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He gently kissed her lips. "Let's not get into the 'Despite your…' list or it may take a while."
Jane lightly hit his arm. "Be nice."
He laughed, something she could make him do more than anyone else. And it always made her happy to see her growly, serious mate let go a little. She added, "I need to clean up a little more before my presentation. You'll be in the room to watch and support me?"
Kai nodded. "And if you need me for anything, just say the word. Although I doubt it'll come to that."
"Only because you went over all the security stuff with me like fifty times. I'm just glad that's your job and not mine, because my eyes glazed over after the first go around." He grunted, and she laughed. "I'm teasing. But I do need to get ready. I'll see you in there?"
After kissing her again, he replied, "I'll be there. Good luck, love."
"Thanks."
Once Kai left her alone, Jane managed to fix her hair and smooth her dress. Ignoring how her face was paler than usual, she exited the toilet and went to the door separating the two rooms. She took one last fortifying breath before turning the knob and entering.
All seven leaders sat at a long table facing the front. Bram from Stonefire gave her a nod of encouragement, and Finn from Lochguard winked. Those two she knew would agree already.
Next, she spotted Rhydian Griffiths from Snowridge. And while the three scars—from dragon talons—on his face could be a little intimidating to strangers, Kai's mother, stepdad, and sister lived with the Welsh dragon clan and Jane had come to know Rhydian a little. He'd taken in an orphaned half-dragon-shifter boy—who'd turned out to be the nephew of his eventual human mate Delaney—and would be open to the idea. His clan was slow to welcome humans, though, because of lingering prejudices. Maybe half-dragon-shifter children would be easier to accept than full-blooded humans.
Next, she identified the two co-leaders from Skyhunter, Asher King and Honoria Wakeham. Along with Northcastle's leader, Adrian Conroy, she knew them the least. Asher and Honoria had been busy rebuilding and healing their clan after the previous cruel leader. Still, they'd embraced a lot of changes suggested by Bram or Finn, so there was a chance they'd be on board with Jane's suggestion too.
Adrian, the Northcastle leader, sat next to the Skyhunter pair. Jane hadn't really talked to him since he'd taken over the clan, and she needed to rectify that when she had the chance.
Her gaze moved to the person sitting next to him—Glenlough's leader, Teagan O'Shea. The female Irish dragon leader smiled at her and gave a small nod. Teagan was mated to Aaron Caruso, who had been Kai's second-in-command before mating the Irish leader. No doubt Kai and Aaron had discussed the idea, and Aaron had then shared it with his mate. While not a guarantee of Teagan's support, it couldn't have hurt her case.
Kai stood behind them all, his gaze warm and full of support. Taking strength from her mate, Jane finally nodded at everyone and said, "Thank you all for agreeing to meet with me today, despite your busy schedule. However, the plan I'm proposing is important and will affect roughly a hundred lives. And not just any lives, but those of children.
"By now, we all know what went on inside the research facility Stonefire recently discovered. The one where they conducted experiments on dragon-shifters like they were mice or rats and not people. On top of that, many of their prisoners had been illegally purchased from half-dragon-shifter orphanages. And whilst the one that had been the main seller of children is no longer in operation, there are still roughly a hundred orphaned dragon children between the UK and Ireland. Children who should be raised amongst people who understand them. People who will help them embrace their inner dragons instead of teaching them to be ashamed, who can show them love instead of viewing them as a means to a paycheck, and who might want more children but struggle to have them."
She paused, deliberately not looking at Kai, and then added, "We should be taking in these children and giving them homes. The DDA has tentatively agreed to divide the monies given to the orphanages to the clans, to help settle them in. It has also agreed to establish safe places for any unwanted dragon children to be dropped off." She looked at each clan leader in turn. "But the DDA requires all of you to agree or they'll abandon the project. They granted leniency for the three other Irish dragon clans until things are more settled." She gestured at herself and then at the leaders. "It's up to us to lead the way. And I know you must have questions, so please ask them."
Rhydian from Snowridge frowned. "What if some of us can't take in as many as others? Things are improving on Snowridge, but some of the old timers are still prejudiced. I wouldn't want to take more than a few at first, to ease them into the idea."
Jane nodded. "Each clan has a different dynamic, a different feeling, and I'm sure we can work that out amongst everyone. I can't speak for the clan leaders, but I know enough from my mate to know that what seems impossible can become a reality with the right negotiations."
Teagan from Glenlough asked, "How will it work in Ireland? I don't know how many half-dragon orphans there are in my country, but I'm not sure my clan could take all of them, even if we wanted to."
Jane replied, "The British and Irish DDAs have agreed to allow Irish orphans to be fostered in the UK. At least, until the other Irish clans become more stable and can help."
It had been one of the hardest points to win over. However, Jane had been stubborn. And with Evie Moore-Llewellyn's help—Bram's mate and former DDA employee—they'd somehow convinced the two DDAs it was a good idea.
The evidence from Percy's former prison and her ties to the orphanage selling her had been compelling, though. And to say it was okay to allow children to be sold, tortured, and abused wasn't something any bureaucratic or political employee wanted hanging over them. Not even when it concerned dragon-shifters.
Jane remembered the time before Melanie Hall-MacLeod's book had been published, back when fears of the unknown had made most humans want nothing to do with dragon-shifters. Things had come quite far since then, and for the better.
Teagan said, "Then Glenlough would love to help, if that's the case."
Adrian from Northcastle spoke before anyone else. "What if they try to run away? Even if that one bloody awful orphanage has been shut down, the others might have filled the children's heads with rubbish about half-dragon children being unwanted."
Percy had been told that, to the point she'd been afraid of everyone on Stonefire in the beginning. Jane had looked into it the best she could. She replied, "It might happen, but if your Protectors are as talented as my mate, then you should be able to find them and reach out to Dr. Serafina Rossi or the newly trained dragon-shifter therapist, Dr. Torin Flynn. Both are willing to talk to any of the orphans, when needed, free of charge."
Dr. Rossi had been stretching herself thin recently, being the only dragon-shifter psychologist in the UK after Dr. Allonby from Snowridge had passed away. However, Dr. Flynn from Northcastle had completed his training and was helping to ease the burden.
Adrian grunted. "And if we need more help? I'm not trying to be difficult, but there have been a few runaways from most of our clans in the past. And some people simply don't want any help, let alone are willing to trust us."
He was right. Even Stonefire had dealt with some of its members running off to go into hiding, banding with other dragon-shifters who didn't like all the changes. Some had even attacked Lochguard at one point.
Jane said, "Hopefully, with the younger children, it will be easier. As for the older ones, all we can do is welcome them, show them how they're wanted, and try to give them the home they never had." She glanced around the room. "Many of us have seen how love can change a person for the better. Why would this be any different?"
