“Willow! Pop the trunk!” Mal shouted.
Willow popped the trunk of her car and the boys threw their stuff in the back as Mal whipped open the doors. “Everyone in.”
Bren pushed Kaida toward the front passenger side as he followed Tyler and Corey into the back seat. It was a tight fit, but he crammed up against Tyler as Mal slammed the door shut behind him.
He heard Bishop bellow, “Get the fuck back!” as Mal leaned down to Willow’s open window.
“Will, get them to Mom and Dad’s. Lose the reporters.”
“You got it!” Willow blew him a kiss, and Tyler and Corey both made startled shouts when she stomped on the gas.
Bren grabbed onto the handle at the top of his door as Kaida braced her hands on the dashboard.
“Hang on to your giblets!” Willow shouted as she drove down the street and turned the corner on what felt like two wheels.
“Fuck!” Bren said.
“Oh shit!” Tyler shouted. “We’re gonna die!”
Laughing hysterically and driving so fast, the cars were coloured blurs around them, Willow weaved in and out of traffic, eyeing the rear-view mirror.
“Red light!” Kaida shouted. “Red light!”
Tyler and Corey screamed in unison as Willow, with the precision of a race car driver, twisted the wheel to the right. They slid by a stopped Honda Civic in the thin gap between the car and the sidewalk, narrowly missing the car’s front bumper as Willow stomped on the gas again and careened through the intersection. Cars honked, brakes squealed, and Willow slipped past a silver SUV with another practice turn of the steering wheel.
She glanced in the rear-view mirror and eased up on the gas, blending in with the flow of the traffic as Kaida collapsed against the front seat.
“Lost ‘em,” Willow said with a happy smile. “Easy-peasy.”
“I think I wet my pants a little,” Corey said.
“You and me both,” Bren replied.
“I wanna do that again,” Tyler said.
Willow laughed and headed toward the freeway. “I like you, kid.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“But how did Pudding even know to come rescue you all at Bren’s place?” Mal’s mother, a tall gorgeous wolf shifter named Mara, placed another cup of tea in front of Kaida and pushed the plate of cookies toward Ty and Corey. “Have some more cookies, boys.”
“Pudding?” Tyler said.
“Oh, that’s my silly little nickname for my Malcolm,” Mara said. She smiled at Willow. “How did he know, honey?”
Willow ate the last bite of her cookie. “Once the news broke about Bren and Kaida, Mal had a feeling that reporters might show up at Bren’s apartment. I volunteered to keep an eye on the place and if reporters showed up, I’d call Mal so he could warn Bren.”
A scowl marred her pretty face. “Only, I didn’t realize that a bunch of them were already hiding in the building lobby. There were some other reporters showing up just as Bren and the boys arrived. I called Mal as soon as they started swarming them and luckily, he and Bishop were meeting a client at a coffee shop not too far from Ben’s apartment. Ronin and Hudson were on their way to Kaida’s clan for their morning shift. I assume Mal called them and asked them to come help.”
“Thank God, you guys were there,” Bren said.
He looked tired and a little pissed and Kaida pushed her cup of tea away. It was her fault he was upset. If she hadn’t gone downstairs this morning like an idiot, the entire city wouldn’t know about the two of them. To make matters worse, she had almost lost control in front of him. She’d been so close to shifting to her dragon form and burning the reporters alive.
He's probably scared of you now.
She shuddered all over as her dragon made a mournful cry. Bren hadn’t really said a word to her since they arrived at Mara and Roland’s place, but he’d been focused on Tyler and Corey and making sure they were all right. He was probably just preoccupied.
Or he hates you and wants nothing to do with you.
Her dragon made a second grief-filled cry and she soothed it as she tried to focus on the conversation around her.
“Well,” Mara was sitting on the other side of Corey and she reached out and took Corey’s hand and Tyler’s hand in hers, “I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through. You didn’t deserve to be blasted all over social media and the television like that. Poor sweet boys. No one deserves to feel bad for loving someone. It’s terrible that your classmate sent those videos to the media.”
