Page 18 of Claimed By the Dragon
Before she could say anything, he swept Grace into his arms. She squeaked and said, “What are you doing?”
“Taking you back to the cottage. I vowed to take care of you, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I’m sure if I sit for a few minutes and drink some juice, I’ll be fine.”
“No, you need some proper food. Let’s go.”
Before she could protest further, Trahern exited the room, holding Grace, and marched out into the waiting area.
He barely noticed the stares or Hayley calling him as Grace leaned more against him and wrapped an arm around his neck.
He’d never touched someone for so long, apart from babies. And yet, there was no panic, no itchy feeling, no desire to drop her off and run away.
She was his responsibility, and she’d run herself ragged because of his neglect.
So from now on, he would make Grace his priority. She’d trusted him enough to mate him and live with him. Now, he needed to be the mate she needed, even if it was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Chapter Seven
Grace awoke to a male voice saying, “Yes, just like that.”
She frowned, then heard Daisy’s voice. “You’re doing great! Blake’s amazing at teaching, even with me. He’ll have you cooking in no time so you don’t have to always get food from the clan’s restaurant.”
Cooking?She blinked, trying to make sense of the words.
The last thing she remembered was Trahern carrying her toward the cottage and then…nothing.
My boys.Her breasts ached, and she needed to feed them. But they weren’t in their bassinets.
Grace dashed out of the room and headed for the voices in the kitchen. She stopped, seeing Trahern frowning down at the stove as Daisy said, “Try turning it. I’m sure this time you’ll get it right.”
Trahern muttered, “It shouldn’t be this hard. There must be a better, more efficient way to do this.”
Blake snorted. “You can figure that out later, I’m sure. For now, flip it over or it’ll burn.”
As much as she wanted to watch, her gaze searched the room until she found Eddie and Eli in their little bouncy holders, buckled in for safety, asleep.
She debated waking them up, but Daisy saw her and rushed over. “Hi, Grace! Trahern said not to wake you, so hopefully I wasn’t too loud. I tried to be as quiet as possible whilst feeding the twins. I forgot how tiny babies can be. My brothers grew so fast, after all.”
Even without a cup of tea to wake her up, she managed to follow Daisy’s words and ask, “So they’ve been fed recently?”
“Yes, Trahern took Eli, and I fed Eddie. They’re turning into such good little babies. Not fussy at all. Oh, and Trahern is trying to make you breakfast. Isn’t that sweet? He apparently can’t cook anything, so my stepdad is trying to teach him.”
Trahern finally glanced at her and then back to the stove. “Good morning, Grace. If you give me a few more minutes, I should have something edible for you.”
She couldn’t help but blurt out, “You’re learning to cook?”
“Yes.”
Nothing else. And yet, she knew he wasn’t being rude. No, he was just being Trahern.
She smiled. “Thank you. Give me a little time to pump and I’ll be right back.”
Before Daisy could offer to help or give her tips—the little girl always wanted to be helpful, no matter the topic—Grace retreated, and by the time she finished, she still couldn’t believe Trahern Lewis was learning to cook. To help her.
Maybe he’d meant his vow about taking care of her.
Cynicism crept up, but Grace pushed it down. She’d at least give Trahern a chance. Oh, she wasn’t about to fully trust the man and think she could lean on him. But the more she learned about the dragonman, the more she started to understand how difficult this had to be for him.