His dragon snorted but said nothing.
No doubt his bloody beast was up to something.
He'd just managed to clear his mind of any other thoughts but taking Ivy home when he knocked on her door and entered.
Ivy sat on the edge of her bed, her feet on the floor, wearing a simple blue dress. It was less formal than the one she'd worn the day of her first trip to the school, but the color made her eyes blaze. When her gaze met his and she smiled, his heart skipped a beat.
It was hard to remember how the female used to be a Dragon Knight. Especially given all the stories Ivy had told him of sneaking out and exploring her neighborhood as a child. She'd had a wild spirit at one time. Maybe it'd come out again soon. Then maybe one day, he could ta
ke her up into the air in his dragon form and show her the world from a new perspective.
Of course, he shouldn't be planning so far into the future. After all, Zain hadn't even been allowed to show her his dragon yet.
His beast growled. Then do it today. If she's well enough to leave the surgery, she's well enough to see us.
Zain wished he could agree. However, Ivy's constant struggle of progress and setbacks regarding her health had made taking her outside her room difficult. And so anything that could upset her had been banned for a short while. Unfortunately, Sid had included showing Ivy any dragon-shifters in their dragon forms as part of that edict.
Sensing his dragon was about to speak up again, he moved straight for Ivy and smiled down at her. "Ready for the big day?"
She snorted. "I think I can do without staring at a beige, windowless wall ever again. If you tell me the cottage has a room like that, then either you're painting it a different color or I'm never setting foot inside it."
A stray tendril of hair fell over her cheek. Before he could think better of it, he tucked it behind her ear, lingering there a few beats. Her skin was always so soft, and warm, and no female had a scent quite like hers.
Zain was very nearly addicted to it.
And before he could stop himself, he took a quiet, deep inhale. Her female scent was one that haunted his dreams, so sniffing was probably not the best idea. But he couldn't help himself. He answered, "No beige walls anywhere. If anything, it should be the complete opposite of here."
She raised her brows. "Oh, the complete opposite, huh? Well, I'm not sure living in a glass house would be an improvement."
He chuckled. "Of course it's not a glasshouse, bloody woman. You'll just have to wait and see what I mean. After all, you need some motivation to get up and walk all the way to the cottage."
"I suppose," she muttered. "So we'd better get started. It could take me a while."
He reached for her forearm crutches but didn't hand them to her. "As soon as Sid brings the release papers, I will."
Ivy shook her head. "Never in a million years would I have pictured dragon-shifters doing paperwork."
"This is Britain. To not do paperwork to an excessive degree would be a crime."
She raised her brows. "Then violating that crime might be worth going to prison."
Since prison for dragon-shifters was exponentially worse—it was torture to keep their beasts drugged silent and contained for any period of time—Zain changed the subject, not wanting to ruin Ivy's big day. "Are you sure you want to walk the whole way?"
Ivy bobbed her head. "I'm strong enough to do that much, at least. Besides, I don't want the clan to see me in a wheelchair again if I can help it. I'm tired of everyone who doesn't hate me treating me like a delicate porcelain doll."
A female's voice—Nikki's—came from the doorway. "You do sometimes sway on your feet. So it's not like we're being overprotective hens for the sake of it."
Ivy sighed. "Even if you all gang up on me, I'm still going to try walking to my new home."
Zain may be concerned, but a sense of pride washed through him at Ivy's desire to be strong. "Just know that at the first sign of swaying, I'll be carrying you."
"And that's not worse than being in a wheelchair?" Ivy muttered.
However, before anyone could reply, Dr. Sid walked in and stopped next to Ivy's bed. She said without preamble, "You remember your instructions, correct?"
"Yes, yes, check in twice a day via phone and visit the surgery at least twice a week for in-person examinations. And at the first sign of wooziness or anything else that seems off, I'm to call you."
Sid grunted. "Good. I'll be making surprise visits as well, although you've really taken to the healing power of dragon's blood. More than a lot of other humans, which is a good sign."