Atlas’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Do tell.”
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and tried not to look guilty.
“Nothing worth mentioning.” Liz glanced down at her plate. “Just... wildlife encounters.”
Atlas smirked. “Wildlife can be pretty impressive around here. Right, Lucan?”
I resisted the urge to reach over and smack the smug look off his face. I couldn’t wait until he found his mate, and I could give him hell in return. It was only a matter of time—when one member of a quad found their mate, the rest soon followed.
I nodded and shoved a forkful of potato salad into my mouth to give me an excuse not to answer with words.
“Anyway, I worry about him. He likes to go for late-night strolls and has had a few compromising encounters.”
Kade’s fork stopped mid-air. Reese’s eyes widened. Liz seemed confused but didn’t connect the dots.
And Atlas? Well, Atlas looked like he was about to be missing a few teeth.
Reese put down her fork on her plate harder than necessary, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I almost forgot to tell you, Liz. Lucan was the one who was interested in buying your knife.”
Liz looked at me in surprise. “Oh?”
I didn’t like the idea of her selling the gift I’d given her, but if anyone was going to buy it, it should be me—so I could give it right back to her. “I collect pocketknives. I saw the pictures, and I’m definitely interested.”
Liz wiped her lips with her napkin, and I tracked the movement. “You’re welcome to come by tomorrow and look at it.”
“I would love—” I coughed, trying to modulate my tone, which had turned rough. “That would be great. Does tomorrow morning work? Around nine?”
“I’ll be there.” She smiled, and for the first time all night, it reached her eyes.
It should have filled me with joy that I’d made her smile like that, but it suddenly occurred to me she wouldn’t stick around for long. Reese hadn’t said how long Liz would rent the RV for, and the plan had been for it to be a vacation rental.
What if she was only passing through? Moving between destinations with no plans to stay? The thought sent an unexpected current of panic through me.
Kade pushed back from the table, collecting his and Reese’s empty plates. “Atlas, Lucan. Dish duty.”
Liz immediately stood, stacking her plate with the silverware on top. “I’ll help.”
Reese joined her. “Me too.”
“No.” Kade’s tone left no room for argument. “You ladies chat. We’ll handle the dishes.”
I glared at him, but Kade returned my look with one that clearly said this wasn’t up for discussion. As I gathered plates, my dragon snarled at being pulled away from our mate.
I followed Atlas and Kade into the house, sliding the door shut.
“What the hell was that?” I hissed at Atlas once we were in the kitchen.
“I was helping things along.” He grinned, completely unrepentant. “You should thank me. You’re going to her place tomorrow.”
I growled but was quickly quieted when Kade’s expression shifted into dangerous territory.
“Both of you, knock it off. Atlas, stop baiting him. Lucan, get your dragon under control before you do something stupid.”
Kade was right. I needed to calm down, but all I could think about was tomorrow and being alone with Liz.
“I’m sorry, I’m excited. Do you think my mate will show up next? I hope she’s as smart and beautiful as Reese and Liz are.” Atlas went to the sink and turned on the water, a wistful expression on his face. “All these years of thinking and hoping, and it’s happening. It’s really happening.”
Dragons typically found their mates in their late twenties to early thirties. The four of us had struggled for years to come to terms with the fact that we might never have mates.
