Interesting. That was something the Dragon Knights had never mentioned to her. Although she had to admit, it was hard to picture a dragon farmer or rancher. "So do you agree to the private session? Or, will you turn that down and run away again?"
"I didn't run away," he muttered.
She fought a smile. He had run from her earlier. The question was why, given he'd spent so much time trying to be in her room with her before.
He sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. Once the doctors approve another outing, I'll show you my dragon form. But at the first sign of fear, I'm changing back. I promised to look after you, and that includes not sending you into a relapse or back into another coma."
She mustered up enough energy to raise a hand, offering to shake on it. Ivy fully expected for him to ignore it and turn away. But after a second, he took her hand in his and gently squeezed.
The warm, rough fingers from her first massage from him hadn't changed. And something about his hand dwarfing hers, almost as if it were shielding her hand from others, made her feel safe.
Then he turned her hand over and ran a finger back and forth across her inner wrist. Ivy couldn't contain her shiver at the light touch. She whispered, "What are you doing?"
His murmured, "Showing you that I can be gentle. I think from now on, I'll be doing your physical therapy again."
Images of Zain running his hand up her legs, to her thighs, and squeezing or pressing against her nearly made Ivy squirm in her seat. Him being nice was almost too much.
Add in his strong hands massaging her flesh day after day, and Ivy wasn't so sure mating Zain had been the best idea.
Because if he kept it up, she'd want something she couldn't have.
And not just because she craved closeness after so many years in near isolation with the Knights, either.
Before she could form words, he dropped her hand and opened the door, breaking the spell.
Inside the room, a few kids lingered with some paint sets. Toward the back, the dragonman with light brown hair and light skin she'd seen back inside the auditorium sat in front of a computer. It was Blake Whitby.
Right, it was time to focus on chemistry and other scientific knowledge. That would help her forget about Zain and his big, warm hands.
So as soon as he maneuvered her to the other dragonman, she ignored Zain and focused on what made sense in her world—science—for as long as possible. The distraction was only temporary, but something about discussing facts, numbers, and hypotheses made her feel like her younger self, from a time before she'd joined the Dragon Knights.
Maybe that was the person she was supposed to be.
Chapter Twelve
Zain tried his best to moderate his pace and not full-on run as he made his way toward the clan's surgery to see Ivy again.
While he'd slept the night on a cot inside Ivy's room, she'd fallen asleep the day before, upon returning from the school, and hadn't woken up yet.
He'd been concerned, but the doctors assured him that she was merely sleeping, and he should do some of his Protector duties while he could.
So he had. However, her unconsciousness made him uneasy, and he was eager to check up on her again.
His dragon spoke up. I told you we shouldn't have left her side.
We had to check in with Kai, Lucien, and Nate.
The trio had sifted through the now-decoded data. And while they had some answers, the information had only prompted more questions. Kai left it up to him to decide when Ivy was strong enough to face them. No one wanted to trigger an unsavory memory and possibly turn her hysterical, or worse, cause a relapse.
Not that Zain suspected she would easily be triggered. A female who could find her brother murdered, devise a plan, and run into the arms of her enemy was stronger than most people gave credit to.
His dragon snorted. Now who's defending her?
Ignoring his dragon, he entered the back entrance to the surgery and headed straight for Dr. Sid and Gregor's shared office space. He knocked and entered once Sid told him to. He found the pair sitting in desks facing each other, mountains of paperwork everywhere.
Once Zain shut the door behind him, he asked without preamble, "How's Ivy?"
Gregor raised a dark blond eyebrow. "You were gone an hour, so nothing's changed. And if it had, we would've let you know."
Dr. Sid steepled her fingers in front of her. "If you're getting attached to her, Zain, then make sure you keep your cock in your pants until she's stronger."
He growled. "Careful, Sid."
Sid raised her hands, her palms facing toward him. "I will for now. But if it comes to that point, when you're thinking of having sex with her, you need to talk with us first. And not just to ensure she's healthy enough, either."
His irritation faded a fraction at Dr. Sid's cryptic statement. "What does that mean?"
Gregor answered, "It's possible the poison used on her had a biological element, one that could be transmitted through bodily fluids. Until we can rule it out for certain—her bloodwork has more mysteries than we like—be careful."
The fact the doctors knew so little about Ivy's situation made his dragon pace inside his head. How are we supposed to protect her from that?
We can't, he stated.
Zain spoke to the doctors again. He grunted. "I'm not thinking of tossing her over a chair and fucking her. All I want is to give her some physical therapy and take her out to see my dragon when she's strong enough. Can I do either today?"
Dr. Sid shrugged. "The PT will be fine. As for another excursion so soon after yesterday, you're going to have to wait. Maybe in a day or two, she can go out again for a couple hours, but no more."
A phone buzzed on Gregor's desk. After the dragonman checked it, he said to his mate, "Ivy's awake. All her signs are stable and seem good. For now."
His dragon stood a little taller at the mention of Ivy being awake. Zain tried not to notice it and said, "Right, then I'm going to see her. Let me know the second you have more information on her status, ailment, or whatever the fuck is wrong with her."
