Persuading the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 12) Read online

  Of course I bloody am. You're too calm around her and don't recognize the danger. Her blushes were bright warning signals to keep my distance for a bit. I'm not going to encourage anything with her.

  But wasn't the point of mating her so that you could spend time around her, to get information? Not to mention regardless of how you feel about Ivy, she's ours to protect now.

  Yes, that was true, she was. But Zain trusted Nikki to look after her for a bit.

  Not to mention he needed the distance, too. It took every iota of cleverness he possessed to keep his reactions to Ivy secret from his inner beast.

  When he wasn't careful, the feel of her soft cheek under his lips would flash into his mind. A cheek that was also warm and begged to nuzzle against his own. Not to mention her scent had surrounded him, stoking his desire to strip her and claim her properly.

  Thank goodness for his iron-clad control, or no doubt his cock would've joined the party, letting everyone in the room know he wanted the human for more than a source of information.

  And not just any human, but one of his fucking enemies. Sure, she was a former enemy, but that didn't make much difference to him.

  At least his dragon hadn't picked up on Zain's thoughts during the ceremony. Otherwise, his dragon would play the memory of them kissing her cheek on a loop, hoping to wear Zain down enough to at least give the female a chance.

  As if he ever could.

  Right?

  To avoid thinking about that thought, Zain replied to his beast, And we will protect the human, of course we will. As soon as we land back on Stonefire, we'll look for her, okay?

  His beast huffed. You better. I want to see her in that dress again, before they put her back into a hospital gown.

  The vivid blue dress that had made her skin glow.

  No, Zain needed to purge thoughts like that. Ivy may be trying to help them for the time being, but in his book, she would always be his enemy first and everything else after.

  His dragon growled, meaning Zain hadn't kept his last few thoughts private. Usually you're more openminded about people. Give her a chance.

  If she earns it, then maybe. But I won't risk the clan. All too easily she could turn and show her true colors again, hurting many of the people we love. Do you really want to put Freddie or Alfie in danger?

  Don't use our nephews as a shield for what you don't want to recognize.

  Which is?

  That Ivy may have decided to help us and is accepting the truth before her.

  What his dragon didn't say was more important—if she did accept the truth and helped them eradicate the Knights, Zain would have fewer excuses to keep away from the female he'd mated.

  He mentally sighed, wishing his life was a little easier. There's the landing area. The quicker we touch ground, the quicker we can go find her. That should make you happy.

  Fine, be grumpy. I'll enjoy the human for us both.

  Not wanting to read into his beast's words, Zain allowed his dragon to maneuver them toward the landing area and to slowly touch the ground again. Within seconds, his snout shrunk into a nose, his wings retreated into his back, and his limbs returned to normal size.

  After quickly pulling on his clothes, Zain headed toward the school and checked his mobile phone, finding a few messages. According to Nikki's text message, they were in the school's auditorium and would be there for an hour or two. Since the timestamp was nearly two hours ago—with no follow-up note from Nikki about a change of plans—part of him wondered if he lucked out and would only have to deal with Ivy inside her hospital room again.

  For some reason, when she was in that bed and wearing her hospital garb, he could think clearer. He might be able to avoid the pretty blue dress that made him forget she'd been his enemy in the past.

  Zain reached the school grounds, waved to some of the staff outside the auditorium, and entered.

  The room was large, with seats around the edges that could be folded up against the wall. Unlike most human ones he'd seen in pictures, the Stonefire school had a retractable ceiling. After all, it helped to have dragons land right in the room instead of having them shift in front of the students. Some of the young ones would get ideas about how to attempt to shift on their own, which was never good with an untrained dragon out to prove themselves.

  Students, and quite a few parents, filled the seats. He also noted a few clan members who weren't teachers, including Blake Whitby—the dragonman helping with the special effects for the kids' play—and a teenage human boy named Oliver, who was Melanie Hall-MacLeod's younger brother.

  So the meeting was for more than just the students, then.

