Zain crouched down in front of her. He gently lifted her chin until she could meet his eyes. "I wasn't being overly dramatic earlier, Ivy. I will protect you any way I can, starting with me taking that injection you and the others came up with."
She cupped his cheek, needing the familiar heat and light stubble to help steady her. "No, you can't do that right now, Zain. I have no idea if you'll get weak at first, or have a negative reaction."
Zain pupils flashed to slits and back to round. "But without it, I'm too vulnerable. The Knights are bringing war to Stonefire, love. And we're going to have to protect ourselves as best we can."
As she stared into her dragonman's eyes, she wanted to say so much but couldn't. Zain didn't need any distractions, nor did she want to think of this as her last time being alone with him. A hastily said, "I love you," would almost seem as if she were giving up.
And while she had doubts, and probably always would, she had to believe in the dragons of Stonefire. Because if she didn't, then who could she ever believe in?
Zain cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his warm touch. "If you truly want to do it, we should inject you sooner rather than later, just in case there are some side effects. Because if they emerge, it will be within the first few hours, by our best calculations."
He smiled at her, and suddenly Ivy's world seemed a little less dark. No man had ever made her feel that way so easily.
Zain said, "One last thing—did you use your blood for the concoction?"
"No. I'm still poison to others, remember?" Zain looked like he wanted to say something, but Ivy pushed on. "All of the humans on Stonefire donated. This way, no one knows whose DNA is floating inside their veins. We figured that would help with jealous mates."
He smiled wider. "Look at how far you've come, love. Thinking automatically of mates, and their reactions."
She raised an eyebrow. "If that's a surprise to you, about how my views have shifted, then I might have to question your status as the most observant person on Stonefire."
He snorted. "Considering you mated me, and always look forward to scratching my dragon behind the ears, I think it's safe to say I know how far you've come."
Silence fell, and Ivy struggled with what to say. Even though she'd vowed after waking up from her coma not to take life for granted, she had done so to a degree.
Zain was brave and strong and highly skilled, but he could still die. After all, the Knights possessed advanced weaponry to use against dragon-shifters, in addition to their arsenal of drugs. True, the lasers and other anti-dragon guns weren't as reliable, but they could still kill.
She moved her hand from his cheek and reached for Zain's hand. He instantly curled his fingers around hers, the action bringing comfort. She searched his eyes as she said, "Just be careful, okay? I know how much you hate the Knights, but if Kai goes ahead with the plan to take them down once and for all, they will be fighting for their lives. And in that case, they'll try even harder to kill as many dragon-shifters as possible whilst they still can."
Zain brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed the back of them. Despite everything going on, his warm, wet lips against her skin made her sigh with longing.
What she would give to be able to at least kiss the man she loved.
His voice snapped her back to reality. "I've always been careful, but now I have even more reason to do so. You're my heart, Ivy. And they'll have to kill me to keep me from coming back to you."
Her heart skipped a beat—in a good way. "Then make sure you do. I have a surprise for you, but not until you come back to me after this is over."
"You know how I hate surprises."
She smiled. "I know, but you'll like this one, I promise."
He leaned closer and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering on her skin.
It took everything she had not to turn her head and kiss him properly.
Zain finally pulled back. "I don't want to leave you, but I have to go." She nodded, and he continued, "Stay strong for me, human. Okay?"
She teased, "Well, seeing as I'm going to be doing a lot of sitting whilst down here, forced to take it easy, that should at least make you and your dragon happy, right?"
He chuckled. "A little." Zain sobered. "But it won't be for long if I can help it. I won't let you be trapped in a new kind of prison after being in an unconscious one for so long."
Zain's gruff exterior hid the careful, sensitive man inside. Selfishly, she wanted to hold him and never let him go. However, she knew she couldn't do that, not if she ever wanted a semi-normal life in the future. "I believe in you, Zain. Now, go and come back to me safe and sound."
He kissed her cheek once more before rushing out of the room.
As the door closed, the sound echoed inside the small living area of the bunker.
Not wanting to dwell on her new underground home or how long she had to live there, Ivy powered up her laptop and returned to the decrypted data. Maybe there was something she'd missed, something crucial that could help Zain and the others defeat the Knights.