Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

Magnus

I watched her eyes go wide in shock as my meaning sank in. If I was stuck out here with her until my dragon returned, I was damn well going to find something for her to do a sight better than just making up her witch's potions.

"If you're implying?—"

"I'm not implying anything," I interrupted. "I'm telling you there are better things to do with our time. Everyone has needs. And unless you are some pious creature who's made oaths against letting a man give you pleasure, then you know exactly what I mean." I didn't need the dragon or my magic to see the way her pulse beat against her pretty throat when she looked at me. Or the glazed look in her eyes when I’d made my suggestion. “Or you could simply fix what you’ve done to me and I’ll leave on my own.”

"You're a pig," she said, her words flat and devoid of emotion.

"No. Dragon. There's a BIG difference." Leaning in, I added, "I'd be happy to show you if you'd like a demonstration."

I was baiting her, but she'd brought this all on herself by dragging me out here and I wasn't going to let it go or let her forget. If she didn't like what she got, then that was her problem, not mine.

"The only thing I want to see is proof of this dragon bullshit you keep shoveling my way. And if you think you're going to scare me with empty threats, then you are both a liar and stupid."

A growl rumbled in my chest. This woman had a sharp tongue — and an impressive backbone to match. I admired that, even as I itched to put her in her place. Insolence was one thing, treachery another.

She also acted as if she didn't believe a word I said, but it was obvious that wasn't entirely true either. As far as I could tell, she was more curious than ever the more we spoke. I'd bet good money that if left to her own devices, she'd find a way to crack open my skull and dig out whatever knowledge she sought.

"Thanks to that fucking plant…" I pointed at the group of them in the corner that I wanted to burn to ash. If only I had my dragonfire. "I can't prove anything. If a tiny taste made me sick, I shudder to think about the consequences of the amount I ate in your stew. Speaking of..." I hadn't seen a kitchen up to this point, but I was going to assume she had one here. "Do you have any fresh meat? I'm starving."

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to assess me, likely looking for some hidden meaning in my words. After a few seconds she seemed to give in, even dropping her hands from where they'd perched on her hips. "I should. I called ahead and had provisions delivered. Follow me."

We left her plant growing room and followed a different hall to the opposite side of the cottage. It had looked small from the outside, but I could now see that it was larger than I'd expected. There were twists and turns as we passed several closed doors that could lead to any number of things. However, a moment later we entered a small room that looked capable of meals being prepared. Although calling it a kitchen sounded far too grandiose for this tiny space.

"Have a seat at the table and I'll see what I can whip up." She proceeded to open the refrigerator and began the hunt.

"No."

She whipped around, her eyes full of confusion. "Excuse me?"

I cocked a brow at her. "The last time you cooked for me, I ended up poisoned and dragonless."

"Don't trust me then?" She asked with a smirk.

"Not even a little."

"Fine." She held up her hands in what looked like surrender, but even that I questioned. "You can rummage around in the fridge and find something for breakfast while I go and park my trailer. I can't leave it in the middle of the drive."

I didn't have a chance to process the meaning of her words before she swept from the room and left me standing there like an ass.

I looked around wondering what to do next. Considering I'd never cooked a day in my life beyond charring a fresh kill with dragonfire, I had no idea what to do.

But if there was meat in this kitchen, I would find it. I mean, how hard could it be?

Minutes later, I'd drug everything from her cold box and cabinets to the table so that I could examine this atrocity closer. Her supply of meat was sorely lacking. I sneered at the meager packages of bacon, sausage, and ground up meat that I didn't even want to sniff let alone taste.

She had more cookies, cakes and scones than anything else. And while I had discovered these last few months that freshly made Scottish scones and cream were a delicious treat, a dragon could not exist on them alone. I wasn't even sure a human woman could either.

"What in the hell?"

I turned to find Rose standing in the doorway with her hands back on her hips again. Did she realize that by taking that stance it drew my eye to the curve of her entire profile and made my cock swell at the sight?

"I was trying to find something suitable for a meal and failing miserably. This is all so useless."

She glared at me, that fire inside her flaring in her eyes. "So you thought dragging everything from the cupboards the solution? Goddess, what is wrong with you?"

I grunted. "Easier to assess how bad the situation is by taking inventory of what's actually available."

She shook her head. "This isn't some sort of military operation that you have to layout and study. We aren't preparing for battle. It's just supposed to be breakfast. You know. Eggs, bacon, maybe some pancakes or scones..."

"How are you supposed to survive on this? That's not enough meat for one meal let alone however long you thought this might last."

"That's a week's worth of groceries. That is if it doesn't spoil because you've got it sitting out on the table getting warm. We need to put all of this away and then I'll make breakfast." She whirled back to face me once more. "And this time I won't put anything in the food, I swear."

That fire in her eyes gave me the impression she meant what she said, and my gut told me that despite everything there was some honor in her. But that didn't make me a fool either. I would watch her like a hawk.

"I made the mess, I'll put it away," I stated, brushing past her to do just that. "But I'm serious about the lack of food. It's not enough for you, let alone me."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but it's more than plenty for me. In fact, I could live off the fat of the land for a while this winter," she said, waving her hand in front of her body.

Everything stilled inside me as I processed her words. While we spoke the same basic language there were some differences. I had to have misunderstood, because it sounded like— "Surely you aren't implying that you are too plump. Because that would be ridiculous."

"Fat. Fluffy. Overweight. Whatever you want to call it. But I could stand to lose a little weight by eating a little less."

Violence rose swift and deadly at her words. The idea that she considered her figure anything less than perfect pissed me off. I dropped the few items I'd picked up and stalked towards her. "That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And considering I've lived my entire life in the shadow of a twisted king with a mean streak, that's really saying something." I tried to take a breath, but my lungs were as heated as the rest of me. It was as if the dragon was trying to get out and couldn't because he was stuck. I could almost feel...

