He took one more deep inhale and then smiled. His gaze found his brother's. "Well done, Alistair."
Alistair sighed. "You couldn't wait and let us tell everyone?"
Her mother jumped in. "Tell us what?"
Hamish didn't miss a beat. "Kiyana's pregnant."
Everyone talked at once, but it was Finn's whistle that finally silenced everyone. "I'm all for celebrating as much as the next person, but Alistair went through a difficult procedure just yesterday. Dragon-shifters heal fast, but maybe not quite that fast. Let's try to keep the commotion down, aye?"
Hamish shook his head. "And here I thought you were the fun one, Finn. Our brother will soon have a mate and a bairn. If that's not something to celebrate, I don't know what is."
Layla's voice came from the doorway. "You lot can celebrate later. It's time for everyone but Kiyana to leave for the day." Meg opened her mouth, but Layla beat her to it. "And no protests, either. You promised, and unless you're going to break it and show dragon-shifters in a poor light to Kiyana's mother, it's time to go."
While Kiyana's mum usually didn't fret about trying to convince someone of something, even she had learned that when Layla put dominance into her voice, a person obeyed.
Finn motioned toward the exit. "Aye, let's leave. We can start planning the big celebration for Alistair and Kiyana, once he's well."
After Kiyana hugged her mother, everyone left except Layla. She performed a few more tests before turning to Kiyana again. "You can stay here as long as you like, provided you let me know of any changes and don't overexcite Alistair until I give the all clear."
Kiyana was glad her cheeks didn't show blushes very well. "Of course."
"Right, then Logan will bring you a cot in a wee while and some dinner for you both. We'll check back every so often, but you two will mostly have some time to simply talk again. You both deserve that, and so much more."
Layla was gone before Kiyana could do more than murmur her thanks.
Once the door clicked closed, she sat on the edge of Alistair's bed. Just as she touched his cheek again, his pupils turned to slits and stayed that way. She was torn between calling Layla and waiting to see what happened. Alistair needed to talk with his dragon, or he'd never be able to test the waters.
So Kiyana watched him closely and waited to see what happened.
Chapter Sixteen
When he and Kiyana were alone once more, she'd barely touched Alistair's cheek before the stirring presence emerged into a full-blown one, complete with speaking. His dragon grunted. Where are we? What happened? Why does Kiyana smell of us?
Considering the last time his beast had been conscious, his questions were a vast improvement. What do you remember?
I-I don't remember much. Kissing Kiyana, and then the rest is blank. Tell me what happened. I don't like this.
With his dragon back in his head, there was so much he wanted to tell him, ask him, discuss with him. However, Alistair needed to be cautious. No one knew what affects the human blood mixing with his own would cause, not to mention they still didn't know if he'd been completely cured.
He answered carefully, Do you remember the lab and working on the wee device?
Yes. No. His beast hissed. I don't know. What the fuck is going on?
Before I tell you anything, are you in control? I won't risk Kiyana.
I'd never hurt her. How dare you think I would.
Keeping his thoughts tightly shielded, he mulled over his dragon's reactions. How could his beast not remember anything? Especially when at one point, his dragon had wanted to strap their human down and brand her.
Alistair wanted to test his dragon and push his boundaries a bit, but he needed to ensure Kiyana remained safe. So he said aloud, "Kiyana stand near the door."
She frowned. "Is your dragon okay? Should I get the doctor?"
"Not yet. But stand over there as a precaution."
She moved as she replied, "I will for now, but only because I want to be close to the door to call for help if you need it. Not because I want to flee at the first sight of your dragon."
His mate was a fierce one, and he loved her for it.