“I suggest you watch how you talk about a distressed mother,” Nix said, his voice taking on that dangerous edge that made Jenkins stand up straighter.
“I didn’t mean it like that. This girl is getting everyone worked up. I simply want what is best for Rory.”
Nix cocked his head to the side. “Well,what is best for Rory is to follow Rowan’s orders. You had your chance to help him, and you couldn’t.”
The doctor’s face turned red. “Now?—”
He was stopped in his tracks as Bastian came in, hauling something in his arms like it was nothing, a number of younger dragons behind him with similar pieces, and then a mattress.
Bastian stood in the doorway as the others passed by, with what I realized was a headboard in his arms.
“Alpha Bastian…” Jenkins watched the dragons walk down the hallway to Rory’s room.
“Jenkins, good to see you.”
The doctor, knowing he was outnumbered, grumbled something and quickly stormed out of the room.
“He really hates me, doesn’t he?” I asked.
Nix shrugged. “Eh, so what? Come on, let’s get Leah set up.” He grabbed my hand, dragging me back to Rory’s room.
In a matter of minutes, there was a sturdy, wooden twin bed along the far wall of Rory’s room as Leah stood in the doorway, watching in disbelief.
When these dragons wanted something done, they got to it quickly. I knew Jenkins would be pissed, but if I was honest with myself, I was actually pretty damn tickled about it.
“Thank you,” she whispered, turning to Bastian.
“Don’t thank us, Leah. We’ve been neglecting the horde for far too long. It’s time to start focusing on what matters.” Bastian didn’t meet my eye as he spoke, focusing entirely on the sleep-deprived mother. “We’ll get you all set up.”
When they were finished, Bastian nodded at Nix, stepping out of the room without another word. If I hadn’t already spent a bit of time with him, I would assume he was being rude as hell, but I quickly realized that was just how Bastian was.
And, unsurprisingly, his actions spoke louder than his words, which I was very grateful for.
“Thank you,” I called after him.
He swiveled his head to meet my stare over his shoulder. “Of course.”
That was it. That was all he said, and then Bastian disappeared.
Rowan
“So, when are you going to start seeing patients?” Nina asked excitedly, sitting next to me at breakfast, a bowl of bacon and eggs in her hand.
I’d slept well last night, which was a surprise in and of itself, but I was starting to feel like there was some type of rhythm here, and that was even more curious. Rory was improving, something I was incredibly grateful for. Even Griff was ready to get out of his bed, itching to move because he was “going stir-crazy.”
His words.
We were now sleeping in rooms next to each other instead of the same room. Griff had wanted me to stay with him, but Ma had mentioned it might be better for his safety if we didn’t piss off the Alphas any further.
I was sitting in the same spot I’d been taking for the past few days, eating the same breakfast. Ma was as much a familiar, comforting presence to me as she was to anyone. It was… nice.
Still, I wasn’t about to let myself completely relax. Staying in one place was a terrible idea, I knew that. The dragon who’d tried to kill me was still out there, and I wasn’t about to risk this horde because I enjoyed feeling comfy.
Nina leaned in, peering into my eyes as I swallowed a bite ofoatmeal. Several horde members were looking over at us curiously, no doubt having heard her declaration.
“I… Uh…” I struggled to find my words. I’d planned to grab my food and get the hell out of here, to avoid this very conversation, but she’d been fast.
“Come on!” Nina pouted, clapping her hands together as she pleaded. “We could really use the help.”
