Treasured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 13)

by Jessie Donovan

  There's no reason we can't do all of it, both the work and a family. It's not as if you can work twenty-four hours a day.

  Not wanting to go in circles, Blake ignored his beast, stood tall, and walked toward Daisy and her mother. The best way to make it all go quicker was to pretend he hadn't seen the humans. That way they'd think him aloof and maybe dissuade them from conversation. Blake wouldn't be rude, but he wasn't going to encourage anyone, either.

  And so Blake was careful to keep his glance only on Freddie, one of the young male dragon-shifters, and the boy's mother as he made his way toward them.

  Dawn had just finished meeting Daisy's best friend on Stonefire—a boy named Freddie Atherton—when another tall dragonman with light brown hair, pale skin, and hazel eyes marched up to them. He looked straight at Freddie and asked, "We need to get a move on or we'll be late. Did the human parents arrive yet?"

  Dawn was about to say something when Freddie gestured toward her. "Daisy's mum is here. She's going to help you."

  The man's gaze followed Freddie's finger pointing at her, and the dragonman looked at Dawn's face. His eyes were inquisitive and focused, as if memorizing her features. Then his pupils flashed to slits and back to round, and Dawn couldn't hold back a gasp as she stumbled backward.

  She'd never seen the changing pupils before, and they really did turn into a reptilian-type shape. If she remembered right, it meant the dragon half was talking whenever that happened.

  Her daughter tugged her hand. "Don't be afraid, Mum. It's just his dragon half. It's like his best friend, always there, talking and giving advice. Not always good advice, but they mean well. And Mr. Whitby's really nice. He's not going to shift and shred you to pieces."

  Daisy's words snapped Mr. Whitby's attention, and he frowned. "Of course not. No one on Stonefire would do that unless someone hurt or killed one of our own."

  Daisy bobbed her head. "See? You'll be fine, Mum. And Mr. Whitby's brilliant. He made some special things for our play. He didn't have to, but he did. So make sure to be careful and not drop and break something."

  Her daughter's words brought Dawn back to the present and stated, "Daisy Mae, I don't break things."

  "Sometimes you do. You say that's where I get it from. You say it all the time, Mum. Remember?"

  Dawn's cheeks heated. It really shouldn't matter since she'd only see the dragonman for the evening and go home. But still, no one liked having their faults shouted to the world at the first opportunity.

  Willing her cheeks to cool, Dawn cleared her throat. "We'll talk about this after the play. Will you be all right if I go help Mr. Whitby?"

  Mr. Whitby spoke up, his voice somewhat calmer and gentler than before. "Call me Blake. And she'll be fine. The great hall is one of the safest places on the clan."

  Daisy shifted from one foot to the other, her actions telling Dawn that she wanted to go have fun with her friend. Only because an entire dragon clan was watching over the human children tonight did she not comment and give another reminder.

  Daisy motioned toward the door. "Go, Mum. I'll see you after the show."

  Dawn shared a glance with Freddie's mother, Sasha, who stood nearby—the dragonwoman confirming with a look that she'd keep her eye on Daisy—and then nodded. "Okay. Do your best tonight, Daisy. I'll be filming it all to show everyone."

  Once Daisy bobbed her head, Dawn finally turned toward Blake. He stared at her, studying her face as if he'd just seen it for the first time all over again.

  She almost asked if she had something on her cheek or nose, but decided not to. Daisy had already embarrassed her once, and she didn't need to encourage any more. "What do I need to do?"

  With a grunt, Blake turned and motioned toward a door on the far side of the room. "Follow me and we'll get started."

  Every cell in Dawn's body urged her to look back and ensure Daisy was okay. But her daughter had turned eleven the day before and was no longer a baby. Dawn was trying to give her a little more responsibility and trust.

  Besides, Freddie's mother would look after them. They'd had several phone conversations since the dragon camp, and Sasha Atherton was probably the closest thing to a friend she had on Stonefire.

