Page 49 of Brandt's Rule

“There’s something not right. She’s so strong, Aunt Delilah. There’s something coiled inside her that makes the air around her either perfectly still out of respect for her, or shiver and quake out of fear depending on her mood. She’s not like us.”

“Maybe she’s more like us than you think. Maybe a power like that is just begging for a place to rest, to just be, and to know that she’s not feared. Maybe a power stronger than you’re used to, just wants a home,” Delilah said softly.

With Delilah’s words Brandt remembered the stories of her before she was mated to Uncle Kaid, when she was afraid to let her beast exist because she thought her Dragon was going to kill all her new friends. She didn’t know what it was like to be loved, to be valued, and having found it was afraid that her Dragon would destroy those she’d grown to love. “Maybe. But I don’t think she was alone, or abused. She talked about her parents and grandparents. Even an uncle. But now that I think of it, she also talked about never fitting in.”

Delilah pulled out the chair at the head of the table, sat down and looked directly into Brandt’s eyes where he sat a few chairs away from her. “Brandt, one thing is for sure. Tempest is your mate. What you choose to do with that is entirely up to you. But let me be clear here… if you’re holding her at arms’ length because she makes you feel things that you’ve never felt… that’s kind of the point isn’t it? Don’t hold prejudice over her because you don’t have all the answers you think you should have. Because she’ll cause things to change. Mates do that. They change things. And if you’re lucky, they even shake things up from time to time.”

“Who we talking about? You shaking things up again, Monster?” Kaid asked, stomping in through the back door.

“Not I! I’ve been very, very good,” Delilah said, flashing him a perfect smile.

“Mmhmm. Unless something provokes you,” Kaid teased.

“Where’s my tree?” Delilah asked.

“Mav and Bane are bringing it in. Trimming it and getting it in the stand. Where you want it and do you want all the extra branches we trimming off the bottom?” Kaid asked.

“In the living room where we usually put it. And, yes, I do. I’ll put them on the mantle in the living room,” Delilah said.

“I’ll bring ‘em in then,” Kaid said.

“Thank you,” Delilah said.

“Boy, what you so torn up about?” Kaid asked, as he moved toward the back door again, pausing to look at Brandt.

“He’s met his mate. She’s causing him quite a lot of unease,” Delilah said, flashing her eyes at Kaid.

Kaid barked out a laugh. “Imagine that. A mate that turns your life upside down. That’s never happened before.” He opened the door and walked through it as he spoke over his shoulder. “We’ll be in in a minute. We’ll tell you what to do.”

The door closed heavily and Brandt looked at Delilah.

“Do not, no matter what they tell you, take their advice. They are not as smooth as they think they are,” Delilah said.

~~~

“Y’all done?” Kaid asked.

“No, we ain’t done. I did mine. Bane did his, yours is still lying there untrimmed, no tree stand, nothing,” Maverik said, snickering.

“Neither one of you is any help,” Kaid said.

“You’re just jealous because we won,” Maverik teased.

“It doesn’t take much to win when it’s two against one. And the only reason I let you win was because you two fools were rolling into the stream — in December. Do you know how cold that damn water is? I didn’t want to get wet.”

“Wuss,” Maverik whispered to Bane.

Bane laughed.

“Seriously, though. Let’s get this tree finished up and inside,” Kaid said.

“We are. What’s the hurry?” Maverik asked.

“Brandt’s inside.”

“Oh! Gotta go see my boy,” Bane said.

“He looks stressed. Talking to Delilah right now.”

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