The wolf shifter radiated kindness and a motherly instinct that Kaida could only hope to replicate. Tyler and Corey were already fixated on her, she could smell their fascination. Knowing they were both starved for a mother type role model, she wasn’t surprised in the least by their immediate affection toward her.
“Did Jeff admit he did it?” Bren asked.
“No,” Tyler said. “But we know it was him. Who else would have done it?”
Kaida’s phone buzzed and she looked at the screen. A low growl slipped out of her throat and Bren said, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Sika. I know how they got the video of us this morning.” Her anger grew and smoke drifted from her nostrils.
“That’s so cool.” Tyler stared in fascination as Kaida waved the smoke away.
“How did they get the video?” Bren said.
“Drago,” she replied.
“Drago?” Tyler turned to Corey. “A dragon named Drago. Hilarious.”
The two boys’ snickering turned to outright laughter and Bren said, “Enough, you two. Why would Drago take that video, Kaida? More importantly – why would he release it to the press?”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “He is being sent to Belinda’s clan to join their council. He asked me to go with him as his mate and I refused.”
“Ah, the old spurned lover bit,” Willow said.
“Drago and I were never lovers,” Kaida snarled.
Willow held up her hands. “Sorry.”
Kaida slumped against her chair and grimaced apologetically at the tiny human. “No, I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“You’ve had a hard day,” Willow said. “It’s perfectly understandable.”
“When they saw the video online, Sika and Jarvis went to Cadmus with their suspicions that it was Drago. Other than Bones, Sika, and Jarvis, he’s the only one in the clan who knows where Bren lives,” Kaida said.
“It could have been a human,” Tyler said. “Someone walking by at the right moment.”
Kaida shook her head. “It was Drago. He told me I would regret refusing to be his mate.”
“What did Drago say when Cadmus confronted him about it?” Bren asked.
“Drago has already left for Belinda’s clan. Cadmus called him and Drago denied it was him. He said that they had no proof he did it.”
“Bren’s a cop,” Tyler said. “He can find the proof. It’s, like, what he does.”
“It’s not worth it,” Kaida said. “What’s done is done.”
She wanted to reach out and take Bren’s hand, but resisted. Sika had also texted Cadmus’s request that Kaida return to her clan immediately and to bring Bren with her. She couldn’t refuse the high elder’s order, but she also couldn’t force Bren to return to the clan with her. Now that his father knew the truth, now that his and Tyler’s life had been completely upended, she was pretty certain it was over between her and Bren.
Her dragon wailed in misery, and she shuddered again when pain sliced through her chest at the thought of losing her mate.
The front door slammed and Mal and Bishop joined them in the kitchen.
“Hi, honey.” Willow smiled at Mal as he bent and kissed her.
“Hey. Good job with the driving.”
“Thanks!” She beamed at him and hopped up from her chair so Mal could sit down in the crowded kitchen. He pulled her into his lap, and she draped her arms over his shoulders as Bishop leaned against the counter.
“W
hat’s the situation like at my apartment?” Bren asked.
Bishop grimaced. “Reporters camped out everywhere. Doesn’t look like they’re gonna go anywhere for a while. I wouldn’t go back for a few days.”
Bren rubbed wearily at the back of his neck. “Shit. Okay, looks like a hotel it is.”
“Nonsense,” Mara said. “We have plenty of space. You can bunk down with us until this blows over.’
“That’s incredibly kind of you,” Bren said, “but I don’t want to intrude and -”
“You aren’t.” Mara reached out and took Tyler’s hand and Corey’s hand. “We’re happy to have you stay with us.”
Tyler and Corey were staring at Mara with something already a little close to love. “Can we, Bren? Please?” Tyler asked.
Before Bren could reply, Kaida said, “Cadmus is asking that you come back to the clan with me, Bren.”
“Sweet,” Tyler said. “Do you think we can see you in your dragon form when we’re there?”
“You’re not going,” Bren said.
“What? Why not?” Tyler said.
Bren glanced at Kaida. “You’re staying here with Mara and Roland.”
