The little girl said something Ivy couldn't hear, but she soon forgot all about the children as a tall, dark-haired man with a tattoo on his bicep came out. Nikki whispered, "That's Tristan MacLeod, one of the teachers. He's the mate of the female who wrote the famous book about dragon-shifters."
So, the dark-haired man with narrowed eyes was mated to Melanie Hall.
Who had been, and probably still was, one of the top targets of the Knights. Anyone who steered public opinion in favor of the dragon-shifters was a top priority.
Ivy blurted, "I hope she's protected."
Nikki and Jane both faced her.
"Why?"
She hesitated a second at Nikki's flashing pupils, but finally managed to reply, "She's been one of the Dragon Knights' top targets for years. Her name, and others, are on an encrypted file inside the information I brought with me."
Jane shook her head. "I told you we should've arranged a meeting with Nate and Lucien instead of this."
Emily cleared her throat. "No, this is better for her mental health, and we're sticking to the plan."
Nikki raised her brows as she stared at Ivy. "Before you fall asleep again, you're going to tell us what file you're talking about as well as how to unlock it."
She bobbed her head, and Nikki relaxed a fraction. The dragonwoman gestured toward the school. "The kids are all but dancing and asking a chorus of 'Why aren't they moving?' Let's get a move on, or Tristan really will be in a bad mood."
Not wanting to see any dragon-shifter in a bad mood, Ivy motioned with her hand. "Then let's go. I don't have a lot of time before we have to get back. I can give you all the necessary information once we return to the surgery."
As Emily wheeled her toward the students standing in front of the school, Ivy took a few deep breaths. Her time with the children could tell her a lot about the weeks, months, or even years she'd spend on Stonefire. And considering she'd mated Zain, she had a feeling Stonefire would be her future for some time to come.
The only question was whether she'd always be seen as an enemy, or could she try to make amends and fit in?
Trying not to think of how far she'd come in nearly two weeks, Ivy did her best to hide her fear at the flashing dragon eyes among half the children, and forced a smile.
Chapter Eleven
Zain glided back toward Stonefire, wishing he had another village or farm to visit.
His dragon grunted. Stop coming up with excuses. We mated Ivy today, and instead of getting to know her, you're doing everything you can to stay away from her.
Of course I bloody am. You're too calm around her and don't recognize the danger. Her blushes were bright warning signals to keep my distance for a bit. I'm not going to encourage anything with her.
But wasn't the point of mating her so that you could spend time around her, to get information? Not to mention regardless of how you feel about Ivy, she's ours to protect now.
Yes, that was true, she was. But Zain trusted Nikki to look after her for a bit.
Not to mention he needed the distance, too. It took every iota of cleverness he possessed to keep his reactions to Ivy secret from his inner beast.
When he wasn't careful, the feel of her soft cheek under his lips would flash into his mind. A cheek that was also warm and begged to nuzzle against his own. Not to mention her scent had surrounded him, stoking his desire to strip her and claim her properly.
Thank goodness for his iron-clad control, or no doubt his cock would've joined the party, letting everyone in the room know he wanted the human for more than a source of information.
And not just any human, but one of his fucking enemies. Sure, she was a former enemy, but that didn't make much difference to him.
At least his dragon hadn't picked up on Zain's thoughts during the ceremony. Otherwise, his dragon would play the memory of them kissing her cheek on a loop, hoping to wear Zain down enough to at least give the female a chance.
As if he ever could.
Right?
To avoid thinking about that thought, Zain replied to his beast, And we will protect the human, of course we will. As soon as we land back on Stonefire, we'll look for her, okay?
His beast huffed. You better. I want to see her in that dress again, before they put her back into a hospital gown.