Even though he knew they needed to keep a distance between them, he wished she would come closer. "Hello, Dawn."
Silence fell for a few beats, a painful contrast to the last time they'd met.
Of course now she had to be aware of what a mate-claim frenzy entailed and was probably afraid his dragon would wake up and try to claim her.
As he tried to think of how to calm her fears at least a little, she finally spoke again. "It's almost strange not to see your flashing pupils. I know it startled me at first, but I've seen so many pairs over the last twelve or so hours that it's almost normal."
Her comment was yet another reminder that his dragon—and best friend—was silent. However, he didn't think she was intentionally trying to cause him pain. Instead, he focused on the rest of her words. "What have you been doing for the last twelve hours?"
She laughed, the sound a balm to his very center. Was it always this way with true mates, that they seemed to be too perfect for words? Yet another instance of how Blake's self-imposed isolation had kept him in the dark.
Dawn replied, "Let's just say that getting a dragon child to bed can be a bit tougher with both personalities fighting it. And before you ask, I'm staying with Sasha Atherton right now."
He smiled. "Well, Freddie and his brother are a bit more energetic than most. Good luck with that." He paused and decided small talk could wait. It was time to be blunt. "Why are you still here, Dawn? I thought you would've run."
She took a step closer and tilted her head. "Did you want me to run?"
He blurted, "No."
"Good. I know this is all a bit awkward, but I just wanted to talk with you again. I only have a few days to make a very important decision, and getting to know you better will help me to make it."
He wished his dragon was awake so his inner beast could get to know Dawn, too. But that was impossible, and so he decided to embrace what he could while he still had it. "So they told you about the mate-claim frenzy then and all it entails?"
She bobbed her head. "Yes, and I'm not fully against the idea. But I've been hurt badly before and want to try and make sure it won't happen again."
Her bastard ex. A growl escaped before he could check it. "I would never abandon our child. Whatever happens, even if we don't suit as mates for the long-term, I will always be involved in our child's life and do my best to protect him or her."
She searched his gaze. "And what about Daisy? Even if she's not yours, she will probably need protection, too, if we live here. There aren't many humans on Stonefire."
"There are more than you think. And our clan isn't like some in that we welcome humans now. If Melanie or Evie so much as got a word of mistreatment, there'd be bloody hell to pay."
Melanie had been a human sacrifice given to Stonefire a few years ago and had ultimately written a book about dragon-shifters, paving the way for better understanding. She and Evie unofficially oversaw all the humans on Stonefire, sometimes with help from another human named Jane.
Dawn replied, "While I'm glad for it, Daisy needs some sort of stability. I think it'd break her heart to have you dote on any child of ours but ignore her."
He blinked. "I never said I would ignore her. I'll be honest and say that it'll take time to care for her as I've only met her recently—much like you. But she will be the half sibling of any child of ours, if you go through the frenzy. And that equates family in my book."
Dawn searched his eyes again, and he hoped he'd said the right thing. He wasn't good with humor to ease a situation like some, or pretty words to impress.
He just said the truth. And often, people didn't like it.
She took another step closer. Maybe he should've told her to stay by the door, but it brought her close enough for her scent to reach his nose. And her feminine musk mixed with something lightly floral calmed him.
"Well, then I guess that means we should do a sort of speed dating to see if we suit?" She lifted her mobile in her hand and waved it back and forth. "I can even set a timer on my phone, if you like, to make it seem more real, complete with an annoying buzzer sound."
And just like that, her words lightened the mood.
Blake had never had someone really try to do that with him before. Well, unless they'd been after him to shift so they could touch his lucky spot.
However, Dawn didn't even know about the damn spot. She merely wanted to know him.
Which made him want her all the more.
He waved toward the chair against the wall. "It's probably best if you sit over there whilst we do it."
She grinned and sat in the chair. "Right, then are you ready? Sixty seconds each, to keep it short and sweet? You can even ask the first question."
He couldn't remember the last time he'd played any sort of game. Blake spent most of his time on work, or flying, or swimming in the lake.
And yet, he'd never wanted to do something more. "I think it's time to get started, but you can ask the first question since it was your idea."
"Okay." She pressed her phone to start the timer, and he waited to see what Dawn would ask him.
For the first minute or so after she'd entered Blake's room, Dawn hadn't been sure if she'd made the right decision. She knew Blake was shy and not the most social person in the world, but it had been tense and awkward.
However, he'd soon opened up and even said Daisy would be considered family if they went through the frenzy.
That had been one of her biggest worries. Sure, she still needed to ensure Blake confirmed his words with actions, but it was a start.
Which had led her to asking him to play her silly speed dating idea. And surprisingly, he'd agreed, making her think there were more layers to the dragonman than he let on.
So she pressed the button for the countdown timer and asked a light question first. "What's your favorite food?"
He scowled a little. "Is that what you really want to waste your question on?" She raised her brows, nodded, and he answered, "Any type of pasta. Can you cook pasta?"
"Somewhat. Although if all else fails, there's always the sauce jars." He scrunched his nose and she laughed. "Well, then you can do the cooking, if it comes to that."
