The eerie moan sounded off in the distance again and Melanie agreed. The pain and anguish in that cry was something she hoped never to hear again.
What if it was Tristan’s cry? No. She wouldn’t allow herself to worry. She’d managed to hope for the best with her brother and she could certainly do the same for her dragonman.
Mel stood up. “Where should I go to see what’s happening? And is there anything in particular I should know about approaching a wounded dragon?”
Samira studied her a second and then said, “If it’s an unknown dragon-shifter, then keep your distance. Often when dragons are wounded, their dragon-halves come to the forefront and are unpredictable, just like a wild animal would act if it was hurt.”
“Check. Stay away from the sharp teeth and claws.” Mel was just about to turn and get her things when she decided to stop being a coward and ask what was on her mind. She couldn’t rule out Tristan completely, and no matter what she found out, it was best to be prepared. If the heart-wrenching cry was indeed her dragon-shifter’s, she would need to act fast on arrival.
No matter what it took, if Tristan was hurt, she would find a way to save him. He was too stubborn to die.
She clenched and released her fists to help ease her pent-up worry. Then she took one last fortifying breath and spit out, “And if it’s Tristan? What can I do then?”
“For your sake, I hope it’s not Tristan. If it is, you more than anyone have a chance at calming him down enough to let the healers do their work.”
“Because of our child?”
“No. Because his dragon is attached to you. Talk to him and try to find a way to let him sniff your skin, and the dragon should calm down. Hurting you would destroy both halves of Tristan.”
While she didn’t want to admit it, this wasn’t the time to rule out all possibilities. She whispered, “And what if I can’t find a way to calm him down?”
Sadness flashed in Samira’s eyes. “Then Tristan might die. For all that dragon-shifters are powerful creatures, when they’re injured and their human-halves lose control, it’s hard to heal them. That’s the single biggest cause of dragon deaths apart from old age.”
“Talk about pressure.”
Samira gave a weak smile. “It may not be him, so don’t stress yourself out beforehand. It’s not good for the baby.”
For a second, Melanie had forgotten about her baby. But no matter what, if it was Tristan, she would find a way to help him, pregnant or not. She didn’t want to live without him.
Wait a second, where had that come from? She barely knew the man.
Stop lying to yourself. Between the instant he’d allowed her to see him shift to when she’d kissed his long dragon snout, she’d realized that she could never be with anyone else. Tristan was hers, and she would fight for him if she had to.
“I’ll be as careful as I can, but I won’t abandon him, Samira. I can’t do it.”
Her friend shifted her son to her other arm. “I hope Tristan realizes what he has in you.”
I hope so too. But she didn’t want to have that discussion right now. She needed to find out which dragon was injured, and stat. “Where will they take the hurt dragon?”
“There’s an emergency surgery next to the main landing area. The dragon would be there.”
Another moan pierced the air, shooting straight to her heart. She couldn’t afford to waste any more time, so Mel nodded. “Right. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
She then turned to grab her cell phone and exited the door just as another cry pierced the air. If one sound could ever encompass the epitome of pain, the anguished dragon’s cry was it.
~~~
Twenty minutes later, Mel approached the main landing area and couldn’t believe how many people were standing near but not too close to it. She hoped it was for support rather than as a spectacle. Dragons were too big to have any sort of privacy when hurt, and she might not be a doctor, but surely the stress of so many nearby couldn’t be good for a dragon moaning in pain.
Still, as she looked around the crowd, maybe one of them knew who was hurt. Otherwise it was going to take some creative ideas to get through the throng of tall, strong-ass dragon-shifters.
She’d had about a fifty-fifty success rate when it came to meeting friendly dragon-shifters during her time here. However, she wasn’t about to let that deter her. Tristan might need her.
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath for confidence. What’s the worst they could do? Call her a whore again?
She went to the nearest female and asked, “Who’s been hurt?”