It was ironic that someone who had dedicated her life to eradicating dragon-shifters recovered faster than most with their blood.
His dragon huffed. That's not who Ivy is any longer, and you know it.
Of course I do.
He put out his hand. "Then let me help you up and we can get on our way."
What he didn't say was that there was a surprise waiting for Ivy at their new place. One his nephew and his friend had come up with.
Ever since Daisy's mother had accidentally set off a mate-claim frenzy with Blake Whitby, mated the male, and moved to Stonefire, Daisy was always at Freddie's side.
Trouble was sure to follow. And yet, he hadn't been able to say no to the pair about welcoming Ivy to her new home.
Ivy placed her small hand in his, and he instinctively curled his fingers around hers. She smiled at him, and his heart skipped a few beats again as time stilled.
His mate was beautiful, strong, and clever. And he still couldn't have her.
Not wanting everyone in the room to notice his attraction to the human, he lightly tugged Ivy to her feet, and she balanced with one crutch before releasing his hand and grabbing the other one.
He nearly tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and ordered her to use him as her other crutch, but resisted. He knew how important it was for his human to make this trip on her own two feet.
Nikki gave him a long look before saying, "Are you sure you don't want me to come along with you two, Ivy? I don't have any duties for a few hours yet."
Ivy shook her head. "I'm fine. Come visit me tomorrow, though, like we planned. Maybe you can finally bring Rafe and Louisa by."
Nikki sighed. "Maybe. If Rafe could put Louisa in a glass container and keep her protected from every little thing in the world, he would."
Ivy smiled. "I still say there must be a dragon-shifter way, way up in his family tree, even if it was only an adopted one."
The shifting gene was always dominant, so it was impossible for Rafe to be part dragon. But merely the fact Ivy could tease Nikki about it confirmed to Zain how much the human had changed since first waking up.
Sid cleared her throat. "As much as I hate to interrupt, it's time to leave, Ivy. This is the least crowded time of the day on Stonefire, and it'll be easier for you to make your way to your new home."
And to avoid unwanted glares was left unsaid.
As Zain had predicted, some people had turned on him and never made eye contact.
But he didn't care. There was so much more to the female than a few years of her past, and one day they'd realize it, too. Especially since she, Nate, and Lucien were getting closer to decoding all the data. That would make the Protectors, and all of Stonefire, that much nearer to destroying one of their enemies.
Zain placed a hand on Ivy's lower back. "Come on. There's a lot to show you, and I want you to stay awake long enough to check it all out."
She narrowed her eyes. "I can stay awake almost all day now, thank you very much."
"And I can stay awake for several days in a row if need be. So I win."
Ivy muttered, "It's not a matter of winning."
Nikki laughed. "You two really are a mated pair, aren't you?"
Zain felt Ivy still beneath his fingers. Then she relaxed and shrugged. "Hatred won't help either of us. Besides, Zain is fun to tease."
Sid motioned toward the door. "Go, or I will find a wheelchair and have Zain forcibly remove you."
While Sid knew about Zain's surprise and was ushering them out for that reason, he didn't want Ivy to think the doctor couldn't stand her. "Work on your bedside manner a bit, Sid."
Sid raised her brows. "I'm doing you a favor here. Now, leave."
Ivy looked between them, but Zain gently pushed her forward. "Fine, fine, we're leaving."