Daring Dragon's Dirty Secret (Shifter Doctor Daddies Instalove Romance 2)

CHAPTER THREE

Geraldine

After sending Nathaniel home in a cab, I stood in the middle of my apartment, inhaling the remaining scent of him. Crisp trees in fall. Freshly fallen snow. Anger, pain, fury, whiskey—that was all Nathaniel.

He’d followed my commands without argument. He’d let me take care of him. It was funny considering how I saw him, how I wanted to see him, was such a striking contrast to the reality of the situation.

How many times had the word Daddy nearly drifted from my lips when he gave me that smoldering gaze? How strongly did my body respond to his fiery lips tugging into such a mischievous smirk?

I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay in control. But my inner beast was barking mad and needed to get out. I just needed to fly—that’s all. So, I had to fly.

After locking up my apartment, I wandered to the park around the corner where the trees thickened into a lush nursery. Flowers sprouted along the path and fireflies sparkled in the dark, lighting my way. I was almost there.

The patch I chose to hide my true form was nestled safely away from prying eyes. It gave me the privacy to shift and take flight without worrying about being caught—by human or shifter alike. I was an abomination, a mixed breed, a hybrid with no one to talk to about it.

But I did well on my own. That’s how I liked it.

I closed my eyes, diving into the inner well that led to my sweet beast. She responded with a chittering sound, one that surfaced from my lips as I focused on the emerald green cord that drew her to the surface and tugged, inviting her to take over.

I was her and she was me—we were one.

Blonde fur exploded all over my body as my muscles flexed, bones cracked, and snout elongated. I stood as tall as a brown bear with scaly wings that expanded on either side of me. For a hybrid, I was rather small, but vicious nonetheless.

Always, I was vicious.

When I opened my eyes, I observed the night, my beast sensing everything about me. I sniffed the air and parted my maws to let out a small huff. How badly I wanted to screech—but not yet. I had to get to a more private location.

I crouched low to the ground and bounced up from the earth, shooting into the air with the silence of a gazelle darting through the forest. I spread my wings and caught the wind, hovering for a moment before launching off in the direction of the estate. There were plenty of places to hide near there. I could take cover, run through the trees, and even linger near the property, spying on my beloved doctor to make sure he was okay. The cab had likely beat me there, but I dared myself to fly faster, and to beat my wings harder.

Within minutes, I arrived at the edge of the property, circling a clearing before I landed. I pawed around and marked the area to prevent any wildlife from approaching. I was a strange predator, but a predator nonetheless, and I would fight anything that dared come into my territory.

Especially when it involved Nathaniel.

A quick search of the perimeter ensured satisfaction. I sniffed the air, noting that Nathaniel was home. I could just imagine that wavy auburn brown hair hanging in his eyes as he ascended the stairs.

Though I had only been inside the estate a few times, I could still picture the antique décor, the family portraits, and the trinkets in every available space. In true dragon fashion, the Thorntons were pack rats. Well, dragons, of course, but that was beside the point.

One more inhalation of my dear doctor sent me back into the air and toward my studio apartment. I landed on the roof, risking a glance from pesky neighbors as I shifted back into human form and took the service stairs to my apartment. No one would see me. I would be fine.

Inside, I leaned against the sturdy wood door, listening intently to the sounds of the world around me. It always took me a minute to adjust to human hearing. My hybrid side preferred to be aware of everything while my human side wanted peace.

I sighed as I stumbled toward the bathroom. A hot shower would set my muscles at ease. I was still running on adrenaline, still thinking about Nathaniel and his delicious lips. I’d tasted them once, I thought as I stepped under the hot stream of water. Just once. Such a forbidden fruit . . . and so tangy.

One quick rinse later put me in my bed where I sprawled out, naked. I stared at the ceiling as I considered texting Nathaniel. That unsaved number must have meant he ruined his previous phone—no surprise there. I swept my phone from the nightstand and rolled my eyes when I saw Dr Fleming had called a few times. He’d left a few voicemails, too.

I could only guess what that was about.

If he asks me on another goddamned date—

My heart hammered in my chest as I listened to the message. “Dine, it’s Claude. We had a three-car pile-up loaded in here about three minutes ago. We’re short. Come in as soon as you can.”

Without hesitation, I darted from my bed and yanked on a fresh pair of scrubs. I slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my keys, and slung my purse over my shoulder as I sprinted from my apartment.

God help him, he better not be lying.

Moments later, I was being thrown into action in the emergency room. I helped keep patients stable, assisting Dr Fleming in every way possible. We made a great team during times of crisis. If only he wasn’t such a weird jerk, then maybe we would work better together during other times, too.

I accepted another patient, a young woman who smelled strongly of a wolf. Gasping, I hauled her into a more private exam room, where plenty of emergency equipment was available to use. I yanked Dr Fleming from the hallway.

He gave me a devilish grin until he noticed the woman. His nostrils flared—he could smell her, too.

“Vitals?”

I flew into action next to him, taking her heart rate, listening to her breathing, and then doing a visual scan of her body. I rattled off her vitals to Dr Fleming as I worked. A few broken bones, some cuts with minor bleeding, and a huge gash on her shoulder were all I could find.

“She’s already healing,” I told Dr Fleming, “But, she’ll need intervention. If she shifts here, we won’t be able to contain her.”

“Don’t let her shift.”

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I tried to keep her stable. I tended her wounds as Dr Fleming did a more in-depth examination, making sure there was no internal bleeding. She was stable despite the surface damage. However, I was worried about that gash.

“She’s out cold,” he announced. “Make this quick. Get the medicine.”

“We can’t do that while she’s this damaged.”

He growled. “We can’t risk a wolf sprinting around the hospital, can we? You would do the same if it was me. Get the medicine, Dine.”

I huffed with defiance, but I grabbed the little glass vial from the secret cabinet hidden behind one of the heart-monitor machines. It was necessary to keep wolfsbane on hand for the nearby wolf pack that were often sent in this direction. The stuff was painful, but in small doses, mostly harmless. The important thing was that it would keep her from shifting. Her healing would slow significantly, but she would appear human and, thus, remain safe with us for the time being until family could be contacted.

“Small dose,” Dr Fleming instructed, the anger having melted from his voice. “Easy now, Dine. That’s it.”

I administered the dose, frowning sympathetically at her as her eyelids popped open and her pupils dilated. She grabbed my arm. “Not…”

“Shh, it’s alright. You’re safe here,” I assured.