Page 30 of Dream Lost (The Fae Universe #12)

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B as refused to let Bridget go, so the Greatdrakes ended up gathering together the lawn furniture that wasn’t broken and having their tea outside. Bridget was given a cup of rum that she sipped while sitting on Bas’s foot.

“How long is he going to be like this?” Cosimo asked.

Taranis shrugged. “First shifts can vary. He needs to want to be human. Once he can make that link between his human and dragon side, he will be able to slip in between them as quickly and easily as he likes.”

“You were right when you said that high emotions kick it off,” Valentine commented. He was staring at Bas, a frown on his face. “They were shagging at the time.”

“Wow, can you not tell the king of the fae dragons that?” Bridget said, putting a hand over her face. “And Cosimo is sitting right there.”

“I hate to alarm you, Bridget dear, but I have had sex before,” Cosimo replied with a smile that was too much like his son’s. All the Greatdrakes had that sly little grin designed to melt the panties off anyone it was aimed at.

“Sex or fighting is usually how it goes,” Taranis said, unperturbed by any of it. “That’s why dragons usually shift in their teens. You all are late bloomers because magic was broken for so long. Nature is healing and all that.”

Apollo chewed a cookie nervously. “So I really need to not fight with Lachlan anymore if I don’t want to shift.”

“Or you need to just fuck him and get it over with,” Quinn piped up.

Apollo spluttered in outrage, and Bridget laughed.

“He wants to know if Mpreg is a thing, Quinn, and is afraid to ask,” Bridget said because if they were going to embarrass her, she sure as hell was going to return the favor.

“What’s Mpreg?” Taranis asked.

Quinn explained, in great detail, with hand gestures, and the look on his face was so priceless that Bridget wished she had a phone on her to take a photo.

“What? No! That’s not a thing. Only women have the power to create life. It’s why you should always worship the Goddess because she is the life bringer,” Taranis said, with a shake of his head. “Look, Apollo, if you and Lachie want to have children one day, there are surrogates. Dragons have always had same-sex matings, and there have always been donors and surrogates willing to help them have a family.”

“I don’t want Lachlan Ironwood’s babies! That’s not why I was asking. I just don’t want to get pregnant by accident,” Apollo said, red-faced.

Cosimo and Valentine both rolled their eyes, and Bridget hid her smile behind her glass. No one was buying Apollo’s bullshit.

“Basset will return to his human form when he’s ready to. I don’t think he’s going to let you go tonight, Bridget, so I hope he’s comfortable to sit on,” Taranis said a short time later.

“I’ll be fine if I can grab a pillow,” Bridget replied. “I don’t want to leave him. He’s...scared.”

“A first shift is always terrifying, so I’m not surprised by that. Quinn and I will stay in one of your guest rooms tonight in case we are needed again.”

Cosimo let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I feel better knowing you are here for this. I am out of my depth, and I don’t like it when my children are in pain.”

Quinn hugged him. “It’ll be okay, Daddy G. Bas just has to be an overachiever as much as possible. I’m sure Bridget will be able to convince him back to his human self. He will want to make out with her too badly. Can’t do that as a dragon.”

“Pussy power,” Apollo nodded. “Good plan. Bound to work.”

Bridget shook her head. “Your family is out of control, Bas. You can’t leave me alone with them, or I’ll die of embarrassment.”

Bas only nuzzled her again, and she took that as agreement.

It took a bit of coaxing and some mild threats from Taranis, but Bas let Bridget go long enough for her to use the bathroom. Cosimo gave her a pillow and another blanket, and she made herself a nest in the space between Bas’s chest and the foot he held open for her.

“You better not squish me in my sleep,” she warned, curling up into a ball. Bas just stared at her with his big glowing eyes. They were alone in the darkness, and Bridget didn’t know how to help.

Pussy power, she thought and laughed softly. Like that would work .

She rested a hand on his scales. “Come back to me soon, okay? I don’t get along with anyone like I get along with you. Orgasms are great and all, Bas, but that’s not all I need you for. I’d miss talking to you too much. You’re the only one who understands me.”

Bridget’s throat hurt just saying it, but she pushed on. “I’m in love with you. You get that, right? I don’t know how to deal with this alone, Bas. I don’t know how to process this much emotion without you here to kiss my fears away. Because this whole thing scares the shit out of me. Magic and dragons and a Brollachan awake and hunting. I need you back so I don’t freak out and run away from it all.”

Bridget wiped at her cheeks. “Look! Actual fucking tears. I don’t cry over anything, Bas. I’ve cried more in the last week than in the last decade. What the fuck. That’s not natural. Just...come back and explain it all to me.”

She curled up in her blankets, exhausted and unsure if he understood her words. He hadn’t touched her mind again, and only the dragon was staring out at her.

