Cured by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 6)

~~~

Gregor finished the appendectomy and scrubbed his hands at the sink. No one had updated him in the last twenty minutes of any changes to Molly Caruso. All they knew for certain was that Molly wasn’t contagious.

While he figured Trahern was lost in analysis and blood work, Gregor was going to have to implement some rules about checking in every so often, even if it meant strapping a bloody alarm to Trahern’s wrist.

He arrived at the laboratory and didn’t bother to knock. Opening the door, he blinked to see Cassidy sitting next to the Welsh doctor. She met his gaze and frowned. “Next time, you had better wake me to help.”

It took everything he had not to bark for her to go back to their cottage and rest. Keeping his voice calm, he asked, “What have you discovered?”

“The compound is almost exactly the same as the one found in Dr. Sid’s body, with only one or two minor differences,” Trahern answered. “However, the formula is less potent and I’m fairly certain it needs to be inhaled in a sizable dose and at close range to have any effect.”

“Fairly certain isn’t certain,” Gregor bit out.

Cassidy sighed. “Stop it, Gregor. I’m perfectly fine. My dragon is sleeping and I was going crazy back at the cottage.” She pointed a finger at him. “Next time, you’d bloody well better tell me what’s going on. Stonefire is my family.”

His dragon spoke up. I would’ve told h

er.

Not dignifying his beast with a response, Gregor moved to stand behind Trahern and Cassidy. “I’ll tell you next time. Now, tell me what else you found out.”

“One of the minor differences Trahern mentioned was an increase in the ratio of the unidentified compound to the other elements,” Cassidy answered. “The question is whether Molly Caruso inhaled enough to affect her dragon or not. If so, it will probably have a worse effect on her beast than the child on Glenlough.”

“Or yourself,” Gregor pointed out.

Cassidy shook her head. “My case has too many unknown variables to be used as a standard. It’s much easier to compare the Glenlough child and Mrs. Caruso.”

“That’s all well and good, but this drug might have long-term effects. We need to be vigilant,” Gregor said. “Speaking of which, I should check on Molly Caruso.”

Cassidy stood up. “I’m coming with you.”

Gregor’s beast chimed in again. If you don’t let her come, you might push her away.

Not locking Cassidy away until her dragon was tamed and their child was born was proving harder than he’d ever imagined.

But his beast was right. “Then let’s go. Lewis, we’ll be back later.”

Trahern barely acknowledged their exit. Once they were in the hall, Gregor whispered, “How’s your dragon?”

“I told you, she’s asleep.” He merely raised his brows and Cassidy continued, “She was a pain earlier, but I think she and I are at an impasse until closer to my due date. However, I have a theory.”

Gregor raised his brows. “Care to tell me what it is?”

Cassidy lowered her voice. “I think we need to approach my dragon as if she’s a teenager. She may be thirty-eight years old, but she hasn’t had a chance to grow since we were fourteen.”

“Interesting. We can discuss your theory in more depth later, although I’m worried about your dragon affecting your work. Are you sure it’s a wise idea to be in the surgery?”

His doctor narrowed her eyes. “Don’t try to lock me up, Gregor. Of course I need to be careful, but I don’t see why I can’t work. After all, I hid my episodes for years with no one the wiser. If anything goes horribly wrong, I’ll leave.”

He stopped them in the hall and leaned closer to her face. “Just promise me you won’t hide anything from me. I’m trying not to be overly protective, but I’ll never succeed if you keep secrets.”

“I won’t ever keep secrets from you again, Gregor. I need you to trust me.”

Shit. His protectiveness was getting him into trouble.

His dragon spoke up again. Just trust her. She will tell us when something’s wrong.

“I do trust you, love.” He cupped her cheek. “But also understand that I’m still afraid of what might happen.”