She leaned against him as she continued to scratch, and the combination of his heat and the vibrations was oddly soothing.
Emily lost track of how long they remained like that until one of the students asked, “Are we going to fly today, Mr. Alexander?”
She quickly stepped back, her cheeks flushing, as she realized she’d been stealing time away from the students.
Cam’s dragon head lightly bopped her shoulder before he stood tall again.
Emily retreated to stand behind the students, not wanting them to see her embarrassment.
Tor met her gaze, smiled, and nodded before looking back at his brother.
As she watched Cam jump into the air and flap his wings, her jaw dropped. He was magnificent as he dove and twirled and completed a complex set of maneuvers in the air. She thought maybe he was just showing off, but then the students started practicing. Tor was nearly the last, since the other students had to help put a device around his dragon’s neck—something that helped detect nearby sounds by vibrating. Some of the other students helped test it out by sneaking up behind Tor.
It was fascinating to watch, and so different from the Protector drills she’d watched in the past. Because the students also had fun sometimes, and it was all so…normal. Well, as normal as dragons playing in the sky could be.
As Tor headed back toward the landing area, Cam appeared at her side and murmured, “What do you think?”
“It was brilliant, truly. I wish I could fly, too.”
He glanced at her. “Maybe I can get special permission to take you up in a basket.”
“Me? I don’t know…”
“I won’t pressure you, but it’s an option, aye? We can talk about it more later.” Tor’s hind legs touched the ground, and he added, “I have to help him remove the device. When will you be free tonight?”
He placed his hand on her lower back, and they stared at one another for a few beats.
And she nearly forgot that this was all fake.
But then she remembered it was, and her eyes heated with tears.
Don’t be a bloody idiot again. Get away, far away, and clear your head.She stepped away, cleared her throat, and replied, “I don’t know. I’ll send you a message.”
With that, she strode away, doing her best not to break into a run.
By the time she was out of sight of Cam and the students, she stopped to lean against a large rock, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths.
She’d thought she could handle pretending to be Cam’s potential mate. But he was a good actor, and she was starting to get more attached than she liked, and she needed to be careful.
Emily refused to leave Seahaven with a bruised heart. Which meant working as much as possible and avoiding Cam Alexander.
Not completely, of course. She’d need to make appearances occasionally with him in public to keep up the ruse.
But the less time they spent alone, the better.
And as she walked back toward the surgery, she slowly pushed all thoughts of Cam, his smile, toned chest, and teasing out of her mind. She was here to work, and that was all that mattered.
Too many people were counting on her to find the ultimate protection serum. She needed to remember that.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Emily retreated to her lab and got to work.
Chapter Nine
Three days later, as Cam waited outside the covered space used for clan gatherings and celebrations, he scanned the people heading his way for a certain dark-haired female.
One who’d been avoiding him since the day he’d shown her his dragon.
Oh, she’d messaged him a few times. But she was always gone when he woke up and in her bedroom by the time he got home.