He strode from the room and headed for Ivy's. His dragon decided to chime in. Well, if we can't sleep with her, then it gives you plenty of time to get to know her better.
Not this again.
After he'd put Ivy back to bed the previous evening, he'd stared at her sleeping form for longer than he'd liked. Watching her interact with Blake had been fascinating.
Because while Zain's eyes would glaze over at the first talk of formulas, Ivy had become even more animated.
She truly had a love for science.
Maybe she could use that talent to better guard his clan and the other dragons around the world.
Of course, since she'd been so at ease with Blake, Zain had done his fair share of glaring. Not that the male seemed to notice Zain’s glower, or even Ivy as a female.
Given how the shy male rarely interacted with other clan members and was teased as a hermit, it shouldn't really surprise Zain.
But how could someone not notice her lovely ginger hair or eyes that reminded him of the deep parts of the ocean?
His dragon laughed, but Zain ignored him. He was allowed to notice his mate's beauty, even if he had no intention of acting on it.
Liar, his beast muttered.
He reached Ivy's room, knocked, and entered without waiting for a reply—and caught sight of a nurse pulling the gown over Ivy's pale, naked back.
While Ivy needed to gain weight still, the long curve of her spine and the smooth skin dotted with freckles made him want to rush over and kiss each and every one of those little spots.
And continue his quest until he'd found every single one on her body.
No. Former Knight, former Knight, former Knight, he repeated inside his head. She could never be his. To do so would be a betrayal to his clan.
So Zain pushed aside every last erotic thought he had of Ivy and waited for the nurse to finish. Then he strode over and sat on the edge of her bed. "I ha
ve some questions for you."
His beast sighed. So much for easing into it.
I have to do it this way.
Why?
Not deigning his dragon with an answer, Zain stared at Ivy and waited for her to react.
A nurse had been in the process of retying her hospital gown after the morning examination when a sizzle went down her spine. At first, Ivy wondered if it had something to do with her condition or even a sign she was on the road to recovery. However, when Zain appeared in front of her and sat on her bed, she instantly knew it'd been his eyes on her back that had heated her skin.
She'd seen many fit dragon-shifters the day before, but none of them elicited the same response as it did with Zain.
The man she had mated and would be spending lots of time with, but would never truly be hers.
Not that she wanted him that way. No, that would be ridiculous.
As Ivy struggled to come to terms with her body's responses, Zain stated in his growly voice, "I have some questions for you."
Nurse Ginny huffed and spoke before Ivy could. "You can wait another few minutes, Zain Kinsella. Ivy needs to eat her breakfast before doing anything else."
She expected Zain to argue, but he nodded, crossed his arms, and waited, never budging from his spot on her bed.
Great. She was going to have an audience for her bland meal.
Trying her best to ignore the hulk of a dragonman on her bed, Ivy allowed Ginny to spoon some of the special, barely warm soup concoction they forced her to eat every morning. Still, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Zain following the spoon to her lips, to the bowl, and back again.
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if he needed to document her eating habits to his boss, but didn't. The sooner she finished her food, the sooner Ginny would leave her alone.
And while during those first few days Ivy had feared being alone with Zain, she actually looked forward to it now. Mostly because she wanted to ask about seeing his dragon again, and to see if he kept his word about being nice to her. It would be fascinating to have an almost normal conversation with him.
"Almost" because it'd still be her talking with a dragon-shifter, something she still had trouble believing.
Once she finished the last of her food, Ginny raised her eyebrows at Zain as some kind of warning and left them alone.
Silence fell, but after a few beats, Zain said, "Are you ready now for some questions? Or do I need to brush your hair first, to finish you getting ready? Although I'll be honest—if I touch it, then it won't look much better than it is now."
His tone of voice was lighter, almost as if he were…teasing her. But that couldn't be true. Could it?
She answered, "This is about as good as I'll get today, I'm afraid. So, what questions do you have? Is it related to the data I brought with me? Did your team manage to decrypt it all?"
His eyes widened a fraction, and she resisted a smile. Good. She liked keeping him on his toes.
Zain cleared his throat, uncrossed his arms, and nodded. "Some of our scientists looked over the recently decrypted dragon-drug formulas and weapon schematics, but nothing's been found yet about an all-out attack on our kind. And we all think that's inevitable. So tell me—is a war coming that we need to know about?"
She shrugged. "If it hasn't happened in the year I've been unconscious, then I have no idea. The formulas are ways to keep dragons from shifting, and the schematics are for portable anti-dragon guns and lasers. The rumor was that the leaders wanted everything sorted and ready before truly attacking with force. It's why only small groups of dragon-shifters have been targeted over the last few years."
Zain grunted. "They were merely test subjects."
She nodded. "The random attacks by different factions within the Knights was to make the attacks appear unprofessional and scattered. In truth, there is a small group or council—we were never told the exact details about the organization at the top—that's plotting every step."
