Page 15 of Claimed By the Dragon
She attempted to smile at Hayley, but didn’t quite manage it. “Thank you.”
The other woman patted her arm. “Anytime. That’s what friends are for.”
Friends.How she wished she could embrace it and not constantly worry she’d be tossed aside or used for some sort of machination.
Hayley glared at Trahern before following Dr. Innes out of the room, leaving her alone with her mate, in name only.
As he continued to stare at her, Grace resisted fidgeting. “What do you want?”
He took two steps closer. “I’m sorry.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For not realizing you needed help. That you’re exhausted, struggling, and in need of a partner.”
“We’re not really partners, Trahern,” she said softly.
He moved to the drawers on the side of the room and rummaged inside them as he said, “I have trouble reading emotions. Which means you need to state things honestly for me.”
Blinking at the abrupt change in subject, she asked, “Pardon?”
Retrieving what he needed, he turned back to her with a syringe and vial in hand. “Unless I’ve known someone a long time, I can’t tell if you’re upset or irritated or sad. Well, if someone starts crying or shouting, then I can. But I don’t read emotions in eyes or facial expressions as easily as some. So until I know you better, and can memorize your emotional patterns and responses, you have to state plainly what you’re feeling. And since you’ve said fine, I accepted that. But you were lying.”
As he filled the syringe, Grace whispered, “I suppose I was.”
“No, you were. Because you’re not fine.”
He walked over, raised his hand, and for the briefest second, traced near her eye. The touch was gone before she could blink, but her skin still tingled from the contact.
Trahern added, “So will you be honest with me? I mean brutally honest. Politeness will make things difficult, and I won’t be able to take care of you properly.”
For a split second, a yearning crashed over her. To have someone always at her side, to lean on and help in return, to have someone love her for her, and not abandon her for someone else.
But that was a fantasy, and she only had herself to rely on. Yes, maybe he’d temporarily help her since she’d had a breakdown. That surely didn’t reflect well on him, as her mate. But once things were normal-looking again, he’d retreat back to his experiments and laboratory, and she’d be on her own again.
Still, she was tied to this dragonman—at least for now—so she replied, “I will try to be honest. I’m not used to speaking plainly or freely, though. So I might forget sometimes.”
His eyes found hers again, and his pupils flashed a few times. “So are you fine?”
It was harder than she thought to murmur, “No, I’m not fine.”
He nodded. “Then you need to tell me how to help after I give you this shot. It’s something I devised, to help human mothers nursing dragon-shifter babies. It should help raise your energy levels and help with your depression.”
She watched Trahern as he administered the concoction, barely registering the prick of the needle. He was intense, focused, and she wondered what it would feel like to be on the receiving end of such scrutiny. Maybe his focus and determination would translate well into other parts of their lives.
Such as being naked and in bed.
No.She wasn’t going to allow her thoughts down that path. He might be handsome with his dark hair and eyes—not to mention his deceptively strong, lean arms—but Grace was done with men, human or dragon. Her sons were all that mattered.
After he disposed of the syringe, he stood in front of her and asked, “What can I do to help you?”
“I-I don’t know.” He frowned, and she added, “I’m not being vague or polite. I’m always tired, and yet, I don’t trust anyone else to watch my boys alone, unless it’s Dawn and Daisy.”
“Not even Helena? Or me?”
She picked at her jeans. “Helena has helped, but I still don’t know her well. I think I only sort of trust Dawn and Daisy because of Daisy—she’s still a child, which means she’s more honest and straightforward.”
“Being honest and straightforward is my specialty.”