Page 108 of Dragon Tempted

She took a deep breath. “John. I’m here. I know you’re tired. You’ve had so much on your shoulders for so long, but it’s over now. The curse is gone. You can finally breathe again. And become part of a clan again. To be part of a family.

“Please, John. You owe me that conversation about us. I want there to be an us, but you have to wake up. Your dragon needs you. I need you.”

She closed her eyes to stop her tears. “Did he hear us, Veronica?”

“I heard you,” John rasped softly.

Sienna gasped as she blinked to find his blue-gray eyes locked on her face. Her heart sped up and rattled in her chest. “Well, hello, Sleeping Beauty.”

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. “You didn’t wake me up with a kiss.”

She grinned at him. “Maybe I should have tried that. Oh, well. Too late now.”

His eyes danced. “Never too late.”

She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. “There are a whole bunch of people who have been worried about you. I need to tell them you’re okay.”

He rested his hand on top of hers. “In a minute.”

She leaned over and kissed him again.

John rested against the headboard as Dr. Murphy finished his exam. John’s head was still a little muddled, but overall he was feeling okay. There had been some excitement when Sienna opened the bedroom door and let in the crowd that had gathered in the hall. Enough excitement that Dr. Murphy had kicked them all out except for Sienna, who sat next to him with an expectant look on her face.

“Other than the slight confusion, are you having any other issues?” Dr. Murphy asked.

“No. Did you find anything wrong?”

Dr. Murphy shook his head. “No. But I couldn’t find anything wrong when you were in your coma either. It could have been a result of the stress of having the curse removed.”

John nodded. “At the time it felt like something sticky and evil peeled away from my body. What do you think will happen now? Do you think I’ll age normally?”

Dr. Murphy hesitated for a moment. “Possibly.”

John didn’t like the hesitation. “Or I could age rapidly and die.”

“I’m not going to sugarcoat things with you, John. That could happen as well. Or you could never age. But it’s too soon to tell, and I don’t want to speculate. You’re awake. That’s the important thing. I want you to take it easy. I’m going to leave the IV in for now, and I want you to eat something and stay in bed until I come and check on you later.”

Sienna grasped his hand and squeezed it. “I’ll keep an eye on him, Ian.”

The doctor closed his bag. “I’m prescribing the same thing to you, Sienna. You need some rest. You haven’t slept.”

The doctor closed the door, and John turned to her. “You stayed up all night?”

Sienna shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “There was a lot going on.”

“What happened after I passed out? Did you let the Templars go?”

“Not until Mia and Jonas made sure all their power is gone.”

John was having a hard time following. “Explain, please.”

“Before Mia destroyed the Templar facility, she took Matthew’s laptop. On it was some damning evidence that they had been lying to the witches who’d been helping them. They had convinced them that destroying the dragons would give them back their powers when we both know it would have taken what was left of their magic as well. Jonas was able to send the evidence to several coven leaders. It should spread like wildfire throughout the other covens. And now that the witches will be getting back their own powers…”

“Some of them will be out for vengeance. But that doesn’t mean it will stop the Templars.”

Sienna’s smile grew. “I haven’t gotten to the best part yet. The laptop had information on offshore accounts where all the Templars’ money was kept. Jonas was able to empty their accounts. Millions of dollars sent to charities all over the world. Ones that Mia said, and I quote, ‘would drive the misogynistic bigots crazy,’ end quote.”

“And Mia is still here?” he asked.