Page 10 of Dream Lost (The Fae Universe #12)

10

B as hadn’t meant to read Bridget’s thoughts and feelings. They had come flying at him like a freight train—pain, fear, the face of a man laying into her with fists and words before it all sucked back inside of her. Cosimo’s appearance had triggered it, and so Bas had quickly touched his father’s mind.

She’s freaking out, Dad. You need to leave, or she will.

Cosimo had taken the hint with a brief, Let me know if I can help your mystery girl.

Go talk to Val. He’ll explain who she is. She’s being hunted.

Bridget had visibly taken a breath when they were alone again. Something horrible had happened to his Hawk Girl, and Bas’s dragon wanted to rage and rend. To sink his fangs into something and watch it bleed.

She’s not ours , Bas tried to tell it. The dragon ignored him.

Bas led her into the kitchen, and she stared wide-eyed around her at the sheer size of it before slipping onto one of the pine stools at the breakfast bar. She took off her oversized leather jacket, revealing jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt with Doctor Strange on it. He smiled; Doctor Strange was his favorite too. He tried not to stare at the breasts she kept hidden under the shirt. She had soft curves and strong arms, and he had liked the feel of all of it pushed up against him in the garden. His inner dragon had wanted to pin her to the grass and make her surrender to him.

And that’s why you’re not in charge , Bas reminded it.

“Okay, I’m here. Tell me what’s going on?” Bridget asked, her eyes drifting to look at the stained-glass flower design on the windows.

Bas grabbed the manila folder off a side table and placed it in front of her. “Do you know who Kenna Ironwood is?”

Bridget’s eyes widened. “Scary boss lady of the hunters? I know stories of her. You guys are all somehow related to the fae?”

“Yes. My little brother Reeve is married to Charlotte, one of her daughters,” Bas said. ‘Married’ seemed like an easier word to explain than ‘mated.’ However, Valentine’s big mouth was going to force him to explain their dragon heritage sooner rather than later.

Bas gave Bridget the folder. “Kenna called me in for a meeting this morning and gave me this. That thing that’s been stalking your dreams has been feeding off others and killing them.”

Bridget opened the file, and while she read, Bas found the first-aid kit. When you lived with an alchemist, it was always a good idea to have something ready for magical burns.

“Lift your hair for me?” Bas instructed.

Bridget barely looked up from her reading and just did as he asked.

Bas gently dabbed the lavender-smelling mixture on the curling red mark. He tried not to think too hard about the softness of her golden skin or the submissive gesture of offering her neck to his dragon. A dragon who really wanted to nip that tender nape to see what kind of sounds she made.

“Better?” he asked, heat burning in his chest.

“Y-Yes,” she stammered and then cleared her throat. “Thanks.”

Bas moved back from her and tried hard to pretend that touching her didn’t make his pulse race. He washed his hands, turned on the oven, and started pulling ingredients out of the cupboard.

“You weren’t joking about the cookies,” Bridget said, amusement shining in her eyes.

Bas cracked some eggs into a mixing bowl. “I never joke about cookies. I’m stressed, and baking helps me think. Also, I just want them.”

“And you really think this is the weird shadow thing that was after us in the astral that day?” Bridget asked, flipping through the articles.

“It was trying to feed off of us, so it fits the pattern. It also came back in your dreams when I wasn’t there to protect you,” he growled, the metal spoon in his hand bending with his too-tight grip. Shit . He straightened it out again and hoped she didn’t see it. Bridget had. She noticed everything.

“I’m a big girl, Bas. I know how to protect myself,” she said, eyeing the wrecked spoon.

“Not in the astral, you don’t. I’m not accusing you of not being capable. You clearly have magic to burn, but you don’t have the knowledge of how to do it. This creature hunts minds like yours. It’s probably been starving for centuries, and now it’s woken up, it’s been gorging itself. Then it comes across the unprotected mind of a magician and probably thought you were all-you-can-eat buffet,” Bas replied, tipping in extra chocolate chips because he was starting to freak out over the thought of her being defenseless.

“Why did it wake up now?” Bridget asked, looking back at the articles. “What even is it?”

“I don’t know the what, but I know the why.” Bas mixed ingredients and rolled cookie balls while he told her about the fae kings restoring the magical ley lines linking Faerie and the human world the year before.

