Gregor Innes’s strong jaw, dark blond hair, and gray eyes filled her vision. As he leaned down to check her pupils, she reveled in the heat of his body. For a split second, she wanted him to lay on top of her.
Get a grip, Sid. Since Gregor still hadn’t said anything, she grunted. The bastard chuckled and leaned back. “You were right before. Doctors really do make the worst patients.” She frowned, and he continued, “I’m still not sure what happened to you. There aren’t any physical injuries apart from the bruises associated with falling over. The test results didn’t show any poisons or toxins, just a sedative. Everything is normal, apart from your dragon-shifter hormones being low, but you usually take a supplement and I don’t think that’s what caused your unconsciousness.”
“I can’t move.”
“Your lips are moving just fine, lass.”
Growling, Sid said, “I’m not a lass.”
“Ah, but you are to me. That’s all that matters.” He took her wrist and looked at his watch as he took her pulse. Most doctors’ hands were smooth, but Gregor’s held a hint of roughness. She wondered what caused it.
But she pushed that question aside. “Do your job.”
While he raised his brows, Gregor never took his gaze from his watch until he finished taking her pulse. “You’re awake, aren’t you? Even though I’m curious as to why I had to fight the nurses to give you any drugs at all.”
“I don’t like drugs,” she answered quietly.
He searched her eyes for a second and she thought he might ask why. But he shrugged and picked up her chart. “I rarely use them, but sometimes, they’re necessary. If I think you need them, I will pin you down and administer them myself if I have to. My job is to ensure your health and look after Stonefire until I deem you fit for duty.”
Sid tried again to wiggle her toes, and the big ones moved. “Believe me, I will be out of this bed in two days.”
Not looking at her, he jotted something down. “Even if you can get out of bed and walk, you need my permission to return to work.”
Sid wished she could clench her fingers. “I need to work, Innes.”
His sharp gray eyes met hers and his pupils flashed to slits. “And why is that, Cassidy?”
Since her dragon had fallen silent, no one but Gregor had called her Cassidy. After all, Cassidy was a carefree young dragonwoman with a playful dragon; that part of her had died as a teenager. Calling herself Sid had provided a clean break.
However, for some strange reason, she liked how he said her full first name.
A brief pounding went off in her head and she gritted her teeth. She couldn’t afford to have an episode. Gregor would ask too many questions and delay her return to work even longer, if ever.
Drawing on every bit of strength she possessed, Sid roared inside her head. Stop!
~~~
Gregor itched to touch Cassidy’s soft wrist again but focused on writing his notes. The menial task kept him occupied. More importantly, it was a good distraction.
His dragon spoke up. Toss aside the bloody papers and touch her skin again.
No.
Throwing his beast inside a mental maze, he waited to see if Cassidy would answer his question. However, when she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut, alarm bells went off inside his head. “What’s wrong, lass? Tell me.”
She remained silent a second more before her body relaxed. “It’s nothing.”
“Stop being bloody stubborn, woman. I can’t treat you if you don’t tell me what’s happening.”
Opening her eyes, she met his gaze and sadness flashed. “There’s nothing you can do, Innes.”
When it came to dragon-shifter patients, there were times to push and times to be gentle. Cassidy Jackson would deny it with her dying breath, but she needed gentleness.
He lightly brushed a strand of hair off her face. “There might be, lass. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I never give up on a patient of mine. That now includes you.”
As they stared at one another, he lost himself in her dark brown eyes. In that second, he wanted to know everything about her. Maybe then he could chase away her sadness.
His dragon banged against the maze, but the walls held.
Cassidy sighed. “If I don’t tell you, I have a feeling you’ll never clear me for duty, will you?”
“Now there’s an idea.”
Her gaze darted away and back. The sadness had been replaced with steel. “My work is who I am. Without it, I’m lost, Innes. Just like you defied my orders on Lochguard when I came to help and you went back to work early, I’m the same way. I can’t abandon my clan any longer than necessary.”
