Time to change that. Ruby got out of the car and placed her hand on the roof, looking back inside. “This is my sister’s house.”
“Ah. Does she know about me?” Magnus asked.
“Fiona might be good at keeping some secrets, but I don’t think she could have kept this one.” Ruby straightened up. “I should have come here yesterday and told her myself.”
Magnus unfolded his legs and got out of the car. “Do you need me to stay here?”
“No. She might be less likely to bite my head off if we go in together.” She walked around the car to stand next to him and looked up at the house. It was pretty, the timber mellow as it bathed in the warm sunlight. Honeysuckle grew around the porch and a heavenly scent blew across the front yard welcoming them.
“Hello, stranger.” Sapphi came around the corner of the house, dressed in coveralls. She’d been working, growing her jewelry business, building a future for herself while Ruby sulked.
“Sapphi. I…” For once Ruby was lost for words.
“So this is Magnus?” Sapphi walked over to join them.
“Yes, we met yesterday.” Ruby watched her sister closely. “I’d have come sooner.”
“But you have a mystery to solve.” Sapphi grabbed her sister and pulled her into a hug so tight, it cut off Ruby’s breath. “I’m so happy for you, Ruby,” she said quietly.
“Thanks, Sapph.” Ruby hugged back, knowing that no words were needed.
“Shall we get some coffee?” Sapphi stepped back and surveyed Magnus. “You look good for a man who has slept for a couple of centuries.”
“Thanks.” Magnus cracked a smile. “You and Ruby are very alike.”
Sapphi stood next to her sister, hands on hips. “The next words out of your mouth had better be flattering, or you’ll have us both to deal with.”
Magnus chuckled. “I mean in looks. You have the same shaped eyes and nose.”
“We get that from our Mom,” Ruby said, putting her arm around her sister. They’d shared so much together. Now that they both had mates, it was time for them to move on to the next phase of their lives, together. “I’d love that coffee. And some apple cake if you made some. Harlan attempted to make some yesterday, but it’s not the same as yours.”
“So that’s why you’ve honored me with a visit, you crave apple cake,” Sapphi joked and led them into the house. “We’re still not organized.” She indicated the sitting room. “Alex’s mom keeps bringing stuff.”
Ruby laughed and held up a jewelry box. “Does she not know you have your own treasure?”
“She’s so sweet, she keeps giving me priceless family heirlooms.” Sapphi was headed for the kitchen when she stopped and turned around. “She wants to pass things down to her grandchildren. It’s her way of bribing me into getting pregnant.”
Ruby arched her eyebrows. “Well, keep your legs crossed, you’ll have a second fortune by the time you…conceive.” Ruby’s shoulder sagged forward, and tears sprung to her eyes. “You already are.”
Sapphi nodded, tears misting her face as Ruby flung her arms around her sister. “You’re going to be a mommy.”
“I am.” Sapphi covered her mouth with a shaking hand. “I don’t know how.”
“You’ll be the best mommy in the world,” Ruby told her, holding both her hands. “You were always the sensible one, the one who liked to make peace not war. You’ll be brilliant.”
“Will you be there? For me?” Sapphi asked in a choked voice, dashing tears off her cheek with the back of her hand.
“Always.” Ruby nodded and hugged Sapphi close. “Always and forever.”
“Good.” Sapphi pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Now, who wants coffee?”
“Are you allowed coffee? With the baby?” Ruby asked.
Sapphi rolled her eyes. “Don’t you start. Alex is already nose deep in baby books. Telling me what I should and shouldn’t do. One cup is fine.” She made a fresh pot of coffee and then asked, “Magnus, do you have any more news on who you are?”
“Not much.” Magnus had been standing back, letting the two sisters have some space, but now he joined them in the kitchen, his arm around Ruby as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I was an artist who lived here a couple of centuries ago. I grew up in a cottage down by the creek. My mom died when my sister, Emilia, and I were still young. Emilia made me promise not to shift because she was scared I might get killed.”
