Page 18 of Dream Lost (The Fae Universe #12)

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B ridget was still trying to keep Bas upright when a big guy with dark hair strode purposely toward them. All of Bridget’s self-defense training instantly put her on high alert. She pulled Bas behind her.

“Is he okay? Do you need—” the stranger began, reaching for Bas.

“Don’t touch him, or I’ll rip your fucking face off,” Bridget snarled. She had trained with bigger guys than him and knew exactly where to hit.

“‘s okay. He’s an Ironwood,” Bas said brokenly and began to sway. “Lachie.”

Bridget caught him as he fainted. His dead weight started to drag her to the ground when the big guy lifted him in his arms.

“As he slurred so eloquently, I’m Lachlan. Kenna sent me here to make sure everything went okay with the Beauchamps. She wasn’t sure John would let you in. You must be Bridget,” he said with a friendly smile.

“Ah, yeah. How did you know?”

“Family gossip tree. Follow me. I got a car around the corner,” Lachlan replied.

Bridget knew better than to get into a stranger’s car, but she wasn’t about to let him go anywhere with Bas when he was unconscious.

Bridget got in the SUV, and Bas was laid out in the back beside her, his head cradled in her lap. She was trying not to freak out, so she brushed her fingers through his dark curls.

“Okay, Bridget, tell me what happened?” Lachlan asked as he turned the car on.

“Not until we get to the Greatdrakes manor. I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you with Bas. If the other Greatdrakes clear you, I’ll tell you all at the same time,” she said stubbornly.

Lachlan didn’t seem offended. “Smart, but if it’s Apollo you’re doing a character check with, don’t expect him to say nice things about me.”

“Why is that? What did you do to him?” Bridget demanded.

“I haven’t done anything to him. That’s the problem,” he sighed. “I think if he gave me the chance to do things to him, then we would both be better off.”

Bridget sensed a story there but knew better than to ask.

Less than ten minutes later, they pulled into a side street, and Lachlan put a code into a keypad that Bridget swore hadn’t been there a second beforehand.

“Let’s hope Ironwoods are still on the friendly list,” Lachlan said.

The wall beside them shivered and melted to reveal a driveway leading down into a parking lot. A thrill shook Bridget to her core. She had always been in love with magic in books, but seeing it for herself made her want to cry and laugh at the same time.

Bridget let herself believe for one moment that she really could have magical abilities, and her whole body filled with light before she shut it down again. Some things were dangerous to want that much. Her eyes drifted down to the man in her lap. Definitely too dangerous to want him, too, but she did, gods damn it.

Lachlan pulled into a spare parking bay in an underground garage full of cars.

“Oh, shit,” he murmured.

Bridget followed his gaze where Apollo had come charging in, eyes blazing gold and so angry, he looked like he was about to blow the car up.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything to him?” Bridget asked.

Lachlan groaned. “Believe me, I’m sure.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Apollo demanded.

Bridget opened the back door before Lachlan could reply. “Help me with Bas, Apollo. He’s unconscious.”

“What the fuck did you do to my brother, Lachlan?” Apollo demanded, voice going up an octave.

“I found him this way with Bridget,” Lachlan said, lifting Bas out of the car in a fireman’s carry.

“Put him down. I won’t have your hands all over my brother after being on every whore in Dublin,” Apollo snarled, his eyes turning golden bright.

“Enough! You two shut the fuck up and help Bas into a bed or help me, God, I will kick both of your whining asses,” Bridget shouted, bringing both men up short. “He needs help, you dicks.”

Apollo’s eyes didn’t dim, but he held the garage door open for Lachlan to carry Bas through. He must have been heavy, but Lachlan didn’t seem bothered by it as they took Bas up to his room.

After being outside in the glare, the dark blue walls and ebony wood palate of Bas’s bedroom made Bridget want to curl up beside him and stay there. She was upset and overstimulated, and she really needed him to wake up already. Bridget pulled off Bas’s boots and put a very soft throw blanket over him.

“What happened to him?” Apollo asked, checking Bas’s pulse.

