by Olivia Myers
He dropped the chart off at the nurse's station as he yawned. That's when he realized that he had never gotten the coffee he needed. As he hurried down to his favorite coffee cart, he thought about ordering one of his favorite sugary concoctions, but he was dragging and he needed something to jolt him awake. He ordered plain black coffee and made his way back upstairs.
There was no reason for him to check on his new patient again, but something pulled Isaac toward the man’s room. He planned to just walk past and have another peek. Completely harmless and casual. The only problem was that as soon as Isaac peered into his patient's room, he noticed that the patient was awake. How was he awake already?
"Hey, Emily," Isaac said as he quickly stopped at the nurse's station. "Could you pull John Doe's chart for me? I apologize; I didn't think I would need it again so soon."
"Sure, Dr. Bradford. No problem." The nurse smiled as she handed him the file back.
As soon as the file was in hand, Isaac was turning around to go into the patient's room. He had so many questions to ask, plus there was a part of Isaac that was simply excited for the chance to hear the man's voice. As soon as Isaac turned around, however, he noticed that the man was up and on his feet like he was trying to leave.
How the hell was he already out of bed already?
Isaac rushed into the room to stop him, "Uh, sir? You can't do that. In fact, you need to lie back down; you just had surgery."
As soon as Isaac spoke, the man froze and was completely tense. Isaac expected the man to turn around and say something to him, but his back remained to him and he didn't say anything.
Isaac walked toward him, cautiously. As handsome as this man may be, no one knew who he was, and he might be dangerous. Isaac wasn't going to touch the man, just get a little closer. The only problem was that when he got closer, there was a magnetic pull.
Before Isaac could even think about stopping himself, he was reaching out to touch the back of the man's shoulder. It was astounding to feel the muscles underneath his fingertips.
"Sir? Could you please get back into the bed?" Isaac tried asking again; maybe the man was slightly confused from the anesthesia.
The patient still didn't look at Isaac but climbed back into the bed. Machinery was the only noise in the room. The man looked slightly dazed, which could explain the strange behavior. Isaac had to figure out exactly how lucid the man was.
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Isaac asked.
The man was silent for a moment, not responding to Isaac. But he could see the patient glance at him. It also gave Isaac the chance to see the man's eye color for the first time. His eyes were black, almost as black as his hair. There was something different about this patient.
"I was jumped and stabbed," he finally responded.
"Yes, you were. You also had to have surgery to correct the wound," Isaac clarified for the man.
Isaac decided it was best to give the patient a moment to digest the information that was most likely flooding his brain. So he got up and took a look at the man's stats to make sure that everything was normal.
"I need to leave," the patient said.
Isaac looked back in shock to see the man attempting to get out of bed once more.
"I'm afraid that's not possible,” Isaac said. “You were extremely hurt. You still are hurt. You aren't going anywhere."
"You really don't understand," the man said.
For whatever reason, the man seemed like he was strong enough to get out of bed, but he shouldn't be. Isaac couldn't let his patient get out of bed once more in fear of him hurting himself worse. He walked forward to where the man was half off of the bed and put both of his hands on his chest, trying to stop him. The only problem was, when Isaac was touching the man as he was, there was an electrical current running through his body. It instantly made him embarrassingly hard.
Isaac had to think of a way to keep him here, and quick. "I think you’re the one who doesn't understand, sir. I can't let you go anywhere. Besides, I have some questions to ask you."
For whatever reason, it seemed to work and the man lowered himself back into the bed to Isaac's relief. But he did growl. As weird as that was, Isaac was simply relieved that the man was back where he needed to be.
Then Isaac was shocked when his patient looked straight into his face for the first time. It was almost as if all of the air in the room was vacuumed out, leaving nothing but suffocating silence. This first eye-to-eye connection was the most intense thing that Isaac had ever experienced. Isaac was painfully hard. His cock was straining against his pants, desperately trying to break free. His heart was pounding and his hands were becoming slick with perspiration.
"I can't stay here forever," the man whispered.
Isaac chuckled as he sat down in the chair that was placed by his patient's bedside, "I'm not asking you to stay here forever. Just until you're nice and healed."
Isaac's heart was still racing after their initial eye contact, but it felt as if it stopped completely when the man smirked up at Isaac.
"Alas, I don't think our timelines are the same."
Isaac decided to discuss the other things on his mind, trying to distract his patient. "What is your name? When you came in, we looked for an ID so we could call your family, but we couldn't find anything."
"Drake Tal Avivender."
"Is there anyone you want us to call?" Isaac asked as he wrote down the man's name.
"No. There's no one I want here currently. I have no more family," Drake said as he shook his head.
It was hard for Isaac to hear Drake's confession because it hit a little too close to home for him. He hadn't lost all of his family, thankfully, but losing his father was still painful. It was hard to imagine what his patient had felt losing everyone rather than one member of his family.
It was obvious that Isaac had been quiet for far too long when Drake said, "Don't worry about it. It happened a long time ago."
"Nonetheless, I'm sorry for whatever happened with your family."
