Chapter 27
Rowan
It must have only been an hour or two later when the door to my room opened, and a very naked, very bouncy dragon ran into the room.
“Ro!” Nix yelled, jumping on the bed. “Sorry to disturb your slumber, but we could use a healer.”
His words were a shot of adrenaline to my system, as they likely were for anyone medically trained. I was needed? Then I was on it immediately. Sitting up straight, I took a closer look at him. His face didn’t appear concerned; there was actually a small smile plastered across it.
“Umm… what happened?” I asked, cocking a brow.
“Orsen fucked up his wing a bit. He was going to brush it off, but I thought it best he get a healer’s opinion first.”
A brief flicker of panic coursed through me at the idea of Orsen being injured. Even though I didn't know what we were to each other, I didn't want him to be hurt. And I had to admit the sour candy had done its job. I knew he was trying, and I supposed… I could too.
“Is he…” I trailed off, unable to think of the right words as my eyes tracked down his midsection.
“Oh, it's nothing serious,” Nix began. “He was stomping around and cursing in typical Orsen fashion, so I think he’s fine. We just agreed that a second opinion was needed from someone who had a few more brain cells than we do.”
I nodded, shaking my head as my worry mixed with amusement. “Rightfully so. Let me throw on some pants.”
“I mean, you don’t have to.” He laughed, not hiding his ogling. “Nice shirt, by the way.”
My face heated as it dawned on me that he now knew I’d worn his clanmate’s hoodie in bed. I quickly cleared my throat, redirecting the conversation.
“Oh no. I'm not a girl who likes to let it all hang out, and these shorts are tiny,” I pointed out. “Also, do you really want others seeing my ass?”
Nix’s expression went from jovial to grumpy in a fraction of a second, his brows pinching together. “No. No, we can’t have that. We must protect the beautiful butt!” he declared, his voice carrying a little too much for my liking.
When I rolled out of bed, I ignored the fact he was now likely watching said butt intently as I grabbed a pair of jeans and threw them on, once my shorts were off.
I pulled off the hoodie, thankful for the simple tee underneath.
Still, there was no way in hell I was putting a bra on, especially with Nix right freaking there.
If someone was scandalized by my nipples showing slightly through my shirt, they could go to hell. Everyone had nipples. It wasn’t weird. Even if some people decided to make it weird. But, come on. They were dragons. Nix was currently naked as a jaybird. I didn’t think anyone would care that much.
Grabbing my medical bag, I jerked my head toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Nix bounded ahead of me, occasionally looking back with a beaming grin as he practically pranced through the empty den—still completely naked.
Even though dragons were usually pretty casual when it came to nudity, every horde I’d visited at least attempted to maintain an illusion of modesty while I was working with them. Nix wasn’t even trying. Thankfully, I managed to avert my gaze and didn't get an eyeful of his junk.
As tempting as it might have been.
Nix chattered casually as we exited the den and headed outside. I hesitated, looking around as he walked down one of the dirt paths that led into the woodland.
Okay, this was not what I was expecting. Where was Orsen, anyway?
“You know, I don’t think I’m supposed to follow strangers into the woods,” I muttered, a trickle of nerves getting the best of me.
Nix snorted, waving my comment off as he pushed deeper into the trees. “I’m hardly a stranger, mate. Anyway, I’m pretty sure with everything you have in that bag of goodies, you could take me down in under a minute and make me regret my entire existence.”
He was stronger than I was, sure, but there was something about his confidence in my skills that offered a little comfort. I wasn’t truly scared. I knew Nix would never hurt me. I just didn’t understand why I knew that.
And then there were the various things in my bag I could easily poison him with… You know, if it was an emergency.
“So, what happened to Orsen? You seem pretty calm about everything,” I asked as we turned a corner. “I know—Oh, holy fuck…”
My words trailed off as I stared in amazement at what lay before me, my steps halting in the lush green undergrowth.
I healed dragons, so I'd seen plenty of them shift before. They came in all shapes, sizes, and different colored scales, but the dragon sitting before me was easily the largest I’d ever seen in my life. And sure, I only remembered six years of it, but still.
Easily four times taller than me, the dragon was coiled in a ball on the clearing’s floor, his black scales rippling with a holographic sheen that glinted even in the minimal light of the dark night sky.
