Treasured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 13)

by Jessie Donovan

  Dawn finally replied, "Okay. Let me talk with Daisy first, and then I'll let you know if I need to see Blake."

  The pair stood and Dawn followed suit. Bram opened the door. "Then let's fetch Daisy. You can use this room again for your chat with her."

  As they walked down the corridor toward the great hall, Dawn's heart beat double-time and her palms sweated a little. Never in a million years would she have guessed that she would talk with her daughter about living with a dragon clan.

  Of course, Dawn had a feeling that Daisy would jump at the chance to live on Stonefire.

  And if so, the harder part would be talking with Blake to see if she could envision a future with him. Because if he showed the slightest reluctance about Daisy, Dawn would have to reject the frenzy and flee.

  Daisy was her whole world, and even when faced with the greatest temptation of having another baby, Dawn would always put her daughter first.

  So she did her best to pack away all her questions and uneasiness about the future to better face her daughter and the difficult conversation ahead.

  Chapter Five

  As soon as Dawn walked into the great hall, she spotted Daisy's curly blonde head on the far side. Her daughter instantly handed her plate to Freddie in mid-conversation and ran across the room straight toward her.

  Dawn did her best to smile and keep Daisy from worrying. As soon as Daisy stopped right in front of her, she met her gaze and asked, "Well? What's going to happen? Are you going with Mr. Whitby?"

  Bram frowned down at her. "Just what did Freddie say?"

  Daisy shrugged. "Not much. But mate-claim frenzies mean two adults disappear for a bit. And afterward, they have a baby. Is that what you're going to do, Mum? Is it?"

  She wished it was as easy as that—Daisy being excited to live on Stonefire and have a sibling. However, her daughter probably didn't understand just how much her life would change. Dawn always tried to be as honest as she could with her daughter, and she wasn't about to change tactics now.

  They needed to have a serious chat, end of story.

  Dawn took Daisy's hand. "Come, Daisy. We need to talk privately."

  Bram motioned back to where they'd come from. "Feel free to use the same room, Dawn."

  "Thanks," she murmured before guiding her and Daisy back through the door she'd just came from.

  Since Daisy remained silent the entire walk to the room, her daughter must know how serious things were.

  A small part of Dawn hated that she'd have to put such a consequential decision before Daisy, but there wasn't any other way. Especially if Dawn wanted to at least try with Blake.

  Once they entered the room she'd used with Bram, Dawn sat in one chair and turned another to face her. She motioned toward the empty chair.

  Daisy slowly slid into it and asked, "What's going to happen, Mum?"

  "I'm not sure yet, Daisy." Her daughter opened her mouth to say more, but Dawn beat her to it. "I wanted to talk with you first before making any decisions."

  Daisy scooted forward in her seat. "But you know what I want, Mum. I've always wanted to live here, and I know you always wanted another baby. I thought you'd be excited."

  Dawn searched her daughter's eyes and asked something that had been on her mind since finding out about the mate-claim frenzy and all that it entailed. "Did you know that Mr. Whitby was my true mate all along?"

  Shaking her head, Daisy's hair bounced back and forth. "No. I just thought you were getting along, and both of you were smiling, and that maybe a kiss would help. Like it always does in the movies."

  Right, like the movies. If only it were that easy in real life.

  Dawn rubbed her forehead a second before deciding on honesty. "This is a bit more complicated, Daisy. I know how much you love dragon-shifters. And I'm glad you made friends with Freddie. However, I'm still a little afraid of them. Not to mention moving here would mean never seeing Lucy or your other friends at school."

  Daisy swung her feet above the ground. "I'll miss Lucy, and I'll always want to see her. But, well, you know, she hasn't been talking to me as much ever since my first visit to Stonefire."

  Dawn nearly blinked. Lucy and Daisy had been inseparable for years. Instead, she frowned and asked, "What?"

  Daisy looked down at her dress and picked at the skirt. "I didn't tell you because I was trying to fix it. But Lucy's mum told me to not talk to her anymore."

