Rowan
The familiar nightmare jerked me awake: a memory of the blinding pain, the smell of potent herbs, the horrid confusion.
Lying in bed suspiciously Alpha-less for a moment, I took stock of my surroundings. I strained my ears, the answer coming a moment later when they picked up the shower running.
I should’ve been irritated by Bastian’s insistence on sleeping in the same room as me, but ever since he’d started crawling into my bed, my nightmares had become significantly less frequent. They didn’t usually start until he slipped out.
That sneaky subconscious picked up on his absence.
I had mixed feelings about him being there. On the one hand, I was grateful for the protection. On the other, I remembered just how much of an ass Bastian had been until recently.
There was no denying how much he had changed, though. It was like night and day. Sure, I liked this new Bastian better, but did I trust him?
I sat up, rubbed my eyes roughly, and ran a hand through my tangled hair. I could probably do with a shower myself, but I had too much to do. Standing, I stretched my back out, which made a satisfying pop. I padded over to the dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.
My hair was pretty much a lost cause, so I threw it into a messy bun.
My tongue ran over my teeth; I couldn’t help but grimace at how gross they felt.
I had been so exhausted the night before that I’d collapsed into bed without even thinking about brushing them.
I glanced at my bathroom. Did I dare go in to brush my teeth while Bastian was showering?
Eventually, my desire for better hygiene won out over my embarrassment, and I wandered over to the bathroom, pointedly averting my eyes as I made a beeline for the counter.
“Just grabbing my toothbrush,” I muttered, doing my best to avoid looking at the shower, with my hand over my eyes like a blindfold, which of course meant I bumped into the wall.
“You can look all you want, you know,” Bastian said, with a smile in his voice.
I ignored him, brushing my teeth. It was oddly domestic… Well, it would have been if everything in me wasn’t screaming to turn around and look at the naked, undoubtedly handsome Alpha in the shower.
Instead, I kept my gaze down, staring at the sink as I brushed, even though I could hear the water slapping against the shower floor sporadically. What was he doing in there? What would his hair look like all wet, water dripping down his—
Okay, stop. There’s no time for that, Rowan.
When I finished, I dried off my mouth, then checked my appearance in the mirror. I just needed to look semi-put together. I’d make a point of doing a full, deep clean when I had the time.
“I need to go check on Ma,” I said, still watching myself in the mirror.
For a brief moment, my stomach turned uncomfortably.
I was run-down, exhausted, and like a lesser version of myself.
My skin was sallow and gray, and my eyes had dark bags underneath them.
How the hell could my clan of Alphas be attracted to me?
“Give me two minutes,” Bastian said from behind me, making me jump.
When the hell had he gotten out of the shower? I hadn’t even heard it turn off.
“I’ll go with you. Just let me throw on some clothes.”
Bastian looked at me casually in the mirror, the picture of nonchalance, while I was doing everything in my power not to glance down.
He was naked—very, very naked—and wet. Even trying so hard, I couldn’t help but flick my eyes to his broad chest as he scrubbed a towel through his hair.
He wasn’t even concerned with the fact that his dick was out.
My heart hammered against my ribs, and I swallowed hard, knowing I needed to move, yet unable to do so.
“Umm…” What was I even trying to say? God, I needed to leave the bathroom. Yes, leaving. Leaving would be good. I—
Bastian wrapped the towel around his hips, gesturing at the door. “Clothes are out there.”
I nodded, eyes wide. “Right. Yes. Umm… I’ll… I’ll get some food from the kitchen.”
Without another word, I sprinted off, heading for the kitchen to distract myself from the fact that the only thing I was thinking about swallowing was Bastian’s dragon dick.
Gutter! Your head is so in the gutter!
As I hurried off, I heard Bastian chuckling to himself, and I glared at nothing. He was enjoying this far too much.
“I can sit up,” Ma grumbled, swatting away Annie, the sweet dragon who was helping her.
“It seems your feistiness is back.” I chuckled, quickly rubbing some sanitizer on my hands before I approached her bed.
“Rowan!” she cried thankfully, as if the answer to all her prayers had just arrived. “Please tell them I am well enough to go back to my own bedroom at least.”
“I’m sorry, but I’d like you here a few more days.” I winced, knowing she wasn’t going to like that. But she’d like getting an infection worse.
Her face fell. “But I’m so bored here.”
“If you want, I can put you in a room with Nix. You two can entertain each other.”