"I appreciate that."
Isaac stood from his chair, "I have paperwork to do, but I'll be back to check on you soon."
"Wait. What is your name?" Drake asked.
"Dr. Bradford. Isaac Dylan Bradford."
Isaac had gotten slightly used to being around the man, because Drake didn't have as much of an effect on Isaac as he did initially. Or so he thought. On his way out the door, Isaac stopped to pick up his coffee he had set down. Then Drake smiled at him. Isaac felt as if he was going to have a heart attack and he almost dropped his coffee.
He quickly made his way out of the room, determined not to make a fool of himself.
"Sorry about that," he apologized as he handed Drake's chart back to the nurses. "I found out his name."
Emily quirked an eyebrow at Isaac. "Really? What is it?"
"Drake Avivender."
Isaac was walking away when another nurse, Samantha, stopped him, "Is it true what everyone is saying?"
"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.
"That he heals before your eyes," Samantha clarified.
Isaac scoffed, "I wouldn't quite say that. His healing is slightly accelerated, but it's nothing like what everyone is making it out to be."
"Dr. Bradford," Emily exclaimed, "your patient is trying to leave."
Isaac couldn't help but roll his eyes; he had believed that Drake would stop trying to walk out of the hospital after major surgery. He rushed back into Drake's room.
"You really need to stop doing that," Isaac scolded as he pushed Drake back into the bed. He knew that Drake must be humoring him because there was no way that he should be able to physically move the man at all. "Now let me look at your incision. I want to make sure that you didn't pull any of your stitches."
Drake sighed as Isaac pulled up his gown once more.
When Isaac saw the incision site, his breath caught in his throat. This was impossible. There was no way that what Isaac was seeing with his own eyes was
real. He had never felt so crazy as he did at this moment. There were no stitches at all. Somehow, the wound was completely healed and there was bright pink new flesh.
It should've taken a couple of weeks for the stitches to dissolve, not a couple of hours.
Who was this man?
It was starting to look like the surgeon's story wasn't as exaggerated as Isaac had originally thought.
"How is this possible?" Isaac whispered.
Drake sighed. "It's complicated, but this is just one of the reasons that I've been trying to leave.”
Isaac looked up into the man's beautiful face, "What are you?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Drake scoffed.
"Try me."
"Let me go," Drake whispered.
Isaac shook his head., "I'm sorry, I can't do that."
It was obvious that Isaac had made Drake angry with his answer. Isaac felt torn. On one hand, Isaac had a professional obligation to keep Drake in the hospital. The scholar in him urged to figure out what the hell was going on with the man. He thirsted for the knowledge. On the other hand, Isaac felt that if he did keep the man here, no one would ever let him leave. The man would be poked, prodded, and studied. He was such a beautiful creature. It would kill Isaac to be the one who condemned him to that life.
Chapter Three
Drake was out of the bed in an instant and in Isaac's face. "I tried being nice to you. I have to leave. It's not an option. So get out of my way, or I'll make you."
Isaac gave Drake a look up and down. "You aren't going to hurt me."
Drake got closer to the man and leaned over him as he whispered, "You don't know that."
In all honesty, there was no way that Drake would ever be able to hurt his mate. The one he would love forever, even if this was the only moment they would be together. He could never harm the beautiful man in front of him. Being so close to Isaac confused Drake's senses. He was torn between wanting to take the man right here and continuing to intimidate him for his freedom. There was even a whisper urging him in the back of his mind to grab the man and kiss him senseless.
Isaac shook his head. "Try to fool me all you will. I may not know exactly what is going on, but I am not stupid. I know along with all these strange abilities you seem to have that you also have feelings. There are weirdly intense feelings between us. You won’t hurt me."
Drake took a shocked step back as if someone had forcefully pushed him backward. This man was unlike any human that Drake had ever met. And he was correct—everything that Isaac had said was completely spot on. There were only a few missing pieces to the puzzle. No human had ever come to terms with anything regarding dragon shifters that quickly.
The two of them had been so loud when they were talking back and forth about Drake trying to leave, now that they were quiet, there was something new happening—yelling, out in the hallway. Shit.
Drake had been here too long. He had to make sure that he wasn't being paranoid and rash. He stepped around Isaac before the other man could stop him. When he peered out of the window and into the hallway, Drake saw them. It was the man who had stabbed Drake in the alleyway just mere hours ago—and he had brought some friends with him.
Drake had to leave. Now.
Drake starting moving to the window when a voice stopped him.
Isaac said, “What the hell do you think you are doing?"
Drake looked over his shoulder to where Isaac was standing, stunned. Drake's original plan was to get out of this hospital alone. But things were much more complicated than that now. They had immediately become more difficult when Dr. Isaac Bradford had walked through that door. There were eight dangerous men in the hospital, and there was no way that Drake was going to leave his mate here.
Without a second thought, Drake grabbed Isaac around the waist and ran toward the window. It was painful for him to realize that he had terrified the poor human. Isaac’s whole body was trembling with fear. Drake shielded Isaac's body as best as he could as they hurtled through the glass. Drake landed on the concrete below. He landed on his feet with grace, cradling his mate's body against him. There wasn't a second to waste, so Drake took off sprinting as fast as he could.