  Although right before Dawn entered the door, she did steal a quick glance only to find Daisy laughing. The sight warmed her heart and gave her the courage to leave her daughter in the care of others for a short while.

  So she entered the door, followed Blake Whitby, and waited to see what she needed to do for the night.

  Chapter Two

  Blake somehow kept his emotions in check as he guided Dawn through the door into the backstage area.

  His dragon growled. How can you be so calm? She's our true mate. I can tell. She should be ours.

  Of all the females in the world, what were the chances he'd meet his true mate at a play for children?

  It wasn't as if he didn't think she was beautiful. But he knew nothing about her besides the fact she had a daughter.

  And that fact alone could interrupt his plans to help protect the clan from dragon hunters and Dragon Knights. They'd received some data from the Dragon Knights, brought by a human who was a former Knight herself, which had helped tremendously. However, there were still quite a few gaps he needed to work out.

  His dragon spoke up again. You can’t spend all your bloody time on the project. Besides, it would be nice to have some company in our cabin.

  Even putting aside my own wants, you saw how she was afraid of our flashing eyes. I don't have time for an energetic daughter and a fearful mate.

  For now, just be nice to her. You never know, once you get to know her, then maybe you'll want her like I do.

  Dawn's voice came from behind him. "It's nice of you to help the children this way. From what I heard from Daisy, you usually don't like crowds."

  "Not usually." He stopped in front of a table loaded with unused smoke canisters and confetti cartridges packed securely in boxes and finally faced her. "But it's pretty hard to say no to a whole group of kids."

  She smiled, and his heart rate kicked up. If she'd been beautiful to him before, she was bloody gorgeous now. "Do you really mean it's hard to say no to Daisy?"

  He couldn't help but smile back. "She is persistent."

  "That's the nicest way to say it. But she has a good heart."

  Blake heard some whispering and caught sight of Daisy and Freddie sneaking away. They must’ve come backstage after Dawn.

  Once they were out of earshot, he nodded. "She does. Although for a human, she's nearly as curious as an inner dragon can be at times. I imagine that's why she gets along so well with Freddie and most of the other dragon-shifter children. She's human, but not quite."

  As soon as the words left his lips, he wanted to kick himself. His words could be construed as an insult, which was not his plan. Even if he didn't want a mate, he didn't need to be rude to Dawn.

  Dawn tilted her head, her straight hair brushing her shoulder, banishing any other thoughts unrelated to her. He itched to reach out and see if it was as soft as he imagined.

  He nearly blinked. Blake usually didn't pay attention to such things, but it was almost as if he couldn't ignore Dawn, even if he wanted to.

  His dragon snorted. Good.

  Blake half expected Dawn to take a step back again since his pupils would've flashed when his dragon spoke, but she held her ground. Tucking a section of hair behind her ear, she asked, "What's it like, talking with someone inside your head all the time?"

  He shrugged one shoulder. "Pretty much like Daisy explained it, with one caveat—they can be really annoying at times. And yet, I can't imagine my life without him."

  "It must be nice then, to never be alone."

  A brief flicker of sadness came across Dawn's eyes, but it was gone in the next instant. And while there was still a lot to do before the show, he couldn't just ignore the look. "You have your daughter."

  "Oh, of course. I love Daisy more than anything. But I imagine your
dragon ages at the same rate as you, right? And talking with someone your own age isn't quite the same as having conversations with a child."

  Blake paused, wondering if he should ask some more personal questions. His dragon growled. Don't hold back with her. No matter what you foolishly think right now, she's our true mate. Give her a chance.

  And for once, Blake didn't dismiss his dragon's prodding. He asked, "What happened to Daisy's father?"

  For a few beats, Dawn remained silent, and Blake wondered if he'd fucked up. Since he didn't spend a lot of time around other people, he wasn't exactly the best at social niceties. Still, why shouldn't he ask about such an important part of her life? He'd never be able to get to know the human and slightly appease his beast otherwise.

