He cupped her cheek. “How about we clean up and find Dr. Lewis? He’s had plenty of time to work on that compound. It might be partially to blame for your dragon’s behavior. If he has a way to neutralize it, we might be one step closer to our happy ending.”
“Ours?”
“Of course, woman. A future without you wouldn’t be happy.”
“Gregor—”
“I’m not being ridiculous or charming. I’m merely speaking the truth.”
“If you’d let me finish, I was going to say I’m glad.”
He grinned as his eyes lit up. “You’ve just made me a very happy dragonman.”
“Well, while you’re in good spirits, let’s hurry up. Maybe you won’t bite off Trahern’s head when we talk with him.”
Gregor leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “You carry my scent and my bairn. You’re mine. Every male will know it, which means I can be civil.”
He kissed her slowly and Sid melted against him. While a frenzy was special, she preferred quiet moments like this, when she could make a memory and cling to it without the taint of her dragon’s mental state.
Gregor finally released her lips and murmured, “As much as I’d like to take you one more time for myself, I think we’re both a bit sore and need food.” He placed a possessive hand on her arse and squeezed. “Still, I hope you’ll allow your doctor to do a thorough examination in the shower, just to make sure everything is fine.”
She snorted. “How long are you going to play the doctor card?”
“Forever, love. So get used to it.”
Tracing his jaw, she replied, “Then I’ll be playing my card, too. I need to take advantage of my dragon being asleep and exam every inch of you.”
“Aye, is that so?”
“Oh yes. I need to make sure I memorize your current state so I can make a better diagnosis later on.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I love when you talk doctor to me.”
“Good. Then listen to your doctor and take a shower. Hygiene is important.”
He raised his brows. “Are you saying I smell?”
Sid moved to the edge of the bed. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Gregor growled and reached for her, but she jumped up and dashed into the bathroom. She made it as far as the shower before Gregor pulled her up against his chest.
After kissing her neck, he said, “Your examination begins now.” He moved a hand between her legs and stroked with a finger. Sid leaned against him and drew in a breath. He chuckled. “Your response to sexual stimulation is normal.”
“Gregor, don’t be—”
He slid a finger inside her and damn her body, she grew wetter.
“I can continue my examination or you can let me inside you one more time.”
It took everything she had to concentrate as Gregor slowly moved his finger. “I thought you suggested we rest.”
“Sometimes, a doctor can make a mistake. I’ve revised my decision.” His voice turned concerned. “If you’re not hurting.”
Sid took his hand between her legs and pushed away. Gregor froze for a second, but she took advantage to turn around and wrap her hands behind his neck. “No, but I still think the hot water of a shower would do us both good. Let’s multitask.”
He grinned. “I love how your mind works, lass.”
Gregor reached over and turned on the shower. After testing the water with his hand, he gripped her arse and lifted. Sid wrapped her legs around his waist.
They never broke eye contact as Gregor carried them under the hot spray. The heat felt good against her skin, but she barely had time to register it before Gregor leaned down and licked the water off one of her nipples.
He raised his head and fire danced across her skin. Any thoughts of exhaustion or soreness faded. She wanted to claim Gregor as her own, without her dragon interfering.
And not just because he was the father of her unborn child. No, Sid wanted to make sure Gregor knew that she planned to be as possessive of him as he would surely be of her.
Gregor Innes was her future.
Running a hand through his chest hair, she asked, “What are you waiting for?”
“Just as lusty as your dragon. I see where she gets it from.”
Impatient, Sid ran her hand down to the tip of Gregor’s hard cock between them. Lightly rubbing the tip, her Scot hissed.
Sid smiled. “Your response to sexual stimulation also appears normal.”
“Bloody woman,” he said before he took her lips in a rough kiss. As his tongue stroked and explored her mouth, Sid moved against his hard length and swallowed his groan.
She loved the fact she had the power to make him moan.
