Bastian slowly led me to a small woodland cabin not far from Jenkins’ office. The entire place was old and covered in dust, looking like it might collapse at any moment. Still, the area was beautiful, and I couldn’t deny that it offered a quiet spot away from the bustle of the horde.
“What is this place?” I asked as Bastian led us inside, and I eyed all the dusty cabinets and sheet-covered furniture.
“The old healer’s house,” Bastian explained with a grimace. “This is where our healerbeforeJenkins saw his patients.”
“So, why isn’t Jenkins using it?” I frowned, thinking of all that could be done with the expansive space.
“Because it’s ‘too old and rudimentary.’ Once he got his medical degree, heinsistedhe needed a state-of-the-art office to help the horde.” As he spoke, Bastian ran a finger through the thin layer of grime covering the counter next to him.
I snorted. “And how’sthatworked out?”
Bastian shot me a withering glare. It should have scared me, but a giggle escaped. I shrugged, holding up my hands in mock surrender. “Sorry. It’s just tragic that you payso muchfor such crapmedical care.”
He pinned me with a stern glare. “If Jenkins is to be believed, you’re the lesser healer.”
I rolled my eyes, folding my arms over my chest. “Well, you know you’re welcome to believe him if you want to. I think my work will prove otherwise.”
“I think so too.” He didn’t blink as he responded,holding my stare, his tone even and relaxed. “And Ma basically cornered me today and told me you needed a place to see patients. The obvious option would be giving you a room in the same building as Jenkins…”a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Great. Grumpy dragon was amused at the idea of me suffering Jenkins’s company.
I scrunched my face in disgust. “Yeah, no. I’d do my best to play nice, of course, but I have a feeling he’d end up with a scalpel jammed into his hand—if not somewhere worse.”
“I’m sure he’d deserve it,” Bastian muttered, making me smile. “Still, I think we should avoid the bloodshed for now. This place needs a good cleaning, but would it suit your needs?”
I glanced around. This cozy, rustic clinic was so different from the sterile, bleach-scented medical facility that Jenkins ran. It smelled musty, but I could open a few windows, scrub away the grime and cobwebs.
I hummed to myself, walking up to a cabinet and prying it open.
The door stuck, but inside, I found dozens of sealed glass jars and bottles of unknown tinctures. I picked up each one, turning them this way and that to read the labels. As I rummaged through cabinets, I found a number of useful herbs, shocked that Jenkins had left them all to rot. Most of them would need to be tossed and regathered, but if the old healer had them, they likely grew nearby, and I could get more.
“I think this place will suit nicely,” I announced, straightening and beaming at Bastian, who stood in the doorway. It was a project, but I did want to help the dragons here who only had Jenkins to turn to, and this would be the best way to do that.
“Good. Because we—I—really want you to stay for a while. For the horde, if not…”
Bastian’s words evaporated, his gaze dipping as he cleared his throat. I knew exactly what he meant, though, and my stomach clenched, my heartbeat suddenly too loudin my ears.
If not for the fact I was their mate.
“Well. I guess I’d better get cleaning, then,” I said, resting my hands on my hips, distracting us both with a curt nod.
“I’m sure Ma already has a swarm of volunteers ready to help.”
I chuckled at that, staring at the Alpha a few feet from me, unable to look away as I managed to get out, “Perfect.”
Nix
My mate was magic.
I had adored her from the moment I first met her. But now, I was remembering everything I’d loved so much about her, full of endless admiration and wonder. Rowan was impressive;there was no doubt about it. Over time, after losing Emmeline, I remembered how much I loved her, but some of the little details had become blurry. Now they were coming back in full force.
Watching her set up the small hospital made me inexplicably proud. She moved with such assertion, grabbing boxes and lugging things this way and that as she rearranged the old clinic, all with a smile splitting her face. Most would blanch at such a substantial project. The building was covered in a thick layer of grime. It had been used as a dumping ground for leftover boxes for years. Getting the cabin up and running to the standards of a healer would takea lotof work.
Ma wasn’t going to let Rowan do it alone, though—nor should she. Within thirty minutes of Rowan saying yes to the building, there were eight dragons at the old clinic, moving boxes and being directed by Rowan. It didn’t go unnoticed that most of the helpers Ma had tasked with cleanup duty were youngmale dragons. They were watching our mate with goo-goo eyes, and as much as I shouldn’t have cared, my scales flustered at the sight of them.
My clan and I were the only ones allowed to make googly eyes at our mate.
Rowan, for her part, didn’t notice them; she was focused on one thing and one thing only—getting her clinic up and running.
