Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 9)

Not that she had time to do more than notice he'd left because a second later, the dragonman with dark hair and eyes, the one she'd f

irst seen upon waking, strode into the room.

He pulled up a stool next to her bed, sat down, and crossed his arms over his chest.

No doubt he tried to intimidate her with his bulging muscles and much bigger form. But given how much effort the doctors were investing to save her, he wouldn't dare hurt her.

At least not yet.

The dragonman stared, and she stared back. If dragon-shifters weren't much more than animals, which a lot of people believed, then she couldn't show her fear, or he'd pounce.

Although in the back of her mind, Ivy started to think dragon-shifters were more human than animal. But she quickly rejected it. If she accepted they were a lot like her, it would invalidate a good chunk of her life.

Focus on your endgame, Ivy. That's all that matters.

Right, the destruction of the Dragon Knights.

Wanting the dragonman to leave her alone so she could work on a plan, she croaked, "What do you want?"

He remained silent. And as the seconds ticked by, Ivy hated how she couldn't even sit up in bed, let alone turn over to give him her back and dismiss him.

However, there was one thing she could do. And even though she shouldn't irritate the dragonman, she closed her eyes to feign sleep.

He grunted. "Don't even think of going to sleep until I'm done with you."

Her eyes flew open. His brusque tone ruffled her feathers. "I'm tired, so go away."

He raised his brows. "You were in a coma for a year. If I were in your shoes, then I'd want to try and stay awake as long as possible."

Normally, if she were at her full strength, Ivy would argue back. Standing up for herself was how she'd soared up the ranks of the Dragon Knights, until she'd become the head of an entire research department.

But every inch of her body ached, and it was true—she was exhausted. So she merely murmured, "I'm going to close my eyes in two minutes and go to sleep. So if you have something to say, do it before then."

His pupils flashed to slits and back, and Ivy was glad she couldn't jump or really even flinch. Even though she'd watched videos during her early days with the Knights and knew it meant a dragon-shifter was talking with their inner beast, it also reminded her of the monster within. One who could come out and wreak havoc on any person they wanted.

Sure, the Department of Dragon Affairs—or DDA—claimed to have everything under control, but it wasn't the full truth. Ivy had seen the damage done in some of the more remote areas of the UK, not to mention other parts of Europe. Some dragons took what they wanted, escaped, and were never caught or later punished.

Because, really, how would a government agency take down a full-sized dragon without using an illegal weapon or chemical agent?

The man finally spoke again. "What was your role inside the Dragon Knights?"

Ivy struggled to keep her eyes open. Even if this was the golden opportunity to convince him they needed her help with decoding the encrypted data, she couldn't stay awake much longer. Maybe if she gave him a hint, he'd come back later, when she had more energy. So she murmured, "I was a researcher."

He opened his mouth to say something, but Dr. Sid came in and pushed the man away until he stood and moved. She said, "That's enough, Zain. I have a few more things to check before Ivy falls asleep again."

Even though the dragonwoman was shorter and less muscled than the man, he merely gave a curt nod and left the room.

Zain was his name, apparently.

Dr. Sid moved closer to her bed and said, "If he bothers you too much, then let me know, and I'll keep him away."

Ivy wondered why Dr. Sid would care. Sure, they wanted her alive for some unknown reason. Although after Zain's question, she suspected they wanted all the information on her research and projects from her time with the Knights.

Still, there was no reason for the female doctor to be even tangentially nice to her for the first time.

Especially since dragon-shifters weren't supposed to care about humans, beyond their ability to give them babies.

Dr. Sid raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then, don't answer. But for the moment, I'm on your team, Ivy. Don't give me a reason to switch sides."