Gregor pulled away to meet her eyes again. He said nothing as he positioned her and slowly slid his cock inside inch by inch. The initial soreness faded to pleasure and Sid gripped the back of his neck as she moaned.
When he was in to the hilt, Gregor took her chin between his fingers. “Right here, right now, it’s you and me, lass. Just know that even without the frenzy or the need to appease your beast, I would still want you.”
The truth in his words was absolute.
Emotion choked her throat, but Sid pushed past it. “Then show me how much you desire me, Gregor. Let’s make a happy memory together to start replacing the old ones.”
“Nothing would please me more than to make you happy,” he murmured before backing her gently against the wall. “I’m also the only male who will ever make you scream in pleasure again.”
“Oh? Then convince me why I should only look at you.”
Determination flashed in his eyes. “I intend to.”
As Gregor moved his body, Sid clung to her dragonman and somehow forced her eyes to remain open. She wanted to memorize every feature of Gregor’s face as he came. She might even be able to draw strength from the memory later, to wrestle control back from her beast.
But as her Scot increased his pace and the sound of wet flesh slapping against flesh filled the shower, Sid forgot about everything but the male in front of her. It wasn’t long before she screamed his name as she came, as if her human half was officially claiming Gregor as her own.
Chapter Fourteen
An hour later, Gregor and Cassidy stepped out of their cottage into the late afternoon sun. Without missing a beat, Gregor wrapped his arm around his mate.
He half expected for Cassidy to give him a stern look and talk about how they could walk faster apart, but she merely leaned into his side.
His dragon’s voice was sleepy as he said, She is tired but hiding it. This had better not take long.
I will carry her back if I have to, but we need to talk with Trahern Lewis. Any and all information we can get before Cassidy’s dragon wakes up may shape our future.
At least you admit we have one.
Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?
With a huff, his dragon curled up and went back to sleep.
He was about to ask Cassidy if they should slow down when Evie Marshall carrying her son, Murray, as well as an older human woman carrying who he assumed was Evie’s daughter, Eleanor, rushed up to them. Evie beamed as she looked between them. “Since I just left Bram, I know you haven’t told him the frenzy is over. Let me be the first to congratulate you two.” Evie looked to Gregor and raised her brows. “And I’m going to watch you, Dr. Gregor Innes. If you hurt Sid, then I don’t care if you’re a dragon-shifter, I will hunt you down and make you pay.”
The older woman and Sid both said, “Evie.”
Evie looked at the woman Gregor didn’t know and shrugged. “What, Mum? You’ve been here long enough to know that Stonefire looks after its own. Gregor needs to be aware of that.”
The older human moved her gaze to Gregor and smiled. With Evie mentioning the family connection, Gregor could see the resemblance.
The woman spoke up. “Sorry about my daughter, and not just her rude manners.” Evie opened her mouth, but the female cut her off. “M
y name is Karen Marshall. Nice to meet you.”
“Aye, well, the pleasure is all mine.” Gregor bowed his head. “It’s not often I’m surrounded by such beauty in all ages.”
Sid snorted. “Excuse him. Every Scottish male dragon-shifter seems to come equipped with over-the-top charm.”
Karen laughed. “Is that so? Maybe I should visit the Scottish clan. Then Evie wouldn’t have the chance to chase away everyone before I can have more than two words with them.”
Evie adjusted Murray in her arms, who was sucking his thumb. “Dylan is too young for you.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to sleep with the man, but it’s nice to have some attention,” Karen pointed out.
“Mum, I don’t want to hear about you sleeping with anyone,” Evie replied.
Gregor wanted to chuckle but managed to keep it inside. Thankfully, Cassidy spoke up. “Evie, let your mum have some freedom. No one likes to be in a cage. As long as she’s on Stonefire, Bram won’t allow anything to happen to her. All of this is your doctor’s orders. Just as you had time to find your place in the clan, allow Karen to do the same.”
Evie sighed. “I’ll try.”
