Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
It had taken every bit of restraint Grace possessed not to cry when Trahern had talked about being locked in a room as a child. The thought of him as a little boy, wanting to see some plants and being so severely punished, made her want to do bodily harm to his father.
Although that moniker wasn’t right—his sperm donor was more apt.
Grace had her own trauma to deal with, but it was easier to focus on her boys, both the twins and now Trahern. Maybe someday she could share what had happened to her inside the prison. But not yet.
Pushing aside the memories that threatened to break free, she merely enjoyed the sun on her face as Trahern pushed the pram—he’d insisted—and she walked beside him. If nothing else, she wanted to give her dragonman a taste of the childhood he’d never had.
She also burned to know more about her mate. So as they walked, she asked, “How did you end up on Stonefire?”
“They needed help with finding an antidote to something the Dragon Knights had used. Later, Sid asked me to stay to assist with other antidotes and preventative concoctions, and I agreed, as long as most of my time could be spent on research. And with Emily.”
“Emily?”
“Yes, she’s a fellow doctor and researcher. We met during my time at a university in Cardiff. We worked well together, she wasn’t annoyed by my idiosyncrasies, and I didn’t mind her questions about dragon-shifter biology. She’s human, and didn’t know a lot.”
For a split second, Grace wondered if Trahern had wanted to mate Emily. However, if the dragonman had known her for so long, then surely he would’ve asked her by now.
Not your right to be jealous or demanding, Grace. This is a mating of convenience.
Trahern continued, “She’s in Scotland right now. I think she may stay there, if I decoded her last email correctly. There’s a dragonman she complains about a lot, but then says she looks forward to their meetings. She’s usually not so contradictory.”
“Maybe she fancies him.”
Trahern frowned. “Emily? She has never shown an interest in anyone else since I’ve known her.”
Grace wondered if Emily had wanted Trahern, but he’d never returned the feeling. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed.
And even if she shouldn’t ask, she still blurted, “Did you fancy Emily?”
He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he shook his head. “No. She’s comfortable and familiar, and my only close friend. But I never wanted her to touch me.”
Grace frowned. “Do you not like being touched? I’m sorry, I’ve been doing it a lot, without thinking.”
His gaze met hers. “I don’t mind your touch.”
Time stood still as his pupils flashed a few times.
But then Hayley and her mate, Nathan, spotted them, waved, and came over.
The two dragonmen grunted hellos as Hayley shared some info Grace had asked about earlier. By the time they’d left, Trahern gazed straight ahead, the former heat and connection gone.
She yearned to return to their former conversation about him liking her touch. However, Trahern cleared his throat, pushed the pram, and asked, “Which shops do you need to visit?”
Drop it, Grace. So he likes your touch and not that from his long-term friend. That means little. Besides, this afternoon is for Trahern, and asking him will make him uncomfortable or even drive him away.
After a deep breath, Grace replied as if Trahern hadn’t made his earlier confession. “The supermarket, after we stop somewhere as a surprise for you.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t spring one on you. However, let me try this once, Trahern. I think you’ll like it.”
He didn’t reply for a long while, and she didn’t push. If he truly couldn’t handle it, she’d back off.
However, Grace suspected Trahern occasionally needed encouragement to try different things. The experience today should help her better understand how the dragonman interacted outside the clinic or their cottage.
Although she didn’t think too closely about why she wanted to know more about him.
“Okay. I trust you, Grace.”
His words made her smile. “Thank you, Trahern. I hope I don’t fail your trust.”
They arrived at a shop that was almost like a newsagent’s, but not quite. It had sweets, magazines, a post office counter, and even the latest areas where clan members in their dragon forms could hunt, if they wanted.
However, the small section toward the back was her goal.
The female dragon-shifter running everything smiled at them, her English accented, sounding as if she might be originally from France. “Hello, Dr. Lewis. And this must be Grace. I’m Delphine, and who are these fine young boys?”
The woman’s warm smile made Grace want to trust her. Not that she could completely, but she needed to stop treating every greeting as some underhanded scheme to hurt her. “This is Eddie, and this is Eli.”
Delphine leaned closer to the boys. “Hello, little ones. When you’re a little older, you can come over and play with my grandbabies, Louisa and Lucy.”
