Chapter 26
Rowan
Ihad decided to take an afternoon nap, after spending most of the morning organizing my herbs and mixing the poultices I had used up.
I had been getting through my medications so darn fast. After the gardeners had noticed me going through them, they had decided to give me everything that might be useful.
Healing had never exhausted me so much—even when I was helping a horde with no resident healer, I had fewer patients.
It seemed highly plausible that half the issues I was being presented with were because of how Jenkins chose to heal.
It was obvious I had my work cut out for me.
Between the influx of fresh greenery and the dried herbs in the old healer’s clinic, I had a lot to go through. I wasn’t going to complain, though—having plentiful herbs was a godsend.
There was a good chance I was going to need some of those plants to help me sleep if I don’t get any rest soon.
Collapsing into my bed, I nestled into the blankets. Ma had been generous with them. Partly because I was human and felt the cold more, but something told me that even if I were a dragon she would have been drowning my simple room in pretty blankets and pillows.
I was starting to drift off peacefully, thinking about herbs and teas, when the sound of dragons shouting and laughing woke me rather rudely.
Groaning, I rolled over and scratched my head.
For a moment, I lay there, staring at the ceiling, hoping the noise would ebb.
It didn’t sound angry… more jovial and excited.
When the revelry didn't calm down after a few minutes, I clambered out of bed and padded to the door.
Opening the door, I stuck my head out in time to see the dragon in question walking down the hall, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, a matching T-shirt, and an excited grin.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, looking around sleepily.
“Were you snoozing, Ro?” he questioned with a laugh, sidling up to me. “It’s not bedtime yet.”
“You and I both know there are merits to a good afternoon nap.”
“Well, it’s not the afternoon anymore,” he pointed out.
I grimaced. It had been dark out when I opened my eyes. Maybe I was more tired than I thought.
“That still doesn’t explain…” I gestured to the general chaos around us. Even though the hallway was empty, there was no mistaking the noise of people filling the building.
All I could hear was dragons moving through the den—people talking to one another, shouting, laughing—like there was an influx of dragons in the building. The den wasn’t small, by any means, so there had to be a significant increase in the number of dragons on the property.
Griffin spread his arms wide. “It’s flight night, baby,” he declared excitedly.
“Flight night?” I asked dumbly, resisting the urge to yawn.
He nodded enthusiastically. “There’s really good cloud coverage, and there’s pretty much no moonlight, so we have free rein to go higher than we normally do. So, it’s a horde flight night. We are all desperate to spread our wings.”
I knew about horde flights, most places I visited had them, but they were rare. A lot of dragons flew in small groups to avoid being seen by any humans. The North Oak Horde lands were so isolated, deep in woodland, so they had excellent cover.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I replied, crossing my arms, silently cursing that I’d forgotten to grab a sweater. I didn’t see why they had to interrupt my sleep, though.
“Come get some food. We always feast before flights, and Ma goes all out!” He excitedly grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the dining hall.
“Wait, I’m in my pajamas,” I protested, but he didn’t listen, simply barreling on. My tiny human strength was nothing in comparison to an overexcited dragon.
“You’re covered,” he said with a laugh as we made our way down the stairs and entered the dining hall.
A few dragons looked our way as we entered, but most of them returned to their own conversations quickly.
The room was packed. Every square inch of space had someone in it, sitting and eating, talking to one another, laughing.
It was filled with an energy I hadn’t witnessed from the horde before.
It was a level of excitement and chaos that was almost infectious.
Every long table was filled with people tucking into plate after plate of food, covering every available surface.
The smell was phenomenal, and my mouth watered as soon as it hit me.
“Holy fuck, I’ve never seen the den this packed,” I muttered to myself as Griffin grabbed us a seat between a few dragons on one of the benches.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to fly. We’re all excited,” he said, picking up a roll and handing it to me. “Make sure you eat up.”
I gave my friend a pointed look. “I don’t need to eat anywhere near as much as you guys, especially if you’re going on a long flight.”
He shrugged, shoving a roll into his mouth before talking around it, his mouth full. “I know, but Ma makes such good food. I don’t want you to miss out on the spread. Once we go out and take some air, you can sleep.”
