Page 8

Chapter Eight

C ooper sat across from Finn Stewart, the Lochguard clan leader, and hoped the other Protectors could handle everything without him, given everything going on. However, if his clan leader had wanted an in-person meeting, then it had to be important.

Finn nodded in greeting and said, “I know you have a lot on your plate right now, aye? But Dr. McFarland finally learned the identity of the woman we found. And aye, I asked her to keep it quiet for the moment, even from you. Because the human’s case is delicate and will require cooperation between clans.”

He frowned, Finn’s words piquing his interest. “Delicate, how?”

“Well, we’re going to have to go behind the DDA’s back.”

Cooper sat up straighter at that. “Okay, now I’m curious. What’s going on and who is this female?”

“She’s been here before, with some of the children’s plays, the human and dragon ones. Her name is Mariana Barlow.”

He tried to place the female’s face, but there had been quite a few humans at the event, and Cooper’s focus during the plays had been to ensure everyone’s safety.

But if she had come for the play, that meant she had at least one bairn. “I don’t remember her, but what do you need?”

“She needs help, but I can’t appear to be the one doing it. She needs to ‘visit’ Stonefire, but I don’t want to know any of the details of how or who helps or any of that, so I can have plausible deniability with the DDA. But her ex-husband was the one who beat her and left her for dead, so she needs protection. The human government hadn’t wanted to give her any, thinking her ex wasn’t enough of a threat.”

Cooper clenched his fingers into a fist. “Aye, I’ll get her there. But if she was at the play, she has a bairn, right?”

“Aye, two. Her ex-husband threatened to flee with them to Northern Ireland, where his mother is from. I don’t know if he’s done that yet, but just in case, this situation gives me a chance to work with the new Northcastle clan leader, Adrian Conroy.”

Adrian had taken over the clan from Lorcan Todd not too long ago. Cooper had met Adrian when he was still a Protector for the Northern Irish clan, but the male had shared little about himself. If he remembered right, Kaine Ferris had taken over the head Protector job. And even though he already had a mountain of responsibilities, Cooper said, “I can reach out to Northcastle’s head Protector, too.”

“No, no, don’t worry about that. Like Iris and the others, he’s on a mission that shall not be mentioned. For now, focus on Lochguard and picking someone you trust to watch over Mariana whilst she’s here.”

In other words, he needed to assign someone loyal to the clan who would do as asked and not share or brag about it later.

And Cooper knew exactly who to send.

He stood. “Aye, well, if that’s all, I need to go assign Mariana Barlow a Protector, as well as prepare for any more protestors that might show up at our gates.”

Finn shook his head. “Whilst I appreciate how the internet has helped the dragon clans grow closer, sometimes it’s a pain in our arses when it stirs up chaos.”

“At least the Dragon Knights are gone. If we can find a way to get rid of the dragon hunters, I think the majority of fear and hatred and propaganda will fade away.”

“I hope you’re right.” Finn studied him a second before adding, “You haven’t had the easiest time in charge, but I think you’re doing a fine job, Cooper.”

He snorted. “Right. Iris disappeared. Protestors are trying to scale the walls. And a human female was left for dead just outside the clan’s boundary. Brilliant work, isn’t it?”

Finn shook his head. “No one could’ve foreseen all of this. Besides, by stepping up, you’ve saved Faye the stress. And for that, I thank you.”

Faye was Finn’s cousin. And since Faye’s mother had taken in Finn after his parents died, they were all really close and more like siblings.

Cooper replied, “Faye is important to all of us, Finn. And I’ll do my best. Although I’ll need to bother them sometimes since I don’t know everything.”

“And that, right there, is why you’ll be a good leader, aye? Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

He nodded. “Aye, well, that won’t be a problem. But I should go and talk to, er, someone about protecting the human female we found.”

“Good lad. Keep it vague.”

After saying their goodbyes, Cooper headed toward the Protector building. Even though Brodie wasn’t due to start work for an hour, he knew the male would be there, like always.

His dragon yawned, waking up, and said, He won’t like being sent away.

It’s not being sent away. It’s a high-priority mission. Besides, with Iris gone, he’s the one I trust the most.

Is it that, or the fact he asks about the human female every day?

You really want to play matchmaker with everyone, don’t you?

You won’t go after any female, so I have to entertain myself somehow. Maybe you’ll get tired of your hand soon and go after her .

I’m not having this discussion again. I see Brodie ahead. Let’s give him his assignment.

And as Brodie quickly accepted the job without protest, Cooper wondered if his dragon was right. Maybe Brodie and Mariana would hit it off.

Although that would be a long road, given what had just happened to Mariana. But if anyone could win over a hurt, somewhat damaged female, it would be Brodie MacNeil.

An hour after Iris finished recording her goodbye videos, she headed toward the conference room where everyone working on the mission should be.

