Page 25 of Dragon Thief of New York
“Give me a boost, D.” I step onto Damian’s intertwined hands and pull myself to the top of the elevator, where the fireman is waiting. He’s moved back, looking a little rattled. But when he sees me, he shakes off his confusion and smiles, probably deciding he imagined the whole thing.
I reach down and easily pull Damian up. Dragons are a lot stronger than humans.
After that, it’s not much of a scramble to get out of the open doors and into the hall where Kat huddles against the wall with a paramedic crouched in front of her, shining a light in her eyes. She looks beautifully disheveled, and they’re probably worried something happened to her. If only they knew.
Her gaze meets mine first, then slides to Damian’s. Confusion clouds her expression as her eyebrows tug down. Oh shit! We should have had Damian go up with her. We were all so out of it after that beautiful display of hers that we didn’t even think about what her leaving him would mean.
Damian holds back as I make my way over to Kat and sink down next to her. It’s not until the paramedic leaves that she leans into me and whispers. “Is that man a firefighter? Why isn’t he in uniform?”
“No, beauty. He’s my friend, Damian. He was in the elevator with us.”
“No, he wasn’t. Not with… well… I would remember, and I never would have… but we did… didn’t we?” The fluster in her voice would be adorable if it wasn’t tinged with sadness, like her body remembers the grief her mind can’t comprehend.
I pull her into a hug as my gaze finds Damian’s. He looks ready to break. I can’t ask him to be the one to do this. “I’m gonna tell you a story, alright, beauty?”
Kat scowls at me. “This is hardly a good time for storytelling, rockstar.”
I smile at the nickname, liking it a lot better than when she calls mekid. “Why rockstar?” I ask.
“Cause you're a cocky bastard with no self control,” she answers, clearly trying to stay mad at me, but failing to keep the new fondness from her voice. “Plus the tattoos.”
I laugh and pull her into my lap.
While Damian lies to the firemen and the building superintendent about the electrical equipment in the elevator catching fire, I quietly tell Kat her story.
“N-no,” she whispers, shaking her head as she stares at Damian.
I tap her heart. “You know it’s true, beauty. I have no reason to lie to you.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but she doesn’t let them fall. She blinks them back, nodding slowly. I give her as much time as she needs, silently rubbing her back, while Damian finishes up with the firemen.
When he finally joins us, looking tentatively at our mate, she stands and surprises us both by flinging herself into Damian’s arms. He lets out an unexpectedhumph, looking at me for guidance. I shrug. I definitely wasn’t expecting her to respond like that. Slowly, his arms come up to wrap around her, and he rests his cheek on the top of her head. They look perfect together. Perfect, and heartbreaking.
I let them hold each other for a few minutes before standing and placing a hand on her back. Most of the firefighters have already gone. There’s just one left talking to the building manager. I catch his eye, and he waves us off.
“Come on,” I say, rubbing Kat’s back. “Let’s go back upstairs. You should get some rest.”
“No.” Kat puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not going to bed and forgetting again. You’re taking me to these priests and priestesses or whoever the fuck can fix this right now.”
I’d given her a little rundown of our conversation in the elevator, so she knows we need to talk to a priest or priestess in order toget answers, but I didn’t expect her to want to do that tonight. I should have guessed, though. My mate is full of fire.
“Kat, love, this isn’t a question for just any dragon priest or priestess,” Damian says. “The only place we might find answers is the high temple, and getting there would mean flying for hours. You’re not ready for that.”
She jabs her finger into his chest. “I’ll tell you what I’m ready for. I’m ready to stop forgetting my fucking mate.” She glances at me. “Well, one of them.”
“What about Lincoln?” Damian says softly. “You can’t just rush off in the middle of the night. You have a son. A job. It could take days to get the answers you’re looking for. And they might not be the answers you want.”
“Fuck!” She curses and stomps off toward the stairs, calling behind her. “Stay with me. I’m not listening to that story again.”
Damian and I share a quick look before running after her. When she reaches her apartment, she stops before opening the door. “Here’s how this is going to go. We’re not telling Lincoln a word about you being his dad. Not yet. I just… not yet.”
“Okay.” Damian’s voice is little more than a whisper.
“You’re sleeping in my bed tonight, and you’re gonna pray to every deity you know that being in the same room will be enough for me to remember you in the morning. In case it’s not, you,”she points at me, “are sleeping with me too, so that I don’t wake up alone with a strange man in my bed and freak the fuck out.”
“Oh, I am more than happy with this arrangement.” I grin, boxing Kat in against the door and dragging my nose along the curve of her neck. “There’s nothing I want more than to share a bed with you, Kat.”
She shoves my shoulder, which doesn’t do much, so she wraps her hand around my throat. “You’re not out of the doghouse, mister.”
