She turned slightly toward him. “Oh. Right.”
“Do you really forget to eat so often?”
“Not in my own house, no. But I don’t know where anything is, I haven’t had time to shop for food, and I finally have some samples I’ve been waiting for, and all I want to do is work with them.” Excitement filled her voice as she continued, “Just think, I might’ve discovered what I needed today—the missing ingredient for a serum to protect the dragon-shifters against the dragon hunters and all their poisons. It’s something I’ve been working toward for years, something I’ve given up so much for…”
Her voice died, and she glanced away. Without thinking, he closed the distance to her and gently turned her head until she met his gaze again. “What did you give up, lass?”
She shook her head. “You don’t want to hear about my problems.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.”
She bit her bottom lip and hesitated.
His dragon spoke up.You could be gentler, aye?
Not wanting to get distracted, he focused on Emily. His patience was finally rewarded when she sighed and asked, “Is there anything to eat? I promise to share a little if you get me some food.”
After placing a hand on her lower back, he gently pushed her toward the kitchen. “Aye, I have some leftover Shepherd’s pie. I’ll heat it up for you.”
She nodded and allowed him to lead her. Once she sat at the table, he took out the leftover portion he’d saved for her, put it in the microwave, and gathered up dishes and drinks. Once she had her dinner, he sat and waited for her to eat a little before he spoke again. “What are some of the things you gave up, Emily? Humans who help dragon-shifters almost always have to give up something, if not their entire previous life and history.”
She stared at him a second, swallowed, and he waited to see what she said.
Emily didn’t wantto answer and seem as if she were complaining. Because yes, she’d had challenges with her line of study, but also a lot of unique opportunities. The thought of never being able to live with dragon-shifters, or help them, seemed unfathomable to her.
And yet, it hadn’t all been rainbows and sunshine, either. Far from it.
Glancing up from her food, she saw Cam watching her. His pupils weren’t flashing, but his eyes also weren’t irritated or bored.
He was looking at her and only her, content to wait for a response.
Her cheeks heated, and she quickly ducked her head back down. After swallowing one more bite, she blurted, “I gave up my family.”
Silence.
Peeking up, she saw Cam frowning and his pupils flashing. Uneasy with the silence, she continued, “Rather, they gave up on me. They went to Australia, in fact, to distance themselves from their dragon-loving abomination of a daughter.”
Still more silence. Why didn’t he say anything?
When nervous or uncomfortable, Emily over-explained things, and so she added, “My father didn’t like dragon-shifters. We weren’t allowed to have dragon-related books, stuffed animals, toys, you name it. If anything came on the telly related to them, he changed it and muttered something that always made my mother leave the room.”
“And yet you ended up studying them. How?”
She played with the remaining food on her plate before replying, “Well, like any teenager who’s told something is forbidden, I looked it up on the internet.”
He snorted. “Stubborn and rebellious even then, aye?”
She met his gaze. “Rebellious? I wouldn’t exactly call myself that.”
“You defied your father and upbringing, and became so brilliant on the forbidden topic that you’re on the verge of one of the most important discoveries in recent times for dragon-shifters. Aye, I’d call that a wee bit rebellious.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I guess so.”
“So you looked up information. Then what? Because there’s a long way between an internet search and earning a degree in dragon-shifter biology and medicine.”
She took and swallowed another bite before replying, “Once I started learning more, and secretly borrowed books from the library, I became consumed, to the point I joined an online club for humans who loved learning about dragon-shifters.”
She remembered the joy of discussing dragons with others who loved them, who didn’t see the dragons as threats or ungrateful parasites on society, as her father had put it.
