Chapter Five

ZOEY WAS SURPRISED by the intense wave of grief that overcame her when she spied Magnus's tiny turquoise dragon lying in front of the fire, unmoving. In fact, she blinked back tears as she drifted toward it.

"Why aren't you moving?" she whispered. Dread filled her the closer she got. "Why aren't you narrowing your eyes in challenge at me?" She crouched beside it and shook her head. "Please don't be..." she choked out. "You can't be..."

"But I was," Magnus rumbled, suddenly there, crouching beside her. His eyes weren't quite focused as he frowned at the little dragon. His voice turned hoarse. "I was dead...and you were gone."

When the little dragon faded, his gaze returned to normal, yet he remained troubled. "What just happened?" He might seem level enough, but she felt the turbulence in his inner beast when he looked at her. "What were we just looking at?" He shook his head. "Because that wasn't exactly how I appeared when young. Close but not precisely."

"Ah, so you've seen your baby dragon," Quinn said softly. "Despite having been fully human in your last life, it could just be a manifestation of your inner beast trying to remind you of something, Magnus." She crouched beside Zoey and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's why you think it's time to go to the stones, isn"t it, my friend?"

"Yes," Zoey managed, needing to figure out what had happened. Desperate to save the little dragon somehow. "If that's how I find him again."

Though she referred to the little dragon, some part of her understood who she really wanted to find was the man by her side. Or should she say the man he once was? The man on the ship from her nightmare.

"Once we have spent a few hours among our people, we will go to the stones." Magnus stood and held out his hand to her. "Then we will set out for my father's kingdom in the morning."

"You mean your people," she murmured. While inclined to ignore his hand, she couldn't stop from taking it if she tried. The moment she did, Zoey understood why. She felt the electrifying but pleasant current that ran through her now at his touch. The heat that raced through her veins as their inner beasts reached out to each other in a tentative but arousing dance.

Magnus clearly felt the same based on the way his dragon eyes flared the same brilliant turquoise as his baby dragon's. Not with a challenge this time, but something else. Something that made clear she might not like his behavior most of the time, but she still craved him in a primal way that was impossible to ignore.

"No, I mean our people," he said softly as she stood. His gaze lingered on her face a moment longer as if he struggled to look elsewhere before he gestured at the table. "Sit and eat, Zoey, as I sense you have had little nourishment lately." He nodded at the others. "Then we will carry on as planned."

"Here, sweetie." Quinn slid Zoey a plate with a delicious-smelling meat on it when she sat. "This will satisfy your inner dragon best right now." She gave her a knowing look. "It will also help pacify your other cravings some."

"Right," she murmured, swallowing hard because those cravings were already proving a bit much. She crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together, trying to squelch the pleasurable ache that only seemed to grow more insistent around Magnus. His scent was driving her to distraction, which was telling because Rafe's and Arne's didn't affect her whatsoever.

"Nobody's scent will, but your fated mate's, whether you're in heat or not,"Quinn said into her mind, clearly following her thoughts. Then again, the healer in her was often at work in ways like this. "It's all-consuming."

What she was trying to say without actually saying it was if Zoey was picking up Magnus's scent to such a degree, then there could be no question he was her mate. That meant, to Zoey's way of thinking, there was only one way to handle things going forward.

She needed to treat Magnus like work.

The physical attraction was not an issue. So said an arousal he did his best to hide but was more than obvious to Zoey. How could it not be? She sipped her mead and did her best to keep her eyes from drifting to the sizeable length straining against his leather pants. Did her best to ignore the heavy throb between her own legs at the sight of it.

Instead, she focused on how she wanted to go about liking the non-physical side of Magnus better. Something she mulled over as she ate the meat Quinn had given her when Magnus nudged it closer and narrowed his eyes in a way that finally made her eat it. She was glad she did, too, because it was so succulent and delicious that, for the first time in days, she ate more than a few bites.

She supposed the first order of business when it came to Magnus was to do what she urged everyone to when they were at odds with another person or country and hoped to find resolution. Get to know your adversary better. Learn what makes them think and act the way they do. Discover that and one might be able to make a connection with them. Find common ground. So where to start with a medieval Viking dragon king with a chip on his shoulder? Easy.

Get to the root of what put that chip there.

To that end, after they ate and made their way toward the large lodge at the center of the village, she tried to get to know Magnus better. Not easy when so many people wanted to talk not just to him but her. But again, there was much to learn about a leader by watching him around his people, and truth be told, at least here in his kingdom, she was impressed with Magnus.

