Lachlan shook his head. "Not if there's a way to keep it going and still protect my sister's family."
Finn paused a beat, his pupils flashing, before he asked, "Why do you want to keep the event going? Is it for your own pride?"
Growling, he leaned forward. "I don't bloody care about fame and glory. Everyone's worked so hard on it, and I really believe the collaboration will help foster new relationships. And most importantly, if we cancel because of a threat, then it'll show the hunters how easy it is to get their way in the future."
Finn nodded. "Aye, that last point is exactly my thought as well. But I needed to be sure we were on the same page."
He hated how he was still passing tests with the Lochguard leader, but in some small way, he understood it. Not only was Lachlan human, but he'd also worked for the DDA for roughly a decade. And the DDA hadn't always been that understanding when it came to the dragons until the last few years. He asked, "So what's the other option?"
Finn shrugged. "It's a much harder sell, I'm afraid. You'd have to convince your sister and her family to move here, at least temporarily."
He frowned. "I've never heard of a random human family moving to a dragon clan, at least in the UK."
"Aye, you're right, I don't know if it's been done before, or at least for a long time. But if you mate Cat, it might be a wee bit easier to explain and convince the DDA, especially if they know the hunters are poking their heads up again."
Maybe he should be grateful for the suggestion and keep his questions to himself. But Lachlan liked laying out all the options to craft the best possible outcome. And how he and Finn acted now could negatively affect the future. So he asked, "But if the DDA finds out the hunters are issuing threats, won't they just deny all human-dragon matings in the future?"
Finn shook his head. "There are secrets you don't know about, ones happening both inside the DDA and within the dragon clans, but I can't tell you what they are. Just know that the last thing the DDA wants is to stop matings and isolate the dragon clans again, lest it spoil their plans."
Finn's words were bloody cryptic. And yet, it wasn't entirely bullshit to think there was some sort of covert project going on inside the DDA. He, merely an event planner, wouldn't be privy to that sort of information.
Although given how his child would be half-dragon-shifter, Lachlan wanted to know everything he could to protect him or her.
Finn's voice interrupted his thoughts again. "Do you trust me, MacKintosh?"
He studied the tall, blond dragonman. Gone were the smiles and laughter, replaced with an almost hard, determined look.
The look of a man used to shouldering the burdens of an entire dragon clan and regularly making decisions that played with their fates and futures.
Well, maybe not played. More like sculpted or wrangled.
Finn Stewart cared about his people. And that included Cat and her family.
Soon to be his family, if he went through with the mating ceremony.
He answered slowly, "Aye, I think so."
Finn snorted as his pupils flashed to slits and back. "Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I'll take it." The dragonman leaned forward. "Mating Cat is something I think you'd intended to do anyway, aye?" He nodded, and Finn continued, "Then what's wrong with doing it a wee bit earlier than planned? I won't force you, but I can't really help your sister and her family without this step."
And still, Lachlan couldn't let the details go. "But let's say I mated Cat. How would you get my sister and her family here without the hunters noticing?"
Finn shrugged one shoulder. "Rafe Hartley from Stonefire could fetch her husband from his job site—he's a human mated to a dragon-shifter, works for the military, and knows a thing or two about staying under the radar. As for your sister and her children, I'd have one of my Protectors sneak down to them and do a combination of driving and flying them back."
He blinked. "Fly them back?"
"We have wee baskets we can clutch to carry humans in our dragon forms. We don't use them very often, but it's possible. It'd have to be done at night so the dragon would be harder to see. The drive would be first, then flying for only the last few miles. The hunters might have weapons to attack us in our dragon forms, but I know for a fact that the twenty-mile radius surrounding Lochguard is safe from them."
He didn't know all of Lochguard's security precautions. And frankly, he didn't care as long as they worked.
He wanted to scream yes and put the plan into motion. However, Lachlan blurted, "As much as I appreciated all of your offers—I truly do—I'm not sure if I can convince my sister to move here." He paused but decided Finn deserved some sort of reason, so he added, "We're not as close as we once were."
Finn's eyes flashed a few times before he replied, "You either convince her today it's the best option, or we have to cancel the event and hope it doesn't set a dangerous precedent with the hunters. It's that simple, MacKintosh."
He could do nothing but sigh. Fucking fantastic. His sister and her family's life could hinge on him being able to mend things with Sarah.
Something he hadn't been able to do in a decade.
He'd just have to try a wee bit harder this time. Lachlan replied, "I'll do my best. But I'm still not sure how you can convince the DDA to go along with this so quickly."
Finn waved a hand in dismissal. "Leave the politics to me. But I think before you go convincing your sister, you should probably ask Cat if she wants to mate you. Unless she agrees, I'm not sure I can get your sister's family permission to stay here." Finn searched his gaze. "I already know how you feel. But will asking Cat be a problem?"
He had a feeling Finn knew quite a bit about Lachlan's relationship with Cat already.
And aye, he wanted to mate Cat. But it all seemed so rushed. He didn't want Cat to resent him asking her so he could save his sister and her family.
Although that wasn't the main reason he wanted to claim her as his own. He loved her but had only wanted to give her time to make sure she wanted to spend her life with him, a man who'd always be a bit broken and damaged. Aye, he was doing so well now. But the dragon equivalent of marrying him meant Cat would have to stay with him for the long haul.
And no one knew exactly what the future held.
Finn said softly, "You're a very cautious male, and that's not always a bad thing. But what does your gut feeling say? In situations related to family and love, that's what I tend to go with."
His gut said he loved Cat and wanted to spend his life with her. Aye, he had a lot of shit to work through and would always have to be careful not to regress with his alcoholism.
But everything was simply better with Cat. With her, he could finally imagine a family, a future, and even a happy ending.
All things that had been foreign to him for years.
Finn spoke again. "I think you have your answer. Go talk to the lass and see if she says yes. And if so, then see to your sister. Let me know ASAP about their answers."
He nodded, still not believing Finn would do so much for his family despite the fact he'd been on Lochguard for barely two months. "Aye, I'll go see Cat now. I'll let you know either way."