

But she pushed that aside and focused. “Maybe there was some kind of danger. Or, this is all part of a plan.”

“Aye, well, we need more than what’s in this folder. We should call Holbrook and see if he has more answers.”

Iris shook her head. “No, there’s a better way. Nothing beats flying to a location and investigating it ourselves.”

She stood, and Cooper followed. “Hold on, Iris. I know you’re a bloody good tracker and have more contacts in Scotland than anyone. However, some of the worst of dragonkind lived in those forests, and if something made them run, it can’t be good, aye?”

“I know that. But this will leak by tomorrow, Cooper. If I don’t go now, we’ll lose our chance. And my gut says I should go.”

Cooper searched her gaze, and she resisted growling or tapping her foot. He was one of the few people on Lochguard she trusted with her life. They’d served together in the British Army, and he’d stood up for her when others had tried to steal credit for her work or pressure her to quit.

He didn’t doubt her abilities. No, he cared about her as a friend, no matter how much she’d tried to keep him at a distance, like everyone else.

Iris softened her voice. “Cooper, you know deep down that I need to investigate whilst we still can. I’ll be careful, aye? And you can even give me a check-in time.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Will you follow it?”

“I’ll try this time, I promise.”

Cooper grunted. “Fine. But only if you take Holbrook’s phone with you, in addition to the untraceable one for the Protectors. And more importantly, you’ll promise to reach out to the human male if you need to. Holbrook has resources we can only dream of.”

“Aye, I will. But time is of the essence, and I need to go now. The news hasn’t broken yet, and the clock’s ticking.”

“Go, then. But come back as soon as you can, Iris. The last thing I need is to finally get more responsibility and then lose one of the best Protectors in the country.”

“Are you trying to butter me up?”

“No, I mean it. And sometimes, I think you need to hear it. Maybe one day you’ll stop trying to prove yourself. Especially since you don’t need to do it here, of all places.”

Her dragon spoke up. He’s right.

Ignoring her beast, Iris replied to Cooper, “Aye, well, then I’m off. I’ll be in and out as quickly as I can. In the meantime, can you double-check the list of everyone who has a relative, former friend, or loved one that left Lochguard and joined the rogue dragons? I want to make sure we didn’t miss anyone, not even someone distantly related.”

He tapped his temples. “I already have the list in my head and have gone over it many times. There are a few I think we should watch closely, to see how they react to the news about the dragons vanishing. I’ll also debrief Finn, plus assign extra patrols around the perimeter in case angry humans show up once the news leaks.”

She studied her colleague, who was probably the closest thing she had to a friend. “Having more responsibility suits you.”

“Same for you. Now, let’s prove we can do this, Iris. Lochguard is going to need us more than ever.”

She bobbed her head. “Aye, I’m off. We’ll meet up once I get back and then talk to Grant. It won’t be easy for him.”

“It won’t be easy for a lot of people here. And remember, Iris, asking for help isn’t a weakness. We need you to come back in one piece.”

Not wanting to discuss it further, Iris waved and walked down the corridor. Soon she exited to the landing area behind the Protector building and stripped her clothes. Once she’d stowed them and her mobile phones in a satchel she could carry in her dragon form—the last thing she needed was for humans to see her naked and freak out—she closed her eyes. Her nose elongated into a snout, wings sprouted from her back, and legs stretched until she stood in her purple dragon form.

Her beast flapped their wings a few times. I wish we had time to test out some new maneuvers.

They both enjoyed pushing themselves to the limit in the air. Once all of this mess is sorted, I’ll make time.

For real this time?

Aye, for real. Now, let’s take the least populated route to Cairngorms National Park and see what we can find.

Iris reveled in the wind brushing against their scales. She often felt more at ease in the air, where she could better watch out for threats.

Since it wasn’t time to admire the hills, lochs, or valleys below, she concentrated on the cars, people, and aircraft. Since it was midday during the week, the roads and air were fairly empty. And thankfully, they soon reached the boundary of the national park. From here, things would be a bit more tricky. The rogue dragons were good at camouflage.

She used the clouds as much as possible to keep herself hidden—one benefit of living in Scotland was that there were a lot of cloudy days—and spotted the small loch the rogue dragons used for water and swimming. At least, according to both her records and Antony’s. Maybe they’d changed locations, but it was worth a look.

As she slowly descended to a clearing she’d used before for surveillance, her dragon spoke up. What’s that strange smell?

She’d been so focused on looking for enemies that Iris hadn’t noticed. But now she took a deep inhalation and nearly grimaced. I don’t know. But it smells like rotting rubbish mixed with rotten eggs.

Wanting to see if she could detect any other scents, she took a few more deep breaths. However, after the third one, her wings faltered. Even when her beast tried to correct it, they plummeted. Only through some half-arsed attempts to widen her wings did she manage to slow down a little.

Hitting the ground, they turned the landing into a roll. They tumbled through the small trees, hitting branches and bushes as they went, until they crashed into a stone cottage. The bones in one of her wings cracked, pain shot through her body, and she barely held back a cry.

Iris said to her dragon, We have to keep going.

It hurts. More than ever before.

I know, dragon. And we’ll fix it as soon as we can. But the gas, or whatever it is, wasn’t by accident. Someone will come looking.

There’s a smaller loch on the other side of the hill. Swimming will be easier than hobbling.

Agreeing with her beast, Iris stood up. Since she could still smell the awful substance, she held her breath as much as possible while they struggled up the small hill. Her human form would be easier to maneuver, but she wouldn’t risk it. Her injuries would heal faster in her dragon form, and Iris needed every advantage she could get.

Foot by agonizing foot, Iris crawled to the top of the small hill. But once she reached the top, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Her dragon spoke up. Roll down the hill. It’ll bloody hurt, but it’s our best option.

Even with water to break our fall, I don’t want to drown if we pass out.

The cold water should help keep us awake long enough to reach the far shore.

She eyed it in the distance. Like most lochs in Scotland, it was long and narrow, and she wasn’t sure she could swim that far.

But as another blast of the foul scent hit her nose, making her dizzier, Iris knew they had to get away or they’d be sitting ducks.

And would probably end up disappearing like the rogue dragons.

Bracing herself for the oncoming pain, her dragon rolled them down the hill. She nearly roared in agony every time something bumped against her damaged wing. By the time they hit the water, Iris and her beast struggled to remain conscious.

But the blast of arctic water jolted them, and with their forelimbs and hind legs, they swam. By the time they reached the far shore, dots swam before her eyes. Using the last of their strength, they got out of the loch and crawled to a small copse of trees. It wasn’t much to hide them, but it was the best they could do.

Because within seconds of reaching it, the world went black.