And considering she'd been unconscious for a year, then who knew what the Knights had come up with during that time.
The dragon-shifters could be in real danger.
Ivy could help them with more than decrypting the files; she could share antidotes, or at the very least, have a leg up at developing them to any new strains that had appeared while she'd been in a coma. But could she bring herself to help the dragons? Could she make the jump and believe the dragon-shifters weren't out to rape and kill humans on a whim, with their sole goal to take over the world?
She rubbed her forehead again, even though it did nothing to ease the pain inside her brain and heart.
Nikki's soft voice reached her ears. "I know all of this is too much too soon. And if I'm being honest, we were supposed to hold back more than we have. But I say rubbish to that. Friends of mine have suffered because of the Knights. If there's even a small chance that me telling you a few things will help to sway your mind, then I'm going to do it and keep doing it. Because as much as we may have hated each other in the past, we can do a lot of good in the future if we work together. You might even be able to redeem yourself to the clan and have somewhere to belong."
Ivy lowered her hand, opened her eyes, and met Nikki's dark brown gaze. She barely even noticed the flashing pupils, a true testament to how far she'd come in such a short time. And for the first time, Ivy saw Nikki as just another person instead of a potential enemy out to harm as many humans as possible.
And even if the dragons did toss her out eventually, Ivy had a lot to make up for. She couldn't bring her brother or his partner back, let alone repair all the damage she'd done with her chemical compounds. However, she could arm the dragon-shifters with as much knowledge as possible to take down the Knights, who were the real villains.
Nikki put out a hand as if to shake. "Will you help us, Ivy? I know you're not strong enough yet, but if you promise now to help us, then Jane and I will work on getting you some time away from Zain and exposing you to others inside the clan."
Ivy stared at Nikki's hand. It should be simple to lift her arm and shake—she'd regained enough strength to do it—but she hesitated.
She'd been awake for about two weeks, and her mind whirred with all sorts of contradictions regarding the dragon-shifters and Dragon Knights.
But as she thought of little Daisy and Freddie, and the children being friends despite all the odds against it, Ivy wanted to believe there was a better future for everyone. One that didn't include so much death, drugs, and destruction.
This is it. This was the tipping point, the one she couldn't return from if she went forward.
Would she keep holding on to what the Knights had taught her? Or, would she try to have a more open mind and believe what she saw with her own eyes?
There was only one real path at this point, and Ivy made her decision. However, she risked asking for a few things to see if she could get them. "I want to meet your mate and daughter, as well as the other humans living on Stonefire so I can talk with them. Agree to that, and I'll help you."
Nikki could've brushed her off, but the dragonwoman shrugged. "They'll want to meet you anyway, so I don't see why we can't arrange it."
It seemed almost too easy, but she kept her doubts to herself. "Okay then." Ivy raised her hand and gripped Nikki's. After a few pumps of their arms, Nikki released her hand and said, "I'll go get all the supplies waiting for you in the hall so we can get to work."
Nikki raced out of the room, and Jane said, "You made the right choice, Ivy. I hope you hold up your end of the bargain."
She bobbed her head but secretly hoped she could, too. Even though Ivy wanted to get over her fears and all the misinformation she'd been taught, it would take time. The only question was whether the dragon-shifters would be patient enough with her or grow frustrated, lock her in some cottage, and try to forget about her.
Or, in the worst-case scenario, they handed her over to the DDA, and she never saw the sky again for the rest of her life.
But then Nikki raced back inside with her arms full of bags and boxes, and Ivy didn't have time to doubt or think about the future as the two women helped to make her feel human again.
Chapter Nine
Zain stood inside a private waiting room and resisted pacing. Bram should've arrived by now to witness the mating ceremony. And since his clan leader was always on time, he worried a little.
His dragon spoke up. This was put together at the last minute. And since he has three children and a mate at home, on top of the entire clan to care for, he's allowed to be a little late.
Rationally, Zain knew this. But he wanted to start his assignment with Ivy as soon as possible.
His beast snorted. Mating someone isn't really an assignment.
It is to me. There are no feelings between us, and I have no intention of warming up to her. As I said before, we're not fucking her, ever.
Maybe. I don't fight you often, but when I do, I usually win. So you'd better hope I don't want the human or you won't stand a chance.
All the more reason for me to get the information I need as soon as possible. Once I have it, then I can focus my energy on finding her brother's killer or killers like I promised, which means not needing to be around the human any longer.
His dragon huffed, but his reply was cut off by Bram walking through the door.
Zain expected to see Kai and Jane right behind him, too, but Bram was alone. He shut the door and turned toward him. As the clan leader's blue eyes assessed him, he held his tongue. Bram had the hardest job inside the clan and had done much to improve the lives of everyone living on Stonefire. Zain held too much respect for the male to be demanding or grumpy like he was with almost everyone else.