  Fury roiled in Dawn's stomach. The fact Connie—Lucy's mother—hadn't even thought of talking to Dawn about something so important made her want to call her up and demand why. Not only because Dawn thought they were friends of a sort, but also because Connie was fully aware of how certain drastic changes could negatively affect Daisy.

  And to tell Daisy not to talk with Lucy was also the cowardly way out. Dawn was nice and friendly most of the time, but if someone mistreated her daughter, her temper flared spectacularly. Connie probably knew that and didn't want the confrontation.

  Her emotions must've shown on her face because Daisy blinked. However, before she could say something, Daisy added, "We did chat sometimes, during classes. But we never play after school or on the weekends."

  Okay, now her anger turned more into worry. Since Lucy lived a few houses away, Daisy had been allowed to visit her friend since turning ten years old. Anything could've happened to Daisy if she'd gone wandering.

  Dawn forced herself to ask calmly, "Then where did you go every time you said you were going to Lucy's house?"

  Daisy shrugged one shoulder. "Well, I usually just went behind the shed in our garden and wrote letters to Freddie. If it rained, then I'd go to Mrs. Smythe's house next door and she'd give me tea and biscuits." She bit her lip and asked, "Are you cross with me?"

  For a second, Dawn didn't answer. While she was a little upset at the fact Daisy had lied to her—she hated lying more than anything—it was more fear for what could've happened that she struggled to control.

  Daisy was far too trusting. One slightly crooked stranger could've taken her little girl away from her for good.

  Daisy added quietly, "I won't do it again, I promise."

  The words snapped Dawn back to the current situation. Needing to feel the comfort of Daisy's touch, she took her daughter's hand and squeezed. She said slowly so as to keep her voice calm, "I don't like that you lied to me. But you did tell me the truth and I hope you'll honor your promise to not lie to me again." Daisy bobbed her head a few times, and Dawn continued, "I do wish you would've said something sooner, Daisy. Are other kids or teachers treating you differently, too?"

  She shrugged as she swung her feet above the floor again. "Some of them have been meaner. But I didn't like most of them anyway. Those of us who went to the dragon camp became our own group of friends. I also have Freddie and Emily."

  Oh, Daisy. Her daughter had suffered on her own and never shown it.

  She really was growing up.

  Not caring that Daisy was eleven and maybe thought she was too old for it, Dawn tugged Daisy off the chair and helped her into her lap. Once she wrapped Daisy in a hug and laid her head against her daughter's, she said, "You've worked so hard to help other people like the dragon-shifters, haven't you?"

  "I try. The dragon-shifters have always been nice to me. And I don't know why people would be mean to them or want to hurt them. Especially when most people have never met them. It seems silly. We're not supposed to judge without knowing someone, right? That's what you always tell me."

  Dawn stroked her daughter's hair, smiling at how Daisy threw her own words back at her. And in a strange way, it was something she needed to hear considering everything that could happen. "Some people are afraid of what's different. I suppose I was one of those, too. I guess I need to listen to my own advice, huh?"

  "Well, did you change your mind after tonight? Bram is nice. So is Mr. MacLeod. And you had fun with Mr. Whitby, too, right?"

  "I'll admit that I'm less afraid now than when we first arrived here."

 
"So what are you going to do, Mum?"

  The all-important question—what would Dawn do?

  She took a second to squeeze Daisy tighter against her and merely revel in how much she loved her daughter.

  However, as Daisy tried to turn around, Dawn leaned back to meet her eyes and said, "I have one more question first, love. Has anyone on Stonefire ever been mean to you? Or tried to scare you away?"

  Daisy shook her head. "No, although Freddie says there are some older kids who tease everyone. So if they tease me, it'd almost be like I'm part of Stonefire, too. So I actually hope they do tease me soon."

  Dawn bit back a smile. Daisy knew so much about the dragon clan, to the point she even knew how to be accepted among the younger crowd.

  As she played with her daughter's hair, Dawn took a second to review all she knew and be absolutely certain of what she was going to say next.

