"I did, and poked you, too. But it was almost like you were under some kind of sleep enchantment. If tickling hadn't worked, I might've had to dunk you in the lake."
Her brows came together. "I didn't wake up?" He shook his head, and she continued, "That's odd. I'm usually a light sleeper."
His dragon hummed. She trusts us. That's good.
While his human half was also pleased, Wes ignored the feeling. If he didn't act a little more in control when he introduced Ashley to his mom, who knew what sort of ideas his mother would come up with.
His dragon muttered, She probably knows the truth anyway. Mom knows everything.
He spoke to Ashley again. "I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake a little longer. We're on PineRock, and I've brought you to my mom's house."
Her gaze took in the house
dimly lit by a porch light. "Your mother's house?"
He nodded. "You'll stay with her for the next few days. And no, she doesn't know about what I told you tonight—I'm keeping it vague since dragons can hear more than you want to know—so don't worry about it. She'll just be pleased to have someone stay with her. She's been alone ever since my younger brother joined the dragon unit of the Air Force last year."
Ashley rubbed the lingering traces of sleep from her eyes. "Please tell me she's not super chatty and a night owl. I'm so tired right now, and if I don't get some sleep, my brain won't work well enough to start tackling our mountain of problems in the morning."
He smiled at the slight frown on Ashley's face. He loved seeing her more vulnerable side. He replied, "I'll tell her to let you sleep tonight, but I can't make any promises about breakfast time."
His mother didn't much care for being alone but had refused to even think about another mate since Wes's dad had died.
She was lonely, and Ashley staying with her would be good all around.
The front door opened and his mother's voice drifted out. "Come out right now, Wesley Dalton, and tell me why you're here in the middle of the night."
Ashley laughed, not that he could blame her. His mother wore a fuzzy, bright pink bathrobe that was four sizes too big. But his mom liked to be warm and didn't care about how silly she looked.
Of course, on her short-for-a-dragon-shifter's frame, it made her look like a teenager. Albeit one with graying hair, but still not a middle-aged former dragon soldier.
Ashley managed to control her laughter. "Sorry, but I was expecting a much taller or intimidating woman to emerge. For some reason, that's what I picture when it comes to a clan leader's parents."
"Oh, don't let appearances fool you." His human shot him a curious look, but he ignored it and opened the car door. "Come on, or she'll drag us out by force. And that's not an exaggeration."
He exited the car and Ashley followed. Wes kissed his mother's cheek and murmured for her ears only, "I'm going to take her to the spare bedroom straight away. She's tired and needs some sleep. You can begin your interrogations tomorrow."
Her pupils flashed before she nodded. "I can sense something's wrong. I'll leave it for tonight, but you'd better tell me what's going on tomorrow. I can't look after a guest if I don't know the threats."
Few would believe it, but his mother had been in the Dragon Army Reserves before finding her mate. She had, in fact, been quite the intimidating female at one point.
He bobbed his head. "I'll share what I can, like always. Thanks in advance for your help, Mom."
She touched his cheek. "Anything for my eldest boy."
Ashley shuffled her feet, and Wes reached out to take her hand. "Ashley Swift, this is my mother, Cynthia Dalton. She's agreed to put off questions until the morning. So, come on. I'll show you to your room."
Ashley met his mom's gaze. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dalton."
"Call me Cynthia, please. And just know that we'll be having breakfast together tomorrow morning—all three of us—so don't make any plans."
Wes knew better than to argue with his mother. "Fine, I'll be here at eight. Now, let me get Ashley to bed."
Without another word, he tugged his human upstairs and down the hall to the guest room. The fact it used to be his room when he was younger made both man and beast happy. Their female would be sleeping in the same room.
However, he didn't trust himself to be alone in the room with Ashley. So once he gently pushed her inside, he said, "There's a bathroom the next door down on the right stocked with just about anything you need. You already have my cell phone number, in case you need to call me. I'll keep it on, just in case. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."
With that, he shut the door and raced down the stairs. Wes somehow managed to wave to his mother and get away without another word, too.