Zain. She yearned to feel his arms around her, his heat and scent invading her senses.
But Ivy couldn't make her eyes work, let along move anything else.
Had she fallen into another bloody coma?
Someone touched her face. "Ivy." It was Zain again. "Come back to us, love. Please."
The gentle, begging tone of his voice didn't sit right with her. Zain was supposed to be strong and stubborn, and most definitely not pleading with her about something.
Maybe she was dying.
Rather than let the thought terrorize her, it only strengthened her resolve to open her eyes.
Concentrating, she imagined light invading her pupils, allowing her to see everyone and everything in the room.
After who knew how much time passed by, she managed to crack her eyes. And then a bit more, until light temporarily blinded her.
She blinked a few seconds before she clearly saw Zain, Daisy, and Freddie, all standing around her bed, looking down at her.
Zain was the first to speak. "There you are, my human. It's about bloody time you woke up."
She wanted to growl but barely managed a croak.
Smiling, Zain leaned down and whispered, "You can scold me soon enough, love." He gently kissed her cheek, the warmth of his lips on her skin giving her a rush of strength. "But for now, just try to keep your eyes open until the doctors arrive."
Daisy raised her hand. "I'll go get them!"
Zain said to her, "Take Freddie with you."
The pair raced out of the room, leaving her alone with Zain.
As she looked into his deep brown eyes, she struggled not to cry. She had no idea why she'd been out again, but now that she was awake, she was grateful she could be with her mate again. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't want him to move on and be with anyone else since she'd barely had any time alone with him herself.
She hadn't even told him how she loved him yet.
After that, she'd be a little more magnanimous.
He stroked the hair away from her face as he said, "I'm here. I'll always be here."
Maybe some would think it was hyperbole, but she knew he'd been by her side as much as possible.
They continued staring into one another's eyes—Ivy trying to convey how much she wanted him to hold her and never let go—until a few people rushed into the room. Dr. Sid's brown eyes and pony-tailed head came into view first. "Move, Zain. I need to examine Ivy."
She expected Zain to growl, but he merely complied, moving so Dr. Sid and Emily could both be at her side.
Ivy wasn't sure if she should be worried about his complacency or not.
Dr. Sid spoke first, as she flashed a small light into Ivy's eyes. "Can you talk yet?"
It took a lot of effort for her to say, "No."
Sid smiled. "That was a word." Her face returned to its normal stern expression. "Since you're probably curious about what happened to you, I'll explain it all as Emily checks you over." As Sid recounted how someone had poisoned her, as well as the doctors trying the experimental cure, Ivy's jaw would've dropped open if she could've managed it.
Dr. Sid added, "However, the fact you're awake is a good sign, a very good sign. You might be past the worst of it yet."
With a bit of effort, she croaked, "How long…to…recover?"
"I'm not sure. But the good news is that your most recent blood tests show you're no longer poisonous to anyone. So once you're strong enough, you can finally kiss your mate." Sid looked at Zain and raised her brows. "Don't think of trying it earlier than when we say you can do it, either."
Something passed between Sid and Zain, some kind of information they didn't want to tell her.
And as much as she wanted to demand answers, her throat ached and her entire body was heavy, sort of like when she'd first woken up from her coma.
If—no, when—she could walk on her own two feet again, she'd never take it for granted.
Emily finished her quick examination, nodded, and met Ivy's gaze. "Everything seems normal right now. I need to draw more blood, but then you can have some ice chips and spend a bit of time alone with Zain."
Zain snorted. "We'll see if that comes true or not. Daisy has tried to be in this room as much as possible, something about having a lot of energy and wanting to give Ivy some of it to help her wake up and walk again."
She attempted to laugh, but it turned into a quick, dry cough.
Emily nodded to herself. "Right, then let me draw your blood so Zain can help you with your throat."
As the doctor quickly did so, Ivy couldn't tear her gaze away from Zain. To most people, he'd look nonchalant and in control.
But she'd spent a lot of time with her mate—at least when she'd been conscious—and she noticed the faint circles under his eyes and the overly long stubble on his cheeks.
She hated that she'd been the one to cause him distress. But once she was well, she would make it up to him.
Starting with their first bloody kiss on the lips.
Zain did his best to remain calm as he watched the two female doctors do their work. But on the inside, he was a wreck.
He wasn't a male who cried often, but when Ivy had finally opened her eyes, he'd nearly done it. Only the two children in the room had prevented him from breaking down.
The doctors had said that once Ivy woke up, the worst of the danger should be over.
"Should" being the operative word, but he'd take it.
And now his mate was awake, staring at him from across the room, her beautiful eyes conveying more than anything she could say in the moment.
He couldn't wait to talk with her without anyone else listening.
His dragon spoke up. You'd better bloody tell her you love her when you get the chance. No more waiting.
I agree, no more waiting, dragon.
Good. And once you do that, then hold her, kiss her jaw, her cheek, her temple, and say it again.
Zain mentally grunted. Someone's becoming romantic.
