Page 31 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“She’s a smart girl, that one.” Orsen turned down the corners of his lips, wiping the sweat from his brow on the back of his arm. “We really should give her a raise.”

“Am Ipayingher a wage? I hadn’t actually thought about that,” I admitted, suddenly panicked.

“The horde is paying her a wage for assisting you,” Nix explained as he wrapped an arm around me from behind and pressed a light kiss to the top of my head.

“Oh, good.” I relaxed, letting out a breath. “I was about to feelincrediblyguilty.”

Orsen laughed and set down his plastering tool.

“Trust me, Nina would make suresomeonepaid her. She’s far too good to work for free,” Griffin added, chuckling with Orsen.

“That is both reassuring and slightly terrifying.” I shook myself as I thought of Nina. We were getting so close. In truth, I sort of looked up to her because of how calm and good she was. She was quite the figure.

“You’re learning,” Nix said, amusement evident in his voice.

“I see they’re puttingyouto work.” I directed my words at Griffin in a clear change of subject.

“You know what they say, if you want a job done right…”

“We can leave you to it if you want,” Orsen shot back, smirking at Griff with a cocked brow.

Griff shook his head. “Remember that beatdown you gave me? Oof, my shoulder after all that… I just don’t know.” He exaggerated the ache, really playing it up as he leaned against an unpainted wall.

Orsen groaned, rolling his eyes. “That fucking fight is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Behind me, with an arm still around me, Nix laughed. “Nah, just the next decade or so.”

“Oh, that’s all?” He shook his head, grabbed a towel from the side, and wiped off his hands. “Goody.”

“Well, I need to head back to the clinic.”

“Fine,” Nix huffed, kissing the top of my head. “You still smell like Grey,” he whispered, placing a kiss under my ear that made me shiver.

Fuck.

I had been in such a rush to get to the clinic that morning that I hadn’t showered, simply throwing my hair into a ponytail and putting on the first items of clothing my hands touched.

“None of that!” I slipped out of Nix’s arms, swatting his hands away. No doubt my face was bright red. “You boys have fun.”

Orsen narrowed his eyes at me, but I just stuck my tongue out at him before walking out of the massive project and back toward my clinic. A healer’s work was never done around here, after all. And I was certain my little lunch break had already run over.

Nix

“Care to tell me why our mate isdrowningin your scent?” I asked, bounding into Greylen’s office, buzzing with excitement.

Having finished in the cabin for the day, I had made a beeline for the den the moment I was able to. I hadquestions. When I had pulled Rowan in for a hug earlier, her smell had been downright intoxicating, as always, but it’d also been a little different—Greylendifferent. It wasn’t overpowering. Not everyone would be able to sense it, but up close, I could tell she had been with him.

My question was answered pretty quickly without looking at him because, as soon as I entered the office, a large cloud of Rowan’s scent hit me. The entire room was saturated in it like someone had opened a fresh can of strong cologne and doused the space in Rowan.

Greylen, who was working behind his desk, gazed up at me, his ears turning red as he cleared his throat. He didn’t say anything, and I raised my brows at him.

“Office sex?” I asked with a choked laugh.

“Yes,” Greylen admitted, dropping his head and not meeting my eye.

“Well, hot damn. Things are definitely looking up around here, and I don’t just mean all the boners.” I laughed to myself, plopping into the chair in front of Grey’s desk. “I’m happy for you. Really. And Rowan, too. She deserves the release. She’s been working her ass off.”

Grey rolled his eyes this time, shutting his laptop. “Gee, thanks. But… I suppose you’re a little right. Rowan has been getting along with us better. Maybe not Bastian, but… yeah.”