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So, she’d do her best. “Well, I’m not sure where to start. You can probably tell I’m not a wolf.” The two of them entered the hallway. Iain and Moira followed.

  “No, I didn’t know,” Lorna said. “I’m human, myself. I take it you are too?”

  “Not exactly,” Keira said. “I’m a dragon slayer.”

  Lorna gazed at her, leading them around a corner without ever taking her eyes off Keira. “I’ve heard of dragon slayers. I didn’t realize you weren’t human, though.”

  “More like human with a few modifications.” See? As long as she talked about impersonal things, she could do this. “We believe we were born from the dreams about heroes. And so our race has physical prowess and enhanced senses like you might expect from a mythic hero.”

  “Do you really slay dragon shifters?” Moira said.

  Suddenly Keira felt like she needed to be careful. The two wolf shifters behind her might just see themselves as having a lot in common with the dragons she hunted. She might be in trouble if she said the wrong thing. “Not indiscriminately, no. Dragon shifters are sometimes more dragon than anything else. If they start to terrorize the communities around them, we get called in.” Okay, so she left out a whole lot there–like the hotheads in her order who believed the only good dragons were dead dragons--but hopefully her omissions would keep her out of hot water.

  “I suppose dragon shifters can lose themselves to their beasts the same as anyone,” Lorna said. “But they’d be a mite bigger and harder to stop.”

  “Exactly,” Keira said.

  “So how did you two meet?” Lorna said.

  Iain barked out a laugh. “This should be interesting.”

  Fighting the urge to knock Iain down a peg, Keira said, “My sister and I tracked a dragon to the hall here. Lachlan was meeting with the dragon at the time and he scented me when we came in.”

  “A rogue dragon was in the Stronghold?” Lorna said.

  Oh, crap. She’d talked her way into a corner with that one. She couldn’t tell them all why they’d really been stalking Damon Knightley but if she didn’t, it would sound like she’d been lying about only hunting dragons who’d gone over the edge. Which she had been, but they didn’t need to know that. “There was no danger. The problem is, when the dragon fled my sister went after him. Lachlan grabbed me and wouldn’t let me follow her. When I finally convinced him to let me try to find her, she’d vanished. I still don’t know where she is.”

  “Your sister’s missing?” Moira said. “Then what are you doing here?”

  Before Keira could answer, Iain said, “Lachlan’s afraid she’ll never come back if he lets her go. And with good reason.”

  Lorna’s face fell, though she didn’t let go of Keira’s arm. “My nephew overstated things when he introduced you as his mate, didn’t he? You haven’t accepted him yet.”

  Shit. Why the hell did Lachlan leave her with this mess? “No, I haven’t.”

  “Did he explain to you how important it is?” Lorna said.

  “I can’t believe he’ll die of a broken heart.” Keira had heard him the night before but it still didn’t make sense.

  “It’s magic,” Lorna said. “You realize that. Magic has its own rules and penalties. For others, a broken heart is something they can get over and move past. For werewolves, the pain is much, much greater. They don’t last long if their mates leave them–whether of their own accord or through death.” She squeezed Keira’s arm. “That’s how we lost Rosslyn. Lachlan’s father Ennis died and Rosslyn couldn’t handle it. She held on for three weeks then took her own life.” She stopped and looked Keira in the eye. “Please don’t take Lachlan from us.”

  Chapter 7

  Oh, Gods. A heartfelt plea from Lachlan’s mother. How the hell was Keira supposed to walk away from that?

  “There’s more, of course. That’s the stick. But there’s a carrot as well. Did my son tell you about that?”

  “No,” Keira said.

  “You’ve never had sex like the kind you’ll have with your mate,” Lorna said. “It’s magnificent.”

  Moira clapped her hands over her ears while Iain said, “I didn’t hear that.”

  Lorna rolled her eyes. “And the love, the intimacy. You can’t imagine. I had boyfriends before I met my mate and even thought myself in love but I had no idea what love really was. You must accept Lachlan, Keira. It’ll be the best decision you ever make and you’ll never regret it.”