  Dawn finally sighed, ending the awkward silence. "He left a long time ago and lives in Australia." She paused a second, and Blake sensed he should stay quiet. He was rewarded when she added, "After all the infertility issues we had, he was already stressed. In the end, Daisy was too much for him to handle as a toddler, and he left."

  Blake clenched his fingers into a fist. Scientist he may be, but he was still a dragon-shifter, and his kind tended to treasure family, no matter the challenges. "Then he's a bloody idiot."

  Dawn blinked. "Yes, he is."

  He nearly reached out a hand to smooth some hair back from her face but resisted. Touching his true mate would only drive his inner beast crazy, and he couldn't risk it.

  His dragon harrumphed, but Blake spoke up before his beast could comment. "For all Daisy's chatter, she's never talked about her father that I can recall. So I'm guessing he's gone for good?"

  Dawn smiled sadly and bobbed her head. "He felt leaving her when she was still young would be best. I haven't heard from him in years, and at this point, I don't want to. The only connection I have to him is his sister, who's tried to get to know Daisy a little. But that's it."

  His dragon hissed. The fucker. Daisy deserves better. We could do better.

  Instead of answering his beast, Blake focused on Dawn. "Well, just know that if he were a dragonman, then I would challenge him for what he did to you and Daisy. Bram would've kicked him out of the clan, for sure, if he'd refused to take care of his child."

  Probably. But for some reason, it was important for Blake to say those words right now.

  His dragon said softly, Because you're starting to want her, too.

  The human female tilted her head. "Your dragon is talking again."

  "Like always. He rarely stays quiet. Let's just say he's not a fan of your ex, either."

  She hesitated a second before asking, "Do you ever show your dragon to humans?"

  Blake's first response was to shut down, dismiss her, and walk away.

  Then he remembered that Dawn knew nothing about the color of his dragonhide, let alone about the spot. She was merely curious. "Not usually."

  "Oh," she said as her shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

  His dragon growled. She should get to see us. Tell her.

  And for some reason, he didn’t feel the urge to fight his beast. "But maybe for you I can make a special case and show you at some point, if you like."

  Her eyes lit up, reminding him a little of Daisy. No one could doubt they were mother and daughter.

  Dawn said, "Really? Maybe I should be the adult and say it's no big deal, but I think every human wonders about seeing a dragon-shifter in their dragon form at some point. A year ago, I never would've thought it possible. But Daisy changed all that, partly through her sheer force of will."

  He grinned. "Yes, she can be convincing. I think she might end up being the Department of Dragon Affairs director at some point in the future."

  Dawn shook her head. "I doubt she'd last long enough through the bureaucracy to do that. But I can easily see her forming her own group, touring the UK and Ireland, and singlehandedly trying to change everyone's opinion about dragon-shifters."

  "She just might," he replied.

  As they smiled at one another yet again—Blake couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much around another person—a pent-up longing rushed through his body. Not merely because his true mate stood before him. No, it was more than that. He'd been mostly alone since his mother had died a few years back, and always denied any shred of loneliness.

  Dawn made him wonder if he wanted a mate after all.

  His dragon spoke up. I told you not to spend so much time in isolation. But it worked out in the end since it meant we waited for our true mate to show up.

  Blake resisted saying his dragon was right for fear of stoking his ego too much.

  However, he noticed the change in Dawn's reaction to his flashing eyes. The fact Dawn didn't so much as blink now told him how much she'd overcome her fear already.

  Maybe, just maybe, if he took things slow, he might try to know her better.

  His dragon hummed. Yes, yes, I like that idea. And now I won't let you run away from her, either.

  Just as he was about to reply, one of the dragon teachers—Ella Lawson—walked up to them and asked, "Is everything set for the play? We'll be starting in half an hour."

  Blake cleared his throat. "Nearly there. We're just on our way to load the special effects items and go to the control room."

