He looked between Bram and Kai as he said, "So tell me what the army plan involves."
Bram raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd jump on working with them so quickly."
Damn his clan leader knowing too much. However, Zain didn't alter his neutral expression one bit as he said, "If given the choice between putting your mate in danger or asking humans you may not completely trust to help you, which would you choose?"
"Fair point," Bram stated. "Well, here's what we have come up with so far."
As Bram explained the plan, Zain thought it might work. Especially if he and the handful of other inoculated Protectors could work alongside the humans in the army.
Zain hated putting everyone's life on the shoulders of the British Army, but he didn't really have a choice. He only hoped that relations between the human and dragon-shifter soldiers had improved over the last decade. Because otherwise, they would have to think of a different plan, one that probably involved using Ivy as bait. And once his mate learned of how she could help, she'd bloody volunteer.
And there was no fucking way Zain would allow that to happen.
Ivy finished the last bite of her sandwich and pushed away the empty plate, engrossed with the information on the screen in front of her.
Could it be true? Had she finally found something that could help Zain and the others take down the Knights?
Wanting to be doubly sure, she reread the passage in question:
As more and more of the dragons fully recover from our chemical attacks, retreat and destroy plans need to be solidified so we can fight another day. The hardest part will be putting everything in place as quickly as possible, as the need to implement a network-wide plan increases by the day.
The most likely scenario to reach everyone will be to broadcast a phrase to all members at the same time, blasted through every form of communication possible, both in-house and through leaks to human news agencies. While concrete plans need to be made and approved, a reference to the true founder of the Dragon Knights, and mention of his sacrifice fighting off the dragons, is probably the best method. Every member learns early of the name and the sacrifice. And as far as we know, no dragon or human dragon ally will understand what it means.
Leaning back, Ivy let out the breath she'd been holding. No, most wouldn't know the information as it was a closely held secret, one only revealed to those who had completed all lessons and therapy sessions with the Friends of the Worlds, right before they were inducted to the Dragon Knights. The strict measures and involved steps ensured that outsiders didn't know the truth of how the Knights were founded.
But Ivy knew all of that, and more.
And it was easy to see how the others going through the information from the thumb drive would've dismissed the passage she'd just read. After all, outsiders would have no idea what the vague statements referenced.
Which meant that if Ivy leaked the information about the founder to the media and had Lucien and Nate blast it online through discreet channels, it might just trigger the Knights to scurry and try to flee. And if the dragon-shifters and DDA were waiting for them, they could be captured with minimal loss of life.
However, the plan wouldn't be completely free of death since some of the most devoted Knights would go down fighting until they took their last breath. Still, it was better than Stonefire and their allies going in blind and trying to fight their way to a victory.
And her gut said it would work.
So Ivy quickly opened a black document on her laptop and typed up everything Stonefire and the others would need to know to implement her idea. Sure, she planned to phone Sid and the others as soon as possible. But just in case she passed out again before she could share the information—there was always a chance it could happen until she was fully cured—her sending it now would ensure they had it.
As she typed like lives depended on it—which they did—the screen began to swim before her eyes. Shaking her head, she pushed on until she clicked the Send button in her email.
That done, she put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. The pounding in her head was akin to someone hammering her skull, and despite the fact she'd just eaten and had spent the last few hours sitting on a couch, she was lightheaded.
Something was wrong.
Ivy reached for the emergency alert button near the sofa to call either one of the doctors or trusted nurses looking after her. However, before she could reach it, the world went dark.
Chapter Eighteen
Zain sat with Kai, Bram, and Nikki, discussing the email Ivy had sent several of them—a brilliant bit of information that had shifted their plans—when someone knocked on the door and entered.
Jane looked around the room, her expression grim. Kai was the first to ask, "What's wrong, Janey?"
"It's Ivy—she's unconscious."
Standing, Zain barked, "Tell me everything, now."
Jane didn't even raise an eyebrow or scold him, which told him volumes. She replied, "There's not much to tell. Dr. Sid and Gregor are trying to figure out what happened. All I know is that one of the nurses found her unconscious on the floor and barely breathing."
He rushed up to Jane. "Where is Ivy now?"
"Somewhere in the surgery, but Dr. Sid is keeping her location a secret for now."
Ignoring his pounding heart—Zain wouldn't let fear overtake him—he turned to Kai. "I have to go check on her."
"Go. We have this covered."
Not waiting for another word, he raced out of Kai's office, down the corridors, and out of the building.
Even though the doctors had always said Ivy could relapse at any point until she was fully cured, his gut said something else was at work here. Because the blast of Ivy's location and being alive on the news earlier in the day, forcing her into hiding, seemed too much of a coincidence.
After all, it would only take one person with the knowledge of her location and a hatred of the Dragon Knights to try and harm his human. Handing her over to the Knights wouldn’t be enough for more than a few dragons harboring a grudge.
