Chapter 6

T he video call had helped.

Not just for the insight into how to handle Salem, but also, seeing his family's support and concern for him buoyed Gregori's own flagging confidence. Reluctant mates were one thing. Salem was borderline hostile toward him and the very idea of being mates. It wasn't like Gregori didn't respect the hard work Salem had put into achieving his dream or the sense of duty he had toward healing all those sick kids. He just believed Salem could have his career plus the love and support of a mate.

For Salem, it was one or the other. Work or a relationship.

The hard part now was convincing Salem both were possible.

But first, Gregori needed to prove he was useful and self-sufficient.

A tiny pang of guilt pinched his heart as he opened Salem's closet and peeked inside. This was not snooping. It was research. Critical fact gathering before an operation—the operation being the sneaky winning of Salem's heart.

The closet wasn't very helpful. Several suits of varying dark colors, collared shirts, jeans, and a handful of T-shirts. All of it was very functional and interchangeable, as if Salem wanted to be able to reach into his closet and randomly grab something without needing to give it much thought. On the floor were one set of dress shoes and three pairs of worn sneakers.

He snatched up Salem's suitcase he'd used in Brazil and quickly sorted it. If he'd eaten the man's ass, he could sort his undergarments without blinking. Some clothes were tossed in the wash, and he set aside the suit he'd worn to his brother's wedding so it could be taken to the dry cleaner. The toiletries were dropped in the teeny-tiny bathroom, which held a shower stall that was not conducive to sexy shenanigans. Hell. Could he fit in there by himself?

He checked out the labels on Salem's shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and deodorant, memorizing them. For the cologne, he might have popped off the cap and sniffed the sharp, spicy fragrance. It was nice, but it smelled even better warmed on Salem's soft skin right in the crook of his neck.

With a sigh, he pulled his stubborn brain away from thoughts of silky skin and the tenor of Salem's moans and turned toward the kitchen.

No, kitchenette.

How did anyone cook in here? It had zero counter space, and the coffee maker took up what little existed. All the appliances were tidy and clean. The only thing in the sink was a spoon from when Salem had stirred his sugar and creamer into his travel mug full of coffee. Sam had mentioned his brother had horrible eating habits. It was likely Salem's kitchen was clean because the man never used it.

The freezer held a stack of hamburger patties covered in frost and lost to freezer burn. The same for a small bag of chicken breasts. The bag of frozen green beans had probably suffered the same sad fate.

The fridge was terrifying.

Bags and containers of old takeout, most of it fast food. He didn't recognize all the names, but it was a wide mix—American, Asian, Italian, and more. All of it old and forgotten. Part of him wanted to shake Salem. How could he call himself a doctor and eat this crap? There was no way he'd let his patients eat a diet solely of processed garbage.

With a huff, Gregori located a garbage bag and tossed all the takeout into it. Dr. Salem was getting a hot, healthy meal tonight whether he wanted it or not.

However, if these meals represented Salem's dinners, then logic said his lunches and breakfasts weren't any better. Yep, Gregori would need to start prepping his lunches as well. A healthy meal would carry him through the day and through those difficult surgeries.

Folding himself up at the itty-bitty dining room table, he scratched out some quick notes for what to get for dinner, as well as ideas for filling lunches. They would provide the boost Salem needed to get through the second half of his day.

Gathering up the list and Salem's suit for the dry cleaner, he quickly made the rounds. He dropped off the suit at the closest dry cleaner and then grabbed a rideshare to a local market. It was tempting to load up on all the fresh fruit, veggies, and meat, but he didn't want to overwhelm his skittish mate. Best to sneak in under his defenses.

He made one last stop to grab a Crock-Pot before zipping back to Salem's apartment with his haul. The good doctor had presented him with a spare key this morning, telling him to lock the door behind him when he left to find a hotel. Like he expected Gregori to simply shove the key under the door and actually leave.

Nope. Now he had a safe way to come and go during the day while Salem was at work.

Back at the apartment, Gregori quickly put away all his goodies and threw together a hearty stew, which would fill and warm his mate when he returned from a long day at the hospital. The leftovers were easy to keep, allowing him to have it for lunch for a couple of days as well. Not to mention, it would bubble and cook all day, filling the apartment with a yummy smell. Hopefully it would soften any grumpiness from Salem when he returned to find his dragon still staying at his place.

With dinner cooking and lunch set for Salem tomorrow, Gregori moved on to the next item on his list—making himself useful at the hospital. Not only would this prove he was independent and helpful, but it just might provide Gregori with more insight into his own mate.

He caught another rideshare to Mass General Hospital, where he strolled up to the reception desk with an easy smile, his hands shoved into the pockets of his long wool coat. Not that he was feeling the chill of the winter afternoon thanks to being an ice dragon, but he always received some very odd looks when he wasn't appropriately dressed for the bitter cold.

The man with thinning brown hair and thick glasses blinked owlishly at him as he stepped up. "Good afternoon. Which department can I direct you to?"

"Hello, I am interested in volunteering a few hours several times a week. Who would I need to speak to?"

"Wonderful!" The man shuffled through some papers before finding what he was searching for. He placed a couple of sheets on a clipboard and grabbed an ink pen, handing it all over to Gregori. "We'll just need you to fill out this information and I'll contact someone over in human resources. When you're done, they'll run a background check and someone will contact you for a short interview. It usually only takes a few days."

