Bishop snorted angrily. “Does he really think he can get away with the lies? He basically confessed everything to the three of you.”
Kaida traced her finger along the grain of the wood table. “Yeah. Morales said if he’s smart, he’ll admit to his involvement and try to get a plea bargain out of it. If he isn’t, the three of us will have to testify in court.”
“That won’t be for a while, if it even happens,” Bishop said.
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes before Bishop said, “What does Bren say about all of this?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him since Friday night.”
Bishop sat forward in his chair, shock written on his face. “You what?”
“Why would he, my bear? He was forced to kill one man and shoot his father because of me,” Kaida said.
“The guy was going to kill you and it’s Bren’s job to stop people from killing each other,” Bishop said. “And as far as his father – he barely shot him.”
Kaida scowled at him. “Not helping, my bear.”
“It’s true,” Bishop said. “The bullet went right through. He didn’t even need surgery for fuck’s sake. Bren was freaking out when he realized you were at that meeting with his father. He’s into you. Hell, he might even love you.”
“My clan will never accept him,” Kaida said.
“Bullshit,” Bishop replied. “He saved your life, Bones’s life, and the life of your freaking high elder. What more does he have to do to prove to your clan that he’s worthy? Fuck your goddamn clan, Kaida. You deserve to be happy and if your clan doesn’t see that being with Bren makes you happy, then tell them to go fuck themselves and live your life with Bren.”
She laughed bitterly. “It’s not that simple, my bear, and you know it. I cannot live without my clan.”
“But you can live without Bren?” Bishop said.
The tears fell, hot and painful as her dragon made another heartrending wail of suffering.
“No,” she whispered. “I cannot live without my mate either.”
Bishop reached across the table to grab her hand. “Kaida, you have -”
The knock on the door made them both jump. She squeezed Bishop’s hand before wiping her cheeks and crossing the room to open the door.
Bren was standing on the porch and her dragon purred with a sweet and joyful pleasure that couldn’t be contained. A small smile crossed Bren’s face at the sound. “Hello, Kaida.”
“Hello, Bren.”
“Can I come in?”
She stepped back, holding back her urge to throw her arms around him, as he stepped inside her cabin. “Hello, Bishop.”
“Hey.” Bishop stood and shook Bren’s hand. “Good to see you.”
“I never did say thanks for your help on Friday night,” Bren said.
“You don’t need to.” Bishop pressed a kiss against Kaida’s cheek. “I’m going to find Ava and Gram.”
Kaida waited until the door was closed behind the big grizzly before giving Bren a nervous look. “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Fine. I can shift again and my hand is completely healed.”
“I’m really glad to hear it,” he said.
There was awkward silence and Kaida said, “How’s Tyler?”
“Doing as well as he can. It’s a lot to take in for a kid. We’re still waiting for the reporters to leave my place and now Dad’s place. Once they’re gone, we’ll move the rest of his stuff from Dad’s to my apartment. He and Corey are going back to school tomorrow.”
“Good, that’s good,” Kaida said.
Bren picked at his nail. “Mara and Roland are applying to be Corey’s permanent foster home.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I’m not. I guess they talked it over with Corey and when they suggested applying for it, he all but started crying. He really likes them both.”
“He deserves to be with good people,” Kaida said.
“He does.”
More silence. Kaida could barely hear herself think over the purring of her dragon. It wanted her to go to Bren, wanted her to touch him and kiss him and tell him that she loved him.
“Kaida?”
Her mouth trembling, the tears catching in her eyelashes, she stared mutely at him.
“I love you.”
She blinked away the tears, bringing Bren back into focus. “What did you say?”
“I love you,” he said simply. “I don’t care about my father or your clan. Hell, I’ll take Elora’s invisibility potion and sneak into the clan every night if that’s what needs to happen to spend time with you. But I promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to win your clan over and make them realize I’m not going anywhere.”
He took a step closer, his voice steady and calm as he said, “I love you, Kaida. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you.”
A sound came out of her mouth that was half-laugh and half-sob. She lunged for him, throwing her arms around his neck and taking his mouth in a hard kiss. He returned her kiss before pulling back and grinning at her. “So… does this mean you love me too?”
“I love you, my mate,” she breathed against his mouth before kissing him again. “I love you.”
He rested his forehead against hers, his warm hands stroking her lower back. “I need to ask – is it both of you who love me or just your dragon who’s infatuated with me. Because I -”
“It’s both of us,” she said immediately. “It’s been both of us for weeks now, but I was afraid to say anything. I was afraid it would scare you off.”
He laughed. “Jesus, we really should have sat down and had a damn conversation. I was worried about scaring you off.”
She kissed him quickly. “I do not scare easily, my mate.”
“No, you don’t,” he said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by or called the last couple of days. I’ve been spending a lot of time either at work or with Tyler and -”
“I know,” she said. “I know and I’m so sorry you had to shoot your father for me. I can’t even imagine what -”
“Eh, it was barely a shooting,” Bren said. “He didn’t even need surgery.”