  Ella nodded. "Good." She handed him a walkie-talkie. "We'll communicate this way. Now, excuse me, I need to make sure the children aren't swapping costumes and doing who knows what with the props. Tristan may think he sees all, but I doubt it when that many kids are in one room together."

  As the dragonwoman walked away, Blake handed Dawn the walkie-talkie. When his fingers brushed hers, electricity rushed up his arm and he sucked in a breath.

  He heard Dawn do the same.

  They stared at one another for a few beats, and for the first time in his adult life, Blake nearly lost control and kissed the human.

  Good. Just try to kiss her. Look, she just bit her bottom lip. She's probably thinking about it, too.

  No, dragon, no kissing. She doesn't know all the facts, and I won't hide what could happen from her. If flashing eyes startled her, then a mate-claim frenzy would send her running away for good.

  Before his beast could reply, he removed his hand and motioned for Dawn to follow. "Come on. We don't have a lot of time to finish setting everything up."

  And once they reached the stage to place the final few things for the show, Blake was attuned to Dawn as she moved about the area.

  There were so many reasons he should end the night and pretend he'd never met her. After all, the clan was counting on him to help crack some of the Dragon Knight data they'd received, data that would help Stonefire defend themselves against one of their main human enemies.

  And yet, part of him wondered if he could handle his work as well as a mate, a child, and another on the way since a frenzy always resulted in pregnancy.

  Maybe if he solved the last of the puzzles to defeat the Dragon Knights, he'd have enough time.

  Despite his intentions for the evening, it seemed like his life had changed after all. The only question was how he could handle it going forward.

  Chapter Three

  As Dawn stood behind the curtain at the side of the stage and watched the closing scenes of the play—her daughter playing the part of an old dragon-shifter queen of Britain—she couldn't stop smiling.

  Daisy had done much better than she could've anticipated. Maybe acting was something she was destined to do. The fact Daisy had only forgotten maybe two lines was a massive deal for her daughter since her attention wavered a lot.

  As the lights dimmed, Dawn clapped as loud as she could, loving how the children bowed to the crowd.

  True, she'd hoped to sit in the audience, but Blake had needed her help to move things around as the play progressed. And considering she'd wanted it to be the best it could be for Daisy's debut, she'd merely ensured that Sasha recorded it all for her.

  As the kids dragged out the teachers so they could also bow
to the audience, Dawn hurried back toward the small control room where Blake would be. Even though her night was over, and she still needed to congratulate Daisy, she wanted to see him one more time. Given that all the teachers wanted the kids out of their costumes before being reunited with their parents—some of the fake dragon wings were pointy, and no one wanted to take chances—she should have enough time to say goodbye to him.

  Dawn weaved through the maze of props and other adults moving about. She reached the outer door to the room divided in two, and paused to smooth her hair. It was silly, really, to worry about her appearance. But something about Blake made her feel like the nineteen-year-old version of herself, back when boys had made her belly flip and cheeks heat up.

  Taking a deep breath, she entered the outer room and then the inner one. Blake turned toward her and smiled. She loved how his eyes crinkled at the corners. It was so much better than when he tried to be solemn and quiet.

  She shut the door and went over to him. "It all went brilliantly, Blake. Nothing caught fire and everything went off when it was supposed to."

  He said dryly, "Those are some pretty low standards."

  Snorting, she playfully touched his arm. "In my book, not starting a fire is a pretty important deal. Especially with a stage full of children, half of whom were wearing flammable wings."

  Blake's pupils flashed a few times between round and slitted. But Dawn didn't pay much attention to them since it was almost normal to her now.

  When he took her hand in his, she completely forgot about everything but the man in front of her. Time seemed to stand still.

  She couldn't remember the last time a man's touch had turned her brain to mush and filled her with warmth and anticipation.

  Not that anything would happen. Did she want to see Blake again? Yes. But Dawn had to be careful because of Daisy. Her daughter became attached rather easily, and Dawn didn't want to dangle anything in front of Daisy before Dawn knew something could be serious.

  Why am I even thinking about stuff like that? I just met the man.