Page 11 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

As soon as the water ran off the burn, Rowan was there, slathering a thick paste over the wounds.

“It’s times like this I really wish antibiotics worked on dragons,” Rowan muttered, focused on her work. “Ma, it’s Rowan. I’m here to help, okay?”

“Can she hear us?” Orsen asked.

“I was in and out after it happened to me, so I have to assume she’s the same,” Rowan explained. “Things got through. Bits and pieces. It’ll help her to know she’s surrounded by family.”

Orsen smiled, his expression so agonized and raw, but he bobbed his head, looking at his mother as he held her hand. Nodding, he sniffled back the tears. It was truly something to see him, of all people, this visibly upset. He was usually so put together, so reserved.

“I’m here, Ma. We’re all here. Your family.” Orsen looked pointedly at Rowan as he said the word, and she ducked, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “You’re going to be okay. And once you are, I’m going to tear that fucker apart with my bare hands.”

“You really think Ma wants you cursing at her?” I tried to lighten the mood, and Orsen shrugged, a tiny smirk appearing.

“In this instance, I think she’d be okay with it.”

Rowan nodded as she refocused on her work, getting more of the salve and directing Nina to start some tea as she whispered, “I think you’re fucking right.”

Rowan

Ma’s injuries were dire, but they could have been a hell of a lot worse.

I’d brought everything that Kiki had used on me when I had been attacked. I applied the salve liberally. It wasn’t a gentle process to get the stuff into the wounds. Ma cried out, and my heart ached for her.

“I know. It hurts like a bitch,” I told her softly, spreading the paste over the blackened, puckered skin. “You can curse me out later.”

“The blackness—is that dead flesh?” Nina asked, her voice uneasy.

I shook my head. “It can be, but sometimes it can be brought back. A lot of my stomach was the same color—in fact, most of my right arm was, apparently, but by the time I was conscious, Kiki had fixed that.”

There was something about seeing a dragon like Ma, so strong and powerful, knocked down, that filled me with a deep sense of unease. Even though she didn’t exude power in the typical sense, she had always run the show with an iron fist wrapped up in compliments and delicious snacks.

“Can someone get the ice machine from the den?” I asked, not bothering to look up as I carefully applied the acidic-smelling paste to the burned flesh.

“Ice machine?” Bastian asked.

“I need to regularly coat the burn in ice,” I explained. “The colder, the better. It had been quite difficult for Kiki to keep me cool in the middle of summer in the desert, but she had used air-conditioning units and so much ice. It stopped the burn from spreading. You never use ice on a normal burn, but dragon fire is unique.”

Bastian growled orders at someone outside the room, and sure enough, twenty minutes later, there was an ice machine in Ma’s room, humming away.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Nina looked desperate, clinging to Ma’s bed frame.

I looked up, taking in my friend for the first time since coming home. There were dark bags under her eyes so severe that they almost looked like bruising. She was pale, a little gaunt, and fatigue radiated off her. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun, her glasses smudged and slightly crooked.

“Yeah. Get some sleep,” I instructed.

“No, I⁠—”

“You are dead on your feet, Nina. You’re no good to anyone exhausted. I’m here; I managed to sleep on the flight back. I’ll watch over Ma.” I spoke in a thick, no-nonsense tone.

Nina stared at me, worry etched into her features. “I-If you’re sure.”

I nodded. “I am.”

“I’m not letting her out of my sight. She won’t be alone.” Bastian spoke up from behind me. I’d gotten used to my stoic shadow; his ever-watchful eyes pinned to me. Nina looked over at him, a smile lifting the corner of her mouth.

“I see that,” Nina teased. “You make sure she eats?”

Bastian growled in agreement, his shoulder knocking into me from behind. “See? I told you to eat. Try listening to me.”