Page 3 of Dragon's Golden Mate
“Let’s go then,” Maeve said as she and Lucille moved toward the kitchen. “Just don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”
“I won’t,” Lucille promised before adding, “but it’s not like they don’t already know.”
She shot her sister one last look as they stepped into the kitchen. Maeve instantly felt like she was on display, but she quickly reminded herself that Corbin was the star of the show, seated at the head of the table with his chocolate cake in front of him. Lilith had gone all out with sprinkles and fancy piping. Three candles had been arranged on the side closest to him. Everyone was taking pictures, getting Chelsea and Beck to pose on either side of their son.
It was beautiful, and it did Maeve’s heart good to see it. Chelsea and Beck had been forced apart for a while, causing them to miss out on family moments like this. Now that they were together again, they were soaking up every moment they could. It was no wonder that Chelsea wanted the whole family together. It was Corbin’s birthday, but it was also thefirst one that Chelsea and Beck were both there for. It was truly a milestone.
“Granny!” Corbin called when he spotted Maeve. “Light the candles!”
Honored, Maeve took the box of matches from an upper shelf and stepped forward.
“No,” he said when he saw what was in her hand. “With your fingers!”
“Oh, I see.” Now, Maevekneweveryone was paying attention to her, but at least it was only because they were going to see a bit of magic and not because they were wondering what she thought of Kendrick. Hopefully. Taking a moment to control her breath, she felt her energy rise until it tickled her palms. She pulled her sleeve back so it wouldn’t drape in the frosting and snapped her fingers over the first candle.
Nothing happened.
“Hm.” She tried again, but it still didn’t work. Maeve cleared her throat. She’d known something was off today, but this was much worse than she’d imagined. Her magic rarely failed her. Even when she’d had that awful cold a few years ago, she’d still managed to do a few simple magical tasks.
“What's wrong, Granny?” Corbin asked.
“I don’t know, honey,” she admitted, her cheeksflushing. Everyone was watching, but even worse, she was letting her grandson down. If Chelsea’s panic was contagious, she was starting to catch it.
“Would you like some help?” Kendrick asked quietly as he stepped up behind her.
“Yes, thank you.” Dear Goddess! She had to go through all thisanddeal with standing so close to him? She moved slightly to the side.
Kendrick pulled in a breath, pursed his lips, and sent a small stream of fire shooting out to the candles. Unlike her magic, his worked perfectly.
“Yay!” Corbin exclaimed.
Maeve eyed Kendrick as everyone began singing to the birthday boy. She added her own voice to the tune, and she felt the vibrations of his deep baritone.
He might have lit the candles, but he’d also started a fire within her.
2
Kendrick watchedthe steam rise as he poured his first mug of coffee. Leaving it black, he brought it to the kitchen table. Throughout the years, and even across centuries, his morning ritual had remained the same. He wanted a hot drink and a bit of time to look out the window and just reflect. The rest of the world was busy and chaotic, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t maintain his inner peace.
“Good morning!”
So much for peace.
“Good morning to you, too. You’re up early,” Kendrick noted as his nephew began rifling through the fridge and the kitchen cabinets.
“I thought I’d make breakfast for Chelsea andCorbin,” Beck told him. “They’re a little wiped out after the party yesterday.”
“At least on Corbin’s behalf, I’m sure that means he had fun,” Kendrick said with a smile as he took another sip of coffee. “He was very excited to be three.”
“Are you jealous that the counting isn’t so fun anymore?” Beck teased as he pulled out a carton of eggs, set it on the counter, then resumed digging in the fridge.
Kendrick eyed his nephew as he placed bacon, butter, and bagels next to the eggs and then turned to hunt down more food. “Are you cooking for just your mate and son or for the whole clan?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Beck pointed out as he very purposefully set an orange next to the other items.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s nothing for me to be jealous of. Corbin is excited, and I thought it was cute. Is it so terrible for a crabby old dragon to think a little boy he loves is cute?”
Beck lifted his shoulder in half a shrug. “I just thought that was why you were brooding this morning.”
