Page 120 of The Heart of the Dragon

"Would a kiss from your mate suffice?"

We all whirled at the sound of Magnus's weak question. The sight of him standing there, leaning against the door frame, color in his cheeks, and the wind gently blowing his dark hair made my heart leap into my throat. The scars across his face seemed more prominent than before, but I had never seen a more beautiful man than in that moment.

Everyone exploded with questions as I simply stared, the fist squeezing my heart getting tighter with every beat.

"What happened?"

"Are you better?

"How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," he answered them while keeping his gaze glued to mine.

"Or as fine as a king can be whose just barely survived the first attack on his life. It seems dragons have more lives than a cat." Ensley muttered half under her breath.

"And you should not forget it," Isaac snorted. "We are not easy to kill."

"Too stubborn to die, more like."

Kitra again stepped between Isaac and Ensley, putting her hand on her mate's shoulder. "Maybe you should focus on your brother and his situation more than antagonizing Ensley for once."

I kind of agreed with her, except having all of them here made this small courtyard suddenly crowded. I wanted them all gone so I could focus.

"Well, then. What is your prognosis? I take it by the fact you are standing there that you are going to live," Isaac asked while making his approach towards Magnus. "Although it does look like that wall is holding you up."

Magnus snorted before turning serious. "Thanks to all of you and a lot of fucking magic, I will live to fight another day."

"But not today," Corvina interrupted. "I thought you were going to stay in bed? I only left you for a minute."

"You don't know me as well as you think you do. There is too much to be said and done to lie still in your house. I'll rest in my own bed." He winked at me, and I felt that to the tips of my toes that curled in impatience. I looked down at the floor to hide my blush, and then kept my gaze down as I grappled with all the confusing emotions flooding me.

Tears burned at the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. The last twenty-four hours or so had been unbearable.

"I need to speak to my queen." His voice rumbled across the cobblestones beneath our feet, forcing me to lift my head and meet his piercing gaze.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sure it's not necessary for me to repeat myself, but if you want to hear it again, I will oblige. You are my queen."

I shook my head, looking frantically around the crowded space, my chest constricted. I needed air. More air. "I am no queen," I said quietly.

"You will be."

"We were so focused on stopping the king, I didn't think about anything else."

"Like the baby?"

"What?"

He tapped his ear. "I told you. Dragon hearing is superior."

"That it is," Isaac agreed.

"I can't handle this." All this back and forth and crazy talk made me feel like I was careening for the edge of a cliff.

"Rose," Magnus called, but my mind was running in circles around this conversation. "Rose," he growled.

Ensley started to say something, but Kitra stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Not now." She turned to me with a tight smile. "They need a moment."

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