The Dragon’s Chance by Jessie Donovan

Chapter Five

Jake entered the clan leader's office. However, before either of them could say a word, a tiny golden dragon sleeping next to Finn's desk stretched and settled down again. Nothing he'd ever read said young children could shift. He blurted, "Is that normal? Will my daughter be in her dragon form when I get back?"

Finn snorted, garnering Jake's attention. "No, my daughter Freya is special. Most dragons don't start shifting until they're six or seven years old." Finn waved to the chairs in front of his desk. "Sit down."

He complied, and the blond-haired dragon leader merely stared at him. Even though the man was a dragon-shifter, he was still younger than Jake. And while Jake may not have strength and super senses on his side, he knew how to stare and wait for someone to finally say what they needed to say.

Only then could Jake think of his next steps.

Leaning back in his chair, he tried his best to relax. Finn finally shook his head. "I must admit it's nice to have an older male, one who isn't out to prove he's worthy to anyone who dares him."

Jake smiled. "I'm guessing what I saw among Sylvia's sons is just a glimpse of all the young guys here."

"Aye, to a degree." Finn paused a second, his pupils flashing to slits and back to round again before adding, "I let you meet Sylvia first instead of with me so you could find out the truth. You've met Sophie now, aye?" Jake nodded. "So what do you plan to do now?"

Jake replied, "My paperwork grants me at least two weeks on Lochguard, with your continued permission, of course. I'd like to get to know both Sylvia and Sophie. Even if I can't stay longer, I'll come back to see my daughter again. I'm not going to abandon her, if that's what you're asking."

Finn steepled his fingers in front of him. "You accept her as yours so easily and now vow to be a part of her life. Why?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Family is important to me. And one look tells you Sophie is my daughter. So I want to make sure she knows her dad loves her."

"And what about Sylvia?"

Damn, Finn was direct, wasn't he? Jake knew exactly what he wanted with Sophie, but Sylvia was a lot more difficult. He decided to be honest. "That depends a lot on what Sylvia wants."

"So finding out you have a secret child doesn't make you want to run for the hills?"

"Of course not."

"Hmm." Jake debated whether he should say something else when Finn continued, "As long as Sylvia doesn't say otherwise, you can stay. For the two weeks, at least. If it reaches a point beyond that, we'll talk again. It seems that cousin of yours has a way with both Departments of Dragon Affairs in America and the UK. I'm impressed."

It didn't surprise Jake that Finn knew Ashley was his cousin, and not just because of the name. He had a feeling the clan leader had researched Jake before letting him come to Lochguard. "Ashley is one of the smartest people I know. Give her a chance, and she could probably form trans-Atlantic alliances without breaking a sweat."

Finn grinned. "That could be useful." He sobered. "But for now, my main concern is you. There is a cottage for you to use for the duration of your stay. It'll be between you and Sylvia as to if she and Sophie want to temporarily stay there, or if she wants to keep separate residences, or if you want to ask her kids to stay there for a bit so you can move into Sylvia's place to better help care for your daughter. Regardless, I'd suggest some time away from her older children. The males, especially, can be protective."

"Her kids are a huge part of her life, though. I think getting to know them is important."

"Aye, they are. But methinks you want to spend some time alone with Sylvia as well, unless the one night was enough?"

Apparently Finn knew more details than he'd thought. True, he'd have to have had sex at least once with Sylvia to get her pregnant, but had Sylvia told Finn all about their one night?

Regardless, he refused to comment on his night with Sylvia since it was between them, and he sure as hell wouldn't talk about it with the clan leader before the dragonwoman herself.

When Jake didn't answer, Finn snorted. "You'll soon learn that we're not shy about many things here—nudity, teasing people about sex, and more. Just wait until you meet her father-in-law. There are some tales there."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

Finn waved a hand. "I'm sure you'll hear about Archie MacAllister soon enough. But sort out the living arrangements with Sylvia straight away. You and I will have another chat in a few days to see how things are going."

He frowned. "If you think I'm going to reveal all the inner workings of my private life, you'll be waiting a long time."

Finn snorted. "Calm yourself down, Yank. I check in with visitors regularly, regardless of who they are." The dragonman leaned forward a little. "I've dealt with bombs, and drugs, and all sorts of threats before. Trust me, you'll be easy for a change."

