Page 33 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

She grimaced, running a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry. You look like I just spoke Latin to you or something. That was way too much of an info dump.”

“No”—I shook my head—“it’s all good. I see what you mean about there being so much. I like having the perspective.”

“Thank you.” Rowan sat back, looking pleasantly surprised. “It feels nice knowing someone else gets how hard this can be.”

“Of course. And, hey, it’s quieted down. Why don’t you come back with me to get some food? You need to eat. Dinner is important, after all.”

“Oh, no.” Rowan looked genuinely nervous, and I was confused. “You shouldn’t have said that. Whenever someone says it’s quiet?—”

“Rowan!” Two seconds later, Nina appeared in the doorway. “I need you. We have a situation with one of the dragons working on the cabin remodel. Bad fall, and he landedonhis tools.”

“Shit.” Rowan shot up from her desk, rushing out of the room as she called out, “Later, Nix, okay?! I haveto go!”

She ran to the door and pulled it open as an older dragon was rushed inside. He was seriously banged up. I knew to stay out of the way while Rowan worked. It would definitely be a minutebefore she could take a break again. My gut tightened at the thought, but I couldn’t deny how much she was needed.

Rowan’s skills were crucial, especially right now.

For a moment, I just watched her work, utterly blown away by how she handled the situation. Hell, Nina, too. The two of them were a well-oiled machine, capable of turning a life-and-death situation around. It was damn impressive. Still, I knew it had to be draining. The moment I tried to collect her after one crisis had been resolved, another one popped up.

“Just go, Nix. You don’t need to stay here and wait for me. I’ll find you when I can, okay?”

I nodded. I didn’t want to make Rowan feel worse. “Totally. Remember to breathe when you can, all right?”

Rowan offered a halfhearted smile. “I’ll try.”

Part of me believed she meant that, but the other part knew it wasn’t entirely her choice. We needed more help.Sheneeded more help. And it was about time someone talked to Bastian about it because his stubborn ass, along with his father’s, was what had gotten us into this mess.

Rowan

Ididn’t get to see Nix that evening. Instead, I had worked until late in the night, then collapsed into bed.

The next morning, I was doing it all over again.

After the early rush of patients, I slumped in my chair, thinking longingly about that break Nix had mentioned. My skin started to itch, and the claustrophobic feeling took over as I stared at the papers piled up on my desk, not really seeing them. There was so much to do: records of the fall at the cabin, and the dragon who’d burned themself on the stove. It was never-ending.

Exhaustion blurred the words on the pages. My work was tiring, but even worse, I wasn’t sleeping without nightmares, visions of all that pain, of seeing the dragon fire scars for the first time, haunting me.

Slamming my desk drawer closed, I paced the room for a moment, my heartbeat too loud in my ears. I still hadplentyof work to do. There were patients who needed to be seen, paperwork to complete, and herbs that needed to be turned into medicine. Lotions needed mixing, teas needed brewing, and several tinctures needed fermenting.

The work didn’t stop. It was all part of being a healer.

Still, right now, I was overwhelmed in a way I never had been before. My chest felt tight as I looked around the room, thinking about everythingIneeded to do. Sure, I had help. I had Nina, and I knew there were some things that I could offload on a few of the other dragons here, but not much. There was no other provider, no nurses or staff, like there might have been at a human clinic.

This was all onmyplate.

I turned toward the desk, my gaze landing on my small bag there.

I grabbed my keys and rushed out of the office, locking the door behind me. I had no idea where I was going, but I made a beeline for the forest, because I knew no one was out there, since the Alphas were busy working on Griff’s cabin. If I went back to the den, people would have accosted me, wanting to talk to me about medical issues or anything else. There would be so much noise, so many bodies, so much chatter.

I needed peace, so I rushed off through the trees, letting the woods’ ancient stillness envelop me.

The forests surrounding the North Oak den were impressive—dense and lush, with late morning sunlight filtering through the trees. The moment my eyes landed on a path, I took it. I didn’t think twice, my feet finding the narrow, worn trail and moving quickly.

I didn’t know how long I walked. All I knew was that I kept going. Through the thick, green shrubbery, pondering the herbs I could see and soaking in the sights and smells, there was something so quiet yet noisy about the woodland. But not in a way that felt overwhelming ortoo people-y.

My body ached from the exertion by the time I came across a small stream, breaths short and feet sore. Sitting at the edge, I took my shoes off and placed my feet in the water, letting thecold ripples ground me. It was a shock at first, and then the water seemed to melt into my skin, soothing me.

Taking a deep breath, I threw my head back and looked at the sky above me. It was a beautiful, perfect day. Birds sang in the distance, and a gentle breeze made its way through the canopy. There was no rush, no hectic pace I had to rise to.