Page 42 of The Heart of the Dragon

I felt like my head was going to explode as they talked. Different kinds of fae, a different realm, wait— "Did you say you lost one hundred years? I don't understand."

"Should probably tell her before she gets too wrapped up in this arsehole.” Isaac motioned to Magnus, who growled in response. "It's true, though. If you leave to kill our uncle, and somehow make it back, it certainly won't be in her timeline. You'll never see her again."

"You're going back to kill your uncle?" The more bits and pieces of information they gave me, especially without some much needed context, the more confused I got. "Why?"

"Well, I am going to torture him first, if that makes you feel any better."

I took a step backwards. "Why on earth would that make me feel better? You're talking about murder and torture. Are all dragons so violent?"

"Yes," all three of them said in unison.

Great. The fairy tale I'd managed to walk myself into was turning into little more than a nightmare. Not to mention the sex part. Goddess, why couldn't I stop thinking about that part? Becauseit was damned difficult when my muscles were sore and I could still practically feel him inside me.

"This is crazy. If I hadn't seen half of this with my own eyes, I'm not sure I would believe any of you. The fae, in theory, is one thing, but having them in your living room is an entirely different story."

"Don't worry, I've seen much worse," Kitra offered. "All things considered, you seem to be handling this quite well and that puts you in better shape than about 85% of every other human who has learned the truth.

"Really? 85%?" The more facts and figures they threw at me the more fascinated I became. My scientific brain soaked it up like a sponge and begged for more. But first... "I'm going to take a shower. That is, if my bathroom is still intact after all of this. Then we'll see about getting the rest of that list."

Magnus stepped forward. "You said you knew someone who could help you with the missing items. Is it someone we can trust?"

They all looked at me with a mixture of expectancy and doubt. It was clear they didn't trust humans any more than I trusted strangers. Lucky for them that would not be the case with the witch we had to visit. She was a hardcore, one-hundred-percent believer.

"I certainly hope so. She's my mother."

Chapter

Seventeen

Rose

By the timeI got cleaned up and everyone wrangled into John's SUV, my nerves had begun to even out a little. If anyone knew how to interpret this situation, it was my mother and father. With their open minds and open hearts, they were very into the otherworldly. They would likely welcome this lot with open arms.

I often thought it a shame they ended up with a daughter who couldn't quite embrace the unseen like they did.

"We have quicker modes of transportation than this death trap," Magnus grumbled after we hit our twentieth pothole just trying to get out of my uneven drive.

"I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting." I shook my head vehemently. "No thanks. You can keep your dragon self as far away from me as possible. I want nothing to do with him."

Isaac laughed, the sound of it a sharp rumble from the backseat. "One night, and you've scared off your own?—"

Magnus whipped around in the seat next to mine and must have given his brother a look to shut him up. It was only a guess, since I had to keep my eyes on the narrow one-lane roadway. But all things considered, it was an educated guess, and considering the fact Isaac stopped talking, it seemed a decent hypothesis.

"Are you afraid of flying in general, or just dragons?" Kitra asked as she leaned across my seat from the back of the vehicle. "Because I don't love it, myself. The flying on a dragon part. I've never tried an airplane. I've seen them of course, but it's not on my immediate to-do list to try one."

I shrugged. "Not sure. I've never flown anywhere before. I don't have a lot of time for long-distance travel, and the few times I've gone to London, it's simple and easy enough to take the train."

"Yeah, the train." I caught Isaac glaring at Magnus in the rearview mirror and guessed there was a story in those three little words. I made a mental note to ask later, maybe when we weren't in the confined space of this vehicle with three extra larger than life people giving off weird energy.

"Tell me again where we are going?" Kitra asked.

"Thurso. It's not that far really. About thirty minutes up the coast and slightly inland from my place. It won't take much longer. We've been lucky not to have to pull over for much traffic or animal crossings this afternoon." To my shame, by the time I got showered and dressed, I was more than a little shocked to find it was already half past four in the afternoon. I'd slept most of the day away before Magnus decided to crush my cottage like a wooden model.

My body heated as I remembered why I’d needed that much sleep.

A growl sounded from the backseat and I jerked my head to the right to find Magnus drilling holes into the side of my head. I needed to get myself under control. He'd already explained to me that dragons had heightened senses and with his brother confined in the SUV as well, they probably didn't need enhanced anything to pick up on what was going through my mind. The blush on my heated cheeks said it all.

Kitra cleared her throat, and I glanced her way to find her smiling conspiratorially in my direction. Oh crap. Did they all know what was going on? What if they could read minds?

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