by Zoe Chant
Magnus gasped, his eyes widening. What was that?
From the way the woman glanced up at him, her beautiful full lips slightly parted, he could tell she’d felt it too.
Whatever it was.
He didn’t have time to think about it now, however. First, he needed to get her to a doctor.
“Come on,” he said, draping her arm across his shoulder. She was tall, but he still had to stoop to accommodate her.
“I can walk,” she insisted, but Magnus couldn’t fail to hear the hitch of pain in her voice or feel the way she stumbled as she tried to take a step.
“This would be a lot easier if you’d let me carry you,” he said, as they took a few limping steps forward. They wouldn’t get anywhere like this.
“First aid,” the woman murmured. “I have... I...”
Magnus realized she was slipping into unconsciousness. Panic flared in his chest.
He had to get her out of here. Now.
He had medical supplies back at the small hut he lived in while he was out patrolling the land – but they’d never get there in time. Not like this.
Fly.
His dragon stretched its wings, extending them to their full, magnificent length.
We could be there in only a few minutes if we flew.
Magnus knew the dragon was right. He glanced down at the woman’s face. She was pale as death, her eyes closed. Her hand on his shoulder was limp and clammy.
She had no more time left.
He knew he had no choice.
Clenching his jaw, he laid her gently down amongst the bracken. Then, he called to all the strength he had left in him, pulling his dragon to the surface.
It was painful – beyond painful.
It took more energy than he knew he had in him to shift these days; he could feel every muscle and bone as they changed shape, every scale as it pierced his skin. His wings sprouted from his back and he could not hold back a cry of pain – which became a terrifying roar as his face became the fearsome visage of the dragon.
Magnus barely had room to turn in the dense forest. But he had no time to lose.
Gently lifting the woman’s unconscious form in one huge, clawed forepaw, he leapt upwards, breaking through the canopy of the trees before spreading his wings and soaring through the sky, speeding toward safety.
He could only hope he would be fast enough to save her life.
Chapter Five
Alanna
No... no...
Alanna shivered, not asleep, but not fully awake. Somehow, she knew she was in the grip of a fever dream – nothing made sense, but it all seemed so real...
She could see Casper’s smirk in her mind’s eye, his cruel expression as the knife swung down toward her.
She’d been betrayed – betrayed by another dragon hunter. The coven pledged loyalty to each other, even unto death. That was the oath they all took at the ceremony when they passed their apprenticeship.
How could he have done this?
A fellow dragon hunter had tried to kill her.
And a dragon had saved her life.
The thought was enough to jerk her into full wakefulness.
She shivered, feeling a cold sweat prickle against her skin. A piercing pain shot up from her side where Casper had stabbed her – but she could feel that it was nowhere near as bad as it had been.
How long have I been out? she wondered, without opening her eyes.
Long enough that her wound had already started to heal, apparently.
Fear pricked at her. How was that possible?
Nothing seemed to make any sense anymore.
She felt sick to her stomach as she remembered what Casper had said to her.
True, a lot of it hadn’t made sense, but she remembered one word very clearly: Sacrifice.
He hadn’t explained why, but Alanna liked to think she was smart enough to guess what he’d meant. He’d been hoping to lure the dragon out, and for the dragon to kill her while she was injured and couldn’t fight back.
But why?
What possible reason could he have for doing such a thing?
She knew the Hadley family was arrogant and that Louisa – and therefore her clique of hangers-on – had always hated her. But trying to kill another hunter...
That was breaking every taboo the coven had. If Casper was ever found out, it wouldn’t only be him who was in trouble, but his entire family, too.
Dragon hunters took family honor seriously. Would Casper really put his whole family in danger just because he and Louisa had a grudge?
Some grudge, Alanna thought. But it was then that the rest of Casper’s words came back to her: Just wait until I tell the Lord High Hunter that his precious daughter has been slain by the dragon he sent her to hunt!
Cold horror suddenly surged through her and she sat bolt upright, pain ripping through her side from her wound.
Gasping in pain, Alanna’s hands went to her side, expecting to feel bandages and tape.
What the...
There was only skin beneath her fingers. Looking down in shock, Alanna saw only an angry-looking red line beneath her ribs. It was still painful, but it was healed.
It doesn’t even have any stitches in it, she thought, bewildered.
The wound looked several months old, not several hours.
But... that’s impossible...
“You’re awake.”
A voice from a few feet away made her start.
Adrenaline surged through her, and she was on her feet before she could think. I must still be sluggish after being unconscious, she thought. There was no way she would have allowed herself to be taken so unawares otherwise.
Crouching into a fighting stance, Alanna licked her lips, curling her fists. Her eyes fell on the speaker.
It was the dragon.
The dragon who saved me.
Now that she was standing and alert, more details about her surroundings were beginning to filter into her brain.
She was in some kind of rustic cabin, the walls wooden and lined with shelves full of tinned food.
