Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Afew days later, Trahern struggled to analyze the data on his computer screen. Memories of the morning, when Grace had taken his cock into her mouth, kept surfacing.
With each passing day, he grew more and more comfortable with being naked and touched and touching in return. So much so that he wondered if he was ready to finally claim his mate completely.
His dragon sighed. Please say you are. I can’t have her until after you, since I promised. And I want her.
Maybe.
Well, just imagine if another male tried to claim her. How does that make you feel?
He mentally growled. She’s ours.
His dragon sounded smug. She is. Make it official. Although you might want to take a few days off.
Why?
Because once you experience it, and claim Grace, you’ll want to do it over and over again.
How do you know? Neither of us has had sex before.
Trust me.
And strangely, Trahern did.
He and his inner beast had come a long way over the past few months. In taking Grace as his mate, he’d helped himself just as much as he’d helped her.
As he puzzled over fate and whether there was a way to scientifically prove it, someone knocked on the door of his research lab. Pushing aside thoughts of Grace and fate and everything else, he said, “Come in.”
Dr. Scarlett Turner walked into the room, and he stated, “I didn’t know you were visiting.”
“It’s unexpected. But we need your help, Trahern.”
“Why? What happened?”
As she explained about one of her current patients—a young dragon stuck in his dragon form and recently operated on by some dragon hunters—and how they had been testing mind control equipment, he quickly focused on the details.
He asked questions, and by the end he stated, “If you send me the information you have, I’ll work on it straight away. ”
Dr. Turner shook her head. “No. The information is too sensitive. I need you to come with me, Trahern. To an undisclosed location.”
“Ideally, I’d like to work here. But as long as there is a secure space—which Antony Holbrook always seems to have—then I can tell Grace to pack, and we’ll be ready by tomorrow.”
Dr. Turner’s expression changed, but he couldn’t quite determine the emotion.
She shook her head. “Grace and the twins can’t come. It’s highly sensitive.”
“Grace would never share secrets.”
The dragonwoman smiled at him. “I know that. But it’s easier to sneak one person in without distracting attention than a group, especially if there are children.”
“I can’t leave Grace and my sons.”
The doctor studied him a second before replying, “All of Stonefire will be here to protect her. And sticking to the facts, this young dragon will probably die if you can’t help us.”
According to Dr. Turner, the small mind control device had been surgically implanted into the young dragon’s brainstem.
While they didn’t know everything, the current hypothesis was that the device kept the human half contained, preventing it from wresting back control from the dragon half.
Both parts together made a dragon-shifter stronger.
However, if forcibly kept apart, the dragon would rely on instinct more and more, until possibly losing any shred of human influence.
It was a dangerous thing, at least judging from dragon-shifters who had gone rogue before. The thought of a child suffering in such a way didn’t sit right with him.
And yet, he couldn’t abandon Grace.
His dragon spoke up. As long as we ensure she is protected, and Kai increases security, she should be fine.
Being away from his female would be difficult, especially as she’d become an intricate part of his routine.
And yet, the thought of a child maybe dying when he could help made his stomach churn.
Dr. Turner’s voice was softer as she said, “I know it’s difficult to leave someone you love behind, even for a short while. But all of Stonefire will guard your mate and sons whilst you’re away. I can even ask Antony Holbrook to send someone to help guard her, if you agree.”
He wanted to deny he loved anyone but couldn’t. Why? He couldn’t love Grace yet. Or ever, according to his father.
His dragon said softly, He was wrong.
“Trahern?”
Pushing aside his confusion about his emotions, he focused on the present. “I need to talk with Grace first.”
The dragonwoman nodded. “Of course. Come find me after you talk with your mate. I’ll be in the Protector building, talking to Antony about increasing security.”
Instead of pointing out that he hadn’t said yes yet, he merely nodded, stood, and exited. Since it was his designated research day and he didn’t have any patients, he slipped out the back and headed toward his cottage.
Throughout the entire walk, he did his best not to think about how much Grace meant to him. For now, he needed to focus on maybe helping a child. Yes, that was his current task. Confronting his emotions could wait.
Grace was in the middle of folding laundry in the living room—she still couldn’t believe how much washing she had to do for two tiny babies—when the front door opened and shut. Within seconds, Trahern stood in the room's doorway, his pupils flashing, and she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“No, there’s a dragon child that needs my help. But it means leaving you and the boys here. Alone.”
She went to him and didn’t hesitate to touch his jaw. “Tell me everything, and then we’ll discuss it.”
After a few seconds, he replied, “Some acquaintances found a research facility run by the dragon hunters.”