While no one would tell her the exact location of the facility she’d been inside during her recovery, it took security to the next level. Even the room where she’d studied the folder of information had been mostly empty save for a desk, chair, and light. Someone had brought her a sandwich and some tea, but it had been served with paper dishes and plastic cutlery. Almost as if they expected her to break a mug and use the shards as a weapon.

Her dragon spoke up. Maybe not us, but someone must’ve done it. Eventually, they might trust us. He might trust us.

Not again. The mission is more important than you getting some sex, dragon.

Aye, I know. And I won’t risk anyone’s life. But if we just happen to get trapped somewhere, alone, and need to pass the time…

Quiet. Or I’ll put you in a mental maze.

Her beast harrumphed. Fine. For now. But I mean it—if there’s an opportunity and it won’t endanger anyone, I’m taking it.

Not wanting to argue, Iris opened the door of the conference room and walked inside.

Five Protectors sat along one side of a long table, with an empty seat at the end, most likely saved for her. A human female Iris recognized—Alice Darby, although she’d dyed her hair a less noticeable brown now—sat at the foot of the table. The side opposite the Protectors had a mixture of humans and dragons she’d never met.

And, of course, Antony sat at the head of the table.

She addressed the male. “Why didn’t you tell me everyone was already here and waiting for me?”

Antony replied, “I needed Dr. Turner’s final blood results before I could summon you. And you’re completely cleared now, Iris. So sit down and let’s get started.”

She bit her tongue, not wanting to seem petty in front of her fellow Protectors, and nodded at Kai from Stonefire as she took the empty seat. She’d worked with him many times over the years and trusted him the most in the room.

She wondered if the other head Protectors would accept her or not. Female Protectors were becoming more common, but some males still had old-fashioned ideas.

However, before she could greet anyone, Antony spoke again. “We may not all trust each other yet, but if this mission is to be a success, then we need to share information and not be afraid to ask for help. I won’t have egos getting in the way—you’re all equal for this assignment. And if you can’t accept that, then leave now.”

Everyone glanced around, but no one left.

Not that Iris could blame them. For a human, Antony knew how to thread his voice with dominance like a dragon clan leader. Her dragon rumbled, but thankfully stayed quiet, no doubt wanting to make some innuendo about him in bed.

After a few more beats, Antony continued. “Right, then let’s get this meeting started. First up is our DDA liaison, Alice Darby.”

The human female snorted. “Liaison is a bit of a stretch. But yes, I’m to formally report back to the DDA Director even though I’m not your typical DDA employee. Antony recruited me because, after making some foolish mistakes as a teenager, I managed to hide from several DDA-like agencies for ten years. And during that time, I learned about the black markets and groups who wanted to kill dragon-shifters, hoping I could find a way to destroy them.”

Alice was referring to the illegal sale of dragon’s blood, which had extraordinary healing abilities. However, it usually only ended up on the black market if someone had drained a dragon of blood, killing them.

Kaine Ferris from Northcastle frowned. “We’ve been trying to stop the sale of dragon’s blood on the black markets for years. Any information could’ve helped, so why haven’t you shared this before?”

“I have, with Antony and his team. I was ordered to keep it quiet from anyone else.”

Iris’s gaze shot to the human male’s, but he didn’t so much as blink before saying, “There will be a lot of surprises in the coming days, so you’d better get used to it. As you recall, the rogue dragon-shifters have been a problem for years now. And since there are sympathetic clan members in every dragon clan, we had to be extra careful and not risk this information getting out.”

Iris asked, “Who is the ‘we’ you’re talking about?”

Antony shook his head. “For now, let’s just focus on the mission and then maybe you can learn more about who I work for.”

Just as Kaine was about to ask something else, one of Antony’s team members jumped in, his accent Northern Irish. “You have secrets too, Ferris, so don’t play all high-and-mighty.” Kaine’s gaze shot to the unknown dragonman, and he continued, “But just like I won’t reveal how there are quite a few humans living on Northcastle without permission, you won’t share any of the information discussed here.”

Kaine didn’t even attempt to look sheepish. “You’re from Northern Ireland and a dragon-shifter, and yet I have no fucking idea who you are.”

“I’m Joseph Doyle, at your service. And all I’ll say is my father was human, and my parents were shunned. So I grew up on the lam.”

Until recently, few human males had been allowed to mate and live with female dragon-shifters. If a female dragon had fallen in love or found her true mate in a human, her only choices had been to leave her clan or reject them to stay with her people.

Since Scotland had a splinter clan, Seahaven, full of human and dragon mated pairs who’d been kicked off Lochguard in the past—in the time before Finn Stewart—Iris asked, “Is there a smaller clan in Northern Ireland, then, where your parents and others went to live?”

Joseph replied, “Maybe I’ll answer that in time.”

