Page 33 of Dream Lost (The Fae Universe #12)

33

B ridget and Bas were assigned to Temple Bar. Everyone agreed that if the Brollachan would openly attack anyone, it would be them, so being close to the Greatdrakes mansion was going to be a boon. If everything went to shit, the Brollachan couldn’t get past the wards. They only needed to get behind them to be safe.

Bridget hung onto Bas’s hand as they walked along the river in the fading afternoon sun. It wasn’t the worst way to spend her time. They didn’t know what they were looking for exactly, but Bridget trusted Bas’s instincts.

“Any word from the others?” she asked.

Bas checked his phone and shook his head. “Nothing yet. Valentine has the spirit box and his motorbike ready to go if any of us need him.” Bas had flat out refused to touch the device, so Valentine was on call for whoever found the Brollachan first.

“You all seem surprised at the meeting that he would make something like that,” Bridget nudged.

Bas let out a sigh. “We really shouldn’t be by now. Val tends to look at boundaries as things to cross. He’s got a good enough moral center not to want to use any of the fucked up things he knows how to do. It’s his curiosity that does it to him. He just can’t help himself.”

Bridget chewed that over. “What does he have to prove? He’s already a good magician, right?”

“The best I have seen and many others too. He tries to hide just how good he is, which isn’t typical for a magician. He doesn’t want to get any targets on our backs because people are jealous,” Bas explained. His dark eyes scanned the river, not really seeing it. “It’s lonely at the top. I worry about that for him more than whether or not he’s going to go full dark lord.”

“Your family is complicated and a half,” Bridget said with a shake of her head.

“I know. Is that going to be an issue? For us, I mean,” Bas asked.

Bridget thought about the way Cosimo had hugged her so tightly. How they all had welcomed her into the fold in their own way, accepting her quirks and the way they all bickered with each other but loved each other so deeply.

“No, that’s not going to be an issue. It keeps things interesting. That’s good because I get bored easily,” Bridget bumped her shoulder against him. “Nothing is boring about you, Bas Greatdrakes.”

He stopped walking, took her face in his warm hands, and kissed her deeply. Bridget’s surprise melted. All of her melted.

“Once we have dealt with this Brollachan, you and I are going to have a very serious discussion— with very little clothing,” Bas said and kissed her forehead.

“About magic?” she asked because sometimes she couldn’t help being a brat.

Bas laughed softly. “We can always add it to the agenda. I might even make another torte for the occasion.”

“Chocolate cake in bed? You are the perfect man.” Bridget clutched at her chest. “My heart can’t take anymore.”

Bas put his arm around her shoulder. “You’re going to take everything I give you, little hawk.”

Bridget’s pussy went on high alert with excitement. “Don’t do that to me when I can’t take you home and fuck you.”

“I like you thinking about it,” he growled, low and husky.

“I’m always thinking about it, you jerk. It’s disconcerting because I haven’t been too fussed about sex, and now it’s all I want,” Bridget grumbled.

“Can’t say I’m too upset by that. Once you go dragon, baby,” Bas said, patting her on the ass. She poked him hard in the side, making him laugh harder.

They had just passed Ha’Penny Bridge when a ripple of unease crept over Bridget. It was like someone had walked over her grave. She let go of Bas and drifted to the side of the wall to look over the water. People in kayaks were rowing past, using the little docks into the river to get in and out of their boats.

“What is it?” Bas asked.

“I don’t know. I just got a weird feeling,” she said. She felt like she was underwater. Everything went muted, and she thought she was about to dissociate. Bas was saying something, but she ignored him, following the pull of the feeling. She walked down a set of concrete stairs to the river. The dock was empty, and as soon as she stepped onto it, her feet sank into invisible mud. A shadowy man with too many teeth smiled at her.

“Got you,” he said and leaped inside of her, sending Bridget’s consciousness tumbling into the astral plane.