Page 10 of The Dragon Recruit
Iris had seen something like it before, whenever a dragon was hurt back on Lochguard. However, this most definitely wasn’t Lochguard. At home, injured dragons recovered in big tents that were constructed around them. There certainly wasn’t a room like this one.
As she wondered if she’d been captured by the dragon hunters, a human male walked in front of the glass.
And not just any human, but Antony Holbrook.
For a split second, pain raced through her, but of the emotional variety—hurt, anger, confusion, and even failure. She’d almost trusted him, her gut had said to trust him, and yet he’d brought her to this strange place.
He might have even developed the gas that had made her crash and fall unconscious.
After pressing something to the side of the window, his voice echoed in the room. “Stop looking at me as if I kicked your puppy, Iris. My people were watching the site and saw you crash. We brought you here to recover.”
She wanted to believe him, wanted to demand more information, and yet she couldn’t shift back to a human until she’d healed more.
As if reading her thoughts, Antony spoke again. “If you won’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe her.”
A dragonwoman with brown hair, pale skin, and a single scar on her cheek walked in front of the glass. She was a doctor from Clan Skyhunter who’d come several times to visit Aimee King—a Skyhunter dragonwoman staying on Lochguard. But even so, Iris didn’t know Dr. Scarlett Turner very well.
The dragonwoman glanced at Antony and then looked back at Iris. She held up something like a walkie-talkie to her face and her southern English accent filled the room. “Seeing as you interviewed me on my first visit to Lochguard, I hope you remember me. But I’m Dr. Scarlett Turner, from Skyhunter.”
Iris grunted, hoping the dragonwoman understood her question:Where am I?
Scarlett replied, “You’re in quarantine, near London. And since I’ve been helping Mr. Holbrook with other dragon medical matters, he called in a favor to get me to help you.”
As Scarlett’s pupils flashed, Iris’s dragon spoke up.I believe her.
So easily? You know she was imprisoned and tortured by Skyhunter’s former leader. No doubt she’s a master at hiding her emotions.
Maybe. But Aimee trusts her. And that speaks volumes.
While the former Skyhunter leader had imprisoned anyone who’d challenged his orders, he’d hurt some of his clan members more than others. Aimee had been young, so very young, when she’d been imprisoned and tortured. And for months after arriving on Lochguard, she’d stayed inside her cottage and never talked.
With time, between Arabella’s help—she’d suffered her own torture as a teen under the dragon hunters—and a burgeoning friendship with Connor MacAllister, Aimee had slowly come out of her shell.
So for Aimee to trust Scarlett meant Iris wouldn’t completely disregard the dragonwoman. At least, not yet.
The doctor spoke again. “And one more thing before I go. I’ve been developing a prototype that will translate your thoughts whilst in your dragon form into a voice. It’s had some glitches, but I think I’ve fixed most of them. If you’re interested, I’ll get it ready. So either nod or shake your head.”
Iris blinked. One of the biggest weaknesses of a dragon-shifter being in their dragon forms was the inability to speak.
Her beast said,Then we should try it. It could help us in our fight against the dragon hunters. Just imagine how much time it’d save us, too, from always having to shift to give commands or rely on wing signals.
She eyed the Skyhunter doctor. But despite her best stare down, the other female never looked away or blinked.
Iris finally nodded, and the doctor spoke up again. “Brilliant. The next time I suit up and check your injuries, we can attach it to your temples. Give me a few hours to make some last-minute adjustments with my team, and I’ll be back.”
With that, she walked out of Iris’s sight.
Antony still stood in front of the glass, and his lips twitched as he said, “Dr. Turner isn’t my biggest fan, I’m afraid. She thinks I could’ve single-handedly saved her and the others on Skyhunter much sooner. However, it wasn’t that simple.”
Why not?She wanted to ask.
Antony continued talking, as if she’d spoken. “You’ll find out that answer, and more, once you heal, my dear. For now, I just wanted to see that you were indeed awake. Because for a while there, we weren’t sure if you’d survive or not. Another thirty seconds of that gas, and you wouldn’t be here.” He leaned closer to the glass. “What the bloody hell were you thinking, Iris? Going straight to the site without a word or checking in with me. You could’ve died.”
She growled. So much for Antony trusting and believing her. He was just another male who thought a female couldn’t handle herself in dangerous situations.
Her dragon sighed.I don’t think that’s it.
Then what?