  Zain visually searched through the crowd for Ivy and finally found her sitting off to the side in a wheelchair. A long queue started at her location and wound around the empty and open center of the room.

  Keeping close to the wall, mostly hidden by one of the stands, Zain watched Ivy as she spoke with one child and then another.

  She mostly smiled and nodded. And while he noted the dark circles under her eyes, meaning she had to be tired, she looked more alive and animated than he'd seen her so far.

  And the students who talked with her didn't look angry. No, many of them had wide eyes and slack jaws, as if in awe of the human female.

  It seemed Ivy had won over some of the children in less than two hours. She was either really good at playing people, or she had a natural affinity for children.

  His dragon spoke up. Then why not give her a child? She won't get one from anyone else anytime soon. And then I will have someone to pass on my knowledge and skills to.

  No, we're not talking about babies right now.

  His beast huffed. And people think I'm the stubborn half.

  A familiar voice came from his right—Bram's. "You finally showed up, I see."

  Zain never took his gaze from Ivy's form, watching her every move to determine her tells. "I had some duties to attend to. Nikki and Jane watched over her for me, and since you trust them, too, I don't see the problem."

  Bram kept his voice low so that only Zain could hear him. "If you weren't going to act as her mate, then you shouldn't have claimed her."

  He finally met Bram's gaze. "Not even you spend every second of every day with Evie."

  Bram raised his brows. "No, but I bloody well tried for the first few months and still do, if I can manage it. And before you say ours is a love match, just know that not all matings start out that way, especially with some true mates."

  Zain shook his head. "I don't think she's mine. But regardless, give me a detailed list of what I need to do to satisfy your standards, and I'll meet them."

  Bram grunted. "Surliness isn't helping you, Zain. Stop taking your mood out on me and go talk with the lass."

  He could deny that he couldn't care less about talking with Ivy unless she was going to impart information related to the Dragon Knights.

  Yet as he watched her smile and sometimes high-five or fist-bump a student, a thread of something unfamiliar wound through his body.

  He refused to call it jealousy. No, Zain merely felt bound to fulfill his mate duties.

  He finally muttered, "Fine, I'll go watch over her. Will that make you happy?"

  "For now."

  Before Bram could delve into a lecture or some sort of sage advice, Zain crossed the length of the room until he stood next to Ivy in her wheelchair. He couldn't help but noticed her flushed cheeks and the glint in her eye he hadn't seen before—one of excitement.

  She was having fun.

  His dragon growled. We could've brought that light out if you'd tried a little.

  Ignoring his beast, he waited for the latest child—who kept stuttering—to finish before he leaned down and whispered into Ivy's ear, "Tell me the truth—are you tired?"

  She moved her head and her hair brushed against his lips.

  Her hair was far softer than it should be.

  Before he could do something stupid, such as kiss her head and t
ake a deep inhale of her scent, he moved back until he could see Ivy frowning at him. She replied, "I didn't know you were back. But yes, I'm fine. Emily keeps checking me out every five minutes or so, just to make sure."

  "But it's been longer than an hour, and that's how long you were approved for."

  Ivy raised her brows. "I have Emily's blessing to remain here." She lowered her voice to the smallest whisper. "Besides, they're being nicer to me than you ever were. Excuse me whilst I enjoy not being overly hated for a bit longer."

  His dragon stood and stretched his wings. You should be nicer to her, too.

  A little boy Zain recognized as Elliott Wells tugged on Ivy's sleeve to get her attention.

  She turned and smiled at the little boy. When he smiled back, Zain resisted frowning again.

  Elliott's mother, Charlie, had been killed by dragon hunters. While they were a separate group from the Knights, they were just as brutal and determined to harm dragon-shifters.

  How could Elliott's father let him interact so freely with an enemy, even if she was a former one?

  His dragon spoke up. Hudson works on some IT jobs with Lucien. He would know about Ivy's thumb drive full of information, and that might be enough for the male to give her a chance.

