The Dragon Guardian (9 page)

The second Fergus’s large, warm hand touched her stomach, her son kicked again. Fergus leaned his head close and whispered, “He’s a strong lad already. I can’t wait to see what he’s like when he’s here and kicking. I bet he’ll be a handful and a half.”

“As long as he’s not like his father, he can be any way he likes.”

Moving his hand from her belly to her back, Fergus rubbed in slow circles. Despite his gentle touch, she didn’t miss the steel in his voice when he stated, “With you as his mum, he’ll turn out well. Maybe a wee bit stubborn, but a good lad. I have no doubt.”

As she stared in Fergus’s eyes, she saw nothing but truth in them. He barely knew her, yet he had such faith in her.

Blinking back tears, she cleared her throat and managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

Her dragonman opened his mouth, but then shut it. Stepping away from her, he offered her his free arm. “Let me take you home.”

Home. It wasn’t something Gina had truly had in nearly four months, when her parents had sent her away to Scotland. Her grandmother’s cottage had been nice, but it had never had the sense of safety or comfort she associated with home, especially after her grandmother’s death. Would Gina find it on Lochguard, provided she could stay?

More than being on the run or hiding in a foreign country, Gina hated the uncertainty. Maybe if she won over Fergus’s mom and sister, they would put in a good word with Finn so she could finally have a home. “And what about Holly and Fraser? Will they be there?”

“As much as I wish I could keep my bloody brother away, he always finds a way to sneak in.”

Gina heard the love behind Fergus’s words. “At least you have a brother to annoy you. I only have a sister.”

“Females can be worse and I’m sure your parents had their hands full with you as a kid.”

“What are you implying, Fergus MacKenzie?”

He shrugged. “Oh, just that your mouth was probably washed out with soap a few times for talking back. Am I right?”

She paused and finally grunted. “Maybe.” Fergus chuckled, and the sight of the big, muscled dragonman laughing made her smile. “But soap is better than a sore bum.”

“Aye, well, Mum still had the infamous spoon. I’d be careful. Even if you’re pregnant, she might give you a few light taps if you step out of line.”

She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not worried about that. Compared to you and Fraser, I’m an angel.”

Fergus snorted. “An angel with a bite, maybe.”

She smacked his arm. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to insult a pregnant lady?”

“No, I must’ve missed those days at school. You’re out of luck, lass.”

Smiling, Gina shook her head. “I’m starting to think Scottish dragon-shifters are unique.”

“If you mean handsome, clever, and brilliant, then you’d be right.”

Fergus winked at her and Gina laughed. It was almost as if they were back in the cottage before her pains had started and changed her life forever.

Then her gaze fell to Fergus’s lips and the memory of their kiss rushed back. Maybe she should give Fergus a chance.

“Lass, my eyes are up here.”

Gina’s cheeks flushed and she met his gaze again. “Shouldn’t we be on our way? Holly probably wants to check on me before we go to your mom’s house.”

“If you’re going to live on Lochguard, lass, then you should start saying ‘mum’ instead of ‘mom.’ It has a nicer ring to it.”

“You do realize the Americans won the war against the British hundreds of years ago, right? I think that gives us the right to speak how we want.”

Fergus leaned down and whispered, “You might’ve won against the humans, but if the dragon-shifters had joined forces, you’d be saying ‘mum,’ ‘lift,’ and any other number of words.”

She raised her brows. “Someone’s a little cocky.” Fergus grinned and Gina sighed. “Fine, let’s say you’re amazing. Will that get your butt out the door any sooner?”

Fergus tapped his chin. “I may need a few more compliments to manage that.”

“I’ve hit my compliment limit for the next hour, so you’re out of luck.”

Her dragonman turned toward her and lightly brushed her cheek. “And yet your sassiness never fades.”

“Damn straight.”

As they grinned at one another, Gina’s son moved about inside her uterus. Only when Fergus was around did her little boy dance and move as if he was having his own private party.

Her mistrust of all dragon-shifters faded a fraction. She didn’t want to get her hopes up that Fergus was what he appeared. But she might have a better idea after seeing him around his family.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m leaving. Whether you follow or not is up to you. I can always ask Finn or Fraser to take me to your house.”

Fergus growled. “No bloody way. I’m going to be the one to introduce you to my mum.”

