As they walked down the corridor—Zain kept his pace slow to match Ivy's jilted walk with the forearm crutches—Ivy frowned and asked, "What favor was she talking about?"
"It's a surprise. And since you like them, I'm not going to tell you what it is."
She stared at him another few seconds before sighing. "Fine. Then I'm going to walk a little faster."
/> As she did so, he adjusted his pace. And once they hit the fresh outside air, Zain couldn't help but glance down at Ivy. The faint sunshine made her hair bright and highlighted the curves of her face.
His dragon spoke up. You get too much time with her. When will it be my turn?
Soon enough, dragon. But if we don't get her home and let Freddie and Daisy give Ivy their surprise, we'll never hear the end of it.
His beast snorted. Look at you, afraid of a pair of children.
Not afraid, but I'm all for avoiding nuisances. Besides, it'll make Ivy happy.
His dragon fell silent. But Zain barely noticed as he watched Ivy move carefully down the main path toward their cottage, anxious to show her their new home.
Ivy did her best not to keep looking at Zain despite the fact she could feel his gaze on her face.
Over the last few weeks, she'd grown comfortable around the dragonman to the point she trusted him the most out of anyone on Stonefire.
But it wasn't just trust. Ivy loved how he teased her, and they could talk about anything. Zain had been worse during his childhood than even her. Apparently, when someone could change into a flying dragon, there were so many more ways to get into mischief.
And then there was the fact that any time he touched her or leaned close, she wanted to close the distance between them.
At first, she'd tried to say it was because he'd taken care of her, spent the most time with her, and even had mated her to protect her.
However, she'd grown close to Nikki, too, and Ivy had no desire to kiss the dragonwoman or rip off her clothes.
Still, Ivy had been able to keep her feelings mostly hidden from everyone but Dr. Rossi. And at least that information was protected because of her patient-client privilege.
The situation would change as of today, though. No longer would she be in a bland, boring hospital room, constantly surrounded by staff. No, she'd be living alone with Zain in their own cottage. Without anyone else around, could she keep herself calm and rational enough to not act on her desires?
Did she need to hide them? It was a lot to ask, but perhaps Zain had shifted his views much like she had.
She was so lost in thought that Ivy barely noticed how Zain turned her one way and then the other until he gently stopped her in front of a small, stone cottage with a few rosebushes and other flowers she couldn't name planted in front of it. He motioned toward it. "Welcome home, Ivy."
Before she could do more than smile, something crashed inside the house, and she jumped.
Zain rubbed her lower back and murmured, "Don't worry. It's part of the surprise waiting inside."
Curiosity piqued, her momentary fear faded. "Then let's hurry up so I can find out what it is."
He helped her make her way up the stairs. When she reached the top one, a sense of pride surged through her body. "See? I walked the entire way here."
True, she was a little shakier now than when she'd left the surgery, but Ivy didn't care.
Zain said, "You proved me wrong. But it's not the first time, so surely it won't be the last."
He opened the door and motioned for her to enter. Ivy gave him a curious look before heading inside the cottage.
Not two steps inside, Freddie and Daisy rushed toward her and tossed some flower petals. "Welcome home, Ivy!"
Smiling down at the pair, now she understood the source of the crash. "Thank you. I hear there's a surprise for me? Are you two in charge of it?"
Daisy bobbed her head. "Yes, Auntie Ivy. Come on. We need to hurry before Alfie eats it all."
Alfie was Freddie's older brother—Zain's other nephew—and a teenager who could eat the equivalent amount of five people's meals. If Freddie and Daisy's surprise was food-based, she really did need to hurry.