Feral Dragon (Earth Dragons Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “You know the answer to that question. No, I’ve never scented a Feral in heat, but I’ve scented it on most other species,” he lifted his eyes in thought, “other shifters, vampires, our own kind and then, humans.” He nodded. “It’s distinct and unmistakable. I have no doubt I would scent it on you too.”

  “Just like you were certain that the human coverings would work.”

  His phone started vibrating again. Stone didn’t seem to even notice. “Maybe that was a faulty condom,” he blurted. “It worked last night.”

  “You really believe it was faulty?” She raised her brows. “I believe the rubbers will be hit and miss, and therefore, not suitable.” She shook her head.

  Stone clenched his jaw before finally nodding once. “You are right. I think it might happen again.”

  “It will! There is too much risk involved and too many maybes.” She took both his hands. “I want you to have a good life with a female who can give you everything.”

  “I have everything right now. I don’t want anyone else.” He squeezed her hands tightly.

  “You say that now.” She pulled in a deep breath. “I must go. I’m sorry. Before we get in too deep. Before it’s too late.” She tried to pull away, but he held on.

  Someone knocked at the door.

  “It is too late already. I’m already in too deep. I’m in love with you, Cordia. Please don’t do this.” He looked at her half-packed bag. “Please. I’ll do anything.”

  “There is nothing you can do. I’m faulty…broken. There is nothing that can be done to fix me.”

  The person knocked again, harder this time. “Go away,” Stone growled. “You are not broken,” he spoke softly, keeping his eyes on hers. “We can work around this. We have each other.”

  She shook her head, the tears falling in earnest. “It doesn’t matter how much we feel for one another. It will end in disaster. I can feel it.”

  “You don’t—”

  The door opened. Stone pushed her behind him, snarling at whoever it was that entered. “What the fuck!” he boomed, every muscle bulging.

  “I’m sorry to b-bother you,” a male stammered.

  Cordia looked over Stone’s shoulder. The male was facing the other direction. His head bowed.

  “What is so damned important that you had to barge in here?” Stone’s hands were curled into fists at his sides. The muscles on either side of his neck were roped.

  “It’s Macy…she’s in trouble. Sand has called for a healer. He also asked to send for you…and your female. He specifically mentioned her as well. Sand is out of his mind. The male needs you.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “Oh no!” Cordia grabbed a dress out of her bag. It was the one on top. She pulled the garment over her head, handing Stone a pair of pants. He pulled them on.

  “Macy is bleeding…it’s bad. She’s in terrible pain. The babies…it’s…please, you need to come.”

  Stone began walking even before the male finished talking. Cordia followed him. She couldn’t leave now. Not like this.

  Chapter 18

  Fuck!

  Shit!

  Holy fucking shit!

  His heart pounded. His palms felt sweaty and his mouth felt dry. Cordia took a few jogging strides until she was in step beside him.

  “Are you going to stay?” His voice broke slightly.

  She nodded. “For now.” Cordia sounded and looked completely together.

  “Thank you.” He took her hand in his. He couldn’t deal with her leaving just then. Not with Macy in trouble.

  “What else do you know about what’s going on? Did Sand say anything else? Did you see Macy?” Stone asked Basalt, who was walking ahead of them.

  The male glanced back, his face grave. “I don’t know anything else.” He shook his head. “I tried to call you a couple of times to warn you I was on my way. When you didn’t answer, I ran as fast as I could. I’m sorry I barged in, but…I had to get the message to you.”

  “I understand and…I was busy.” He tried to keep the growl out of his voice as he said the last. Tried not to think about the conversation he and Cordia had been having before they were interrupted. He couldn’t right then. There was a big part of him that was pissed at her. One snag in the road and she was ready to throw in the towel. Stone realized that she’d spent many years running and hiding. It was her go-to method of dealing with her problems. It was a cycle he would have to find a way to break if he was going to hold onto her. Maybe she just didn’t love him in the way that he loved her. Maybe after all this time and all she had witnessed, it just wasn’t possible. Was Cordia too closed off? Were her emotions crippled from fear?

