Page 10 of Dragon Daddy’s Second Chance (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #5)

CHAPTER 9

***BLAKE***

B lake was very aware of Susan’s eyes on him as he carried her back to the village, but did his best to pretend that everything was normal even though he was sure his life was about to crumble around him. He’d never shifted in front of a regular human, never trusted anyone enough to expose his secret so openly, and he didn’t want to think about what Wren must be thinking. The look in Susan’s eyes was enough to give him just a taste of what must be running through Wren’s mind, and he wished that he’d told her, that he’d explained about the magic that ran through his blood before she had to see it.

He wasn’t fooled by how calm she appeared as they followed the path back to the village. He knew that her mind must be overwhelmed by what she’d seen and was preparing himself for the moment that it hit her. He had no idea how she would react; he’d never been in this position before, but he was sure that it wouldn’t be good, that before it was over, his chance with her would be gone, evaporated like mist in the wind.

As soon as they reached the village, they were surrounded by a crowd; someone took Susan from his arms, and someone else handed them water bottles as they were shuffled over to the infirmary. The doctor swept Susan into a room, and Wren followed as soon as they walked in the doors, and he was left standing in the hallway alone again, but it wasn’t long before Max came rushing in.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded. “Does trouble just follow you around?”

“Hey, this wasn’t my fault,” he said, holding up his hands. “Susan went to explore the tidal pools and fell in a really deep one. She twisted her ankle and couldn’t get out. We made it just in time to get her out before the tide came in. She’s got a big bump on her head, but I think she’s okay.”

“How did you get her out?” Max asked, clearly relieved. “Those rocks are as slick as snot.”

He didn’t answer right away, and Max’s eyes widened in surprise. “You shifted,” he whispered. “Have you lost your mind? Someone could have seen you.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to let Susan die,” he shot back. “You would have done the same thing, and no one saw me, so there’s no harm done.”

“Are you sure?” Max asked. “Where was Wren? What about Susan?”

“Susan was passed out from the bump on her head,” he said, then paused. “But Wren was right there. She saw me, so I guess someone did see me, but she’s not going to tell, at least I don’t think she will…”

Max groaned, “You’d better hope she doesn’t,” he said. “How did she take it?”

He looked over at the closed door, then back at Max. “Too well, I think,” he said, then sighed. “She didn’t freak out, well, not very much. I thought she was going to pass out for a second, then she seemed to…I don’t know…accept what she was seeing. ”

A look of surprise appeared on Max’s face. “Well, that’s something I guess,” he said. “What are you going to tell her?”

“The truth, I mean, what else can I do,” he said. “I don’t know how I’ll explain it, but she’s seen me, Max; I can’t tell her that she imagined the whole thing.”

“No, I suppose not, I’m glad it’s you and not me. That is not going to be an easy conversation,” Max said, then hesitated. “Blake, you should…well, be prepared for the worst. I don’t mean to bring you down, but there’s always the possibility Wren isn’t going to think it’s a gift like we do. I just want to make sure you know that before you talk to her.”

“I’m not fooling myself. I know she may think that I’m a monster,” he said, sighing. “I’m just hoping that’s not the case.”

Just then, the door opened, and Wren came out into the hallway; she looked right at him, then over at Max, before taking a deep breath and walking over to them. “Susan is fine. She’s got a big bump on her head, a sprained ankle, and she’s still a bit shaken, but the doctor says she’s going to make a full recovery,” she said, then looked nervously over at Max. “Thank you for saving her, Blake. She would have drowned if you hadn’t…been there.”

“I’m just glad I was there to help,” he said, searching her face for some sign of what she was really feeling. “Are you okay? That was really scary.”

“Only at first,” she said, smiling up at him, then glanced over at Max. “I think we need to talk later.”

Just then, the doctor came out of the room. “I think I’ll go check in with Dr. Slater,” Max said. “I’ll be around if you need me.”

Max disappeared into another room with the doctor, leaving them alone, and he was suddenly more nervous than he’d ever been. Wren’s face gave nothing away, and he wondered if she was still in a bit of shock, if the truth hadn’t quite sunk in, but then she walked over to him, wrapped her arms around him before burying her face in his chest.

“I don’t know how what I saw is possible, and to be honest, I don’t care right now,” she said, her words muffled in his chest. “I just want you to hold me. I don’t want to think about anything else right now.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he gathered Wren closer to him, then closed his eyes and said a silent thank you to whatever power was guiding his life. They stood that way for a long time before Wren finally pulled back and looked up at him with a million questions in her eyes, but something else, something that made his heart pound a little faster.

When she stretched up on her toes and kissed him, he let out a long sigh of relief, sure that everything would be okay. As the warmth of their connection spread through him, for the first time, he could see a future for them.

***Wren***

“Wren, I’m sorry to interrupt,” the doctor said. “But I don’t want to keep you here any longer than necessary.”

She reluctantly pulled away from Blake. “That’s okay,” she said, turning to face the doctor. “How is Susan? Will she be able to go back to the cabin tonight?”

