He met the younger female’s eyes. Her conviction reminded him of his duty. “Aye, let’s hope so. Now, tell me where it hurts.”
As he examined Nikki, Gregor wished with everything he had that Stonefire found Cassidy before the DDA or dragon hunters did.
Chapter Eight
Sid ran her hands against the mental prison wall for the hundredth time, but nothing she did budged it even an inch.
As her beast tackled Gregor, all Sid could do was watch. She wondered if her dragon had been this way for twenty-four years—allowed to see everything that happened but powerless to do anything about it.
She was grateful Gregor had her pinned to the floor. Yet with his body over hers, her dragon wanted to do one thing at any cost—mate.
But at the mention of the sedative, her dragon roared and snarled. NO. Not again.
As her beast escaped the exam room and made her way out of the building, each person her dragon tossed aside made Sid cringe. She was supposed to heal others, not hurt them. She only hoped her clan would forgive her.
Well, if she survived this escapade.
No. She wouldn’t allow negative thoughts. She needed solutions, not a constant stream of what-ifs.
Eager to try something, Sid put on her sternest doctor voice and said inside her head, Stop it and let me out of here, right now.
Her dragon laughed maniacally and made them run faster.
Damn. She didn’t have a dragon; she had a crazed beast.
Sid had no idea what to do. All those years wishing she had an inner dragon were coming back to haunt her.
She actually gave a strangled laugh at all those wasted wishes. The beast in the front of her mind wasn’t a friend or ally. She completely ignored her and kept repeating four words over inside their head: Run. Hide. Find. Fuck.
Yet, if Sid didn’t do something, her beast would find Gregor, ravish him, and who knew what else would happen in the interim. For once, she wished she’d dug more into the research behind the psychology of the two halves of a dragon-shifter.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed aside the negativity. Dr. Sid Jackson didn’t wallow. No, she needed to think of ideas to test out and find a solution. Because there was no way she was going to allow her beast to kill and terrorize. Even if it meant her life, Sid would find a way to stop her dragon.
As Nikki was pushed out of the way, Sid clenched her fingers and said, Stop it. Even a dragon should want to protect a child. Nikki is pregnant.
After a beat, her beast answered, I won’t be contained again.
You won’t be. I’ll make sure of it.
Liar!
The dragon went back to ignoring her and weaving through the trees of the forest. Just as Sid searched her brain for an idea, her beast caught the scent of a familiar human male: Rafe Hartley.
Sid wondered if her beast would have access to Sid’s memories, but as her dragon roared, He won’t catch me, she had her answer.
Sitting down in her mental cell, Sid closed her eyes and tried to remember what her teachers had taught her as a child about working with and containing her dragon-half. There had to be something she could do to stop her.
Because once her dragon shifted and relearned the basics of flying, that would sign Sid’s death warrant.
~~~
Back in the surgery, Gregor finished checking the last person injured by Sid’s dragon’s dash and slipped into the hallway. However, not two seconds later, Bram’s voice filled the corridor. “Come with me.”
“Is Cassidy okay? Did you find her?” he asked.
“Not here. Come.”
Gregor shook his head. “I can’t leave my patients. Nikki, in particular, needs to be watched closely.”
Bram motioned with his head. “We’re staying in the building, but just a few doors down. Ginny can keep watch and let us know instantly if anything is wrong.”
Gregor looked at the door to Nikki’s room. “Nikki is one of your Protectors. No matter what it is, she should be privy to it.”
“Look, Innes, I don’t want to argue. But the last thing we need to do is cause Nikki any stress. For once, just trust me.”
Searching Bram’s eyes, Gregor’s dragon chimed in. Nikki is fine. Everything checked out normal. You’re just worrying more than necessary because she’s pregnant. I want to trust Stonefire’s leader.
Gregor’s dragon rarely trusted so quickly, which spoke volumes about his beast’s opinions of Bram.
With a sigh, Gregor took a step toward Bram. “Then let’s hurry up.”
He followed Bram’s lead to a room a few doors down. As soon as Gregor shut the door behind him, Bram spoke again. “We’re still trying to locate Sid. Thank fuck she hasn’t shifted yet, or we might be having a grimmer conversation.”
“Just tell me why you called me in here. Neither one of us has time to beat around the bush.”
Approval flashed in Bram’s eyes. “Aye, you’re right. What I need for you to do is think of how to coax Sid back from the edge.”
“I would love nothing more, but usually the dragon-shifter teachers have a better grasp on how to do it.”
Bram nodded. “Tristan MacLeod is going to help, but so are you. From what I heard from Ginny, Sid wants you for the mate-claim frenzy. That could work to our advantage.”
Gregor clenched his fingers. “I won’t impregnate Sid without knowing she’ll be fine afterward. A pregnant, out-of-control dragon would do too much damage. I also won’t take the choice of whether or not to have a child away from her.”
Bram studied him a second before replying, “You’re a much better male than I originally thought.”
“Bloody hell, Bram, don’t you understand how serious this situation is? Stop wasting time thinking about me and think about Cassidy.”