  Everyone kept talking about giving Ivy a bloody chance, ignoring everything she did in the past. However, before he could share his frustration with his dragon, Daisy ran toward him and shouted, "Uncle Zain!"

  He'd long ago stopped trying to tell her he wasn't her uncle. When Daisy skidded to a halt next to him, she tugged his sleeve. "You're not taking Ivy away yet, are you? I promised her a sneak peek at the sets for our play. And she mentioned knowing some science stuff, so maybe she could help with the special effects. Mr. Whitby keeps trying to find the perfect controlled explosion. Something about not wanting to catch everyone on fire, so a fake one. But a good one, of course."

  Zain opened his mouth to reply, but Daisy turned toward Ivy and continued on, "You're staying a little longer, right, Miss Passmore? We can go see the sets and talk with Mr. Whitby right now. I know the other kids will be disappointed at you leaving, but you already said you'd come back to the Stonefire school again. So they can save their questions for later. The sets and play won't be there for much longer, only until we put on the show. After that, they'll probably be stored again. And if Mr. Whitby doesn't figure out his special extra for us, then the play won't be as good. You need to help him."

  Good thing Daisy was not quite eleven years old. If she were an adult, Zain might be afraid of what her forceful personality would do to his clan.

  His dragon snorted. She loves dragons too much to hurt us.

  Just because she loves us doesn't mean she won't do something unintentional to harm us.

  Ivy's reply interrupted his conversation with his beast. "I think that's a good idea, Daisy. I need to leave soon so I can rest anyway. And I do want to try and help Mr. Whitby if I can."

  Daisy jumped. "Yes! Okay, I'll go get him and let him know." Daisy looked up at Zain. "Make sure she comes to the storage room where we're doing sets and things. If you scowl at anyone who tries to talk with Miss Passmore on the way, then it'll scare the other students off. So make sure to scowl a lot."

  With that, the curly-haired human rushed off.

  Ivy spoke softly, her voice full of humor. "I rather like Daisy."

  "I'm glad someone does," he muttered half-heartedly. He was secretly fond of his nephew's friend and didn't mind her calling him uncle, but someone would have to rip off his fingernails before he'd admit it. "Should I clear us visiting the other room for a bit with the doctor then?"

  She blinked up at him. "You're going to take me?"

  "I am your mate. Besides, I've kept Nikki away from her daughter long enough. And I can't let Daisy down, either."

  Ivy glanced over her shoulder, and Zain did his best not to notice her long, graceful neck. Or how twisting her body exposed a little of her cleavage in the neckline of her dress.

  No. He wasn't going to notice. Especially since they'd be spending a lot of time alone together in the future. And if he kept noticing her body, his cock may take over his brain and make him do something stupid.

  His dragon mumbled something incoherently and settled down to the back of their mind. For once, his dragon wasn't going to berate or argue.

  While there was most definitely some ulterior motive behind it, Zain pushed aside the niggle of curiosity. Without another word, he strode over to Nikki, Jane, and Emily, who all stood together. Nikki tilted her head and smiled. "Come to finally claim your mate?"

  "Not claim, but accompany. I'll take over her guard duty for now."

  The human doctor spoke up. "She can't stay out much longer, Zain. She needs to be back at the surgery within the next half hour, or she could possibly relapse."

  He grunted. "I promise she'll be back by then. With me standing over her, I'll be able to get her in and out of the set room rather quickly."

  Jane snorted. "Unless Daisy wants her to stay."

  "I can handle a little human girl."

  Jane replied, "We'll see. She has that talent of being able to wrap males around her little finger."

  Not wanting to waste any more time, Zain turned and headed back to Ivy. She said farewell to one last student before looking up at him. "Where's Emily? Shouldn't she come with us, too?"

  "You're in my care for the next thirty minutes. That's how much time we have between now and you being helped back into your bed. I'll start the time now."

  Ivy snorted. "Someone sounds a bit cocky. If I had a stopwatch, I'd time you."