  Stone shoved all of those thoughts aside and followed Basalt into Sand and Macy’s chamber. He could hear Macy moaning softly.

  Stone let go of Cordia’s hand and ran into the room. Meghan and Druze were there. The doctor was taking Meghan’s blood pressure.

  Sand looked up, his face was pale. His eyes wide and filled with worry. “You came.” He glanced from him to Cordia, returning his eyes to his female.

  “Of course,” Stone growled. “What happened?”

  Macy lay on the bed. She was clutching her belly, her face pulled tight with pain. Her eyes squeezed shut.

  “Mace fainted.” Sand finally pulled his gaze off Cordia, looking back at him. His friend exhaled roughly. “She was bleeding when she woke up. The pain is worse…much worse.”

  “Worse?” Stone frowned. “We were here last night. Macy seemed fine. We had dinner. We laughed…we had a good time.”

  “I know. My female has been having pains.” Sand looked down. “I knew they were worse than she was letting on. She said it was normal. We thought it was normal.” He glanced down at his mate.

  “Minor pain,” Meghan began, “discomfort is probably a better word to use ‒ is normal. The pain should not have been anything more than an irritation, however.”

  “It’s been getting worse,” Macy moaned the words. “I didn’t want to believe anything was wrong. I was so sure it was just my ligaments stretching. I thought it was more severe,” she grunted, “because it’s twins and progressing more rapidly than a human pregnancy. I swear,” she pushed out a breath, “I would never risk my babies. If I knew—” She groaned.

  “Shall I make up a draught for the pain?” Druze asked, looking concerned.

  “Not just yet,” Meghan answered him. “Where exactly does it hurt?” She directed her attention back to Macy. “Is it all over your stomach area or more to one side?”

  “It hurts here.” She held her hand over the right side of her belly.

  “Lie on your back, please. I’m going to palpate the area. Tell me if you can’t take it.”

  Macy nodded, moving to lie on her back. She winced as Meghan began to apply pressure.

  “What is it?” Stone half-yelled. “What’s wrong?”

  Meghan frowned. “It’s hard to tell.”

  “Hard to tell what?” Sand asked. “What is it, Meghan? Please!”

  Macy moaned.

  “Do you have any pain in your shoulder or in this region?” Meghan touched her gently.

  Macy shook her head, wincing. She continued to clutch her belly. “My babies… This is bad, isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid it may be, based on your symptoms,” the doctor continued. “Slightly low blood pressure, dizziness and fainting, abnormal vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain. You also have endometriosis, which is a definite cause of the diagnosis I have in mind. You can make that draught.” Meghan instructed Druze, who nodded once and walked to the back of the room.

  “Macy was treated for her condition though,” Sand said.

  “I know.” Meghan nodded. “But it is cited as one of the causes of ectopic pregnancy.”

  “What is that?” Sand asked, he kept looking at Cordia, who was standing just behind him.

  “It’s when the embryo, or in this case embryos, implant and begin to grow in the fallopian tube
instead of in the uterus. Based on the location of the pain, I’m quite sure it’s your right tube that’s affected. The fallopian tube carries the egg to the uterus. It is not designed to grow a baby to maturity.”

  “No, that can’t be,” Macy groaned. “Please don’t say it. It can’t. It just can’t!”

  “We would need an ultrasound to correctly diagnose you. As you know, that’s not possible. We already tried to give you one and there was nothing to see. I suspect it’s the hCG in the blood that makes the uterus impenetrable to ultrasound waves when a female is pregnant with a species child.”

  “So what now?” Sand asked, expression tense. “How do we fix it?”

  “Macy’s fallopian tube is being damaged by the growing embryos. The pregnancy cannot be allowed to progress. Her lowered blood pressure concerns me, as it is an indication of internal bleeding. I suggest operating to remove—”

  “No…my babies…you can’t…please,” Macy begged, tears streamed down her face.

