“Oh, thanks, it sounds so simple when you say it like that.”
“Or I can ask her. Or my mother can. You’re not on your own in this, Maya.”
She gave a tentative half-smile. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to that.”
“There’s no rush.”
She buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling deeply. “Okay. Tomorrow. We’ll go and see Lainie—I have to, anyway, I was meant to see her a few days ago beforesomebodyflew into town unexpectedly … and then…”
“Tomás will transform despite all our efforts, steal something large and impressive, and spoil the big reveal for you.”
She laughed. “Steal something large and impressive? That sounds like him. Remind me to tell you what happened the first time we visited Lainie and Harrison one day.”
“I look forward to hearing the story,” he told her.
Her expression faltered. “And I can’t stop feeling like Tomás’s biological father is going to show up and it will make everything ten times worse.”
“Only ten?”
She glared at him. “Twenty. A hundred. Your team are going to come back with a row of mugshots and it’ll be every dragon shifter who ever took a potshot at the Blackburns in the history of the world.”
It could be a Montfort.He hadn’t let himself think it, before, and took care not to let the thought show on his face now. There were several Montforts in the right age range. Saint-John Monfort had a granddaughter—obviously ruled out. Several great-nephews. The snake-like Robert Bonlieu, or whatever he was calling himself these days…
A shiver went down his spine.
“It wouldn’t matter,” he told Maya firmly. His dragon added a growl of defiance to his words. Tomás was his mate’s hatchling, and that made him Corin’s, as well. “But there’s something that, right now, takes priority…”
He kissed her, long and passionate, until she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him on top of her. They made love slowly, and he took a draconic joy in bringing Maya to the peakof pleasure and keeping her there until she begged for a break to catch her breath.
She was his greatest joy. His most precious treasure.
But even afterwards, as she slept peacefully, his failure to claim her properly rankled. Despite her telling him she didn’t need it. That he was enough for her.
It was beyond selfish, to have the woman of his dreams tell him he was everything she needed and still want more.
But he did. He was selfish. And she deserved more.
27
Maya
Maya woke, ready to approach the day as a carefully choreographed adventure. Gabriela joined them for breakfast, and Maya announced the plan to visit her friends up on Lighthouse Hill.
They were just heading out when disaster struck.
Corin cocked his head. “Apollo is asking if we’re still planning to visit the Galways this morning.”
Maya froze. “Oh no. What’s happened?”
“It sounds like they had a rough night. Harrison asked him to pass on a request to rain-check until later in the day.” A brief smile flitted around his mouth. “And I’m reduced to messenger. What a novelty.”
“If Lainie didn’t feel up to calling or messaging me, itmusthave been bad.” Maya took a deep breath. “This is okay. This is fine.”
“Your carefully laid plans being wrenched from beneath your feet is fine?”
“It’sfine,” she repeated through gritted teeth.
She looked back to where her mom was walking with Tomás. He was tiptoeing carefully along the wide stone balustrade that separated the waterfront sidewalk from the water below, one hand in Gabriela’s, the other stretched out straight and not-wing-like at all.
