Page 13 of Bewitching the Dragon
“I, uh… Petra asked me to pick up some stuff for Sadie. Since I’m here. In New Orleans.”
“Oh.” Her facial features instantly relaxed, and she even offered him a small smile. “What does she need?”
While Petra hadn’t exactly asked, Rahu had texted her a couple of hours ago to see if she’d like him to pick up anything, since he happened to be in the area. She’d been thrilled and had sent him a list of ideas that had been like reading Greek, frankly.
Which worked out perfectly, because he was able to screenshot the text and show it to Becca.
She scanned the list, nodded, and, with phone in hand, she began moving about the store, pulling various items off shelves and tables, piling all of it onto the counter next to the cash register. Cripes, how much stuff had Petra asked him to buy?
“How do you and Petra know each other?” Becca asked as she worked. “I mean, I know you said you’re both from Detroit, but what’s the connection?”
“Oh. We, uh…we work together.”
“You do? What do you do?”
“I’m a carpenter.”
“Petra’s a carpenter now?”
Shit.He shook his head. “No, no. I mean we, uh, belong to the same, uh, organization.”
She nodded. “Oh, like y’all go to the same church?”
“Yeah, something like that. It’s more…” How the hell did one describe a dragon colony to a half witch, half gargoyle who didn’t know any of this existed? “Like a social club.”
“Oh, cool.”
Okay, good, she seemed to accept that. Phew.
“How is Petra? Are she and Noah still together? How’s Sadie?”
“She’s good. Of course they’re still together. They’refatedmates. And Sadie’s growing like a weed. They just had this ridiculous party for her first birthday.” He shook his head, recalling the pony rides. Dragons riding ponies.
That had been one for the books.
“Fated mates?” Becca asked, and Rahu winced. Damn it, he couldn’t forget she didn’t know either one of them was anything other than human. And humans didn’t have fated mates.
He waved his hand and offered a crooked smile. “You know what I mean. They were destined to be together.”
She squeezed the outfit she was holding. “I’m so happy for them. Petra told me Sadie was an accident and that she didn’t know she was pregnant when she moved here. She never really said what happened between her and Noah, but I know she didn’t tell him about Sadie until he showed up here last fall. I’m just so glad they worked everything out.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She looked like she was ready to ask more questions, so it was time to turn this conversation around so he didn’t screw up and either cause her to wonder if he was crazy or maybe accidentally figure out that she wasn’t what she believed she was. While he wholeheartedly believed Argyle and Pacey were wrong for keeping her in the dark, he sure as hell didn’t want to be the messenger in this case.
“So you recently graduated from college?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Overheard you and Charlotte talking about it at the bar.”
She nodded. “Yes, I did. Finally.”
“Why do you say that?”
She shrugged and dropped her gaze to the pile of outfits perched in front of her. “It took me a little longer than it should have, that’s all.”
“Oh yeah? How come?”
