Page 75 of How to Hide Your Angel Kid

If it worked...

“Handsome,” Pinks said shakily. “I need you to watch Zarrie.”

Handsome frowned. “What about you?”

“I’m testing out a way to help Galent.” Pinks set Zarrie’s bundle in Limesicart’s belly. “Stay here,” he told the cart sternly. “Stay with Handsome.”

He ran across the coin-strewn floor to the giant robot. “Please, please, please,” Pinks whispered. He pressed the rune cloth against the robot’s knee, wishing hard for the spell to work.

Nothing happened.

Pinks’ heart thumped. Anything could be happening outside the mansion. The creatures could be binding Galent with a spell, they could be killing him. His stomach twisted.Please stay alive.He wished extra hard.

Something jolted against his hand. When he looked up, he realized thatthe robot was moving.

“What is the status of Planet Earth?” the robot thundered. His eyes glowed red.

“Holy nutballs,” Handsome said faintly.

“AlphaBot,” Pinks cried. “We’re under attack. There are creatures threatening my—my alpha. They’re upstairs. Follow me.”

The robot thumped after him. AlphaBot was probably flattening all the gold coins; Handsome pulled Limesicart and Zarrie out of the way.

Pinks led AlphaBot up the gentle stairs. There were a few crashes; the passage was narrow. But the robot followed him out of the basement and squeezed through the double backdoors. Then they were running around the mansion, the robot covering distance that Pinks’ human legs had trouble catching up with.

AlphaBot made it to the scene first. The hooded creatures were still standing in a row, but they were converging on Galent, whose eyes glowed an awful shade of green. Galent plodded toward Pinks, his jaws open, a ball of fire gathering at the back of his throat.

Was he... going to breathe fire on Pinks?

“Danger,” AlphaBot announced, aiming his arm cannon at Galent.

Pinks’ stomach clenched. “No!” He skidded in front of the robot, throwing his arms out. “No, no! The dragon is my mate! They brainwashed him, don’t hurt him!”

AlphaBot looked at Pinks. “He will destroy you.”

“Take down the creatures, they’re the ones controlling him!” Pinks pointed. AlphaBot turned to the creatures, who began firing spells at him.

Galent roared. There wasn’t time.

Pinks scrambled over to the dragon. Galent aimed his fireballat Pinks.

“Galent,” Pinks pleaded, his heart pounding. “Remember me? I’m Pinks. Your mate. You’re not supposed to hurt your mate.”

He’d never acknowledged what they were, to Galent. But Galent didn’t hear him now. The ball of fire swelled to fill his mouth; Pinks wasn’t sure how far he could run before the flames swallowed him.

If Galent came back to himself, only to discover Pinks’ charred body... he would be devastated. Pinks knew that for a fact. Galent had been kissing him all over, savoring every inch of Pinks like Pinks was his greatest treasure. Just this morning, Pinks had woken up in bed with a huge dragon curled around him, Galent’s paw on Pinks’ chest as though he could feel Pinks’ heartbeat in his sleep. Galent had been utterly patient with him; he’d held Pinks while Pinks threw up. And he’d been watching Zarrie with great longing, getting so excited when he held Zarrie through her blanket.

Galent was everything Pinks wanted in a forever-mate. He was the reason Pinks smiled most days; he made waking up a joy.

Pinks refused to be the reason Galent broke—because Galent could break. He knew that now.

And the thought of his alpha shattering made Pinks want to cry.

“Galent,” Pinks shouted, his voice cracking. “Don’t.”

He threw himself against Galent’s warm, scaly belly, hugging the dragon as tightly as he could.

A loud rumble swelled in Galent’s chest. Pinks cracked an eye open—only to see the flames growing white-hot in Galent’s mouth.

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