Chapter Seven

ALTHOUGH ZOEY HADN'T known Magnus long, that she could remember anyway, she felt his grief over losing his wife and child as if it were her own and could somewhat affiliate. "While nowhere near the same thing, I do understand loss," she said into his mind as they sat with the others in Rafe's Realm. "I lost my parents when I was very young in a car accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that,"he replied, his inner voice as genuine as the look in his eyes because he understood how close dragons were to their parents. "That had to have been very hard. Did you have family to care for you afterward?"

"No,"she said. "My mother immigrated to the States from China, and my father had no substantial family connections, so I was put into foster care. That's where I met Savannah. Like me, her parents had died, and there was nobody to take her, so we became sisters of a sort. Best friends, for sure."

She sensed sharing more about herself pulled his dragon away from his newly resurrected grief, so she was about to go on when a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Zoey," Athena exclaimed, smiling as she, Tyr, and ?se entered the cave, followed by Keira and an imposing Viking who could only be her mate and husband, Ulrik.

"Hey, there!" Thrilled to see her friends, she met them halfway and hugged them tight. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."

Zoey grinned from Athena to Keira, congratulating them both for finding their fated mates and Keira, especially because of her pregnancy. In turn, Keira introduced Zoey to her mate, King Ulrik, who she liked straight away. He seemed well suited to being high king. Like her, his driving goal was peace among all his kingdoms. He didn't want to take leadership away from any of his kin. Not even former enemies like Magnus and Knud.

Rafe invited everyone to join them for food, drink, and conversation. There was no need to catch them up on what had transpired in their absence because of the connection everyone shared. One she felt more by the moment. Especially when not just Ulrik rallied around Magnus but Tyr and ?se, their dragon eyes flaring as they offered him their condolences for all he'd lost.

However difficult the subject was for Magnus, it was the catalyst that helped him reconnect with them. Especially with Tyr and ?se, it seemed, as they, at last, embraced him, giving her a glimpse at how close they had been before everything fell apart. A glimpse of not just the peace that could be found again but a better future for the experiences they'd suffered during the difficult years.

"Come, cousin." Tyr embraced Magnus a moment longer before he pulled away and met his eyes. "Let us share a drink at long last." He looked at ?se, who nodded once in return. "All of us."

And so they did, reconnecting in a way she knew Magnus needed. One that helped him cope with grief she sensed he'd long repressed. His family encouraged him to talk about his wife and daughter and made clear that once everything was said and done, they would hold another ceremony so they could all say a proper goodbye.

What she saw and felt as everyone reunited reminded her yet again why she had chosen her profession. This. All of them. The camaraderie they were finding once more because they were communicating rather than letting the past and old wounds fuel them. Old hatred that bore no relevance now. Anger that needed to be put to rest so life could move forward without violence and pointless death. As to be expected, after much catching up, eating, drinking, and eventually laughter, the conversation circled back to where she knew it would.

Where were Magnus and Zoey supposed to go next?

Because there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this journey was theirs. They were supposed to find their way back to their truth together. While she still felt some pushback against that because she liked to create her own destiny rather than the other way around, her inner beast was clearly going to give her no choice. Something made clear when it gently simmered to the surface every so often without making her fear she'd create a random fire or extinguish it, which was no big deal right now but could be going forward.

Her friends' fire issues were related to their past lives with their mates, so was hers too? If so, how was her nightmare related? Moreover, why had Magnus been on that ship facing off with so many dragons when she had urged him not to? When she had a feeling she'd been trying to keep him from pursuing confrontation for some time in that life? Most definitely had, considering how much she'd felt off her little dragon in their last life when it had first spied him in the woodland by the stream.

She remembered sensing him there and the two of them locking eyes for the first time. Then, she just as vividly recalled hastily shifting to her human half. More than anything, though, she remembered the intense connection they had made in that one look.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think the stone, or better yet, charred wood—" Magnus said, talking to the others about their next potential destination before looking Zoey"s way— "is telling me, us, to go back to where my wife and daughter lost their lives."

