His eyes were glowing, and now Bridget knew that it was his dragon side shining through. It look pissed.
“Yeah? I thought you wouldn’t...that you would be horrified. You guys are such nice people, and you keep saying shit like ‘Welcome to the family,’ and you have no idea that I’m a murderer,” Bridget rambled.
“We don’t consider that murder, love. That’s self-defense. You’re so fucking strong. Of course, we want you in this family. You are an incredible person and are going to be an amazing magician,” Bas said, cupping her cheeks with his big hands. “You are perfect for me, and if you think your past is enough for me to let you go, you’re very wrong. You’re mine, Bridget Hawkyns, and I don’t care if I have to spend the next hundred years proving it.”
Bridget’s eyes filled with horrible, hot tears. “Please, kiss me before I make a damn fool of myself.”
Bas obliged her by laying soft kisses on her cheeks and nose before taking her mouth with his. It was rum and smoke and so much tenderness that a few tears of relief slipped out anyway. He was gentle with her, treating her like she was something to be savored and treasured.
“Hmm, that’s right. You are a treasure.Mytreasure. And don’t you forget it,” Bas said, wiping her tears away with a brush of his thumbs.
Bridget rested her forehead against his chest. “You really need to teach me how to not throw my thoughts at you,” she sniffed. “I can’t be thinking of brick walls all day.”
Bas kissed the top of her head. “I can if you want, but I like your thoughts. I’ll never go walking about in your head without permission either. Unless you want me to.”
“And when would I want you to?” Bridget asked with a soft laugh.
Bas brushed his mouth over her ear, and her fingers tightened in his shirt.
“Ninety percent, remember?” he whispered.
Goose bumps broke out over her arms. “How could I forget.”
20
The timer on the oven went off, and Bas reluctantly left the warmth of Bridget’s arms. Kissing her had helped settle his dragon, who had been ready to murder everything during Bridget’s story.
He knew she had lived through something horrible, but knowing the details made him feel very glad that her stepfather was already dead.
Bas had always considered himself a decent person. Now he knew that the only reason why he was going to stay that way was that his Bridget had killed her tormentor for herself.
Bas now understood why Kian had torn apart a military base to get to Elise and why Taranis had been so furious over the idea of Quinn using herself as bait to lure out the Fomorian mage. When it came to your mate, there was no thinking straight when it concerned their safety.
Bas knew he couldn’t fight against the truth anymore. Bridgetwashis mate, and he would have to tread carefully not to lose her.
She had never been loved or cared for in her entire life, and he would have to make her believe they belonged together before he told her anything about what being his mate would mean.
Bas removed the torte from the cake tin and set it before Bridget. He offered her a spoon.
“Torte, as promised. This is my grandmother’s recipe from my father’s side,” Bas said. He took a knife out of the drawer and prepared to cut it, but Bridget had already taken her spoon to the middle of it.
“Oh my god, my cake. All mine,” she said between spoonfuls.
Bas burst out laughing at the joy on her face.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, giving up on the knife and digging his own spoon in. “My mom used to make me this on bad days.”
Bridget slowed her chewing. “Your turn for the big dark secret?”
“Not a secret really. You keep asking why I feel the need to feed and coddle everyone. The real reason is someone had to,” Bas said, drinking some rum. “She died when we were young, and my dad kind of lost it. We are dragons, and they were mates. For a while, my brothers and I thought he was going to kill himself.”
“Jesus, Bas, I’m sorry,” Bridget said softly.
“It was a long time ago. We were teenagers, but Reeve was still young, and I took on caring for him because he was so confused by everything that was happening. Val completely shut down. He used to be this wild, hilarious know-it-all. After Mom, he got this hard layer that nothing has brought down since. Apollo was in the car with her and had to watch her die. He’s never talked about it, but he won’t let anyone close to him. I am the most like my mom personality-wise. I was always cooking with her. She was the heart of the house in every way. I didn’tknow how to deal with the loss of her, and being in the kitchen made me feel closest to her.”
Bas had a spoonful of cake and could hear her laugh in his mind. “The day she died, I was hiding in the cellar, and I dissociated so hard that I ended up in the astral plane. I got so good at mind magic because it was the best kind of escape I could get.
“My dad pulled himself out of his grief bit by bit, but he was never really the same. We all work too hard. It’s gotten better since Charlotte came along and mated with Reeve. Being dragged into a big family again has helped all of us. The dragons came with Taranis last year, and that has been eye-opening for all of us too. The family has softened again. It’s not up to me anymore to try and hold us all together.”