“I think he got burned out trying to help one of the victims,” Bridget said. Tears were choking her, panic building for his safety like she had never felt for another person before.

“He seems to be breathing normally, let’s take this out in the hall and let him rest,” Apollo suggested.

Bridget didn’t want to leave Bas, but she allowed Apollo and Lachlan to lead her out. Cosimo was coming up the stairs toward them, and all three men were now staring at her for answers.

“He’s okay, Dad. I think he’s just sleeping,” Apollo told Cosimo as if he knew exactly what his first question was going to be.

Cosimo took a long look at Bridget and then hugged her. She didn’t realize how hard she was shaking until he tightened his arms around her. She didn’t usually like being touched, but somehow, it was exactly what she needed. What was with this family? It was like being around them was changing her suspicious hardwiring.

“There now. You’re all right, and so is Bas. He’s okay,” Cosimo said, stroking her hair. Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she couldn’t hold them back, no matter how embarrassing it was. “You’re in shock, little one. Just breathe. Tell us what happened.”

Bridget pulled back and wiped at her cheeks before telling them about the Beauchamps, how Bas had taken the woman’s hand and had gone into a trance for over an hour. He had started shaking like he was having a fit, and that was when Bridget slapped him.

“I didn’t know what else to do. I was worried that the creature was getting hooks into him too,” she said, sniffing back fresh tears. “It scared the shit out of me. And then he came around and gave them a protection sigil like everything was cool, but when I got him outside, it was like all his strength left him.”

“Magic drain,” Lachlan suggested and then swore. “Kenna shouldn’t have sent him on his own like that.”

“He will need more than the average sigil to keep this creature away.” Apollo pulled out his phone and looked at Lachlan. “Where is Charlotte? I need her and Reeve.”

“They are both in England, but she’ll come home for this.”

Cosimo nodded. “Good. We will need her help with some of her patches. Perhaps they will work at killing the creature’s connection to the victims. Bas can’t exorcise this creature from all these infected people one at a time.”

“No, he can’t because I’m not letting him do that again,” Bridget said, crossing her arms. “I might not know anything about magic, but he’s not putting himself through that every time.”

Apollo grinned. “That sounds very possessive of you.”

“It’s protective, not possessive,” she snapped back. “And I don’t care what you think. You guys are pretending this is just an average day for you, but I was there, and I saw it. This thing is ancient and powerful, and Bas isn’t going to fight it alone.”

Cosimo laid a hand on her shoulder. “No one is going to let Bas do this alone. Fighting monsters is what this family does best, and we do it as a team. We will let Bas sleep, get his side of what happened when he wakes up, and then make a plan. In the meantime, you should get some rest too.”

“Thanks, but no. I’m going back to the library so I can figure out what this creature is,” Bridget said, her hands clenching in anger. “And then I’m going to find a way to kick its fucking ass.”

“You really do belong in this family,” Lachlan commented with a grin.

“Yeah, she’s perfect for him,” Apollo laughed softly. Then he seemed to realize who he was talking to, and his ears went red. “You should go. Thanks for...you know. Helping.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll update Charlotte and Reeve and get them back home. Call me when he wakes up?” Lachlan asked, his blue eyes staring at Apollo like he was a chocolate cake he really wanted to eat.

“Okay,” Apollo replied and looked away, his ears still bright pink.

Cosimo led Lachlan out, and Bridget took a moment to elbow Apollo softly. “So what’s all that about? You two used to date or something?”

Apollo groaned. “Unfortunately, no. It’s...complicated.”

Bridget looked back at Bas’s bedroom door. “I’m starting to feel like ‘complicated’ explains this whole family. I’m not usually emotional, but it’s been a long time since I was that scared over someone’s safety.”

“I understand.” Apollo put his arm around her shoulders. “Bas in a trance is weird enough on a normal day, but seizing is a new level of terror, especially if you aren’t used to seeing him that way. Come on, let’s go to the library and see if we can figure out what the fuck hurt our Basset Bear.”

“And how to kill it,” Bridget added with a soft snarl. She was really looking forward to that part.