He smiled. "I can cook fairly well, actually, so that's not a problem."
Just as she was about to ask more, the timer went off. Blake raised his brows and she reset it. She motioned toward him. "Okay, I'll start it as soon as you start talking."
He didn't hesitate. "What do you like to do for yourself? Not for Daisy or as a mother, but for yourself?"
Dawn had to think about that for a second. Her life had been consumed with her daughter—how to take care of her, earning enough to keep them in their home, and even acting as both mother and father to her—for years.
But sometimes, when she had a spare minute, Dawn did do a few things for herself. She answered, "I like to draw and occasionally paint."
"Draw what?"
She shrugged. "Flowers, mostly. And sometimes birds or other small animals. Maybe if I get the chance, I could try my hand at a dragon."
"I'd love to see something of yours, later, when there's not a bloody buzzer about to go off."
And right on cue, it did.
She chuckled. "I won't apologize for the buzzer. This is quite fun, more than I thought it would be. Now, my turn." She reset it again and decided to ask a slightly more serious question this time. Hopefully Blake wouldn't shut down. "Why do you live apart from everyone else? Sasha showed me where your cabin is, and it's just along the boundary of the clan's land."
He paused for a second, and she wondered if he'd refuse to answer
Apparently, Blake didn't reveal much to people, according to Sasha. And her new friend had warned against asking about his dragon until they were more comfortable with each other.
Which, of course, had made Dawn all the more curious.
So asking about his remote home was the closest she could do right now.
He finally said, "I like privacy. I did try living closer to ever
yone else, but the attention distracted me from my work."
It was hard not to ask why—but she had a feeling it dealt with his dragon—so she asked instead, "What are you working on right now? You made it sound important last night."
"That is a very long answer. But the short version is that it's to help protect the clan from one of our enemies."
The bloody timer went off again before she could ask for more details. But Blake didn't so much as blink and pointed toward it, wanting his turn. With a sigh, she reset it, and he asked, "Tell me what your perfect day would be."
"Hmm, I'm not sure. I suppose sunny and warm, and somewhere either along a lake, the sea, or even a wide-open valley. Somewhere with few people and an abundance of nature. I live in Manchester proper, and you can't really find that in the city. A park isn't quite the same."
"I imagine not."
She studied him. "Have you never been to Manchester?"
He shook his head. "I've never been to a human city, ever. I've only visited a few villages in the Lake District, and that was back when I was a teenager."
Dawn wished she knew more about all the laws and rules concerning dragon-shifters. But at the risk of sounding stupid, she asked, "Because you can't?"
He shrugged. "I could visit them sometimes, provided I follow all the laws. However, I hate large crowds. And the smells are overwhelming, not to mention all the noise. Some dragon-shifters like it, or at least tolerate it, but both my beast and I can't stand it. It's hard enough to do so in a village or a human restaurant so a proper city is out of the question."
She was about to ask if it was more to do with how the humans viewed him since he was a dragon-shifter. Even if he covered up the tattoo on his bicep, his usual flashing pupils would still give him away. However, the timer beeped again. She muttered, "This is really starting to irritate me. Just when we get to the good bits, it goes off."
Blake chuckled, and the sound made her smile. It was deep and soothing, and something she'd like to hear more often.
Pushing aside that realization, she asked, "What?"
He grinned. "You're cute when you're irritated."
She almost smiled at that. "Just don't be on the receiving end or you may change your story. I don't anger often, but when I do, I tend to lose most of my head and shout like a bloody banshee."
He shook his head. "You're on dragon land now, Dawn. It takes more than shouting to scare any of us."
She grunted. "We'll see. I'm sure someone will put that to the test some day."
He raised an eyebrow. "And it'll just show that I'm right."
As they stared at one another, exchanging smiles, Dawn had a realization—she wouldn't say no to Blake and the frenzy.
However, she was having too much fun with him to give her answer just yet. She could have at least a little more time before she committed and set things in motion. Maybe she could ask Sasha or even Evie some more questions to better prepare herself.
A knock was followed by a blond-haired male doctor entering the room. She didn't know his name, but he spoke with a Scottish accent. "We haven't officially met, but I'm Dr. Gregor Innes. And I'm afraid visiting time is over for now. Cassidy said you can come back later, Dawn, and have dinner with Blake if you like. But we need to do an examination and a few tests in the meantime."
Dawn stood. "Okay." She looked at Blake again. "I'll have another game for us to play when I visit later, so make sure you're ready."
The corner of his mouth ticked up, the slight change making him even more handsome to Dawn. Not that it was hard to do. His hazel eyes and slightly disheveled hair made her want to go over, smooth the wild locks, and touch the stubble on his cheeks just to feel the raspiness against her fingers.
Maybe even place a hand on his chest and see if he had the same toned muscles as the other dragon-shifters she'd seen so far.
She also recalled his scent from the day before, when they'd been working in close quarters. An earthy mixture of man, woods, and something she couldn't define.
It was official—it really had been too long since she'd been with a man.
Blake answered and brought her back to the present, "I look forward to it."
Before she could get lost in another daydream about Blake and what he hid under his clothes, Dawn waved goodbye.
