“Look, I know there is no way our friendship will suffer regardless of what happens with you and your mate. That’s not what this crap with my dad was about.”
“Then why are you angry with your father?”
“Because he thinks because your mate is a Dragon, I’m in danger by being near you because he’s not allowed to be.”
“What did you say?” Cristie asked.
“I told him we’re dangerous, too. He could bring it.”
“I’m sorry he’s worried about you. I’m sorry about Remi being here. I’m sorry about the changes it’s having on everyone. Maybe you should just take me home.”
“Nope.”
“Kaiser, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. Nobody, not even Remi himself is going to tell me that we can’t be friends just because your mate is a Dragon.”
“No, they’re not. But if it caused issues between you and your family, then it’s not worth it. You have a wonderful mom and dad. I love them. I don’t want to be the reason there are hard feelings between you guys, even for a little while.”
“That’s not why there are hard feelings, if that’s even what you could call them.”
“Then what is?” Cristie asked, giving her full attention back to Kaiser as he pulled his car into a parking place at their favorite steak house.
He turned off the engine, then looked at her. “You felt it back at the hospital, didn’t you? You asked if I was okay.”
“I felt something, yeah. Is that the problem between them and you?”
He sighed, then looked at the steakhouse. “Let’s go inside and get fed. We’ll talk inside.”
“You promise?”
“Yep. Don’t I always?” Kaiser asked, smiling at her with the grin that got him out of everything he didn’t want to have to deal with.
“Only as far as you let people know,” she snapped.
Kaiser laughed. “Nobody knows me like you do. Come on, thought you were starving…”
~~~
Back at Basilio and Renata’s house, they stood looking at each other, not quite sure what to say as they watched Kaiser drive away.
“What did you say to him?” Renata finally asked.
“Nothing!”
“You said something! He’s upset, very upset.”
“All I said was that if he gets in the middle between Cristie and her Dragon, it could damage their friendship when they finally work it out. I told him he knows nothing about mate bonds and she could easily forgive him and take him back and it won’t help if he’s been in the middle.”
“Okay. Common sense. So why is he so defiant?”
“He started yelling. Wanted to know what makes me think he knows nothing about the mate bond. He said he’s numb, and that he’s met his mate too many times and anything to do with any kind of mate is the last thing on her mind.”
Renata looked at Basilio wide-eyed. “Who?” she asked.
“I have no idea, and I don’t think he’s going tell us any time soon.”
Renata walked back down the hallway toward their living room. She sat on the sofa, her eyes still wide. “I can’t believe he’s met his mate and never told us.”