  Keira didn’t want to get into the reasons for her hesitancy with Lachlan’s aunt while his siblings listened on. Despite everything Lorna had said, obstacles still remained–Keira’s partnership with her sister, the nomadic life she lived. Every single part of her life would change if she accepted him and she couldn’t do it. She liked her life. But she didn’t want to say that to his aunt, either. “I’ll think about it.”

  #

  Lachlan checked his email and texts on the way to his office and found a note from the General’s personal assistant saying he could talk to her at nine that morning. He had just enough time to call Sebastian before he needed to talk to the General.

  Once in his office, Lachlan dialed Sebastian and waited for his cousin to answer the phone. He supposed he should have brought Keira with him but there hadn’t been time to extract her without Moira and Iain wanting to tag along. She’d be safe with his family–and they wouldn’t let her go anywhere.

  Sebastian picked up. “Lachlan. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Slimy bastard. “Why have you detained Greer?”

  “Why do you think? She’s a high-value prisoner of war.”

  No more than he’d expected. Still, he had to play the game. “So we’re at war now? I didn’t realize. I’ll have to bring out the boiling oil.”

  “Don’t be obtuse. Of course we’re at war. Do you think I don’t know you’ve been mobilizing?”

  “You mobilized first.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Lachlan realized how much they sounded like two children on the playground. Is this what war was? Two overgrown boys who’d gone beyond punches to bullets? “I distinctly remember ordering you to stand down.”

  “You provoked me,” Sebastian said. “But if you’d like to avoid all of this, it’s very easy. Just yield to me as the UK Alpha and all of this can go away.”

  Never. And Sebastian knew it. “Release Greer immediately or you’ll be very sorry.”

  “Threats, cousin? You’d never attack me, not knowing where Greer is. You might kill her by accident. Stand down now and I’ll go easy on you. I won’t even humiliate you in front of your wolves.”

  Sebastian had to be smoking something if he thought Lachlan would step down. And Greer–if Greer found out Lachlan had stepped down because of her, she’d kill him herself. So, no concessions to Sebastian on Greer’s behalf. But that didn’t mean Lachlan wouldn’t rescue her. He’d just need to do it through other means.

  Time for Sebastian to know what he faced. “You’re not as strong as I am. You never have been. Hell, you’re not as strong as Greer or Iain. If you think for one second you could hold the top spot over the Scottish wolves, you need to think again. You’ll have to kill me. And if you kill me, my wolves will never stop coming after you. Think long and hard before you make another move. Even if you succeed–and that’s a big if–you’ll lose.”

  He paused. “Hurt my sister and I’ll kill you myself.” Lachlan hung up.

  So much for that. At least he’d confirmed that Sebastian had Greer and that she wasn’t being held by some unknown third party. And as much as Lachlan detested Sebastian, he’d yet to see his cousin doing anything truly awful–like torture.

  That didn’t mean he wanted to leave Greer in Sebastian’s hands for long. As long as she stayed with him, Lachlan would never be sure she was okay and she’d remain a bargaining chip in the conflict. He had to get her out.

  Lachlan called Iain. “Call Brodie and get him to find out where Sebastian is holding Greer.”

  “Are you coming to brea
kfast?” Iain said. “Your mate wants you badly.” A thump sounded in the background.

  “What was that?”

  “No worries, I’ve got it under control. For now. Just don’t take too long.”

  “Call Brodie. And tell Keira I’ll be there soon.” Lachlan hung up.

  One more phone call, then he’d join them at breakfast. He called the General’s assistant, knowing he’d put Lachlan through to the General. Even the UK Alpha didn’t get the General’s direct phone number.

  A few minutes later, the General picked up the line. “Lachlan,” she said. “How are you?”

  “I’m good. And you?”

  “Fine, fine. I assume you’re calling to let me know why you and your cousin are amassing troops and to assure me you aren’t about to go to war.”