“But -”
“No arguing, Ty,” Bren said.
“Come, my loves,” Mara said. “Let me show you to your rooms. Grab your stuff.”
She herded Tyler and Corey out of the kitchen. Kaida cleared her throat. “Will you come with me, Bren?”
“Do I have a choice?”
There was no anger in Bren’s voice, but she winced like he’d shouted the question. “You always have a choice, my ma -”
She cut herself off abruptly, glancing at Bishop. She wanted to speak to Bren alone, but she didn’t know how to say it without being rude. She turned her gaze to Willow, hoping against hope that the little human would pick up on her request.
Relief filled her when Willow immediately slid from Mal’s lap. “C’mon, guys. Let’s give them some privacy.”
She tugged Mal to his feet and led him to the doorway before making a ‘come here’ motion to Bishop. “Bishop, come with us.”
The big grizzly crossed the kitchen. He paused in the doorway. “If you want me to go with you to Kaida’s clan, I will.”
A grin cracked Bren’s face. “You offering to protect me, Bishop? Because I appreciate the offer but unless you promise to, at some point, pick me up in your arms and carry me away Bodyguard style, I’ll have to pass.”
Bishop rolled his eyes, but a small smile crossed his face. “You’ve got balls of steel, Matthews.”
“My clan isn’t going to hurt him, my bear,” Kaida said.
Bishop shrugged. “Let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll drive you back to your clan.” He followed Mal and Willow out of the kitchen.
Kaida stood and paced back and forth, staring at the floor as she spoke rapidly. “You don’t have to come with me, Bren. Cadmus is requesting your presence, not demanding it. I know that with what’s happened, your interest in me has…waned, and I get that, I do. If I were in your place, I wouldn’t -”
Her brisk pacing faltered when Bren stood in front of her.
“Hey,” he said. “Look at me.”
She stared at him, her dragon purring excitedly when Bren put his arm around her waist.
“If you were in my place, you wouldn’t what? Wouldn’t want to keep dating me? Wouldn’t want to stick around?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. My dragon can’t – won’t – leave you.”
A soft smile crossed his face. “Then don’t act like I can leave you. Because I can’t, Kaida. I want to be with you no matter what. My… interest in you will never wane. Never stop. Ever.”
He kissed her and she breathed in the scent of her mate, her body trembling with the sheer volume of how much she loved him.
Yes. Love. Her dragon purred happily at her acceptance of her true feelings. We love our mate. Tell him.
Before she could, Tyler rushed back into the kitchen. “Bren, you gotta talk to Corey’s social worker. He called and Corey’s trying to tell him what’s going on but… please, can you talk to him?”
“Yes.” Bren kissed Kaida’s temple. “Give me five minutes and then we’ll leave.”
* * *
“You okay, human?” Sika asked.
“Yes. Eating dinner with a couple dozen dragons who may or may not be contemplating setting me on fire is my favourite way to spend a Tuesday evening,” Bren said.
Bones snorted laughter. “The human is funnier than I expected. Javee, pass the salad, would you?”
Javee passed him the salad as Sika said earnestly, “We won’t set you on fire, human. Cadmus has overruled the council’s decision.”
“Not to mention,” Kaida’s grandmother was sitting to his left and she gave him a toothy grin, “the smell of burnt human is a bitch to get out of our clothes.”
“Gram!” Kaida was on his right and she stared in horror at her grandmother as Bren burst into laughter.
“Relax, mostoirín, the human knows I’m only kidding.” Gram patted Bren’s hand before eating a bite of potatoes. “Cadmus made it clear to all of the clan that we are to treat you with respect, and that you and your brother are welcome to stay with us for as long as you need.”
“That’s very kind of Cadmus and your clan,” Bren said. “Thank you.”
“I still think if the council would let us do interviews with the press, it would get them to back off,” Jarvis said. “It’s worked for Avena’s clan.”
“What do you mean?” Bren said.
