Page 110 of Marked By Moonlight
No, but I couldn’t stand to see her like that. Plus, he and Roux might have learned a lot about Mina, but I knew her even better.
I stepped behind her, making enough noise for her to hear, and slowly wrapped my arms around her.
And, whoa. She was seething with angry energy. Pulsing with it, almost.
Calm down, my mate,my dragon crooned softly.
I squatted, getting as close to her as the chair allowed, gradually nudging my chin over her shoulder.
Every muscle in her body was tight as a wire and not in a good way.
I didn’t bother asking if she was all right, because the answer was obvious. I was dying to ask what had happened, but I didn’t.Still, one thing was clear. She’d finally stood up to her godfather — something I’d never dared do, and I was a goddamn dragon.
I leaned my head against hers and focused on deep, calming breaths. The way she’d done for me after all hell had broken loose in Mallorca.
Everything will be all right, my mate,my dragon whispered.
Mina laced her fingers through mine and squeezed. Her chest rose on a deep breath, and she slowly straightened, then turned to flash me a tight smile.
“Thanks. I needed that,” she whispered.
My heart lifted, and my dragon crooned smugly.Of course, you did.
“Oh, check it out. Adorable lion babies.” Bene pointed to the television.
Mina folded into a soft laugh — another thing she needed — and joined him on the couch. I sat between them and put up with thirty minutes of lions, lions, and more lions.
“Why not a documentary on tigers?” Roux grumbled.
Bene shrugged. “Ask the BBC.”
“Or dragons?” I threw in.
“Baby dragons aren’t adorable. I mean, look at those cubs!” Bene pointed smugly.
I never dreamed I would waste minutes of my life on a lion documentary — or in a conversation at that low a level — but somehow, it was just what we all needed.
The documentary went on to show a hunt, but the antelope got away, to Mina’s relief and Bene’s consternation. Eventually, it concluded with a few philosophical words about man and beast striving to live in harmony or some such fluff, and it closed on a montage of flicking, tufted tails and lions gazing off into spectacular sunsets.
Bene clapped. Mina joined him. I sat between them with my arms firmly crossed.
“Say cheese,” Roux called.
We looked up as he snapped a picture.
“Wait. You have to be in it too,” Mina insisted.
I grumbled under my breath as everyone squeezed together for a selfie no one needed, especially one with a tiger shifter in the foreground. That didn’t stop Roux from sending it to Mina, who picked up her phone to admire it.
I frowned, thinking of the picture of the two of us in Mallorca. Thinking of my enemies.
“Oh.” Mina’s face fell as she scanned her messages.
We all looked over expectantly.
“Anastasia has agreed to sell to Jensen,” she read stiffly.
“Won’t Gordon be glad,” Roux muttered.
