Page 9 of The Dragon’s Surprise (Tahoe Dragon Mates #7)

“Not for you, but about Ethan,” she lied. Well, mostly. She had gone because of Ethan.

Kyle sighed, rubbed a hand down his face, and replied, “I know. I didn’t avoid him on purpose, I promise. It’s been a difficult few days.”

He sounded bone-weary, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask more when Rita moved to the door and said, “I put the cookies and brownies on the counter, and now that Lexi is here to visit, I can meet up with Rosa Maria like I promised. I’ll drop by later, Kyle. Nice to meet you, Lexi.”

With that, Rita left them alone. Lexi glanced at Kyle, only to find him watching her with flashing dragon eyes.

His usual “doctor facade,” as she called it, was gone, and he looked almost defeated.

Even though she shouldn’t, she asked, “What happened? And don’t say nothing, because it’s written all over your face that something did. Did your patient die?”

He studied her, but Lexi never looked away.

For reasons she didn’t understand, she wanted him to answer her.

Maybe because it would help him be a little less alone with carrying the burdens of a clan doctor.

Or maybe because if he was a little less weighed down with the world, he might take in Ethan.

Yes, that was the reason. The only one.

And so she sat and waited for him to answer.

Kyle eyed the pretty female sitting across from him, debating what to do.

The last few days had been pure hell, with Eli coding and Kyle having to do multiple surgeries to keep the dragonman alive.

And while he was fairly sure they were past the worst of it, Eli still had a long recovery ahead of him. One that Kyle didn’t envy, not at all.

Dr. Carmen Alvaro had told him to take two days off, brooking no arguments. She was fierce, skilled, and even more closed-off than he was. However, she was also his clan leader’s cousin, and if Rio said they could trust Carmen, Kyle would do it.

He’d planned to read to try and forget the last few days, but after reading the same paragraph twenty times, he’d given up. His mind kept straying to Ethan and Lexi, and especially how being with them both had felt so…right.

Which fucking terrified him.

So when she asked what happened, about whether his patient had died, his dragon spoke up. Don’t push her away. Just tell her the truth. And not just for me or even you, but for our son. We’ll be no good to anyone until you relax and stop replaying what went right or wrong.

Too tired to argue with his inner beast, Kyle sighed and answered Lexi’s question. “You probably know by now that Eli was the injured Protector?” She nodded, and he continued, “Well, I’ve spent the last two days trying to keep him alive.”

He paused, as images came back of beeping machines and him shouting orders. Lexi’s hand covered his, bringing him back, and he met her gaze. At the concern there, he blurted, “I thought he was going to die, Lexi. He nearly died, and it brought back…”

“Brought back what?”

Was he really going to talk about that ?

His dragon sighed. Why not? She should be ours and know everything. Don’t fuck this up.

As Kyle searched Lexi’s gaze, he saw the curiosity burning there. And yet, she wasn’t demanding or asking anything else, but waiting. Almost as if she expected him to brush it aside.

Which he didn’t like. Not one bit.

So he finally answered, “I nearly lost a patient when I was younger.”

“Nearly?”

He nodded. “He survived, but I almost killed him, all because I was young and stupid and too willing to prove myself to people who didn’t really matter.”

Lexi removed her hand, and he nearly reached for it, but held back. Of course she didn’t want to touch him or offer sympathy. Given her job, she had no patience for reckless, selfish individuals. And he’d been both.

His dragon spoke up. That was nearly a decade ago. Stop beating yourself up over it!

Lexi’s voice prevented him from replying to his beast. “Well, tell me what happened, and I’ll be the judge.”

His gaze met hers, and he didn’t see disgust or judgment. No, only interest and skepticism.

His dragon spoke again. Tell her. Then you’ll see when she takes my side that it’s more than time for you to let it go and start living again.

Fine, I’ll tell her. But she’ll be on my side, you’ll see.

Then get on with it.

“About ten years ago, friends dared me to drink five shots in a row before attempting one of my daredevil flight maneuvers. I didn’t land as I should have, and I sprained several muscles.

Right as I was hobbling back home, I got a call about a clan member’s appendix bursting.

I was the only clan doctor since the former one had just died, and I should’ve taken the responsibility more seriously.