Ma gave me a pointed look. “I love that boy, but if I’m in the same room as him for an extended period of time, he is going to end up needing a lot more medical attention.”
I snorted, shaking my head as I paused at her bedside. “I believe it. Can I take a look?”
“Go ahead.” Ma waved at her chest.
The skin had gone from blackened to dark red, which meant it was healing nicely.
“It’s looking good, but I think it is going to scar,” I said with a grimace.
Ma waved off my concern. “I can handle a few scars, as long as it doesn’t stop me from everything I want to do. I’m just thrilled I’m not even in any pain.”
“None at all?”
She shook her head. “Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I would think you gave me some of that funny stuff you gave Bastian.”
I snorted again. “No, I gave you far better stuff,” I assured her.
“What in the world did you give me, then?” Bastian asked from the doorway.
I turned to him, smiling sweetly. “I gave you the cheap stuff because you were being an asshole. I didn’t think you’d take the entire pouch, but that was your own stupid fault.”
Ma cackled, wiping her eyes with her good arm as she dissolved into a fit of giggles. It was good to see her in such high spirits.
Laughter really was the best medicine.
“Well, you’re looking good here. I’ll be sure to check on you, but you’ll get out of here faster if you rest as much as you can.”
Ma narrowed her eyes at me. “Only if it’ll get me out of here.”
A couple of hours later, there was a commotion outside. I checked out the window to see dozens of younger dragons bringing boxes to the clinic.
“W-what is all this stuff?” I asked in shock as more and more boxes were piled in the lobby, dwarfing the room with the sheer number of them.
Bastian jerked his head toward them. “Why don’t you take a look?”
Cautiously, I approached the boxes. I had no idea what to expect. Tearing the tape off so I could get inside, I gasped as I laid eyes on what was in the first box.
It was a tapestry. I knew it very well because I’d spent so many days looking at it when I was recovering. Tears brimmed to the surface as I clapped a hand over my mouth.
It had hung behind Kiki’s desk.
Without thinking, my heart pumping furiously, I started ripping into the other boxes.
Not only was there a plethora of decor from Kiki’s healing facility, but also equipment, like the mortar and pestle I had learned to make poultices in, the bamboo whisk for whipping up some of the powdered herbal teas, and so much more.
It smells like her…
“This is all stuff…”
“From Kiki,” Bastian supplied.
“How?” I asked weakly, tears staining my cheeks.
Bastian looked at me intently. “You made a comment when you came back here that the Southern Dust Lands will always feel like home. I thought you deserved to have a little bit of home here.”
“You did this?” My voice was shaky, barely understandable as I nearly crumpled to the floor. “Please don’t tell me you threatened someone!”
Bastian chuckled, smiling as he stepped closer.
“No threats necessary. I had a conversation with Cormack and Ash. We agreed to buy some of the items because they had sentimental value to you. They could do with some new equipment in the Southern Dust Lands, anyway. Ash wanted you to have this stuff. He knows how much it means to you. I also owe him a favor that he’s no doubt going to cash in big one day.
But it was worth it to see the look on your face. ”
More tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, quickly overflowing. Bastian’s expression fell, but before he could open his mouth to ask what was wrong, I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest as I sobbed.
“Thank you,” I whispered, barely able to speak.
His hand came to rest on the back of my head as he pulled me in tighter, fingers stroking. “I would do anything for you, Rowan. Anything.”
All I could do was stand there and fall apart. I missed Kiki so much, and to have these things—something to look at and hold when I felt like my chest was going to crack open from grief—I could barely put into words how much it meant to me.
After taking a deep breath, I mumbled, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is… incredible. I’ll never forget this.”
“She saved your life. I owe her everything for that. If I can bring a part of her here, well, we can sort of celebrate how wonderful she was. A tribute to Kiki.”
“Damn, dude.” Orsen laughed, standing in the clinic doorway, looking at the boxes. “This is some good shit. The rest of us will be buying ice cream by the truckload to try and keep up.”
“Shut up.” Bastian chuckled.
“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.” I sniffed, making Orsen laugh again.
“I’m totally jealous. It’s a damn good move. Anyway, I’ve got breakfast sandwiches for you, Nina, and Ma.” He held up the bag, walking over to me and placing a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll leave yours on your desk.”
“Did you get one for Nix?” Bastian asked.
Orsen grinned, holding up a little container that he shook. “I got him a salad.”
Bastian and I laughed, shaking our heads.
Oh, boy. Nix is going to hate that.