Page 17 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

Before any more words could be exchanged, I pulled Orsen away, getting him over to the door with considerable effort. I basically had to body block him out of my office. It was that, orhe was going to shift right along with my dad and utterly ruin the place, not to mention each other.

“Just stop. I’m not adding remodeling my office to my never-ending to-do list. Go.” I pointed through the door. “I’ll deal with my father.”

“Will you?” Orsen glared at me, his brows so tightly knit they formed a deep furrow, his eyes dark as hell. “Because you’ve yet to actually sayanythingto defend our mate. Stop fucking placating him and stand up to the fucker for once.”

I growled, but there was no point. Orsen was already leaving, and worse, I knew he was right.

“You need to get your fucking clanmates in order. This horde needs a firm hand that doesn’t tip to please some fucking woman,” my father snarled, tone condescending.

I turned to face my father, doing my best to contain the rage simmering under my skin. I was the horde’s Alpha, yet he doubted every move I made. He despised Rowan—but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, but his hatred was clearly clouding his judgment. He stood from my chair, walking around the desk, his limp only slightly better. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, too worried that it might be what ended our relationship for good.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted that. Yet.

God, I should be. What he’s said about Rowan. Hell, about all of them… Goddammit.

My father passed me, intent on leaving the room. And I just let him, standing there seething, not saying a word. All I could do was mentally curse, berating myself because I never could manage to tell the guy off. If I were honest with myself, I’d been hoping to ride out the last years of his life, and maybe start changing things when he wasn’t around anymore.

And how fucked up was that?

It didn’t matter right now, though. My dad had left, Orsen was gone, and I was alone in my office, just like I’d wanted.

Wonderful.

Rowan

Iwas half falling asleep at my desk when Nix appeared in the doorway. He was looking far too good, as always. Blue jeans and a white T-shirt that clung to his skin, showing off all the defined muscles in his arms. Combined with the blond, wavy locks, he looked like a god.

“You’ve been here every day,” he commented, crossing his arms.

After running a hand through my hair, I shrugged. “Jenkins left a lot of work for me.”

Nix frowned, the corners of his mouth turning down. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but I was enjoying helping the horde. Only, a bone-deep weariness I hadn’t felt in a very long time dogged me.

“You can’t do everything all at once, Rowan. You need rest, too.”

I eyed him pointedly. “Well, considering I’m the only healer here, I beg to differ.”

Nix sighed, stepping into the room. “How did Kiki handle it all in the Southern Dust Lands?”

I paused, turning in my office chair to look at him more clearly. I racked through the memories cataloged in my brain, trying to remember what I’d seen back then.

“With alotof help. There were probably six dragons who regularly lent a hand. Also, Kiki was on top of things. It was awholedifferent situation. People were regularly getting good care, so there wasn’t a huge influx of patients because a bad doctor had left the horde in shambles.”

Nix grimaced. “That makes sense. How tired areyou, though? You can’t work if you’re falling asleep on patients.”

I waved my hand. “Oh, I’m exhausted, but I can keep going.”

Nix cocked his head to the side. “Too tired to go on a little adventure with me?”

I sat a little straighter. “What sort of adventure are you talking about?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “I’ve got to go into Oak Ridge, the nearest town, to get a few things. It’s nearly a two-hour drive, but we can go to the ice cream parlor. I would ask the others to come, but everyone is busy or being a grumpy asshole. You are much more enticing company.”

“You’re not going to catch me saying no to that!” I exclaimed with a genuine smile. “It also means I can go to a few health stores and pick up extra supplies.”

Nix bounced on his feet. “Do you think the horde will survive without you for a few hours?”

“I think they will,” I confirmed with a chuckle, picking up my phone and dialing Nina’s number.