Greylen
“I’m free, motherfuckers!” Nix declared, bounding into Rowan’s room, and I had to roll my eyes at the perpetual puppy dragon.
“Calm down, or I’ll send your ass back to the clinic,” she grumbled, following him into the room.
Nix, unfazed, jumped onto Rowan’s bed. “I suppose if you put me back in the clinic, at least I’ll get to spend more time with you.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she mirrored with an eye roll.
She leveled him with a glare. “If you get yourself put back in the clinic because of your own stupidity, Nina will be your healer, not me.”
Nix pouted playfully but settled down in bed, nonetheless
We had all taken to congregating in Rowan’s room, several of us sleeping in her bed at various times. There was enough space for all of us, and it could easily become the clan bedroom, but we hadn’t had that discussion yet, not officially.
“Hey,” Rowan greeted softly, wrapping an arm around my waist as she walked up to me. I pulled her in tightly, burying my face in the top of her hair. She smelled like the clinic’s herbs and tinctures.
“Are you going to get some rest?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
Rowan pulled back with a grimace. “I should…”
“Come snuggle me, mate!” Nix declared loudly.
“He is exhausting.” I laughed.
“I can handle him.” She chuckled back. “What are your plans for the afternoon? I need to go check on the babies and grab some food.”
“I’m finished setting up the cameras, if you’re asking for company. I’m happy to accompany you.” I smiled at her, tucking a hair behind her ear. “Or if you just want to rest, that’s fine, too.”
At that moment, her stomach growled. “Hmm… Maybe food is the best place to start.” She turned to Nix with a stern expression. “Stay in that bed, or I’ll sic Nina on you.”
“Fine, fine.” He held up his hands, snuggling deeper into the bed. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”
We left Nix, and I held Rowan’s hand as we walked down the halls to the kitchen, where we could rustle my mate up some grub. Bastian had made it his personal mission to keep her well fed, but I wasn’t a complete slob in the kitchen, either.
Allison was in the kitchen when we got there, Baby Rowan strapped to her chest as she bossed a few young dragons around the room.
“Rowan!” she greeted when she spotted her, smiling broadly. “Have you eaten?”
Looking a tad guilty, she shook her head. “Not yet, I was busy with Poppy.”
Allison’s eyes lit up. “Two baby boys! So exciting! Well, I’m in the middle of making dishes to take over for her family. Would you guys like some sandwiches?”
“If it’s not too much trouble?” Rowan furrowed her brow. “I can grab a protein bar or something if you’re busy.”
I resisted the urge to growl. My mate needed proper sustenance, but I also didn’t want to disturb the flow of the kitchen. Although Allison was taking over expertly, I was ready to see Ma back in here. In any case, I hoped that she’d be as insistent on Rowan eating real food as I was.
“It’s not too much at all. In fact, I got the recipe for the loaves that I have been practicing, so we have an abundance of bread,” Allison said, weaving about the kitchen like a bumblebee moving from flower to flower.
A few moments later, she pressed two brown paper packages into our hands. “Go enjoy some of the sunshine,” Allison instructed, shooing us outside.
“She’s fitting in.” Rowan smiled, sitting on a bench, the sun shining brightly behind her, making her appear spotlighted by its beams. She looked like an angel in the glowing sun, the yellow strands of her hair like spun gold fanning around her face.
But there was no denying that she looked tired.
I knew the past few months had been a lot for all of us, but especially her.
She was solely responsible for mending and caring for the horde, including Nix most recently.
Nina was a huge help, but Rowan hadn’t been able to teach her everything yet, because it seemed to be one thing after another.
That was draining on anyone, particularly if they were human.
“You’ve got good instincts,” I agreed after a second, the twinge in my chest easing as she unwrapped the sandwich. Allison had prepared us some extremely tasty-looking food: freshly baked bread, turkey, lettuce, tomato, and some homemade sauce or dressing that smelled amazing.
“Would you have let her into the horde?” she asked, cocking her head to the side as she took a bite.
I tried to bite my tongue and not say anything about how small a bite she was taking, likely an involuntary effort to look more refined.
She needed to be eating more and building her strength.
I hadn’t missed that Rowan’s appetite had been minimal over the last few weeks. Her cheeks were starting to look gaunt.
“I’m honestly not sure,” I admitted, aggressively biting my sandwich in hopes of showing her that it was okay to dig in, and then swallowed before adding, “The fear of upsetting the order of things is strong. For many years, we kept our heads buried in the sand. I can see how wrong that was, though.”
Rowan’s eyes flicked down and then up again. “Until I came back.”
“You do bring out the best of us.” I smiled at her.
“Or the worst, in some people’s opinions,” she muttered, taking another tiny bite.
“You need to eat more,” I said, frowning and nodding at the sandwich. “And as far as I’m concerned, ‘some’ people can fuck off.”
Rowan grimaced. “Thanks. I’m not doing it on purpose. I’m just so tired and busy that I forget. Also, it’s hard to have an appetite when I’m constantly worried that Cyrus or Byron are going to appear. Jenkins is too stupid to be a real threat compared to them.”
“I know it’s difficult when you’re stressed. But you’re not alone in this. We’ve got your back, and so many dragons here are thrilled to have you. Willing to protect you, too. Lean on that. And my pestering you.”
Still, Rowan had a point. It felt so difficult to let my guard down with those two out there.
I’d been working around the clock to install more cameras and test them all to ensure she could never disappear on us again.
If there hadn’t been a looming threat hanging over our heads every day, I would have scooped my mate up and whisked her away for a break.
“We need a vacation.” The idea tumbled out of my mouth without much thought.
Rowan snorted, rolling her eyes. “Where would we even go?”
I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. It was always the cabin, but that place is sort of…”
“Tainted?” Rowan supplied, her brows knit together.
I nodded solemnly. “I don’t think I could stay there again without constantly worrying about you.”
She bobbed her head. “That sounds very much like the opposite of a vacation.”
“Maybe once everything settles down, we can find a place?” I tried to offer a look of hope, but I wasn’t sure it worked.
Rowan hummed. “This should be our place, though. It won’t always be like this, will it?” she asked in a small voice.
“No,” I promised. “Once Cyrus is dealt with, and you’ve had time to catch up on patients, you will have a much lighter workload and be safe. You can relax. We will make it happen.”
“A few months ago, my biggest worry was where I would visit next. I love it here, don’t get me wrong, but I have never been so exhausted.”
“That you remember… I seem to recall a time not long after our mating when you were very worn out.”
Rowan laughed, batting me on the arm as she took a larger bite of the sandwich before chewing and swallowing it. If I needed to make her laugh in order to get her to eat, I could manage that.
“That is a very different kind of exhaustion!” She giggled.
I tugged her across the bench, putting my arm around her.
She didn’t resist, leaning into my touch.
I breathed in that scent of herbs that clung to her, the scent so uniquely hers.
For a moment, it was quiet, and I hoped to God that we could put this all behind us, sooner rather than later.
It was exhausting, and I wanted my mate to be happy.
Not constantly scared.
“All in good time, we’ll be that tired again,” I promised, giving her a quick kiss. “We’ll be there soon. Just you wait.”