His dragon spoke up. If someone reached her, we'll find out who and take care of them.
No killing, though. You know better than that.
His beast growled. It's our mate, the female we love. We should rightfully be able to get retribution.
Let's see how she is and what the doctors know before planning a revenge operation.
You're too fucking calm.
One of us has to be right now, if we want to help Ivy the best we can.
His dragon paced inside his mind but at least remained silent as Zain entered the back entrance to the surgery building.
Emily Davies emerged from one of the rooms he passed and called after him. Zain turned around and barked, "Where is she?"
The human was used to dragon-shifters and their orders after living on Stonefire for so long, so didn't bat an eyelash. "Come with me. And save your questions for later, or I'll put you in a waiting room until Dr. Sid or Gregor has time to speak with you."
Even though Zain could probably punch a hole into the wall of any room in the building and find a way to escape, he merely grunted. "Fine."
The female guided him toward one of the smaller storage rooms. Only once the door was closed did she move toward the back and pushed against a section of the wall. It clicked and slid open, revealing yet another secret entrance, but one he hadn't known existed.
Since all he cared about was finding out what had happened to his mate, Zain didn't ask anything about it lest Dr. Davies carried out her threat to leave him somewhere to wait in agony.
After descending several flights of stairs, the human finally stopped at a door, pressed her thumb to a small scanner, and entered the area.
He barely paid attention to the number of doors or the layout. His mind kept trying to play out the worst-case scenarios for Ivy, and it took all of his energy to push them back.
Right now, his mate needed him to be strong for her. He couldn't s
uffer any distractions.
Emily finally stopped in front of a door at the very end of the hallway and stated, "Promise me that you won't start yelling at the doctors, and we'll go in, but not before."
In any other situation, he would've admired the human's strength. However, Zain merely replied, "Yes, fine, I promise. Now, show me Ivy."
She opened the door and moved out of the way. What he saw made him stop breathing.
Ivy lay pale—paler than usual—in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator and various monitoring devices. And even though he'd watched over her for nearly a year when she was unconscious, she'd at least breathed on her own during that time.
Her condition was worse, much worse, this time around. She might die.
He rushed toward her, but Gregor stepped in front of him. "Not yet, lad. We need to talk to you first."
Clenching his fingers into a fist, Zain gritted out, "About what?"
Gregor's voice was softer as he said, "I know you want to touch your mate, probably talk to her, and try to comfort her. However, she's in critical condition right now. And even the slightest movement could send her over the edge."
Never taking his eyes off Ivy's face, he asked, "What's wrong with her?"
Gregor didn't miss a beat. "She's been poisoned. Not the same as the one used on her with the Knights. Nor would the dosage we think was used on her normally be enough to put someone into such a critical condition. However, with her underlying one, it was enough."
Despite the fact man and beast wanted to rush over and hold their mate close, and tell her to hold on, Zain forced his brain to work. "So someone knew what they were doing."
Emily chimed in. "It seems so. If Nurse Ginny hadn't found her when she did, it might've been too late."
His beast roared at the possibility. Zain managed to remain the calmer of the two of them. "Can you help her?"
Emily was the one to reply. "We think so. If we use the treatment Sid and Gregor talked to you about, it may be enough to move her from critical to merely feeling ill for a few days."
He snarled, "Then why haven't you fucking done it already?"
Unfazed, Emily stated, "We need your permission since we can't obtain it from Ivy herself."
"Do it, and quickly."
Gregor stepped in front of Zain, blocking his view of Ivy. Zain was about to tell him to move when the doctor said, "I can't guarantee it will work, Zain. You need to understand that. It could make things worse since the treatment didn't factor in her recently weakened state."
"Is there any other way?" he demanded. When both doctors said no, then Zain motioned toward Ivy. "She'll die without any treatment, right?"
Gregor nodded. "Correct."
"Then fucking give her the treatment."
Emily said softly, "You may want to wait outside, then. We can't risk your dragon taking control and stopping us partway through the process."
His dragon snarled, I would never do anything to endanger our mate. Tell them so.
Are you sure? I don't want to leave Ivy, either. But if she's in pain, you may lose reason.
I won't bloody lose my head. We should be here.
Just in case she doesn't survive was left unsaid.
Pushing aside the negative thought—Ivy needed as much hope and positivity as he could muster—he looked at each doctor in turn. "We'll both behave and stay out of the way. Just help her, please."
Gregor studied his eyes a second before nodding. "Aye, then let's get to it, Emily." He motioned toward the side of the room. "Wait over there until we say it's safe to approach your mate, Zain."
Zain followed the order and stood out of the way. He watched as the pair took something from a refrigerator, prepped some medical supplies, and then stood to either side of Ivy as they laid a large, blanket-like object over her.
It was difficult to see her with the tube in her mouth and wires attached to various parts of her body. His female had come so bloody far, fought with all her might to merely walk again, and was back at point zero.