Jake thought of how to respond to that when something butted against his leg. He looked down to see the baby golden dragon looking up at him with big eyes.

Unsure of what to do, he lightly patted her on the head. Finn said, "Scratch behind her ears and she'll love you forever."

He found the small strip of exposed skin behind the ear—the one place without scales—and gently scratched. Freya hummed and closed her eyes, and Jake couldn't help but smile.

Finn sighed. "And she's won you over too. I swear, my own daughter will try to take over the clan from me by the time she's a teenager."

Jake could tell the words were said with love, though.

A question came into his mind. "Do all dragons liked to be scratched behind their ears?"

"Aye."

Suddenly, he wanted to see what Sylvia looked like as a dragon. He'd been so consumed with finding her and then digesting the news about his daughter that he'd forgotten how she was a dragon-shifter and not just another human.

Of course if he wanted to ask her that, he first needed to get his living situation figured out. Only then could he start thinking of how to help with Sophie and somehow spend some time alone with Sylvia too.

Finn called his daughter over, and she slowly waddled to him. Once she was in his lap, Finn said, "Go before Freya decides she wants you to stay longer." Jake stood, and Finn added, "Oh, and if it comes to needing a babysitter, my aunt Lorna Anderson is always happy to help. I know Sylvia has her kids, too, but I think everyone may need one night off in the near future."

He nodded, tucked away that piece of information, murmured his goodbye, and headed back toward Sylvia's house.

Now he needed to figure out his first step—living arrangements. And quickly. Which meant avoiding his daughter's adorableness long enough to have a serious conversation with Sylvia to lay out the beginnings of their relationship on Lochguard.

Jake knew which one he rooted for—he wanted to be around for everything. However, it would ultimately be Sylvia's choice. She'd seemed a little shyer and more hesitant than their first meeting in Glasgow.

But that was no matter. Until he'd given his all toward proving he could care for Sophie and that he at least wanted a chance with Sylvia, he'd do whatever it took.

He only hoped Sylvia didn't dismiss him before he even started.

* * *

Sylvia had learned long agowith her first child that whenever her bairn slept, she napped at the same time if she could, especially in the early months.

And since Sophie hadn't slept much over the past two days, Sylvia hadn't either. So when her children had offered to watch the sleeping Sophie while Jake talked with Finn, Sylvia had barely made it to her bed without stumbling. The second her head hit the pillow, she passed out.

By the time she woke up to shouts and laughter, the sun had set and been replaced by darkening twilight sky. A glance at the clock told her it was past seven, meaning she'd slept for nearly six hours.

Her first instinct was to look at the crib in her room to see if her offspring had brought Sophie in, but it was empty.

Sophie must still be with her siblings. However, Sophie hadn't yet mastered the art of sleeping half the day away—she still ate rather frequently—which meant her children must've used the frozen breast milk she kept for emergencies.

Although thinking of that made her realize she needed to find her daughter soon or she was going to burst.

Slowly she went into the hall and headed for the stairs, the shouts and laughter getting clearer.

It rather sounded like her older children were taunting one another. She even thought she heard Cat's voice.

Then Jake's clear voice rang out. "Now you have to draw ten cards, Connor. Unless you can pile on."

She frowned, and as she reached the entryway to the living room, Sylvia hovered to take in the scene.

All five of her grown children, plus Cat's mate Lachlan, were playing some sort of color-coded card game around the coffee table. She scanned for Sophie and finally saw her in her father's arm, gnawing on one of her plastic ring toys.

It was Cat who noticed her first. She grinned and said, "You're finally awake, Mum."

She frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be home on bedrest?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Lachlan only let me come if he could push me in a wheelchair. The rest of the time I've been sitting here, unless I have to pee, which is all the time. I won't miss the wee one kicking my bladder at all."

Her daughter's mate nodded in greeting—Lachlan was more the silent, watchful type—and then she caught Jake's eyes. He spoke before she could say anything. "We didn't wake you, did we? If I'd known how much of a sore loser Connor was, I would've thought of something else to do."

Connor growled. "I'm not a sore loser. But when all of you gang up on me so that I end up with twenty bloody cards in my hand, I'm allowed to be irritated."

