Page 121 of The Heart of the Dragon

We needed a lot more than a moment. There was no way in hell I could say what needed to be said while everyone waited only a few feet away. I'd bottled much of what I'd been going through over the last few days and I could feel it coming to a head.

One by one they left the courtyard and disappeared into the house all while Magnus made no move to approach. It was then I took a good hard look at him. Pale, translucent skin with dragonscales showing. Golden eyes. And he still hadn't moved from where he leaned against the doorframe.

"Isaac was right. You aren't really okay, are you?" I'd seen him helpless before, but that time had been far different. I might have thought his life was in peril then, but it was nothing compared to what he'd endured today.

"I will be. As soon as we go home."

"I hope you don't mean that castle. Even if it's still livable, I'd hardly call that home."

He closed his eyes and the pallor of his skin darkened. "He needs to let the dragon out." The witch appeared behind him. “He won't be okay until he does."

"Okay," I said, taking small steps in his direction. "It's not like I haven't seen that before."

"Not here," he rasped. "I want to go home first. Just the two of us."

I didn't want to state the obvious here. But that ship had sailed. I opted, however, not to point that out. Hopefully, we had plenty of time to talk about those details later.

"You could get your brother to?—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Magnus growled.

The witch sighed. "Fine. Take my carriage then. Just make sure you send it back before dark and make it known to all that I don't approve of your leaving. But you are the king now, so I cannot tell you what to do."

My eyes widened. "Is it not safe for him to travel?" I turned to my mate. "Magnus, if it's not safe..."

"He'll probably survive. And if going home is what it takes to get his dragon to come out, then it shall be worth the risk." She said no more before she turned and disappeared inside the house.

"I still don't think I like her."

"If she wasn't the best at her craft in this entire kingdom, I might agree with you. Plus we owe her now. Shall we?" He motioned for me to proceed him and instead I dipped underneath his arm to place my shoulder against his side. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to be your support, and I don't want to hear a word about it. You might be able to ignore her advice, but if you know what's good for you, you will not ignore mine. And don’t think we aren’t going to talk about that favor when you feel better."

To his credit, he only hesitated for a moment before he allowed me to lead him back through the house and out the front door to the waiting carriage. All while I made a mental note to work on my medicinal skills. She wouldn't be the best at her craft for long. Not if I had anything to do with it.

Chapter

Forty-Six

Rose

As the fourof us traveled back to Magnus's home via carriage, some of the tension in my body began to ease. Not a lot, but I would take what I could get.

Too much had happened with too much still unknown for me to completely relax. I still hadn't processed everything that had happened, including the fact that Magnus was somewhat responsible for the death of my people.

My stomach churned. It didn't feel right placing that blame on his shoulders considering everything else. If I expected everyone else to forgive him what he did under the King's spell, then I should have the decency to do the same.

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I wasn't ready to delve too deeply into those feelings yet. Not when I desperately needed something nice and normal.

Or as normal as the fae realm could be.

So for the first time since we'd arrived, I really stopped with all the drama and took the time to look around. First, at the sweeping hills that looked nearly identical to the landscape of my beloved Scotland. I was going to miss my home, but I could also sense a growing connection to this one.

And second, the also nearly identical weather. Rainy one minute, sunny the next, and all the fog in between. I breathed deep, taking some comfort in that little bit of familiarity because that was certainly where it seemed to stop.

Take the carriage for example. It looked straight out of a historical movie. It was made from the most beautiful carved wood I'd ever seen in my life, but it was still worn and homey from years of obvious use. It wasn't quite as comfortable, or as fast, as riding in my car, but it gave us all a chance to take a moment to breathe without any outside pressure.

No flying with dragons, or sprites attacking us…

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