Page 63 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“Come on, let’s get you back to the den,” he said, trying to guide me down the stairs.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone belligerent as I refused to move. “I’ll go nap in there,” I said, my voice a whine.

“What else would I be doing? I’m on babysitting duty. Also, there’s no way in hell I’m going to allow you to sleep on a couch when you’re sick.”

“I’m not a baby,” I mumbled.

“Sure.” Bastian sighed, attempting to gently guide me off the porch once more.

My stomach twisted, and the world spun again. Bastian let go of me for a split second as bile rose in my throat.

Before I promptly vomited on his shoes.

Everything became a bit of a blur after throwing up all over Bastian. One moment, I was crouched over, hurling, and the next, he had me scooped up in his arms, not saying a word about how I had ruined his shoes.

The cool night air was refreshing. I really needed to open my windows at the clinic. It was a weird thought to have while the grumpy dragon carried me to the den, but in my defense, I wasn’t fully lucid.

When a particularly vicious wave of vertigo hit, I pressed my face into Bastian’s neck, letting his masculine scent soothe me. Not only was he handsome, but he smelled good. The universe really wasn’t fair.

Thankfully, he didn’t make any snarky comments. In fact, he muttered soft words, saying I was okay and reassuring me.

I was vaguely aware of our change of location, because one moment, the cool air was lapping at my exposed arms, and the next, I was inside with no breeze. Only, I had no idea where I was, because my face was still plastered against Bastian’s chest.

“Don’t go through the main doors,” I muttered into his neck.

Despite the state of me, I still had an errant thought about biting that skin beneath me. Clearly, I wasseverelyunwell if I was considering biting Bastian. Any of the other dragons, sure, I would get chompy, but this one was the asshole… or at least, he usually was.

“We’re already inside, but I didn’t go through the main doors,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

My head swam. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going until I felt myself being placed on the rim of the tub. Looking around, I blinked at the bright light after having my face pressed up against Bastian.

I was in my bathroom, the one connected to my bedroom. When had he carried me to my room? When had he gone up the stairs? I had been so busy hiding my face in his chest that I hadn’t noticed.

“Here,” he said, handing me my toothbrush, toothpaste already on it. “You’ll hate going straight to sleep after vomiting,” he explained when I gave him a confused look.

Had I entered the twilight zone?

After taking the toothbrush, I weakly started brushing my teeth. A small part of me wanted to refuse simply because it was Bastian who had asked me, but I fully believed he would start brushing my teeth himself if I didn’t.

Stupid, stubborn, body-snatched dragon.

“You should get someone who actually likes me,” I muttered, rinsing my mouth out. “Or at least someone who doesn’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I have many feelings, princess, but none of them are hate.” He spoke softly, taking the toothbrush from me and handing me a washcloth for my face.

“I smell bullshit,” I mumbled, shocked when he chuckled in response.

“The sickness is making you smell things that aren’t there.” He turned and left the room. For a moment, I stared after him. Had he just left me?

He came back a few moments later with a frown on his face. “Where are your pajamas?”

“Ma probably kidnapped them for laundry.”

Bastian frowned for a moment, thinking. “Okay.” He gently grasped the hem of my T-shirt, pulling it over my head. I wanted to shout at him, but I was too exhausted.

“Excuse me?” I grumbled.

“You can’t sleep in that,” he explained, his hands going to my back, to the clasp of my bra.