Page 9 of Matched By the Dragon

Bennie was quieter on the drive back. The babies back in their human forms babbled all the way back to Brad’s house.

My thoughts circled around Brad and his bear cubs. They’d been through so much and then Raziel pulled this on them. Obviously, fate had us headed for each other anyway. I’d only been here a few weeks. I was sure fate would’ve gotten around to smushing us together sooner or later. I wasn’t as annoyed with Raziel as Bennie thought I should be. It wasn’t like I was in any place to dive headfirst into something new either. Sure, I’d like him to actually speak to me without whacking me with a walking stick, but those things took time.

When we got back to Brad’s house, I carried the food to the porch while Bennie unloaded his cubs from the car. I almost walked inside, but thought better of it. This wasn’t my home. Sure, my mate was inside and the true-mate response magic was tugging me hard but that was on me. It didn’t matter how badly you wanted to be near someone whether or not they wanted you there mattered.

“Knock at least,” Bennie called, wrestling a squirming baby who didn’t seem to want to be carried. The baby shifted into his tiger cub form and a second later his brother followed suit. I started to sit the box down so I could knock but Alby opened the door before I could.

“Thanks, babe!” Bennie called out. “These two are going to eat us if we don’t let them have at it soon.”

Alby pointed a finger at the cubs and they froze mid wiggle, clinging to Bennie’s sides.

“Come on in. We’ll set the food up in the kitchen,” Alby said, stepping back so I could carry the box inside.

Brad sat on the living room floor on a giant patchwork quilt. His cubs were asleep against his legs and the tiger cub who stayed with him and Alby chewed on his own tail until I walked by. He watched me like he was wondering whether or not his parents would let him by with hunting me. I winked at him, but he looked thoroughly unimpressed with me.

“That’s everyone’s sentiment here,” my bear chimed into my thoughts. “We’re only good for food runs.”

“Did you ask them about the milkshakes?” Alby called back to Bennie who was just walking through the door.

“Yeah. They made you one!” Bennie called back. “I brought one for Brad too just in case! There’s a chocolate and a strawberry. I figured you guys can work it out. They normally don’t make them so early in the morning. So, I figured we’d take what they’d give us.”

“You can set it down anyway,” Alby told me. “We’ll get it sorted out. How was the drive? How was Raziel? Did you punch him?”

“Punch him?” I grunted setting the box of takeout down on the table.

“Yeah. For causing this trouble?” Alby smirked.

“No.”

“Probably for the best. Though, if you’d broken your hand… Maybe if you where maimed Brad would relax,” Alby shrugged.

“I’d rather not test that theory.”

“Fair enough.”

Chapter 3

Brad

The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory

After breakfast, Bennie and Alby took their cubs and went home. Alby asked me dozens of times if I was sure that I’d be okay alone with Durin. I wasn’t sure at all, but the cubs needed a nap and Alby looked like he did too. They’d crawled out of bed early because of Raziel’s stunt.

I locked the door behind them and sat back down on my quilt with Resin and Oaklan. The boys had passed out after eating breakfast and were flopped on each other in bear cub form. Durin sat stiffly on the sofa. He’d taken his shoes off, following Bennie’s lead, but he looked as if he sat in the parlor of a funeral home instead of in the living room of his true-mate. To be fair, I hadn’t been welcoming. I still didn’t know how to be welcoming. It didn’t matter that Alby and I had talked it in circles or that Star Hemlock Night Star had called me himself to give me a mini background check on Durin. It lined up with what he had told me, but still, alone was safer. I could trust myself to never change and hurt my cubs.

I dozed off with the boys and when I woke up my living room and kitchen were straightened up and all the breakfast takeout boxes and bags were in the recycling. The box from the temple had been brought in from the porch. A big bag of the temple’s trail mix blend sat on the coffee table and the washing machine was going.

“They wash things at the temple, but I threw the plushie and pillows in the wash. Figured you’d want to do it anyway.”

I nodded. I opened my mouth to tell him that he didn’t have to clean up after us, but I shut my mouth because he was smart enough to know that I hadn’t asked him to do anything besides go with Bennie to get breakfast. He was doing that thing where alpha bears tried to impress omegas. I had two cubs to take care of. So, I’d let him have a go at it as long as he actually did useful things.

That was how he moved into my house by accident. I never told him to leave and he never bothered to. It was just one thing after another. Not long after we woke up it was time to feed the boys lunch. So I spread out the tarp in what once was the ballroom and dumped out several frozen bags of fruit and peeled some bananas. Then I busted open a few watermelons on my knee.

Durin eyed me through it all. At first, I thought he was thinking that I was using the ballroom for all the wrong things, but when I busted the first watermelon open his lips quirked up into a smile. Yep. He thought I was sexy breaking watermelons.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said, but there was no bite to it. “I bet you’re one of those alphas who can pop them with your thighs. Though, don’t waste food like that here. The watermelons are for the babies. You’ll have to buy your own leg melons to play with.”

“Got it,” Durin nodded, looking like he might laugh.