Don't tease me. You know how close she came to dying. If you won't treasure her, then I'll take control and do it myself.
Zain mentally growled. Of course I'll treasure her. Just let the doctors do their work first, okay?
Fine.
He went back to watching the doctors work on Ivy, the time ticking by slowly.
When Emily finally finished collecting her blood sample, she left the room. Dr. Sid finished whispering something into Ivy's ear before walking over to him. The doctor said, "I can give you five minutes with her, but I really want a nurse or doctor in here with Ivy for the first few hours to monitor things closely."
Just in case Ivy experienced any of the side effects the doctors had disclosed.
One of which meant she could fall back into a coma—one she'd never wake up from.
His dragon chimed in. She just has to make it through one day. If Ivy survives the first twenty-four hours after waking up, the doctors are fairly confident she'll make a full recovery.
Only twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes to go.
Zain finally replied to Sid, "I'll take whatever time with her I can get." He lowered his voice to a level only a dragon-shifter would be able to hear. "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to leave and find sleep somewhere else. Not until Ivy passes out of the danger zone will I do more than go into the attached toilet."
Sid bobbed her head. "I completely understand." She laid a hand on his bicep. "We're one step closer to this being over, Zain. Then you can finally enjoy having a mate."
With that, the doctor left, leaving him alone with Ivy.
He met his mate's eyes again and walked slowly toward her until he stood next to her bed. Never breaking his gaze, he took her hand in his and said, "I love you, Ivy."
She smiled faintly. Then her scratchy voice whispered, "I love you, too."
Even though he'd suspected as much, the words sent a rush of euphoria throughout his body, making his heart warm. "I'm sure some people would've waited unti
l you were fully recovered, but I couldn't, Ivy. I put it off too long before you were poisoned, and I wasn't going to let the chance pass by again."
"Well, a little passed."
He snorted and then lightly caressed her cheek with a finger as he replied, "I'm glad your humor is still intact." Leaning down, he kissed her cheek and murmured, "Soon enough I'll be able to kiss you properly, and teasing me should be the last thing on your mind."
"Don't tease me."
At the scratchiness of her voice, he remembered her throat. Kissing her cheek one more time, he reached for the cup of ice chips and sat on the side of her bed. He placed a small piece of ice at her lips—lips that were full and tempting despite how he shouldn't notice, showing his selfish side at wanting to kiss her right then—and slowly fed her one, and then another. After she finished with the second one, he finally spoke again. "I'll always tease you, love. So if you can't handle it, then maybe you should petition for a divorce right now."
She rolled her eyes. When she replied, her voice was less scratchy. "Just before I can finally kiss you, you want a divorce."
His dragon growled. Don't let her think that.
She's joking.
I don't care. Treasure her, remember.
I will, but I won't smother her with overprotectiveness so soon, either. She'd hate that.
Ivy's voice interrupted his conversation. "What does your dragon have to say?"
"He's being more overprotective than you've seen before."
His mate smiled faintly. "Just tell him that I'll give him loads of ear scratches as soon as I can manage it. Maybe that will help calm him down."
It's a start. But until we fully claim her, I won't be calm. At all.
Ignoring his dragon, Zain said to Ivy, "He'll like it, of course." He gave her another ice chip before adding, "But being able to kiss you will help even more."
Once she finished the ice, she asked, "Who will it help more—you or the dragon?"
"Both," he stated without missing a beat.
"Me too." She reached out to touch his thigh. Despite the thick material of his jeans, it burned his skin. She continued, "But it's still going to be a while, right? In case it kicks off a mate-claim frenzy?"
Zain decided to be honest with her. "Even if you were mine before—and I don't know for sure if that was true—it may not happen now, Ivy. The doctors didn't have time to explain it to you, but the treatment they gave you alters your DNA a fraction, enough to make you appear a different person to a dragon's instinct."
Maybe if she hadn’t met Zain or formed friendships during her time on Stonefire, she might’ve reeled from the news. However, being alive—especially given her chance at a future with happiness—was more important than subtly altered DNA.
She finally replied, "Either way, it doesn't matter to me." She hesitated before asking, "Will you be disappointed if I'm not?"
He growled before cupping her cheek. "Of course I bloody won't be. You're mine, human. So get used to that idea."
"I think I just might be able to, as long as I get to say you're mine, too."
Zain wanted to kiss her until they were both breathless, but somehow, he managed to only stroke the soft skin of her cheek with his thumb. "Everyone already knows I'm yours, but you can make signs and post them on the cottage front door if you like, just to be sure."
She laughed, and even if it was a bit scratchy, it was music to his ears. He loved each and every time his mate laughed, and he would work harder to make it happen more often.
His dragon snorted, clearly in a better mood now. No one will believe you could do that, even if they see it.
We've seen over and over again how a good mate can change a dragon-shifter for the better. Why would people not believe we can make ours laugh?
His dragon sighed. Because some will never believe a dragon and a former Knight could truly be happy.
Well, fuck them and their ignorance. Because I'm not giving up our human.
