“He just talks so much about finances,” my Fated Mate playfully whines.
“And yet you have learned nothing,” Abacus grouses prior to assisting his wife in the cleaning.
“Not true! I learned the best way to save money on subscription services is by logging in with your brothers’ accounts.”
“Ana was nothing but welcoming to me too,” Min promptly joins the conversation. “Even gave me a tip of how to lift Al when he’s in a bad mood.”
Her husband thoughtlessly grins. “There isn’t much M&M’s, can’t fix.”
“No doubt that Ana’s an amazing sister,” Abe states on a soft smile.
“The best ever,” his twin echoes.
“So, naturally, we only want the best for her,” Alex announces, disposition unchanged.
“And you ain’t it, shiny shoes.” Abs declares in an impish yet serious fashion.
Burn.
We’ve been over this. I can’t fucking do that.
Try.
No.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
No! Turning our Fated Mate’s siblings into burnt marshmallows won’t help her want to bond. It’ll send her literally screaming in the opposite direction, which is what we do. Not. Want.
His pause is so long I assume he’s backed down.
Burn.
Fuck, you’re useless sometimes.
“Give me a chance to prove otherwise,” I politely insist while Minnie wipes her sticky hands on my white polo next to the BBQ sauce stain from our rib eating earlier. “Why don’t you guys pick some games and let me show you what I’m really made of?”
“You might break a nail,” Abs pokes loudly causing all his brothers, except Al, to chuckle.
“Do dragons have nails?” Minnie innocently asks.
The correction is under my breath. “Claws.”
Ana’s panicked expression isn’t noticed by anyone other than me.
“Of course, firefighters have nails,” Abel quickly reassures her.
My Fated Mate looks at me with confusion, and I simply offer her a warm smile.
The Fog doing what it does best.
Keeping Sleepers eyes closed.
“You’re a firefighter, too?” Abe cautiously investigates.
“Volunteer,” I state prior to changing the subject. “You seem to hate me the most Alex. How about you pick first?”
“Done,” he cockily states and chugs down what’s left in his cup. “Let’s throw some balls around.”
“For fucking Great Ones, I hope he means baseballs and not the ones in his jeans,” Ana murmurs to me.
Laughter crashes into hungry hums overhearing her use Awaker terms.
Fuck, I fall more and more in love with my Fated Mate by the literal minute.
Relocating over to the milk bottle toss as an entire unit is a process. Between kids trying to wander off, siblings good naturedly goading one another, and random ass squeezes from my other half that get my inner dragon huffing for us to bond, the journey feels like it takes at least a decade.
Upon our arrival, I put Minnie down at the same time I make her a promise. “When I beat your Uncle Alex, you can pick out any stuffed animal you want.”
She gleefully claps while he grunts, “Dream on, pretty boy. The only thing you’re going to be beating is your meat later when my baby sis dumps you.”
“Uh…graphic,” Lainey gags on a shake of the head. “And on that note, I’m gonna take my two littles to ride the bumble bee.” Her frame folds forward to peer around us. “Minnie, you wanna come?”
“No, thank you,” she politely denies. “I wanna see Uncle A.D. beat Uncle Alex.”
Her confidence my direction receives a grin from me yet a sneer from him.
“I’ll go first,” Alex insists, shoving money towards the carnival employee. “Give you a chance to backdown before you embarrass yourself.”
Beat.
Oh, I so fucking am.
Paws.
No. We’re not gonna physically whoop his ass with our dragon fists.
My hands fly into the air in a surrendering fashion prior to me folding my arms across my chest.
Alex arrogantly picks up the first baseball and pegs it at the top bottle. It flies off into the air giving the impression he’s got quite an arm. He offers me an unnecessary bit of trivia about himself. “Used to play ball in the complex.” Afterward, he hurls the second barely making the two bottles in the middle wiggle. Disappointment with his own results pushes him to add additional force to his final throw. This one gets those bottles to the ground yet leaves the three at the base unmoved. “Not bad,” he compliments himself. “Not bad at all for being rusty.”
“You should get a shot for that,” Ana pokes at her sibling’s choice of words.
He laughs it off, steps to the side, and waves a hand to usher me forward.
I take a moment to look down at my female unsure if she wants me to humble her siblings or keep doing my best to be nice. She delivers a small wink and a nod that have me thanking The Goddess of Fate she gave me a mate who isn’t afraid to let me unleash my shifter side in mixed company.
Placing a bill on the table is followed by three baseballs being set out in front of me. I lift the first and lightly toss it in my palm verifying that the old Sleeper tricks are still in place. Chances are if the ball is lighter then that means those three bottom bottles are weighted down. Not that it matters. One of the benefits of being an ancient dragon shifter is the amount of strength we have even in our Awaker form. The first pitch from me sends all six bottles in opposite directions and causes the carnival employee to cower to one side of the booth in fear of being hit.
His widened eyes hit my glittery ones prompting me to ask, “Do you want me to do it two more times or just let my niece pick her prize?”
He swiftly shakes his head and devotes his attention to Minnie. “Whatever prize you want little girl.”
“Yay!” Minnie immediately squeals.
She begins shopping, yet I hit Alex with an amused expression. “You wanna try again or call it?”
“I’m fucking going again.”
And once Minnie has her oversized Mr. Potato Head stuffed toy, he does. The carnival worker resets the shots, takes more of his money, and allows Ana’s brother to pelt baseballs to his heart’s content. She presses herself proudly against me, offering me a bright beam of approval. I drape my arm protectively around her shoulder and deliver soft strokes during our observing. She doesn’t hesitate to laugh at his expense, yet I swallow mine in hopes of not making the situation worse.