Chapter 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

Magnus

Three hours had passed since our return from visiting Corvina, and as I watched the sun drop below the horizon, our opportunity to confront my uncle when he least expected us dropped as well.

Although, according to Rose, he somehow already knew we were coming, and he'd prepared for it.

I rubbed the back of my neck, and once again tried to pinpoint what she could have seen and how. I'd learned a long time ago to trust my instincts, and my instinct about her was that not only could she be trusted, but also that she always meant what she said. Something was definitely happening, and Rose was at the heart of it.

Corvina had not been helpful at all. Like me, she guessed that Rose had the gift of premonition. Although not once in my lifetime had I encountered or heard of someone with a premonition so vivid it seemed real. And to her it truly was real. I could still feel her body quaking with fear from the incident.

Before we left the witch, she had pulled me to the side and warned me about Rose. I could still feel the anger that pulsed beneath my skin when her words hit my ears. She believed there was something wrong with my mate and that I needed to keep her under guard. That alone had told me something was very wrong. Not with Rose though. I'd never known Corvina to be quite so on edge or act with such bite. In fact, not long ago she'd have done anything to get into my favor and my bed.

This was all wrong and even I had a weird sense of deja vu over this situation. I shoved away from the balcony and made my way in the direction of the kitchen. Rose had refused to ask for Corvina's help or give her any indication of what she needed. Something about the witch had set her off. Instead, she'd dragged me back to the market and into the forest until she had everything she thought she'd need.

Again, instincts were at play, and I trusted hers a hell of a lot more than Corvina. I might not have sealed the bond between Rose and myself, but it still pulsed between us like a living, breathing force. And if she wanted to do her own thing, then I would see it through with her.

Although when it came to Rose cooking up some kind of potion in my kitchen, it still made my skin itch. The last time she'd done that, I'd lost my dragon for two days. A shudder worked through me at the still fresh memory. Relief or not, it had been an unsettling sensation to lose such an integral part of me—even temporarily. I never wanted to go through that again.

I made it as far as the doorway and stopped. Catching sight of that first flash of her red hair, I had to take a moment and drink her in. A few hours could hardly be called a separation, but seeing her barefoot, wearing a colorful sundress she'd picked up in the market with her auburn hair half twisted up in a bun on the top of her head and the rest winding around her face in a cloud of steam made the need to keep her close grow ferociously stronger. And seeing her like this was too good a sight not to stop and appreciate it.

It also made our time apart, however small, feel like an eternity. My muscles were coiled tight with anticipation.

When it came to her, all my senses were on high alert. First, my ears pricked at the subtle hum of a tune coming from her delicate throat. I didn't recognize it, but it sounded deep and dark with a little melancholy thrown into the mix. It made whatever troubled her pulse through my own blood. I would have to ask her about it.

But it was the catalog of scents filling the room that drew me the rest of the way inside to investigate.

Nose to the air, I inhaled deep, taking a full breath of all of them so I could pick them apart one by one. Where humans were interested in the sights and sounds around them, a dragon easily became obsessed by them and their multitude of details. Likely because they were sharper, more intense to him than most, but also because it was the senses that enabled us to find our most prized treasures.

A reminder that I would soon need to check on some of mine. Out of sight did not mean out of mind, and it had been too long since I'd enforced my wards around my vault.

Another flash of movement in the kitchen caught my eye as she sprinkled something into her pot and sparks popped into the air. I'd watched her grab a few common spices from the market such as cinnamon and sage, and they certainly dominated whatever she had cooked up. But there were many other layers I could detect and not all of them were easy to identify.

There were a lot of earthy scents from things she'd likely gathered during her time in the forest while I'd kept guard. Leaves, some roots, maybe even a little dirt. Although the next deep breath had me rearing back and scrunching my nose at the sharp, acrid scent. What the hell was that?

I shook my head and rubbed my hand under my nose. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. I'd make sure to steer clear of this concoction.

I was about to make my presence known when she raised her hand to her forehead and wiped the hair that had fallen into her eyes. That one little move had a lot going on and my eyes threatened to pop out over every one of them. She'd revealed a sheen of sweat across her forehead that I knew from experience sweetened her skin. And the act of raising her arm had pushed her tits up in her sundress nearly to the popping point.

I could definitely help her with that.

Time stood still as I studied her every move.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch me, or do you want to help?"

She hadn't moved, and she'd either seen or sensed me watching. I wondered if she realized how strong the bond between us had grown. I'd seen how well she saw things without actually looking at them. Far better than I'd expected from a human.

I paused. But she wasn't human. Something I'd managed to shove from my mind for the time being. The glamour the sprite had put on her to fool everyone else had influenced me as well. I'd almost forgotten she was dark fae. And that there were still secrets between us...

When I didn't answer right away, she turned to me, a question in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just observing. I like watching you do your thing."

She glanced down at the stove and then down at her feet. "I sure hope that's not some archaic reference to being barefoot and in the kitchen. Because I'm not about to become some weird fae realm version of a fifties housewife."

I raised my right brow and scowled down at her as I took several steps in the kitchen while keeping my distance from her concoction.