  He blinked. Was the human teasing him? "Well, you don't. But I'm rather good with keeping time. So let's go, and I'll let you know when it's time to head back to your room."

  He pushed the wheelchair slowly, the kids moving out of the way. And if they didn't, he merely growled and lifted his brows, and they scurried away.

  Sometimes it was good to have a reputation as a scary Protector.

  His dragon yawned. Not scary. Maybe a little intimidating, but nothing else.

  I thought you were taking a nap?

  I am. Maybe if you spend time alone with Ivy, without me nagging you, then you'll see more of what I see.

  Which is?

  Figure it out yourself.

  His beast curled up, tucked his head under his tail, and closed his eyes. Even if he were faking it, his dragon wouldn't say anything until he was ready.

  Once they were out of the auditorium and in an empty hallway, Ivy stated, "I enjoyed today. Maybe if I stayed here, I could be a teacher or teacher's assistant eventually."

  Before he could think otherwise, he spat, "If the parents could forgive you for your past."

  The second the words left his lips, he mentally cursed. He'd vowed not to use her as a verbal punching bag. "Ivy, I—"

  "Save it, Zain. Not even you being an arsehole can take away the last few hours from me."

  Mated less than a day, and his mate thought him an arsehole.

  It shouldn't matter to him, it really shouldn't. The mating was fake. His duty was only to protect her, nothing else.

  And yet, the thought of her hate festering didn't sit well with him. He needed to do better. And fast.

  He continued to wheel her down the corridor to the correct room and searched his brain for how to be a decent mate to Ivy and stop treating her like crap. Otherwise she'd never tell him anything.

  And yes, that had to be the real reason for his regret. He was too scared to think of any other cause.

  Ivy's nervousness had faded quickly with the school children. True, some asked difficult questions about why she was there or if she had any family. Not to mention more than a few hovered at the edges of the room, wanting nothing to do with her. However, those who'd queued up to talk with her had made her day.

  Well, more like her year considering she'd been unconscious for nearly that long.

  All of the questions, plus Nikki joking
with some of the students about Ivy, had lowered her guard. It was almost impossible for her to believe an entire school had coordinated to trick her.

  Which meant her last major doubts about the dragons being the monsters she'd been taught they were faded.

  No, she wouldn't trust just anyone. But she could at least look around, observe, and judge for herself.

  Dr. Rossi would probably have some fancy words for that realization.

  Zain stopped in front of a door and grunted. "We're here. Are you sure you're not too tired?"

  "Why, afraid they won't allow me in the same room as the students? Being an enclosed area and all, I could pick them off one by one," she drawled.

  "No, you have dark circles under your eyes and you look haggard. That's why."

  Zain visibly winced at his words. Could it be regret?

  No, he'd made it clear that he didn't like her. Which was fine, but she wasn't about to let him ruin her day. "Well, this haggard human can handle looking over some notes and discussing chemistry with another being who understands it."

  He searched her eyes a second before he said, "Before we go in, let me say this—I don't purposely try to be mean to you. It just happens."

  She shook her head. "I'm not sure that makes it any better. After all, if I can try to shift my entire world view about your kind, you can at least try to be nice to one human."

  The words surprised even Ivy, but she wasn't going to apologize for them. Jane, Emily, and Nikki had all repeated how she needed to stand up to Zain. And while there was zero chance of anything romantic happening between them—his hatred was too great—she could put the dragonman in his place a few times if it meant he'd be nicer to her.

  His pupils flashed, reminding her of the beautiful red dragon ascending into the sky and an idea formed. "And you can start by letting me a have a private viewing of your dragon once I've rested and can go out again. I need to practice not flinching or showing fear, and it'll make you learn restraint because I'm fairly certain your clan leader wouldn't like you eating me as a snack."

  He cleared his throat. "We don't eat humans. Cows or deer are much tastier to our dragon forms. And before you go off about us stealing them, we have our own farms stocked with those beasts, and more."