  “I’m sorry.” Meghan smoothed the hair from her face. “I am almost one hundred percent sure of my diagnosis. Your fallopian tube may be irreparably damaged if I don’t operate right away. I’m not a gynecologist but I do feel I’m capable of performing the surgery. I don’t suggest that you wait. This is an emergency. The most we can hope for is that one of the embryos implanted in the uterus and that there is only one is in your fallopian tube, however, I don’t hold much hope. This has progressed too rapidly.”

  “Surely you can move them to where they should be?” Sand asked, looking anguished.

  “I’m afraid not.” Meghan shook her head, her eyes were filled with pity. “That’s not how this works. The embryos are too delicate for such a surgery. I will need to remove either one or both embryos immediately. I must move you to my rooms and prep for surgery. Thankfully, we do have all the necessary equipment. I will call my assistant right away.”

  “No! You can’t! I won’t let you!” Macy shouted.

  “You could die if I don’t perform the surgery,” Meghan stated, looking Macy in the eyes. “At best, you would survive but you would lose function of one of your ovaries. You could even be rendered infertile. That’s the best-case scenario.”

  Sand kept looking at Cordia. Why was he staring at his female?

  “I don’t care!” Macy pushed out. “Don’t hurt them, please.”

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you but with the way you are bleeding, they are probably gone already or will be very soon.” Meghan’s whole stance had softened. Her eyes were filled with empathy.

  “No.” Macy pushed her head into the pillow and wailed.

  Sand was completely distraught. A tear rolled down the male’s cheek.

  Fuck! Stone didn’t know what to do or to say. This was a mess.

  Sand looked up, eyes locking with Cordia’s once again. He seemed to be imploring her with his eyes. Why? What was going on?

  Cordia stepped forward and cleared her throat. “I am a Feral,” she stated.

  Stone blinked at the admission. Why had she said that? Everyone was aware of the fact.

  Sand seemed relieved. Why? He even sighed, his shoulders slumping forward.

  “We have healing capabilities.” Cordia pushed out a breath, looking unsure of herself. “Unfortunately, our power is limited. I’ve used most of my healing energy.”

  “What?” Stone shook his head. “I didn’t know.”

  “It never came up.” Cordia glanced his way before looking back at the distraught couple.

  “Could you try to help my mate?” Sand widened his eyes. “Please. I would be forever in your debt.”

  “I wish I could. I don’t know if it’s possible. I will try. I’m sure I used all of my power already…most of it. If the situation is as bad as it sounds…” She stopped talking. “Let’s wait and see,” she finally added. “I will do my best.” She nodded, looking worried. Her mouth was tight. Her eyes had worry lines around them. She was frowning deeply.

  Druze brought the draught over to Macy. It was a brown liquid in a small, glass cup.

  “Please don’t give her anything…not yet,” Cordia requested. “I’m sorry you are going through this, Macy.” Her eyes softened.

  “Thank you.” Macy was still crying softly. Her eyes filled with pain.

  “I don’t think I will be able to help you.” Cordia blinked a few times and sniffed. “I promise to do my best.”

  Macy nodded.

  “I’m going to step outside to call my assistant,” Meghan spoke to Sand. “Just in case the surgery is necessary.”

  “Yes. Do.” The male looked completely shell-shocked. Sand was pale. He looked sick. He reached down and clutched his female’s hand once again.

  “I am going to put my hands on you, Macy. You might feel warmth. You might feel tingling. It is normal.”

  Macy nodded.

  “Lie very still,” Cordia said as she put a hand on Macy’s belly. It was where the stricken woman had been clutching seconds earlier. Her face became pinched, her breathing elevated. Within seconds a vein distended on her forehead and sweat beaded on her brow. She slowly took her hand away.

  “Your hand was warm,” Macy sounded animated. “Very warm. The pain was less…much less.”

  “And? Did you heal my female?”

  Just then Macy doubled over with pain. She groaned hoarsely, squeezing her eyes shut.

  “I’m sorry.” Cordia shook her head. She swallowed and licked her lips. “I haven’t tried to heal her yet. I wanted to see what the problem was and to test my resources. I have such little power left. Almost nothing. The healer…” She looked at the door, where Meghan was just walking back in. “You were right, healer. Both of the growing young are in the wrong place. They are both still alive. You are bleeding inside, Macy. It will only get worse.”

