leheartedly refuse you, so stop with the overprotective crap.”
“You can’t refuse me, lass, as I already refused you.”
She blinked as his rejection coursed through her body. “What?”
He squeezed her hands. “You heard me. Not because of your silent dragon, so get that bloody ridiculous thought out of your head. I lost a mate once in childbirth, and I vowed to never do it again. So while you’re safe from my cock, I am your doctor and I plan to find a cure for your condition, Cassidy. I’ve been gentle up until now, but if you don’t start cooperating, I’m going to pull out all the stops to make you talk.”
Chapter Three
Gregor’s dragon wouldn’t stop roaring. I don’t refuse her. She is ours.
Used to his beast’s tantrums, Gregor ignored him. He focused on Cassidy. Her anger had melted into pity, which was the one look Gregor couldn’t stand. “I’ve lost two people important to me, and you’ve lost your dragon. I’d say we’re on par for loss and tragedy, so unless you want me to pity you, stop it now, Dr. Jackson.”
“You’re wrong, you know. We’re not even.” He opened his mouth to reply, but she beat him to it. “I know about your sister and niece, Gregor. I’ve dealt with many patients over the years experiencing the death of a loved one, and I know you’re still grieving, no matter your outer exterior.”
At the mention of his sister, Nora, and his young niece, Gregor’s dragon fell silent out of respect. “Aye, I am grieving. But this isn’t a contest of who has the most tragic life. This is me trying to help you and how you keep pushing me away.”
Searching his eyes, Cassidy finally said, “I’m used to being in charge. Asking for help is difficult for me.”
He resisted blinking at her straightforward admission. “Am I dreaming or is Cassidy Jackson telling me something without a fight?”
She rolled her eyes. “It seems I’m damned no matter what I do when it comes to you.”
His lips quirked. “Aye, but that’s the fun part.” He sobered. “But if you want my help, I need all of the facts. Tell me exactly what happened leading up to your dragon’s silence and what was done after.”
Cassidy remained silent. He wondered if she’d actually open up to him or not. Just as he was about to speak, her low, detached voice filled the room. “I was fourteen years old. My dad and younger brother, Wyatt, and I had taken a trip to the White Cliffs of Dover. Back then, Clan Skyhunter had been neutral to us and the DDA had granted permission for the trip.” She glanced at him. “And if you think Cassidy and Wyatt are strange names for British dragon-shifter children, then you’re right. But Dad had a thing for the old American Wild West and Mum gave in to his choices.”
Gregor wanted to tease her for probably being named after Butch Cassidy, but he merely nodded. She continued, “Any of the cliffs on the coast were one of the few places humans liked to see dragons flying. Probably because dragons diving over the sea ensured they weren’t threatening villages, or at least that’s the way they thought.
“Even though I was promised the first go by Dad, Wyatt was so excited to dive off the cliffs that we agreed to go together. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be flying with my ten-year-old brother in front of all of the young dragonmen around, but it was together or nothing.
“I jumped at the end of Dad’s countdown, but Wyatt hesitated. I flapped my wings and rode the currents back up. I was quite the tormenting sister in those days, and twirled and flipped in front of Wyatt to show off. Finally, he jumped, but as he dove downward, a large piece of the cliff slid off and landed on his wing. In the blink of an eye, he was sinking into the water.”
Cassidy closed her eyes, and Gregor knew she was twenty-four years in the past, watching her brother possibly sink to his death. Touching her arm, he kept his voice low as he asked, “What happened next?”
She shook her head and opened her eyes, but kept her gaze averted. “I dove after him. As soon as Wyatt hit the icy waters, the shock forced a shift back into his human form. He was too young to shift back under the circumstances and he sunk quickly.
“However, as I hit the water, I kept hold of my dragon inside my mind and forced her to keep us in dragon form. If I’d been a little older, I could’ve controlled my shifting without such force. But at fourteen, finesse was the farthest thing from my mind. I fought my dragon inside my head as well as the chill of the Channel, and pushed my muscles to swim toward my brother.”
Taking Cassidy’s hand, he squeezed. She finally met his gaze again and answered the question in his eyes. “I wasn’t able to save Wyatt. By the time I reached him, he was unconscious. As I fought my way back to the water’s surface, his heart stopped beating. Even when I surfaced, Dad was there to take him back to land. But it was too late.”
“I’m sorry, Cassidy. I truly am.”
She nodded in acknowledgment. “It might be more than twenty years since it happened, but in my mind, the memories are as fresh as if it happened yesterday.” She paused, and then added, “That whole incident is the reason I became a doctor. If a dragon-shifter doctor had been on-site, Wyatt might’ve survived.”
~~~
As Gregor rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, the pounding in her head eased. They might have sworn off each other as mates, but she was grateful for his touch.
Not only his touch but his near silence.
Wyatt’s death was the one thing in Sid’s life she wished she could change. She would even take the lack of an inner dragon all over again if it meant her younger brother would still be alive.
But what had happened to Wyatt was only part of the story. If she wanted Gregor to know the full truth and attempt to help her, she needed to get out the rest.
Taking a deep breath, she moved her gaze to her hand engulfed in Gregor’s large one and forced herself to finish. “As you may have guessed, my story didn’t end there. Once Dad carried Wyatt up to the top of the cliff, I finally lost control of my dragon and she thrashed at the water’s surface. Every time she tried to jump up, I roared and tried to restrain her again. I knew that if my dragon went rogue, flew up, and started attacking the humans, I would be shot down.”
Gregor never ceased his caresses on her hand. The pounding had disappeared in her mind. Daring to look up, she saw curiosity in his eyes.