Page 46 of Dragon Untamed

Beckett booped her again. "But you're so cute when you're angry."

Kaida pooled her magic to her fingertip and gave Beckett a zap. When Beckett jumped from the sudden shock, Kaida cackled.

"Aww, you're so cute when you are angry."

"I'm going to make you regret that."

"Sure, you will."

I hope my other mate bonds are as easy as this one.

Kaida stepped out of the bedroom to find Arlo staring at her from down the hall. She could sense him there before his earthly scent wafted into her nose. She turned to face him, noticing that the plant toward the end of the hall was vibrant and practically dancing in the presence of Arlo.

"Hi, Arlo," she said before turning back toward the stairs.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Kaida's stomach immediately turned to knots. After discussing with Beckett about her having multiple mates, she didn't expect it to happen so soon. Even a day to let it sink in would have sufficed before she ran into Arlo or Esen.

I should have known I wouldn't have been granted that since I live in the same house as them.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Really, Kaida? You ask that of all things? You know exactly what he wants to talk about.

Arlo put his hands in his pockets and rocked himself as he looked down at the ground. "Did Beckett talk to you?"

"Yes," she responded, her voice sounding sharper thanintended.

Arlo grimaced at her voice. There was a chance that Kaida hurt him by sounding so crass at his question.

"So, I guess you aren't really open to the information about having multiple mates?"

Kaida heard someone step inside the house. It could be Esen or Blaze since Beckett was still in the shower. The idea of Blaze overhearing the conversation that the two of them were having in the hall made her shift her weight from one foot to the next. She almost jumped back inside her room just to avoid Blaze if it was him.

"We can step into my room if that would make you more comfortable," Arlo offered.

"Sounds awesome," Kaida said as she dashed down the hall and stepped into Arlo's room before he could say anything else.

Once inside, Kaida sucked in a breath. Arlo's room was absolutely stunning. The walls were painted a soft green that felt inviting. There were plants all around the room and a few vines climbed all across the ceiling. There were flowers in bloom that could touch the stream of light that came through the window. Even his bed felt inviting. It was a pale golden brown wood with what looked to be carvings embedded in it. His comforter was a deeper brown than the wood, but it was puffed up to look as if sitting upon it would feel like sitting on a cloud.

"So... are you?"

Kaida turned to him, realizing that she had stepped further into the room than Arlo did as she scanned it. He still had his hands in his pockets and nervously rocked himself as he waited for her answer.

"Oh, sorry. I kind of got caught up in how beautiful your room is." Kaida straightened herself to give herself a second to regain some confidence. "I'm not going to lie to you. This is a bit overwhelming. First I was rejected and plopped on this islandlike trash. Then I was given a new mate and went through all of that with Beckett. It happened so fast that I couldn't really get a chance to take a breath and revel in the fact that I had a new mate. Now I am being told I have multiple? It’s just so much to absorb."

Arlo nodded and continued to look at the ground. She could sense him feeling the possibility of her rejecting him. Kaida did not even want to give the illusion that she planned to reject him.

"Look, Arlo. I am open to having multiple mates. I can feel it inside of my soul like I feel Beckett's. There is something there. It's not like Beckett's, where I can feel where he is in the house and feel his emotions. It's more like...a feeling that someone is there. That you are there, standing next to us, waiting for it to open up so we can nourish it, like the sun and water do a plant."

Kaida was trying to make her words come out into a metaphor with plants, but it wasn't working. As the words left her mouth, Kaida made a face, and her cheeks felt warm.

Arlo laughed and tried to cover his face to hide the fact he did. Kaida's heart skipped a beat at the sound. She had never heard Arlo laugh before. It felt like it came from his belly, sounding joyous, and Kaida couldn't help but to laugh back. It was infectious.

Arlo waved his hand in front of his face, still trying to cover up that he laughed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh."

"It's okay! It came out all wrong. I hope you got what I meant, though."

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