Page 20 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

The smoke—thenesting—was exactly what had happened when he’d beenpregnant with Mary.

“Oh, hells,” he hissed.

How the hell was he even pregnant? He hadn’t had sex with anyone, until last night—

He’d given Ace a condom. Ace wasn’t the sort of person to lie about using it.

What if... What if the condom had broken, but Ace thought Ivo had tampered with it?

Was that why Ace was trying to find the mystery omega? Would he kick Ivo out the moment he knew? Burn Ivo into a crisp?

“Oh, gods,” Ivo groaned.

Then something roared, and there was no time left to worry.

Ivo droppedthe basket and grabbed Mary, tucking her against a tree that was further from the creek. He strained his eye and ears for signs of other threats.

It sounded quiet beyond the hedge. Ace’s butler, for all his sharp hearing, didn’t come running out. So Ivo dropped a kiss on Mary’s head. “Stay put,” he whispered, pulling some tall grass over her. “I’ll see if Ace needs help.”

He stumbled through the tall grass and onto the driveway, where his feet pounded down the asphalt. Past the iron gate, orange fire glowed. Ivo veered to one side of the gate and peeked out.

Ace was locked in a grapple with two other men. One of them had him in a chokehold; the other held up some knives.

“Give us the baby,” Knife Man demanded.

“In your dreams,” Ace snapped, kicking up viciously.

He knocked the knives out of Knife Man’s grip, but Chokehold Man punched him in the head.

Ivo’s stomach clenched. He couldn’t fight, and his shifted form was no good against anyone larger than himself.

But hecouldcause a distraction.

“Hey, jerkwad!” Ivo shouted.

“Ivo, no!” Ace paled. “I have this handled!”

Before the men could release Ace, Ivo flung a fist-sized rock as hard as he could.

The rock struck Chokehold Man in the head.Bullseye!

Chokehold Man loosened his grip on Ace. Ace lunged away, punching Knife Man so hard that he dropped like a sack of rocks. Then Ace turned, and punched Chokehold Man until he blacked out, too.

Only then did Ivo notice the two other bodies on the ground.

“You were supposed to stay in there,” Ace growled, glancing around.

“You didn’t tell me to. I came to see if you needed help.”

“I don’t want you getting hurt again.” Ace glowered. He dragged the men into a pile. “Hand me the rope under that hedge.”

“Rope?” Ivo frowned and peered under the hedge—tucked beneath the leaves was a thick coil of rope.

He had to drag the rope over; it washeavy.“Why do you even haveropethere?”

Ace sighed noisily. “Once upon a time, my butler decided that roping off the entire driveway was a great way to keep me out while he ‘redecorated’ my home.”

“Redecorated?”

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