He moved them and then helped Kylo to stand on his unsteady legs. Taking the throw and wrapping it around Kylo, Conrad tucked him into his side so his lower body became concealed. The grin back, only this time it was cocky as he kept Kylo close. “Ready for another dragon ride?”
“Oh, shit!” Kylo complained, losing some of his color, and making Conrad laugh.
Chapter Sixteen
Kylo
Kylo wasn’t a hundred percent sure how everyone managed to get back to the homestead. He knew how he got there, hanging onto the back of Conrad’s dragon form, cursing his inability to just say no. Cats were not designed to fly, and neither were humans, and Kylo made a mental note to discuss this with his mate when he wasn’t feeling as though every last nerve he had, somehow had gone through a wood chipper.
He would never disrespect his mate’s proudest animal half, but maybe, once the danger had passed and things were more normal, the next time Conrad suggested a ride, he meant on an animal that kept all four feet on the ground, like his rhino form or something similar.
Selina’s magic scared him. Kylo would never tell another soul that, but he was pragmatic enough to admit it to himself. Yes, he’d leaped without thought of the consequences because he wanted to protect his parents. And he admitted, as the wind rushed through his hair, blurring his eyes, that there had been a part of him that had been stupid enough to believe that Selina wouldn’t actually do any harm.
Not in person. Not with such manic hatred in her eyes. Kylo remembered her as a curious child, following his mom around with questions in her eyes. Questions she’d never voiced, but she expected to be understood. He’d watched her grow, had thought of taking her as a bond mate… Kylo shook his head because it was that line of thinking that got him badly hurt. If he ever needed a reminder of what that woman was capable of, he’d been slapped around the face with that, big time.
One advantage of getting back to the house before the others meant both men had a chance to dress, and Kylo put the coffee on for when his mom and dad got home. For all his sexy words, Conrad kept his hands to himself as they showered and dressed, and was quiet, sitting at the kitchen table, which was where all family discussions were held.
“Are you all right?” Kylo asked softly as he heard the jeep’s tires on the gravel of the driveway. He still wasn’t sure how Conrad had stopped Selina, or if she’d just given up when she met the eyes of another assassin.
“I’m about to get formally introduced to the only woman who’s been within kissing distance of my cock. Not a situation I’d ever thought I’d be in.” Conrad arched an eyebrow, and Kylo could see the humor in his eyes. “As first impressions go, I’m not sure how much of one that might be. Perhaps you could…”
“Kylo Arthur Putney, what in heaven’s name did you think you were doing, jumping at that woman like that?” Kylo winced as his mom barreled into the kitchen like a battle tank—with all guns drawn and blazing. “You find your mate, and you don’t tell me. Selina has become a criminal in my absence, and you say nothing. You decide to attack a magic user when you have absolutely no magic of your own, and do you stop and talk to me about it first? No, you didn’t. What were you thinking, you overgrown lout?”
Before Kylo could blink, his mom had crossed the kitchen. Reaching up, she smacked him hard around the head, and then her arms came around his middle, and he was being squeezed to death. “I don’t ever want to see you unconscious on a floor again. Do you hear me, Kylo? Never again.”
Her body was trembling. Kylo had been hugged by her a million times in his life. He’d never, ever seen her so upset. It was Felix who did the reckless things, or even Nori on occasion. As his brothers came in, he met Mao’s eyes over his mom’s shoulder and could tell the tirade he got had been building up on the drive home.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I heard her threaten you and just lost my head.”
“At least you thought to get dressed and put the coffee on before we got back.” His father slapped him on the shoulder as he went past. “Nice to see you fully clothed, young man. And you are?”
“Mom, Dad, this is Conrad, no last name.” Kylo patted his mom and then pulled out of her embrace, putting his hand on Conrad’s shoulder. His mate had stood up the moment his dad had come into the room. “Conrad is a hybrid assassin, much like Duron, and Ben’s mates, Nico and Teilo. Duron sent him here to help me with the Selina problem, and we recognized we were mates. We have claimed each other. Conrad, this is my mom and dad.”
“Another one,” Kylo’s mom shook her head. “You poor boy. I take it you don’t have parents to call your own either?”
“None to write home about, ma’am.” Conrad sounded nervous, and Kylo instinctively moved closer for his mom to smack his arm, moving him away.
“In this house, we hug,” his mom said firmly, wrapping her arms around Conrad’s waist. Kylo knew how that felt. It was a sensation to him that was as familiar as breathing. He could tell Conrad wasn’t so sure.
“What you did today, protecting your mate and my eldest son. You forever have my gratitude. But if you ever, and I mean ever, put yourself in danger like that again, then I’ll smack you the same as I do my lug-head sons, understood?” And when Conrad just stood there frozen like a statue, she tapped his arm lightly. “Hug me back. I won’t bite you.”
“Your son’s already done that, ma’am.” A bewildered-looking Conrad wrapped his arms around her gingerly, and Kylo’s mom grinned for a full minute before she let him go.
“You’ll do all right, young man,” she said. “Nico still acts like a feral cat if I go near him, so you’re doing better than he did. Now, who in goodness’ name has been using my kitchen? When was the last time someone wiped the stove top down?”
“You did good,” Kylo muttered as he pulled Conrad back down into his chair and took the one next to him. His mom was back to bossing his brothers, which was her way, his dad just watching on proudly. The noise, the banter, it was all normal to Kylo, although he kept a watchful eye on his mate.
“Hey, you.” Felix took the seat on the other side of Conrad. “How come you didn’t use your mojo and push me and my brothers across those wards like you did for Kylo? We couldn’t get through for the longest time, and then the wards seemed to weaken and then drop all of a sudden.”
Probably when Selina left,Kylo thought, and Conrad smirked. “Are you telling me you’d trust me enough to shove a rhino horn under your family jewels?”
“Rhino horn?” Of course, Kylo’s mom didn’t miss a thing, even as she was banging pans on the stovetop. “I thought you were a dragon shifter, dear.”
“Conrad had multiple animal forms, Mom. Everything from a spider to a dragon, to a rhino, to a monkey even,” Kylo said proudly as Conrad seemed to hold his breath.
“A monkey could be handy when I want to put up festival lights.” Kylo’s mom turned back to the stove. “Make sure and warn us if your spider form is around, would you, dear? Hubby here has a habit of stomping on them.”
“I never dreamed it was possible a spider could be a shifter,” Kylo’s dad protested gently. “I won’t do it again, now I know. You must be a strong one, Conrad, to control so many animal spirits in the one body. If you ever need to let any of them have a run, our backyard is always a good place to shift away from prying eyes.”