He studied her for a few seconds. There was more to her story; he was positive. However, he had some time to drag it out of her.
Placing his hands on his thighs, he leaned forward. “You tell me everything that’s going on, and I mean everything, even if it’s an ingrown toenail, and I will clear you as soon as you’re physically and mentally ready. Can you do that?”
“Only if you agree to keep what I’m about to say to yourself.”
“Unless it endangers your life or either of our clans, then aye, I’ll keep it to myself.”
Cassidy took a deep breath and the words spilled from her lips. “There’s often pounding inside my head that I can’t control. It’s not a migraine or a headache, but something else.” She paused, and he thought she wouldn’t say anything else. Then her low voice added, “It’s almost as if something is trying to break free, but can’t.”
“Is it your dragon?”
Cassidy blinked. “My dragon is long gone. Everyone knows that, even on Lochguard. Besides, the pounding comes from behind an impenetrable wall. I’ve never heard of a dragon being trapped for decades that way before.”
Gregor had a few theories but decided he’d air them later. “Then tell me the whole story, lass. I need to know it all.”
As the dragonwoman searched his eyes, Gregor held his breath. He had a feeling Cassidy didn’t talk about her past often. Would she really share it with him?
His dragon roared some more but still couldn’t get free. No doubt his beast wanted to help find a way to bring her dragon back, if it were possible.
The question was whether it was or not.
Just as ideas raced through Gregor’s head, someone knocked on the door. Relief flooded Cassidy’s face at the interruption. Little did she know he would pursue it again later. “Come in.”
Stonefire’s clan leader, Bram Moore-Llewellyn, stood in the doorway. His eyes latched onto Cassidy’s and he stated, “You’re finally awake, Sid.” Bram crossed the distance to Cassidy’s bed and Gregor gripped his knees to keep from growling at Bram’s nearness to Gregor’s dragonwoman.
He resisted blinking. Cassidy would never be his. The risk was too great. He needed to remember that.
Bram spoke up again. “Can you remember anything that happened, Sid?”
Gregor stood. “She just woke up. Can’t your interrogation wait until later?”
Bram’s light blue eyes met his. “I understand you’re doing your job, but Sid can speak for herself.”
As he sized up Stonefire’s leader, Cassidy’s voice broke the silence. “I only remember one hazy detail, Bram.”
Stonefire’s leader turned back toward the dragonwoman. “Anything will help, Sid, no matter how small.”
“After a flash of pain, I fell to the ground and noticed the faint outline of a small flying drone.”
Bram frowned. “Drone? You mean one of those flying contraptions human males seem fascinated with?”
Gregor smiled. “It’s the closest they can get to flying themselves, so of course they’ll be fascinated.”
Shaking his head, Bram shot Gregor an exasperated look. “This isn’t a lighthearted matter, Dr. Innes. Start taking it seriously.”
Cassidy’s voice beat Gregor to a reply. “Focus on what’s important, you two. Are Stonefire’s defenses guarded against
small flying machines?”
“I’ll need to talk with Kai about it and I’ll have Evie reach out to the DDA. The splinter we found embedded in the top of your head might also be a clue, so we’ll look into that, too.”
Evie was Bram’s mate and a former employee of the UK Department of Dragon Affairs, or DDA.
Gregor jumped in. “Right, then go do that. I need to talk with Dr. Jackson more about her condition.”
Bram glared at him, but Gregor didn’t flinch. One of the main requirements for being a dragon-shifter doctor was being able to put up with and stand up to alpha personalities. For whatever reason, dragonmen in particular had alphaness in spades.
Although Cassidy seemed to have her fair share, too.
Bram finally spoke up. “Fine. But just know that once Sid’s cleared for duty, I’m sending you to Lochguard the next second.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “We shall see.”
“I’m leader here, Doctor. I don’t know how Finn runs things, but I don’t allow strangers to run amok,” Bram warned.
“I’m hardly a stranger. Cassidy can vouch for me.”
