Page 23 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

“It’s not quiet anymore,” Harvey said slyly. “Ivo is practicing his... sucking techniques.”

Ace tripped in the grass. “What?”

“You should suck harder,” Harvey said mildly. “I don’t think you’re doing it hard enough.”

The thing was, he was right. Because there was still some smoke in the air.

Ivo began sucking more vigorously, moving his head around to capture all the white wisps he could see.

“What the hell are you sucking?” Ace asked.

“White stuff,” Harvey said.

Ace tripped again. “Damn grass!”

“Yes, blame it on the grass,” Harvey said, grinning wickedly.

Ivo wondered if Harvey would tell his boss all of his secrets.

But Harvey flapped his hand dismissively and flounced off. “See you later, alligator!”

“I’m not an alligator,” Ace grumbled.

“You’re just a glorified alligator with wings,” his butler called back.

“Better than a dinosaur.” Ace scowled, but he stomped his way through the grass. Then he crouched in front of Ivo, smudged with blood and dirt but still devastatingly handsome. Perhaps even more so now. “Are you all right?”

Ivo nodded. “I didn’t do anything except throw a rock.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “You can only see out of one eye. For the most part, you move like you’re still missing your depth perception. But that throw—you hit him in the head on your first try. How did you do that?”

He noticed.Ivo ducked his head, his neck prickling. “It was the one thing I could do before—before all this happened.” Hegestured vaguely at his body. “I spent several months relearning how to throw projectiles.”

Ace’s mouth curved into a pleased smile. “You did well.”

Ivo blushed, trying to hide how good Ace’s praise made him feel.

“Even so.” Ace’s voice dropped to a growl. “I’d much rather you stay out of fights. Leave the protecting to me, Ivo.”

“I was worried about you!”

“I appreciate that. But Mary needs you. I want you to be safe for her sake.” In the fading light, Ace’s lips glistened, his gold eyes flecked with brown. They were so close again, Ace sweeping his gaze down Ivo’s body to check if he was hurt.

Ivo felt so safe with him, the way he felt with no one else. “Why does Harvey call you Spicy Master?”

Ace snorted. “Because he’s not allowed to call me Dragon Master in public.”

“And because you’re hot, Spicy Master!” Harvey shouted. “Just ask Spicy Consort!”

Ivo froze, wondering how he was going to escape all the awkward questions.

“Quit eavesdropping,” Ace grumbled.

“You know I can’t!” Harvey yelled back.

“Ugh,” Ace said. He looked so disgruntled that Ivo laughed.

Ace glanced up suddenly, his eyes wide. “I like it when you laugh.”

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