“I think she should spend the night here. She’s going to need to be watched carefully for the next few hours,” the doctor said. You should go home and get some rest yourself. I promise that she’ll be in good hands here.”

“Can I see her?” she asked. “I just want to make sure that she’s okay with me leaving.”

“Of course, she might be asleep, but it’s okay to wake her up,” the doctor said. “Don’t stay too long. She needs her rest; I’m sure she’ll be ready to leave in the morning. ”

“Thank you, Dr. Slater,” she said. “We seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

The woman laughed, “Yes, we do,” she said. “But let’s not make a habit of it.”

“I’m going to go see Susan for a few minutes,” she said when the doctor was gone. “Do you want to come with me?”

“No, I’ll wait out here,” he said, then hesitated. “Wren, there’s a small chance that Susan saw me too. I don’t know for sure, but I think her eyes were open when I shifted back to my human form.”

“Oh, that might be complicated,” she said, looking over at the door. “I don’t want to lie to her, she’s my best friend, but I can understand why you might not want her to know the truth.”

“Do you trust her?” he asked. “You know her better than I do.”

“With my life,” she said. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. She’d never do anything to hurt me, she’s not that kind of person. Your secret will be safe with her.”

“You can tell her what you have to then,” he said. “I don’t want her to think she’s lost her mind or something. I just hope it doesn’t freak her out.”

“I won’t tell her unless I have to. I’m not sure it’s really sunk in for me,” she said, giving him a shaky smile. “You might have to be a little patient with me.”

“I’ve been waiting six years to find you again,” he said, smiling down at her. “I can wait as long as it takes. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I promise to answer them the best I can.”

“That’s a deal,” she said, stretching up to give him a kiss. “Will you wait for me?”

“Forever if I have to,” he said, kissing her back, then letting her go. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

Susan was asleep when she slipped through the door, but when she sat down in the chair next to the bed, her friend opened her eyes. “That was a close one,” she said, managing a smile. “I feel like such an idiot for falling in. I knew better than to get so close to the edge.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about; we all make mistakes,” she said, taking Susan’s hand, relieved she hadn’t said anything about Blake shifting. “You’re okay, and that’s all that matters.”

“How did you get me out?” Susan asked. “It’s all a little fuzzy right now. I remember the wave pushing me up against the rocks, I hit my head, that’s still there, but after that, well, I guess I must have passed out and started dreaming or something. Maybe I’m losing my mind, I don’t know.”

“I’m sure that you’re not losing your mind, that’s a big bump you’ve got on your head,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “It’s not surprising that you wouldn’t remember everything that happened.”

Susan studied her for a second. “It’s not what I don’t remember that’s bothering me,” she finally said. “It’s what I do remember that has me concerned. I saw something strange, Wren, well maybe not strange…I don’t know how to say it. You’re going to think I’m crazy, that I was dreaming, but I wasn’t, I know I wasn’t.”

“Hey, calm down and take a deep breath,” she said, putting her hand on Susan’s arm. “You aren’t crazy. You did see something, but I’m not going to talk about it until you calm down.”

Susan collapsed onto the pillows, closed her eyes, let out a sigh of relief, and lay catching her breath for a few seconds before opening them again and looking over at Wren. “Okay, so I haven’t lost my mind, I’m as sane as you are,” she said. “Tell me what I saw then. It sure as hell looked like a dragon to me, but then again, I’ve never seen one before, so who am I to judge. ”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling like a traitor. “It was a dragon,” she said. It was Blake; he can turn into a dragon when he wants to.”

Mouth hanging open, Susan stared at her for a long time, and the silence slowly became uncomfortable. “Oh my God,” her friend finally managed to croak out. “All this time I was sure I’d imagined the whole thing, that it was some kind of a hallucination because of the bump on my head. I never imagined it could be true. Wait, how can it be true? How is it possible?”

“I’m as new to this as you are,” she said, with a shrug, relieved that Susan was taking it so well. “You’re not freaked out? You don’t think he’s a monster?”

“Are you kidding? I was saved from drowning by a dragon,” Susan said. “That’s about the coolest thing ever.”

“You can’t tell anyone,” she said. “It has to stay a secret.”

Susan gave her a dirty look. “You know me better than that, even if it would make a cool story,” she said. “Besides, no one would believe me anyway.”

“Thank you. I never doubted you for a second,” she said, sliding over to the bed and giving Susan a hug. The doctor wants to keep you here overnight, but I could stay here with you if you want.”

“No, I’ll be fine. Dr. Slater is great, and I’m just going to sleep the time away. Besides, you and Blake probably have a lot to talk about,” Susan said. “Including the fact that he’s a father.”

She groaned, “Don’t remind me,” she said. “I’ve put it off so long, I’m afraid he’s going to be mad. I should have told him sooner.”

“There’s no time like the present,” Susan said, giving her another hug. “I’ll see you in the morning. I know that you’ll do the right thing.”