Jarvis was holding Kova and he shifted the sleeping baby to his left arm before saying, “Avena’s clan in New York allowed a reporter into their home. They gave an interview and explained a bunch of stuff about dragons, how our clans work, that sort of shit. They even switched to their dragon forms and flew for them.”
“What? When?” Bren said.
“This morning,” Bones said. “They’ve been playing the interview on loop all over television and the internet since then.”
“There are rumours that Belinda’s clan and Makeda’s clan are going to do the same,” Javee said.
“The reporters have already stopped surrounding Avena’s clan,” Jarvis said. “If we do the same -”
“The press may be backing off but there are still plenty of humans gawking and trying to get onto Avena’s land,” Bones said. “It will take more than an interview and some pictures to ease their curiosity.”
“But it could help a little,” Jarvis continued doggedly. “If the reporters left, then maybe the humans would grow tired of -”
Bones slammed his fist down on the table. The hum and flow of conversation stopped and the rest of the dragons sitting in groups around the half dozen long tables, all stared at Bones.
“I will not be a monkey in a cage for the humans’ amusement,” Bones growled. Smoke curled from his nose and Bren could see the tips of his fangs protruding from between his lips. “We are not zoo animals for them to look at and marvel over our uniqueness, Jarvis.”
Javee placed her hand on his arm. “Be calm, my love.”
Bones took a deep breath and released it, the thick cloud of smoke emerging from his lungs nearly obscuring his face. “Cadmus and the other elders are right not to do interviews with the humans. We owe them nothing. Not an explanation of how we live nor a glimpse into our lives.”
“All right,” Jarvis said. “You don’t have to be a dick about it, Bones. It was only an idea.”
He glanced down at the baby in his arms before holding him out to the large dragon. “Here, hold Kova for a while. It will help calm you.”
Bones cradled the baby in his arms and Javee stroked the baby’s round head and kissed his forehead. Bren was a little amused to see that holding the baby did seem to calm the big dragon.
He slipped his hand under the table and rested it against Kaida’s thigh. Despite his assurances, despite the polite way the dragons had been treating him, she’d h
ad a pinched and worried look on her face since the moment they joined the clan.
She slipped her own hand under the table and took his, holding it tightly. They were both staring at the baby and after a moment, Sika said, “Bren, you haven’t held Kova yet, have you?”
He shook his head and she motioned to Bones. “Give Kova to the human, Bones.”
Bones hesitated before standing and reaching across the table to hand the baby to Bren. “Do not drop him, human.”
Sika rolled her eyes. “It is because of Bren that Kova is safe. He’s not going to harm him.”
Bren took the baby, sliding his right hand under his neck to support the baby’s head until he was cradling him in his left arm. The baby was the spitting image of Jarvis, and Bren smiled at Kaida when she leaned against him and traced the baby’s soft cheek with one fingertip.
“He’s a beautiful hatchling,” she said.
“He is,” Bren replied. His breath caught in his throat when the baby made a soft snort and his eyelids fluttered open. His irises were a brilliant shade of gold with flecks of jade. Bren stared in fascination at them as the baby stared back unblinkingly.
Sika was sitting on the other side of Kaida and she leaned closer, smiling at Bren. “He likes you, human.”
Kaida kissed the baby’s foot clad in dark orange socks and then stroked his tiny leg. Bren glanced at her. The look of yearning on her face matched his own, he was sure of it. The idea of having a baby with Kaida almost felt like an obsession now.
She met his gaze and smiled at him and, not caring that the other dragons were there, he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her mouth. Instead of pulling away like he half-thought she might, she returned his kiss.
When they broke apart, Gram was grinning widely at them. She held her arms out. “Give the hatchling to me, human, and return to Kaida’s cabin so you two can get started on making your own hatchling.”
“Gram!” Kaida’s face turned a bright red as the other dragons around them laughed.
Gram took the hatchling and kissed his forehead. “Oh please, it’s not like we don’t already know you’re sleeping with the human. Just remember to be gentle with his fragile human bones.”
The Dragon's Mate (Shifters Series Book 7) Page 30
