Page 62 of The Dragon's Mate

“Me either,” Bianca said. “The perils ofbeing single, I suppose. Although to be fair, Ava did mention to me ahead oftime that she was going to introduce me to a really handsome and funny guy at Bishop’sparty.”

“Should I be jealous of this guy?” Brensaid.

Bianca’s laughter was soft and low and shouldhave made Bren’s dick take notice.

It didn’t.

“Ava was being remarkably truthful aboutthe handsome part,” Bianca said as a flicker of movement over her shouldercaught Bren’s eye. She stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. “Wouldyou like to have coffee sometime so I can investigate whether the funny part istrue as well?”

“Kaida,” Bren said.

“I’m sorry?” Bianca said.

Bren’s pulse became a rapid jittery beat asKaida, looking gorgeous in a dark green dress, stalked toward them.

Chapter Eleven

Kaida smoothed her dress and knocked on thedoor of Bishop and Ava’s home. Coming to Bishop’s birthday party was a bad idea.Especially after being away from her clan the night before.

She shouldn’t have come, but her dragon haddriven her crazy all afternoon about seeing Bren again. It was almost as bad asher need to be with her clan. That realization both exhilarated and terrifiedher.

She should have still been craving thecomfort of her clan. But only a few hours after she’d returned home, her dragonhad started in on her about seeing Bren again.

She straightened her dress again as sheheard footsteps on the other side of the door. Her dragon’s need for the humanwas going to drive her crazy.

I want him.

I know, shesnarled at her dragon.You think I didn’t hear you the first fifty timesyou said it?

Her dragon growled angrily as the door opened.Mal, a wolf shifter and Bishop’s best friend, stared at the smoke that was driftingfrom her nostrils. “Hello, Kaida.”

Sending a silent thanks that one of the fewshifters who knew she was a dragon answered the door, she waved the smoke away andmade herself smile. “Hello, Mal. Sorry.”

“No problem. Come in.”

She followed him into the house. As theywalked down the hallway, she could hear Willow and Ava’s voices drifting out ofthe kitchen.

“See, Ames, cheese. Right there,” Ava said.

Willow laughed. “In her defense, it washidden behind a giant container of breast milk.”

“Everyone’s out back,” Mal said as he ledher to the patio doors that opened to the backyard. “Head on out and grab adrink. I need to head to the kitchen for a minute.”

“Thanks.” She opened the door and steppedout into the yard. A table with a small pile of presents was to her left andshe added the small wrapped box she carried to the pile. The scent of barbequedmeat drifted to her. The yard was full of shifters and humans, and unease settledat the base of her spine. The humans would have no idea what she was, but theshifters…

It’s fine. They think we’re all dead, her dragon said.Find Bren.

We should leave, she said to her dragon.If they smell smoke like the foxyearling…

They won’t. And if they do, they’ll thinkit’s from the food cooking. Find Bren.

She started to back up toward the patiodoors. She needed to leave. There were too many shifters and one of them was boundto –

There!

Her dragon made a loud purr of happiness,it had caught Bren’s scent, and she swung her gaze to the right. Bren was standingon the far side of the yard. He was – her dragon made another purr ofhappiness – holding Lila and the sight of the baby in his arms made her desirefor a hatchling intensify until she felt almost dizzy.

He will be a good father to ourhatchling, her dragon said.Please, can I havehim?

---