Bas, the dragon, must have realized she was distressed because its claws curled around her. Trying to comfort her or stop her from running away, Bridget couldn’t guess. She clutched her pillow to her and tried to focus on the warmth and gentle whooshing sound of his breath, hoping it would calm her enough to finally sleep.

Bridget woke with a gentle rocking motion. Strong arms held her tight, and she was wrapped up in her blankets. Bas was carrying her inside, and dawn light was creeping over the horizon.

“You’re... You’re back,” she said and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank fuck, you’re back.”

“I am. I had to fight the dragon about it, but it eventually concluded that you needed the human me more. You are its weak spot,” Bas squeezed her tighter to him. “And mine too.”

“Put me down. You must be exhausted,” Bridget said, and he lowered her to her feet. He was naked and swaying a little. Bridget took off the robe that she was wearing and held it out to him.

“Here, put this on, and I’ll make you some breakfast,” she said. She helped him put it on over his large shoulders and tied it for him.

“Bridget, I’m okay. You don’t need to fuss,” he said gently.

“Fuck you, Bas. Let someone else take care of you for once. I’m allowed to worry about you after you changed into a fucking dragon for the first time,” Bridget snapped.

Bas looked so surprised by her outburst that he only nodded. “Okay. I’m really hungry?”

“Thought you might be. I have to warn you, I can only cook bacon and scrambled eggs without burning them, so that’s what you’re getting,” she said, taking his hand and tugging him into the kitchen.

“Bacon and eggs would be perfect,” he said, sounding tired.

She pushed him down on a chair and ensured he could sit upright. “Stay there.”

“Staying,” he said and kissed her hand before letting her go.

Bridget got Bas a glass of water before tackling the kitchen. The fridge was enormous but meticulously organized. It made her think of her stacks of books back in her apartment compared to the absolute wreckage that was her wardrobe. The kitchen was Bas’s domain, so it shouldn’t have surprised her. It made her heart squeeze a little with love that he was allowing her to rummage around in it without comment.

“I’m sorry that all of this ruined our moment,” Bas said. Bridget dumped the eggs, bacon, and butter on the counter.

“You apologize again, and I will hurt you. You didn’t ruin a thing. We will have plenty more moments,” she said, waving a spatula at him.

Bas’s lips twitched. “We will? The dragon thing hasn’t turned you off?”

“Are you kidding? It makes you even hotter, which I didn’t think was possible, but here we are.” Bridget found the frying pan and set it on a burner. “You really need to check out your Auntie Quinn’s website following if you think that dragons will be a turn-off.”

Bas laughed. “I need to be able to look her in the eye at family gatherings, so I can’t do that.”

“I don’t know how much information was being filtered through to you in dragon form tonight, but watching Quinn explain Mpreg to Taranis was a thing of beauty.”

“Oh, no, how did he take it?” Bas asked, and Bridget told him everything about the night while she cooked. She may have left out the part about her begging him to come back because she loved him. It wasn’t the right time. Absolutely not because she was a coward and found admitting her messy feelings to a dragon easier than a human.

Bridget plated up the bacon and eggs and sat it down in front of him.

“It’s probably not going to be as great as yours, but there’re no shells or burned bits,” she said.

Bas ate a forkful of eggs and smiled at her. “This is the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

“Pretty sure it’s your dragon still messing with your head. Just eat so I can take you upstairs. We both need a shower and a sleep.”

Bas nodded and fell on his food. He didn’t speak the whole time and didn’t object when Bridget pushed what was left on her plate at him. She figured the hunger was natural.

Upstairs, Bridget stripped them off and got Bas under the shower.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” he said, his hand going to her bare hip and drawing her close.

Bridget poured out some shower gel and lathered up his amazing chest. “You don’t have to thank me for this. Trust me, I’m enjoying it. I should be thanking you right now.”

Bas chuckled softly. “I wish I wasn’t so tired so I could fuck you senseless again.”

“Something to look forward to tomorrow,” she said and put her hands around his neck. “I’ll settle for a kiss.”

Bas’s mouth dropped to hers, and she met it with enthusiasm. She wanted him to know deep down that she was telling the truth and that she wasn’t turned off by him turning into a dragon. In fact, there wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t turn her on.

“Good to know,” he growled, his hands cupping her ass.

“Hey, hey, stop that. You need sleep, and so do I. Also, reading my mind is cheating,” she pointed out. She slipped from his grip and turned the shower off.

“I wasn’t reading your mind. It shouted it at me,” Bas said, a hungry look in his eyes as he stared at her, wet and dripping.

“Focus, Bas,” she teased. Bridget was tired but was secretly pleased that he liked the way she looked. She didn’t give much thought to how other people viewed her. Bas wasn’t other people.

They toweled off and climbed into bed, naked. It was another kind of intimacy that Bridget never explored because she thought it would make her too vulnerable. She was safe with Bas. She knew that down to her bones. He wrapped his arm around her, and she rested her head on his chest.

Bridget was almost asleep when Bas murmured, “Bridget? I love you too.”