They were too visible just outside the hospital. Drake didn't want the men to even get a glimpse of them. He had to get out of here fast, and the only way to do that would be to shift. He carried Isaac as fast as he could manage toward the forest that lay not too far from the edge of the hospital's parking lot.
"Where the hell are we going?" Isaac yelled.
Drake couldn't blame the poor man. He had just been basically abducted by one of his patients. For all Isaac knew, Drake could be a crazed murderer and Isaac his next victim. Besides being taken suddenly and unwillingly, they were traveling quite fast. The only problem was that things were about to get a lot weirder for Isaac and he didn't even know it.
"You'll see," Drake muttered, which probably didn't do anything to help Isaac feel better.
They were finally in the cover of the trees when Drake started to rip off his dreadful hospital gown and the wires that were still hanging from his body.
His mate had a mixture of emotions on his face. "What are you doing?"
"I'm getting ready to shift," Drake informed him.
"Shift? Are you actually crazy?"
Drake shook his head, "No, but you're about to think that you are."
"What do you—" Isaac started to question.
Drake stopped him by placing both of his hands on Isaac’s shoulders. The touch instantly distracted Drake from what the original purpose was. He only regained his focus when he remembered that there were murderous men chasing after them.
"You have to listen to me, Isaac," he urged. "What you're about to see is going to shock you to your very core. But if you want to live, then you need to do exactly as I say."
Isaac looked hesitant, but he nodded nonetheless.
"In a moment, after I shift,” Drake said, “you need to hop onto my back. I will keep you safe, I promise."
Isaac just stared at Drake, and Drake couldn't blame him. This was past comprehension for the human mind. Wasting no more time, Drake quickly reached down deep inside of him and found the beast hiding within the depths of his soul. It was stirring, knowing danger was there, wanting to protect his mate. He called upon the ancient magic swirling inside of him and let his beast take over.
Shifting wasn't painful, he had been able to shift as long as he could remember. Shifters were born with the ability and learned to harness the magic in the early years. After a couple of years, it became second nature. It felt like cool water running over Drake's skin; it was exciting and enthralling. He could feel his form shift and when he opened his eyes, everything was in stunning clarity. He could see ten times farther than any human could ever wish to. He lowered his now gigantic body to the ground so Isaac would have an easier time getting onto his back.
Drake turned his huge head to look at his mate, who honestly looked like he had just seen Drake kill someone, not shift into a dragon. He huffed and jerked his head toward his back, urging Isaac to do as he told him.
Isaac looked at Drake as if he was absolutely mental and there was no way Isaac was going to do what Drake wanted.
Panic bloomed in Drake’s chest. He was honestly starting to think that Isaac wasn't going to jump onto his back. If Isaac wouldn't do as he asked, then there was nothing he was going to be able to do. It was proving hard enough to get away from this group of men, and discovering his mate had seriously complicated things. Why couldn't they have met any other time?
Just when Drake was thinking that all hope was lost, Isaac stepped forward and climbed onto Drake's back. Drake hummed to show his thanks to Isaac for listening to him. With no hesitation, Drake rose to his full height and unfurled his wings. His feet pushed him off of the ground and his wings started going up and down. Soon they were soaring through the trees.
In Drake's life, he had experienced many things. The
re was nothing that even came close to flying. It was the best experience for any dragon shifter. The wind rushed past his body and smoothed over every surface. It caressed his body as he soared through the air. There was nothing like the speed. No car on Earth could travel as fast as a dragon did. It was exhilarating to see everything fly past his eyes. Flying made Drake want to laugh and scream.
Apparently, Isaac was thinking the same thing as he let out loud yells that echoed and bounced around them.
Hearing that his mate found flying as amazing as he did warmed Drake's heart. He was starting to realize that his life was shifting in these short few moments. He was starting to think less about what would make him happy, but what would make Isaac happy instead. The combined feeling of giving Isaac a new experience, and taking him to safety was all Drake ever needed.
There was nothing that would ever be able to compare to darting through the wind, except maybe one thing. Drake had heard from other shifters that having sex with your mate is the only thing that could come exceed the joy of flying.
It didn't take long for Drake to reach the compound that he shared with the triplets. He flew over the gates that guarded the building and flew around the back. When Drake had built the place, he made sure to include a big piece of land in the back so they would be able to have room to shift in the privacy of their own land.
He landed on the ground and lowered his body once more, waiting for Isaac to slip off. It took Isaac a moment and Drake couldn't blame him; he was probably stunned after everything that had happened in the last hour. Drake waited patiently until he felt Isaac's body move and slide down his side. Once his mate's feet safely hit the ground, Drake took a few steps away so he could shift back into his human form.
Shifting back into a human felt slightly different than shifting into a dragon. When he shifted into a dragon, it was a cool rushing feeling. When he shifted into a human, it was more of a warming sensation, like he was standing close to a fire.