Bridget pinched his side, her laugh soft against his neck. “You should have been more specific.”
“I have to have a few surprises to keep you interested,” he replied, making her laugh again.
Bridget leaned back. “If you think I’m going to give you up knowing you can dothatto me, you have another thing coming, Greatdrakes.”
Bas’s heart kicked over dangerously. “I’m glad we are on the same page.”
Bridget kissed him soft and sweet and all too briefly. “Let’s find this dream monster, and then we can worry about whatever this is between us.”
Bas knew it was her way of protecting herself, so he didn’t argue. The dragon and the man didn’t need any extra confirmation on what they already saw as fact.
They were keeping Bridget, and nothing, not dream monsters or her shitty self-esteem, was going to stop them. It didn’t matter how long it took them to convince her they were made for each other. He would be a patient hunter, and itwould make the moment she surrendered to their mating all the sweeter.
23
Bas and Bridget had only just tidied up and made it back to their chairs when Apollo finally broke through the wards Bas had put up on the library door.
“Where are you hiding, you little asshole!” Apollo bellowed, charging in. He took one look at Bridget’s confusion and Bas’s sly grin and covered his face with his hands. “Seriously? You couldn’t fool around somewhere else?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Bas said, straight-faced.
“The fuck you don’t. Bridget, talk to your boyfriend about locking his beloved family out of their library so you two can fuck about.”
Bridget pretended to think about it and grinned. “No.”
“You two are both ridiculous.”
“Calm down, we were working too—” Bas began.
Apollo interrupted. “You better have been! At least tell me you have something worth reporting back to Kenna because she’s been calling me.Someonehasn’t been answering her calls, and she’s pissed.”
Bas took out his phone, ignored the missed calls, and held out the picture of sweaty Lachlan in Apollo’s face. His brother shut up instantly. His eyes went gold and dreamy.
“Finally, he shuts up. As I was trying to say, we think we have identified the dream monster,” Bas said.
Bridget was going red, trying not to laugh.
“Well. Good. That’s good,” Apollo stammered, his expression refocusing. “What?”
Bas put the phone down. “What did Kenna want, Apollo?”
“Um. Kenna? Oh! She said that the victims who are in comas or sick have all been moved into the Trinity Centre at St. James. The doctors are worried it’s contagious, so they have been quarantined until the researchers can figure it out. Kian got in contact with the hospital, and they have agreed to let us look at those who are affected,” Apollo said. He rubbed his eyes. “That’s a dirty trick using that photo for evil.”
“It worked, didn’t it? And who is we? Are you coming with us?” Bas asked.
“I’m an alchemist getting a chance to snoop about a research hospital ward. Of course I am coming. Reeve and Charlotte are going to meet us there.”
Bas turned to Bridget. “Come on, sweetheart. We have a hospital to get to.”
“Promise me that you aren’t going to do something dumb like try and pull all the creature’s hooks out of them like yesterday, or I’m not going anywhere,” Bridget said stubbornly. Bas hesitated a beat too long, and her eyes narrowed. “No, Bas. There has to be a better way to do it than you going into their minds like that.”
Bas rubbed his neck. “I’ve been trying to think of one.”
“You are a magician. I’m sure you will be able to figure it out. I won’t let you get hurt again,” Bridget said, eyes blazing.
Bas couldn’t handle causing her any worry, so he relented. “Okay, I promise I’ll try to think of something. Charlotte is really good with magical sigils. She might have an idea.”
Apollo snorted. “As far as I can see, the only hooks Bas has to worry about are the ones you have him in, Bridget.”