Gregori frowned. A few days wasn't much, but he didn't want to wait. He needed to be able to show Salem some tangible results of his efforts. "Would it be possible to get an interview a little sooner? Possibly today? You see, my mate, Doctor Salem Hunter, is a surgeon here, and I would very much like to support his work by entertaining the children in his care."

The man's brow furrowed a little. "Mate?"

Gregori nodded and smiled a little sheepishly. "Yes, my name is Gregori Valerii, and I'm an ice dragon from the Valerii Clan."

The little man's face paled and his mouth bobbed like a landed fish. For a heartbeat, Gregori wondered if he should call for a doctor to help him, but he finally found his voice and ability to breathe.

"A dragon? You're a real live dragon?" the man said with a gasp.

Gregori shifted his eyes from dark brown to his dragon's amber gold with the vertical slit for a pupil. His grin grew and he winked at the man. A high-pitched squeal left the man but was cut off when he slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Oh my god!" His words were muffled, but the sentiment came through loud and clear. Being a dragon was a good thing. The receptionist cleared his throat a couple of times and finally lowered his hand from his now flushed face. "You know what? Let me make some phone calls. Cecelia is the one who oversees all the volunteers, and I bet she could totally make some time for you today. If you could just take a seat over there and fill out the paperwork, I'll give her a call."

With a bow of his head, Gregori walked over to the seating area, biting back his own smug grin. He filled out the information as best he could, using Salem's apartment for his place of residence. He also provided contact information for Dimitri and Rodrigo since they would be his best shot at getting a good reference. If Salem found out Gregori had called him his mate, Salem was more likely to skin him than recommend him as a volunteer.

In the background, Gregori could hear the receptionist's harsh whisper as he talked to someone. It would peak with notes of uncontained excitement, only to drop again as he got himself under control. The call lasted only a minute. Another minute passed before Gregori heard the clack of hard-soled shoes on the tile floor approaching at just short of a run.

He lifted his head after signing his name to find a woman standing in front of him, her lovely silvery-gray hair pulled up in a bun. Several strands hung down around her face, which was flushed from her fast walk from her office to the lobby of the children's hospital.

"Good afternoon. Are you the gentleman who is interested in volunteering?" she said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Gregori smoothly rose and extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Gregori Valerii."

"Of the Clan Valerii, right? The ice dragons who live down in Brazil," she chimed in the second he stopped speaking.

"Yes…" He shook her hand, trying not to smile at her growing blush.

"I'm sorry, but I've always been a huge fan of dragons," she gushed, erasing decades from her face. It was as if simply meeting him was fulfilling a lifelong dream for her. "I've been closely following all the news related to the various dragon clans ever since King Alric of the Burkhard Fire Dragons announced you all were still alive."

"It's a pleasure to meet you…"

"Cecelia. Cecelia Brandt." She released his hand and motioned for him to accompany her. "If you would just come with me, Mister Valerii, we'll discuss your application."

The office was small but cheery, with lots of pictures that looked as if they'd been drawn or painted by the young patients at this hospital. The only dreary thing about the room was the view of the gray winter sky and bare trees. He slipped into a seat in front of her desk and handed over the paperwork. She glanced over it quickly, clicking her tongue softly in the silence of the room.

With a final nod, she set it down and looked at him. "Now, as I'm sure you understand, we must run a basic background check on everyone who comes to work at the hospital, even our volunteers. Just for the safety and well-being of the children in our care. As much as I would like to skip it for you…"

Gregori waved off her comments. "No, I understand. You must do what is best for the children. I would never want to put them in any kind of danger. I have put down contact information for the head of my clan, Rodrigo Valerii, as well as my boss, Dimitri Valerii. They would be happy to provide character references for me and answer any of your questions."

"Wonderful. I'll be sure to give them both a call this afternoon." She paused, her smile growing a mix of giddy and secretive. "Now, Kevin at the front desk did mention you said our wonderful Doctor Hunter is your mate. I'm sure if he were willing to vouch for you, we could speed things along."

Gregori winced, really wishing he could curl up in a ball. He could feel the heat of Salem's rage if he found out Gregori had dropped that bomb at his place of work. "Actually, I would rather you didn't tell him about this. I kind of want it to be a surprise. Plus, I'm sure he would be very unhappy if everyone found out about this part of his personal life. He's a very private person."

Cecelia nodded. "I completely understand. I'll keep my lips sealed." She even made the motion of zipping her lips closed and tossing the key over her shoulder. "After our chat, I'll make sure to have a little talk with Kevin, reminding him about the hospital's policy about gossiping."

A huge sigh of relief escaped Gregori and he slumped in his chair. He really didn't want to make Salem a source of gossip in his workplace when he deserved to be respected for his knowledge and skill. Doing otherwise would only bring Salem's wrath on Gregori's head and undermine what he hoped to accomplish.

"I don't have any specific training when it comes to kids, but I'm happy to read stories and play games with them. Anything to help take their minds off why they're in the hospital in the first place," Gregori admitted, wanting to be completely honest with her while still selling himself as a good volunteer. "I'm also happy to teach them about dragons. I'm fluent in six languages, too."

Cecelia clapped her hands quietly and wiggled in her office chair. "Perfect. All the kids are going to be so excited to meet you. I really wish I could take you in to meet them today. But I'll make some phone calls and see what I can do to get this background check pushed through quickly. I know the hospital would appreciate any time you can give us."

Knowing the long hours Salem pulled as a pediatric surgeon, Gregori suspected he'd have a lot of free time on his hands. If he couldn't spend it directly wooing Salem, then this was really the next best thing.