  It was just like General Wilson to cut to the chase. “I’m doing everything in my power to stop this before it escalates to war.”

  The General harrumphed. “That’s not very encouraging.”

  “It’s the English Alpha who wants war. If he continues to press the issue, I’ll have to meet him in battle. But I want to avoid that.”

  “You understand that we can’t have two warring factions killing off civilians and terrorizing the countryside. If you go to war, we’ll have to stop you in any way possible.”

  This wasn’t going quite as well as he’d hoped. “As I said, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we avoid war or that we avoid civilian casualties if it comes to it. I hope that if you reach the point where you feel the need to take action, you’ll call me first so we can try to find some alternative.” The last thing he needed was for the majority of his army to die needlessly.

  “I’ll do what I can,” the General said. “But if it comes down to civilian lives, I’ll choose them over you.”

  “Understood.”

  They said their goodbyes and hung up.

  At least Lachlan knew where he stood. If it came to out and out battle, his army would have to hit Sebastian’s hard and beat them decisively before the General got involved–or she might well wipe all the wolves off the island.

  Lachlan headed for the dining hall to rescue his mate from his family.

  #

  Greer still couldn’t believe she’d been caught. At least her sister and mother had gotten away. And she had some small consolation in that it took six of Sebastian’s wolves to take her down and four of them to sit on her. Still, she should have been able to beat them.

  Her cousin had her locked in a room somewhere. They’d blindfolded her when they brought her here and the room had no windows, so she wasn’t sure where they had her. She hadn’t yet seen Sebastian–at least, as far as she knew. Through all the years, she’d managed to avoid ever meeting him. She’d seen a picture or two but couldn’t be sure she’d recognize him if he showed up. He could be one of her guards and she’d never know.

  Her family thought she was nuts for refusing to meet Sebastian but she knew the truth. If she met him, she might just tear his throat out and that’d be bad for relations.

  Sebastian had her position. She should be the English Alpha. She was a stronger wolf than everyone except for Lachlan. And if it weren’t for the stupid archaic traditions about Alphas only being male, she would be Alpha.

  But none of that mattered now. She had to escape or it would be bad for Lachlan. Her brother would make bad decisions if he feared for her life. She couldn’t let him lose the war because of her. She needed to figure out where she was, how many guards held her and how to escape.

  #

  Keira had never been more glad to see Lachlan than when he showed up in the dining hall, but no sooner had he waved at them than he moved in the other direction to get some food. How much longer would she have to wait?

  “So where are you from, Keira?” Lorna had thrown one question after another at her since they’d sat down. At one point, Iain had suggested she let up on Keira but Lorna had shut him down.

  “I grew up in Boston, but after college I was posted to our detachment in England.” Questions like these weren’t the tough ones. The tough ones involved her feelings...how did she like Scotland, how did she like Lachlan, how did she feel about the war. Worse...how did she feel about marriage, how did she feel about kids...the questions were endless.

  “Oh? Where in England?”

  Lorna seemed very nice in spite of all of the questions. Nice, and determined to protect her son. Nevertheless, she was about to find out there was a line. “I’m so sorry. I can’t reveal that.”

  Lorna’s lips parted. “What?”

  “The location of our installation is secret. I can’t tell you.”

  Finally, Lachlan sat down next to her, saving her from further questions. She hoped.

  “What did Sebastian say?” Iain said.

  Lachlan described the call with Sebastian and then told them about his talk with the General. At least that explained why he’d taken so long. When he finished, he said, “Did you reach Brodie?”

  “Yes,” Iain said. “He’d heard rumblings that someone important had been detained–his words–but didn’t know they had Greer. He said he’d find out what he could and help her if he could do it without giving himself away.”

  Lachlan took a sip of his tea. “Good. We’ll need him there a while longer. I don’t think she’s in danger.”

  Lorna put her silverware down. “Are you sure?”

  Cutting his sausage, Lachlan said, “I’m sure. I told Sebastian what we’d do if he hurt her. If he has any sense, he’ll keep her safe and sound.”