Smooth patterns of scales covered his entire body, of course, but it was the way they appeared to shift and move, even as he held still, and the imposing yet elegant horns adorning his head, that really made him stand out.
He was beautiful.
Orsen probably would’ve preferred to be called handsome, but there was something so awe inspiring about the powerful beast in front of me that, while terrifying in the right light, it was also stunning and regal.
And the iridescent nature of his scales was just so pretty.
“Orsen here crashed into some trees!” Nix declared with a laugh, walking up to the dragon.
Somehow, in the few moments I’d been admiring Orsen in his dragon form, Nix had managed to find a pair of sweatpants and threw them on, thank the goddesses.
Nix gestured at Orsen’s enormous wings. “As I said, he fucked up his wing.”
I slowly nodded, unable to take my eyes off the creature in front of me, a little entranced. Now that Nix mentioned it, Orsen was holding his wing at a weird angle that hardly looked comfortable.
“Hey, big guy…” I approached him carefully.
Injuries in dragon form were always better treated while they were still in dragon form.
Shifting while injured was a recipe for disaster.
Thankfully, they healed fast, especially in their dragon form.
Though that could be as much of a curse as a blessing if something healed incorrectly, particularly a wing that they needed in order to fly.
When I stepped closer, the heat radiating off Orsen’s dragon made me sweat, the temperature potent. His eyes were also so typically Orsen. The same deep juniper color, only his pupils were now slits. The wing in question was down, almost pressed against the ground, so I could easily see it.
If he stood to full height, I would have needed several ladders to get up to his wing. Jeez, this is so wild.
“Can you straighten the wing?” I asked. “I can’t see any broken skin or bones, so I think it’s safe to stretch out.”
The dragon did as he was told, a gruff sound emanating from his vibrating chest as he straightened the limb.
He was easily the size of a double-decker bus.
Never had I worked with such a… well, such a sizable dragon.
While I was confident in my skills, this was new, and getting a good look was going to be tricky.
Thankfully, with slow, precise movements, the wing straightened, and nothing appeared to pop out uncomfortably.
“It’s probably just a sprain and a few bent scales,” I explained loud enough so Nix, who was behind us, could hear.
“Sweet! I thought it wasn’t too bad, but it’s always best to check. Plus, any excuse to see you, princess.”
“It’s always best to get help, but you guys heal freakishly fast in dragon form, so you’re fine,” I spoke softly, gently running my hand over Orsen’s wing. “It looks like you're going to be just fine. Nothing some excellent healing can’t fix.”
The large, ropey muscles under my hands shuddered, and I yanked them away immediately. “Does that hurt?” I asked, frowning.
Sprained and bruised wings could be painful, but usually, a human’s touch was nothing; it was like being tickled with a feather at most. Being more tentative, I probed the joint further, looking for something I might have missed.
Behind me, Nix chuckled. “He’s not hurting, Ro…”
A squeak of shock left me as I quickly pulled my hand back again. Orsen growled at that, so I paused, hovering my fingers in the air, just above the leathery expanse of his wing, unsure what to do.
In the blink of an eye, bones crunched and muscles ripped; the sounds of the shift were familiar, but Orsen was fast, so much more so than I expected. Everything about him indicated he was a damn powerful dragon, and I stumbled, losing my footing.
One second, I was standing with my hand outstretched, reaching for his wing, and the next, I was in the arms of a very naked Orsen.
Oh no.
A hand slid around my waist as the other reached up to my neck, gently gripping it. Through my thin shirt, I could feel every plane of his firm body.
He was hard. Everywhere.
His length pressed against my stomach and set every nerve in my body alight, zinging with something I couldn’t name.
I needed to move. I had to step back and put some distance between us.
That was the smart thing to do. I’d already seen what Orsen could do this close up.
If I didn’t back away, he’d probably try to kiss me again.
Like he had when I first saw him. When he’d demanded my mouth… When he’d used that tongue to—
But then his thumb swept over my cheek, and I shivered, goose bumps rippling across my body. His scent was everywhere, bathing the space around me in warm oak. I still wasn’t moving, some strange magic working through my entire nervous system.
“Rowan…” he whispered, low and demanding.
Not Emmeline. Not mate.
Rowan.
Oh fuck.