  Daisy was having more trouble with the kids at the human school than with the dragons.

  Lucy and her mother had all but abandoned Daisy for her connection to the dragons she loved so much.

  Daisy and Dawn both wanted another child in the family.

  And through her daughter's enthusiasm, Dawn was fairly sure she could become more comfortable around the dragon-shifters.

  Not to mention she didn’t love her current job, and she could find another, like she’d done a few times before.

  There was really only one option to take.

  Daisy shifted her position in her lap, and Dawn finally spoke again. "I'm not going to say yes to everything just yet. However, Bram said the doctor here can make Mr. Whitby's dragon quiet for a few days so I can talk with him. After that, I'll make my final decision. But in the meantime, you'll have to stay with Emily's family, provided they say it's okay."

  Daisy frowned. "I can't stay here, too?"

  Dawn smiled at Daisy's devastation. "Not yet. You have school, and I need some time alone with Blake, er, Mr. Whitby."

  Daisy turned a little more to look better into her eyes. "So after a few days, you'll be celebrating a new baby coming?"

  Blood rushed to Dawn's cheeks. Just how much had Freddie told Daisy about the mate-claim frenzy? She would have to find out more herself and then educate Daisy so she wasn't completely in the dark. After all, her daughter was eleven and would be a woman soon enough.

  Dawn cleared her throat before saying, "No. If I decide to accept his dragon, then it'll happen after that. But don't get your hopes up just yet, Daisy Mae. Your father left us, and I don't want to go through that again with someone else and make us both sad. So I need to be sure about Mr. Whitby, at least a little, before disappearing with him, as your friend put it."

  "Oh, I don't think Mr. Whitby would leave us. He's nice and would probably only want to protect you. Kind of like how Freddie wants to protect me."

  She finally smiled again at the absolute certainty in Daisy's voice. "We'll see, love. We'll see." She moved Daisy off her lap and stood. "Let's find Emily's mother first, and then I'll talk with Bram again. If Emily's mother says it’s okay, promise me you'll be on your best behavior. No wandering off or telling lies, among other things."

  Daisy hopped from foot to foot, a sign she was excited. "I promise, Mum. If there's even a small chance we can live on Stonefire, I'll be the most bestest behaved girl ever."

  Dawn couldn't help but laugh at how Daisy was laying it on thick. "Too bad I won't be around to see that." She took Daisy's hand. "Come on then. There's still a lot to do."

  As she led her daughter back out to the great hall, Dawn wondered how long it would be before she could see Blake again. Now that she'd made a decision, she was eager to get started. Only then could she truly know which pathway her life would end up taking.

  But then Daisy began tugging her hand to hurry up, and she pushed all other thoughts away. First things first—she needed to entrust Daisy into Mariana Barlow's care. Then she could ask about Blake.

  Chapter Six

  Blake stared at the ceiling of his hospital room, unsettled with the complete silence and emptiness inside his mind. One he hadn't experienced since his dragon had first talked with him at age six, a little over thirty years ago.

  He vaguely remembered Dr. Sid drugging his dragon silent but not much else until he'd woken up a few minutes ago.

  Well, except for Dawn Chadwick. Even without his dragon demanding they find and fuck her, his thoughts were full of the human female.

  Her smile, her easy teasing, the way she made him feel relaxed and not anxious like he was with most people.

  For the first time, Blake admitted how much he wanted a chance with a female.

  Not that it was going to happen. She'd be long gone by now, for sure. Humans who didn't know much about dragon-shifters were afraid of the frenzy and all that it entailed.

  Not only that, but Dawn also had her daughter to think of. Like most humans, she probably thought she needed to protect her child from the dragons despite the fact dragon-shifters usually treasured their children more than many humans did.

  Maybe he should've tried to explain things better to Dawn and not kept the true mate pull a secret. Perhaps she might've run anyway. But there was a chance she wouldn't have fled without talking to him more.

  If his inner beast were awake, he'd probably mention how he'd been right and Blake had been wrong.