“A huge injection of power surged through, and ancient creatures that have been starved and sleeping for centuries have woken up. I believe whatever we are hunting is one such creature. Kenna had no idea what it was, so she passed the job on to me.”

Bas arranged the dough on baking trays before setting a timer. He was bending down to put them in the oven when he got a flash of ‘ Nice ass ’ from her mind, and he nearly dropped the tray in surprise. His dragon preened, and Bas quickly put the cookies in the oven. He really had to teach her to shield her thoughts even if they were complimentary.

“This thing is just feeding off people until they drop dead,” Bridget said, clearing her throat. “That’s fucked up.”

“It is. Can I get you a drink? Tea?” Bas asked, his neck still hot from the compliment she unknowingly gave him.

Bridget smiled. “We can start with tea, but I feel like I’ll need to check out your cellar by the end of this visit. Especially when we get to the bit about dragons.”

“You’re welcome to it,” Bas replied and put the kettle on. He was going to kill Valentine. “Dragons can come later.”

“Okay, but I won’t forget.” Bridget tapped the folder. “Say you’re right, and this shadow man-creature is stalking me. What am I meant to do about it?”

Bas turned to face her. “ We , Bridget. What are we going to do about it? I want your help trying to identify it and also to kill it.”

“I’m bait,” she said bluntly. “Just say it, Bas.”

“We know it wants you. It’s not the kind of predator to let you go just because you slipped its trap once.”

And neither am I , his dragon growled. Jesus. He needed to get a grip on himself.

“Your mind is too much of a feast to pass up,” Bas continued. “I won’t let it touch you.”

We need to protect this one, Basset , Cosimo touched his mind from out in the hall where he was eavesdropping. Offer her a guest room. We can’t, in good conscience, let her leave .

Thanks, Dad. I’ll try to get her to stay, but she has trauma. I have to tread carefully. Now go away. Amusement bloomed through the connection before he felt Cosimo break it off and move away.

“Okay, what about if you make me like an amulet or something to wear?” Bridget asked, pulling him back to the conversation in front of him.

“It got a hook in you that my dreaming ward didn’t remove. An amulet wouldn’t work.”

Bridget frowned. “You can’t be with me every minute.”

“I can if you stay here where there’s no way it can get to you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” she growled.

“I wouldn’t be one. You would stay here as a guest and help me kill this thing. That’s the only way you’ll be safe.” Bas could see the fear in her eyes, but he didn’t know if it was the shadow creature or the offer to stay that was causing it. He smiled, trying to defuse the tension. “Besides, there are bonuses to staying. You haven’t even tasted my cookies yet.”

Bridget’s mouth twitched. “You think they are good enough to convince me to stay in a house with a bunch of dudes I don’t know?”

“No one will ever cause you harm in this house,” Bas said, willing her to believe him. “And my cookies are the best you’ll ever taste.”

Bridget’s mind was so loud, he couldn’t stop the words bombarding him. Is he still talking about cookies? He smells way too good. Oh my god, stop staring at his lips. Look at the articles, Bridget.

The timer on the oven went off, making them both startle, and Bas quickly got the trays out to let them cool. Bridget focused back on the pages before her and didn’t look up until Bas placed tea and cookies in front of her.

Are dream monsters real? I need data. I need to check my books.

Bas grinned, seeing his opportunity. “We can eat these, and then, if you like, I can show you the library.”

“Library? You guys have a library too?” Bridget asked, her whole face lighting up.

“We are an ancient family of magicians, Bridget. Of course, there is a library. A big one.”

Bridget grinned. “Okay, but cookies first.”

The dragon inside Bas that had been prowling and irritable relaxed as she took her first bite. It wanted to feed and coddle her, which was ridiculous. Bridget’s eyes went wide as she chewed, and Bas smirked.

He couldn’t resist asking, “What do you think of my cookie?”

Bridget’s brown cheeks flushed a dusky rose as she licked the chocolate off her thumb. God, he really didn’t need that visual, but fuck, his whole body was now yearning to grab her hand and lick her fingers.

“I’m going to need more time to decide,” Bridget said, reaching for another. “But I’m very interested in eating more.”