Emma punched his shoulder lightly. "You're the oldest sibling in the house now, which means we're supposed to irritate you."

Cat chuckled and Sylvia resisted a sigh. She asked, "What're you playing?"

Jake answered, "A card game called Uno. We're playing with Swift family rules, which means you can be evil and maniacal and force someone to easily end up with twenty cards in their hands, maybe even forty, if you play with multiple decks and team up with everyone."

She moved closer. "It definitely sounds like something the MacAllister family would enjoy."

He grinned and patted the empty spot next to him. "I can teach you how to play, if you want."

She nearly shouted yes. But then Sophie saw her, made some noises that would soon turn into crying, and her breasts ached. "I need to feed Sophie first. Maybe after?"

Holding out her arms, she waited. Jake stood and slowly placed their daughter in her arms. Sylvia smiled at him a beat longer than was probably necessary before saying, "I'll be back soon."

When he lightly touched her arm, she resisted shivering at his warm fingers. He murmured, "Can I come with you?"

She easily noticed the longing in his eyes, as if he wanted to make up for lost time with his daughter. Normally, Sylvia didn't think twice about feeding her daughter in her own house. And yet, doing so in front of Jake would make her self-conscious.

Her dragon sighed. Stop worrying. It's not like he's going to ravish you whilst nursing Sophie.

Clearing her throat, Sylvia nodded. "I have a rocking chair I like to use in my bedroom."

He smiled, and as she turned, he placed a hand on the small of her back, his touch calming and yet a wee bit possessive.

It was Connor's voice who snapped Sylvia back to the present, where all her children sat watching her and Jake. "I'll fix dinner in the meantime."

Cat snorted. "Anything to avoid losing again."

Connor's pupils flashed. "I wasn't losing, but trying to survive an all-out attack. There's a difference."

Cat raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like losing to me."

As the pair argued, Sylvia murmured to Jake, "Come on. If we wait for them to finish, it could end up being morning before you know it."

He chuckled but moved along with her up the stairs. "Even from what small amount of time I've spent with them, it's easy to see they all love each other."

She glanced at him. "They do. And it was nice of you to play cards with them."

His hand moved to the side of her waist and squeezed. "You needed to sleep and I needed to face the firing squad."

She frowned. "Please tell me they aren't threatening you still."

"No, no, nothing like that. Well, mostly. It was just a lot of questions about what I do, where I live, the usual. Your eldest daughter is quite persistent when she wants to be."

Sylvia wondered if her children now knew more about Jake than she did. A thread of jealousy shot through her, but she pushed it away. She was merely going to have to find time to spend with him. Preferably alone. "Aye, she is. Cat had to grow up faster than she should have when my late mate died. But she has Lachlan now. He's relaxed her quite a bit and takes care of her, even when she doesn't think she needs it. He's human too, you know."

"Yeah, he mentioned it. Although he doesn't talk a whole lot."

She raised her brows. "Do you think anyone can really get a word in around my children?"

He grinned. "It can be done, and I managed pretty well. American confidence really does come in handy with your family, I think."

"American cockiness, you mean?"

He placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "You wound me, madam. Deeply."

She laughed and gently pushed against his side. "You're a hardy lad. You'll be fine."

"I'm more than a lad." His gaze turned heated and his voice husky as he added, "I'm all man for you."

Sylvia wanted to roll her eyes at his words, but instead, her heart thumped harder, and awareness made her lower belly ache as she remembered how very male he'd been during their night together.

At some point, they'd stopped walking and merely stared at one another. But then Sophie squirmed, and Sylvia tore her gaze away from Jake's. "Sorry, lassie. Let's get you fed. You must be hungry, aye?"

She entered her room and sat in the rocking chair. After she tugged up her shirt and ensured Sophie latched, she began her normal routine of humming to her daughter as she nursed. It had helped in the early days to keep her from fussing, and now it was almost a tradition.

Jake moved next to the rocking chair and gently brushed Sophie's head. "Tell me your favorite memory of her so far."

For a second, guilt flooded her body. Milestones with children were precious, especially with the first ones. Sophie may be Sylvia's sixth child, but she was Jake's first.

Or so she thought.

Realizing she didn't know much about him, she blurted, "Do you have other children?"

He knelt so he could look into Sylvia's eyes. "No, just Sophie."