As Trahern proceeded to tell her about the place where they’d been running brain implant experiments on captured individuals, she sat down on the sofa and did her best to tamp down memories of her own imprisonment. She was free, and safe, and here with Trahern.
A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her head, and she met Trahern’s concerned gaze. “Are you all right, Grace?”
She shrugged. “It’s difficult to hear about another prison run by dragon hunters.
But before you say you won’t ever share again, just know that I don’t want to shy away from hearing about them.
Besides, maybe my experience can help others.
” She placed her hand over his and squeezed. “What do they need you to do?”
He searched her gaze for a second before saying, “There is a young dragon stuck in his dragon form. The dragon hunters put a mind control device in his brain, and some of the doctors looking after him need my help in figuring out a way to either counter it or remove it without killing him.”
The thought of one of the young dragons she’d seen around Stonefire being used as a test subject made her heart squeeze. “Do you think you can help him? Maybe even save him?”
“I don’t have any of the details yet, so I’m unsure. But if capturing dragon-shifters and controlling their minds is the next phase of the dragon hunters, I need to help find a way to stop or at least reverse it. But…”
“But what?”
He traced her cheek. “I don’t want to leave you, Grace. I promised to protect you and the boys.”
Grace stood and gingerly placed a hand on Trahern’s chest before leaning against him. The feel of his solid arm around her waist grounded her, helping to chase away the fear of her ex somehow finding a way onto Stonefire and stealing her sons. “We can ask Kai or Nikki to increase security, right?”
Trahern grunted. “Dr. Turner also said she’d get you additional security, from the secret branch she works for.”
Grace tilted her head. “Secret branch? What are you talking about?”
Trahern briefly explained about the group of humans and dragon-shifters who worked together inside MI5, but technically didn’t exist. And how they sometimes helped the dragon clans since their goals often aligned.
Once he finished, Grace asked, “So this bodyguard-type person would be one of those spies?”
“I’m not sure ‘spy’ is the correct term. However, yes, the person would be.”
She traced his jaw, kissed him briefly, and pushed down her selfish desire to tell him to stay. “Then you need to go and help. No child deserves that fate, and you need to see if you can save him.”
His eyes searched hers, full of doubt. He opened his mouth, but she placed a finger over his lips and said, “We’ll be waiting here for you when you get back, Trahern.
On top of the extra security, I also have Dawn and the other humans to ask for help.
That poor child needs your cleverness, along with the others who were experimented on against their will.
” She paused, took a deep breath, and added softly, “After all, that’s what they’d planned for Eli and Eddie. ”
Some of what the guards had talked about made more sense now. They had wanted to use her sons for the same experiments since they’d discussed mind control.
Trahern caressed her cheek, and she removed his finger. He whispered, “I won’t let them get our sons.”
Just hearing him refer to Eli and Eddie as “our sons” made her heart warm. She loved this dragonman and knew she could trust him with her and the twins’ lives.
Not that she was ready to share her feelings. She wouldn’t distract her dragonman right before he needed to leave and help a suffering boy.
She nodded. “If you trust these people who’ll send extra help, then I do, too.” She paused and then asked, “But will you be okay with the drastic change in your schedule and routine?”
“The only parts I’ll miss are the ones with you and the boys.”
Smiling, she caressed his jaw. “You’re such a sweet man, Trahern Lewis, and I’m glad you’re mine.” He hesitated, and she kissed him gently. “Help the poor dragon child. I promise I’ll be okay.”
After a few long seconds, her dragonman nodded. “Okay. But I want two video calls a day. More if you need me, Grace.”
“Done. When do you have to leave?”
He pulled her closer and nuzzled her hair. “Probably later today or tomorrow morning. I need to talk with Dr. Turner some more.”
So soon. But no, Grace wouldn’t be selfish in this. She knew what it was like to be a prisoner and mistreated. And for them to have experimented on a child? That was bloody awful.
And given her brilliant mate, he might be one of the few who could help save the dragon child with some kind of magical serum or concoction.
She held her dragonman tightly, breathing in his scent, and murmured, “My only requirement is that you spend a few hours with me and the boys before you leave. We’ll even take lots of pictures and videos, so you can keep us close.”
Grace had learned early that Trahern usually hated being photographed, let alone recorded. However, he nodded. “I want some with us all together. I want to keep my family close.”
“Oh, Trahern.”
Pulling his head down to hers, Grace kissed him, letting him know how much she’d miss him while he was gone.
Saying with actions what she couldn’t quite bring herself to say with words.