And she couldn't stop smiling as she met up with the dragonwoman named Nikki and headed out of the surgery. It'd been so long since she'd dated and she'd feared it would be boring, awkward, or both. However, she had actually enjoyed herself.
Maybe, just maybe, Blake was her second chance.
Chapter Seven
Hours later, Dawn did her best not to swing the tote bag in her hand. Her daughter wasn't the only one who became fidgety when they were anxious—Dawn did, too. She wasn't so much nervous as eager to start her almost second date with Blake.
Mostly because she might have to start the frenzy the next day, to be on the safe side, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before the massive life-changing event.
Walking at her side was the dark-haired form of Sasha Atherton. She'd volunteered to escort Dawn to the surgery so that Nikki could spend some time with her young daughter. Sasha wasn't a Protector, but her brother Zain was. And a rather good one that no one wanted to mess with, meaning they should be safe enough for a short walk.
The dragonwoman spoke up. "This isn't a race, you know. Blake will still be there if we walk at a normal pace."
Dawn didn't realize she'd been power walking and slowed her speed to normal. "Sorry, but it's been so long since I've been eager to see a man for a date, let alone have a night free without worrying about Daisy. I'm just excited, I guess."
She'd talked to her daughter about forty-five minutes ago. Daisy had been her usual, cheerful self, and seemed to be enjoying her time with Emily's family.
Dawn still missed her, though. It had been just her and Daisy for so long that it was strange to spend any length of time away from her.
But it couldn't be helped, not if she was to ensure Daisy could keep up her relationship with Freddie and the other dragon children. So Dawn focused back on Sasha and said, "I thought dragon-shifters were in great shape. Are you saying that a mere human wears you out?"
Sasha snorted. "Look at you, being all sassy. I like you more and more, Dawn. I'm glad you're going to live on Stonefire, and not just because it means Freddie won't ask me constantly about when he can see Daisy again."
"They are quite attached, aren't they?"
Sasha nodded. "Yes, but it's good for the both of them, I think. At least in Freddie's case, his behavior has improved a bit these days. He was never a troublemaker, but his mind can wander sometimes in school. He's much better now, almost as if he needs to learn every little thing so he can help Daisy understand it, too. He might even become a model student so he can help her when she starts school here."
"Just maybe don't sit them next to each other in class or nothing will get done."
Sasha smiled. "That will be up to the teachers. If they don't realize that now, they'll learn it soon enough." Sasha threaded her arm through Dawn's and added, "I'm glad you're here, too. And not just for me and my boy, either. You and Blake are both lonely people, and I'm beyond thrilled that you two have a chance now."
Maybe with anyone else Dawn would deny it. However, Sasha had become a good friend in such a short amount of time. She was the first true female friend Dawn had made in years, maybe ever since her ex-husband had left her. "Nothing is guaranteed, Sasha, and you know it."
The dragonwoman shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. But if two good-hearted people can't make a true-mate pairing work, then I don't know who can. Especially since me and my mate—who I didn't much care for as a child but ended up becoming my perfect match later on—made it and still act lovey-dovey at times, as my boys can attest to with semi-disgusted frowns."
Dawn chuckled. "That's part of your job, though, to annoy your children at times."
Sasha
winked. "Of course it is. It wouldn't be fun otherwise."
The outline of the surgery came into view, and Dawn reluctantly changed the subject, reminding herself that she should have lots more time to talk with Sasha if everything went well with Blake. "My second—and last date before I have sex with him—is about to start. It's weird to think of it in those terms."
Sasha met her gaze, amusement twinkling in them. "Oh, it's more than mere sex, my friend. A mate-claim frenzy is an experience unlike any other."
Even though she had asked Sasha a few questions about how the frenzy worked, Dawn had held back asking about her fears. Seeing as she would be going through with one soon enough, she decided to be bold and finally ask, "It's not scary, is it?"
Her friend raised her brows. "I can't imagine a mate-claim frenzy with Blake ever being scary. And no, I'm not insulting the male. He's just reserved, and kind, and the type of male to place a spider outside rather than kill it." Sasha cleared her throat. "That doesn't really sound the best. It won't be boring, though. His dragon half will make sure of that. Usually, the inner beast takes control for the second round before they almost tag team between them." Sasha leaned closer and whispered, "And who knows, sometimes the quiet ones can surprise you."
Dawn's cheeks heated at the thought of Blake naked and above her, growling as he thrust and claimed her. She wouldn't mind a little surprise in that department. Especially since her last long-term sexual relationship had been with her ex, and that had involved a lot of timetables and charts to try to conceive. Even before switching to IVF methods, the initial spark had vanished.
Which only reminded her that it'd been a long time since she'd had sex and she only hoped she didn't disappoint him.
No. It would be fine. Well, hopefully more than fine. She'd find out soon enough.
They reached the surgery and went inside. However, they stopped in the reception area and Sasha motioned toward the front desk. "Go and have a good time, Dawn. You deserve it. Just call me when you're done and I'll take you back."
She bobbed her head and they said their goodbyes, complete with Sasha winking at her.
Treasured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 13) Page 5