Page 74 of The Dragon Recruit
“You never miss anything, do you?”
“Not often. I’m sure you’ll let me know when I do. Now, what’s your remaining condition?”
She picked at the sheets of his bed. “Whilst I do want a frenzy at some point, after you’re well, I want our first kiss to happen naturally and not be forced.”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Aye, maybe.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough, love.”
“If you think I’m going to spout off nonsense like you would, then you’ll be waiting a long time.”
He chuckled, uncaring that it sent a dull ache through his side. “Of course I don’t want our first proper kiss to be forced, Iris. We have time to discuss future plans, though, since I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
The machines and room said he was at the secret research facility near London.
“Dr. Turner, Dr. McFarland, and Dr. Sid are all here, working together. And no, not just for you, either. They’re trying to help the young dragon found in the same room as you, as well as the dragon female named Chelsea. The other female dragon we found died shortly after the rescue from some experimental brain surgery those monsters had conducted on her. The doctors are trying to figure out what they’d attempted—something to do with mind control, according to Zoe—to better prepare for the future. Because over the last few years, everything points to the dragon hunters researching ways to kill or control dragon-shifters.”
Before he could ask for specifics, Iris filled him in on everything that had happened since they’d found him.
Apparently, he’d been in a secret research facility underneath Glasgow Central Station. The ones running it were an offshoot of the dragon hunters, although no one had revealed who was in charge. Zoe Watson had said it was a human female, probably Margot Green, but they had yet to confirm it.
The location of the missing dragon-shifters had been in the computer system back in the secret lab in Glasgow. The rescue teams had arrived just after the gas had gone off in the cells—probably a last-ditch tactic to prevent any witnesses—and they’d managed to save most of the prisoners, thanks to Dr. Turner’s research, with help from Dr. Trahern Lewis.
The DDA was interrogating everyone they could, and soon some dragon-shifters would get the chance, too.
By the end, Antony’s head throbbed from trying to keep everything straight. Which was bloody frustrating since he usually kept twenty different lists going at once without blinking.
He muttered, “I hate being weak and confined to this bed.”
Iris raised her brows. “If you even think of trying to sneak out and start analyzing data before the doctors give you the all clear, I will tie you to that bed, Antony Holbrook. Don’t think I won’t.”
“I never knew you fancied tying me up, Iris. Maybe we’ll try that sometime.” But his teasing didn’t budge her stubborn expression, and he sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll be a good lad. But only if you come here and take a nap with me.”
She eyed the empty space he’d created earlier. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. Now, come here, love. Give your man some cuddles.”
Chuckling, she laid down next to him carefully, and Antony slowly wrapped an arm around her. He didn’t even grunt at the pain, loving how it felt to have Iris with him again. Especially since he hadn’t been sure he would survive the dragon carrying him off.
As he breathed in her scent, a sense of peace and happiness settled over him.
And before he could tease her further, her heat and closeness lulled him to sleep, where he had dreams of mating her in front of her clan and making the dragonwoman his forever.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next month flew by for Iris. Between visiting Antony, helping the other Protectors and Wicked security team members question the dragon prisoners, and staying in the loop with the DDA, she barely had time to eat and let her dragon fly for a bit each day.
However, as Antony’s team shared more responsibility with her, she earned their trust bit by bit.
The hardest part had been keeping Antony from leaving his hospital bed too soon. However, his stubbornness and crankiness weren’t any worse than a dragon-shifter male, and the doctors had handled him deftly.
But today was the day he would finally arrive on Lochguard. Iris had come home ahead to get everything ready for him. Unfortunately, that meant her mother sat right next to her as they waited for Antony to arrive at Lochguard’s Protector building.
Iris glanced at her mother, who was knitting something for Antony that looked to be like a jumper with a dragon on it. A purple dragon, which was the color of Iris’s.
Her inner beast spoke up.I can’t wait to see him wear it.