The pain of his struggle sliced through me, and I was forced to grab the edge of the table and breathe through it.

"What's wrong?" She rushed to my side. "Are you sick again?" She reached up and pressed her hand to my forehead. The time she'd spent outside had chilled her skin, and it felt amazing pressed to my burning flesh. "You're really hot."

"I always run hot. Side effect of being a dragon."

Her eyes shuttered closed, and when they opened again, I could see the disbelief and mistrust deep in their depths. The more I talked about my dragon, the less she believed. This woman of science would need proof before she'd ever see reason.

"Maybe you are having a reaction to valerian. I'm going to need a sample of your blood to test. In the meantime, you should rest. And drink a lot of water. We need to flush it out of your system."

"I am not an invalid," I said, still gritting my teeth against the pain of my dragon trying to get out. It had been so long since I'd had this much control, I almost forgot what it felt like. While it hurt like a bitch, it was also kind of nice. I did have a need for rest, but not in the way she might think. I needed a break from him so I could think. This might be the perfect opportunity for me to finally come up with a plan. Because I wanted nothing more than to go home.

"No one said you were. Hasn't anyone ever cooked for you before?"

I barked with laughter. "Nearly every day of my life. The King's castle comes equipped with a full staff and an endless supply of food. I utilized it well in between hunts."

"You make it sound so real." Her butter soft words traversed the planes of my body until they lined my ears with her genuine curiosity.

"That's because it is. If not for that cursed plant, I could prove myself."

"So there's nothing different about you in—like—the way you are now?" She stumbled through the question as she started to gather what she needed for a meal. "I would have thought that if fae were actually real that they would have at least some different physical characteristics than humans. Maybe the ears?"

I stared at her in shock as my muscles tightened and my cock grew to the point of pain. Her words had come out sounding innocent, but I'd taken them far differently because there was only one major visible distinction I could think of and it sent my thoughts immediately south. And when she bent over to retrieve something from her lower cupboard, my brain nearly exploded.

I'd encountered a naked human male in my travels these last few months, and I knew exactly how my body differed from theirs. The ridges on my cock would give her the kind of pleasure no human woman had ever encountered before. And my barb... Not that I thought she was ready to experience that.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" I said through lips pressed tightly together.

Her face bloomed red as she read the hunger likely etched across my face.

From the moment I'd encountered her in the cemetery, I'd known there was something different about her. But I couldn't put my finger on it then, and I could even less now. She was human, and they were fragile. What need would a dragon have with one of them? My magic tingled at the base of my neck, but that part of me remained locked up tight, leaving me no choice but to figure this out without my dragon.

I lifted my nose into the air and breathed deep, acutely aware that what little I scented was only in this room and not nearly as strong as I was used to. Even the woman in front of me didn't smell as she had before. Was my condition worsening?

"It doesn't matter," I said, finally answering her question. I was too pissed off about my situation to even think of examining why my body reacted to hers under these circumstances. I should be a hairs breath away from wrapping my hands around her pale, slender neck and squeezing the life out of her for what she’d done to me. Not thinking about the warm heat between her legs and what it would feel like to sink inside her.

Although the idea of making her scream appealed, nonetheless. I just wasn't sure if I wanted her screaming in pleasure or in pain.

My body jerked at my wild thoughts, forcing me to put more focus on the woman - Rose. The name suited her. Besides the red hair that curled around her face, she had features that reminded me of a delicate flower.

A small nose, green eyes that were a little too widely set, but so full of fire it was hard to look away. And fair skin that blushed a pretty pink every time I said something that made her nervous. The freckles across her nose and cheeks were the only thing keeping her from perfect porcelain skin. But they didn't detract from her looks—quite the opposite—they were like the sprinkles across a perfectly frosted cake.

I scowled at my comparison. What the hell was wrong with me?

"If it doesn't matter, then stop staring at me like you plan to do something vile to me." Her frown deepened, and I swore I could almost see a touch of true fire in the depths of those green eyes this time.

I stepped closer to get a better look because if there was magic inside her, I was going to find a way to draw it out and use it to fix my dragon.

"Stop." She held up her hands, as if that would keep me from doing anything. "Don't take another step. I still have access to my shotgun, and I will use it if I have to."

"Because taking my dragon wasn't enough. Now you want my life? I think it is I who should be asking you who you are. Did the king send you here? Is that what this is about? It couldn't be a coincidence that you happened to use the one plant that could maim or kill a dragon."

She inhaled sharply and shook her head. "I can't tell if you are serious or not when you say stuff like that. Are you trying to yank my chain or are you just delusional?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't see a chain wrapped around your neck for me to yank on, but if that's what you'd like, I'm sure we could fashion something to make it work."

Her mouth dropped open, and a smile crossed my face in response. My dark heart rather enjoyed the idea of chaining Rose and seeing where that led. If she wanted to play dangerous games, I was up for the challenge.

"You're a beast," she said, an angry scowl crossing her face.

"I told you I was. You chose to believe I lied."

"Because it's a ridiculous story. Fae and dragons? Come on. While I believe in some basic craft, what you are spouting goes way beyond the impossible."

“Fine.” I shook my head. “If it's proof you need...”

I reached for the belt at my trousers and began to unfasten them. Why keep arguing when I could just show her?

Her eyes widened. "What in the hell are you doing?" she asked, backing away until her backside hit the cupboard behind her and halting her escape.

"Like you said. There are differences between the fae and humans. But not many when dragons take their human like forms. In fact, there is only one that I am aware of. My cock."

The color drained from her face. "Don't you dare."

"And how will you stop me?"