“Then you can carry Coal’s carrier. Since I pretty much only waddle these days, it’s quite a chore to keep my balance with a fourteen-pound cat on one side.”

Snatching up the carrier, Fergus was at her side. He placed a hand on her back and pushed gently. “Come, lass. Let me take you home.”

Opening the door, Gina half-expected Fergus to sever contact. However, he never moved his hand from her lower back. Once they were in the hall, he looped an arm around her shoulders. She glanced over. “You’re invading personal boundaries again, Fergus.”

He raised his brows. “Do you want me to release you?”

She bit her lip a second as she debated telling him the truth.
What the hell.
Snuggling against Fergus’s side for warmth didn’t signify anything but practicality. After all, it was freezing outside. “No.”

His pupils flashed. “Good answer.”

As her dragonman drew her closer against his side, Gina reveled in Fergus’s heat and spicy male scent. For the first time in a long time, Gina felt safe. She tried not to think too much about the reason why.

Fergus would have to thank Finn later for sending Fraser and Holly away while he’d been in the room with Gina. Meeting his brother might’ve broken the spell he and Gina were currently under. He still couldn’t believe she’d allowed him to hold her close. Even now, when they were nearly to his mum’s house, she hadn’t asked for him to remove his grip.

A small gust of wind blew and his female snuggled closer against his side. It was taking every iota of strength he had to keep his cock from hardening. Having the human’s lovely curves and heat so close was both fantastic and dangerous.

What was even better was his dragon’s contented humming at the back of his mind. It seemed both man and beast were happy for the moment to merely have their female nearby.

The silence didn’t bother him as they walked. After all, Gina’s face was pale and she had circles under her eyes. His lass was tired, but trying to hide it. He wouldn’t hurt her pride by mentioning it. His sister and mum had taught him well about a proud female’s limits.

Still, Fergus couldn’t resist stealing a glance over at Gina, who was watching two dragons doing flight exercises in the distance. Judging by their clumsy dives and maneuvers, they had to be two adolescents not quite used to their larger dragon forms.

He pointed in the direction of the blue and black dragons. “I wouldn’t judge the gracefulness of dragons on those two.”

Gina tore her gaze away to meet his. “Why’s that?”

“They’re teenagers and their bodies are growing faster than they know what to do with in both human and dragon forms.”

He paused and Gina looked back to the beasts. Fergus was about to nudge further when Gina murmured, “It’s the first time I’ve been allowed to watch dragon-shifters fly together at such a close distance.”

Frowning, Fergus stopped. Laying Coal’s carrier on the ground, he gently touched Gina’s chin with his free hand. “How is that possible if the father of your child is a dragon-shifter?” A thought entered his mind and anger coursed through his body. “Did he force himself on you? If he did, tell me his name and I’ll bring the bastard to justice.”

Gina studied him a second before replying, “No, he didn’t force me. He was a lying asshole, but not a rapist.”

Fergus tightened his grip on Gina’s arm. “Tell me who he is and I’ll teach him a lesson.”

“No.”

He frowned. “Just ‘no’? As your Guardian, I should know as much about you as possible. Otherwise, I can’t do my job properly.”

She raised her brows. “I still haven’t decided if you’d be the best guardian or not. Until then, I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

“Gina—”

She cut him off. “Look, placing my trust in someone too early is what got me into this mess in the first place. I’m not about to be fooled twice, Fergus. Not even a growly dragonman with kind eyes will change my mind.”

“What if I shift into a dragon?”

Gina didn’t so much as blink. “Try it and see.”

His dragon laughed.
She will never obey meekly. I like it.

Aye, well, you’re not the one who has to protect her without knowing all the facts.

Use your heart and gut to guide you.

Fergus grunted. He lived on acquiring information and forming a plan. Winging it wasn’t exactly his style.

Gina poked his arm, but before she could do more than open her mouth, an all-too-familiar voice filled the air. It was his younger sister, Faye. “Fergus Roger MacKenzie, stop dawdling and get a move on. Mum won’t serve her latest batch of scones until after you’ve brought home the human.”

He sighed. “How does she even know about Gina?”

Faye ran up to them. “Finn told her.” His sister looked between Gina and Fergus. “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Motioning between Gina and Faye, he made the introductions. “Gina, this is my annoying sister, Faye. Faye, this is Gina.”

