Craved by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 8)

Brenna couldn't help but smile as Bram Moore-Llewellyn's dark hair, blue eyes, and friendly face appeared on the screen, with Dr. Sid Jackson and Dr. Gregor Innes at his side. As much as she loved Glenlough, she missed many of the people from her home clan of Stonefire.

True to the leader of Stonefire's character, Bram didn't waste time on small talk. "Brenna. What's so urgent, lass?"

Since she knew that Bram wouldn't answer an urgent summons without securing the line, she quickly explained Killian's outburst and subsequent unconsciousness before asking, "Have you found out anything new, related to Delia's recovery from the drug injections?"

Sid spoke up. "She's awake, but her dragon is acting as a young, shy child, as if they were strangers and meeting for the first time. The doctors in Wales ar

e running their own series of tests and will share the information later. In the meantime, Gregor and I have been running tests here with Trahern's help on both Delia's blood and some of the chemicals recently recovered from the farm near the Welsh clan." A group of humans had been manufacturing and selling the dragon-harming drug via the dark channels of the internet. "But it's going to take time to pinpoint what chemical or combinations of chemicals caused the dragon's regression. And even longer to find a cure, if it exists."

Gregor, Sid's Scottish mate, added, "Once Glenlough's doctor finishes his own series of tests, have him send the information to us. We received the initial data, but is there anything else about Killian's behavior that you can share? Has he experienced any sort of pounding or other signs of communication from his dragon? Even the smallest detail could help us find a cure."

"I don't think his dragon has made a sound," Brenna said. "To be honest, everyone has avoided talking with him about inner dragons, even me."

"Right, then when he regains consciousness, start asking questions," Sid stated. "I know it won't be easy, as losing your dragon is hard enough without the additional tragedy of losing your memory, but if we've any chance of bringing his dragon back, we need to look for the smallest sign that his inner beast still survives."

Brenna said what everyone else had to be thinking. "It's possible that the drugs killed his dragon and he'll never return."

Sid answered with hesitation. "Yes. But I'm not about to give up so easily. Remember, it took twenty years for me to find mine again. I hope it won't take as long with Killian, but it's far too soon to make any sort of foregone conclusion about his inner beast."

Sid had lost her inner dragon as a teenager, after an overdose of the dragon slumber drug. Only once she found her true mate and went through the frenzy had her beast returned.

That gave Brenna an idea. "What if I try to find his true mate? Do you think that could help?"

Gregor frowned. "Maybe, maybe not. Although, it couldn't hurt to locate her and try."

Bram spoke again. "Do you know who it is?"

"It's not me," she stated simply.

Concern flashed in Bram's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a neutral expression. "While finding his true mate could help, lass, the odds of finding her are low."

She shook her head. "His grandmother once mentioned to me that his true mate had come and gone years ago. I'll talk with her and see if it's possible to locate the female. Even though she probably doesn't want him, we can restrain Killian for as long as needed, if her kiss does indeed work, and then move the female to someplace safe."

Her dragon growled. I don't like the idea of giving him to a female who overlooked his worth.

We don't know the full story, dragon. So don't judge so harshly.

Bram's voice prevented her beast from replying. "Let me know if you need any help. We might not be able to set foot in Ireland just now, but if the female in question is somewhere in the UK, we'll do whatever we can to locate her."

Sid jumped in. "But just know that kissing his true mate may have no effect, Brenna. There are old tales of dragon-shifters losing their inner dragons through poisoning in times long past. While I don't have the scientific evidence to substantiate any of it, some of the old stories have kernels of truth to them. We'll even ask some of the teachers and historians to helps us locate any pertinent information."

Gregor added, "And one more thing—if you can't locate his true mate, there is another option. I've been studying how the human and dragon halves interact with one another. Since Killian is now mated to you, he is allowed to come to Stonefire. I'm not saying Dr. O'Brien isn't skilled, but thanks to Cassidy in my life, I've made this study one of my top priorities."

She smiled. Gregor was the only one who called Sid by her full name. "I'll keep that in mind. I'd love nothing more than to give Bram more paperwork to fill out for the transfer."

Bram grunted. "It's worth it if it means we can save your mate."

Stonefire's leader was one of the few who knew the truth of her mating to Killian. So the fact he was willing to go to such lengths to help her made Brenna slightly homesick.

Her dragon huffed. Of course he'd help us. We have two families now, both here and in England. Taking Killian to Stonefire might be better in the short run. No one knows him there and would accept him as is.

Maybe. But let's see if we can locate his true mate first. That will probably be more helpful.

Her beast growled. I don't like how easily you want to hand him over to another female.

I never said that. But we need to look at all the options. She paused and added, And remember, he's not ours. Not really.

Believe that if you wish.