Chapter 40

Chapter

Forty

Rose

I ran from the kitchen to the bathroom and barely got the door locked before I sank to the floor.

My entire body pulsed with anger and fear and—and need.

I was so disgusted with myself I could do nothing more than cover my face and shake my head. Despite the rage building in my chest, I could still feel the heat he'd caused to pound between my thighs.

This mating heat thing was getting worse, and it scared the hell out of me every time it flared. The words to beg for more had been hovering on my lips and I'd barely held them back.

Now was not the time for this.

Never was a good time for a magical mating call as far as I was concerned. I could barely wrap my head around the fact I might not be human. It didn't seem to matter that I'd been presented with the truth, and it had explained so much. Inside, I was still me, and whatever happened, I didn't want to lose that.

He, and everyone we'd come across from this world threw around that Omega word like it was some big thing I had to kowtow to. But I still didn't fully understand it. One minute it sounded a hell of a lot like servitude, and the next it came out like reverence and respect.

Either way, I needed a clear mind to not only grasp what he expected of me, but to also figure out everything else. I grabbed my head and bent at the waist until I'd pushed my head between my knees. The overwhelm was real.

"Rose, are you okay?" Magnus' voice came soft, but clear from the other side of the door. Even with the thick slab of wood between us I could feel the vibration of his voice pulsing through my soul. It would be so easy to lay this all on him. Make it all his responsibility. Blaming him, however, it wouldn't be fair. He'd had this situation forced on him just as much as I did.

I'd made my decision to come here on my own. Even after he'd warned me about his uncle. And Kitra had done her best to explain what I would go through during this heat. I'd just chosen to tune half of it out as a true fairytale. Now I knew better. So I just needed to find those big girl panties of mine and fasten them firmly in place. There had to be a way through this.

Had to be.

I took a shallow breath and pushed it roughly through my lips. "I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

He didn't say anything else, but I sensed his presence. I had to admit there was something comforting about the fact he didn't seem to be going anywhere. This may have been his house, but that didn't mean he couldn't run. Or fly.

I turned and placed my hand on the warm wood where I imagined he sat on the other side. My fingers tingled, whether from his power or something of mine. For better or worse, we were in this together.

Maybe I was a romantic sap after all. My parents—I hesitated—my guardians. My lip curled at that. I didn't like how that sounded. They were my damned parents. Who else would have stayed their entire lives at my side?

Anyone indebted to a king...

I frowned, shoving that thought out of my head, choosing to focus on the flesh-and-blood man on the other side of this door. He needed my focus whether he believed it or not. What I'd seen had been real and that was enough for me. It had also shaken me to my core. A small smile quirked at the corner of my mouth. My belief was enough for me, but his confidence in me...and the fact that even amidst his skepticism he'd gone along with my plan counted in ways I couldn't explain.

Mates.

That word again. I didn't know whether to be thankful for it or curl my lip at it.

Whatever. Things were changing too fast to analyze every little thing. Maybe it was time to lean into it instead of trying to disprove it. Magic was simply science that hadn't been proven yet. That had been my motto for as long as I could remember. The way my parents grasped their magic without question had influenced my entire life. Science or not.

I pushed to my feet, ignoring the slight shake in my thighs. I was stronger than this, and I wasn't going to let that damned king ruin my life or anyone else’s. My idea was solid, and if we were lucky, no one would see it coming. It had to work because I didn't think I could take seeing Magnus murdered again in front of me.

A shiver worked down my spine at the memory and my stomach churned in response. I'd be lucky if I made it through all of this without a severe case of PTSD.

Taking a final breath, I turned the knob and opened the door a small fraction. As expected, Magnus stood incredibly close. He dropped his hand quickly but not before I realized he'd likely been touching that door in the exact spot I had on the opposite side.

My heart clenched. It was only then I finally lifted my gaze to meet his and I nearly gulped in relief to see them back to their normal color. I had no idea if he realized how much they changed when the dragon part of him was on the verge of taking over. There was a golden glow that took over with a fiery orange outline that reminded me just how dangerous this man could be.

Whatever fire he and that dragon of his possessed, it probably wasn't far from the surface.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know. Is it safe for me to come back out? Or do I need to finish my work behind locked doors?"

A smirk tightened his lips. "It's cute you think a flimsy locked door could keep me out if that's what I truly wanted."

The knot in my stomach tightened. "If I can't trust you to honor my space, then I might as well leave now. I'm not going to live in fear or walk around on eggshells with you just because you are a dragon. Is that going to be a problem?"

