Ronan raised his brows. “But you found a way to bring her back, right? Shouldn’t we be able to use that with the boy, if it comes to it?”
Sid shook her head. “No. It took the mate-claim frenzy to bring her out, which won’t work with a child.”
Ronan’s pupils flashed. “Ah, yes. You smell like the other doctor. You must carry his child.”
Her dragon spoke up. My child.
Interesting. When others mentioned the baby, her dragon claimed it.
Ignoring her beast, she answered the question in Ronan’s eyes. “Yes, my dragon is back as I’m sure you just noticed with my flashing pupils. However, she hates me for the imprisonment. It’s not something I wish on anyone.”
Ronan paused a second before replying, “I see. Then let’s try to find another way.”
She smiled. “I like your dedication. Your clan is lucky.”
The Irish male averted his eyes and studied the sleeping boy. She’d hit a nerve, but Sid wasn’t quite sure what about.
Before she could ask a question, Gregor burst through the door. “Thanks to Arabella, Trahern and Emily know the mystery ingredient. They’re working on a counter-formula.”
Sid stood. “That’s good news.”
“Mostly. It’s difficult to obtain what they need, so it may take a while.”
Sid looked at the sleeping boy. “We may not have a while.”
Ronan moved toward them. “Then let me help your team. I’ve done my fair share of chemistry over the years.”
The Irish dragonman couldn’t be much more than thirty, but Sid didn’t know his story. “If you think you can assist, then Gregor will take you to the laboratory.”
With a nod, Gregor guided Ronan out of the room. She trusted Gregor to fill her in once he returned; she wasn’t about to waste time asking questions when Ronan could be helping to find a way to help Brendan.
Her dragon grunted in approval.
Her beast’s mood swings were giving her whiplash.
Careful to keep that thought to herself, Sid returned to the boy’s side. Taking his hand, she hummed a tune her mother used to hum when she was a child. To her surprise, her dragon soon joined in.
As Sid and her dragon hummed the old lullaby, she tried not to read too much into her dragon’s actions. But maybe, just maybe, helping this child would bring them closer together to the point where her beast didn’t hate her outright.
However, before Sid could think of ways to do that, the boy’s eyes opened. His pupils were slitted and he hissed. “Free me.”
As the boy wiggled in the bed and tried to sit up, Sid pinned his shoulders and managed to keep him down with one arm as she hit the call button. Then she leaned down until she was a few inches from Brendan’s face. Putting every bit of dominance she possessed into her voice, she ordered, “Look at me.” Brendan’s gaze shot to hers and she continued, “If the dragon half takes control and you shift inside this surgery, others could die. Not only that, I won’t be able to try to save you both if you fly away. The DDA will go after you. Even if you survive their capture, you’ll spend your life trapped inside a prison. Is that what you want?”
Some might say her direct manner was too much for a young boy, but Sid was trying to reach the dragon half, which would need the straightforward manner. That was one of the first things a dragon-shifter doctor learned during their training.
The boy’s voice was gravelly as he replied, “I will fly free.” One of Brendan’s fingers turned into a talon. “No one will stop me.”
Sid moved out of the way of Brendan’s talon. “The DDA has powerful weapons to shoot you out of the sky. However, if you work with me, then I might be able to save you both.”
“I don’t need saving.”
She raised her brows. “What about your human half? Are you going to imprison him for the rest of your life and never let him out?” Dragon-possessed Brendan’s confidence faded a fraction. Sid pushed on. “He’s your best friend. You’ll miss him when he’s gone.”
Brendan’s pupils flashed again. Sid continued, “Let Brendan come out for just a little while. He’s probably scared and missing your parents. Don’t you want to help him? Dragons treasure children. Even you should know that and want to take care of your own human.”
Indecision filled the boy’s eyes. Sid might’ve convinced him.
Brendan’s dragon finally answered, “Only for a little while. I won’t let him always be in control. There’s too much to do and he always holds me back.”