Ignoring him, Faye smiled at Gina. “Has my stuffy brother bored you to death yet?”

A faint flush filled Gina’s cheeks. The sight pumped up his ego a notch. Maybe, just maybe, she was thinking of their kiss earlier, which had been the farthest thing from stuffy.

Gina put out a hand to shake and Faye took it. “Nice to meet you. And to answer your question”—Gina glanced at him and then lowered her voice—“Fergus is too much of a contradiction to be stuffy.”

His dragon perked up at that. Faye opened her mouth, but Fergus beat her to it. “What do you mean I’m a contradiction?”

Amusement danced in Gina’s eyes. “Do you really want to have this conversation in front of your sister?”

Faye’s eyes widened. “Oh, this just became interesting. Tell me, Gina. What happened? Ever since Fraser mated Holly, it’s been quite boring around here. I could use a good story.”

Fergus stepped between Gina and Faye. He growled out, “Go home, Faye Cleopatra. We’ll be along shortly.”

Faye crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re not the boss of me. I’m staying.”

He hated to make a deal with his sister, but he wanted to find out more about Gina’s comment. Both man and beast burned to find out the truth. “Leave now and you can have all of my scones for the next two weeks.”

His sister loved food almost as much as flying. Since an accident last year had made flying difficult for her, Faye relied more on food to keep her happy. Only because of her dragon-shifter genes was she still thin.

Faye finally nodded. “Deal. But don’t stay away too long or Mum will have your head.”

Fergus grunted. “Fine, fine. Just go.”

Faye craned her head around Fergus’s body. “Nice to meet you Gina. Don’t let Fergus keep you away too long. The MacKenzie household is a riot, you’ll see. And once you’re settled, you can tell me all about America. I’ve dreamed about going there since I was a little girl.”

“Faye,” Fergus growled in warning.

His sister rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. I’ll go. No need to try and use dominance on me.”

Gina waved and Faye jogged away. He was finally alone with his human again.

His dragon hummed.
Find out why we’re a contradiction. And more importantly, why our human blushed.

Taking a deep breath, Fergus turned toward Gina. He stood only a few inches away, which was too bloody close. But he wasn’t going to allow the proximity to distract him. “Explain yourself, lass.” Gina raised an eyebrow and he added, “Gina. Explain yourself, Gina.”

The human smiled and he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. With her curly red hair blowing around her pale face, she was beautiful.

Kiss her
, his dragon urged.

Fergus’s gaze dropped to Gina’s pink lips. Even now, he remembered how soft and warm they were next to his. And damn, her taste. He could drink her in all day.

His beast added,
Just wait until we lick between her thighs.

The image of Gina naked and at the mercy of his tongue flashed into his head. What he wouldn’t give to caress every inch of her body. She deserved to be treasured and he had a feeling the American bastard hadn’t done so.

No doubt, the Yank arsehole had hurt her. Maybe Fergus could win her over slowly and prove he was different.

His dragon growled, but the human’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “As much fun as it is watching your pupils flash and emotions dance in your eyes, either talk with me or I’ll ask the next person I see to take me to my new home.”

Fergus grunted. “I can’t help it. My bloody dragon lives to irritate me. I love order and rules and he despises them. Imagine having a constant battle inside your mind, and that’s what it’s like.”

Gina paused a beat before asking, “Then if it’s so bad, how have you not gone crazy?”

His dragon swished his tail in the back of his mind. Fergus ignored him. “I may complain, but my dragon is an essential part of me. No matter where I am or where I go, I will never be truly alone.”

Gina’s face softened. “That sounds nice.”

“It’s more than nice, lass. But just because I can’t imagine living without the bloody beast doesn’t mean it’s easy. America has had its fair share of rogue dragons as well. Those who can’t maintain control end up being a danger to more than just themselves.”

Placing a hand on her belly, Gina looked into the distance. “I hope my baby will be okay.”

The concern on her face shot straight to his heart. He placed his forefinger under her chin and gently tilted her head back toward him. When she met his eye, he should’ve dropped his hand. But her skin was soft and he couldn’t resist lightly stroking it. “If I have any say in the matter, the lad will grow up to be strong and in complete control of his other half.”