Page 28 of Charming the Dragon
Her curiosity burned to explore right away, but she knew better. Hayley rushed back toward the command center and stopped next to Nathan. His frown didn’t bode well. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Even though it now stuck up in every direction, he still looked good. It was completely unfair.
He replied, “I can’t find a way to contact the clan. The generator is running now, and there are some computer-boundapplications, but there’s no internet, no phone lines, no way to let them know we’re here.”
Her excitement at finding the hidden cavern faded as the truth set in. “Then we are truly stuck here.”
“I’m not about to give up, Hayley. Besides, we still haven’t explored the entire area yet. There may still be a way out, a kind of emergency escape route, or something like that.”
“Well, as to that, I found a door that opens into a cavern. I didn’t want to explore it myself, but maybe we can go together?”
He eyed her for a few beats and shook his head. “Not right now. First, we both need to eat and regain our strength, then take stock of supplies. Only once we can make a survival kit should we go exploring any kind of cavern.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say run into it right here and now, without being prepared. I’m not an idiot.”
“I know you’re not, and I’m sorry.” Nathan rubbed his face. “It’s just turning into a long day, is all. Even if we could probably live comfortably here for years, I don’t really want to live an underground version of Swiss Family Robinson.”
“They were stuck on an island as a family. Children would definitely make things more difficult. But, oh! I didn’t even think about it before, but will your dragon be okay? There’s nowhere big enough for you to shift, at least not that I’ve seen so far.”
Nathan smiled. “He’ll be fine for a while. It’s not like it becomes painful if I don’t shift every day or week or whatever. It makes him antsy, which then makes me grumpy, and we’ll become rather unpleasant.”
“Grumpier than yesterday, even?”
“Yes, far more.”
He stood and stretched his arms over his head. Hayley’s gaze roamed his long, lean body. She wondered what he’d look like naked, right before he turned into a dragon. She’d never watcheda dragon-shifter do that before. And suddenly, she wanted Nathan to be her first.
Not helping, Hayley.She turned toward the door. “Come on, let’s check out the kitchen and pantry. If we can’t find any tea, then I may become the grumpiest one of us both.”
He chuckled, and she quickly stole a glance. He looked so much…younger and relaxed when he laughed. Maybe she’d try to make him do it more often.
Only because they needed to stay in high spirits and not lose hope. Yes, that was the only reason.
Nathan motioned for her to precede him. “Let’s go. I’m starving, and at this point, even army rations sound appetizing.”
She scrunched her nose. “I can’t say the same. Pouches just don’t scream real food to me.”
“When you’re in the field or fighting or in danger, keeping your energy up is all that matters.”
They left the command center and as they approached the kitchen area, she asked, “Since you’re a Protector, does that mean you served with the British Army too, like the others?”
He nodded. “I was mostly assigned to intelligence work, though. I did the same drills and training as all the others, but I didn’t have to fly into battle or transport big loads in my dragon form or any of that kind of thing.”
“You must have high security clearance, or at least you did?”
“I still do, since Stonefire is working more and more with the British Army, thanks to Rafe Hartley’s position.” She tried to remember what that was when Nathan added, “He’s a liaison between Stonefire and the army. Slowly, we’ve built trust and have been included more in the loop and given a few assignments. Most of them relate to the dragon hunters.”
“Those bastards. I can’t believe they capture and drain dragons of blood simply to make money, with no regard for their lives and families and who they are.”
Hayley had read a few stories about dragons found after the fact, and it had always made her cry. It was one of many reasons she’d never even thought about buying an illegal vial of dragon’s blood, even to help her sister.
Nathan’s voice brought her back to the present. “Dragon’s blood makes a lot of money on the black market. I’m not sure what can be done about that, unless Dr. Sid or any of the other doctors can craft a synthetic version to help humans.”
She opened her mouth to ask if the dragon doctors were trying to do that when they entered the kitchen and Nathan made a beeline for the stove. Apparently, their friendly conversation was over.
He said, “It’s electric and seems to be in working order.”
After testing the faucet, she said, “There’s water, too. Both here and in the bathroom, although I don’t know if we have hot water or not.”
