Page 28 of The Monster's Mate

“Love you too,” he says, smiling like a fiend.

“All right, someone grab me a cherry carbonated beverage and everyone clear out.” Athos rubs his hands together. “This wish might take a while.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Charity says, tightening her robe as she stumbles down the stairs and into my arms. “I woke up and couldn’t find Veryn?—”

“How are you?” I murmur, scooping her up.

“Not great, but I’ll live.” She rubs at her abdomen as I walk us back up the stairs. “Where’s my kid? Either I’m exhausted, or he’s a stealthy little escape dragon.”

“He’s with Meena. You’ve been pretty out of it since last night.” I nuzzle my cheek to the top of her head as I carry her down the hall toward her bedroom. “Are you feeling the need to nest?”

“What?” she whispers, tilting her face to study mine.

“Meena came by last night while you were unwell.” I bump her bedroom door open with my ass and kick it closed with my booted foot before heading toward her bed. “She believes there could be consequences to your partially formed matebond with the wyvern.”

“Eldritch,” she groans, slapping my chest. “His name is Eldritch, and he’s truly a lovely man.”

She’s far too trusting.

She might find him attractive, but that doesn’t speak to his character.

I scoff. “You saw him in a dream for ten minutes.”

Charity shoves her hair away from her face and glares. “I spent all night with him again last night.”

I drop her onto the mattress and climb over her before I can stop myself.

That’s good to know.

While I practically gave myself an ulcer worrying about her all goddamn night long…

She was, what?

Fucking the wyvern in her dreams?

That’s my guess, based on the way she moaned and thrashed all damn night long.

“It’s not something I can control. I’m pretty sure our partially formed bond pulls us together now.” Her fingers dig into the material of my T-shirt. “But I also realized, as I was sandwiched between Athos and Eldritch, that something was missing. Or rather, someone.”

I hear her words, but my dragon fights for control.

Bumping her cheek to the side, I bury my nose in her throat. It’s the location her bite with Eldritch would be if it transferred to our reality.

My tongue teases down her skin, making my nostrils flare as I taste hints of Eldritch.

“Did you hear me?” Charity asks, running her fingers over my neck.

Yeah, I did.

My dragon is also obsessed with figuring out how her scent smells like Eldritch in humanoid form. That shouldn’t be possible if they only interacted during her dream.

“Bane,” she huffs. “I think it’s possible you are my mate.”

I shove up on my forearms, studying her face.

She’s the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.

Not to mention, incredibly fucking stubborn, but then, so am I.

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