7. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

L andry couldn’t piece together the bits of information while in and out of consciousness. He remembered a deep voice and someone kissing his forehead. He wasn’t sure who the deep voice belonged to or who had kissed him.

The voice soothed him, telling him it would be all right, making promises Landry was glad he’d kept. Well, the pain made him wish for death, but then it would disappear, making sleep possible.

“He’s a common criminal, along with all the rest of them.” Whoever said that was the same person who had spoken before.

At the moment, he felt a hand on his arm and heard Raylee arguing with someone. The hand stroked him as if trying to soothe.

“You’re being too harsh. He’s your mate. And I might add you’re already trying to take care of him,” Raylee said.

“I’m his doctor. It’s my job.” The timbre of that voice relaxed Landry.

“How is stroking his arm a part of your job, Dad? You’re doing it for his mental wellbeing. Daruss does it with Jude and me all the time. It’s okay to like him.”

The hand on his arm disappeared. Landry didn’t know a blanket covered him until the moment it fell into place when the person stopped touching him. The blanket was soft and plush, like one of those fleece-style ones. It made him want to fall back to sleep again, but he felt his body wake up. His pain level was minor, but still present. His inner thigh especially.

“You don’t know anything about Landry. Making snap judgements is going to affect your relationship with him, Dad. And another thing, Landry’s my friend. Don’t call him names. Especially not to his face. He’s…more sensitive than most.”

Landry groaned. Raylee giving information away about Landry was almost as bad as the deep voice lumping him in with the rest of the Dragon Skulls. Not that he was wrong. Landry might not have done criminal things, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t. If it came down to that and survival, he’d do whatever it took, minus a few things that pushed his limits.

Raylee was there when Landry opened his eyes, smiling at him. “Hey there sleepyhead. How’s your pain level?”

Instead of answering, Landry studied the room, wanting to find out where he was. He remembered a place a bit more sterile. The bed had been firmer than the plush cloud he lay on.

They must have given him another room at some point. He hadn’t woken up for it.

A Black man with pretty green but very reptilian eyes stared at him. He stood next to the bed and took a step back when Landry’s gaze landed on him. And then he frowned, making him seem menacing. Something about him eased Landry in ways he’d never experienced before. His expression and the partial shift put him on alert, as it should have.

He stepped up to the bed and even sat beside Landry. When he tried to touch Landry’s cheek, he growled and pulled away.

The man was one of the biggest dragon shifters Landry had ever seen. Way bigger than Landry—not that Landry was a giant. He was average height for a dragon shifter, but lean. Not like the dragon sitting on his bed.

“Don’t touch me.” Injured or not, Landry would make sure the guy could never use his fingers if he didn’t do what Landry said.

Landry might as well have gotten violent. The guy’s reaction would have shown less shock.

The guy blinked and then stood, backing away. “Do you know who I am to you? Do you feel it?”

Landry didn’t know what the guy was talking about. He turned to Raylee, asking for help. Of the two people in the room with him, he could trust Raylee. “What’s going on?”

Raylee sat where the stranger had been and took Landry’s hand. “Do you remember anything?”

“Casper and I were leaving the club. Then gunshots while we were in the parking lot.” Landry’s chest tightened when he thought about it. “Is Casper okay? Please tell me he didn’t get hurt.”

“Casper’s fine, thanks to you. You’re the only one injured.”

Landry shut his eyes as the relief washed over him. “Where am I?”

“My house,” the stranger said, taking a step closer.

Landry couldn’t help his suspicion. He didn’t trust anyone he didn’t know. He’d learned the hard way most people wanted something from him and sometimes they didn’t respect boundaries, which meant they took whatever they wanted. “And who the hell are you?”

The man growled. “My name is Enzo Galloway. I’m Raylee’s father.”

“The doctor.” It made sense why he was there. He hadn’t met Raylee’s family yet, but he knew the father and sister lived on the outskirts of Wingspan, closer to the club than the clinic in town.

Landry relaxed.

“Retired doctor.” Dr. Galloway closed the distance, standing next to Raylee. He touched Raylee’s shoulder while he stared at Landry as if he were concerned and confused at the same time.

