Page 184 of Drama Queen

“Yes,” he rumbled, unhappy he didn’t have the medical expertise to care for Charlotte. Then again, if she was in a hormone haze as well, he wasn’t sure he wanted her to emerge from it. At least not until he’d speared her on his cock and sunk his teeth into her shoulder. Once she was marked as his, and she had returned the favour and marked him as hers — as if he could ever be anything else now — and once they had fucked their hearts out, then they could return to a semblance of normalcy.

“Charlotte, I need to examine your eyes,” the doctor told his mate calmly.

“Alright,” she said placidly, still staring at his cock.

Her fixed attention made the damn thing twitch, and he could feel a streak of cold as the moisture beading there began to drip down his length, the air cooling it against his sensitive skin. His lips curled in a smirk as her heart rate and breathing began to increase.

“Charlotte!” the doctor snapped, making her jump.

Leonard growled, but made no move to harm the man, because when he looked at him, all he could see was the concern on the man’s face for his mate.

“I’m sorry, what?” Charlotte replied, finally snapping out of her daze.

He was rather proud that the sight of his cock had a somewhat hypnotic effect on her, like he’d waved a magic wand. His beast rumbled in satisfaction. Their cock was a magic wand. He couldn’t wait to share the observation with her when they were in private. He was sure she’d laugh, and then he'd be forced to show just how magical he could make it for her. The anticipation began to build, but he managed to wrest control back from his beast.

Not now. Not yet. First they had to care for their mate, and then they had to deal with this threat against her.

Threat. That was the magic word. Instantly his cock began to deflate, even as his thoughts clarified, the world coming into a sharpness he normally associated with hunting in his beast form. That alone told him it was on board with setting aside their mating in order to protect her. At least for now.

“How much do you weigh, Charlotte?” Doctor Watson was asking her.

After a pause to think about it, she told him. Caught in his own thoughts, Leonard had missed most of the examination, pleased that his beast now trusted the man enough to settle down and let him get on with his job.

Charlotte gave him a figure that confirmed just how light she had felt in his arms earlier, and he watched the doctor frown.

“I’m going to need you to come into the clinic for a full physical when everything is more settled,” Dr Watson said. “While not drastic, that number is a little lower than I would like off the top of my head. I’d like to get an accurate picture of yourheight and weight to update my records, and then we’ll have a closer look at your diet to ensure you’re both getting the protein you need. I noticed in your interview you mentioned passing out. In light of that, I’m going to be liaising with your assistant to ensure that doesn’t happen again, especially with all the issues surrounding you at the moment.”

His mate snorted. “The last thing we need is me fainting during a press conference and fanning the flames of that idiotic rumour that I’m pregnant. I mean, what kind of moron says, “Oh, she hasn’t had sex in over a year, but she’s pregnant?” Like the baby wouldn’t have been born by now?”

“Indeed,” the doctor replied, his scorn clear in his voice. “While shifter pregnancies are longer than human ones, it’s a matter of a handful of days to a few weeks. They’re still well under a year in duration.”

“Right?” Charlotte asked, miffed. “David is a fucking moron at the best of times, but he really didn’t think all of this through at all. I mean, if he was going to come after me, at least he could have put some creative thought into it. Have me having an affair with an alien, while embezzling the government for enough money to repair his ship so we can escape to the stars.”

What the fuck was she talking about? Worried, he looked at the doctor who nodded and smiled as he rose to his feet, returning to the bag he had brought with him, and pulling out the three bottles and a new syringe. Was he going to dose Charlotte as well? Was that what this was about?

With his thoughts clearing more and more every second, Leonard began to put the pieces together. She had been affected! Charlotte had been as compromised as he was, and probably from that first moment he’d pulled her into his study. That was the real reason she’d fainted, she’d been overwhelmed with the sudden change of hormones. It wasn’t unheard of. It also explained Bonny Kelsing’s violent reaction to her, because whileCharlotte’s scent wasn’t displaying open interest, the lioness had obviously picked up on something that told her Charlotte was competition. A threat to her desire to be bred by a strong male. Something he hated about his species.

The doctor worked quickly, getting Charlotte to remove her jacket and roll up her sleeve, before jabbing her arm.

“Ow!” Charlotte protested, looking down at the bandaid he was applying.

Already Leonard could see her gaze clearing, her slouched posture straightening as she took in her surroundings.

“Why are we on the floor?” she asked, still a little dazed. “And why are you pointing that fucking thing at me?”

Once again, her gaze was locked onto his cock, and once again she licked her lips. He smirked, liking the fact she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“Because it’s yours,” he told her simply. “You’re my mate, and the good doctor has just given us both a healthy dose of everything we need to put off our bonding.”

“Why would we want to do that,” she asked breathily.

“Sir,” Dr Watson said. “Please, if you could refrain from antagonising her until the drugs can truly kick in, I’d appreciate it.”

He snorted. He wasn’t antagonising her, and they both knew it, but still, he got the gist of what the doctor wanted.

“Because there’s a threat against us specifically, and all shifters in general,” he replied, pleased when she managed to look him in the eye. “Because our people need us to set things right, and to do that, we both need a clear head.”

“Oh fuck,” she groaned. “The press! Fucking David. That’s all real? Oh god, this is the end of my career! What was I thinking?”

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