The Gentle Dragon

Chapter 4: Everett

“As you all know, this is Eric, a 12 or 13-year-old male, found by Ishir and Zephyr in the laboratory where the hybrids escaped. He was the only survivor still in the laboratory. Zephyr found him having already shifted and we quickly identified that he had been injected with polar bear and komodo dragon DNA. The komodo dragon DNA is the biggest problem, being that his human and polar bear DNA are both warm-blooded animals. I added Kaylani’s DNA, and it has bonded to his human DNA, allowing him to shift back. The polar bear DNA bonded to Kaylani’s DNA, but the komodo dragon DNA is still a problem. Until I can figure out how to bond that DNA to the others, I’m keeping him sedated.”

“What about elf DNA?” Fenian asks. “From everything I’ve learned so far, it seems that elf DNA is the best bonding agent of DNA.”

“In general, you’re correct, Fenian. But we already have one hybrid that can shift into two different animals, not including her human form. I’m concerned about giving Eric too many strands of DNA. First, we have no idea what could happen to him, but second, he could possibly shift into more than two types of shifters.”

“But if you leave him like this, then if or when he shifts again, he will become the deformed creature he was before?” Yhendorn asks.

“Yes,” I say, watching as four sets of eyes look at me.

“So, what other choice do you have, doc?” Ishir asks me.

I sigh, looking at Eric. I was thrilled when his body had shifted back to his human form. Like Tesha, he’ll be scarred for the rest of his life, but he’s alive. However, when I tested his DNA, the komodo dragon is still unattached, which will cause him to have another horrible shift if I don’t fix it.

“I don’t want to play god with these kids. I don’t know what it might do and what if it doesn’t work? Then what? We just keep adding DNA until it does?” I ask, getting aggravated. It’s not like I haven’t thought of all the different ways I could try to fix this kid.

“What about a controlled experiment?” Fenian asks.

“What do you mean?” Yhendorn asks.

Fenian looks at me. “I read ahead in our medical books. There are controlled experiments, right, where you can control what is added and not added, test it against other experiments where you add something else, something different. You’ve divided out his DNA elements. What if we test the komodo dragon against elf, to see if it attaches. We could also have a trial where we combine all of the DNA strands that he currently has and add elf DNA to see if it attaches to all of them. Then from there, we can decide how to move forward.”

Four sets of eyes look at me as I assess Fenian’s idea. It’s a good idea.

“Are you going to help me?” I ask him.

He stands straighter. “Yes sir.”

“Good,” I say, shrugging. “Let’s try it.”

“Okay, we’ll leave you to it. I want to give Yhendorn and Kenna an update on where we are with the missing hybrids,” Ishir says.

“Pull Kaylani in, please. I know there are issues and that at least one of the groups is becoming bolder and more aggressive. She may have some insights having been in the laboratory with me for so long.”

“She has class this morning, Dr. Everett,” Fenian says.

I frown. “What day is it?”

“Wednesday.”

“Elemental Manipulation. You’re right.”

“We can wait until after she’s done with class,” Yhendorn says. “We wanted to get Kenna on the waitlist for the school anyway.”

Kenna looks unhappy, but I’m surprised when she doesn’t growl. She’s usually more emotive when she doesn’t like something.

“Zephyr can help you with that,” Ishir says. “I’ll take you to our house, you can see the kids, and she can get Kenna, and you as well Yhendorn, on the waitlist,” Ishir tells him.

Kenna snorts, smirking at her mate, but he takes it in stride, as he does with everything his mate does, growling softly at her. I can see that it’s a sound that she likes, and she makes sure to be close to him as they walk out the door. It’s so much like Kaylani, wanting to be close to me that I periodically break, unable to keep up the wall I’ve tried to erect between us. Every time I give in to my desire to be near her, touch her, she gives herself wholeheartedly to me, just like this morning. I wrapped my arms around her, and she melted into me. It’s always so much harder to resurrect the wall after it crumbles to the ground. But, I only have so much willpower with the woman that I love more than anything in the world and I know she loves touching me as much as I love touching her.

“Dr. Everett?” Fenian says, drawing my attention back to him and Eric.

I shake my head, focusing on what we need to do today. Then I look up at Fenian.

“That is the type of leadership I was talking about earlier, Fenian. I see it in you, your brilliance, your ability to be one hell of a leader. But when you become a bully, you make all of that worthless. If you’re going to become the incredible elf that I see in you, you’re going to have to find a way to be confident with who you are, with your abilities, and with your intelligence. Making others feel like they are less than you, doesn’t make you more than they are. In my opinion, for what it’s worth to you, it makes you less than anyone else in this school.”

I walk over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Fenian?”

“Yes sir,” he says humbly.

“Maybe one day, you’ll tell me why you feel the need to act that way, and we can try to find a way for you to feel more confident in yourself.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Okay, let’s get started.”

We spend the rest of the day tediously pulling strands of DNA and carefully putting them together to see how they react. It will take a few days to see if they meld together, but Fenian works hard, at my side all day.

At some point, there is food on the desk behind us. I know it’s Kaylani, watching out for me as she always does. We stop and eat quickly before getting back to it.

It’s late in the evening before we’re finally done.

“Did you miss classes today?” I ask Fenian.

He has the sense to look guilty. “Yeah, I missed Zephyr’s class on air manipulation.”

I know he doesn’t need it, but I can’t set a bad precedent. “No more missing class to help me. I expect you to check in with Zephyr tomorrow and find out what you missed and make it up.”

“Yes sir,” he says, dragging his feet as he leaves.

“What?” I ask.

“Can I come back in a couple of days to see if it worked?”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” I tell him, making him smile before he rushes out of the room.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” I call after him.

“I’ll be there,” he yells back as he leaves.

I make sure everything is put away and cleaned up before getting ready to check on Eric again.

When I turn, Kaylani is standing in the doorway watching me.

“You had a long day,” she says.

“Fenian had a good idea to help Eric. We spent the day splicing DNA and trying to put it together again to see how it combines.”

She looks at me, her eyes narrowing. “Haven’t you already done that?”

I shrug. “He had a different spin on it, so we’re trying it his way to see if it works. How was your day?”

“Good. I got the update on the hybrids.”

“And?” I ask.

“And I was hoping to talk about it over dinner.”

I look at her more closely, seeing the dark circles under her eyes.

“You aren’t sleeping.”

She shrugs.

“Let me check on Eric and then I’ll join you for dinner.”

Her eyes brighten instantly, and I once again feel my walls crumbling in the face of this incredible woman.

“I’ll have something set up in the staff break room,” she says.

I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t, but I know it will make her happy and I also know that she needs to sleep.

“Why don’t you set it up in my room? Then we can talk privately.”

Her sapphire eyes glimmer like gems in the sunlight.

“I’d love that.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

She leaves and I sigh. I have no idea how I’m going to recover from this, how I will rebuild my walls, but I know that my mate needs me, and I can’t ignore that. She needs rest and I know she gets her best sleep when she sleeps in my arms.