And yet, she was close, so very close, to the formula that should prevent any of the main hunter poisons from hurting the dragon-shifters any longer. Not to mention that the most promising ingredients were found in this area, some of which needed to be handled right away.
She met Cam’s gaze again, watching as his pupils flashed, and realized she barely knew the man but didn’t know his inner beast at all. So even though it wasn’t polite to ask a near-stranger, she asked, “What’s your dragon saying?”
Cam snorted, and it softened the dragonman’s face. She wondered what he looked like when he was completely relaxed.
He replied, “He wants me to show you our dragon form, swearing that once you see his magnificence in the daylight, you won’t be able to say no.”
She laughed. “What color is your dragon?”
“Blue.”
“So if you swim in the sea, you’re camouflaged?”
“You know, I’ve never really thought about that. Maybe I’ll have to try it and see what you think.”
She shook her head. “I’ve never seen a dragon swim in the sea before. Lakes, yes. But since oceans are far deeper, I imagine you can really dive down and have some fun.”
Cam whispered, “You should see the daft things the teenagers do.”
She smiled. “I can just imagine.”
As they stared at one another, Emily felt a little less panicked. Maybe, just maybe, they could pull this off.
Although she had one last concern, she turned to Antony and asked, “What happens to me after I finish my research here? Will I be able to keep my special status and live with a dragon clan?”
“I don’t have a definitive answer for you, I’m afraid. I don’t control the DDA, no matter how much I wish I could. However, I assure you that I’ll do all in my power to help you live wherever you wish, once you’re finished here.”
It wasn’t quite the answer she wanted, but Antony was a powerful man in his own right, given his connections. “You’re going to owe me a favor for this, when all’s said and done, and I plan to collect.”
“So you’re saying yes?”
She glanced at Cam, his pupils flashing again, and just the thought of having to return to Cardiff and live among the humans again made her heart heavy. She loved being near dragon-shifters. Not just to study them, but she’d always wanted to help them, both with science and improving their relations with humans, too.
And to do that, there was only one path forward.
So she faced Antony and said, “I don’t really have a choice, so yes, I’ll stay here and pretend to be interested in Cam as a mate. However, once I finish my research here, we need to talk about my future again.”
“Done.” He stood, waited for Iris, and then added, “Now that you’ve agreed to stay, the sooner we talk to our operatives in the area and set things in motion, the better. We’ll be in touch again soon.”
Before she could ask anything else, the pair left.
Euan sighed. “Sometimes I like the male, and other times, his dramatics annoy me.”
Cam offered his hand to help her up. Emily took it, and once she was on her feet again, he said, “I’ll tell my parents and brother what’s going on whilst you pack up. I’ll make dinner and then we can talk and set the rules.”
“You can cook?”
“My mum says everyone should know how to cook.”
“Er, I’m not great at it, to be honest. Mainly because sometimes I eat supper at 7 p.m. and other times, it’s 1 a.m. Schedules are hard for me to follow. Once I find a new avenue or formula or idea, I often lose track of time.”
“Aye, so you said. But in the army I learned to sleep whenever I could, and even if I’m woken up, I can fall right back asleep within a minute or two.”
She sighed. “I wish I could do that. However, half the time my brain doesn’t want to stop.”
Emily wondered why she’d shared that tidbit. It wasn’t as if he truly cared about how hard it was for her to fall asleep.
And yet, his pupils flashed rapidly. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what his dragon was saying when Euan spoke up. “Aye, well, before the pair of you leave and start making plans, just remember that this ruse is between me, you two, and Cam’s immediate family. We can’t tell anyone else, just in case they mention something to a human in the area who might be working with the dragon hunters.”