Cassidy sighed again. “Can you two stop it, already? Just because I’m the patient doesn’t mean I won’t kick the pair of you out until you can behave.”
Gregor’s dragon finally escaped the maze. Yes, yes. I like her strength. How can you resist it?
While he did admire a lass who could stand up for herself, Gregor couldn’t have Cassidy. Because I don’t want to kill her, that’s why.
His beast huffed. Never taking risks makes life boring.
Aye, you call it boring, but I call it ensuring the health of everyone I can, which especially means protecting Cassidy Jackson.
Bram’s voice interrupted Gregor’s inner conversation. “Are you quite finished with your dragon, Dr. Innes? After all, you claim it’s urgent to examine Sid.”
He opened his mouth, but Cassidy beat him to it. “Out, Bram. I’ll never heal with you two constantly arguing.”
“I’ll go for now and update you when needed.” Bram’s gaze moved to Gregor’s. “You tell me the instant there’s a change in Sid’s condition, understand?”
“Great to see you appreciate my help,” he drawled.
His dragon spoke up. Why antagonize him? Bram is mated. He is no threat.
His beast’s words helped to cut through the haze. There was no reason to keep arguing. His change in temperament must be because of his proximity to Cassidy.
His dragon added, Of course it is. Our instinct is to protect her.
I somehow think she can protect herself from Bram.
The dragonman in question shook his head and mumbled, “The bloody Scottish dragons are always a pain in my arse,” before exiting the room.
When the door clicked shut, Cassidy’s voice filled the space. “Your pupils keep flashing.”
Turning back toward her, Gregor noticed for the hundredth time the circles under Cassidy’s eyes and the sharpness of her collarbones peeking out of her skin.
In that instant, he decided part of his mission would be to bring her to full health in addition to working out a way to awaken her dragon.
His dragon swished his tail in anticipation.
Before Gregor could think too much on the reaction, Cassidy wiggled in her bed. “Stop staring at me with the flashing eyes.”
He took a few steps closer. “Care to tell me why, lass?”
She looked away. “Because it reminds me of what I can’t have.”
~~~
With anyone else, Sid would be able to keep her thoughts to herself. Never once in her adult life had she let something slip she shouldn’t have. Yet with Gregor, she kept blurting things out.
His flashing dragon eyes and growly nature around Bram only strengthened her growing suspicions about the Scottish dragonman.
She had a feeling she was his true mate.
But Sid would never be able to take a mate. Not that she wasn’t curious about having someone to laugh and cry with, because of course she was. Ever since matings had been increasing over the last two years in her clan, she’d started wanting one herself.
The only problem was Sid didn’t have many years of sanity remaining. The only way to protect herself and others was to remain unattached for her entire life.
The thought of having an episode and falling into insanity while pregnant was a nightmare. Since all true matings resulted in at least one pregnancy, Sid had to be careful. Even if it was becoming more difficult to avoid noticing Gregor’s full lips or how she wanted to laugh at his sarcastic humor, she would resist.
Gregor’s voice was low as his Scottish vowels rolled over her. “If it’s your dragon you’re after, you may have given up hope, but I haven’t.”
Whipping her head around, she frowned. “You have no idea what you’re talking about and I’m about this close from kicking you out of my room. I’ve lived with this for over twenty years, and you just waltz in here and make it seem as if I gave up too soon.” She gave the double-finger salute. “Well, fuck you, Gregor Innes.”
Gregor closed the distance between them and took her chin between his fingers. She tried to jerk away, but his bloody strong grip didn’t budge. His voice was steely as he murmured, “Someone’s touchy. I never meant to imply you gave up too soon, Cassidy. But I’m a very determined dragonman and I’m not through with you yet.”
She swore his words held a double meaning, but Sid could barely put two thoughts together as Gregor’s hot breath caressed her cheek. Despite every reason why she should resist, her body heated at his touch and she leaned a fraction closer. Only when his pupils flashed again did it break the spell. Leaning back, Gregor released his grip and Sid scooted to the far edge of the bed.
