Page 90 of The Heart of the Dragon

"Not likely. If the time shift works the way it seems, it should have only been a few hours since I last saw him."

"And what was that like? The last time you saw him."

"Oh, he was pretty pissed. He wasn't happy with Kitra and Isaac running around his kingdom out of his control. I'd honestly be surprised if he didn't still have his soldiers out looking for them."

"Then how do we get in without him realizing what we are up to?

"First things first. We need supplies. And food. And of course, a safe haven to hide and rest before we get ahead of ourselves. I need some intel." I made my way into the center village market on a mission to get said supplies. I stopped at one of the weaponry booths first.

"Lord Magnus!" The young man manning the booth jumped to his feet. "How can I help you?"

"I need something for my friend here." The man turned to Rose and inspected her. The rational part of my brain told me that his perusal was nothing out of the ordinary. I'd drawn attention to her with my request, and it was natural for him to study her because of it. But that didn't mean I didn't want to claw his eyes out and shove them down his throat. The idea of anyone getting too close to her was enough to set me off.

The man smiled. "Did you have something specific in mind?" He must have picked up on my mood because his voice shook and his hand trembled as he waved it in front of his wares.

"A dagger or two. Something small preferably. So she can keep them strapped to her person and hidden away from prying eyes." I growled the last and he reacted by locking his body and staring at the ground at his feet.

That was more like it.

"Of course, sir. Most of which you see is probably too heavy for what you're thinking. However, I have these." He reached under the table and pulled a box from his hidden stash of supplies. He laid it on the table, and reverently lifted the lid.

Rose gasped next to me and a wicked sense of ancient magic tingled against my spine. This kid could not have picked out anything more perfect in the entire realm if he'd tried. The twosmall silver knives practically sparkled in their box despite the shade. But it was the carvings on them that made it clear that these belonged to my beloved.

I didn't consider myself an expert in engraved markings, but the marks from the dark fae were still fresh in my mind.

"Where did you get these?" I asked quietly as I removed one from the box and placed it in Rose's hand.

"Many of the king's soldiers brought these to the market. They are spoils of war," he boasted.

Little did he know that a dragon burning down a small city was hardly a war. It had been an ambush and an act of pure greed and insanity.

"How does that feel?" I asked Rose, turning away from the young man. I'd heard plenty and didn't want to listen to more.

"Really good," she whispered. "They are practically singing to me."

I pressed my fingers to my lips to indicate she should say no more. While the man didn't look like the sort my uncle would employ against me, I could not afford to take any chances.

"We'll take them. She'll need leather cases to strap them in as well."

"Of course, my lord." The man didn't say much more, but he couldn't keep the giant smile from his face. My purchases had apparently made his day. "Should I put them on your account?"

"Of course."

He wrapped them quickly and handed them over. I stuffed them inside my shirt and dragged Rose to the next booth. There wereseveral food stalls of various grilled meats and they were making my mouth water.

I took no time getting some meat kebabs for us as well as some water and wine and then led her to a booth in an out of the way corner. I could see the occasional set of eyes focused on us and while I was used to people staring openly at me whenever I came to town, I was not yet accustomed to them staring at Rose.

"This is a cool market. It feels like the kind of place I could set up with my goods."

I scowled at her. "You will not have to sell anything at the market. We will not be short for anything you could possibly want or need."

"Every time you make some sort of reference to us together in the future I want to squirm. I get the idea that you are jumping to a lot of conclusions that prove you and I are not on the same page."

Taking in her words and trying to sit with them for a minute, I swallowed some wine and then set my glass down on the table. "I guess it's easier for me to see our future because I'm used to these kinds of arrangements. When fate brings you the mate you weren't expecting, we don't usually kick them to the curb. A fated mate is considered a precious gift. The longer you live here the easier it will be to understand."

She looked skeptical but hopefully I'd sugar coated my words enough to make them more palatable to her human trained mind. The couple tasked with her safekeeping, her parents, did a piss poor job of preparing her for her future.

"And love?" she asked. "Is that not something you care about here?"

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