Page 10 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“Say no more.” She grinned, sweeping over to Allison and wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders. “We’ll have the beautiful new family all cozy in one of the open rooms, with plenty of food and blankets.”

Ma looked around at the younger dragons in the kitchen who were milling about, a little shocked at the less-than-customary situation.

“Well?” She raised her brows, waving at them all. “Get a move on. The room’s not going to ready itself.”

Nina walked over, offering me a frantic hug. “I was so worried about you!”

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

Ma turned to Allison, her tone as sweet as pie. “Now, Nina is going to help you get settled. If you need anything, which I imagine you will, just ask. We’ve got some baby supplies in our stores, but I’ll send someone to fetch more now that we have an actual baby in our horde. Oh, it’s beenfartoo long.”

Ma and Nina both cooed at the little guy for a moment, wrapped in this new sense of wonder. Babies had a way of doing that. They were these little balls of potential. It was hard not to be in awe of them, especially when they were so small. Still, the new parents needed to get some rest. I didn’t want Allison on her feet, so I cleared my throat, making sure we didn’t get lost in Baby Land for too long.

“Go lie down. For as long as you can. I imagine this one will be hungry again soon. You all need your rest.”

Allison leaned toward me, giving me a sideways hug, and I smiled, smoothing my hand over the baby’s head before they headed off to their new room.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, “I mean it. What you did… Well, we know how lucky we are. Truly.”

“I’m happy to help. It really has been a while since I’ve been around a baby. It’s a nice change.”

Smiling, I waved them off as Nina escorted the family down the hall, the younger dragons now whipped into action by Ma. Still, the moment they disappeared from the room, the moodplummeted as I was left with Orsen, Grey, and Nix—because Bastian was nowhere to be seen.

“Ugh.” Ma threw up her hands, shooing Orsen away from me as she wrapped me in a hug. “I’m just thrilled you’re all right. I was worried sick! God, you must be starving. Well, we’ve got a hearty dinner ready. You can go and eat in the hall. Then I expectyouto getyourrest. You look tired, Rowan.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling more exhausted with each passing second.

“You’re not wrong.” I sighed, pushing my hair off my face; food, and then a shower, soon. “God, I didn’t realize how long it’d been since I’ve eaten.”

“You mean after getting kidnapped?” Orsen shot me a look, but it quickly disappeared as Ma swatted at him and shooed him toward the door. “Hey!”

“If you’re not going to be any help, you can go and ensure our new residents are settling in. Or better yet, figure out where the heck Bastian is. I’ve heard him growling up there like a wounded deer for at least twenty minutes. He’s going to scare away the locals. Go sulk together.”

Orsen looked shocked, but it was Nix who let out the first sound, snorting quietly as he failed to hide his amusement. Even so, I wasn’t any better, rolling my lips and squeezing damn hard so I didn’t burst out laughing. Grey raised his brows at Orsen, shrugging in that “Ha, told you so” kind of way.

“You’ve all lost your damn minds. She waskidnapped”—Orsen threw a hand out toward me—“and we’re just, what? Fine with it?”

“Extenuating circumstances, Orsen. We’ve been over this.” I tried to maintain my glare, but a yawn broke through; one so big that my jaw popped. “Can we do this later? All I want to do is eat and sleep.”

In an abrupt shift, Orsen straightened, furrowing his brow as he looked me up and down. He was quiet for a moment, but then nodded, even if it was so tiny I could hardly tell.

“You did a lot back there. I have a feeling if it weren’t for you, the outcome would have beenverydifferent.”

I was surprised to hear him admit as much, but the compliment affected me, nonetheless, letting a small smile break free.

“Yeah, I think it would. So… do you, maybe, get it now?”

Orsen narrowed his eyes and turned around, calling out over his shoulder as he left the kitchen, “I’ll find Bastian, but I’m not promising to bring him back anytime soon. Go eat, Rowan.”

I scoffed, knowing, even if it didn’t seem like it, that was Orsen’s way of saying “yes.” He was such a grump most of the time, all bound up in knots of his own making, but I had to admit, when it came down to it, he was willing to do whatever he could to ensure I was safe. There was something undeniably appealing about that.

He’s still not off the hook, though.

“Come on,” Nix started, looping his arm through mine and dragging me toward the dining hall. “You heard the man. Let’s eat.”

I just laughed as he tugged me along, Grey following as we found a spot at one of the tables. The moment my ass hit the seat, my legs ached all the harder. It’d been alongwalk back from the cabin, and while Nix had stayed with me every step of the way, I had carried the baby.

Thankfully, due to the late hour, the hall was fairly empty. There were a few dragons milling around, getting a late dinner, but thankfully they gave us our space. Ma had prepared stew. After ensuring we all had bowls full to the brim, she kissed the top of my head and insisted I dig in before I passed out at the table.