"Aren't you leaving out the part about being pregnant?" I held back my laughter when she sneered. "What? You think I spent all those months in your world and I didn't pick anything up? Including some of your quaint colloquialisms?"

"You think I'm pregnant?" The color drained from her face, and she looked down at her stomach as if there would be some sort of sign or answer to her question.

"Relax, Rose." I shook my head. "I was only making a smart-ass comment in reference to yours. Don’t jump to conclusions and think the worst. That's not you."

Her shoulders sagged and she exhaled a harsh breath. "I can't help it. I'm on edge. After watching you die twice, I feel like I'm walking on a razor thin wire of sanity. It's so confusing. I don't know what to believe and I don't need any more big revelations right now. So, if you're here to tell me that I'm pregnant because you dragon nose can sense it, I don't want to hear it."

I barely managed not to wince. I had revelations she definitely needed to know, and sooner rather than later, but now was clearly not the time.

"I really was teasing," I reassured her. "That whole saying you were implying with your words was missing that part of it, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess." She lifted her head and met my gaze. "But I've never found it all that funny. There are plenty of men who still believe that's where women belong."

"Human men. It's not like that here."

It was her turn to arch her brow in disbelief at me. "You really going to tell me that women and men are equal here?"

I bit back my smile at her rising indignation. She was getting fired up for something and I kind of wanted to watch the show. Her cheeks were turning brighter red and her eyes were shining with fire.

"Males and females among fae species are generally considered equal. Fae females can be as strong as males and often times stronger. It depends on their training. But?—"

"I knew there had to be a but. There always is." She frowned, her forehead scrunching up with her dismay.

"But," I continued. "That doesn't mean cross species don't have a fair share of controversy. To the fae, strength equals power, and any weaker fae are considered lesser. But it doesn't matter the gender, if that matters to you."

She seemed to think about what I'd said as she sat there almost thinking out loud. It was so cute to watch her do nothing, it approached ridiculous.

My dragon rippled underneath my skin as awareness prickled my senses.

Mate.

I wasn't sure how to break it to her yet, but the only reason she wasn't pregnant yet was because I'd held back. No breeding could occur without the dragon barb, and holding it back from an omega couldn't last forever. An Alpha's responsibility to give an omega whatever she needed was as ingrained in my DNA as it was in my psyche.

Before I could lock down the dragon's thoughts, a flood of images filled my mind of Rose with her belly swollen from where I'd bred her.

For a long moment, I couldn't breathe, nor was I sure my heart beat as I realized just how much I wanted that with her.

As if my body had a mind of its own, I was across the room with my hands on her hips and pulling her against me.

"Magnus! What are you doing?"

I grinned at the shocked look on her face. I wanted her as off balance as I felt too.

I pressed my nose against her neck and inhaled deep letting her sweet familiar scent envelop me.

"Magnus!" she cried again, this time pushing against my chest as hard as she could.

"It doesn't matter how much you train or what kind of magic you yield, you will never be stronger than a dragon."

"What the hell? What is wrong with you?" She fought against my hold, but anyone could have told her that fighting me or my dragon was nothing more than an exercise in futility. "I don't understand any of this. The way you're acting…" Her brow furrowed, eyes searching mine. "Who are you?"

My grip tightened as I ran my tongue along the length of her jawline, savoring her unique flavor. The talk of omegas being irresistible to an Alpha had not been an exaggeration.

But it was the slick between her thighs that truly caught my attention. I could still taste it on my tongue, and I had to have more.

"You had better get your hands off of me, dragon, or you will find yourself neutered. Did you really think I would come here unprepared?"

I wasn't sure if it was her threat or the way she'd specifically addressed my dragon, but either way I felt the pressure he'd exerted on me slowly slip away.

Despite the fire in her eyes, luring me closer still, I sensed the underlying tension and fear she tried to hide. It scraped against my brain, leaving an imprint in its wake. Because of that, I managed to release my grip on her and take a small step away. When she followed suit by taking three steps away from me, I winced, guilt twisting my gut, even as I watched the dragon ripple under my skin from the corner of my eye.

"The dragon—it's difficult—” Scrubbing a hand over my face, I let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you." But the pull to her was too strong—too potent. But for her sake, I would fight that part of me that insisted we take what belonged to us.

In other words, I needed to find that part of me that held an ounce of patience. From everything I'd heard, omegas were as fragile as they were strong, and they needed to trust their partners.

"Tell me," she said through clenched teeth. "I need to know everything."

"I'm struggling. This bond between us—it's powerful, and I'm not always in control of it."

"And that's what scares me."

I nodded. She had that right and no one would blame her. "I really don't want to hurt you," I repeated, both for her benefit and mine. "But I might need a minute."

For several rough beats of my heart, she said nothing, did nothing, as we stared at each other. Until she finally turned her back on me and fled.

Taking a slow and controlled breath to stop my insides from shaking, I locked my dragon down much harder than normal.

"We will not chase her," I said aloud firmly, making my position clear in my own mind. But in the next breath the truth of what we both felt in that moment came out.

"Not yet."