Beneath her was a fold-out bed, where she’d evidently been lying for who knew how long. There was a desk covered in printed topographical maps and record-keeping books. Next to that was a battered old couch, its stuffing showing clearly through where the material had worn away.
And sitting on the couch...
Alanna swallowed heavily.
“Who are you?” she forced herself to say, as her heart leapt into her throat. The dragon’s clear blue eyes were steady on hers.
“You know what I am,” he said, his voice low.
Alanna shook her head. “That’s not what I asked.”
The dragon was silent for a long moment. Then he sighed. “My name is Magnus.”
Magnus.
His voice was rich and soft. Something about it rippled through her like a wave.
“How long have I been here?”
Again, there was a long pause before he answered. “About four hours.”
“Four hours?” Alanna blinked in surprise. “But that can’t be right!”
Daring to take her eyes off Magnus for a moment, she looked down at her side again. Through her torn shirt, her wound looked exactly the same as it had moments before – clean and half-healed, with no bandages or stitching.
There was no way a wound like the one Casper had given her could have healed so quickly.
“You’re... you’re lying.” She could hear her voice quavering. What was going on here?
“I promise you, I’m not.” Magnus stood, opening his hands. “I have no reason at all to lie to you.”
Unwillingly, Alanna sensed the truth in his voice. She bit her lip. Nothing here made any sense at all.
“Then how...”
“I don’t know.” Magnus shook his head. Then his lip twisted. “Or maybe—” He cut himself off, turning away abruptly. “You must be hungry.”
As if on cue, Alanna heard her stomach growl. As it
happened, she was hungry. Very hungry. But was she really going to sit here and play house with a dragon?
A dragon you’re supposed to kill, she reminded herself.
But could she really do that now?
Alanna watched Magnus’s broad, muscular back as he reached up to grab a can from a high shelf.
Could she really kill a man who had saved her life?
Bewildered, Alanna sat back down on the bed. Pain and confusion seemed to fill her chest. The feeling of betrayal was terrible. Everything she had been raised to believe in seemed to be in pieces on the floor in front of her.
“You said you weren’t a rogue dragon,” she said softly as Magnus began opening the can.
It occurred to her that she should watch him like a hawk as he prepared the food. Just because he’d saved her life didn’t mean she should trust him completely.
Magnus glanced over his shoulder at her. “No. I’m not.” He looked away again. “At least... not that I can remember.”
“I... don’t understand,” Alanna said. “The Loric Coven only hunts rogue dragons.”
It was true. Once upon a time, things had been very different. Dragon hunters and their prey had been implacable enemies. But modern times had brought modern understandings. Yes, dragons were brutal creatures – but their human sides moderated their bestial urges.
The Loric Coven had had treaties with peaceful dragon clans for decades now. Some dragon clans were still warlike and violent, but generally they tried to stay out of humans’ way. And so long as they did, the Loric Coven had no beef with them.
Rogue dragons, though...
Rogue dragons were dangerous.
Cast out from their clans and with no rules to bind them, they were known to lash out at anything and anyone.
Not to mention the only reason they’d been banished in the first place was because they’d done something so terrible even other dragons wouldn’t stand for it.
Alanna stared at Magnus. His blue eyes were almost... hypnotic.
She couldn’t deny he was handsome. In fact, she thought, he was possibly the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, and it wasn’t as if there was a shortage of tall, well-built men amongst the Loric Coven.
For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. Alanna could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Magnus was the first to look away, dropping his eyes and turning back to the narrow counter.
“If you say I’m a rogue dragon, then perhaps I’m a rogue dragon,” he muttered, lifting the tin he’d gotten down from the shelf.
To Alanna’s amazement, he wrapped one of his huge hands around the can, squeezing it until the top popped off, no can opener required.
Just another reminder of how strong he truly was, Alanna thought, swallowing. She watched his hands as he poured the contents of the tin – baked beans, ugh, though I’m so hungry I’d eat anything right now – into a small saucepan.
He might be dangerous, but he was also cooking her beans.
Frowning, she suddenly realized what he’d said.
“What did you mean by that?” she asked slowly. “That... if I say you’re a rogue, then maybe you’re a rogue?”
Magnus didn’t look up. Lighting the small gas hotplate, he began gently stirring the beans.
“Actually, I have a lot of other questions too,” Alanna continued. “Like how did I get here? And... and why did you save me?” She licked her lips. “If I’ve only been here four hours like you say, then why is my wound practically healed?”
At her last question, Magnus finally looked up, his eyes piercing. “You should be able to answer that yourself,” he said, voice rough. “I know what you dragon hunters do.”
For a moment, Alanna simply stared at him. Then she understood.
He thinks I drank dragon blood, and gained a dragon’s healing.
“No,” she said, the hot denial out of her lips before she could stop it. “Never. I’d never do that.”