His beast murmured, She will walk again. There's no way she'd let us carry her everywhere.
He almost smiled. No, she wouldn't, would she?
Gregor finally met his gaze again. "We're going to start. The first part will be the most difficult as we need to lower her body temperature before we administer the treatment. Are you ready?"
As soon as he bobbed his head, Gregor and Emily murmured some last instructions to one another before Emily flipped a switch.
At first, it seemed like nothing happened. But soon, the machine used to monitor Ivy's vital signs beeped faster and faster. While he wasn't a nurse or doctor, he knew what most of the displayed information meant.
Ivy's body temperature was dropping. Fast.
Every muscle in his body itched to dash over, tear the blanket-like object off her, and hold her close to warm her up.
But he trusted the doctors. Even if he sometimes complained about the Scottish bloke, Sid would never have put up with, let alone mated, an idiot.
As one second passed, and then another and another, Zain clenched his fingers into fists and resisted rushing to his mate's side. The treatment wasn't something he could do, and it killed him that he couldn't protect his mate in all ways.
His dragon said, No one can. Even I know that.
Emily quickly flipped the blanket down, and Gregor administered one, two, three different injections before Emily put the blanket back. Both watched the monitors, waiting for something, although he had no idea what.
As the machine beeped louder, Zain couldn't contain his growl. For all he knew, she could be dying. "Help her," he ordered.
Emily never removed her gaze from the monitors. "Nearly there."
Two seconds later, she flipped a switch, and Gregor administered one last injection.
That's when Ivy's body temperature began to rise.
Each degree it climbed, his heart slowed down a fraction. He had no fucking idea if she was out of the woods, but at least she wouldn't die of hypothermia, or whatever it was that could kill someone with a low body temperature.
After what seemed like hours—but was probably only minutes—Gregor finally turned toward Zain. "Come stand by her side and talk to her. She needs to hear your voice."
Not needing a nudge, he rushed over but didn't touch her yet. "Does this mean she'll recover?"
"We won't know until she wakes up or starts breathing on her own. But if you're extremely gentle, you can hold her hand to let her know you're here."
Emily placed a stool near the bed, Zain sat, and gingerly took Ivy's hand in his.
Her skin was like ice, and her fingers completely lax.
So different from when she was awake and tugging him toward her latest breakthrough or attempt at cooking.
He'd suffer a million burnt soups and sandwiches to merely see her smile again.
Zain cleared his throat to help push back the emotions that threatened to spill forward. He wanted to tell Ivy how much he loved her, needed her, couldn't live without her. Only then would he scold her for nearly dying and threaten to bring her back to life only to kill her again if she left him.
However, he'd never been a male who easily expressed feelings in front of others. So he gently squeezed her hand and murmured, "Come back to me, love."
Gregor placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll give you a few minutes alone, aye? However, press the call button right there next to the bed at the slightest change in her condition."
He nodded. "I will."
"Good. Either Emily or I will be back soon to check on you both."
Zain barely noticed as the doctors finished cleaning up and left him alone with Ivy.
As soon as the door closed, he whispered, "Ivy, love, wake up so I can tell you how brilliant you are. That plan of yours, the one to take down the Dragon Knights, is something we never could've done on our own. And if everyone on Stonefire doesn't realize how clever you are, or that you're devoted to protecting us, then
I say chuck them out of the clan as soon as possible."
Ivy remained motionless.
Zain's entire world verged on one experimental treatment. And as he stared at his mate's pale face, all thoughts of taking down the Dragon Knights faded to the background. His female was his future, no matter what happened to the Knights. And she needed him now more than ever.
So he settled down, told her one childhood story after the other, hoping that at some point she'd open her eyes and tell him to stop talking.
Chapter Nineteen
Noises filtered into Ivy's strange dream of riding on the back of a dragon, the tall buildings of London speeding below her, along with the River Thames.
And yet as she went along, chatter came from behind her—the sound of children. She wasn't alone on the dragon's back, which made her frown. If she could barely hold on, then children should most definitely not be on a flying dragon.
She shouted as much to the dragon, but the beast kept alternately beating its wings and gliding on the air currents.
Ivy needed to at least make sure the children quieted down and held tightly onto her. However, as she tried to turn around, she couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.
Then the noises grew louder until one finally became audible, "Come on, Freddie. We should go again. You might win finally."
The reply faded into a garble Ivy couldn't understand.
Why would Freddie and Daisy be in her dreams? Not to mention what sort of game could they play on the back of a flying dragon?
Then the dream-dragon instantly appeared along the White Cliffs of Dover. A beat later, it dove straight for the English Channel, and she screamed as the beast pulled up at the last second, skimming the water with its talons.
Daisy's voice filtered through once more. "Auntie Ivy? Are you okay?"
Then Zain's voice filled her ears. "Ivy, love, are you there? Can you open your eyes?"
Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 12) Page 16