  He missed his bloody annoying dragon.

  A knock on the door brought him out of his head, and in the next second, Dr. Sid Jackson—Stonefire's head doctor—walked in wearing a lab coat and her hair in the usual ponytail. She stopped at his bedside and asked softly, "Is your dragon still silent?"

  Sid was a brilliant doctor and usually didn't blink at barking orders or getting reluctant dragon-shifters in line. However, her dragon had been silent for twenty years as a result of receiving too many shots of the silent dragon drug Blake himself had received. That usually meant she was a bit gentler with patients she had to drug herself.

  He replied, "Yes, he's quiet and absent from my mind."

  Sid bobbed her head. "While I won't exactly say good, it's what we need for your next visitor."

  He frowned. "Visitor? Who? Bram? I don't think any of my current projects need explaining to anyone else."

  Sid studied him a beat before replying, "Dawn Chadwick is here to see you."

  He blinked. "What?"

  Sid raised her brows. "You don't want to see her then?"

  "No, no, I didn't say that. I'm just surprised, is all."

  Could it be that his fated female was stronger than he'd thought? Maybe he needed to not judge her so quickly.

  Of course, maybe she just wanted to be polite and say no thanks. And also maybe to tell him to leave her and her daughter alone.

  Either way, he wouldn't know unless he talked with her. Even without his dragon, his heart rate sped up a fraction at the thought of seeing the beautiful human again. If he were extremely lucky, she might even smile once for him.

  The doctor studied him again before saying, "You shouldn't be surprised. I think she fancies you, Blake, and you know her daughter loves dragon-shifters almost more than anything. Although tell me straight—do you want to see her? Because if you're going to brush her off and pretend finding your true mate is no big deal, I'll spare her the drama."

  Blake wasn't usually so forthright with people, but Sid had been there when his mother had become sick and had helped her to the very end. He didn't owe the doctor anything, but he respected her. So he replied, "I know it's a big deal. It's just that she flinched the first time she saw my flashing eyes a couple hours before the kiss happened. So I wasn't exactly sure what to think."

  Sid grunted. "Well, she stood up to Bram so give her some credit. Just talk with her and see what happens. But don't string her along too much, Blake. She has her daughter to think of."

  He raised his brows. "When did you start giving relationship advice?"

  Sid shrugged. "I only reserve it for stubborn dragon-shifters who
make up excuses as to why they shouldn't have a mate."

  He opened his mouth but promptly closed it. The bloody doctor was too good.

  Sid tilted her head. "So? Will you see her?"

  Maybe before the kiss he could've pretended Dawn and her daughter were too much work. Or he could rationalize away about how they would take too much time away from his research.

  Or come up with a million other excuses, really.

  However, his dragon was now involved. And the last thing he wanted to do was to cause his inner beast unnecessary pain. Because that was exactly what would happen if Dawn fled and he didn't go through the frenzy—years of pain and struggle for them both.

  Since she'd made the effort to see him, he at least needed to give Dawn a chance.

  Blake said, "Show her in."

  "I will. But Nikki will be just outside the door, listening for trouble. So be careful. You know what could happen if you touch her."

  It might wake his inner dragon. And Nikki was one of Stonefire's Protectors in charge of clan security. More than that, she was the second-in-command and someone a person didn't want to piss off if they could help it.

  In a way, he was glad for Nikki to be nearby. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Dawn, whether unintentionally or not.

  Before he could say he wouldn't distress any female on purpose, Sid left and shut the door behind her.

  And even though it was probably only a matter of seconds, it felt as if years passed before there was a tentative knock on the door.

  He shouted, "Come in."

  The door swung inward, revealing Dawn dressed in clothes that were too big for her small frame.

  Not that he cared. His eyes were glued to her face, her bright eyes and full lips just as perfect as before.

  She had to be the most bloody beautiful female he'd ever seen. How in the hell he'd managed to find her as his true mate, he had no idea.

  "Hello," she said as she walked into the room and shut the door behind her.