Page 49 of Dragon in Denial
Chapter 12
Ketu was so furious with Antoinette, he wouldn’t even stay for dinner after Delilah finally left.
Which was fine, because Antoinette was pissed at him, too. She’d done what she needed to do to cut off the dragon’s blood trade. Which was exactly what he’d been sent to New Orleans to do.
You’re welcome, Ketu.
She snagged a beer and headed into the living room where Henri and Simeon were sitting together watching a cartoon calledWild Kratts. Which was ironic as hell because these guys were able to change form into different kinds of animals, yet humans didn’t even believe in the existence of shapeshifters.
“So you and Ketu are fighting, huh?” Simeon asked when she dropped into the recliner.
She shrugged. Didn’t really want to talk about it. What was there to say anyway? They were both right and both wrong, and both were too damn stubborn to figure out how to compromise. And yeah, she was probably even more frustrated because they weren’t just friends anymore, so now there was another layer of emotion added to it all.
She wished she had someone to talk to about this, but of course, she had no one. Her closest friends were Ketu’s parents, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to tell them how good their son was in bed.
Mamáwalked into the room carrying a laundry basket. She seated herself next to Simeon, who sat up and helped methodically fold towels and shirts and underwear.
“Ketu’s upset because of the deal Antoinette made with the woman who came here and cast a spell on Henri and me,”Mamástated.
Someone had been eavesdropping.
“What’s the deal?” Simeon asked.
Antoinette sighed. “I agreed to help this half-witch, half-dragon become reeve if she would shut down the dragon’s blood business.”
Simeon grunted. “Nothing wrong with that. The gods know the current reeve is useless anyway. And we sure as hell don’t want Darius to step into the role.”
“Exactly,” Antoinette said. Of course, he didn’t know Delilah was also part of Darius’s drug trade. If he did, he probably wouldn’t be quite so supportive.
But Antoinette was still convinced she was doing the right thing.This will work. It has to.
Henri yawned and Antoinette glanced at the clock. “Are you about ready for bed, buddy?”
He shrugged and snuggled closer to his papa. Antoinette placed her beer on the coffee table and held out her arms. “Come on, let’s go put your jammies on. I’ll get you tucked in and read you a book. How’s that sound?”
He lifted his arms and she picked him up, carrying him down the hall, where she helped him get ready for bed. She tucked him in and then perused his bookshelf. “What are you in the mood for tonight?”
“Fiona Finds a Mate,” he piped up. Antoinette smiled. Her silly little son was such a romantic.
“Sounds good.” She lay down on top of the covers and flipped to the first page, where she began reading the story of a lonely dragon who wanted to find her mate, except everyone she came into contact with was the wrong person. First she tried a ladybug and then a hummingbird and then a cheetah, and the entire time, her best friend Freddy helped her with her quest. Of course, what Fiona didn’t realize until the end of the story was that Freddy was her mate. She just had to learn to open her mind and see him for what he was.
In the meantime, she and Freddy were able to talk telepathically, which was a trait most often found in dragons who were fated mates.
Antoinette stopped reading and stared until the words blurred on the page.
“Keep going,Manman,” Henri protested, so she started up again.
At the end of the book, Fiona and Freddy flew together for the first time, which of course was how they realized they were meant to be together, because that’s how dragons figured out they were fated.
She dropped the book into her lap.
“What’s wrong,Manman?” Henri asked.
She shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing, sweetie. Time to shut those eyes.” She kissed his forehead and climbed off the bed. “I love you,mijo.”
“I love you too,Manman.”
She flipped off the light and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her before leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor.