“I am,” Bram growled. “Snapping at me won’t help Sid. Instead, work with me. You don’t have to complete the mate-claim frenzy, but if you can entice Sid into your arms, we can sedate her and have Tristan and the other teachers work with her.”
The thought of kissing Cassidy so she could be shot full of the drugs she hated so much made his stomach churn.
Gregor cleared his throat. “If we do this, we do it my way. The teachers may have the greatest chance of bringing Cassidy back from the brink, but I can help, too. Promise me I can stay as long as I want and keep me in the loop about anything to do with Cassidy Jackson, and I’ll help.”
He half expected Bram to argue or throw back his words about the seriousness of the situation. To Gregor’s surprise, Bram put out a hand. “I promise.”
Gregor took the other male’s hand and shook. A second later, Bram dropped his hand. “Kai has a plan, but it means leaving Nikki’s side for a short while. Were you serious about needing to watch her or were you just being a good doctor?”
His dragon flicked his tail, as if reminding Gregor of their earlier conversation. Gregor answered, “If my junior doctor on Lochguard had examined Nikki, she would’ve cleared her. I just like to be extra careful.”
“I know what happened to your mate, Innes, and I’m sorry. But Nikki is strong and young, with no history of complications or even ill health. If your other doctor would clear her, then don’t feel guilty about doing the same.”
He’s right, his dragon said. Let’s help Cassidy.
After taking a deep breath, Gregor replied, “What did you want me to do?”
~~~
Sid watched as her dragon weaved them between the trees. Her beast had been wandering the forest for nearly an hour. While dragons circled overhead, Rafe’s scent had vanished.
She knew that Bram wouldn’t give up on her so easily, but she kept that thought tightly guarded so her beast wouldn’t pick up on it. She had no bloody idea if she could even keep a secret without proper training, but she was going to try.
Their stomach rumbled and her beast murmured, “Food. I need food.”
Extending an arm, her fingers extended into talons. Not wanting the shift, Cassidy banged
against her prison. I know where we can get food.
The beast paused before saying aloud, “Where?”
The clan has food. She paused and decided to add, Gregor will feed us.
Yes, our mate. He will feed us and then I’ll fuck him.
Sid decided to keep appealing to her dragon’s baser instincts. Yes, food and lots of fucking. Find him. That means in human form as the frenzy can only be completed when human.
My male, not yours. I want him.
Then go.
Her dragon hesitated. Not that Sid could blame her—they were strangers, after all. She also had no idea how much her beast had learned about Sid during her twenty-plus-year confinement.
Seizing on what might be her only chance, Sid recalled Gregor’s naked chest, brushing his blond chest hair, and drinking in the view of his chiseled muscles. Her dragon started humming, so Sid went further and visualized the peek she’d had of Gregor’s cock back on Lochguard all those months ago.
Heat raced through her body as her beast took the combined images of Gregor’s naked body and visualized them straddled over him and riding him hard.
She should stop her dragon, but deep down, Sid wished she had the chance to do exactly as her beast wanted.
Wait, what was wrong with her? It must be the effects of her dragon’s lust seeping into her own thoughts. She couldn’t allow the mate-claim frenzy to happen.
Right before her beast had them coming in their vision, the faint trace of a familiar male scent drifted into the air.
Gregor.
The movie stopped in her head and her beast sniffed the air. He’s here. Forget food. I want to claim him.
Sid had hoped to use the need to claim Gregor as a method to get back to Stonefire. If he were really in the woods, she feared for his safety. An out-of-control dragon could be rough, or so she’d read in a few reports in the past. Fracturing a penis wasn’t completely ridiculous.
Well, if it came to it, Sid would do whatever it took to make sure her beast didn’t hurt Gregor.
Just as she stood inside her prison and readied herself, a shirtless Gregor stood in front of them. “Hello, lass. Looking for me?”
~~~
Gregor barely noticed the cool spring air as he spotted a wild-eyed Cassidy standing about ten feet away. He’d found her.
His dragon hissed. Of course we did. Stop doubting me.
You can throw your tantrum later. Right now, we need to stick to the plan.
His beast remained silent, which told Gregor how much his dragon wanted their female.
He made his way through the underbrush to Cassidy’s location. It wouldn’t be his first choice to traipse through the woods without a shirt, but he’d needed his scent as strong as possible. Otherwise, Cassidy’s dragon might not have picked up their scent until it was too late and the plan could have failed.
Dragon-eyed Cassidy met his gaze. “Mine,” she stated in the growly voice before rushing toward him.
Opening his arms, Gregor braced himself for whatever the dragon might do. “Come here, love, and you can have me.”
“All of you,” she growled as she closed the distance. She reached out a talon, the only part of her that was in dragon form, and Gregor took hold of her wrist. Pulling her up against his body, he nibbled her ear and murmured, “Let’s save the rough stuff for later.”
Dragon-possessed Cassidy rubbed against his body and Gregor’s cock went hard. He should keep his mind calm and focused, but the combination of the friction and Cassidy’s delicate feminine scent made him groan. “Cassidy.”
His dragon growled. We can claim her later. Remember the plan.