She laughed long and hard before kissing Bren’s neck. “Now you sound like Bishop.”
“I really think that grizzly is starting to like me,” Bren said. “My natural charm is finally winning him over.”
“Have you spoken with your father since Friday night?” she asked.
“He agreed to see me at the hospital last night,” Bren said.
“How did it go?”
“He used the opportunity to tell me again what a disappointment I was to him. That he should have shot me last night and been done with it.”
“Oh, Bren.” She stared horrified at him. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not,” he said. His voice was devoid of emotion. “It was a good reminder that cutting him out of my life, cutting him out of Tyler’s life, is the right choice. He’s a monster and he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“Your captain said if he was smart, he’d accept a plea deal.”
“I doubt he will. He’s still adamantly denying he had anything to do with it. That it was all the HAPI group’s idea and he was an unwitting pawn.” He sighed and rested his forehead on hers again. “Morales is getting warrants to go through everything of my father’s.”
“Do you think they’ll find something that connects your father to what the HAPI group was doing?”
“If my father was smart, no. But you never know. If they don’t find anything, my father will never accept a plea bargain and you’ll have to testify. He seems to think he’ll win a trial, that no one will believe the word of shifters and his own son over him. He’s an idiot.”
“I’m sorry for the choice you had to make,” she said.
He cupped her face and stared at her. “Kaida, I’m not. I don’t know how many ways I can say this but choosing you over my father was simple. I love you.�
��
She hugged him tight. “This isn’t going to be easy. My clan is -”
“Your clan is wary, I get it,” he said. “But if I can win over a grouchy eight-hundred-pound grizzly, I can win over your clan. The good news is my clan already loves you. I told Ty I was coming over to confess my love to you and he could barely contain his excitement. I was half-certain he was gonna text you before I even got here to welcome you into the family.”
“Your brother is important to me too,” Kaida said. “He’s a great kid and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.”
“You won’t be saying that when you find his dirty socks stuffed between the couch cushions,” Bren said solemnly.
She pressed another kiss against his mouth. “If it means I get to see you every day, it will be worth it.”
He squeezed her hips, his look somber. “If you want to continue on the way we were for a while, I’ll understand. We can fly under the radar until things quiet down a bit. Your clan doesn’t need to know that -”
“No,” she said. “You are my mate and I won’t hide that from my clan. You’re a part of our clan now and they’ll just have to accept it. At least to our faces. Prepare for them to gossip about us behind our backs.”
He grinned at her. “I can handle some gossipy dragons.”
There was another knock on the door and, holding tightly to Bren, she said, “Come in.”
The door opened and Bones stuck his head into the room. “Hello, human.”
“Hello, Bones.”
“We saw you drive in and the council has requested to see you both.”
Kaida took Bren’s hand, smiling confidently at him even though the nerves were kicking up in her stomach. “Come, my mate.”
They followed Bones to the main cabin. “You doing okay, Bones?” Bren asked.
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Bones asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you were shot in the side not two days ago?”
Bones shrugged. “Javee removed the bullet for me and kept the wound clean until the suppressant wore off and my healing abilities returned.”
“Must have been a painful few hours,” Bren said.
Bones grinned at him. “That, human, is why your kind so cleverly created whiskey.”
He opened the main cabin door and motioned for them to go in. Still holding Bren’s hand, Kaida stepped inside. Her entire clan, as well as Ava and Bishop, were in the cabin. The council stood at the front of the room, lined up in a neat row as her clan members turned and faced Kaida and Bren.
“Step forward, human,” Cadmus said.
Bren’s hand squeezed hers and she squeezed back before releasing him. Bren took a couple steps forward, staring calmly at the clan as they returned his look. It didn’t matter what her clan said or did, she would not give up her mate, no matter the consequence or the cost. She wouldn’t…
The thought died in her head as one-by-one each clan member bowed to Bren. Her dragon purred loudly as each council member bowed. Cadmus, a serene smile on his face, was the last to bow.
Ryul stepped forward, his hair gleaming in the light. “We thank you, human, for saving not only the life of our high elder, but for saving the lives of Bones and Kaida.”
He took a deep breath, glancing at the clan members again before saying, “My clan, welcome Kaida’s mate, Bren Matthews, formerly of the human clan, but now a member of our clan.”
The clan erupted into cheers. They pounded their feet and purred loudly until the entire cabin was filled with the sound. Kaida joined Bren, taking his hand and smiling at him as he gave her a slightly dazed look.
“So, did what I think just happen, happen?” he said.
She laughed and pressed a kiss against his mouth. “Welcome to the clan, my mate.”
There was a loud whistle and the cheers and purring died out. The clan turned to face Cadmus as he walked slowly across the cabin to stand in front of Kaida and Bren.
“Congratulations,” he said. “But there is one more announcement to make.”
He took Kaida’s hand, holding it firmly, as he turned to face the clan. “My clan, long have you waited for me to choose the new member of our council.” He squeezed Kaida’s hand. “My choice is Kaida.”
