Page 74 of The Dragon's Mate

“Better,” she mumbled before collapsing againstthe bed.

Kaida turned to look at him, her eyes franticwith worry. “Bren, I…”

“I guess I know why she can’t go to thehospital,” he said.

“I can explain,” Kaida said.

“Can you?” He stared wide-eyed at her. “So,when exactly did grizzly bears develop the ability to shoot fucking flames outof their mouths?”

“We’re not bear shifters.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Bren’s legs were rubberand if it hadn’t been for the singed ceiling and the smell of sulphur in theair, he could almost convince himself that the pregnant woman lying in hisguest bed wasn’t breathing fire. “What are you?”

“Dragons,” Kaida said.

He staggered backward, barely noticing whenKaida reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him. “Dragons are extinct, everyoneknows that,” he said through lips that felt like they’d been given a healthy doseof Novocaine.

“We aren’t. We’ve only pretended to be,” Kaidasaid. “I know this is a shock but -”

His apartment buzzer went off, a longjolting buzz that made him jump.

“Are you expecting someone?” Kaida hadstiffened and her hand was squeezing his arm in a tight grip.

“No,” he said.

“It’s Jarvis,” Sika panted. She was stilltrying to shove her pants down her legs.

“He couldn’t have gotten here this quickly,”Kaida said. “Honey, it isn’t possible.”

“He flew,” Sika said.

“No,” Kaida said as the buzzer went offagain. “He wouldn’t have, Sika. He knows it’s against the rules.”

“My mate is here. Let him in!” Sika growledangrily. Bren watched in alarm as her chest began to glow through her shirt.

“Stop making her angry,” he said. “She’llset my goddamn apartment on fire.”

Kaida spun around and ran out of the room.After a moment, Bren followed her. She pressed the button next to the frontdoor. “Hello?”

“Kaida! Let me in!”

Kaida pressed the button and stared franticallyat Bren as Sika made another shout of pain.

“Go,” he said, “I’ll wait for Jarvis.”

Kaida ran back to the spare bedroom, andBren opened his front door. Within less than a minute, a man was opening thedoor to the stairwell and running down the hallway toward him. He was aboutBren’s height with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Streaks of green ranthrough his hair, the colour matching the flecks of green in his golden eyes.He was wearing a pair of track pants and nothing else. His bare feet slapped againstthe wood floor as he pushed past Bren.

“Where is she?” he shouted. “Where is mymate?”

“Down the hallway, first door on the left.”Bren closed the door and leaned against it as Jarvis ran toward the spare room.He looked at the phone in his hand before shoving it back into his pocket and headingto the bedroom.

He stepped into the room. Kaida had helpedSika remove her pants and underwear and draped a sheet from the linen closet acrossSika’s lower body. Jarvis, the muscles in his arms bulging, grunted as he pushedthe bed across the room toward the wall with the open window. The heat in theroom was intense and Sika moaned again.

“Jarvis, I can’t control my flame.”

“I know, my love. It’s not your fault,” hesaid. He popped the screen out of the window and tossed it on the floor beforesticking his head out the window and looking around. He smiled at Sika. “Blowyour flame out the window, my sweet. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” Sika groaned.

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