“Ask away,” Valentine said, grabbing some more bread. “We are dragons.”
15
Bas set the lasagna dish down before he dropped it or hurled it at his brother’s head.Val, shut the fuck up.
No. She needs to know Bas. She’s not going to be scared off. If she’s your mate...
Bas immediately cut the connection off between them. He couldn’t hunt monsters and think about the fact Bridget could be his mate.
While it would explain his dragon’s irrational reaction to protect her, he couldn’t consider it just yet. And he sure as hell didn’t need his family telling her about their mating for life habits.
Dark fucking gods, he hadn’t even kissed her yet. Something he really needed to rectify because watching her talk to his father about Ficino had done weird things to his insides. She fit with them, and that would make it harder to let her go when the time came.
“What do you mean, you are dragons?” Bridget asked, looking at Bas.
He quickly got busy cutting the lasagna.
“We have a dragon in the bloodline, and with the return of magic in the last year, we might even be able to shift,” Cosimo explained. He told Bridget a condensed family history while Bas plated food and tried not to have a panic attack. He couldn’t lose Bridget when he had only just found her.
“That explains why you turn into a dragon in the astral plane!” she said, sending a smile at him that was so beautiful and triumphant his toes curled in his boots. He was definitely overdue to kiss her. “I thought you were just turning into a dragon to show off.”
“Oh, he definitely would have been showing off,” Apollo said.
Bas’s cheeks heated. “I like flying.”
“Me too. That’s why...hawks,” Bridget said, taking the sting out of his brother’s teasing.
“Aren’t you two sweet,” Apollo said, fluttering his lashes.
“Have any of you shifted in real life yet? Is that a thing? How do you know where all that dragon goes when you shift back?” Bridget asked.
Cosimo chuckled. “All questions for Taranis, I think. He’s the one who seems to think we will have the ability now.”
“Woah, as inKingTaranis?” Bridget said, eyes bugging out.
“You know of him?”
“Not so much him, but I love his wife’s web serials.”
Apollo cracked up laughing. “Auntie Quinn is going to love you too. I don’t suppose you remember her writing any with Mpreg by any chance.”
“Come now, not at the dinner table,” Cosimo groaned. He got up to help Bas with the plates.
He touched Bas’s mind,She’s gorgeous, Bas. Quick mind. Lots of magic. Can you imagine her with some training and a loving family to give her some confidence?
She’s not a stray cat, Dad. We can’t just keep her.
Can too...if you get your act together.
Oh my god, can you not? We need to find and kill this dream monster.
Cosimo gave him a pointed look.You are a brilliant and talented magician, son. Use some of those skills I taught you andmulti-task.Either you seal the deal, or I will in a different way. I could use an assistant to help me with my work. Especially one who is so pretty. I’ll be fighting the Italian magicians off her every time we go there.
Bas narrowed his eyes at his father.Try it, and I’ll set you up a profile on every dating app I can find, including Grindr. Besides, Marge would never let her go.
Cosimo only smiled at the challenge.You don’t think I’d be able to handle Marge Whitmore?
Bas growled, low, deep, and possessive. Cosimo laughed in delight and started putting plates of lasagna down on the table, serving Bridget first. Bas served his brothers before taking a seat beside Bridget.