She was about to ask another question when Antony spoke up. “You all will have time later to get to know each other, especially with your assigned partners for this assignment. Steering us back on track, let me share your pairings now. Iris will be with me. Kaine, you’ll be working with Joseph. Kai, you’ll be with Trina. Wren, you’re with Christopher. Killian, you’ll be with Kerry. And Robin, you’ll be with Gavin. The dragon-dragon pairings will need to be more careful. Because, sadly, I don’t have more humans to work with right now.”

Trina spoke up. “Three died a few months ago and they haven’t been replaced yet.”

Iris studied the human female with black hair, dark brown eyes, and light tan skin. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? Weren’t you an informant first and then showed up later during a mission?”

“Yes, I helped with Jake Swift.”

The human male had been kidnapped, and as he’d fallen in love with a female dragon on Lochguard, they’d rescued him. But even so, there was something familiar about her she couldn’t place, almost like she reminded Iris of someone.

Antony’s voice garnered her attention. “I’ll go over your individual assignments in private. But first, Iris is going to tell us everything she can about experiencing the dangerous gas and living to tell the tale.”

All eyes turned toward her, but she didn’t blink. She’d taught flight maneuvers to Protectors and teenagers for years and didn’t mind public speaking. “Well, here’s what I noticed…”

She went through the smell, the dizziness, the lack of strength, and anything else she could remember. After the others asked a few clarifying questions, Antony stood and said without preamble, “Time to go over assignments. Kai and Trina, you’re first. Come with me.”

Once they’d left, Iris glanced at Joseph, who seemed the most chatty of Antony’s team, and asked, “Is this standard procedure, to keep the assignments secret?”

“Aye. That way, no amount of torture can get it out of you.”

The male spoke as if he knew from experience.

The female dragon-shifter from Antony’s team, Kerry Penrose, spoke up in her English accent, one Iris couldn’t place. “You’re the lucky one, though, Iris. Antony has the best of everything. Not because he doesn’t want to share, but over the years, the gear and gadgets have been designed specifically for him.”

Iris noticed her opening. “Just how long has Antony been doing this job?”

Kerry shook her head. “I honestly have no idea. Decades, I think? But I do wonder how Antony’s done this job for so long. I’ve been here for two years, and I’m already wondering when I can see less action.”

The human male, Gavin Edwards, snorted. “Says the dragon-shifter who’d be bored off her arse if she had a desk job.”

Kerry gave him a double-finger salute. “You’re only saying that because you’re jealous. You’ve never beaten me in the qualifying trials to steal my job and be promoted.”

“I’ve come close. And since I’m human, that means you’re losing your touch, Kerry.”

She narrowed her eyes, and as they bickered—in a sort of code that Iris couldn’t decipher—the human male named Christopher spoke to her in an accent she couldn’t identify. “Ignore them. They’ve wanted to fuck since the first day but are too afraid, in case he’s her true mate.”

Gavin and Kerry both stalled their conversations to state, “Not true.”

Joseph leaned back in his chair. “I’ve bet on the pair of you, but I won’t tell you which way.”

Before Gavin or Kerry could say anything else, Antony returned without Kai or Trina. “Killian and Kerry, you’re next.”

Joseph pumped his fist. “Huzzah. Now we’ll get some peace and quiet.”

Kerry glared. “Fuck you, Joseph.”

The male merely chuckled. Iris kept trying to find an opening to ask Joseph some questions, but the others grew chatty and she never had a chance. And as the numbers dwindled in the room, Iris realized she’d be last, meaning she could only ask Antony for answers and hope he didn’t hold back.

Her dragon spoke up. You’re impatient. You knew he was our partner for this, so why are you surprised that we’re last?

Not surprised, but he could’ve given me some materials to study whilst we waited. Something instead of sitting here, listening to gossip and me trying to figure out if I can jump in to ask some relevant questions.

We don’t even know what our assignment is yet, aye? Just enjoy the downtime because soon we probably won’t have any.

Iris begrudgingly did her best to listen to the others and learn what she could. Eventually, she was the last person in the room. By the time Antony came for her, she itched to jump up and demand where they were going and what they would be doing.

However, determined not to let the human get to her again, she calmly asked, “Where are we going?”

“The Peak District. I’ll explain when we arrive. For now, we need to change and get our gear.” He gestured toward the door. “Come on.”

As they exited the room and walked down yet another corridor, Iris clenched and unclenched her fingers. Antony had bloody well better tell her about their assignment soon. She hated being kept in the dark. He was probably doing it on purpose.

Her dragon spoke up. Where’s your legendary patience?

Before she could reply, Antony finally guided her into a room full of tactical gear and weapons. Her jaw dropped as she looked from the walls covered with weapons to the various mannequins wearing protective gear.

Many of the items she couldn’t even identify, let alone know what they did.

Antony said, “Go on, my dear. Take a look around whilst I get a few things you’ll need.”

She barely noticed him leave as she went to inspect the trove of treasures.

And for the first time in her life, Iris wanted to horde it all and be like one of those dragons in the human fairytales.