The kitchen was empty, other than Ma and Nina, who were busy baking. Ma was kneading dough, her hair tied back with a scarf, flour dotted over her clothing, while Nina was pulling several loaves out of the large oven, also covered in flour.
Clearly, baking bread was a messy business.
“Rowan!” Nina’s face lit up at my arrival. “There you are. Come take a seat. Let me get you some breakfast. I heard about everything that happened to Griff—Oh. Hello, Nix.”
Her eager, fast-paced words stopped the moment she noticed the large Alpha behind me, giving me a look as she rolled her lips between her teeth. I walked over, offering a polite smile while pretending not to remember I was being stalked by a six-foot dragon who smelledlike heaven.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, confusion playing over her warm features.
I looked at Ma, raising a brow. Hadn't she told Nina what had happened? Frankly, I was surprised every member of the horde wasn’t dripping with gossip that filled every crack and crevice.
“She knows,” Ma supplied helpfully.
I nodded, relaxing as I walked up to Nina.
“Well, in that case, ignore Rover here. I just want to eat and then check on Griff and Rory. I’ve been assured Nix means no harm, but I think he’s in the middle of a psychotic break with the rest of them, so I’m opting to ignore him,” I muttered, doing my best to keep my voice casual.
“Okay…” Nina trailed off, glancing between Ma and me several times.
“Ignore me, ladies.” Nix flashed that dazzling smile of his, way too charming for my liking. “I'll just be following our girl around. There was aslightmisunderstanding with Griffin, but he's fine and will be up and about soon.”
As he spoke, I strode over to the counter, where several breakfast items were lined up on the granite surface. After grabbing the same bowl of fruit and oats that I'd had the previous day, I leaned against the counter, eating while standing. The last thing I wanted was to feel like a sitting duck—or to put myself any closer to Nix. The dining hall would be too crowded, so leaning against the counter, it was.
Despite his nonchalance, I was still on edge.
Nix sat at one of the small tables, keeping me in sight as he ate pancakes at record speed. By the time I finished my small bowl of oats, he was already on his third plate of them, and the syrup bottle had been drained several inches.
“Okay, I’m off to check on my patients,” I said, going to rinse my bowl in the sink. Ma swooped in before I could even turn the faucet on, plucking the dish out of my hands with a playful glare.
“Leave that to me!” she exclaimed, waving me off and grabbing a sponge and the soap.
Biting back a smile, I shook my head. “I’m capable of washing a bowl, you know.”
“Okay, sunshine, let’s go,” Nix said, abandoning his semi-full plate.
“Um, it’s okay. You can stay and eat. I know the way and can take care of myself.”
“No trouble. As I said, I want to be around you.” Nix strolled over to me, flinging an arm around my shoulders.
Having a dragon who I didn't know so close to me set off alarm bells, which swelled into mild panic, my heart rate ticking up at his proximity. I didn’t let anyone justtouchme. And yet I found myself leaning into his embrace without meaning to.
Shaking myself, I shrugged off his arm and hurried out of the kitchen, trying to regulate my breathing while my pulse sounded in my head.
“Don’t,” I hissed. “I… Just don’t.”
“All right, sunshine.” Nix held up his hands, still smiling. “Let’s go check on the kiddo.”
Gesturing down the hall, Nix waited for me to move. It took a moment, one filled with me forcing myself to swallow several times, but then I straightened my spine and proceeded down the hall like nothing had happened.
Nix was, at least, respectful when I entered the doctor’s office, simply taking a seat in one of the entry rooms and letting me get to work. I’d looked back for only a second before squaring my shoulders and leaving him. I peeked in on Griffin first.
While I had slept, he had been moved to Jenkins’s office and set up in his own room.
“Hey, Ro!” he greeted with a smile.
He was sitting up and moving around, his cuts and bruises already healing to a faint yellow. His eye was considerably less swollen than the day before, too.
“You look like trash.” I laughed, looking him over.