Now it was Magnus’s turn to look surprised. He gazed at her, eyes wide. “Then... then...”
His eyes were so intense that Alanna could almost hear the air fizzing between them. Her breath felt caught in her throat. At that moment, she wasn’t sure she could have looked away, even if she’d wanted to.
Magnus coughed, looking away. For no reason that she could fathom, Alanna felt her cheeks beginning to color.
What the hell was that?!
“You still didn’t answer my questions,” she said when she finally found her voice.
Magnus took a deep breath, his muscular shoulders rising. “I saved you because you needed help,” he said. “Did you think I’d leave you there to die?”
I thought you’d kill me yourself, Alanna thought, though she realized saying it out loud would probably not be the best idea.
“I... I don’t know,” she said instead. “I’ve always been told that rogue dragons are dangerous. I was told that you were dangerous.”
“By your coven?” Magnus sneered as he said the word, his handsome face twisting.
“Yes, by my coven,” Alanna said coolly.
“The coven that just attacked you and left you at the mercy of what you thought was a deadly dragon?”
The words hit Alanna like a punch in the gut.
For a long moment she simply stared up at him, her chest tight and her stomach feeling like she’d swallowed a rock.
She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but...
But he’s right. He’s completely right.
“It’s not like that. Casper is...” She shook her head “He had to have been working alone,” she finally managed to stammer out. “I don’t know why he did what he did, but...”
“How can you be sure of that?” Magnus’s tone was implacable.
Alanna swallowed. The truth was, she couldn’t be sure.
She couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, sitting down on the bed once more. Her head felt like it was being turned inside out.
Casper had tried to kill her.
And a rogue dragon had saved her.
Magnus said nothing. He turned away, stirring the beans. When steam was rising from the pot, he spooned them out and into a bowl.
“Here,” he said, holding it out to her.
Alanna glanced at it warily. She hadn’t been paying as close attention to him as she should have.
“I promise you it’s not poisoned,” Magnus said, as if he’d read her mind. “I didn’t fly you all the way back here just to kill you with beans.”
Feeling foolish, Alanna took the bowl. Baked beans were hardly her favorite, but as her stomach growled again, she lifted the spoon to her lips gratefully.
Despite her usual aversion to beans, these ones had to be the best she’d ever tasted. She was shocked they’d come out of a can.
Or maybe I’m just that hungry.
She scooped up spoonful after spoonful. She couldn’t remember ever having been so hungry in her life.
And, when she was eating, it gave her time to think.
He hasn’t answered any of my questions, Alanna thought, watching the dragon from beneath her eyelashes. Not really, anyway. The only one he’s given me a straight answer to is his name. Magnus.
For some reason, even thinking the name sent a little ripple of... something straight through her. Dropping her eyes from his face, she tried to concentrate on the beans.
She didn’t like the way he made her feel. Not one bit.
It complicated things. Things that should be simple.
Like the fact that he’s a dragon, and you’re a dragon hunter.
The stark reminder of the facts sent a chill through her.
Would he let her go? Was she his prisoner now?
Alanna scraped the last of the tomato sauce from her bowl, trying to buy herself a little more time to think.
She could probably escape him – with her wound mysteriously half-healed, she stood a decent chance now.
Alanna stared up at him, blinking.
Did he just read my mind?
She knew dragons had some psychic abilities. But had he really just been standing there the whole time, knowing everything that had passed through her head?
Magnus grimaced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Well – I wasn’t trying to. But...”
“Don’t do it again,” Alanna said automatically, too startled to be polite about it.
Magnus shook his head. “Believe me, I’d rather not. But since I did... I have to tell you I don’t think you trying to get back to your coven is a good idea right now.”
Alanna opened her mouth to argue, before a thought hit her like an iceberg hitting a steam cruiser.
What if Casper isn’t working alone?
She shook her head. No – that made no difference. She still had to get back.
My father – what if—
“I have to go back,” she said, resolute. “Casper betrayed me. The rest of the coven has to know about it. He needs to be punished.”
Magnus narrowed his brilliantly blue eyes slightly. “The man who attacked you said you were a sacrifice. What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Alanna said truthfully. “But if I have any chance of finding out, I need to go back to the coven.”
Magnus frowned. “Perhaps so,” he said softly after a long pause. “But how do you know you won’t just be stepping back into danger?”
Alanna’s breath caught in her throat. Why would this dragon care what happened to her?
“I won’t know that,” Alanna said. “But I do know I have to try. If Casper is planning something – if other hunters in the coven are planning something – then I need to warn them. My father...”
She trailed off. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea to reveal just who her father was right now.
“I have to get back,” she finished, staring him in the eye. He might be a dragon, but she wasn’t so easily intimidated.
Magnus held her gaze steadily. “I suppose so,” he eventually agreed. “But not now. Your wound still isn’t healed, and you don’t know what you’ll be facing when you go back. There’s no way I can just let you—”