Page 22 of The Heart of the Dragon

Magnus frowned down at me. "Before or after you encountered me?"

"Before." I gulped for air that didn't seem to want to go in my lungs. "In the cemetery outside the church." The hair on my arms prickled at the memory. The growl that had left me breathless and scared.

His frown deepened. "Didn't you say you were born and raised here? Are you positive about that?'

I bristled at his questions. "Of course I'm positive. My parents adopted me in Edinburgh not long after I was born. We moved around Scotland a lot when I was young, but when I turned eighteen, my parents settled us here. On the coast, so I could be near the water."

"Hmm." He sounded unsure as he led me to the small kitchen table in the corner and set me down on a chair. "I'll get you something to drink."

His gruff tone made me frown, my brows knitting together in concern.

I hated to keep calling him crazy - it felt cruel and dismissive - but his paranoia was out of control. Worse yet, he was pulling me into it with him, his intensity and conviction making me question things I'd never doubted before.

"I can't tell for sure without my own magic, but If I had to guess, you are more magical than you know, which would explain a lot. However, whether you've been misled or no one knew is impossible to define at the moment. But I do know someone who can help us figure this out." He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and quickly filled it with water and handed it over. "Drink."

"You know people? Here. In Scotland?" I said with a smirk. "I thought you weren't from here?"

He shook his head. "I'm not. But that doesn't mean that other fae born don't live here. Witches as well as other shifters. However, the witches in this realm can hardly be trusted."

I narrowed my eyes. "What does that mean?"

"They are not known for their kindness, especially towards dragons. They've spent centuries working to rid themselves of my kind. And it almost worked. Or at least they managed to relegate dragons to a small portion of your realm. Until now."

I lifted my head until our gazes met, his deep green eyes captivating and intense. He was weaving an engrossing tale, as the air between us crackled with an energy I couldn't quite explain, and I found myself leaning in slightly.

"Until now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. A part of me hoped I wouldn't regret indulging him further, but curiosity burned within me, urging me to listen. My fingers absently traced the rim of my mug as I waited, both eager and nervous about what he might say next.

He nodded. "Like I said. I was pulled here through blood magic. And that power was used to break a curse the witches of this realm had placed on dragons. Only it did a lot more than just break a curse."

I took another sip of water and then placed the cup down on the counter. "That can't be real."

"I assure you it is. My brother's mate inherited quite a bit of power from her mother, and she's been learning how to wield it. Still somewhat recklessly in my opinion, but I think she could help us figure out what's going on with you."

"You have a brother? And he's here?"

"He is." Magnus nodded with his lips now firmly pressed into a grimace. "Unlike me, he grew up in this realm. Although I daresay our parents indulged him far too much during that time,and he turned into a right arsehole. I'm afraid he's not very likable."

"Enough." I snorted, almost choking on his words. My head was spinning from all this information. All of which I wanted to debunk as the ramblings of a crazy man. But the remnants of that burning in my body remained, and either I was having some sort of physical breakdown, or there might be some truth to what he said.

"I know it's a lot. And I can see now why Isaac and Kitra were adamant that I not let humans know about our existence. You don't handle it well. But you poisoned me and then kidnapped me. I don't see where I have much choice but to be honest. I need my dragon back and either you have to figure out what happened or we have to go to Isaac and Kitra for help."

From the scowl on his face I could see he wasn't thrilled with either option. "I take it you and Isaac aren't close."

He snarled. "How'd you guess?"

I laughed despite the tension. "Whether you realize it or not, you carry your emotions around on your sleeves and your aura is a literal walking red flag."

"The fact you can see my aura should make all of this a little bit easier to swallow. How many other humans do you know that can see things like that?"

I stared down at my glass and refused to meet his eyes. How was I going to explain to him or anyone that the darkness inside him had drawn me in? I suddenly and without explanation, wanted more. When in reality I should have been running in the opposite direction.

"You'd be surprised how many people claim that they can read auras."

"Then those witches aren't working all that hard to keep their secrets. Kitra would say they don't care about the greater good."

"I think I'd like to meet this Kitra. She sounds interesting. Although hopefully not so—" I stopped myself because I'd been about to say crazy again, and I really needed to stop doing that. It was cruel and unkind.

"That's because her strength and power were forged under the direst of circumstances," he continued as if he'd not heard me.

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