food activity was a ploy to get me to shift, either."
She laughed. "No, that would've required some better-tasting food, for sure." Dawn moved the table away but didn't quite close the distance between them. She added, "I do want to see your dragon some day, but that's just because he's part of you. You could be bright pink and I wouldn't care, although I'm sure Daisy would love that."
His lips twitched. "I've never heard of a pink dragon, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want to be one. But a pink dragon wouldn't be a unicorn. It'd be more like another mythical creature. Say, a Pegasus."
"I hope another dragon color, like rainbow, doesn't show up because there aren't any more horse-like mythical creatures I can think of off the top of my head."
He full-on grinned. "Don't mention that to the Scottish dragon clan. The kelpie is quite famous up there, even if they are malevolent."
The kelpie was a mythical Scottish creature that often appeared in the form of a horse near streams and rivers. The outcome was usually in the kelpie's favor and bad for the humans who fell under their spell.
She chuckled. "I forgot about them. And I've even seen those two giant horse head sculptures called The Kelpies on the drive between Edinburgh and Stirling once. Maybe I need to see just how many different kind of horse-like mythical creatures there are. You know, to keep a list handy in case we need some more names."
He snorted—Blake couldn't remember the last time he'd done it so often in a conversation—and wondered what strange names the human would bestow on any dragon with even one tiny speck of another color in their hides.
And just like that, Dawn had relaxed him and made him smile despite sharing how strange his life had been as a white dragon with a black spot.
He'd been skeptical of true mates for a long time, but Blake was starting to think fate had been right in his case.
Sobering, Blake decided they needed to get back on topic. "That's a fun project you could do with Daisy. However, let's circle back to the part where you said you wanted to go through the frenzy with me. Are you absolutely certain?"
Dawn bobbed her head. "Yes. I went through all the reasons in my head earlier about what it would mean for Daisy, for me, and our lives in general. Daisy wants to live on Stonefire, and I'm far more open to it now. And spending more time with you hasn't scared me away or made me want to flee but rather quite the opposite. So what needs to be done to get the frenzy started?"
Maybe some would laugh at Dawn's naïveté regarding her question, but not Blake. It showed him that she made goals and saw them through. What male wouldn't respect that?
He motioned toward the mobile phone on the small stand next to his bed. "I'll need to call Bram and have a cottage set up for us. Mine is too remote, and we need to be closer to everyone for your sake."
She searched his gaze. "What do you mean for my sake?"
He shrugged. "Some humans scare easily when the dragon half comes out. And if you want to leave, others will need to ensure you can. Whilst my human half will fight to let you go, my dragon may not be so easily tamed."
"Oh."
He laid his hand an inch from Dawn's on the bed, loving how he could feel the heat of her skin even if they weren't touching. "I hope you won't run, though. I like you, Dawn. And it'd be nice to date you some more."
She smiled, vanquishing any anxiety that had been lingering on her face. "Maybe some would think it strange, but I did it all the right way before—dating, engagement, wedding, child—and it didn't work out. Perhaps I need to do it out of order. It'll certainly make things interesting."
Blake barely resisted closing the distance between them and kissing her.
He needed to call Bram ASAP and get everything in motion so he could do that, and more, to his beautiful human. "Then quickly eat a little of what you brought before getting something warm at the clan's restaurant. I'll call Bram and take care of everything."
She picked up the spoon and prodded the cold noodles. "Maybe I should risk the bland hospital snacks instead."
With a chuckle, he handed over what he had and simply enjoyed watching Dawn eat.