Page 3 of Charming the Dragon
She’d known better than to include that little detail in an email. “Well, my sister’s kidneys are failing, and…”
“And she needs dragon’s blood.”
“Yes.”
Maybe some would beg and plead, but that wasn’t her way. Besides, if Bram agreed to her bargain, she still had another element to negotiate.
He asked, “How long will it take for you to gather all the information for us?”
“That depends. I know you have some clan members who are good with computers, coding, and the like. If one of them would help me by creating the software, it would go a lot faster. Then I wouldn’t have to try and find someone on my own.”
“We do have people here who can assist with that, aye. So say my clan members help, then how long will it take you?”
She sat a little taller in her seat. “There is one other factor that will affect how long.” Bram raised his eyebrows and she continued, “If I could stay here on Stonefire until I go through all your records, the lack of commute would shorten the time it’ll take considerably.”
Bram frowned. “You want to stay here?”
She bobbed her head. “Yes. And before you protest, I know a few people inside the DDA who could help speed up the approval process. And yes, I’d be approved.”
It might take calling in every favor she had with the DDA, but she wanted the job done as soon as possible, in case another dragon-shifter needed her help again.
Bram smiled. “You do come prepared, I’ll give you that, lass.”
She resisted tugging at her hair. “So, does that mean you’ll agree?”
“What about your other work?”
“I already rearranged my schedule and have colleagues who can take over my cases. As long as I can video call them to discuss a few things, then I won’t have to leave Stonefire until I finish the job.”
The dragon leader studied her for a few beats, but Hayley didn’t fidget. She’d experienced far more intense glares in the courtroom.
Eventually, Bram nodded. “I always try to keep an eye on the future, and if we keep fighting for acceptance and better laws, it could be useful to have a database ready to go. However, I will tell you now that we’re a bit overcrowded and don’t have an empty cottage for you to use. You’d have to stay with a family. Would that be a problem?”
“As long as I have my own room and can have some quiet time to work, that’s all I need.”
“Aye, you’ll have your own room. And there are plenty of quiet, isolated rooms under the great hall where you can work.Besides, a lot of them contain old, dusty records, which may prove useful to you, too.”
For a second, Hayley was tempted to pinch herself. Was this really happening? Had she found a way to save her sister?
Yes, it looked like she had. She couldn’t wait to let Carly know the good news.
Before Bram could change his mind, Hayley put out a hand to shake. “Then we have a deal, Bram.”
He smiled, shook her hand, and stood. “That we have, lass. Let’s discuss the arrangement with Kai and Dr. Sid.”
Kai Sutherland was in charge of Stonefire’s security. Hayley had dealt with him before. Dr. Sid, though, she knew of but hadn’t really talked with. “Will Dr. Sid be in charge of getting the dragon’s blood to the hospital?”
“Aye. I’d rather she be able to administer it here, but I suspect your sister is too sick to move?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and then answered, “Yes.”
Bram’s expression softened. “Then we’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she gets the treatment where she is. You won’t have to come here until she’s well on the mend.”
Hayley forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Family is important.” He gestured toward the door. “Right, then follow me.”
And as she went through the motions to get everything in place to help her sister, Hayley tried to imagine what living on Stonefire might be like. However, all she could think about was how Carly would be healthy and out of the hospital in no time. Her sister wasn’t going to die. At least, not from kidney failure.
