Page 35 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

Cameron laughed. “She does that a lot,” he said, slowly sitting up. “I think I can walk if someone can help me up off the ground.”

Kennedy got to her feet, but just as she reached forCameron, a voice broke through the nervous chatter around them. “What’s going on around here? Where is my son?” a woman demanded, pushing her way through the crowd. “Get out of my way all of you. Do you know who I am?”

The crowd parted to reveal an older woman dressed in a designer suit, a man trailing behind her, a stormy look on his face. “Can’t someone do something about all this sand?” she demanded as her heels sank into the ground. Then she saw Cameron lying on the ground.

Cameron groaned. “Just what we need,” he whispered, slowly getting to his feet with her help. “Those are my parents.”

“Your parents,” she repeated, a sick feeling in her stomach. “They don’t look very nice.”

“I’m sorry, Kennedy, they’re not. I didn’t want you to meet them this way,” he said. “Just let me do the talking. It will be okay.”

“I demand to know what’s going on around here!” Cameron’s mother screeched, then she saw her son. “You’re bleeding. He’s bleeding, someone get a doctor, we need a doctor.”

“I’m a doctor, and your son is going to be just fine,” Dr. Hernandez said, cutting off whatever else the woman was going to say. “We’re moving up to the infirmary right now, if you could please step out of the way.”

CHAPTER 21

***CAMERON***

Cameron thought that the worst of the pain was over, but as soon as Dr. Hernandez began poking around, his shoulder began to feel like it was on fire. “It will be just a few more minutes. We have to make sure this is nice and clean. We don’t want any nasty scars now do we?” she asked, making him growl. “I know, it hurts, that’s just your body healing. The worst will be over soon.”

Kennedy was sitting next to him, his good hand gripped tightly in hers, tears rolling down her cheeks, her face white with worry. He wanted to reassure her but kept his jaws tightly closed, afraid he would scream from the pain if he opened his mouth. He felt something soft and warm covering the wound, then the doctor carefully rolled him onto his back. The pain began to ease and he could breathe normally again. Sucking air slowly into his lungs, his shoulder still throbbing, he lay with his eyes closed, exhaustion settling over him like a warm blanket.

“He’ll need to sleep now,” he heard Dr. Hernandez say, but he couldn’t make his eyes open. Then everything went dark as he finally let himself sink into the oblivion of sleep.

When he woke several hours later, Kennedy was curled up in the chair next to him, her hand limp in his. He shifted in bed just enough so that he could study her as she slept. Her eyes popped open a second later, and she sat up so fast she nearly tumbled to the floor, but he grabbed her at the last second and pulled her into the bed with him.

“Cameron, you’re hurt. You shouldn’t be moving around so much,” she said, slightly breathless. “You’re going to tear it open again.”

“I’m perfectly fine. Take the bandages off and see for yourself,” he said, then grinned at her. “And then I’ll show you how fine I am.”

Kennedy gasped when she felt his erection through the thin sheet. “Cameron, you’re in the hospital, I can’t believe you want to…”

Before she could finish, his mother burst through the door, his father right behind her, and he froze, cursing himself for forgetting they were on the island. When his mother saw them, she stumbled to a stop, her mouth hanging open, but his father pushed her aside, nearly knocking her over. He stood staring at the two of them long enough for his mother to recover. She stomped over to the bed, reached out, and tried to grab Kennedy’s arm.

“What are you doing in that bed? Get out at once; someone could have seen you,” his mother screeched. “What is going on in here? Why is the nurse in bed with you? Have you lost your mind?”

“Back off, Mother, she’s not the nurse; she’s my wife,” he said, batting her hands away. “We were married earlier today, so if I want to have her in my bed, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

His mother gasped, then stumbled back a couple of steps. “Oh no, no, no, no,” she chanted, then collapsed into a chair. “This can’t be happening. I have it all arranged. It was going to be the wedding of the season.”

His father’s face had turned a shade of red he’d rarely seen. His jaw was clenched so tightly that he could see the muscles trembling. He unconsciously pushed Kennedy behind him and braced himself for the explosion. It took longer than he thought, giving him enough time to calm down, but when his father opened his mouth and began to yell, he was sure it could be heard through the entire building.

He let his father go off for a while, his arm securely wrapped around Kennedy, then decided it was time to interrupt him. “We’re bonded, we’re married,” he said, his voice completely calm. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Bonded,” his father snorted, “that’s just a bunch of crap, there’s no such thing. The clan will never stand for this. You’ve broken one of our most sacred rules; regular humans are forbidden.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked. “Because I have it on good authority that’s not true.”

“My authority is the only one that counts,” his father shouted. “Or have you forgotten who rules this clan? I make the rules and decisions for this clan, and I say that regular humans are forbidden. Get rid of her, I don’t care how you do it, but no one is to know about this insanity of yours. You’re going marry within the clan, just like you’re supposed to.”

“And if I refuse?” he asked, making his mother gasp. “If I tell you that I plan to stay married to Kennedy and spend the rest of my life with her, what will you do?”

“Don’t push me, boy,” his father growled. “I’ll get rid of her myself if I have to.”

“You touch one hair on Kennedy’s head, and it will be thelast thing you ever do,” he growled. “She’s my mate and I will protect her, even if it means killing you.”

His mother gasped again, then staggered to her feet as his father slowly raised his hand and pointed at him. “You are no son of mine. I renounce you,” he screamed. “I banish you from the clan. You’re dead to all of us now.”

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