“Do you keep the promise to your sister?” Sapphi asked as she poured the coffee and passed the cups around. “I’ll get that apple cake.”
“I don’t know,” Magnus confessed.
“Magnus painted portraits. Good portraits of the rich and famous of the time. There are a couple of his paintings hanging in the museum.” Ruby’s eyes widened as Sapphi passed her a large slice of apple cake. “Thank you.”
“I’ve been to the museum with Alex. We must have seen the paintings.”
“One is of a pretty young woman standing outside a cottage on the banks of the creek,” Ruby said with her mouth full.
“I remember it. Alex and I found the actual ruin itself afterward.” Sapphi’s cheeks colored as she sat down at the kitchen table facing her sister and Magnus. If they were alone, Ruby would have teased her and asked if that was where they had conceived their child. But even Ruby knew how inappropriate that would be with Magnus here. “That was your house?”
“It was once. I don’t remember it really.” Magnus drank his coffee and stared at the table.
Ruby reached out to him. “We will get your memories back.”
“Could Tiberius help?” Sapphi asked. “You could go and visit them.”
“We plan to.” Ruby smiled coyly. “Tonight.”
“Oh.” Sapphi’s eyes widened. “That’s why you’re really here.”
“No, it’s not. I wanted to see you,” Ruby insisted.
“But you want me to call them. Alex gave them a satellite phone, he talks to them every day. I’ll get him to mention it. But it’ll be fine. They’ve only just gone home.” Sapphi picked at a piece of cake, nibbling it slowly.
“Do you think they’d mind? Only something else happened at the museum. There was a man there, Thorn Manning. We think he’s a bear shifter. He’s related to Peregrine Manning, who was kind of like a benefactor to Magnus and his sister. It was the portrait Magnus painted of him that launched Magnus’s career.”
“He looked at me as if he knew me,” Magnus told Sapphi. “Apparently there’s a self-portrait of me down in the basement and if he digs it out he’ll be even more suspicious.”
“We’ve been lucky, he was out of the country and hasn’t heard the news of the man who came down from the mountain. But if he does and puts two and two together…” Ruby glanced at Magnus with concern. “Magnus thinks something happened between him and Peregrine Manning. We really need to know what that is.”
“You think Thorn Manning might know?” Sapphi asked.
“He might, and if it’s bad…” Ruby let her words hang in the air.
“Do you think he had something to do with the sleeping curse?” Sapphi asked. “Did this Peregrine Manning put Magnus to sleep?”
“We don’t know.” Ruby rubbed her temples, the tension of the day was catching up with her, but she could not afford a headache, not with so much else to do.
“You two go and get ready. Leave Tiberius and Helena to me. I’ll text you after I’ve spoken to them. But it’ll be fine. I’ll warn Tiberius to get his herbs and whatever ready. That man has some weird stuff, but he knows what he’s doing.” Sapphi got up and Ruby embraced her sister.
“Thank you.”
“We’re family, always will be. Let me know what happens. And while you’re gone I’ll see what I can find out.” Sapphi walked them to the door.
“Don’t talk to Thorn. If too many people ask questions about Magnus then he’s going to be tipped off.” Ruby stopped in the doorway and turned around. “There is one favor I want to ask you and Alex.”
“I thought you said you’d do anything to help?” Ruby asked.
“I know you well enough to be suspicious,” Sapphi answered.
“It’s not anything bad. What I need you to do is block the trail that leads to the cave where Magnus’s treasure is. Can you meet us after dark and we’ll fly there together?”
“Sure. You can show us where it is, and we’ll place a couple of large boulders there. We don’t want anyone stealing your treasure, Magnus.” Sapphi kissed him on the cheek. “Welcome to the family. And look after my sister. She’s the only one I have.”
“Like I’m not old enough to look after myself,” Ruby retorted.
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Magnus promised.
Ruby would prefer it if he protected her with his body. His naked body. Would they ever get time to be alone and just enjoy each other as mates?