“Sorry about being a dick. I’m not good with people sometimes.” Especially not after getting shot.

Raylee took Landry’s hand. “He’s not just anyone, Landry.” He turned to Enzo. “There’s trauma in his past, Dad.”

Landry shook his head in exasperation. “Do you mind not telling people that?”

“My dad is your mate. It’s relevant.” Raylee bit his lip. “You also don’t heal like a normal dragon shifter, so that’s another reason he needs to know.”

Landry sighed and met the doctor’s gaze. “Thanks for saving my life, Doc.”

“Call me Enzo.”

“So you’re willing to be on a first-name basis with a common criminal. That’s interesting. Maybe it means you’re slumming.” Landry smirked.

Enzo growled, but it got louder when Raylee chuckled. “You deserved that.”

Enzo gestured to the door. “Let me take care of my patient.”

Raylee patted Landry’s hand. “We rescued your backpack. It’s next to the bed.” He pointed at his feet. “Within reach but ask my dad for help before you grab it yourself.”

Landry rolled his eyes. “I don’t need help.”

“Says the guy who keeps wincing even though you have a hella amount of pain meds running through you. Just ask for help, Mr. Stubborn. Promise me.”

“Fine.”

“I’ll send Daruss and Izzy in to see you. They’re sick with worry.” Raylee patted his hand and then left the room.

Enzo hesitated, but he sat next to Landry again. “I need to check your wounds.”

Landry rolled his eyes. “You are a doctor.”

“And your mate. Did you hear Raylee when I told you that?” Enzo pulled the blanket down enough to check the wound on Landry’s chest. He removed the bandage. It was partially healed.

“Yes.” Landry winced when the doctor started probing the wound. “What do you want me to say? Sounds like you don’t want me as a mate, and I don’t want a mate either. The only difference is for me it’s nothing personal, nothing against you. Just got a lot of shit to work through.”

“Like what?”

Landry didn’t want to talk about his past, but Raylee had already mentioned it. “Raylee’s right. I have trauma. I can’t have a mate right now. Maybe never.”

“I had to use my blood to save your life.” Enzo pushed the bandage back into place and then rolled Landry toward him until he lay on his side.

Landry’s cheek pressed against Enzo’s thigh. He closed his eyes as Enzo’s scent washed over him. Cinnamon and laundry detergent. He smelled good. But Landry still didn’t shift or react to Enzo in any way.

Landry hadn’t known he had a bandage on his back until he felt it pull away from his skin.

“Does that mean the bonding process started?”

“I think so, yes. I can feel your uncertainty. Your fear.” Enzo put the bandage into place and rolled Landry onto his back again, but Landry wrapped an arm around Enzo’s waist.

Enzo touched his shoulder, patting it.

“Don’t. Please. I-I…can it just be me? Please.” Landry would lose it if Enzo returned the touch. He wouldn’t be able to take it. He might not trust Enzo completely, but he knew Enzo wasn’t lying about being his mate. He felt something. A level of comfort he hadn’t felt with anyone before.

Enzo removed his hand. “You’re safe, baby. You’re safe with me.”

Landry wanted to be but hadn’t felt it for a long time. “I don’t know if I can be a good mate.”

“You just have to be you. That’s all.”

Landry wasn’t sure why that brought tears to his eyes, but it did. He knew his reaction was a response to the trauma. As much as he wanted to pretend he wasn’t scared, he couldn’t. As much as crying embarrassed him, his control slipped away. He couldn’t stop it.

“I’ve got you, mate.” Enzo’s deep voice made it okay for Landry to stop pretending he was such a hardass.

But what was even more apparent was the way he didn’t want to let Enzo go. Was he touch-starved? It made sense. Landry thought it was more than that.

Enzo’s dragon was almost visible. Still, he could hear it chuff right before Enzo made the sound.

“Mate.”

“That’s right, baby. You’re not alone.” Enzo stroked Landry’s hair. He should have minded but didn’t. It was such a small gesture, but he found comfort in it. Maybe there was hope after all.