Page 52 of Lahaina Noon

Her stomach plummeted to her toes, and her knees gave out. Only Vaughn’s quick reflexes allowed him to catch her and stop her from hitting the carpet.

“I’ve got you.” he whispered soothingly, holding her upright.

“My,” she cleared her throat, finding it suddenly clogged with tears, “My house?” she asked pitifully. He nodded and hugged her tighter. “Everything?” she whispered, and he nodded again.

It’s all gone,she thought.All of my things, Gabe’s things. His baby pictures, my wedding photos, all I have left of Brian and our life together.“Oh my God.” She sobbed into Vaughn’s chest, feeling his rumble, trying to soothe her. It was sweet, but it didn’t help.

Gabe walked over and hugged her from behind. Vaughn adjusted his grip and wrapped his arms around them both. Laying his cheek on Gabe’s head. She sighed. Now it helped.

She had to be strong again. She couldn’t fall apart. She still had Gabe. She still had Vaughn. Her cats were already here. She could get new clothes, a new car. She could take more pictures of Gabe. She wouldalways have Brian in her heart. She leaned back and gave Vaughn a watery smile.I’m okay,she sent him.

My love,he replied, his anguish evident. His sorrow and remorse at not prioritizing the warding, swept through their connection.

“No, Vaughn, it’s not your fault,” she whispered, trying to reassure him. “You kept us all safe. We might have been there if you hadn’t insisted on us staying here in the interim. Now I guess I’ll have to figure out where we will go.” She blew out a heavy breath, calculating in her head what she would have to replace.

“You’ll stay here. With me,” he told her firmly. “Gabe can pick any of those back bedrooms he likes, and you would of course stay in my room, our room. You can change anything you want. Please Bridget, I want you both here more than anything, where I can keep you safe.”

“Oh, no, Vaughn. We couldn’t possibly impose on you like this!”

He tilted her chin up and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Bridget, I love you. You love me.”You’re my mate. Be honest, there’s no point in you finding another home when you’re going to be moving in with me eventually anyway. We would just make our current situation permanent.Don’t you want to wake up next to me every day?

His words and thoughts made sense to her, but the thought of surrendering to him fully and letting him make this decision on her and Gabe’s behalf was hard to swallow. Her need to protect her son at all costs was at war with the sense of independence she’d been so proud of for the last few years. Being a young widow had its challenges. Additionally, being a single mother had raised those stakes even higher. Logically, it made sense to take Vaughn up on his offer, but emotionally, was she ready to shift her entire world to intertwine it with his?She looked into his deep blue eyes. They were anxiously searching hers for an answer.

She smiled softly. Every answer she wanted was there in his face. She’d let him mark her as his mate that morning when they woke. As a result, she felt more connected to him than she’d ever felt with another person. It was as if their very souls were woven together. She could feel what he was feeling and right now that was love and devotion. She needed to let go of being stubborn and strong because she had to, and let someone love and care for her because she could.

“Vaughn!” came the sharp snap of Killian’s voice.

A black eyebrow raised in question at the silver wielder who was rarely heard speaking, much less snapping at his friend.

“Are you linking with her psychically?” Killian demanded.

Vaughn’s massive shoulders heaved with a deep sigh. He’d hoped to keep this secret a little longer to avoid the Council catching wind. It seemed the dragon was out of the bag. The others were looking at the two of them, waiting to see what the fall out would be from the question.

He nodded. “Yes. We are.”

Killian stared at him consideringly, his one visible eye intensely focused on his friend. He tossed his hair back and grinned. The sudden view of his entire beautiful smiling face shocked the others. “You marked her, didn’t you? She’s your mate.”

All the dragons in the room gasped, and Siobhan’s jaw dropped.

Chapter 29

Bridget looked around theroom at the shocked faces. She wasn’t sure where to start.

Liam did. “Yourmate?” he hissed. “When did that happen? What about the Council?”

Vaughn shook his head, “This morning, and screw the Council, they don’t own me.”

Marco shook himself. “Well, uh, congratulations Drake, none of us ever thought that would happen, sir and uh, well, congrats man.” He shook his head and mouthed the word ‘mate’ to himself.

Siobhan slowly shook her head side to side. “Wow!” she whispered, then grinned at Bridget.

After a moment of hesitation, Gabe walked over. He’d been sitting with Jorrie again, watching everything. He walked straight to Vaughn and looked him in the eye. “Mate?” he asked.

Vaughn nodded and bowed to him. Bridget eyed him warily, but Gabe surprised them by breaking into a grin and holding up his fist for a bump.

“Nice,” he said. “Can I pick the far back bedroom? The one at the end of the hall with its own bathroom?”

Bridget laughed and Vaughn winked, giving Gabe a thumbs up.

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