Craved by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 8)

Let me think on it.

By the time they reached the surgery, his beast still hadn't said anything else.

Before he knew it, Kai opened the door to Brenna's room. Killian rushed inside and Brenna instantly met his eyes.

While she was physically the same with her lovely olive skin and short hair that brought out her cheekbones and full lips, something seemed different about her gaze. He wondered if it had to do with her missing dragon.

His own chimed in. Where is her dragon? She seems different without it.

It will come back.

Are you sure? I don't like it. Maybe I should try to bring it back, like the kiss with Georgiana brought me back.

Kissing her right now is a bad idea. I suspect even drugged, her dragon could sense it and mayb

e wake up.

His beast huffed. I will hold back for now, but I'm going to work on solutions whilst you talk.

Brenna's voice prevented him from replying. "It's okay, Killian. Come sit next to me."

Dr. Sid added, "But no kissing or even hugging. I can't risk the dragon fighting off the drugs early."

Grunting his acknowledgment, Killian walked over and sat on the edge of Brenna's bed. As they stared into one another's eyes, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close, nuzzle her neck, and take a few seconds to memorize her feminine scent. After all, this could be the last time he ever saw her.

No. He refused to accept that outcome until Brenna specifically rejected him.

Killian cleared his throat and decided to get the conversation over with. "Well, it seems we have quite a few decisions to make. Let's start with the most important—what do you want to do about the frenzy?"

Chapter Twelve

Brenna moved to take Killian's hand, but quickly clenched her fingers into a fist. Touching him was a bad idea, no matter how much she yearned to feel his warm skin. Some might put it down to the mate-claim frenzy, but Brenna knew better. Killian's presence had always affected her.

What she needed to do was focus on the bigger picture. However, she wasn't about to decide her life in front of an audience. Never taking her gaze from Killian, she asked, "Can you give us some time alone, Sid?"

As the doctor exited the room, she took the opportunity to memorize Killian's face. For all she knew, it might be her last chance to do so.

His firm jaw covered in dark stubble and straight nose might intimidate some, but all it did was made her ache to kiss along his jawline and take his full lips. However, when she met his green eyes again, the concern there reminded her of what was important. No matter how it might turn out, she wasn't going to put it off any longer. "Last time we made a life-changing decision, I was the one asking you for help. This time, I'm going to ask what you wish to do and I'll try my best to abide by it."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Straight to the point, I see."

"Dancing around it won't make the problem go away, Killian."

Inching his hand closer, he stopped short of touching her finger. Despite the minuscule distance between them, she could feel the heat radiating off his skin.

She glanced down at their hands, wondering if their life would always be like this moment. Close, but never together in the way she wanted.

"Look at me." She met his green-eyed gaze and drew in a breath at the fierceness there. He continued, "Wanting you isn't the problem here. The fact my former self never saw how beautiful and strong you are tells me he was an idiot. I want you with each breath I take and not being able to touch you right now is killing me."

She almost fell for his lovely words, but she leaned back and took a deep breath. "Attraction isn't enough to form a home and raise a child."

"Then talk to me, Brenna. Tell me about yourself. I promise your silliest fear or greatest weakness won't drive me away."

Searching his eyes, she blurted, "Do you even want a child?"

He paused a second before replying, "Something tells me I never thought I'd have one. And now, I'm worried that five years down the line I'll wake up a completely different person, with my memories intact. Or, worse, my condition ends up killing me. Either situation would scar a child for life."

She risked taking his hand and ignored the rightness that came at the contact. "The best I can understand, the longer your memory is gone, the less chance it'll return. But even if it did, you'd have the memories you've made since waking up with amnesia. And I guarantee Dr. Sid and her mate will do everything within their power to keep you alive and with us for a long time to come."