As Grace tried to weave through the clan in her brain to place them, Trahern stated, “They are the daughters of Nikki Gray-Hartley and Rafe Hartley.”
Delphine nodded. “Nikki is technically my stepdaughter, but she insists the girls call me Granny. But enough of my chattering. What can I help you with?”
Grace watched Trahern carefully as she answered, “Some ice cream, please. Do you have strawberry?”
“Yes, of course.”
Trahern, who had been staring at the twins, glanced up at Grace. Since she couldn’t read his expression, she murmured, “Did you want some?”
As her mate shifted his gaze back to the twins, her heart thudded inside her chest. She wasn’t good with botany or medicine, but she was good at remembering little details about what people liked.
However, the longer he remained silent, the more Grace wondered if she’d made a mistake. Trahern liked things ordered and on a schedule, or at least as much as they could be, with the babies. This was outside of that.
Then he nodded, and she couldn’t help but smile. “Brilliant. Then we’ll have some ice cream, please. Although I need to see what you have so I can decide what to get.”
She walked toward the back, and Trahern followed with the pram, looking pensive.
Her first instinct was to ask what he was thinking. However, he was a private person, and she didn’t want to push him in public more than he could handle.
So Grace focused on the flavors in the case, adding more questions to her mental list of things to ask Trahern about later.
Even though Trahern had only mentioned liking strawberry ice cream once, Grace had remembered. More than remembered—on their first outing from the house together, she’d taken him to get some.
But why? He didn’t understand.
His dragon spoke up. She wants to know us better.
Why? I’ve already vowed to protect her and the boys.
I think you need time to figure it out by yourself.
His beast fell silent, leaving him hanging. His dragon understanding things which eluded Trahern was part of the reason they’d struggled to get along from the beginning.
Which had led to his dragon all but falling silent for years, when Trahern had fled from the naked female.
His beast said softly, We think differently. I had trouble understanding you, and vice versa. Now, I know not to push or expect you to understand what I want easily. We must work together, just as you must work with Grace, and be honest.
Trahern lifted his gaze to watch his mate, who smiled and chatted with Delphine Gray.
In just over a month, Grace had made remarkable progress, her breakdown yesterday notwithstanding.
She still wouldn’t tell anyone exactly what had gone on before being brought to Stonefire, beyond the bare details necessary to treat her.
However, she smiled more, and sometimes laughed, which was usually a sign of improvement.
Not for the first time, he wished he could look someone in the eye and determine if it was true joy or fake. But he’d never been good at that kind of thing.
His dragon spoke up again. I think she is happier, although I struggle to judge sometimes too.
Before he could reply to his beast, Grace turned her smiling face at him, and his heart rate increased. He’d thought her beautiful in the sunlight, but when she smiled, he could barely string two thoughts together.
Which scared him a little.
Grace must not have noticed because she gestured toward the counter and ice cream flavors. “They have strawberry, but did you want to look and see if you want something else? And did you want a cone or a cup?”
“Strawberry in a cone is fine. It’s not too hot, so it shouldn’t melt over the sides. I don’t like melted ice cream.”
Delphine prepared their order, Trahern paid, and they each took their cones. Grace had two scoops, licked the top one, and the sight of her tongue made his skin heat.
But why?
She moaned a little, and his skin tightened more, and he started to feel overheated. His penis also filled with a little blood.
Which hadn’t happened since the embarrassing incident on Snowridge. At least when awake. He awoke to uncomfortable stiffness sometimes and usually took a cold shower to douse it.
His dragon spoke up. She is our mate. It’s okay to want her. To desire her.
Not wanting to talk about this right now, or end up with a fully erect penis in public, he turned the pram with one hand and walked toward the exit.
“Trahern, wait up!” He heard her murmured thanks to Delphine and soon caught up to him. “Where are we going? The grocery store is the other way.”
After stopping, he stepped away from the pram and said, “I need a few minutes.”
Without looking back, he dashed toward one of his safe places—the medicinal garden—dropping his ice cream cone, and needing a little space from anything related to Grace.
Grace, who made him feel things he thought were nuisances.
Who also confused him with her touches and licks of her tongue and pretty smiles.
Which only made more blood rush to his penis, irritating him further.