Not only did he take the time to speak with anyone who approached, but he also talked to the children, offering them an infectious smile that kept them smiling in return and, quite frankly, made her smile, too. While he had come off as barbaric and foolishly stubborn initially, she could admit there was more to him than met the eye. Far more, given the conversations he had along the way.

Ones he had with her by his side.

She was glad to see history books about Viking societies were right when it came to gender equality because she was allowed to be present even when he discussed things with men. That wouldn"t have happened in most areas of the world in this century. Women were generally considered inferior and kept out of important discussions.

She noticed as they traveled from conversation to conversation that there weren't as many women around as she would"ve thought, speaking to the illness impacting Magnus's people. Something that was talked about here and there, with Magnus assuring them he would do everything in his power to help them. Even if he hadn"t had Zoey by his side, giving them renewed hope, there was a genuine intensity to his voice and the way he looked at each and every one of them that made clear he meant what he said.

He felt their pain as if their kin were his own.

She also noticed the young women who did meander about eyeing him with appreciation steered clear. While she could say it was because she was there, and they assumed she would become his queen, her inner beast sensed there was more to it.

"You've purposefully kept them away,"she murmured telepathically, feeling it in an unusual way that had everything to do with her dragon. Not with the connection she was forming with Magnus's inner beast either, but a bond building with all dragons here. Somewhat of a collective conscience, for lack of a better way to put it. She glanced at him as they made their way into a great hall with rows of wooden tables and several fire pits running down the center. "Why have you kept them away?"

"Because my warriors need the sort of comfort they can offer more than I,"he replied, surprising her. "Dragons who are willing to fight and die for a king should see their needs met before all else."

She saw the reasoning in that and knew it was a method many great leaders had implemented over the generations. Yet, still, she couldn't help but wonder and spoke impulsively for no other reason than her inner beast wanted to know. "So you've abstained from female company for your men's sake?" And because, again, she couldn't help herself. "Abstained when I imagine some of these women would've been fine enjoying you along with your men?"

Point in fact, the one who blatantly eyed Magnus and smiled at him when serving them drinks as they sat at what appeared to be the head table.

"I have for some time,"he confirmed bluntly, leaving it at that before swigging his ale. She sensed there was more to it but realized, based on the way his inner dragon pulled back from hers, he didn't want to talk about it. She trod on dangerous ground with this topic. So she refrained rather than push him, understanding keeping the peace was best at the moment.

Quinn and Rafe sat on one side of her and Magnus, and Arne and Mea, the other, showing a unified front. She was fully aware Magnus sat her beside him not just because she was in heat but because he wanted his people to see her sitting in an esteemed position. Where usually such a spot was reserved for heads of state to show unity, this time, it was to show them he already viewed Zoey as his queen, whether they were married or not.

Having already eaten, they drank and talked. Sometimes with others, sometimes to each other, making it clearer still Magnus was no barbarian king but highly intelligent. More than that, he was reasonable, which, honestly, she had doubted up until the past few hours. He had a way of looking at things she appreciated. Like her, he didn't take situations at face value but tried to better understand them. Their cause and effect.

Somehow, she sensed he'd been that way in their last life, too, despite the foolish stubbornness she'd felt from him in her nightmare. Something Quinn addressed when the six of them finally bid their farewells and made their way into the mountains toward Rafe and Quinn's Stronghold. Rafe was going to chant them there more quickly, but Magnus felt it yet another opportunity for Zane's men to see them and bring word back to their cousin.

"Tell us about your nightmare, Zoey," Quinn prompted as they traveled through the cold, snowy woodland. "Because I sense it weighs heavily on your mind."

"It does," Zoey acknowledged, explaining how it unfolded the best she could. "I don't know what happened in the end, but it was painful on many fronts. It almost seemed like both Magnus and I lost our lives in dragon fire." She shook her head and shivered at the terrifying memory. "Way, way too much dragon fire."

"And Magnus was alone on that ship with his men?" Quinn wondered. "There was no sign of a woman on board? Of me in that life?"

"No, there was no woman on board." Oddly, while her inner dragon was clearly drawn to Magnus's, possessive of it even, she felt no jealousy toward Quinn. No awkwardness, considering she and Magnus had been in a prearranged marriage in their last life.

"A prearranged loveless marriage," Quinn clarified aloud, seeming to want this topic shared with all. "Magnus and I were only ever the best of friends in our last life." She shook her head. "Nothing more."

