Oh, she could play them if she had to. Being a woman in the sciences was hard enough, but it was especially rare for women to study any of the dragon-shifter-related ones. In fact, Emily had been the only female in the majority of her higher-level science classes. Most human male scientists believed women couldn’t study dragon-shifters without falling in love or lusting after one, and the ridicule and bullying kept far too many women away.
She’d thought it rubbish until a few of her fellow male classmates disliked her being at the top of every class. Their pride pricked, one night after drinking, they chased and tried to hurt her. Thankfully, Trahern had quite literally come to her rescue, and she’d been unable not to fall for him.
Before she could admonish herself for thinking about him yet again, the front door of the small, two-story building opened. A tall, muscled dragon-shifter with ginger hair and a stony expression walked toward her car.
Maybe she should’ve opened her car door and greeted him. But the devil inside her decided to wait for him to come knocking. After all, he’d said to stay in her car, and so she’d follow his order to the letter.
He stopped in front of her car, crossed his arms, and stared at her. He was handsome, like most dragonmen were, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Great, yet another dragonman who didn’t show his emotions freely and would keep her guessing. However, unlike with Trahern, she suspected this guy put on an act to intimidate others.
Eventually he walked over to her car and rapped on the window. She rolled it down and smiled. “Hello. I was waiting for my next order.”
He rolled his eyes and stepped back. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future. Come out, and I’ll show you to your temporary room.”
She stayed in the car. “I’m Emily, by the way. And you are?”
“Cam.”
When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, she resisted a sigh. She was too tired to match wits and think of a clever comeback. So she opened the door, stood, and stretched her arms over her head.
She swore his pupils flashed to slits and back a few times, but ignored it. For all she knew, he was complaining to his beast about her behavior.
She really should try to make a better impression.
After grabbing her bag and suitcase, she smiled again. “I’m ready to go. Oh, and if there’s somewhere I can grab a bite to eat on the way, that would be brilliant because I haven’t eaten since lunch.”
Before he could reply, a female Scottish accent reached her ears. “So our new guest has arrived! I was afraid I was too late.”
The dragonman sighed, but Emily ignored him and turned to face the older woman. She had fading red hair lightened with gray, and warm brown eyes. Her pupils never flashed, which probably meant she was human.
The woman stopped in front of her and beamed. “I’m Mary Alexander, and I see you’ve met my eldest son. Even if my hearing isn’t as good as my mate’s or Cam’s, I still heard that you were hungry. You should come and eat with us. After that long drive, you deserve a nice, home-cooked meal.”
She thought she heard a muttered, “Mum,” but she ignored Cam and answered Mary, “I don’t want to cause you any trouble, Mrs. Alexander.”
“Don’t be silly! I always cook enough for ten people, and then Cam and Tor—he’s my younger son—have to eat the leftovers. Besides, it’ll be nice to have another human to chat with. You can call me Mary, aye?” She lowered her voice, but more for dramatic effect than a true whisper, and added, “As much as I love all my dragonmen, sometimes us humans just need to vent.”
Cam groaned, and Emily bit back a smile before replying, “I’ve only just arrived, so I don’t have anything to vent about. Yet.”
Mary’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Knowing my son, that’s not entirely true. He has a huge heart and would do anything for his family, but he’s not the nicest lad to strangers. And I know, Cam, that’s your job. But Emily here is our guest, and you should tone down your intimidating looks a wee bit.”
Cam muttered something Emily couldn’t hear, but it seemed to placate Mary, who motioned toward Emily’s suitcase and said, “Carry that for us, Cam. Now, come on, Emily. Tell me about yourself as we walk. The cottage isn’t far, but I’m not one for awkward silences, and the more you share, the more we can welcome you here.”
And as they walked, Emily did her best to ignore Cam’s looming presence behind them and focus on the nice woman at her side. It reminded her a little of how she and her mam had been years ago, before Emily had decided to study dragon-shifter biology.
Pushing aside the stab of sadness and regret, she took in the beauty of the sea in the distance and breathed in the salty air, determined to make the most out of her time at Seahaven. It was high time for her to start looking toward the future.
Chapter Two
Cam hadn’t expected his mother to just show up and greet the new human female. Oh, she was social and loved meeting new people. However, Cam hadn’t shared the details with her, so he wondered where she’d learned of the human’s arrival.
His dragon snorted.She knows everything that goes on inside Seahaven. If you don’t remember that, then you’re a shite Protector.
Just because she likes to gossip doesn’t mean she usually shows up out of nowhere to greet guests.
We don’t have many guests, which is part of the problem. Finn invited us to another event on Lochguard. Maybe we should go.
Not right now. It’s dangerous to leave Seahaven unprotected.