His face went blank, but his eyes deepened to a darker green. He didn't look mad, but I could see he wasn't in love with what I'd said.

"I didn't break down the door, did I?"

I rolled my eyes and followed that up by sticking my tongue out at him. It was childish, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't going to take his sarcasm seriously. I opened the door all the way with the intent of brushing him off and heading back to the kitchen, when he suddenly grabbed my arm and hauled me against him.

I was immediately assaulted by a wave of heat emanating from his body. Good goddess, I was never going to get used to or tired of that warmth and the way my body wanted to melt into him every time he touched me.

"You have a problem with authority, don't you?" He followed the words with a low, rumbling growl that rolled through my entire body until my blood began to tingle and my skin itch. While he'd posed his statement as a question, it didn't exactly feel like he was expecting an answer. Nor did I want to give it. He was far too dangerous than any male deserved to be.

With that thought in my head, I forced my spine straight and I breezed past him like I didn't have a care in the world. Just because my knees were shaking, and need pulsed between my thighs, didn't mean I couldn't fake it until I made it. I had science on my mind, and as far as I was concerned, giving that king of his a taste of his own medicine was more important than my body aching for this man.

First, I had to make sure he lived through the next few hours.

"I have work to do. I think until we get through this, we should focus on that. Don't you?" And just like him, I posed a question with little expectation of an answer. We both knew what we had to do.

"Do you want to tell me more about what you are cooking up in here?" he asked as he followed me back into the kitchen.

"A peace offering."

A loud snort erupted behind me. "I'm not interested in making nice with my uncle. I want him dead."

"And that's fine. But running in there and attacking him isn't working. So we need another approach."

Silence fell behind me as I stepped to the stove and picked up the wooden stir spoon and went back to work. Fortunately, it didn't look like my mini breakdown had affected my potion. Since I'd already turned the flames down on the stove, the concoction had begun to thicken and darken up nicely. It wouldn't be long now.

"That shit stinks."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as his voice erupted close to my ear. It sent another shiver working its way slowly down my spine. I inhaled quickly and held my breath as I counted backwards from ten. Whatever game he wanted to play, I could do this.

"For now. Once I work it into the mini black buns, and bake it, not even your magic will detect it."

"You think he cares about your treats?" He rounded the end of the counter and met my gaze. "Don't get me wrong. When you cook, it is divine. No shade on your abilities. But my uncle cares for little other than power and money. Food has never been high on his agenda."

A small smile crossed his face. "Believe me. I've gotten a heavy dose of exactly the kind of man your uncle is. But you need to trust me. I know what I'm doing. Using both science and magic is the key. The poison is the science, and I'm positive it will do what we need it to do. But it's the magic I'll infuse into the buns that will lure him in and distract him long enough for a sample."

He thought for a moment. "Okay. So you are working a layered spell. That sounds complicated. Again, no disrespect, but I've seen you turn your nose up at magic. But now you've embraced it and already have the skills to get around the fae?" He turned away and paced across the room, his hands in a tight fist behind his back. "I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I don't even possess that kind of magic and I've lived here my entire life. How could you possibly pull this off in just a few hours?"

My smile faded. "You forget I've spent my entire life with two dark fae. Even if I didn't know that, I was raised with magic. My mother called herself a kitchen witch, and without proof of anything more than simple concoctions to go on, I took everything she told me at face value and repeated every step in the process. Even when I thought they were silly. I know magic. I just didn't know how much I knew until I met you. And Kitra. And Isaac. And everyone here. It's not that hard to put it all together once you realize you've had all the puzzle pieces your entire life. My parents knew exactly what they were doing. They were preparing me for the day I might have to use magic to save my life."

He scrunched his face and then reached up and rubbed his forehead. "I hope you're right. Although I'm not above using my dragonfire to get the job done if that's what I have to do."

"You will. This magic is strong, but it won't kill him. It will only disable him temporarily. It will be up to you to exact his punishment." I practically whispered the last word. I'd sensed the pain in Magnus's voice every time he spoke of the bastard. One way or another, he needed the closure. And that meant I'd leave it up to him whether he killed or imprisoned him.

Magnus suddenly whirled back to face me. "But wait. This won't work. My uncle is more paranoid than any other fae I've ever met. He will never touch any food or drink that hasn't been tested by his right hand. He'll see this coming."

Another smile worked across my face, this time much larger. "I've accounted for that possibility. But for that, I need a donation from you."

His right eyebrow lifted. "I knew there had to be a catch. What kind of donation?"