Page 22 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“Agreed, princess, but you still don’t have to worry. Get what you need.” I took the supplies from her and put them in the small red cart, smiling. “This is for the horde, after all. We both know there are a lot of people who need it.”

“You continue to be brilliant.” Rowan beamed. “And you really can’t have enough bandages and antiseptic.”

I tagged along as Rowan collected everything she deemed necessary, pushing the cart as she loaded it.

“What’s that?” I asked, frowning when she grabbed a few boxes of medication.

“Human drugs,” she whispered playfully.

“Why? I thought we were avoiding that stuff?”

Rowan nodded. “You guys have to. Me, on the other hand? This stuff will be a lifesaver if I get sick, and I’m only being slightly overdramatic. Dragons need dragon medicine, humans need human medicine,” she explained.

Huh. That made sense.

“It’s almost like we are entirely different species,” I laughed.

“Exactly!” she agreed, throwing a few more boxes into the basket.

When we’d gone through the entire store, Rowan turned back to me, that adorable face there again, and she agreed it was time to head to the register.

At the front, I helped Rowan put the items on the counter, but it was the clerk who stole my attention this time.

“Find everything you need, miss?” Rowan bobbed her head at the guy, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his eyes were drifting to the trailing neckline of her shirt.

“Yup. More than that, even.” Rowan turned around, grabbing the stuff at the bottom of the cart, and Mr. Eyeballs zoomed in on her ass.

“We have a lot here, all right if I pull my truck up to the door?”

The sales guy hardly made eye contact with me, nodding as he waved by the door. “Sure, man. Go for it.”

Rowan put the last roll of elastic bandages on the counter, stepping up to it, waiting for the guy to actually get to scanning the stuff. “How much is it all?” I could hear the urgency in her voice, as if she were trying to get the guy to get moving.

The guy’s eyes flicked to me briefly, and I glared.

“So, who’s this? The wallet?” The clerk’s eyes locked firmly on Rowan this time.

His intense gaze was hungry in a way that made my skin crawl, anger rising as I fought the urge to step in front of Rowan so all he could look at would be me. “No, I…” Rowan trailed off, uncomfortable.

“None of your business,” I growled, glowering at him. “How about you focus on doing your job?”

I hadn’t meant to, but seeing Rowan recoiling had tripped something inside me. I found myself standing against the counter, towering over the little punk as my dragon snarled within me, clearly pushing out “I will fuck you up” vibes.

The clerk backed off immediately.

“Thanks.” I hoisted the numerous bags up from the counter, making a show of how easy it was for me, and gestured for Rowan to walk in front of me. She did, wide-eyed as hell, and hurried to the truck.

After throwing the stuff in the back, I covered everything with the tarp to keep it all in place, then met Rowan at the passenger door. She hadn’t opened it, staring between the car and the store. As I stood near her, that scent of hers infiltrated my nose, and all I could think about was the way that asshole had looked at her.

I spun Rowan around, cupping her face, as I peered into her green eyes. “I realize this is jealous as hell of me, but I don’t care.”

“What do you?—”

But she didn’t finish because I kissed her, pulling her close as I leaned us both against my truck. A surprised noise left her, her body stiff, but then she melted into me, giving in to the kiss.

A second later, she pushed back to say, “What if that guy is watching us?”

“God, I hope so,” I whispered, nipping at her lips. “I want him to knowexactlywho I am.”