Zain searched her eyes. "But you were telling the truth before, about not knowing who they are?"
"Yes. Just like the different factions didn't all know the others were also testing drugs on dragon-shifters, most departments within the Knights never interacted with others unless absolutely necessary. So, for example, the research and technology departments never met with the regular foot soldiers, or even the accountants."
He frowned. "Then how did you steal all the data?"
She tilted her head. "That was an oversight, one they won't overlook again, I'm sure. Since I was in charge of the chemical research department, I demanded to see every bit of data we had on dragon-shifters. It's true that you can't devise new formulas or poisons to be more effective without all the knowledge available. However, rather than having access only to reports and general data collections, someone granted me full access. I didn't pay much attention to the other data at first. But eventually, as I learned about the children's kidnappings and testing, I started to feel uneasy. The more children they took, the worse the feeling grew until I knew I couldn't keep helping them."
"And so you copied as much of the data as you could and escaped," Zain stated.
She bobbed her head. "I had no idea there was another group of scientists creating the strange poison to keep us all hostage or I may not have had the courage to run. If I hadn't made it to Stonefire's lands when I did, then I would've been a sitting duck for them and easily dead by now." She glanced down at her blanket and plucked the material with her fingers. "I truly am sorry for the role I played in hurting any of the children here or elsewhere in the UK." Taking a deep breath, she met Zain's gaze again. "I hope maybe this time you'll start to believe me."
He studied her face a second before he said softly, "I have no bloody idea why, but I do."
His words sent a thrill throughout her body, one that should worry her, but Ivy did her best to ignore. "Good. Then let me know what other information you need so I can help as much as possible."
"In a minute. First, I need to know something unrelated to the Knights, something personal."
As his eyes flashed, she murmured, "What?"
"There must've been some sort of fear or hatred lingering inside you before you encountered the Friends of the World. Where did it come from? Why were you afraid of us?"
Ivy blinked and tried to process his question. After a few beats, she replied quietly, "I don't know the exact moment. But parents tell stories before bedtime, about the dragon-shifters coming to get us if we were naughty. Plus, the only real history we're taught in school concerning dragon-shifters is about the human-dragon wars that have happened over the centuries." She shrugged one shoulder. "So I guess my only real knowledge about your kind was negative."
Zain watched her face as he said quietly, "So when someone offered you further proof of those views, you took to it."
"I'm not a therapist, but I suppose so." She paused a second before adding, "However, I think what you're doing with the school children now will help with that, by preventing the fear from growing."
Zain's lips twitched upward. It was the closest Ivy had ever seen him smile.
And it made him look entirely too humanlike.
Her heart thumped at the crack in his stony façade. Was there anyone who made him smile on a regular basis? Did he ever laugh?
However, before her mind went too far down that road, Zain spoke again. "I think the children getting together and having fun is easing everyone's fears a little here. There are still plenty of humans who refuse to allow their children to participate in any of the activities we've hosted for the kids. But those who have come here and joined in might help our reputations in the long run. Especially when combined with the effort of the other humans living here on Stonefire."
Aware the spell of honesty and almost ease between them could break at any second, Ivy decided to ask Zain a personal question. "You obviously have a mistrust of certain humans yourself. Why?"
He threaded his fingers togethe
r and sighed. "They brutally murdered one of my friends. Not to mention they've hurt so many others here and elsewhere in the UK. Just the thought of the hunters or Knights getting to my nephews is enough to make my dragon roar, as well as makes me itch to jump and fly away to find and eradicate every last threat to them."
As Ivy tried to think of how to respond to that—she was one of the former enemies after all—Zain continued, "But there's one more thing from my past, something that makes it harder for me to like adult humans more than most of the other dragon-shifters on Stonefire."
Ivy leaned forward a little. "What happened?"
Zain glanced down at his hands. The lowering of his alpha, impenetrable façade nearly made her blink. She hadn't really thought of him having vulnerabilities. Yes, he had loved ones, but the man himself seemed so strong.
But he had weaknesses just like everyone else.
Ivy tried not to read into how much sharing this with her meant. The only reason she could fathom he would think of it was to try and make their mating more amicable.
Zain grunted and said, "Every Protector has to serve two years with the British Army before they're given a final series of tests and allowed to join the security team on their clan. The male or female usually serves around age twenty or so, once a dragon-shifter is fully matured."
Yet another thing Ivy had never known before—dragons voluntarily served in the armed forces along with humans. The Knights had told them they were forced into service. "And since you're a Protector, you spent that time surrounded by humans, too. So I'm guessing someone hurt you during that time, or you wouldn't have brought it up."
He shrugged one shoulder. "Hurt is a vague word, but yes. My human superior lusted after me from the first day, and it didn't take long for him to let me know it, too. And whilst there are dragon males who prefer other males—or both males and females—I prefer females only. I told him so, and he didn't like it. So he threatened to kick me out of the army on some sort of violation unless I did as he asked."
She frowned. "But he didn't carry out his threat, right? Or you wouldn't be a Protector now. So what happened?"
Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 12) Page 11