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"No, no, that's unnecessary. I have much to do before my departure." She paused and added, "Thank you, Brenna, for your encouragement. I love my family, but they handle situations differently than I would in most circumstances. Sometimes, a person just needs a hug and a set of ears to listen."
Smiling, she said, "My father is the same way. Maybe someday you'll meet him and gain an ally against all of us alpha personalities."
Brenna and Caitlin said their goodbyes. The second Brenna closed the door, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. By avoiding my mother, I'm starting to realize how much I abandoned Dad.
We will have time to make up for it.
I hope so. I miss him.
And Mum, although you'll deny it with your last breath.
Not wanting to think of the arguments she'd had over the years with her mother, Brenna opened her eyes and headed toward her bedroom. She probably wouldn't sleep a wink, but she'd at least try. Otherwise, she would spend the night thinking of what was to come.
Of course, if she did fall asleep, she might dream of Killian.
She wasn't sure which would be worse.
Chapter Seven
Two days later, Killian sat in the back seat of a car with his mother, trying his best to avoid looking at Brenna's profile in the driver's seat.
For a little over two hours, they'd all remained quiet during the journey to Clan Northcastle. Even going across the border from Ireland to Northern Ireland had been uneventful. Putting aside there was no formal border checkpoint between the two countries, the DDA and local police officers would often keep an eye out for any cars traveling from Glenveagh National Park. He'd been told that many people were pulled over and checked, as a precaution, to ensure dragon-shifters weren't trying to travel without authorization.
He should be grateful for the smoothness of the journey. However, a small part of him had wanted there to be a complication. He was not looking forward to kissing Georgiana Todd.
Studying the curves of Brenna's face, he willed for her to turn around or look at him in the rearview mirror. But she didn't. He fucking hated how she'd ignored him the last two days. True, it was for the best that she kept her distance since that made it easier for him not to hurt her, but it didn't mean he liked it.
When he'd agreed to mate her, he'd had an entirely different view of where they'd be right now. He'd barely kissed her twice, for fuck's sake.
His gaze moved to her neck, and he wanted to lean forward to kiss the soft skin. Afterward, he'd take her earlobe between his teeth and lightly tug. Her soft intake of breath would encourage him to do more.
He stilled. No. He had to remember the purpose behind the car ride and his mother's sacrifice. She was giving up her life so that he could have a chance at regaining his dragon and maybe his memories.
Glancing at the clock on the front media panel of the car, he guessed that they should be arriving at any moment. He could keep his thoughts from Brenna for a few more minutes and then do what needed to be done.
He forced himself to stare out the window at the passing houses, petrol stations, and occasional shop. Clan Northcastle was outside of Belfast proper, but there were still many more people here than back home near Glenlough. While far from crowded, their current location was stifling to him. He much preferred the open landscapes back home.
Yes, despite everything, he thought of Glenlough as home.
Brenna turned the car down a road and soon all the houses and shops disappeared. Nothing but trees and foliage filled the sides of the road for a good fifteen minutes. After another turn, the car stopped outside ten-foot-high walls. The stone looked older than those back on Glenlough, which mad
e sense since Teagan had mentioned that Northcastle was tied for the oldest clan in the whole of Ireland, along with the one near Dublin in the south.
The gates swung inward and Brenna drove to just inside, where a male directed her to park the car. As soon as she turned the engine off, everyone sat in silence. Partly out of waiting for Northcastle to give them their instructions, and probably also because each of them was thinking about what was to come.
He glanced over at Caitlin, but her gaze was fixed on the window on her side of the car. Her jaw looked clenched, and the usual softness of her eyes had been replaced with strain.
Out of instinct, he reached over and took her hand. As soon as she turned her head at the touch, he whispered, "Thank you."
She smiled. "Stop saying that. I made my decision, and I'm proud I did so." Lifting a hand, she gently touched his arm. "But I want you to know that regardless of what happens here today, I will always love you. And no, not just the ghost of who you were. You will be always be my son, Killian, no matter what form you're in."
He struggled with what to say to that. Another person finally accepted him as he was, and he was going to lose her, too. Just as he might lose Brenna, if he hadn't already.
A loud rap on the driver's side window interrupted the moment. Brenna glanced back at them. "That's our cue."
They exited the car and faced a male who was just over two meters tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. The tattoo on his bicep indicated he was a dragon-shifter.
The male spoke up. "I'm Adrian Conroy, the second-in-command of the Protectors on Northcastle, and I'll be your escort today."
