Page 151 of The Dragon's Mate

“Bren?”

He glanced at Bishop. “Sorry, what did yousay?”

“I said I can take you to Kaida’s place afterwe eat lunch.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Bren said.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Bren? What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”Kaida was sitting at her kitchen table with Cadmus when Bren let himself intothe cabin.

“Hey. Everything’s good. My captain toldme to take the rest of the week off. Reporters are following me.”

She rubbed at the back of her neck. “Shit.I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s not unexpected.Hello, Cadmus.”

“Hello, human.” Cadmus pointed to thechair beside him. “Join us.”

Bren sat down in the chair. Cadmus leanedover and inhaled deeply before reaching out and poking at Bren’s shoulder. He hadthe happy look of a small child just learning to walk, and a grin cracked Bren’sface when the old dragon leaned forward and sniffed him again.

“Humans smell so… strange,” he said to Kaida.“Although I imagine your mate smells good to you.”

Kaida’s face flushed and she made a strangledsound that Bren guessed was meant to be an agreement to Cadmus’s statement. Henearly fell off his chair when Cadmus stood and said, “The council is meeting.I’d like you and Kaida to join us.”

Cadmus walked toward the door, raising hiseyebrow when neither Bren nor Kaida followed him. “Come. The council waitsfor us.”

The three of them walked to the main cabinwithout speaking. Tables had already been set up for the evening meal and the othercouncil members were seated around one. The one named Ryul frowned when he sawBren and Kaida. “What are they doing here, Cadmus?”

“I asked them to join us.” Cadmus satdown, waving his hand at the two empty seats beside him.

Bren and Kaida sat. Bren glanced at Kaida,but she seemed as confused as he was as to why they were joining the councilmeeting.

Cadmus folded his hands in front of him andsaid, “Earlier this morning, Senator Matthews sent word that he would like tomeet with the head of our clan to discuss the growing tension between us andthe humans and to see if we can find peace.”

Bren jerked in surprise. Kaida dropped herhand below the table and squeezed his thigh as he stared at Cadmus. “He did what?”

“What growing tension?” Walter said. “Thereis no growing tension and if there is, it is the humans who caused it.”

“More aptly, the senator,” Collette said. “Thatasshole has been holding protests all over the city about what a danger we are.”She glanced at Bren but didn’t apologize for calling his father an asshole.

She didn’t have to. He knew better thanall of them what kind of man his father really was.

“Perhaps he is ready to try and learn moreabout us,” Cadmus said. “He has assured me there will be no press or reportersthere, and I have hope that the meeting will help reassure him that humans havenothing to fear from us.”

“No,” Bren said. “This isn’t a good idea,Cadmus. No matter what you say, you will not change his mind. Whatever reasonmy father has for meeting with you – it isn’t a good one. The fact that he doesn’twant press there – that’s a huge red flag. Healwayswants the press aroundfor shit like this.”

Cadmus didn’t reply and Kaida leaned forward.“Listen to Bren, Cadmus. He knows his father better than us. If he says you shouldn’tmeet with him, you shouldn’t.”

“You would let a human tell our high elder whatto do?” Ryul snorted. “We have looked past your infatuation with the human, Kaida,but do not ask us to start taking advice from him.”

“Enough, Ryul,” Leah said. “Kaida makes anexcellent point. The human knows his father best. If he says it’s a bad ideato meet with him, then we should listen to him.”

“Not we,” Cadmus said. “I would be theonly one to meet with him.”

The council members protested vigorously,and Cadmus held his hand up to silence them. “The Senator wants to meet with onlyme. I believe if all of us show up, it will only cause more distrust betweenus.”

“You are not going alone,” Walter said. Hebanged his hand down on the table for emphasis, smoke curling out of his nostrils.“I do not care that you are the high elder, none of us will allow you to meetwith the human on your own.”

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