But since I hadn’t, that meant sobering up as much as I could to try to save the dragonman.

Because when an appendix bursts for dragon-shifters, it releases a nearly-fatal level of dragon-shifter hormones into the body.

Calling another doctor would’ve taken too long, and so I performed the surgery, even with my hands shaking.

” He ran a hand through his long hair. “As it was, I had to open him up again the next day and repair something I’d damaged.

It could’ve all been avoided if only I’d taken my job seriously.

And on that day, I vowed to never do anything that could jeopardize my clan members again. ”

Silence fell, and for a few beats, Kyle avoided Lexi’s gaze and stared into his tea. He fully expected her to stand, say he would never be a good father for Ethan, and leave.

Then her voice filled the air. “I heard you were only twenty-two when you became the clan’s only doctor. Is that right?”

He met her eyes, frowning. “What the hell does that matter?”

“I heard you finished your doctor training quicker than most because you’re really smart.

And by any standard, twenty-two is young for shouldering such a great burden alone.

No, you weren’t a child. But dragon-shifters don’t fully mature until age twenty, so still young.

And I’m guessing you learned from your mistake, but instead of embracing that, you’ve been punishing yourself ever since? ”

His dragon sighed. See? I told you. She gets it.

Kyle ignored his beast and narrowed his eyes at the female. “Not punishing, but being fucking responsible.”

“By staying away, having no friends, and being lonely? And how does that help anyone? A sad, isolated doctor can only go on for so long.”

“Stop trying to make excuses for me.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “I’m not making excuses!

Trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of grown-ass people making shit up about why they can’t take responsibility for a child.

One that had no choice about being brought into the world, and yet they easily hand the child over to DOCS when they learn the boy or girl is a little different and has an inner dragon.

” She pointed a finger at him. “You, on the other hand, are punishing yourself for something you already took responsibility for and learned from. I’m not saying go out and get wasted every night, obviously.

But it’s okay to have a little fun, Kyle.

To laugh and have a good time with others.

That will do your clan more good in the long run. ”

He leaned over the table, bracing his hands on the surface, until his face was about six inches from Lexi’s.

Ignoring the scent of female and something floral, he focused on his anger.

“Is this all part of your plan? To fix me so I can take Ethan, meaning you can leave sooner and get back to your kind?”

As soon as he said it, Kyle regretted his words, especially as hurt flashed in Lexi’s eyes, quickly replaced with fury. She stood, the chair skidding behind her, and she growled, “Fuck you, Kyle Baker.”

With that, she stormed out, and he sat down, holding his head in his hands.

His dragon snarled, Why did you do that? She was genuinely trying to help, and you know it.

I don’t know.

Yes, you do. She was starting to get past your walls, trying to understand and help you, so you pushed her away. And not just any female, but our true mate. You really are punishing us, especially me. I don’t want her to go. You need to fix this.

For a second, he nearly lied, saying he didn’t want to change things. That Lexi had been wrong, and Kyle needed to constantly keep himself isolated so he could focus solely on being a doctor.

And yet, he’d met other dragon doctors, ones with mates and families, and they were no less skilled than him. Maybe, just maybe, he could ease his loneliness a little and still do a good job.

His dragon spoke again. Make an effort. Life will be brighter with her and Ethan in it.

Rubbing his face, Kyle sighed again. I can’t promise that, but I will apologize.

Apologize and spend time with both of them.

And how can I do that? I’ve fucked up, big time. Lexi might not want to talk to me, beyond being professional and ensuring I won’t hurt Ethan.

His dragon paused and then said, Daniel was one of our best friends growing up. Talk to him. He might have some advice, especially since his mate has spent the most time with Lexi.

Daniel Torres had been arguably the best of his friends as a kid. He’d even tried to stop Kyle from completing the ridiculous dare back in the day.

He replied to his beast, I’m not sure he’ll want to be friends with me again, after all this time.

You’ll never know until you try.

Fine. But I’m going to clean up first.

Good. And I’ll think of how you can apologize and grovel, too.

And so Kyle took a shower and got dressed before heading out to visit his former friend, hoping it wasn’t too late to rekindle their friendship. Because Kyle needed help, desperately, if he ever wanted a chance with his true mate.

Which he was starting to think he wanted, maybe more than anything except better knowing his son.