"I think you're right," she said softly, not entirely sure why she thought so other than her inner dragon agreed. "But only if you think you can handle it." She shook her head. "Otherwise—"

"I can handle it," he interjected. His gaze lingered on her in a way that made it clear facing his past was worth it if it meant connecting with her better. Understanding the draw their dragon and human halves had to one another. "We will handle it."

"Where did you lose your family?" she asked. "Was it close to here?"

"Close enough." He drank from his horn of ale. "On my southern border closest to my father's kingdom."

Clearly sensing something, Rafe perked his eyebrows in surprise. "Still within the Forest of Memories?"

"Ja," Magnus confirmed, downing his entire horn of ale before continuing. "And yes, I have returned to the area plenty, so I might witness in a memory what actually happened."

"To no avail, though, I take it?" Rafe assumed.

"No avail at all." When Rafe chanted Magnus's horn full of ale again, he raised it in thanks. "Though I cannot tell you how much I wanted it to, cousin." His eyes narrowed. "How I longed for the proof I needed to wage full-out war on Zane and prove him the enemy we know he is."

"Yet it will prove more than you expected," Athena murmured, her gaze a little off. Her skin and the shield at her back shimmered gold with her inner Valkyrie. "More than anyone expected."

"Meaning what?" Ulrik asked, hopeful. "That mayhap Zane is not at fault after all?"

"I can't say," she whispered hoarsely, seeming to struggle with emotion before her eyes cleared, and she appeared confused. "What?" She frowned at everyone. "Why are you looking at me so expectantly?"

"Because your inner goddess took control." ?se nodded at her once in approval, her tone proud yet protective. "So you need not feel confused."

"And?" Athena prompted, flinching. "Good or bad news?"

"Vague but optimistic." Zoey offered Athena a supportive smile. "Worth paying attention to."

"Agreed." It seemed Ulrik had come to a decision because he proceeded to put people together strategically, according to Zoey's way of thinking. "That said, Keira and I will remain in these parts overseeing the kingdoms tomorrow morning." He looked at Magnus. "Your third-in-command will remain in charge of your kingdom while you're away." He looked at Arne and Mea. "You two will oversee Rafe's kingdom together to show unification." His gaze went to everyone else. "Meanwhile, the seven of you will travel to where Magnus lost his family, then on to Knud's kingdom."

"That is unwise." Magnus frowned. "Where it was too much bringing Rafe to begin with, bringing ?se and Tyr is too much too fast."

"Yet you will do it," Ulrik made clear, looking from him to Zoey. "And you will do it with Zoey by your side. Someone who, whether you are mates or not, I have full faith will help your father see reason because if I have gleaned nothing else as of late, it's that he craves peace and can be reasoned with." He glanced from the others to Magnus. "As will who you travel with. A unified front that shows the strides we have made since my kingdom formed a secret alliance with his."

"Though contradictory to what I initially recommended, if you insist on this, my King," Magnus said, "I recommend we at least bring a band of warriors with us." He shook his head. "Because I will not be able to guarantee my kin's safety."

"Which won't appear peaceful at all," Zoey said, disagreeing. "You had it right the first time. Coming in peace is generally best done with fewer people and no weapons."

"I agree." Rafe looked at Magnus with reassurance. "Remember, I have a Valkyrie by my side now, as does Tyr. That will appeal to your father."

"As will letting King Knud see into our past life together via our dragons," Quinn said. "I think that will help a great deal."

"Either way," Ulrik said to Magnus, "I agree with Zoey." He shook his head. "No band of warriors."

Though Magnus lowered his head briefly in acknowledgment, Zoey knew he remained wary. Understandably, too, given how much he seemed to value reconnecting with Rafe, Tyr, and ?se. He might still want war with Zane, but clearly, he was happy to have found peace with everyone else.