As he looked again at their daughter, Sylvia briefly wished Jake could be around always, to see everything yet to come.

But rather than focus on the future, she answered his question about the past. "I have two favorite memories, actually. The first was discovering she had nearly a full head of ginger hair at her birth. All my other children have dark hair, and it's like she wanted to be different, to stand out in the crowd." She smiled down at Sophie. "It's also why her middle name is Rose, because I remembered you creating the flowers for the cake during the competition. It's not much, but it was a small way to honor a memory of her dad."

Jake touched Sophie's hair again, as if it would help him imagine Sophie's birth. After a second, he asked softly, "And the other memory?"

The sight of his large hand delicately stroking Sophie's wee one did something to her heart. But she focused on answering, "She's started babbling in the last week or so. There's something charming about it, like she's trying to tell me everything and I can't understand it." She looked at Jake. "Did she babble for you whilst I was sleeping?"

He nodded. "Yes. Although I swear it's in a Scottish accent, as weird as that sounds."

She laughed. "Well, aye, she lives in Scotland, after all. To her, you probably sound strange. Not that she really understands us yet, but still."

For a second, they merely smiled at one another, and then Jake raised a hand to brush a section of hair off Sylvia's cheek. She nearly leaned into his touch, but he removed his fingers before she could do so.

Jake cleared his throat before saying, "Finn provided a cottage for me while I'm on Lochguard. I can stay there if it makes you more comfortable. Or…"

"Or what?"

He searched her gaze. "I can either stay here while your kids move in there, or you and Sophie can stay with me in the guest cottage. Just tell me where you want me to stay, Sylvia, and I'll do it."

Jake was being overly cautious with her.

And for some reason, she missed him from the year before, when he hadn't held back from telling her what he wanted.

Her dragon spoke up. Then tell him to be honest and frank. He's not a mind reader.

Her beast was right. With her late mate, she'd let him be the forward one, always letting her know how he wanted her. Sylvia had been young, and a wee bit naïve, and glad to have someone offering the decisions for her.

But she was a grown female with six children. If she wanted something, she needed to say it and not wait around for it to happen.

So she replied, "I want you to stay here, with me and Sophie. The other four will grumble about being booted out for a bit, but they'll give us some space if I ask for it."

"Even the three boys?"

She smiled. "Aye, even them. They're protective, but I'm still their mum."

Jake lifted her free hand and kissed her fingers, his lips lingering a second before he murmured, "Then that's settled. I just need to get my things."

He rose to his feet, but she spoke before he took a step. "You can put your things here in my room, if you want."

He stared a second and then leaned down, taking her lips in a quick, rough kiss. His firm, soft lips made her want more of him, like she'd had before.

However, he soon pulled away, his face a few inches from hers before saying, "Be very sure of that, Sylvia. Because if I sleep in this room with you, I'm going to kiss you. A lot. And more, when you're ready."

Her dragon hummed. Yes, I like that plan.

Jake asked, "What did your dragon say?"

Wanting to keep the tradition from their first meeting, she said, "She likes your idea. Quite a bit."

He leaned over, lightly nibbled her earlobe, and whispered, "Good. Have I told you how much I like your dragon?"

She laughed, and Jake kissed her cheek before standing. His voice was husky as he stated, "I'll be back soon. Do you want me to tell your kids about the arrangements?"

She shook her head. "No, I should be the one to do it after I finish with Sophie."

He nodded, stared at her and Sophie for a few beats as if memorizing the scene, and then exited the room.

As Sylvia readjusted Sophie to her other breast, she murmured to her daughter, "Maybe since your daddy's coming to stay, you can try to sleep better for us, aye?"

Sophie was too busy eating to care, even if she could understand her question.

Sylvia hummed again. Both out of habit and because she was eager for Sophie to finish so she could tell her children of the temporary plans.

More than Jake staying around to better know his daughter, Sylvia wanted more than the human's kisses. Maybe it wouldn't happen tonight, but him moving in—albeit temporarily—meant they could know each other better.

And maybe, just maybe, they'd find some sort of pathway where they could be together, even if it seemed impossible in the present.

No.One day at a time—that was her new motto.

And Sylvia could tell she was going to have a devil of a time trying to stick to it.