Zain finally spoke aloud again. "Be prepared to be spoiled for a while, and not just by me, either." He gestured to the drawings on the wall. "Daisy has become quite taken with you, and has spent most of her time here with Freddie, drawing furiously to decorate your room."
Ivy's gaze darted around to the different walls before meeting his again. "I love them. It's much better than before, when no one wanted anything to do with me. At least now I have two children who want to be friends with me."
Not wanting Ivy to remember the tumultuous first weeks after waking up from her year-long coma, he focused on Daisy again. "Don't worry, you'll have more than enough drawings to use at home, too. Daisy has persuaded Tristan and other teachers to have their students make pictures for you as well, ones depicting different aspects of dragon-shifter history."
She smiled again finally, and the sight made him relax a fraction. "Normally I don't like to rely on others' versions of history, but I think I'll make an exception this time."
He snorted. "If you can even figure out what they are about. Some of the young ones' art is one massive collection of colors."
"That doesn't matter. I'll still treasure them."
As she fell silent, he wondered if she thought about their own children one day.
Pushing the thought aside—his first priority was Ivy above all else—he changed the subject. "On behalf of all of Stonefire, thanks for the email and idea you sent us about how to take down the Dragon Knights."
Ivy perked up a little. "Will Kai and the others use it?"
"Probably, although with a few additions of his own. He and the DDA are in the midst of talks right now."
Ivy opened her mouth to probably ask more questions, but someone knocked on the door before Sid walked in.
And while Zain knew Sid only wanted to help, a small part of him wanted the doctor to go away for a bit longer.
His dragon spoke up. Now who's impatient?
Shut it, dragon.
As Zain watched Sid ask Ivy questions and reveal her preliminary blood results—which were promising—the image of him standing next to Ivy in the surgery, her holding their child, flashed back into his head.
Yes, he wanted that future. Which made him accept something that had been floating around the back of his mind—he'd have to give up his chance to take down the Dragon Knights. Supporting Ivy, loving her, and ensuring she knew she needed to stay alive was far more important than one mission or operation.
And given how Kai and the DDA wanted to act sooner rather than later, Ivy would still need him when everything went down with the Knights. However, he would continue helping Bram and Kai deal with the traitor who’d given up Ivy’s location. That would have to be enough to appease his beast when it came to protecting their female.
Chapter Twenty
Two weeks later, Ivy sat upright in her bed inside the hospital with Zain at her side and wished for once her mate wasn't there.
The dragon clans of the UK and Ireland, as well as the Department of Dragon Affairs in both countries, were about to start their mission to take down the Dragon Knights once and for all.
Not able to stop herself, she said, "You should be with them, Zain."
He sighed as he cuddled her closer against his side. "We've been through this a million times, love. You need me more."
She bit her lip to keep from rehashing her reasoning.
Ivy had survived the first twenty-four hours after receiving her special treatment and had been doing better each day.
Dr. Sid said it was only a matter of days before she could go home to her cottage with Zain.
In other words, she was on the mend and didn't need constant supervision.
Her mate hadn't agreed, of course, despite his experimental treatment also succeeding and thus protecting him against any of the drugs the Knights may have. Instead, Zain had only encouraged others to volunteer for the shots, too.
Not that any of her arguments for him going mattered anymore. It was past the point of no return—the operati
on would start in a matter of minutes—so she snuggled against him and played with the small peek of chest hair at the neckline of his top.
Both of them stared at the speakers on the side table, ones that would broadcast the most important information to certain individuals inside Stonefire.
Zain had fought with Kai and Bram about it, saying Ivy needed to hear it all, too, for closure.
And while she'd tried to give half-hearted protests, she secretly agreed she needed to hear everything play out in real time.
Maybe if she was on her own, hated by everyone around her, it might've been too much to take in.
However, as she breathed in Zain's scent and soaked up his body heat, she wasn't alone.
She never would be again.
The thought erased some of her tension, and Ivy finally spoke again, gesturing toward the speakers. "Thank you again for arranging it all."
He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead—doctor's orders still didn't allow them to kiss on the lips yet. "We'll see how Dacian does as an announcer."
The young dragonman had passed all his final tests with the Protectors and was a full-fledged one now. However, he was still new, and the newest member had been stuck with the announcer task. "Well, he likes football a lot, so hopefully all those years of watching matches will give him an idea of how to make it interesting."
Zain snorted. "He'll be receiving information from multiple sites simultaneously, with only Nate, Lucien, and Hudson to help him. He’ll probably be overwhelmed to the point where making it entertaining will be the least of his worries."
She shook her head. "It's not entirely true that he'll be doing it with a team of three. The other dragon clans in the UK and Ireland each have people helping to sort all the information, too."
He grunted. "Maybe. Technology will help him, for sure. Something like this would've been a hell of a lot more difficult even thirty years ago."
Dacian's voice came over the speaker, preventing them from saying anything else. "The Knights have received their coded warning thanks to the IT specialists' plant and have begun their mass exodus. Everyone is in place to capture them as they flee."
Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 12) Page 17