Epilogue One
A Few Months Later
Killian sat in one of the exam rooms inside Stonefire's surgery and resisted the urge to get up and pace the room.
Black spoke up. It's only been five minutes. And to think you say I'm impatient.
Blue nodded. He's right. Good things come to those with patience. The wait only means that Dr. Sid is being thorough.
Black grunted. I thought we talked about your optimism and toning it down a bit?
Blue raised his head. This is who I am. And I know you've grown fond of me, which means your threats no longer frighten me.
Black muttered a few choice words, but Killian jumped in. I'm not sure why I bother, but will you two ever stop arguing?
Both dragons shook their heads.
Black said, Besides, why are you so worried? We passed the DDA's second interview and display of skills with flying colors.
Blue snorted. Flying colors. That's funny.
Not when you comment on it, it's not.
If you don't like compliments, then I won't give them.
As his beasts continued to squabble, he sighed. He may have grumbled about not being able to help Brenna with her Protector duties and her secret project, but he’d gladly wait for several more weeks to receive clearance if it meant his dragons would stop arguing for a day or two.
He quickly constructed a mental prison, making sure to reinforce the wall between the two dragon heads. He’d barely finished before Sid and Gregor entered the room.
Killian raised his brows and barked, "Well?"
Gregor scowled. "Be nice. Cassidy is growing another dragon-shifter inside her."
Rolling her eyes, Sid handed Killian a sheet of paper. "I vomited once in the last month. I'm fine." She gestured toward the paper with one hand and placed the other on her swollen belly. "As far as we can tell, the anomalies we pinpointed months ago are no longer there. We think it means that the serum worked."
The thumb drive Brenna had found on the human had indeed contained various formulas for the drugs that had harmed dragon-shifters in the UK and Ireland. Which was good since Alice's quest to find the old ship's logs had failed. It had taken months, but the doctors had tinkered with a counteragent. The results he held in his hand were the first to come back clean.
Gregor spoke up. "However, we need to test it more thoroughly to be sure before we clear you for duty again."
He looked up at the male doctor. "You mean you need my dragons to attack each other and see if I fall into a seizure."
"Aye. I know it's not the easiest thing to ask for, but if they do it and nothing happens, we can finally recommend you to active Protector duty once more."
Which meant Killian could finally join the Stonefire Protectors and help his mate. Nikki Gray was growing closer to term, which meant Brenna would soon temporarily take over as second-in-command of the Protectors until Nikki had her baby and was cleared for duty again.
Laying down the paper, Killian said, "No worries. Let me try it."
He quickly dismantled the mental prison. Both dragons gave him the stink eye, but he quickly spoke before they could. You can scold me later. For now, we need to test if we're truly cured or not. I need you two to fight with each other.
Black snorted. So now you want us to fight? You need to make up your mind, human.
Don't test me, Black. Unless you don't want to help Brenna protect our new home?
Black huffed. I was teasing. You need to work on your sense of humor.
Blue had rubbed off on Black, it seemed.
However, before Killian could reply, Black quickly moved his head to Blue's neck and bit him. With a roar, Blue did the same.
Despite the pain from sharp teeth flooding his body, Killian didn't sense anything else. After who knew how long, Sid's voice finally filled the room again. "That should be enough. Behave, dragons."
Black and Blue instantly removed their teeth and went back to their respective positions.
Except for Brenna, his bloody beasts listened to Dr. Sid above anyone else. Even him.
Thankfully Sid spoke up before his dragons could say why they did it. "I think we need to keep an eye on you for another twenty-four hours just to be certain, but I'm 98 percent sure that you're stable and will remain so. I'll talk with Bram after this, but as long as nothing happens, you should be officially working with the Protectors within the week."
Both his dragons roared inside his head, but Killian pushed past the noise to reply, "Thank you, Sid, Gregor. I know you've sacrificed a lot of your free time to help me and the others, and I'll forever be in your debt."
The corner of Gregor's mouth ticked up. "We'll call you on it once the bairn is born. We could always use a good babysitter."
Sid shook her head, but Killian spoke up. "Consider it done." He stood. "Unless there's anything else, I want to tell Brenna the news."
"No, go ahead and share it with your lass. I'm sure she'll reward the news," Gregor said, winking.
Killian murmured his thanks again before racing out to the waiting room. However, he scanned the area, but Brenna was nowhere in sight.
The male working reception, Leo, motioned him over. When Killian reached him, Leo said, "Brenna wanted you to meet her near Stonefire's back entrance."
