Page 56 of Hungry Like A Dragon
And she was denying herself—why? Because she was afraid to become like everyone else in her family? But if she loved him, then she was breaking the cycle, even if the baby did come first.
Who the hell cared if her family thought they decided to stay together for the kid?
All that mattered was Petra wanted Noah in her life—as her mate—because she loved him.
She scrambled to her feet. “Talia, you’re a freaking genius. I gotta get over to the mansion.” She patted her hair, which was piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun. She had on no makeup and was wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of warm-up pants—and she didn’t care. She needed to see Noah.
She couldn’t wait.
“Come on,” she said, rushing out of the room. “We need to get to your house.”
Talia’s chuckles chased her to the door.
As soon as they pulled up to Talia and Noah’s mansion, Petra grabbed the baby carrier and went straight for the kitchen, with Talia trailing behind her.
But Noah wasn’t there.
“What’s going on outside?” Talia said, peering out the window over the sink.
Petra looked over her shoulder. A group of dragons had gathered in a half circle, including Noah and Gabe. Ginger was there, standing next to Gabe, with Ruby on her other side. “Let’s go find out,” she said, and they headed out onto the back porch.
“Oh good,” Ginger said when she noticed the two women walking toward them. “There, Ruby dear, go see your auntie while your dad and I work on this counter-curse.”
What?Petra and Talia glanced at each other before practically running toward the small group of dragons and the witch.
“Of course,” Talia said, hugging Gabe. “You’re part witch, too.”
He nodded and looked at his grandmother. “Yeah, it just occurred to us that I might possess enough magic to help. Why don’t you and Ruby go stand over there, in case there’s a reaction like the one that sent Petra flying?”
“There shouldn’t be,” Ginger said. “This curse isn’t contained by a physical presence, so it won’t be as compacted when it’s broken. But still, it’s probably a good idea to take the children to the porch.”
Talia grabbed Petra’s arm and led her back toward the house, while Ginger clasped Gabe’s hand and said, “Just focus on my words. Clear your mind of everything else. Hopefully, our connection will be enough to channel whatever magic you might have. Now, let’s see if we can break this mother effer.” She closed her eyes, lifted her face to the sky, and began chanting in a language Petra did not understand.
Magic sizzled in the air, like static electricity, for long moments, and then, as Ginger’s foreign words faded away, the sensation disintegrated like sun burning off the fog.
Everyone turned their heads this way and that, most with puzzled expressions.
Petra made her way to Noah’s side and whispered, “Can I talk to you?”
Before he could respond, Gabe said, “Is that it? Is it lifted?”
Talia pushed past her friend to reach Gabe. “Let’s find out,” she said, staring at her mate.
“Fly,” he whispered, and Talia took off at a run. The two of them shifted and flew together over the lake in the distance. As Petra watched, Talia’s dragon nipped at Gabe’s flank, and he blew a ring of smoke that she glided through before their tails tangled together for a moment, and then they headed back toward the ground.
They shifted into human form and magicked their clothing onto their bodies, and Talia grabbed Gabe and leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips. “Oh my gods,” she practically shouted between peppering his face with kisses. “ This is amazing. It’s lifted. The curse is lifted!” Her eyes were bright and shiny, staring her mate like he was a tasty treat and she couldn’t wait to take a bite.
“Let’s go,” she said, and he began jogging as he carried her toward the mansion. Petra had a feeling they were headed for their bedroom to, er, celebrate.
The gathering of dragons began rumbling, everyone talking at once, and a few more took to the sky, while others hurried away on foot.
There would be a lot ofcelebratingtoday.
“Well, that’s it, then,” Noah said. “Now you can figure out who your mate is.”
Petra smiled. “I already figured it out.”
He frowned. “How? You have to fly together, and you haven’t left the ground in the twenty minutes since she lifted the curse.”
