Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 9)

Emily never removed her gaze from the monitors. "Nearly there."

Two seconds later, she flipped a switch, and Gregor administered one last injection.

That's when Ivy's body temperature began to rise.

Each degree it climbed, his heart slowed down a fraction. He had no fucking idea if she was out of the woods, but at least she wouldn't die of hypothermia, or whatever it was that could kill someone with a low body temperature.

After what seemed like hours—but was probably only minutes—Gregor finally turned toward Zain. "Come stand by her side and talk to her. She needs to hear your voice."

Not needing a nudge, he rushed over but didn't touch her yet. "Does this mean she'll recover?"

"We won't know until she wakes up or starts breathing on her own. But if you're extremely gentle, you can hold her hand to let her know you're here."

Emily placed a stool near the bed, Zain sat, and gingerly took Ivy's hand in his.

Her skin was like ice, and her fingers completely lax.

So different from when she was awake and tugging him toward her latest breakthrough or attempt at cooking.

He'd suffer a million burnt soups and sandwiches to merely see her smile again.

Zain cleared his throat to help push back the emotions that threatened to spill forward. He wanted to tell Ivy how much he loved her, needed her, couldn't live without her. Only then would he scold her for nearly dying and threaten to bring her back to life only to kill her again if she left him.

However, he'd never been a male who easily expressed feelings in front of others. So he gently squeezed her hand and murmured, "Come back to me, love."

Gregor placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll give you a few minutes alone, aye? However, press the call button right there next to the bed at the slightest change in her condition."

He nodded. "I will."

"Good. Either Emily or I will be back soon to check on you both."

Zain barely noticed as the doctors finished cleaning up and left him alone with Ivy.

As soon as the door closed, he whispered, "Ivy, love, wake up so I can tell you how brilliant you are. That plan of yours, the one to take down the Dragon Knights, is something we never could've done on our own. And if everyone on Stonefire doesn't realize how clever you are, or that you're devoted to protecting us, then

I say chuck them out of the clan as soon as possible."

Ivy remained motionless.

Zain's entire world verged on one experimental treatment. And as he stared at his mate's pale face, all thoughts of taking down the Dragon Knights faded to the background. His female was his future, no matter what happened to the Knights. And she needed him now more than ever.

So he settled down, told her one childhood story after the other, hoping that at some point she'd open her eyes and tell him to stop talking.

Chapter Nineteen

Noises filtered into Ivy's strange dream of riding on the back of a dragon, the tall buildings of London speeding below her, along with the River Thames.

And yet as she went along, chatter came from behind her—the sound of children. She wasn't alone on the dragon's back, which made her frown. If she could barely hold on, then children should most definitely not be on a flying dragon.

She shouted as much to the dragon, but the beast kept alternately beating its wings and gliding on the air currents.

Ivy needed to at least make sure the children quieted down and held tightly onto her. However, as she tried to turn around, she couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.

Then the noises grew louder until one finally became audible, "Come on, Freddie. We should go again. You might win finally."

The reply faded into a garble Ivy couldn't understand.

Why would Freddie and Daisy be in her dreams? Not to mention what sort of game could they play on the back of a flying dragon?