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Every cell in Dawn's body urged her to look back and ensure Daisy was okay. But her daughter had turned eleven the day before and was no longer a baby. Dawn was trying to give her a little more responsibility and trust.
Besides, Freddie's mother would look after them. They'd had several phone conversations since the dragon camp, and Sasha Atherton was probably the closest thing to a friend she had on Stonefire.
Although right before Dawn entered the door, she did steal a quick glance only to find Daisy laughing. The sight warmed her heart and gave her the courage to leave her daughter in the care of others for a short while.
So she entered the door, followed Blake Whitby, and waited to see what she needed to do for the night.
Chapter Two
Blake somehow kept his emotions in check as he guided Dawn through the door into the backstage area.
His dragon growled. How can you be so calm? She's our true mate. I can tell. She should be ours.
Of all the females in the world, what were the chances he'd meet his true mate at a play for children?
It wasn't as if he didn't think she was beautiful. But he knew nothing about her besides the fact she had a daughter.
And that fact alone could interrupt his plans to help protect the clan from dragon hunters and Dragon Knights. They'd received some data from the Dragon Knights, brought by a human who was a former Knight herself, which had helped tremendously. However, there were still quite a few gaps he needed to work out.
His dragon spoke up again. You can’t spend all your bloody time on the project. Besides, it would be nice to have some company in our cabin.
Even putting aside my own wants, you saw how she was afraid of our flashing eyes. I don't have time for an energetic daughter and a fearful mate.
For now, just be nice to her. You never know, once you get to know her, then maybe you'll want her like I do.
Dawn's voice came from behind him. "It's nice of you to help the children this way. From what I heard from Daisy, you usually don't like crowds."
"Not usually." He stopped in front of a table loaded with unused smoke canisters and confetti cartridges packed securely in boxes and finally faced her. "But it's pretty hard to say no to a whole group of kids."
She smiled, and his heart rate kicked up. If she'd been beautiful to him before, she was bloody gorgeous now. "Do you really mean it's hard to say no to Daisy?"
He couldn't help but smile back. "She is persistent."
"That's the nicest way to say it. But she has a good heart."
Blake heard some whispering and caught sight of Daisy and Freddie sneaking away. They must’ve come backstage after Dawn.
Once they were out of earshot, he nodded. "She does. Although for a human, she's nearly as curious as an inner dragon can be at times. I imagine that's why she gets along so well with Freddie and most of the other dragon-shifter children. She's human, but not quite."
As soon as the words left his lips, he wanted to kick himself. His words could be construed as an insult, which was not his plan. Even if he didn't want a mate, he didn't need to be rude to Dawn.
Dawn tilted her head, her straight hair brushing her shoulder, banishing any other thoughts unrelated to her. He itched to reach out and see if it was as soft as he imagined.
He nearly blinked. Blake usually didn't pay attention to such things, but it was almost as if he couldn't ignore Dawn, even if he wanted to.
His dragon snorted. Good.
Blake half expected Dawn to take a step back again since his pupils would've flashed when his dragon spoke, but she held her ground. Tucking a section of hair behind her ear, she asked, "What's it like, talking with someone inside your head all the time?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "Pretty much like Daisy explained it, with one caveat—they can be really annoying at times. And yet, I can't imagine my life without him."
"It must be nice then, to never be alone."
A brief flicker of sadness came across Dawn's eyes, but it was gone in the next instant. And while there was still a lot to do before the show, he couldn't just ignore the look. "You have your daughter."
"Oh, of course. I love Daisy more than anything. But I imagine your
dragon ages at the same rate as you, right? And talking with someone your own age isn't quite the same as having conversations with a child."
