Page 5 of The Dragon's Surprise
Why? You never go anywhere, see anyone, or do anything. So I take what I can get.
Ignoring his beast, he opened the door and motioned. “Understood, Ms. Sakamoto. Now, come on. I’ve been awake a long time and I need to go home and rest before another emergency crops up.”
Then he walked out without a backward glance.
Lexi was still berating herself for being unprofessional when Kyle strode out of the room and she struggled to keep up.
Why, oh why, had she told him about her mom leaving her and Jennifer? Her sister would no doubt chew her out for that later, as Jennifer liked to keep her private life private.
Thankfully, the walk was short, and she quickly met up with the dragonman who stood waiting for her at the door. She glanced up, willing herself not to notice his remarkable eyes again, and said softly, “Be nice to him. He’s gone through a lot lately.”
His expression softened as his pupils flashed. “I’m a doctor, Ms. Sakamoto. I would never deliberately hurt anyone.”
“Lexi.”
He frowned. “What?”
There she went, being unprofessional again, but it was too late to take it back. “You can call me Lexi.”
He nodded, but said nothing else, so Lexi opened the door and walked in. She smiled as Ethan met her gaze, then he looked at Kyle and she noticed his whole body stiffened. His actions made Lexi wonder what his so-called father back in his old home had done to him once he’d found out the truth. Because in her experience, Ethan always did better with women than men.
Doing her best to hide her concerns, she walked over to Ethan, placed a hand on his shoulder, and gestured toward Kyle. “This is Dr. Kyle Baker, the dragon doctor here.”
Ethan moved to lean against her. “Is he going to poke me?”
Kyle stared at Ethan, his pupils flashing, and Lexi wished she knew what he was thinking.
Please let him be nicer to Ethan. Please.
The dragonman finally cleared his throat and said, “I won’t poke you unless it’s necessary, I promise. I hated needles as a kid, so I try to avoid them, if possible.”
Ethan frowned. “But you’re a doctor. Doctors can’t be afraid of needles.”
Kyle almost smiled, and Lexi did her best not to notice how much more handsome the dragonman was when he wasn’t frowning. The doctor said, “Just because we’re afraid of something when we’re a kid doesn’t mean we can’t learn to be strong and overcome it.”
The boy’s reply was barely audible as he whispered, “I’m afraid of my dragon. Can you help with him?”
The doctor’s pupils flashed rapidly, and she glanced down at Ethan, who watched Kyle closely, with fascination.
An awkward silence fell—one that Lexi could murder the doctor for, as any sort of encouragement would’ve helped Ethan—until Jenny spoke up. “We’ll all help you, Ethan. And I, for one, have had enough talk about needles and would rather do something more fun. And since Ethan said he’s never seen a dragon up close, I thought we could go to the second landing area and Kyle could show him his.”
For a beat, Lexi wondered if the dragon doctor would run. He definitely looked like he wanted to. But she waited, knowing this would be an important first step in learning if the dragonman would eventually accept his son or not. Her hopes weren’t high, but she wanted nothing more than to be wrong.
Kyle was still trying to get his head around the small boy who looked so much like him, to the point he didn’t need DNA results to tell him the child was his. He had the same eyes and nose, andlooked like every baby picture his aunt still showed him, albeit Ethan’s hair was blonder than Kyle’s had been before turning brown.
For a split second, he’d felt regret. Dragon-shifters treasured children, especially given their lower birth rates. At least, they’d been lower until recent years with advancements in medicine.
But then he reminded himself he hadn’t known, and he couldn’t change the past.
Then Jenny had to go and suggest Kyle showing his dragon to the boy, which snapped him back to the present. He frowned at the female. “Why me?”
Jenny stared at him and raised her eyebrows. “Because neither Lexi nor I can do it, and you’re here. And don’t suggest Daniel, since he’s about to do some patrols.”
There were others who could’ve done it instead. And yet, as Jenny continued to stare at him in a way that would make any student squirm in their seats, he mentally sighed. Well, the female did have more experience with kids than him, so he’d take her lead. For now.
He cleared his throat. “All right. Now is best since, barring any emergency, I shouldn’t be needed at the clinic for a while.”
Ethan frowned at him. “You talk weird.”
