Page 13 of Claimed By the Dragon

The thought of fate determining his future and changing his ordered life made his heart race and breathing pick up.

He shouldn’t have a true mate. As his father had always said, Trahern was incapable of loving or caring about anything but science.

Grace deserved so much better than him.

His dragon whispered,No. We are also what she needs. Help her.

Sid leaned down to his eye level, her brow drawing together. “Are you okay, Trahern?”

Without thinking, he blurted, “My dragon said…”

Then he realized what he was doing, and shut his mouth.

Sid’s voice gentled. “Grace is your true mate?”

“He thinks so.”

She reached out to pat his shoulder but then pulled back, probably remembering how he was different from other dragon-shifters. He didn’t revel in touching.

Except with Grace or her boys, he’d never felt itchy or panicky.

The one time he’d held her, she’d made him feel safe and warm and even want to touch her when she was naked.

Dragon-shifters believed a true mate was their best chance at happiness. Not guaranteed—it sometimes went wrong—but better odds than in general.

And yet, as a male who needed science and medicine to order his life, did he really believe in something as unscientific as fate?

His dragon murmured,What if she’s our chance to be happy? To be ours to cherish and take care of?

Trahern couldn’t begin to understand how to cherish someone. He hadn’t even noticed signs of Grace’s depression.

Before he could continue to talk himself out of anything, Sid said, “I don’t usually bring up personal things with you. However, this once, I think I need to. I’ve heard rumors aboutwhat happened on Snowridge, about how your father treated you, not to mention the bullying. And logically, to me, Grace makes a lot of sense for you. She’s been hurt, damaged, and needs patience most males couldn’t give, I think. But you can. Even if it takes a year or two to earn her regard, I think you could do it. Your case is special, Trahern, and doesn’t require jumping into a mate-claim frenzy within weeks or even months. I think if you dared to open up to Grace, you might be surprised and get the future I don’t think you ever thought was possible.”

He met Sid’s gaze and searched her brown eyes before stating, “Grace should have someone normal. Not me.”

“You are perfectly normal, in your own way. I have no idea what anyone ever said to you in the past, but you’re clever, patient, determined, and one of the most honest people I’ve ever met. I think a lot of females would love to have a male like that to call their own.”

His dragon spoke up.Go to Grace. She will be even better for us than Emily.

While he’d always felt comfortable around Emily, he’d never had the desire to touch her or even undress her, like he did with Grace.

For a split second, he imagined Grace smiling at him, touching his cheek, telling him about the latest antics from the twins. And in it, he even smiled back at her.

A feeling he couldn’t understand rushed through him—he wanted that more than anything.

His dragon spoke again.Go to Grace. Open up and the rest will sort itself out.

He finally glanced at Sid again. He could still say no.

And yet, the image of him smiling with Grace lingered.

Could he care for someone and have them care about him, all without Trahern driving them mental and making them run for the hills?

Someone else knocked, and Gregor poked his head inside. “She’s getting worse, Cassidy. You asked for me to wait before doing anything. Can I give her a sedative now?”

The thought of Gregor touching Grace made him growl. Both Sid and Gregor blinked at him.

Trahern stood. “I’ll go to her.”