"It wouldn't matter if you had been," she lied because what else could she say? "That was a different life." She thought about it and meant what she said. "If anything, I'm glad you had each other. That you formed such a good friendship." She smiled between Rafe and Quinn. "That, however temporarily, you also found great love."

"As did you," Quinn said softly. "I'm certain of it." She glanced at Magnus. "I believed you did as well, and now we have proof. Undeniable proof at that, given you and the fiery ring were in Zoey's nightmare." She cocked her head at Zoey. "Do you feel like you were entirely dragon or half dragon?"

"I have no idea." She frowned. "All I know is I felt anger at Magnus for defying me and a sense of doom and failure in the end."

"That tends to be consistent in all of our nightmares." Quinn looked at her with reassurance. "Where none of us really are. Keira and Athena weren't. Neither was I, so I guarantee you weren't either."

"I hope you're right," she murmured, yet felt uneasy. Sad, almost. "Because it felt like I'd let Magnus down. Let everyone on that ship down."

"Yet it seems I played no small part in that," Magnus grunted. "That I refused to listen to you and put my men in danger...you in danger."

Though she appreciated him acknowledging it, she couldn't help but wonder if some of who he'd been then had trickled over into who he was now. Obviously, he was a good leader and treated his people well, but what was the bigger picture?

"I believe that was made clear when I made peace with Rafe,"he said into her mind, following her thoughts a little too readily now. "I do not want war anymore but prosperity for my people and those of my fellow kingdoms."

"Even Zane's?"she replied, not about to let this go. "Because, if I were honest, the stubbornness I felt from you in my nightmare feels a whole lot like the stubbornness you have toward any peaceable talks with your cousin now."

"That is because Zane can not be reasoned with,"he countered. "Even his good side, if it truly still exists these days, is not to be trusted because, at the root, he is nothing but power hungry."

She was about to reply when Magnus, Rafe, and Arne stopped walking, unsheathed their weapons, formed a protective circle around the women, and narrowed their eyes at the sky.

"I swear Zane knows when we're talking about him," Rafe growled under his breath, making clear he and the others had been following their telepathic conversation. He kept scanning the sky. "Where is he? Because he's there somewhere."

"He's close," Magnus ground out, white-knuckling the hilt of his axe as he scanned the trees above. "Very close." He frowned. "So why not shift us to your Realm and safety?"

"Because we're in the Forest of Memories now," Rafe said, sounding surprised. His eyes shimmered as white as the snow, and his attire flickered to long black robes. "And I cannot transport us while caught in a memory."

No sooner did he say that than a sizeable but not fully grown red dragon crashed down, followed by a dark turquoise dragon of similar size. One was undoubtedly Magnus when he was younger. The other? Without question, Zane.

"Hell," Magnus muttered. "Why this memory now?"

Zoey tried to remain focused on what unfolded, but it was hard, given how she felt when she saw Magnus's dragon as he truly was in this life. Felt the immense draw her inner beast had to him. The wicked sense of need.

The two dragons circled and nipped at each other, their steamy breath coming out in puffs against what must've been an icy cold day. It was clear they communicated telepathically before they went at each other, slamming up against trees in a battle that would terrify most.

It was a short-lived fight, though, as the red dragon shifted into a man who appeared to be in his late teens. While not nearly as tribal looking as Zane was described these days, it was clearly him based on his undeniable Sigdir looks and his general disposition as he strode toward Magnus with his dragon eyes flaring and his arms held out.

"Why, cousin?" Zane roared in defiance. He patted his chest, held out his arms again, and glared at his brethren. "Why challenge me for the Keep when you know it's already lost to you?"

"Because it is not yours," Magnus growled after shifting into a younger version of himself. He clenched his fists and glared at Zane in return. "It is Leviathan's until it is Ulrik's, and we both know it." He narrowed his eyes in warning. "And I will make sure that happens. I will ensure it ends up with Ulrik instead of you."

"Will you?" Zane sneered. "When you have no Múspellsheimr dragon or Ancient in you? No affiliation with the dragons that call the Keep home?" He shook his head. "No true bond, really."

"Even so," Magnus replied. "Most respect me just as much as they do you, but all should respect and look to Ulrik as their one true king when the day comes."

"I think you overestimate how revered you are there." Zane snorted and shook his head as the men circled with blades drawn. "Let us fight for leadership here and now. Let us..."

He said more but it faded away along with the memory.

What she'd sensed from Zane beforehand, however, had not, and it shocked her.