“Good,” Sid said. “Now, we’ll visit you and Bram later. Right now, we have some urgent business. And no, not the sex-in-the-woods kind.”
Gregor winked. “Although it’s always a possibility.”
Karen laughed as Evie rolled her eyes. Taking a closer look at the older human female, he didn’t notice enough laugh lines on her face. He’d work with Cassidy to ensure the female had a chance to bloom again.
His beast growled. We can help everyone else later, after we help Cassidy.
Reminded of why they were out in the first place, Gregor squeezed Cassidy’s hip. “Now, if you’d excuse us, ladies, we really need to leave. But make sure to visit the surgery soon, Karen, and we’ll think up a list of orders that Bram and Evie will have to follow.”
Evie frowned, but before she could say anything, Murray pointed to the sky. “Blue like Daddy.”
A blue dragon whooshed overhead. Sid tensed at his side for a second before relaxing.
Hurry, his beast mumbled.
Squeezing Cassidy gently, Gregor nodded at Evie and Karen. “Until later, ladies.”
He took a step and Cassidy followed his lead. Once they were out of earshot of the human, he leaned down to her ear and asked, “Are you all right, love?”
~~~
Given all that had happened with Gregor and the progress she’d made, Sid should be okay with seeing a flying dragon. Yet as the male blue dragon soared overhead, a deep longing flooded her body, much as it did every time she saw a dragon-shifter in their dragon form.
And while she had her dragon in her mind, albeit asleep, Sid still didn’t know if she’d ever be able to trust her beast enough to shift.
Gregor asked if she was all right and she looked up at him. The concern in his eyes helped to alleviate her fears and doubts. “I’m practical enough to know I’m not completely fine. However, it’s not anything I haven’t endured before.”
“Is that your fancy way of saying you’re still scared of what your dragon will do?”
“You’re too clever for your own good.”
He grinned. “Of course I am.” He sobered. “But just remember I’m always here if you need me, Cassidy. Never hold back from me or I may resort to my charm to entrance you into the truth.”
She sighed. “If I asked you to tone it down, would you?”
“Charm and sarcasm are who I am. Sorry, love, but this is what you get.”
Looking up at him again, she touched his jaw. “Which is all I want.”
As they stared into one another’s eyes, Sid knew she was in trouble. She was halfway in love with Gregor Innes already.
To ensure he never suffered the grief of losing a mate and child before their time again, Sid vowed to win over her dragon.
Releasing his jaw, she nodded into the distance. “Now, let’s hurry up. The sooner we talk to Trahern, the sooner we can come up with a strategy of how to get me into the sky.”
“There’s my doctor lass.” He picked up his pace and Sid matched it. He continued, “But just know that once you have the basics of flying again, I’m not holding back. We’re going to race and I’m going to win.”
“We’ll see about that, Doctor. I was pretty good at flight maneuvers in school.”
“Then consider it a challenge, lass. The winner claims a prize.”
Sid raised her brows. “Since I have no intention of losing, I had better think of something good.”
“Oh, never underestimate a dragonman when it comes to winning. If there’s one thing I know for certain, you like true competition without platitudes. I plan to please my doctor.”
“Good. Now hurry up and try to keep your charm to a minimum for the next hour, okay? I have a feeling Bram will want to see us after we talk to Trahern, and we may need your charm with Stonefire’s leader.”
“Don’t worry about Bram. He’ll grow to love me soon enough.”
Sid smiled as they approached the surgery. The medical research laboratory was inside.
They entered the building from the back to avoid notice. However, after making a few turns, Ginny spotted them and rushed up to say, “So you two are alive.” She scrutinized Sid and then Gregor. “No visible bruises or claw marks, so it couldn’t have been too rough.”
Sid had seen her fair share of injuries after the mate-claim frenzy. “We’re fine, as you can see. Is Dr. Lewis with a patient?”
Ginny’s mouth formed a thin line. “He’s probably in that bloody room again. He does his rounds early and orders us not to disturb him unless it’s an emergency. I hope he isn’t taking advantage of our hospitality and doing something sinister.”
