Treasured by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons #10) - Jessie Donovan Page 0,10

until Blake's dragon is calm enough not to chase after you. And yes, that will mean Daisy will have to keep her distance, too. Blake would never hurt her, but she's a part of you, and it would torture his inner beast to know you were still so close but out of reach."

Dawn tried to process everything Bram had just told her.

To take Daisy away from Stonefire, and Freddie, would devastate her daughter. On top of that, being involved with the dragon-shifters was the first long-term interest Daisy had ever held. While that might not be important for some parents, having a dedicated interest had helped her daughter focus beyond anything Dawn or the schools had been able to accomplish. It was almost as if Daisy tried her best to finish things so she could spend more time learning about the dragons or writing letters to Freddie.

If all of that wasn't enough, Dawn already felt guilty that Daisy didn't have a father. To take away the dragons from her would be almost cruel.

As for herself, it wasn't as if Dawn didn't fancy Blake. She didn't love him, but she had a small connection that could possibly become more. Of course there was one thing that kept her from saying yes.

Something that may tear the dragons away from her daughter anyway.

Doing her best not to dredge up painful memories, Dawn swallowed and said softly, "I probably can't have any more children. So I'm not sure I have any other option but to flee."

Evie asked gently, "What do you mean?"

She met the other woman's gaze and was glad to find kindness instead of pity there. It gave her the courage to extrapolate. "It took nearly four years of IVF treatments to conceive Daisy. She's my little miracle. And so if I said yes to the frenzy, it would probably never end. So I don't know if I really have a choice in the matter."

Evie smiled slightly. "Wonderful things happen between true mates, things you never thought possible. And before you say I'm full of shit, just listen—I was tested at an early age and found out that I was incompatible with dragon-shifters. That's a fancy way of saying I could never have a child with one." Evie placed a hand on her abdomen. "But this isn't my first with Bram, and it's because we're true mates that it happened."

Bram spoke up. "It's true, Dawn. I was told that I was pretty much infertile as well. But it only took finding Evie to make that 1 percent chance a reality several times over."

The pair smiled at each other, but Dawn barely noticed as she tried to wrap her head around what they'd told her.

If it was true, Dawn could have another baby. And most likely without years of hoping and trying to see if something worked.

A longing she'd pent up for more than a decade broke free. She'd always wanted more than one child but had been content with Daisy. No, more than content—she loved her daughter dearly. Dawn simply couldn't imagine her life without her.

But now the dragon-shifters were all but offering her a guaranteed way to have at least one more.

If it were only her, she would instantly say yes and agree to a frenzy.

However, it wasn't just her. If she said yes to Blake, more than one life would change. In other words, Dawn needed to talk with Daisy. And, somehow, she needed to see if she could chat with Blake as well.

Pushing aside her longing, she cleared her throat and garnered the pair's attention. "Thank you for telling me that. I want to say yes, and I know you need an answer soon, but I really do need to speak with Daisy first. And, if there's a way to do it without him going crazy, with Blake, too."

Bram nodded. "Of course you need to talk with your daughter. As for Blake, his dragon will be drugged silent for three days. That's all I can give you before you have to decide one way or the other because if we drug him any longer than that, there can be serious side effects."

She blinked. "You drugged his dragon?"

Bram grunted. "It's the only way to keep him from breaking free and finding you. The inner dragon is far more instinctual than the human half. And when it comes to finding a true mate and claiming them for the frenzy, it can get bloody dangerous."

Evie frowned at Bram before adding, "Don't scare her,