Healed by the Earth Dragon Prince: Dragon Shifter Romance (Elemental Dragon Warriors Book 4)

talking about?”
He laughs. “Not all pairings are born of the fated bond, you know. When a male is interested in a female, she demands that he prove himself worthy to become hers. Just as you demanded of Kaj only a moment ago.”
I’m at a loss. “What do you mean? I didn’t ask him to prove himself.”
“Yes, you did,” he replies pointedly, a sly grin forming on his face. “I believe your exact words were, ‘you’re not my mate until I say you are.’”
My mouth drifts open, but I quickly snap it shut. “Oh my gosh.” I put my head in my hands as I groan. “That’s not what I meant.”
I shadow Ranas for the first half of the morning, learning more about the various settings on the med scanner. The technology is amazing, but not as impressive as the healing fire Ranas can breathe on our patients. He was able to heal every remaining patient today with another application of fire.
I’m envious that I’ll never be able to do this, but at least I can help. After all, the healing fire doesn’t cure every ailment. I love still being able to work as a doctor on an alien world.
It’s nearly time for the midday meal when Kaj finds me. He places a plate of food on my desk. I lift my gaze to thank him and he flashes a charming smile that stops my heart momentarily.
What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I reacting to him like this?
My cheeks flush with warmth and I quickly avert my eyes. “Thanks.”
He tips his chin up with pride. “It is no burden to provide for my mate.”
“I’m not your mate,” I correct him.
“Not yet.” He grins. “But you will be after I prove that I am a worthy male.”
His expression is one of earnest sincerity. He’s trying his best to please me, and aside from his insistence that we’re fated to one another, he seems like a nice guy.
Alarms are practically blaring in the back of my mind. My fear insists that this is a trap like the one Edward set, but another part of me realizes that not every man is as evil as he was. If I spend the rest of my life comparing every man I come across to Edward, I’ll always live in fear. I don’t want that. I want to be happy. It’s just so hard to trust this man, even if he claims he is my fated mate.
Another Healer offers me a cup of tea and Kaj growls low in his throat, causing the man to stumble backward and apologize quickly.
So that’s one tick against him. He’s overly possessive. It occurs to me that while Kaj may not be a rapist like Edward or John, he could be a crazy stalker.
When my shift is over, I head for the castle and he rushes to catch up to me, offering to fly me the rest of the way. I politely refuse; flying home in his arms would be too intimate.
I’m attracted to Kaj. All day, all he had to do was look my way and flash one of those handsome smiles and I started blushing like crazy.
He follows only a few steps behind me, and I realize this is his attempt at giving me space. That’s yet another tick against him. He’s looking more like a stalker by the second.
And yet, when I turn around and he gives me a beaming smile, my heart melts a bit.
When I reach the castle, I head straight for the gardens, breathing a sigh of relief when Kaj doesn’t follow. He’s intelligent, charming and so handsome. I’m definitely attracted to him, but I need some space to really analyze our relationship. If this has any chance of working, we need to take things slowly. I need to be sure of the type of man he is before I allow myself to fall even more for him.
I love the palace gardens. It’s my little sanctuary—beautiful and peaceful. With vibrant green trees and flowering bushes full of pink, yellow, and purple blossoms, this space is an oasis in the middle of the desert. A small stream winds along the path. I reach out and trace my fingers over one of the many hanging vines that sway gently in the dry desert breeze.
I don’t want to complain because Varus and his people have been nothing but kind and helpful, but I never thought I would settle in a desert. There is a certain beauty to the sand, but it is not for me. I long for forests, winding rivers, and tall mountains. When I was a child, my parents and I would spend hours in the virtual reality room exploring the thick, forested mountains that used to exist on Earth before the trees were nearly all cut down by our ancestors.
Gravel crunches on the pathway behind me, and I turn to find Kaj. As soon as he notices my gaze on him, he dedicates obvious effort to pretending to study a blooming purple flower on a nearby bush. “Fascinating,” he mumbles. “Almost as large as the koeli flower in the mountains.”
“Mountains?” I ask, inwardly cursing myself when I realize I’ve spoken aloud.
His head snaps toward me. “Yes. In the Earth Clan territory.”
Curiosity gets the best of me, and I can’t help asking, “Varus mentioned there were some mountains there. Are there a lot of them?”
“Yes. Almost the entire terrain is mountainous. This blossom,” he points to the vivid flower, “is similar to a variety found near the peaks, called the koeli flower. The winds are strong that high up the mountains. During the harvest games, many males risk flying to the peaks to retrieve a koeli to prove their worth to a female they wish to mate.”
I move to his side, studying it closely. It reminds me of a rose from Earth, but much larger.
“This is quite small compared to the koeli flowers, but the shape is very similar.”
My eyes widen