Sid hated keeping Ginny in the dark, but she couldn’t risk the information spreading. “If he’s working on what I think he is, it shouldn’t be.” Ginny raised her brows in question, but Sid shook her head. “I can’t tell you just yet. But as soon as Bram gives the green light, you’ll be the first of the staff to know.”
Ginny harrumphed. “I miss the old days, without all of the secrets and strangers coming into our fold.”
Sid touched the nurse’s bicep. “I don’t keep secrets longer than I have to, and you know it.”
Ginny sighed. “I know.” She waved down the hall. “Go find out what the Welsh dragonman is up to. If it’s something that can help someone recover, he’ll need all the help he can get.”
As Sid and Gregor moved toward the research room, Sid’s heart rate ticked up. It was possible Trahern had found something to help with her dragon
However, she wasn’t about to get her hopes up just yet. Knocking on the door, she heard the muffled, “Enter,” and turned the door knob.
Inside Trahern peered at his computer screen. Never taking his eyes from it, he said, “So, you two have returned.”
Gregor shut the door and locked it before replying, “Aye, we’re back and I hope you have good news for us.”
Trahern remained silent for a few seconds. Sid was about to speak when the Welsh dragonman beat her to it. “I’ve identified all of the compounds but one. Unfortunately, that unidentified one seems to affect dragon-shifter hormones and is probably the culprit.” He finally met Sid’s eyes. “I’d like to confer with a colleague, but Bram said you two were the only ones who could grant approval.”
Sid’s hard-fought battle to control Stonefire’s medical issues had paid off. “I’m not sure we should bring anyone else into the fold at this point.”
Trahern frowned. “I thought formulating a way to counter the effects of this compound was your top priority? Doesn’t that mean we should use all resources available to us?”
“Who is it?” Sid demanded.
Trahern adjusted his glasses. “My lab partner from university. She’s human.”
Gregor jumped in. “Giving a human this knowledge is dangerous, Lewis.”
Sid p
atted Gregor’s chest and focused on Trahern. “How well do you know her?”
“We were lab partners on and off for a few years at Cardiff University. However, we still keep in touch via email to discuss new breakthroughs,” Trahern answered.
Inviting a human was dangerous, especially if she were allowed to come and go back to her life afterward.
Sid had an idea. “Would she consider staying with us?”
“What?” Gregor and Trahern asked in unison.
“Think about it. All of us have mentioned needing more research and establishing a baseline for dragon-shifter care. If Trahern and this woman work together here, with us, Gregor, then we might actually be able to accomplish enough to build a case with other clan doctors. We might even be able to put out regular articles about our findings. No one may read them at first, but with time, others might do the same thing.”
Trahern responded before Gregor. “There’s the little matter of the DDA and the legality of a human living on dragon-shifter land without being mated.”
“Bram had promised the DDA someone could come to study our clan. It was delayed with some of the attacks and other problems, but things have calmed down a bit. Evie might be able to persuade the DDA to accept our suggestion, even if she’s not an anthropologist. Maybe your human could bring a friend and divide their research. That’s probably more feasible.” Sid answered.
Gregor answered, “I’m not sure about things being calm, lass. We’ve kept the information about the drone attack from the DDA for now, but they’re bound to find out soon enough.”
“Then we’d better hurry up and get this female approved to come to our land.” She looked to Trahern. “What’s her name? Do you think she’d accept?”
“Her name is Dr. Emily Davies. And it’s possible she would come. She’s always been fascinated with dragon-shifters, but was never allowed to pursue the interest.”
Sid nodded. “Right, then I’ll talk with Bram. Once I have his permission, you can reach out to this female and see if she’d be interested. Make the offer contingent on finding a social science partner, too. But make sure it’s a secure connection and that Emily won’t share the information before extending the offer.”
Cured by the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 8) Page 12