“You say such generous things.” I sighed dreamily, grabbing a plate. The idea of a few uninterrupted hours of rest was downright blissful.
Before I could even take a proper look at the piles of food in front of me, Griffin was spooning several dishes onto my plate. Rice and beans, sausages, and mashed potatoes.
The smell emanating from my meal was so damn good, I almost forgot I had been about to ask him a question.
“Okay, I’m not completely mad at you for waking me up and dragging me down here.” I laughed, taking a bite of the potatoes and humming with happiness.
Potatoes were the best food ever. In any form. Fry them, mash them, roast them—every which way was delicious.
“See? We rarely put on a spread like this anymore, and it’s so worth it,” he said, focused solely on his plate.
“Healer Rowan! Hope you’re doing well,” a dragon shouted as he walked by, handing me a slice of cake with a wide smile on his face. “Have a slice of this before it all gets eaten. There are cinnamon rolls, as well.”
“Thank you. I—” I trailed off, not knowing the dragon’s name as he handed me another plate, this one with a cinnamon roll on it as well.
“I’m Monty. We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, but you helped my little sister with her broken wrist.”
“Oh! Lily. How is she doing?” I asked.
There had only been one dragon who’d come to the clinic regarding a broken wrist that was struggling to heal—a teenage girl with a big smile and enough enthusiasm to fuel several hordes.
“Well, you’ve met her. You know nothing can drag her down,” he said with a smile. “She says she’s feeling a hell of a lot better, though. For that, I thank you.”
He shoved the plate into my hands, and I took it gratefully. One of his friends shouted his name, which distracted him from our conversation.
As he walked away, Griffin whistled low. “You’re getting all the love if they’re giving you the baked goods. Those things usually don’t last ten seconds when Ma dishes them up.”
Instead of answering, I simply grinned at him before taking a bite of the cake with glee.
“Aren’t you supposed to eat dinner before dessert?” a deep voice said from behind me.
A moment later, Greylen was sitting next to me. His dark hair was pushed back out of his face, and a comfortable, relaxed smile spread across his face. Like everyone else, he was in casual clothing: sweatpants and a hoodie.
“As a healer, I know what’s best,” I said with a grin. “And sometimes dessert before dinner is the way to go.” I smirked, taking a bite of my cake.
He grinned back at me. “Well, if the healer says it, I guess it must be true.” He reached out for one of the sweet rolls in front of my seat. “May I?”
I nodded. “There’s no way I’m going to eat all these.”
So close I could smell the subtle salty scent that clung to him. All fresh and bright. I wanted to stick my face in his neck and inhale. My eyes drifted to his hand as they reached out to grab one of the cinnamon rolls I had been given.
I had never thought that hands could be attractive… but Greylen’s were. Large, masculine. I couldn’t help but think about what those hands could do…
“The horde loves you. This is how they show their love,” he explained, taking a bite and groaning in happiness. “I swear, Ma is a gift from the gods.”
Groaning. Why did he have to groan? Apparently my mind was in the gutter, and not coming out anytime soon.
The fact that the horde was starting to love me made my chest warm.
I wasn't used to adoration wherever I went. Healers were often treated with the utmost respect, but there was something about the affection of these dragons that felt different.
“Are you flying tonight?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. It was a silly question, given his comfortable clothing, but I found myself wanting to talk with him.
He nodded, taking another bite of the cinnamon roll. “It’s been a while. I could do with stretching my wings.”
“Just what the healer ordered,” I said with a smirk. For a second, we ate, and even though I was distracted by the food, I couldn’t help but shiver at the chilly temperature.
“Are you cold?” Greylen asked.
“A little. Griff dragged me down here without giving me time to change. While I’m not mad at him, because this food is worth it, I don't run hot like dragons do.”
“Well, that’s not okay,” Grey commented, leaning in closer and smiling for a moment before pulling back, his hands going to the hem of his hoodie.
My train of thought was swiftly derailed when Greylen’s naked torso came into view. Even though he was the numbers cruncher of the clan, he was still annoyingly ripped.
“Uhh…”
“Take this,” he offered, handing me the hoodie.
“You’re naked,” I replied dumbly.
“Only partially.” He grinned. “Your admiration is appreciated, though.”