Page 86 of Dragon Unleashed
“Uh, what’s...?” Aries doesn’t finish his question, too busy gawking at where Bingo is lying sprawled on the floor and happily munching loudly on a bone the size of a gnome. His menacing appearance is dimmed only by the pony-print birthday hat someone has strapped to his enormous hound head. A fashion statement the hound doesn’t even seem to notice, thanks to the interest in the treat he’s devouring. “Is he friendly?”
I laugh. “As long as he has a bone, sure.”
Aries doesn’t look very relieved.
From where he stands beside the table, Mag looks to me and grins. “What do you think? Too much?”
“My Little Pony? She’s going to hate it.”
“There’s a unicorn on it,” he replies as if it’s an obvious perfect choice. “I thought she’d feel right at home.”
I roll my eyes. “Blossom is going to kill you,” I repeat.
“Blossom is going to kill who?” she calls out as she rounds the corner, Hoc at her side. She stops abruptly. Her gaze narrows on the whole setup and décor and then on Mags. “Really?”
He shrugs. “Seemed fitting. Do you like it?”
I expect her to go full Blossom on him—a term I coined after I once saw her rip him a new one for using the wrong font on an inner-library memo. Instead, she simply rolls her eyes again and heads toward the drink table.
I pull away from Aries and make my way over to Blossom, holding out a bag topped with tissue paper. “Happy birthday.”
She takes the bag and moves the tissue paper aside, pulling out the new pair of boots I bought for her. I watch as her eyes give away her excitement, but by the time she places them back in the bag and looks up at me again, she’s smoothed her expression over. “Thank you.”
“I owed you,” I say with a shrug, knowing she won’t like it if I make it a big deal.
“I’m still mad at you.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.”
She glances over at Aries. “Boyfriend, huh? When did he pop the question?”
“Right before he went into the tunnel,” I lie. I mean, it’s kind of the truth, I guess. It was the night before. If you can consider him asking me to go home with him—forever—as popping the question.
“Then you get a pass on that particular information.” She pops a grape into her mouth. “Fine. No longer mad. But no more secrets, Paige.”
“Deal.” It’s another lie, though, and I hate myself for it. Hoc is sending us to Aries’s world later, and I’m not allowed to say any goodbyes. No one can know where I’ve gone.
And as far as anyone but Hoc will know, I simply disappeared. An unsolved mystery. Which works because, once I leave, I can never come back. It’s the compromise for not wiping my memory entirely.
Even so, my throat constricts with emotion. I wonder if remembering Blossom but never seeing her again is better or worse than being made to forget her entirely.
“Hey. It’s my birthday. You’re not allowed to be sad because we fought, so bottle that shit up until tomorrow. Come on, let’s eat some cake before the gnomes feed it all to their trash panda.” She wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me over toward the birthday table.
Mag breaks off from his conversation with Aries, smiling at Blossom as we approach. “You’re just in time to help me decide on your present,” he tells her. “How about a kiss for your birthday? Or would you rather have spankings instead?”
“I suppose that’s up to you,” Blossom tells him sweetly.
His eyes glitter. “Oh?”
“Sure. Do you want to lose your lips or hand? Your choice.” She winks at him, and Aries laughs.
The sound is so carefree, so unburdened, that it catches me off guard. My heart stumbles at the sight of joy on his face, and I realize that this is the first time I’ve seen such a smile.
Such blinding happiness.
And I decide right here and now that I will do everything possible to keep that smile returning. Starting with making sure Hoc keeps his word to send him home. Though, I guess, after today, it’s my home now too.
The party doesn’t last long, though it’s mostly because Bingo finishes his bone and tries to take a bite out of Kitty. In the ensuing chaos, the tables are upended, and Ted throws up from sugar overload.
