Craved by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 8)

Right now, I don't care. Even though the dragon hunters were the ones to kill Charlie, the Knights aren't any different. I suspect they work together quite often. And anyone who associates with those bastards is evil.

Charlie Wells had served in the British Army at the same time as Zain. While there'd been nothing romantic between them, Charlie had been one of his best mates.

And the fucking hunters had drained her without a thought, only caring about how much money they'd make selling her blood on the black market.

The female shifted in her sleep, garnering his attention once more. While she was attractive with a round face and full lips, he didn't care about that. All he wanted was for the blasted human to wake up so he could interrogate her.

A knock on the front door sounded, quickly followed by Dr. Gregor Innes entering with his medical bag. He asked, "Any change?"

"No. I understand she's exhausted, but shouldn't she have woken up by now?"

Gregor stopped next to him. "I'm not sure if she'll ever wake up."

Zain frowned. "Why not?"

"The other doctors are still working out the finer details, but I think she's been poisoned and put into a coma."

"How? She may have worked with the Dragon Knights, but I don't think anyone on Stonefire would do it. Especially no one who's been allowed inside this cottage."

"Given the amounts of chemical in her body, I suspect it happened long before she arrived."

He grunted. "It seems convenient that she fell unconscious here."

Gregor bobbed his head. "I agree. It's possible that she was given a poison on purpose by those she worked for, and they administered an antidote of sorts each day to keep her conscious and alive."

"Which makes it the perfect way to keep traitors from getting away."

"Aye. However, our best guess is that she won't die but merely remain in a coma. I'm hoping that if we find the correct antidote, we can wake her up."

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Zain replied, "You can't be suggesting that we keep her around until you find the antidote."

"Aye, and Bram has cleared it. As long as we keep her hidden from the DDA, it should be possible. I don't think she wants to be found, so no one should be looking for her. Especially since a quick records search told Kai that her only family, a brother, was killed recently."

Zain suspected it was related to the Dragon Knights, but the female's life choices and ensuing consequences weren't his concern. He glanced at the female's pale face. "I don't know if she's worth it. If the DDA discovers we're keeping her secret, it could reverse all the progress Melanie, Bram, and the others have made with the agency."

"I know you're a bit biased given your history, but if she is a turncoat, it would be a rare opportunity for Stonefire to finally get the upper hand and maybe dismantle one of our major enemies, possibly even both the Knights and the hunters. Bram and Kai think it's worth the risk."

His dragon spoke up. He's right. And until we know for sure that she was responsible for any dragon injuries or deaths, you should give her the benefit of the doubt.

He ignored his beast. "I suppose that means she's to be kept inside the clan walls."

"Aye. You and Kai are going to devise the security and guard rotation. And while he can give you more information in person, he mentioned you being her main guard. That way, if she wakes up for even a short while, you can do your magic and whittle information out of her."

Gregor knelt next to the bed and went through his routine of examining the female, checking her vitals and fluids.

As Zain watched, he said to his dragon, I can't believe she is going to be our new assignment.

It's an important one, though. She could be the key to protecting Stonefire in a way we've never been able to do in recent years.

All I'll say is that she'd better be worth all the effort. And if I discover she's even tangentially responsible for hurting one of our clan members, then I'm going to do everything within my power to ensure she gets the punishment she deserves.

I wouldn't get yourself worked up too much. After all, we have no idea how long she'll be out.

Maybe if he were lucky, she'd never wake up and whatever was on the thumb drive would be enough to take care of some or even all their enemies.

~~~

It took every bit of training Brenna possessed not to dash down the hallway and push everyone and everything out of the way. For all she knew, the people could be on their way to help her mother.