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Her beast chimed in. I like him. He will make a good ally.
Rather than argue about how her dragon could be so certain already, Teagan answered Finn. “We’ll start talks of alliance as soon as the trial is over.”
“Good. And no more being polite with me either, O’Shea. I can sense you holding back. If you ever make it to Lochguard, you’ll see that isn’t admired here.” She nodded and wondered if she’d ever have a chance to see his clan. Finn continued, “Then I’ll send you my dual head Protectors, Grant and Faye.”
“Good. I was hoping at least Faye could come. Female Protectors are rare in Ireland.”
The corner of Finn’s mouth ticked up. “Aye, you aren’t the only one challenging tradition, lass.”
A few minutes ago, she would’ve let the term slip, but Finn wanted honesty. “I’m not a ‘lass.’”
“Right you are, O’Shea. You passed the test. I’ll send Faye and Grant’s information after I chat with them.” A baby cried in the background. “The song has started. I’ll reach out to you later.”
The screen went black.
Exiting the video conference app, Teagan swiveled her chair to the other side of her desk. She spoke to her dragon. That went better than expected. I’m sure the other leaders are going to be upset with me for including a female judge.
Too bad. We might not know Faye MacKenzie, but she will help keep the judges from turning against you simply because you’re female. They must all agree for a winner to be announced.
And who knows, the French clan may have a female judge as well. Our clans have never been close, so I know so little about them.
Her dragon merely grunted to end the conversation, and Teagan focused back on her paperwork. Every form had to be filled out in duplicate and sent to the DDA office by the end of the day if she wanted to hold the trial at all.
Paperwork was definitely her least favorite activity, but it kept her mind busy. An hour had soared by before there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Colm MacDermot walked into her study. With his warm smile and gift of handling the younger dragon-shifters, not to mention being born and bred on Glenlough, he was exactly the type of male she should want at her side.
But his friendly gaze did nothing for her, unlike Aaron Caruso’s heated looks. All Aaron had to do was stare into her eyes and her heart rate would tick up.
She wondered if she’d ever find a good compromise within her own clan.
Her dragon huffed. I want more than a compromise.
Ignoring her beast, she smiled at Colm. “Is it time for the midafternoon break already?”
Colm looked around her office. “I still say you should have some help dealing with all of this. Most clan leaders have assistants.”
“Well, let’s just say that between dispelling rumors, facing challenges, and now coordinating a leadership trial, I don’t have a lot of time to vet possible assistants.”
Colm sat in the chair in front of her desk. “Once this is over, you need to make time or I might mention to your mother how tired you look.”
Teagan sighed. “Please don’t. Mam will probably come here herself to help ease the burden. Considering she runs the clan’s daycare, she doesn’t have the time to spare.” She sat up straight in her chair. “But enough about that. As I mentioned yesterday, I need your help.”
He smiled warmly. “Name what you need, Teagan.”
“I need for you to comb through the records from previous leadership trials. I want this one to be unique, and unlike any other they’ve faced.”
“A bit of surprise to throw their way?”
“Aye, I hope so. I know you’re busy with classes, but can I count on you? If you need a helper or two, Aaron Caruso and Brenna Rossi can do it.”
Colm paused a second before stating, “Your dance with Caruso last night seemed a bit intense. You want to talk about that?”
Since many years ago, Colm had fancied Teagan. She wasn’t about to hurt him unnecessarily by talking about another male. “Definitely not. We’re both competitive, end of story.”
Colm studied her and shrugged. “I won’t pry. But if you need a listening ear, I’m here.”
Her beast chimed in. Please don’t encourage him. He’s nice, but boring.