She’d nearly kissed him. She’d have to be more vigilant from here on out.
In response to her thought, the pounding started inside her head again. Not wanting to alert Gregor to it, she kept her face neutral, much like she’d done for short periods of time with her patients in the past.
“You tensed just now. Why, lass?”
Was Gregor Innes a bloody mind reader?
Clearing her throat, the noise intensified in her mind. She kept her gaze averted as she replied, “I just need to rest.”
“Liar.”
She looked back at him. “You keep saying that. If anything that concerns you crops up, I’ll tell you.”
“Everything about you concerns me, Cassidy. Now what the fuck is going on?”
Exasperated, she bit out, “The stupid noise is back, okay? If you don’t leave me alone to fight my battle, I may never recover.”
“Then let me help you, lass. I have a theory and would like to administer something to you. If my theory is incorrect, it won’t affect you at all. It can’t hurt to try.”
She searched his eyes. “You’re being vague. Just tell me what you want to shoot into my body.”
“You want honesty? Then I’ll give it to you. I think the pounding is related to your inner dragon. The drug that silences a dragon for a few days might make it stop.”
At the mention of the dragon-slumber drug, as it was known colloquially, Sid was suddenly fourteen again. Lying in a hospital bed, her limbs kept flashing between dragon ones and human ones. Her dragon had taken control and wouldn’t give it back. Not even the dragon-slumber shot had worked.
One of the doctors finally gave another dose, and then another. He repeated the process until her dragon finally retreated and her mind went blank.
Her dragon never returned after that.
“Cassidy. Why are you crying?”
Wiping her cheeks, she was surprised to find them wet. “No reason.”
Gregor sat down on her bed and took her hands. She pulled back, but he didn’t let go. “Bullshit. You might be able to dismiss anyone else in the clan, but it won’t work with me.”
His demands stoked her temper. “Look, I don’t care if you think I’m your mate or what have you. I who
leheartedly refuse you, so stop with the overprotective crap.”
“You can’t refuse me, lass, as I already refused you.”
She blinked as his rejection coursed through her body. “What?”
He squeezed her hands. “You heard me. Not because of your silent dragon, so get that bloody ridiculous thought out of your head. I lost a mate once in childbirth, and I vowed to never do it again. So while you’re safe from my cock, I am your doctor and I plan to find a cure for your condition, Cassidy. I’ve been gentle up until now, but if you don’t start cooperating, I’m going to pull out all the stops to make you talk.”
Chapter Three
Gregor’s dragon wouldn’t stop roaring. I don’t refuse her. She is ours.
Used to his beast’s tantrums, Gregor ignored him. He focused on Cassidy. Her anger had melted into pity, which was the one look Gregor couldn’t stand. “I’ve lost two people important to me, and you’ve lost your dragon. I’d say we’re on par for loss and tragedy, so unless you want me to pity you, stop it now, Dr. Jackson.”
“You’re wrong, you know. We’re not even.” He opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. “I know about your sister and niece, Gregor. I’ve dealt with many patients over the years experiencing the death of a loved one, and I know you’re still grieving, no matter your outer exterior.”
At the mention of his sister, Nora, and his young niece, Gregor’s dragon fell silent out of respect. “Aye, I am grieving. But this isn’t a contest of who has the most tragic life. This is me trying to help you and how you keep pushing me away.”
Searching his eyes, Cassidy finally said, “I’m used to being in charge. Asking for help is difficult for me.”
He resisted blinking at her straightforward admission. “Am I dreaming or is Cassidy Jackson telling me something without a fight?”
She rolled her eyes. “It seems I’m damned no matter what I do when it comes to you.”
His lips quirked. “Aye, but that’s the fun part.” He sobered. “But if you want my help, I need all of the facts. Tell me exactly what happened leading up to your dragon’s silence and what was done after.”
Cured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 8) Page 2