Chapter Sixteen – Magnus
“I like your family.” It was late afternoon and they were driving back to Fara’s house.
After leaving Sapphi’s house, they had returned to Ruby’s home. There they quickly updated her father about what happened at the museum, before Ruby hastily packed for their trip.
“I’m glad.” Ruby checked the rearview mirror and pressed her foot down on the pedal that made her car go faster. He still had not got used to the speed of these mechanical beasts.
“Are you running from something?” Magnus asked. His mate fascinated him, she was a complex mixture of emotions. Like gunpowder, he was never sure when she might spark and fizz and bang.
“That obvious?” Ruby asked with a sigh. “Knowing my mom the way I do, she’s not going to be happy about all this. I don’t need an interrogation right now. She still thinks Sapphi and I are kids. “
“You always will be to her. First, because she’s your mother, and second, because she’s been alive for so long. This world I’ve woken into is strange, I can’t imagine what it must be like for Fiona to have lived through all of those changes. Every step in human development, from horse-drawn wagons to cars. And this internet and computers. Clouds that are invisible.”
“When you put it like that.” Ruby stopped at a road junction and then followed the signs toward Wolf Valley. “I don’t want her to stop us from going. On the other hand, I don’t want her to confront Thorn while we’re gone. My mom is not exactly the kind of person to sit back and let things go.”
“Thorn is not yet a threat,” Magnus reminded her.
“I know. I wonder if I should have kept quiet about him.” Ruby’s forehead creased, and she rubbed her temples. She looked tense. Because of him. Magnus wanted to melt away her worries and fears.
Muttering a silent curse, he focused his mind on the wisps of memories that floated around in his head. If only he could catch hold of one and follow a trail to the rest of them. It would sure beat traveling halfway across the world to visit another dragon.
They reached the farm. Fara’s truck was gone, she must have already left for Sol’s house. They got out of the car and walked to the front door together, grateful for this short time alone. “I’ll leave a note for Fara. And the money your father gave me. Which I will repay in full.”
Ruby stood on the porch and looked out across the mountains. “We have a few hours before we can leave. Why don’t we eat and chill for a while?”
“Chill? You want to be cold? I thought a dragon would like to be hot.”
“Chill. Relax.” With an amused expression, she followed him into the house, which was unlocked.
“Oh, relax.” Magnus closed the door behind them. “That sounds like a good idea.”
“What does an old dragon like you do to relax?” she asked, running her hand along the back of the sofa as she entered the sitting room.
“I have no idea.” He followed close behind her. There was one thing he thought would relax them both, but he didn’t know if she was ready. They had shared kisses and caresses but did a modern woman like Ruby expect a ring on her finger and a marriage certificate in her hand before she gave herself to a man?
Or did the mating bond make those things insignificant?
She turned to face him, leaning toward him. “Is there something you want, Magnus Dumas?”
“Yes.” His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing the line of her jaw. “It is the one thing I am sure of in my life. It’s the one thing I cling to when the rest of the world makes no sense.”
“And what is that?” she asked softly.
“You.”
She sighed, and her breath caressed his skin, sending shivers of anticipation down his spine. He’d wanted her since the first time they’d met before he’d learned about dragons and fated mates. He craved her, the touch of her lips, the warmth of her skin. They were meant to be together, no matter who he was, no matter what he’d been before.
Magnus realized that now. The man he was before was gone. Because the man he was before didn’t have a mate. Didn’t have Ruby. And as his lips descended to claim hers, the truth struck him. If he had to choose. If he could have only one—dragon or mate—he would choose his mate every time.
A whisper in his brain, soft as the summer rain as it fell in the creek beside the house he grew up in, told him he didn’t have to choose. He would have it all if he could only find the answers he needed.
But the answer was here. In his arms. Ruby.
He held her close as his tongue slid along her lower lip and she opened her mouth, letting him in. His arm circled her waist and he held her against his body, drinking in the warmth of her body, and inhaling the scent of her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers stroking the nape of his neck, and he shuddered with desire.