  Moira leaned forward on her elbows. “Sebastian’s a bastard but he’s not stupid.”

  “Moira!” her aunt said.

  “Really?” Moira said. “You’re mad I called him a bastard?”

  Lorna shook her head. “Ladies don’t--”

  “Do you see any ladies here? Because I don’t.” She put out her hand in Keira’s direction. “No offense.”

  “None taken. I was trained to be a killer, not a lady.”

  Moira stifled a laugh.

  But Keira had something else on her mind. “How serious did the General sound about bombing your troops? Was there any wiggle room?”

  Lachlan twisted to face her and ended up slipping one arm behind her back, just lightly touching her. “Do you have something in mind?”

  “What if you chose your battleground, someplace in the countryside away from civilians? If she felt confident no one would accidentally get hurt, she might stay out of it.”

  “What if one battle isn’t enough?” Lachlan said.

  “It’ll have to be,” Keira said. “Hit them so hard you knock them to their knees in one go.”

  “It’s too bad we can’t offer a duel,” Iain said. “Sebastian seems to have forgotten that he can challenge you directly. He doesn’t have to drag all the rest of the wolves into it.”

  “Sebastian knows Lachlan would rip his throat out,” Moira said.

  Lachlan rubbed his hand against Keira’s back. “While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I don’t want to rip my cousin’s throat out. Unfortunately, if I don’t, he’ll have to kill me to hold onto the UK position.”

  For a moment, everyone at the table fell silent.

  Moira leaned forward again. “You might not want to kill him, but you could. Sebastian’s not strong enough to challenge you, so he’s dragging his wolves into it, hoping his army can crush yours.”

  “Is there any politics to this thing?” Keira said. “I mean, what if you publicly challenge him and suggest he’ll be a coward if he brings an army with him?”

  “Good idea, except you can’t challenge down.” Lachlan fingers continued to move against her back in a maddingly sensual way.

  Keira must have had a blank look on her face because Lorna said in a lower voice, “He means since he’s higher in the hierarchy, he can’t challenge someone lower than he is. You can only challenge someone higher.”

  “Oh. But what about t
he press conference? What if you don’t actually challenge him, just make it sound like a challenge would be the appropriate thing to do and you’re baffled–baffled–at why Sebastian thinks he needs an army,” Keira said.

  Lachlan smirked. “What did I say about Americans and press conferences?” His hand slipped lower on her back.

  “About the rampant press in the US?” Iain said.

  “Or about the Americans’ penchant for turning everything into a drama?” Moira said.

  Lachlan moved his hand up Keira’s back to hook around her neck. “I said those Americans are good at that stuff. Manipulating the public and all that.”

  “Yeah, cause saying it that way sounds so much better,” Moira said.

  Lachlan leaned back in his chair, pulling Keira closer. “It is such fun courting my recalcitrant mate with my siblings helping me.”

  “What are siblings for?” Moira said.

  Indeed. And on that note... “We should try to call Damon and Gillian again.” Keira pulled out her cell phone, straightening in her seat so Lachlan’s arm rolled off her shoulder.

  He straightened too. “Of course.”

  While she rang her sister, he pulled out his own phone. He had just put it to his ear when Gillian picked up. For a split second, Keira couldn’t believe she’d heard her sister’s voice.

  “Gillie?”

  “It’s me, Kiki.”

  Lachlan’s hand dropped as all of his family turned to watch Keira. “Kiki?” Lachlan said.

  Chapter 8

  Shit. They could all hear every word. Damned werewolf hearing. Keira jumped to her feet and strode toward the door. Maybe she could have some privacy in the hallway. “Where the hell are you? I’ve been calling--”

  “I’m all right. Don’t worry. But what about you? Why didn’t you follow me out of the castle?”

  “The damned werewolf caught me and wouldn’t let me go. Did the dragon take you away with him? We found tracks but they ended abruptly.” Keira reached the hallway and stood near the far wall but still visible from the door. Sure enough, Lachlan came into view then stopped when he saw her.