She enjoyed getting to know everyone better as the night wore on. Especially their inner dragons, who rallied around her inner beast in a way she'd never felt before. In a way that made her feel welcome on a level even their human halves couldn't. Much like the feeling one might get when reconnecting with long-lost family.

Something Ulrik touched on when everybody chatted about what they recalled from their last life together. How Ulrik was a human king called a Viking King because his being with Keira in that life, who'd been fully dragon, had made him uniquely qualified. They talked about ?se's role as Ulrik's human sister and her connection with Tyr's dragon after Athena passed, saving their lives. Then, of course, Magnus's marriage of convenience to Quinn after Rafe passed and Zoey's connection to Magnus.

"Even then, you sought peace, Zoey," Keira murmured, thinking about it. "Based on what we saw during Quinn and Rafe's journey back to each other, you urged Quinn and Magnus to marry to keep the peace." She looked at Zoey with compassion. "Marry, despite having clearly loved Magnus as much as he loved you."

Unsure how to respond to that, she sipped her mead. She had never loved a man, so she had nothing to go off of. Had she felt an undeniable connection to Magnus when they met as children in another life? Without a doubt.

Was that love, though?

"It was love, at the very least,"Magnus said softly into her mind, surprising her with how candid he was about it. "I would know."

She supposed he would, given he had loved his wife and daughter. All she could compare it to was how she felt about her friends. Savannah in particular. She had to assume that was most certainly love.

"Yet different," Magnus murmured, clearly catching things she would rather he not. "Love for a friend is genuine and heartfelt but not as all-consuming."

"So you don't remember talking to Quinn and Rafe across time like you talked to Magnus and Arne?" Keira asked Zoey, pulling her back into the conversation. "Or perhaps anyone else?"

"No." She shook her head. "The longer I'm here, the more I recall having fleeting, hazy dreams about conversations with Magnus and Arne but nothing with Quinn and Rafe. Definitely nothing with Zane or this unseen enemy everyone's curious about."

"You mean Zane," Magnus groused. "As they are most assuredly one and the same."

"So you assume," Zoey returned.

"So I know."

"Either way." Ulrik focused on what he considered the most pressing thing when he looked at Zoey. "Have there been any other voices in your mind since traveling back in time? Any sense of a negative presence attempting to lure you like it did Keira, Athena, and Quinn?"

She shook her head. "Nothing so far."

"Good," he replied, clearly glad to hear it. "You will tell us if that changes, ja?"

"Of course."

After that, they returned to lighter chitchat and rehashed old childhood memories before everyone eventually drifted off to bed for the evening. First ?se, then Arne and Mea, in different directions. Soon enough, her friends left, too, eager to be alone, given how affectionate they were with their new mates, making her acutely aware she didn't know where she was supposed to sleep.

Something Rafe addressed before leaving, clearly surprising Magnus. "Although we were fighting at the time, you will find you have your own chamber here, as well, cousin." He gestured off to their right. "It"s that way." He gave Zoey an apologetic look she didn't quite buy. "My apologies, Zoey. There are no more chambers within the Realm, so you will have to share with Magnus."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she muttered under her breath but thanked Rafe regardless.

"You need not get frustrated with him." Magnus gestured that she join him. "Even if I didn"t have a chamber here, I believe I made it clear you would be remaining by my side no matter where we ended up. Even if it meant sleeping in this cave under a tree if necessary."

"So you said." Far more aware of him than she'd like to admit, she narrowed her eyes. "Because you were determined to keep me safe from male dragons while I was in heat, yet there are no male dragons here who will threaten me."

"Mayhap not now." He held out his hand to her when she didn't follow. "But I have seen this Realm breached before, mere days ago at that, so best to err on the side of caution."

In truth, the idea of sleeping on the ground out here didn't hold much appeal, so she stood without taking his hand just in case she got one of those arousing jolts off him again. In turn, he offered her a small, knowing smile, and they headed in the direction of his chamber.

A place, as it happened, that shocked him every bit as much as it did her.