He frowned. "Is something wrong? Another attack?"
Leo shook his head. "Just something about a surprise for you that she can't give you here and that you shouldn't worry."
She could've waited a few minutes for him, but Killian pushed aside that thought. "Thanks, Leo."
With a wave, Killian raced out of the surgery and jogged toward the rear entrance. At one time, he'd hated surprises. And while sometimes Brenna went too far—such as when she'd organized a traditional Irish dance party in the great hall—he'd grown to like most of them.
Especially when it involves her naked, Black said.
Let's hope she's not naked if she’s standing at the rear entrance, Killian drawled.
It didn't take long to reach the final walkway to his destination. He spotted Brenna plucking at a large, sheet-covered, rectangular object. Since it didn't even reach her shoulders, it couldn't be a car.
Once he was within a few meters from her, she smiled at him. "Well? What did they say?"
Closing the distance between them, he pulled her close. "Everything came back clean. I have to wait twenty-four more hours before they sign off, but if the next day goes without incident, I'm cured."
She squealed before bringing his head down for a kiss.
He took his time sipping and tasting his female before ending it. "So, what's the surprise?"
"Oh, just something to celebrate your recovery."
"I only just found out about it. Did Dr. Sid leak the results to you early?"
She shook her head. "No, but I had a feeling it would go well this time, and I wanted to be prepared. Kai even gave me the afternoon off."
"Does that mean you're going to tease me all afternoon about what's under there?"
"Of course not. What's under there is what we're going to do for the afternoon." She stepped back and motioned toward it. "Open it and take a look."
The rectangular shape told him little of what it could be. Quickly tearing off the sheet, he sighed. "You put a box over it too?"
She grinned. "A little suspense can sweeten the reward later, as you often remind me."
A naked image of Brenna in his bed, moaning as he slowly licked between her thighs, flashed into his head. "And I'll be reminding you of that later as well. I plan to make good use of our afternoon."
She gestured toward the box. "Let's take things one step at a time. Hurry up and open it."
He went to slice the tape, but the box moved. There wasn't a bottom, so he lifted it off and gasped.
It was a motorcycle. A Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, to be exact.
Brenna spoke up. "I couldn't afford a new one, but I asked Blake to go with me to check it out. Apparently, he loves motorcycles, too. You should ride with him sometime."
He ran his hand over one of the handlebars and then the other. "I love it." He glanced at his mate. "And my first ride will be with you, once we have helmets."
She kissed him quickly before dashing behind a bush and producing two helmets. "I thought of that. I've never ridden one. Maybe one day you can teach me, but for now, I just want to ride on the back."
"I might be able to do that. For a price."
"Killian O'Shea—"
He shut her up with a long, slow kiss before finally laying his forehead against hers. "If you think I'm going to ride this with you on the back and not find a spot to make love to you along the way, then you don't know me well enough."
"One day, you'll tire of so much sex," she teased.
"With you, never." He kissed her nose. "I love you, Brenna, and will never let you forget it."
She tilted her head. "A female could get used to that."
He lightly smacked her bum. "Good, because having you in my life is a treasure I'm never going to take for granted." Plucking one of the helmets out of her hands, he situated it on Brenna's head and fastened it. "Now, there's a sexy sight."
Rolling her eyes, she held out the second helmet. "I draw the line at wearing helmets during sex, Killian."
He fastened his own. "Why would I ask you to do that? Undressing you is the fun part." Straddling the motorcycle, he patted behind him. "Let's go for a ride. I promise you it's the closest thing to flying you'll feel while still being on the ground."
Brenna climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He took a second to memorize her heat, scent, and toned body against his back before starting the bike. As it revved to life, a sense of peace came over him. It'd been too long since he'd ridden and having his mate at his back made it perfect.
Black growled. Yes, yes, it's nice. Now, get going. I love riding and want to feel the wind again.
Killian slowly pulled up to the gate and glanced at the hidden security camera. A few seconds later the gate opened and he said, "Hold on tight," before taking off.
At first Brenna held him tighter as he took the turns and guided the machine in graceful movements. When she shouted, "Go faster," he only loved her more.
Increasing his speed, Killian took off, the vibration of the bike between his thighs making his heart rate tick up.
Biking through the Lake District with the female he loved at his back was almost too good to be true. He'd come a long way from waking up with amnesia and always wondering if he had a future. He may not know everything it held, but with Brenna at his side, it would be a bloody good one. And a male couldn't wish for anything more.