He turned and kissed both of Kaida’s cheeks. “Welcome to the council.”
She stared at him in shock, barely hearing the fresh cheering and purring coming from her clan. “Cadmus, are you… are you certain?”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life, Kaida.” His gaze fell on Bren. “Take your mate home and celebrate.”
He walked away and Kaida turned to stare up at Bren. “I… did that just happen?”
He pulled her up against him, a large smile crossing his handsome face. “Welcome to the council, my mate. I love you.”
She pressed a kiss against his mouth. “I love you too, my mate. Always.”
* * *
“Dude, all I’m saying is that if we’re living out here in the wilderness, I’m gonna need a car to get to school. I know you and Kaida are getting tired of driving me in every day. Plus, I could get a car with tinted windows and those stupid reporters still camping out wouldn’t even know it was me.” Tyler grinned at Bren before flopping down on the couch.
Bren rolled his eyes. “And where are you going to get the money for insurance, gas, and repairs. Cars are expensive, Ty.”
“I know. But, like, Corey and I got it all figured out. Roland said he would help us find a cheap second-hand car and we’ll get both our names on the insurance and split the costs.”
“Did Corey get that job?”
“He did,” Tyler said proudly. “He’s working weekends and one night a week at Walmart. Shit… since I’m working at Target, does that mean we gotta be, like, arch enemies?”
“Oh, how will your love ever survive,” Bren said dryly.
Tyler threw a pillow at him. “Whatever, dude. Think about the car thing, okay? I need a small, miniscule loan, to put toward my half of the cost of the car. And I’ll pay you back in three months tops, I promise.”
“I’ll think about it,” Bren said as he unloaded the dishwasher. “Now, how about you get over here and sweep the kitchen like you promised Kaida you would.”
“Sure. Where did she go anyway?”
Bren put the mugs in the cupboard. “She ran over to Sika’s for a bit. Ty, are you sure you like living here with the clan?”
“Are you kidding me?” Tyler stopped sweeping the floor for a moment. The last three weeks have been awesome. We live with dragons, man. My coolness factor at school has jumped exponentially. Everyone wants to be my friend.”
He started sweeping again. “And Bones said he’d shift to his dragon form for me and Corey this weekend. How cool is that? I mean, I know Kaida shifted so I could see my first dragon, but Bones is like,” Tyler waved his hand in the air, “super effin’ bad-ass, you know?”
“He is,” Bren said with a grin.
The door opened and Kaida walked into the cabin. The smile on his face died when he saw her face. “Kaida? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing’s wrong.” Her gaze flickered to Tyler. “Ty, would you mind giving your brother and me a minute alone?”
“No prob,” Tyler said. “I gotta call Corey and tell him Bren agreed to the car thing anyway.”
“Not agreed,” Bren said. “Thinking about it.”
“Tomato, tomahto,” Ty said with a wave of his hand. He disappeared into his bedroom, shutting the door as Bren shut the dishwasher and walked over to Kaida.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Why do you think something’s wrong?”
“You have a weird look on your face.”
She made a sound that could only be described as blergh before staring at him. Her golden eyes were glowing faintly, and her pupils were huge. She was rubbing her hands over her stomach repeatedly and he caught them and sque
ezed them gently. “Does your stomach hurt?”
“What?” She glanced at her stomach before shaking her head. “No, no it doesn’t hurt.”
An almost hysterical sounding laugh fell from her mouth and Bren stared cautiously at her. “Kaida? You’re freaking me out a little.”
“I’m kind of freaking out a little myself,” she said.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
She took a deep breath, her hands vibrating minutely in his. “I’m pregnant.”
His hands clamped down on hers. “You’re pregnant?”
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “My period was late this month. I went to Sika and she had a pregnancy test and I peed on it and it came back positive.”
She pulled the pregnancy stick from her front pocket and showed it to him. Bren stared at the positive sign. “You’re pregnant.”
“I guess I was wrong about not getting pregnant from one round of unprotected sex,” she said.
He stared silently at her and she swallowed hard. “Bren? Say something other than ‘you’re pregnant’.”
“You’re knocked up!” he shouted and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re having my baby!”
He lifted her in the air, whooping and hollering like he was in the packed crowd of a championship football game. “We’re having a baby!”
She purred loudly before kissing him on the mouth. He set her down gently and placed his hand on her belly. “Hi, baby.”
She placed her hand over his hand. “You’re okay with this then? It wasn’t exactly planned.”
“Are you kidding? Kaida, I’m gonna be a dad,” he said. “You’ve made me the happiest guy in the world.”
A tear slipped down her cheek and he rubbed it away with his thumb. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t care,” she said. “You?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. Do you think it’ll be dragon or human?”
She took a deep breath. “I have no idea. But I don’t care either way. This hatchling will be a part of our clan whether human or dragon.”
The Dragon's Mate (Book Seven) Page 36