  Macy cried harder. “They’re still alive, Sand. Our babies… Oh god.”

  Sand was crying openly now too. Stone didn’t know what to do. “Can you help her?” he asked.

  Cordia shook her head, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I don’t think so. I hate being powerless. Watching someone die and being able to do nothing.”

  “You won’t die, Macy.” Meghan stepped in. “I will save your life. I am sure we can repair the damage, and in time you can try again. I know it’s not what you want to hear. I know it’s devastating news. I wish it could be different.”

  Sand and Macy held each other. They cried openly. Druze stepped away, giving them space.

  “If you will let me, I will try to heal you now.” Cordia took a step towards them. “I doubt it will be effective but I can, at least, give it my best shot.”

  “We need to get Macy into surgery. The damage to her tube is getting worse by the second.”

  “It wouldn’t take very long,” Cordia said.

  “Please try,” Macy choked out.

  Meghan nodded once. “Okay, but I can’t give you much time.”

  Sand moved away and Macy rolled onto her back. Her lip quivered. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and tear-soaked. She held onto Sand’s hand like a lifeline.

  Cordia put her hand back on Macy’s stomach. Her eyes were wide and focused ‒ more internally than externally focused, Stone realized. Her breathing turned ragged. Her face went red. Within half a minute she began to shake with exertion.

  “This can’t wait anymore,” Meghan interjected. “I’m sorry but we have to get Macy into surgery now.”

  “No!” Cordia put up a hand. “Give me a minute. Don’t interrupt!”

  Macy groaned, pulling herself into the fetal position.

  “You are out of time.” Meghan shook her head. “This is all a bunch of mumbo jumbo,” she added, looking stressed.

  “Please, let her try one more time,” Sand interjected, his face a mask of pain. “Please,” he added, turning back to Macy.

  “Okay, but we’re now out of time.” Meghan didn’t sound happy at all.

  Cordia put her hand back on Macy’s bell
y and went through the motions all over again. A minute later and her hand vibrated so badly she struggled to keep it in place. Sweat dripped from her brow, making her hair stick to her forehead.

  Meghan was just stepping forward and pulling in a breath when there was a bright flash of light. It was blinding. It happened so quickly that Stone wasn’t sure it had even happened. Maybe he imagined it.

  Cordia fell to the ground in a heap. She was out cold.

  “Cordia!” Stone yelled. He dropped to his knees and cupped her cheeks. “Cordia,” he tried again. It didn’t take long for her eyes to move beneath her lids. Then she cracked open her eyes slightly.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered. “Mace…Macy.” She heaved a breath, trying to open her eyes.

  Yeah! Of course! Macy! Stone looked up. She was sitting up. Sand had his arm around her. “How are you feeling?” The male tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What just happened?”

  “I don’t know.” Macy looked down at herself, her mouth falling open. “I feel better.”

  “You’re not.” Meghan shook her head. “I don’t know what just happened either, but there is no way you are feeling better, and now I have two patients instead of just one.” She gestured to Cordia who was trying to sit up. She looked drunk.

  “No.” Macy shook her head. She smiled broadly. “I feel fine. I feel better than fine.”

  “You need that surgery. I don’t care how you feel,” Meghan warned.

  “No.” Sand choked out a laugh. “No…” He hugged Macy. “The Feral are healers. They have powers. I know how unbelievable that sounds, but it’s true.” He looked down at Cordia who looked marginally better. “Thank you! Thank you so much.” Then he sobered. “The babies.” He took a breath. “Are they…? Are they…? Please tell me they’re okay.”

  “They are fine.” Cordia smiled. “I moved them. That’s why it was so taxing. I didn’t have to just heal Macy, I had to move the babies too. All is well.” Cordia nodded once, blinking slowly, like talking was too much for her.

  “Oh my god!” Macy yelled. “I can’t believe it. Thank you, Cordia!”

  “We owe you everything. Name it!” Sand boomed.