Reawakening the Dragon: Part Two (7 page)

If Kai was going to be brusque and dismissive, then she’d just have to steer the situation back toward her favor.

Jane turned and walked into the living room and then the kitchen. As expected, Kai followed her and demanded, “This is my bloody house. If you want a tour, you should ask first.”

“Oh, and if I had asked, you would’ve given one with a smile? I’m too tired to argue. I figured it was easier to show myself around.”

His eyes flashed again and then Kai placed the hand of his good arm on her lower back. Despite his recent arseholery, heat flared at his touch.
 

Damn the dragonman.

Kai pressed gently on her back. “You need to sleep. I’ll show you around afterwards.”

She looked up at him. The concern in his eyes confused her. “Why do you care if I sleep? I would expect you want me to fall asleep on the job so you can slip away.”

Kai frowned. “It’s not me, but my dragon. He doesn’t like you looking tired.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He applied more pressure to her lower back. “I thought you were a journalist. You should know how our dragons work.”

“Yes, because you lot are so chatty about your inner dragons.”

The corner of Kai’s mouth ticked up. “Believe me, not hearing my dragon’s voice is for the best.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

Kai leaned closer to her. “If it takes telling you a bit about my dragon to get you to go to sleep, then I’ll do it. But only after you’ve taken a nap.”

She searched his eyes for any sort of deceit, but there was none. “Is there some sort of dragon-shifter vow you can make so I know you’ll keep your word?”

Kai’s voice was low when he replied, “I promise to talk a little about my dragon.” He leaned another inch closer. “And when I promise, I always see it through.”

There was truth in his tone, but she needed something else from him. “I will take a nap if you also promise to stay put. I don’t want to worry about you sneaking off. Bram gave me a job and I plan to do it properly.”

“I promise I won’t sneak off whilst you’re asleep.”

She scrutinized his face. “You just don’t want to face Ginny.”

Kai grinned and she sucked in a breath. His smile lit up his whole face. “You’ve got me there.”

She battled a smile and lost. “Thanks for that. I now have something I can use to keep you in line.”

Kai opened his mouth and promptly shut it. She wondered what he had wanted to say.

Still, as much fun as it was to tease Kai Sutherland, it was getting difficult to stand and concentrate. The sooner she rested, the better.

Jane nodded toward the kitchen door. “Take me to my room.” Looking back to his face, she added, “And wake me up in two hours. I need to check your dressing and inspect your wound for infection.”

Pressing against her back, Kai guided her out of the kitchen. “I can do better than promises. There’s an alarm clock in the spare bedroom.”

Jane studied Kai. “You’re going to take a nap, too, aren’t you?”

“I’m not daft. The more I sleep, the quicker I’ll heal.”

“Then just be prepared for when I wake you up to check your wound. Even if I have to dump a pitcher of ice water over you, I’ll do it.”

“Duly noted. Now, follow me.”

Kai ascended the stairs and it took everything she had to make her legs climb them. For once in her life, she was tempted to ask a man to carry her.

Somehow she resisted and reached the top landing. Kai turned right and stopped at the second door. Turning the knob, he motioned inside.
 

Jane walked past him and entered a sparsely furnished room. There was a bed, a nightstand, a clock, and a closet. The paint was white and the walls lacked any decorations. She would hazard a guess that Kai didn’t have many visitors or overnight guests.

She turned back around to face him. Pointing a finger, she narrowed her eyes. “No escaping whilst I’m asleep.”

He placed a hand over his heart. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

At the sight of Kai trying to placate her, Jane smiled. “I like how much more relaxed you are inside your own cottage.”

Kai’s face shuttered and he pointed to the bed. “Just go to sleep.”

So much for drawing out Kai’s sense of humor. She liked to believe it was inside him somewhere.

With a sigh, Jane motioned for him to leave. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Surprisingly, Kai nodded, turned, and closed the door behind him. The fact he hadn’t issued an order or a demand told her he was tired too, even if he was trying not to show it.

As she fiddled with the alarm clock, Jane pushed aside thoughts of why Kai would be almost teasing in one instant and cold the next. It was almost as if the dragonman didn’t like to express extreme emotions.

There had to be a reason for it.

Yet her mind was fuzzy and Jane knew thinking about the possibilities for Kai’s behavior would have to wait.

