Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,3

in glee. A walking contradiction.

That, she was. Clumsy yet agile. Breezy and beautiful. Tall and proud, yet humble and modest.

Captivating. Enticing, his dragon added to the list. My mate.

Lachlan balled his hands into fists. He was not going to allow himself to be swept away all over again.

Colin chuckled. “You know, I think Trevor would have gotten a good laugh out of that.”

The unicorns looked scandalized, but Lachlan had to agree. Well, he would have if his mind hadn’t been spinning. Usually, he could assemble the vaguest clues into a clear image. But now, they all jumbled in his mind. What was Holly doing here?

Mourning, his dragon whispered when Holly paused, touching the urn. Her shoulders slumped, and her head dipped as if in prayer.

“I’ll miss you, Trevor,” she whispered. Then her voice cracked. “I’ll never forget you.”

The whole room went quiet. Penelope sniffled and took a fresh tissue. Colin’s eyes shone. Lachlan’s heart ached twice over — from his own grief, and from Holly’s.

Finally, Holly turned, facing those gathered for the first time. Her eyes glistened with tears, and she didn’t seem to take in the scene.

But Lachlan’s heart leaped at all the familiar details. She had the same sun-bronzed skin, the same sky-blue eyes, and the same field of freckles covering her country-girl face. Her fair hair wound around in the same barely tamed ringlets that had always fascinated him. Everything he’d fallen in love with, so long ago.

Everything that still visited him in his dreams.

He gripped the edge of his seat as his dragon roared her name. All he allowed out, though, was one croaky whisper. “Holly…”

When she spotted him, her eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned red.

Holly, he murmured into her mind. Did they still share a mental connection?

Of course we do, his dragon muttered. We’re mates, destined for each other.

Her throat bobbed, and her voice sounded clearly in his mind. Lachlan.

But she seemed as intent on ignoring destiny as he was, because she snapped her eyes away and hurried for the door.

“Wait. Miss Jennings!” the solicitor called.

Yes, wait, Lachlan nearly yelled.

Stop her! This may be our last chance, his dragon roared.

He was on the verge of jumping up and following her, unable to hold back, no matter how much he knew he should. But the solicitor stopped Holly first.

“Miss Jennings, please wait. You’re part of this, too.”

She spun around while everyone stared. As clearly as her eyes protested, How can I be part of this? I don’t belong.

Everyone else’s agreed, You certainly don’t.

“Trevor requested your presence,” the solicitor explained.

Holly bit her lip and slowly, haltingly sank into the seat closest to the door. Even then, her feet twitched as if ready to take flight.

“Well, then,” the solicitor announced. “Now that everyone is here, we can proceed with the reading of the will. Any objections?”

Natasha glared, warning anyone against causing further delay. When no one did, Lachlan took a deep breath. Something told him Holly’s arrival wasn’t the only surprise fate had up its sleeve.

Chapter Two

Holly’s heart hammered as the lawyer slowly sliced through the wax seal on a thick envelope. But it wasn’t the will she was worried about. It was Lachlan. Dammit, what was he doing there?

Looking good enough to lick, I’d say. Her inner dragon whipped its tail.

She clenched her teeth. No, he didn’t. Not in the least.

Keep trying, her dragon purred. The man looks better than ever.

He did, dammit. Not that she would let that have any effect on her. Not after how they’d parted a decade ago after that one-night stand.

You mean, after the most amazing night of your life? her dragon asked.

She made a face. It was a fling. A blindingly passionate, out-of-control fling. Two heady weeks of flirting that led up to one night of unleashed desire. But nothing more.

So why does it still hurt? her dragon demanded.

Holly frowned. At the time, she’d been so sure she’d found her destined mate. But the next morning, Lachlan had left without so much as a word. She’d hated him ever since.

Hated, she reminded her dragon. Despised. With a passion.

Her dragon gave a sultry hum. With a passion, indeed.

The lawyer pulled out a sheet of paper and began to read. “‘On this day, the second of November, being in full hold of my faculties…’”

Holly raised her eyes to heaven. Trevor, how could you do this to me?

Okay, okay. Trevor couldn’t have known Lachlan would be in Scotland when he penned that will. She doubted Trevor even knew she and Lachlan had