Maybe Gregor was right—they could find a way to win her over.
But not in the present. Each bite of food made her sleepy. As always, there was much to do and not enough time to do it. The only difference from the past was Sid could ask not only Gregor but also Trahern for help to watch over the clan’s health.
Why she ever thought doing everything herself was best, Sid would never know. All she could do was embrace the changes and focus on her goal of raising her child with Gregor at her side and her dragon as an ally. How the bloody hell she would accomplish that, however, was still a mystery.
Chapter Sixteen
Later that evening, Gregor sat on the bed with a laptop as Cassidy lightly snored at his side.
She’d fallen asleep in mid-conversation, but he didn’t mind. He could watch over her while she rested and also do some work. As much as Gregor would love to be the devoted mate who spent every waking moment looking after their partner, he couldn’t neglect the future health of others. Cassidy would want him to multitask since she was as devoted to her clan as he’d been on Lochguard.
His dragon spoke up. Why do you feel guilty about leaving Lochguard?
Who says I do?
You can’t lie to me. Layla loves them all as much as us. No one back home would begrudge you finding a second chance.
Gregor decided to be forthright. I know, but Harris is still suffering whilst I have gained a family. It almost doesn’t seem right.
Harris Chisolm was Gregor’s brother-in-law and had been mated to his recently deceased sister, Nora.
His dragon tilted his head. You already found a solution—invite Harris and Fiona to Stonefire. A new start will help.
Maybe. I should wait at least a few days before asking Bram for more favors.
He will say yes to helping those in pain. He may complain, but Stonefire’s leader has a heart.
Still, I want to help our mate first. She needs to be as strong as possible when the bairn comes.
She is strong. She will live.
Gregor glanced at Cassidy’s face, relaxed in sleep. His doctor was strong. He needed to believe she could handle a child of his.
His dragon shook his head. You worry too much. Hurry up and find something to ease your mind.
Before Gregor could reply, his beast curled up and dozed off.
Looking back to his laptop, Gregor scanned the file names he’d received from Arabella. Since Cassidy’s dragon had returned, he’d switched his focus from researching silent dragons to unruly ones.
The problem was quite a bit more common as a simple search turned up four cases. Opening the first one, Gregor read the summary:
After a critical injury, the patient is unable to control their beast. Only positive reinforcement seems to help but hasn’t cured the situation.
Further down he saw the treatment had lasted five years before the patient had been reconciled with their dragon.
Gregor didn’t have five bloody years to follow the same treatment.
However, positive reinforcement was something he could try, although he suspected earning her trust would be more beneficial.
He clicked the next file but dismissed it as the patient had gone rogue and been shot down by the DDA. That doctor had used negative reinforcement, which only angered Gregor.
“Stupid doctor,” he muttered. Prodding a dragon was the quickest way to end up dead. Any school child would know that. He took note that the doctor was from Clan Skyhunter. Since the clan in Southern England had recently experienced a purge and was undergoing a leadership change, he hoped that poor excuse for a doctor had been one of the ones to be booted out. He’d check on it later.
The third one was from Clan Snowridge. Curious since it was Trahern Lewis’s clan, Gregor scanned the summary:
Female attempted to save her sister by forcing her dragon. When the patient’s sister died, her beast went insane. All options were exhausted until one clan member mentioned the old practice of using of a rare moss found in the Celtic rainforest, among other locations, to help calm the dragon.
With each word, he leaned forward. Gregor continued reading: