Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,26
at it as he drove. Was there a better alternative than what he had in mind? But no matter where his eyes roved over the paper, they always returned to the same spot. A mere dot on the map representing an entire estate.
Creag Aerden, his dragon rumbled in approval.
Briefly, his eyes jumped to the area just east of it — his father’s property. But that idea, he rejected immediately. Stopping at Murburne Manor meant seeing his father and enduring the interrogation that was bound to ensue. Why were they there? Who was Holly? Why wasn’t Lachlan occupied with serious Guardian work?
He gritted his teeth. Definitely no stop at home. He and Holly would meet a warmer welcome from Trevor’s staff at Creag Aerden.
“We drive directly to Creag Aerden and stay there until I’m sure it’s safe to go on.” In other words, when backup arrived. The question was, whom could he trust?
“Safe… Not an accident, I guess. I suppose Mungo must have been barking at someone — or something,” Holly mused, then switched to baby talk for the dog. “You did, didn’t you? Good boy.”
Lachlan had tried reading the dog’s mind for any hint of what had happened, but whatever brains the dog possessed were blank as a brick. And really, he only had himself to blame. He had let himself tune out of his surroundings under the yew — a careless error that could have cost Holly her life.
And that was the problem — the reason he couldn’t love her. Something about Holly made his mind go blissfully numb, and neither of them could afford that. Not in a world full of intrigue and trouble. He’d seen it with his own eyes, and the images still haunted him.
And yet there’s good too, his dragon insisted. Lots of good, and hope, too.
That might be, but someone had to guard over all that. To be a watchdog. And that was his destiny — not Holly.
“Did you tell anyone we were stopping at Burgess?” he asked, setting his mind to the problem at hand.
“No, but you did. You told Penelope.”
“Penelope wouldn’t hurt a midge. Literally. I’ve seen her beg people not to swat at the damn things.”
“She could have mentioned it to someone else,” Holly pointed out. “And anyway, this makes no sense. Who would want to hurt us?”
“Hurt you, you mean.”
She gave him a piercing look. “Why are you assuming it’s me and not you?”
“Because I’ve been in Scotland for a month, and nothing has happened.” Well, lots had happened, but no attempts on his life. “But the moment I set off with you, we’re nearly killed — twice.”
She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. By then, rain was hammering on the roof and sloughing down the windshield — no match for her stormy expression, but close.
“Why would anyone want to kill me?”
He thought it over for the hundredth time. That was the key question. Why — and who?
“Maybe Trevor left you something. Maybe even his estate. Have you considered that?”
She shook her head immediately. “He didn’t. He couldn’t. He told me as much.”
“He did?”
“A few years ago, he mentioned his will. He said family tradition dictated leaving his estate and all his major holdings to a blood relative. Which means Natasha, right?”
Lachlan made a face. “As his great-niece, thrice removed, yes.”
Holly shrugged. “Whoever. That rules me out, and believe me, I’m fine with that. Big estates come with big hassles, and I have everything I need. And anyway, Trevor’s already been so generous.”
“Someone else then, for some other reason. One we might not even be aware of.”
He cast his mind around, but the possibilities were endless. The shifter world was full of intrigue and warring factions, and the Guardians of Europe had their hands full keeping the peace, especially with the human world in turmoil. Economic woes, polarized populations, the rise of extremist groups… Guardians all over Europe were stretched to their limits. Many were on the lookout for Fire Maidens — young women descended from the great dragon Queen Liviana, who would help revive protective spells set over the cities generations earlier. Some Guardian groups had even set out magic-laced gems to lure in long-lost Fire Maidens. Scotland’s Guardians hadn’t, but Lachlan wasn’t sure if that meant they weren’t as desperate or whether they’d given up all hope of finding a Fire Maiden.
Either way, times were tumultuous, and shifter rogues were on the prowl. Still, Lachlan couldn’t fathom why any might be after Holly.