With the alarm set, Jane crashed onto the bed. About five seconds after her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

~~~

Kai lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, and willed his mind to calm down enough so he could fall asleep.

Yet after nearly two hours, he was still wide awake. His dragon chimed in.
That’s because you’re counting down the minutes until Jane’s soft hands touch our skin.

No. After she changes my dressing, it means I get more pills to help with the pain and to counter infection.

Right. You keep telling yourself that.

The constant throbbing in his arm almost made him admit the truth. While it might be the best thing for his clan and career to push Jane away and forget about her, both man and beast were having a difficult time doing so.

Her asking about the bars on the windows reminded him of the last time he’d tried to stay away from a female.

His dragon huffed.
That was different. This one wants us.

You seem pretty sure about it.

You saw how upset she was when you started acting like an arse again. You should tell her the truth about the bars. It’s time to break with the past.

Well, someone’s quite the psychologist today.

His beast growled.
I am only trying to help.

Right, only so our chances of fucking Jane become reality.

Fuck you.
Snarling, his dragon retreated to the back of his mind without another word. Only through years of practice did Kai know not to call his dragon’s actions a tantrum.

Glancing to the clock, Kai noted Jane should be up in a few minutes. Since falling asleep would be a waste of time, he decided to get up and do something he’d secretly longed to do for years—watch a pretty female wake up in his cottage.

At one time, all Kai had wanted was to wake up next to his true mate and maybe a child, but Maggie’s choice had changed all of that. He’d long ago accepted he’d be alone for the rest of his life; few female dragon-shifters wanted a male who’d found his true mate but couldn’t have her. If the male wasn’t strong enough, he might leave if a true mate showed up wanting him.

Yet even if he’d accepted his future, watching Jane’s sleeping face wake up might be the only chance he had to glimpse what his life could’ve been.

Standing up, Kai moved silently out of his room and down the hall. He wanted to make a memory he could draw on for the rest of his life.

Once he reached Jane’s door, he turned the doorknob bit by bit until it clicked. He pushed it open.

When the door was wide enough, he locked his gaze onto Jane’s sleeping form.

His human slept on her side with her mouth slightly open. Her expression was calm and relaxed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. While he much preferred her fire and sass, Jane’s gentle expression reminded him of the fact that she was a vulnerable human.

Back in the alley in Newcastle, he’d been terrified something would happen to her. When the human enemy had made a go for the skip, terror had gripped Kai’s heart. One stray bullet could take Jane’s life away forever; she’d never tease him or call him out on his shit.
 

And she’d never be able to tell the stories she wanted to tell.

Although why that mattered to him, he didn’t know. He’d kissed her twice. It wasn’t as if he owed her a bloody thing.

His beast returned to the forefront of his mind and growled.
You know why it matters. Stop being so bloody stubborn.

I can’t let down the clan.

Stop using that excuse. Even Bram senses something between us and the human. If he disapproved, he never would’ve put Jane in charge of us.

His dragon had a point. If Bram wanted Jane gone, she wouldn’t be sleeping inside Kai’s cottage.
Allowing her to stay so we can protect her is one thing. Us fucking her, or more, is another.

Bram only wants you to be happy. Don’t be afraid to seize it.

Kai gave a bitter laugh inside his head.
I don’t have the best track record with females.

Stop whining. You go after everything else you want, why not this?

He stared at Jane’s pink lips and then her dark eyelashes against her skin. She was beautiful, it was true, but he wanted her for much more than her beauty.

His dragon’s tone was smug when he said,
You just admitted to wanting her.

Jane snuggled into her pillow and Kai’s heart warmed at the sight. A part of him wanted to keep her here so he could protect her always. The Dragon Knights were unpredictable. If Jane left Stonefire, she’d be looking over her shoulder for as long as the knights existed.

His dragon spoke up again.
Stop being a wishy-washy arsehole and she might stay.

And give up her career? I doubt it.

She is clever. I bet she will find a compromise. She is our second chance. Don’t push her away. At least try to win her over.

Kai paused for a moment and then replied,
She might say no.

We won’t know until we try
, his dragon stated.

Kai wasn’t sure if it was the constant throbbing pain in his arm, the drugs, or the weakness of the moment, but he was tired of fighting his beast.
 

Maybe he should try with Jane and see what happened. After all, the worst she could do was run away. If that were the case, he could go back to focusing solely on his work.

Roaring in excitement, his beast replied,
I won’t let you forget what you just thought.

As Kai tried to think of what to say to his dragon, the alarm clock beeped on the far side of the room. Jane rolled over with a groan and flicked it off.
 

In that moment, Kai wanted to drop kick the clock out the front door for waking up his human. She needed her rest.

Ignoring his dragon’s chuckle, Kai stated, “I’m awake, so you don’t need to dump water on me.”

Jane slowly turned over and rubbed her eyes. “Why are you standing in the doorway? Watching someone sleep when they’re a guest in your house is a bit creepy.”

He really wished he could shrug. “I saw it more as me watching over you to keep you safe.”

Jane blinked and then narrowed her eyes. “If you’re trying to butter me up to avoid me checking on your wound, it’s not going to work.”

Kai decided honesty was the best policy. “You were right before, about me changing into an arsehole. I wanted to kiss you in the alley and I still do. I’ll never have the chance if something happens to you.”

Jane sat up and rubbed her eyes with her arms. “Am I still dreaming?”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “No.”

“What happened in the two hours whilst I was asleep then?”

“My dragon.”

“Again with the minimum. Do you ever elaborate? You know, just for fun?”

Kai did smile then. “Maybe.”

Shaking her head, Jane moved until she was sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Let’s go back to the bit about you still wanting to kiss me. Say you’re telling the truth, how do I know you won’t go back into ‘arsehole mode’ five minutes later? I understand you’re used to giving orders, but I will only put up with so much crap from you.”

His dragon hummed.
She is fantastic.

Kai took a step toward the bed. “Give me time, and I will show you.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Jane shook her head. “I need more.”

He took another step. “I’m afraid to ask, but what would convince you that I’m serious?”

Jane studied him a second. “I want you to answer something honestly and completely without changing the subject.”

“Always the reporter.”

She sat up a little taller. “Of course. Now, stop stalling. Will you do it?”

Giving Jane free rein to ask him anything was dangerous. His dragon chimed in.
It might be our only chance. Giving Jane information is akin to giving flowers to another female.

His dragon had a point. “Right, so what do you wish to know?”

Jane searched his eyes. “Tell me who Maggie Jones is and what the hell she did to you?”

*~*~*~*

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Part Three of
Reawakening the Dragon
will be out on August 27, 2015. You can find out
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If you liked this story then you may enjoy the other books in my Stonefire Dragons series. Turn the page for a reading list and information about the first book in the series,
Sacrificed to the Dragon.
I’m also going to include a little about my elemental magic series, Asylums for Magical Threats.