They moved as one, he lifted her off the floor and she wrapped her legs around him, pressing herself against his hardened length. Magnus slid his hand down over her bottom and turned around, walking back out of the sitting room and making his way to the stairs.
She broke their kiss and nipped the sensitive skin of his neck as he climbed the stairs, swift and sure with his woman in his arms. Turning right at the top of the stairs, he headed for the room he’d called his own since Fara found him. Kicking the door open, he strode inside, placing Ruby down on the bed.
She scooted back, and began to undo the buttons of her shirt, while he dragged his T-shirt over his head and threw it to the floor. A moment later, his new pants followed, then he realized he still had his hiking boots on. A moment of unmanly hopping ensued as he dragged both pants and boots off his feet.
Sweeping back his hair, he stood before his mate. Did she like what she saw? He was nervous. Out of time. Out of practice. He hadn’t slept with a woman for a few centuries or more. Surely making love to a woman had not changed.
“Come join me.” She patted the bed beside her as she shrugged her shirt off her shoulders and kicked off her boots. “There’s plenty of room.”
That wasn’t exactly true. Fara’s guest bed was only a single. Sol had used it before he got a place of his own. But they would manage.
Magnus placed his knee on the bed and crawled like a predator about to claim his prey to sit beside her. Ruby’s eyes flicked down to his lips, and her hands went to the buttons of her jeans.
A gentleman must always help a lady, so he pushed her hands gently aside and undid the buttons, and then helped her wriggle out of them. He had to admit, he liked it when she wriggled. Her breasts bounced, no match for the lacy fabric that tried to contain them.
“How do I…?” A woman’s undergarments were not what they used to be. No more laced corsets.
“There’s a clasp.” Ruby’s fingers guided him to the small clasp that held her bra in place. Once open, the fabric fell from her body, revealing her wonderful breasts.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.” He stroked her soft skin, and she shivered, her eyes dilating as she turned to face him.
“My dragon disagrees, she say
s she is the most beautiful creature you have ever seen.” Ruby brushed his hair back off his face and leaned forward, her lips touching his.
He nipped her lower lip and then kissed her, his hand cupping her breast in his hand. Brushing his thumb over her nipple, he teased the sensitive bud, tweaking it between his thumb and finger, until Ruby squirmed on the bed. She reached for him, and curled her hand around his hardened length, stroking him. Was she trying to make him lose control?
He moved, easing her backward so she lay on the bed. With her free hand, she reached for the pillow and positioned it under her head, while he hovered over her body. Resting his weight on one elbow, he slid between her thighs. He wanted their foreplay to last longer, but if he didn’t claim her now, he would come too soon. The scent of her, the warmth of her, the touch of her hands and the kiss of her soft lips were too much.
She overloaded his senses. “You are an incredible woman, Ruby.” His eyes locked with hers as he shifted his weight forward and she guided him toward her.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she murmured against his ear, before grazing her teeth along the sensitive lobe.
He groaned and thrust forward, entering her, filling her with a primal need. Ruby met him stroke for stroke as she urged him to claim her as his. With each thrust, he knew she claimed him, too, as her own true mate. A mate who had slept for hundreds of years just to be here by her side.
Magnus pulled out and then lunged forward, taking his time, hanging on to the last thread of his self-control. He cupped her breast and lowered his head to claim her taut nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around and around as he tortured the turgid flesh.
Her breathing quickened and she raked her fingers down his back as if they were talons. Magnus threw his head back as his orgasm crashed into him. He could hold on no longer. His seed spurted into her, filling her as her inner walls pulsed and throbbed. She came around him, their bodies joined as one.
Their mating bond was complete, they were joined on a deeper level. As she nestled against him in the narrow bed, he held her close until her breathing subsided and she lay quietly in his arms. Magnus never wanted to let her go. Damn his memories, damn the trip to the Himalayas, they should just stay here in each other’s arms.
Awakened Dragon Page 13
