Page 86 of Never Flirt with a Dragon

She shook her head. “Damn dragons.”

“Want me to introduce you to a few of them? Maybe you can find a mate too,” I teased.

She made a face. “Not in this lifetime. As shitty as it will be to grow old while you stay young, I have no intention of ever landing myself in a serious relationship again. I enjoy my freedom too much.”

My stomach clenched at the thought of watching my sister age while I was immortal.

That was a problem to worry about another day.

“Having a mate wouldn’t take away your freedom,” I said.

“You just checked in with him about dinner, Randa. The mate thing might be cool in some ways, but it definitely doesn’t make your life simpler.”

She wasn’t wrong.

I just didn’t necessarily think the extra complications were a bad thing. Sure, I wasn’t entirely sold on moving to Mate Mountain and being a dragon’s mate, but sharing meals didn’t bother me. It was nice to have someone who wanted to cook with me, and for me. Figuring out where we would share those meals wasn’t a big deal.

We packed a bunch of cupcakes into a plastic case with a lid that she’d bought, then headed out. The ride was long, but we chatted the way we always did. I described Mate Mountain for her, without spilling the beans on the prison thing. When we stopped at traffic lights and stop signs, I turned on my phone, ignoring all the missed calls and messages. Instead, I showed her pictures of the view from our balcony, as well as the new décor we’d put in.

It was honestly a blast.

And though I’d been worried about her reaction, Vi didn’t say a single negative thing about it. It made me feel really, really good.

Jasper and Eli were sitting on the front porch of Brynn’s verifiable mansion when we arrived. Eli lifted a hand in greeting, but Jasper strode off the porch, coming over to open my door.

“He’s hotter than I remember,” Vi whispered, before he pulled it open.

“He looks even better naked,” I whispered back.

She snorted, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Hey baby,” I teased, as he took my hand and helped me out.

His lips curved upward. “Hey.” He tucked his arm around my waist, pulling me in close, and brushed a kiss to my forehead.

I inhaled his scent, my body relaxing with his presence. I hadn’t even realized I was tense.

“It’s nice to see you again, Vi,” Jasper called out.

“You too. My sister seems happy, so I think we can be friends,” she replied.

He chuckled. “I look forward to it.” We started toward the door, and he murmured into my mind, “You smell sweeter than usual.”

“I ate so many cupcakes I’m sick. I need real food, stat.”

He grinned.

We headed in.

Eli greeted me with a massive hug that made Jasper grumble.

I laughed at his noise of complaint, and Eli winked at me when he pulled away. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thanks.” I meant it.

Brynn came out of the kitchen and threw her arms around me, too. Her mate greeted me with a quick hug as well, before Elodie and August finished off the round of greetings and welcomes.

Vi got nearly as many hugs as me, though she looked less thrilled about it than I did. Eli, at least, knew better than to try hugging her

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