The Dragon's Need (Tahoe Dragon Mates 2)

Chapter Seven

Ryan survived his meeting with the head Protector and even a brief Q&A with the doctor afterward.

The latter had been quite eye opening, with the doctor revealing all the rules for female dragon-shifters and how they became vital to follow as Gaby's pregnancy progressed. Although some of them seemed ridiculous—like not watching any sort of emotional movie during the last month—he had some time to sort through them all and find out if they were indeed necessary.

But for now, he merely walked hand in hand with his lady toward a bright yellow house, one with music drifting from the windows.

It was time to meet her family.

Gaby squeezed his hand. "Don't worry, once you pass their initial questions, everything will be fine. And like I said, win over my mom and it'll make the rest of the process a lot smoother."

He shook his head, smiling. "I'm not worried about your mother. It's more all those male relatives who shift into giant dragons who I'm concerned about." He paused and added, "Although, I wish I could've seen you in your dragon form first. I've never seen a dragon up close, but I reckon that once I do, I won't be as intimidated by the thought of it."

Gaby gave him a sympathetic gaze. "Believe me, my beast wants to preen for you as soon as possible and score some good ear scratches. But being late to dinner would be a fatal first step since my parents think being on time is basically being late." She smiled at him again. "We'll set aside some time for it tomorrow, okay?"

Bringing their clasped hands up, he kissed the back of Gaby's. "It's a date."

Gaby beamed at the words, and his heart skipped a beat. If only he had the power to fast-forward through the evening until tomorrow.

Not happening, he thought to himself. Her family was not only important to her, they would also be helping to protect him.

In other words, he needed her family's approval more than they needed his. That meant being on his best behavior for the evening and digging up any charm he could muster.

They were still about ten feet from the front door when it swung open, revealing the tall, dark-haired form of the man Gaby had shown him in pictures earlier—her older brother, Jose.

Jose studied him, his dark-eyed expression unreadable.

The stare down was probably meant to intimidate him, but Ryan didn't flinch or miss a step. He'd been that older brother for his sister before and understood it was more a test than a real threat.

Especially since Ryan would rather cut off his legs than hurt Gaby.

Jose finally grunted. "So this is him."

Gaby sighed. "I was much nicer and friendlier to your human when I first met her. Could you at least try to have some manners with mine?"

He waved at Ryan. "If he wants to have my sister, then he has to earn it."

Gaby growled, but Ryan beat her to it. "Isn't that Gaby's decision to make and not yours?"

For a second, Jose narrowed his eyes at him. But then he snorted. "Maybe now. She was the worst decision maker as a child, though." He shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

Ryan was about to ask for the dragonman to clarify, but Gaby grunted and said, "Don't even start on the embarrassing childhood stories yet, Jose."

Jose raised his brows. "Or, what? Will you torture my ears with awful music?"

Okay, Ryan didn't know what that meant, but he hated being on the outside when it concerned his dragon lady. He'd add the reference to his list of things to ask about.

Gaby smiled sweetly. "I'll leave ear-related torture to our cousin. I'd rather surprise you one morning by maybe plastering pictures of you naked as a child, or dressed up as an old-woman-looking warlock, all over your house. I'm sure the clan would get a good chuckle out of that."

Jose shook his head. "Seeing as Tori and I are staying here at our parents' house right now, I don't think you want to risk Mom's wrath."

A woman's voice cut through. "Smart move, son." An older woman, who was slightly shorter than Jose, with black hair streaked with gray and deep brown eyes, smiled at Ryan. "And you must be Ryan Ford." She gestured to Jose and then Gaby. "I'm the mother of these two troublemakers. Please, call me Maria, Ryan."

Gaby tugged Ryan forward, ignoring her brother, and said, "Tell Jose to be nice for the evening. I behaved for his mate, after all."

Ryan bit his lip to keep from chuckling. Gaby was twenty-four and her brother even older, yet their mother was the peacekeeper.

At one time, his family had been close, too. No longer.