With Herculean effort, Gregor released her wrist and took hold of Cassidy’s hips to still her movements. He whispered, “Before I strip you naked and claim you every which way, kiss me. I’m dying for another taste of your sweet lips.”
“Mine,” she said before standing on her tiptoes and taking his lips.
The dragon was definitely in charge. Cassidy would’ve called him out on his charm.
Yet as the beast stroked and pulled him close, Gregor had trouble remembering it was the dragon and not his doctor doing the kissing.
Maybe someday, he could have both of them.
He pulled away and met her brown eyes. “How do you feel?”
Cassidy’s dragon frowned. “What do you mean?”
Stroking her hip, he watched her eyes closely. A few seconds later, they began to droop. She murmured, “What?”
“Shh,” he whispered as he held her close and gently laid her down. When she was finally unconscious, Gregor took out his mobile phone and dialed Kai. When the leader picked up, Gregor said, “The drug on my lips worked. She’s unconscious, but I don’t know for how long.”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Kai answered before hanging up the phone.
As Gregor caressed Cassidy’s cheek, he hoped his calculations were correct. If she awoke before the Protectors could contain her, then they might lose Cassidy forever. After all, he’d just drugged his true mate unconscious via a topical sedative. He hoped she understood the need for it. There was also the chance she would have a reaction like with the dragon-slumber drug.
Chapter Nine
Sid awoke on the floor of her mental prison. Sitting up, she tried to see what was happening, but her dragon half was just beginning to stir, so it was pitch-black.
Maybe with her dragon not fully conscious, Sid could find a way to slip out.
Reaching forward, she surveyed the wall again with her hands. The surface was still smooth. Nothing had changed.
Sid sighed and leaned forward against the wall. Yet instead of a solid surface, it gave a few inches.
She had a chance.
Sid pushed with everything she had, and the wall gave a little more. However, it wasn’t long before she was breathing heavily. Once all of this was over, she was going to stop neglecting her health and build up her endurance. Dragon-shifters were meant to be strong.
With one last heave, the wall completely enveloped her body. The cool, smooth surface lasted another second before she crashed through.
Jumping to her feet, she looked around for her beast. When she spotted her, the dragon was curled up fast asleep.
While she had little experience containing her dragon, she remembered her teacher’s words from over twenty years ago: Build a prison piece by piece in your head, around the dragon. The stronger the materials and more complex the construction, the longer it will hold.
Imagining steel bars, she constructed a box with bars closely spaced together. When she placed the last piece, Sid panted from the mental exertion.
And to her surprise, the dragon still slept.
For a second, she wondered if Gregor had used the dragon-slumber drug, but then quickly pushed the thought aside. She was more concerned with waking up and finding out if she had a future or if Bram would have to turn Sid over to the DDA for everyone’s safety.
Not afraid to find out what her future held, Sid forced her eyes open. She half expected for it not to work. But five seconds later, her physical eyelids parted and light hit her eyes. Blinking a few times, she barely noticed the straps around her wrists and ankles and looked around until she saw Gregor asleep in the chair next to her bed.
His hair lay across his forehead and the stubble on his cheeks was a bit longer. Had he sat next to her the whole time?
There was only one way to find out. “Gregor.”
He instantly shot up and rubbed his eyes before meeting her gaze. Cupping her cheek, he searched her eyes. “Cassidy? Is it truly you?”
“Yes, it’s me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“What about your dragon?”
She checked her prison. “She’s asleep inside a cage I constructed. I only hope it holds.” She paused and then added, “What happens now?”
The corner of Gregor’s mouth ticked up. “Between us or in general?”
She frowned. “In general. Now is not the
time to tease.”
“Ah, but you’re wrong, lass. I think more than ever you need some lightness and maybe even a wee hug.”
She yearned to lean against Gregor’s chest and simply listen to his heartbeat. But she couldn’t afford that kind of normalcy. “You’re aware I have a half-crazed dragon loose in my head and that the second she wakes up, we could all be in trouble. You, most of all, should be careful. For your safety, you should go back to Lochguard.”
Irritation flashed in his eyes. “I’m not bloody leaving you. Although I don’t think telling you how my heart thudded until you were safe and sound back here would do any good, stubborn woman.”
“Gregor—”
“But I have information you need. While Tristan MacLeod is going to help you learn to control your dragon, I’m going to keep looking and digging for information about inner dragons that show up later in life.”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one.”
“Aye, well, I think there have been others and I’m determined to find them.” His voice softened. “You just discovered your beast and I don’t want to banish her again.”
Sid remembered Gregor’s words about wanting a future that might include her. “You don’t have to be noble, Gregor. We can both pretend you never said anything about maybe wanting me as your mate.” He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “You’ve suffered more than enough heartbreak, and I don’t want to only cause more grief in your life. I’ll accept your help as far as my dragon, but then you need to go back to Scotland.”
Gregor remained silent as his pupils flashed to dragon slits. Even when he was unhappy and clenching his jaw, she wanted him more than any male in her life.
But Sid wouldn’t be selfish. Even if she could control her dragon a little, her beast could revert to her old ways at any time. She wasn’t about to allow anyone else to care for her.
~~~
Cured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 8) Page 8
