“Nice one, idiot,” Valentine grumbled.
Bridget wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. “Come again?”
“It can wait,” Taranis muttered, his hand resting on Bas’s forehead. “Just don’t let go of him, Bridget. Touch always helps dragons.”
Quinn released Bridget so she could hug Cosimo. “Hey Daddy G, how you holding up?”
Cosimo bent to kiss Quinn’s cheek. “Better now that you two have come to help.”
Bas cried out, and all the chatter stopped. “Bridge…”
“I’m here. I’m here,” she said, putting her other hand on his shoulder. “Why aren’t you helping him?”
“He needs to do it himself. I’m going to give him a boost, but it’s up to him to come out,” Taranis replied.
Bridget swallowed back a mouthful of saliva. She couldn’t handle seeing him in so much pain.
She got an idea and leaned down to whisper to him, “Bas? Remember in the astral plane how you turned up at my mind library as a beautiful dragon? I would really like to see thatagain. You can shift in the astral, baby. You know how to do it. Will you do it for me now so I can see how beautiful you are?”
Taranis’s magic seeped out of his hands like red smoke. He placed them on Bas and said something in the fae language with a voice that was pure commanding alpha.
Bas shuddered and let go of Bridget’s hand. Cosimo took her by the shoulders.
“Come away, now, he’s going to get very big,” he said, pulling her backward.
The air went heavy with magic, and pale blue mist rose out of Bas. There was a strangled cry that turned into a roar, and suddenly, he was shifting. Bridget stumbled further back with the others as the human melted away, and a dragon the size of a bus was suddenly destroying the lawn furniture with its weight.
Bas shook himself over and let out an ear-piercing roar. His dark scales were colored from the deepest black to a shimmering sapphire blue, the same as his eyes
“Fuck me,” Apollo gasped. “He said he wanted to be blue.”
“Well done, Basset. Let me have a look at you,” Taranis declared, checking him over. “Wings out.”
The dragon that was Bas shook again like a wet dog before unfurling his wings. Bridget was barely breathing. She was in utter awe.
“Very good. We will figure out flying another time,” Taranis said, and Bas’s wings tucked in. “Well, I think it’s time for some tea.”
Bridget yelped as Bas reached out and picked her up with his front talons. He lay down on the grass and brought her close.
“If you’re hungry for virgins, big guy, I think that ship has sailed,” Bridget joked because one huge eye was looking at her. Bas huffed a growling dragon sound and held her close to his chest.
“She’s yours. Yes, we all know,” Taranis said irritably, hands on his hips. He turned to the Greatdrakes boys. “It appears tea will be held outside. Hop to it.” Apollo and Valentine took off back toward the house.
“I need all the rum, please!” Bridget called after them from the cradle of warm, leathery skin and claws she was held in. She rested her head against one of the large blue scales of Bas’s chest. “I’m glad you’re okay. Never do that to me again.”
Bas just snuffled at her hair. There was a tingle behind her eyes before his mind touched hers.I’m sorry I frightened you. Stay with me. I don’t know if I like this.
I’m not going anywhere. I promise,she replied and let out a shaky sob of relief. He was still in there and was going to be okay. She wasn’t sure if she was. What a fucking night.
30
Bas refused to let Bridget go, so the Greatdrakes ended up gathering together the lawn furniture that wasn’t broken and having their tea outside. Bridget was given a cup of rum that she sipped while sitting on Bas’s foot.
“How long is he going to be like this?” Cosimo asked.
Taranis shrugged. “First shifts can vary. He needs towantto be human. Once he can make that link between his human and dragon side, he will be able to slip in between them as quickly and easily as he likes.”
“You were right when you said that high emotions kick it off,” Valentine commented. He was staring at Bas, a frown on his face. “They were shagging at the time.”
