by Zoe Chant
Damon groaned. His head hurt. It had taken an incredible amount of his strength to beat back the fire dragon’s attack—because that was what the source of heat deep within the earth had been.
A fire dragon’s power had turned stone to magma. A fire dragon who knew who he was, and who’d targeted not just him, but also his mate.
He needed to inform the council as quickly as possible—if the chimera hadn’t already sensed this outburst of power all the way from Sky Home.
Autumn shifted against him. She was still shaking, even though the ground beneath them had stopped trembling.
Forget about the council. I need to make sure Autumn’s all right.
“There. It stopped,” he said, gently taking a step backward. Before them, the water of the Gullfoss waterfall was still angrily rushing past the newly exposed rock, the path ending right in front of them.
“It’s okay. You’re safe,” he said, and she gulped down a deep breath and then nodded shakily.
“We have to leave,” she said. “I know earthquakes. There might be more.”
Damon nodded. “We need to get back. Walk very carefully, and don’t let go of my hand. I’ll lead us past the worst bits. I know rock, remember?”
“Mining,” Autumn echoed faintly, clinging to his hand. “Okay. Lead on.”
Moving slowly and carefully, Damon led them towards where the path curved back to the parking lot. Fissures had opened in the rock, and with his dragon’s senses, he could make out the faint hum of discontent stone.
The earthquake had upset the area, releasing pressure in some areas, building pressure in others. The entire path was unstable, the rock they were walking on split in several places.
Holding Autumn’s hand tightly in his own, Damon kept his power focused on the rock, holding the path steady with nothing but the sheer force of his will as they walked past fissures and fault lines.
Only when they finally made it past a bend, the parking lot awaiting in the distance before them, did he dare to release his tight grasp on the stone.
“We made it,” he said, taking a deep breath.
Within him, his dragon roared in vengeful anger at the fire dragon who’d very nearly killed his mate. He wanted nothing more than to shift and hunt down the dragon who had dared to attack them—but he couldn't leave Autumn, not now, with a fire dragon on the loose.
Chapter Five: Autumn
When they finally made it back to their waiting bus, Autumn nearly broke into tears when she saw that everyone else had made it back safely. She gave Sarah a tight hug—the formerly so confident teenager was pale and wide-eyed, but seemed to deal with it much better than Autumn herself.
But then, it seemed that no one else had come as close to vanishing in a gaping hole opening up underneath her as Autumn had done.
All around her, people were chattering excitedly while police and ambulances arrived, rangers hastily closing down the entire area. Damon was still standing next to her, an arm loosely wrapped around her waist. Gratefully, she leaned against him.
This really wasn’t how she’d expected her vacation to go...
“Tell you what,” Damon said with sudden determination. “They’re not going to let this bus continue on the tour.”
As if on cue, there was a wave of subdued but annoyed voices coming from where a group of tourists had gathered around their driver.
“But they were going to drive you to Thingvellir next before returning you all to your hotels, so what about I take you back instead? We can stop at Thingvellir and walk around—you’ll miss out on your guide, but I know a lot of really boring facts about rocks, if that’s something you'd like.”
Her shock receding a little at Damon’s suggestion, Autumn found herself smiling at his joke. “Hey, I’ve experienced firsthand today just how useful facts about rocks can be.”
Damon’s face grew serious all of a sudden, his eyes darkening. “I didn’t do much,” he murmured. “I should have known and warned you—now that would have been useful.”
Very gently, Autumn touched his arm. “It wasn't your fault. And how were you supposed to know? You're an engineer—not a psychic.”
Damon released a sudden, dry laugh. “I guess not. Still, a psychic would have been useful today.”
“Maybe it was the elves,” Autumn teased, her heart contracting again with sudden, painful need when a reluctant smile spread over his face. “They warned me not to offend them. First the geyser, now this—I don’t know what I did wrong, but I definitely pissed off someone powerful.”
“No,” Damon murmured thoughtfully. “No, you didn’t... But maybe I did.”
“I guess elves aren’t very fond of mining.” Gently, she nudged him, smiling to show that she was joking.
“I can assure you we’re not that sort of mining corporation.” His eyes still looked worried, although they’d regained their former warmth. “We care just as much about the land as we care about precious metal.”
“An ethical mining corporation? How come I’ve never heard of it before?” she asked curiously.
Damon chuckled, and now, at last, he seemed truly amused, the earlier worry gone from his face. “We’re not exactly a mining corporation. Close enough, I guess—but it’s an old family business. Goes back generations. We’re not beholden to any shareholders or greedy CEOs. It’s always been a family business, and it will always be. I’ve got a duty to my family—just as I’ve got a duty to the land. We don’t destroy for profit. We couldn’t, never. It’s against all we stand for.”
“You're pretty special, you know that?” A warm glow of happiness spread in Autumn’s belly as she looked at him. “Almost too good to be true.”
“Not all that good,” he muttered, looking away as though he was embarrassed. “I almost dragged you to your death, there by the waterfall.”
“Hey, I’m the one who was all gung-ho on seeing all of the tourist attractions,” she said, shaking her head at him. “It’s not like the earthquake was your fault. And without you there, I would be dead. You were the one who pulled me back just in time!”
“I guess it wasn’t,” Damon said softly, although he wouldn’t meet her eyes. A moment later, he took a deep breath. “Anyway. Would you allow me to give you a private tour? I promise that I’ll get you back to your hotel in time so you can change for dinner.”
“Dinner,” Autumn repeated, happiness rising up sharp and fast once more.
That’s right. Not only did I get saved twice by this strange but incredibly hot mining Viking, but I’ve also got a date—my first date in ages.
Maybe she’d underestimated the elves. Maybe in Iceland, you had to prove yourself worthy of incredibly hot viking guys by surviving geysers and earthquakes.
“Let’s do it,” she said in determination. “Let me just return these clothes. My pants should be dry by now. I hope.”
They were still a little bit damp, it turned out, but she didn’t mind. Damon turned the heating on as soon as they were in his car, and soon, the huge, sturdy Landrover was driving back the scenic road they’d come.
Now that she finally had a chance to relax, the events of the last hour didn’t seem quite as scary anymore. After all, she was warm and safe now—and maybe it hadn’t been as dangerous as it looked. Maybe she would have been fine even with Damon to pull her back—but all the same, right now she was very glad that he was here.
The drive didn’t take long. With the heating so high, she felt warm and drowsy, relaxing into the comfortable leather seats of Damon’s car. Outside, she watched hills and snow-covered mountains go past in the distance. Every now and then, they saw herds of sheep and large, shaggy ponies.
True to his word, Damon was telling her stories about the rock formations of Thingvellir, and rather than trying to soak up all of the information, she allowed herself to sink into the sound of his voice. It was as comforting as a blanket, deep and warm, conjuring images of dark, fertile soil and stark mountaintops before her eyes.
When
Damon talked about veins of stone, it almost felt as if she was underground herself, tracing gleaming veins of precious metal through warm rock. Before her mind, she saw gleaming gold, the incredible, rare beauty of diamonds, layers of coal, and rock that was porous and gave way to white caves. And there, above all those wonders of the earth, rested layers of soil. Then came grass and plains and trees, all of them coming from the earth: the moss that grew high up in the mountains as well as the colorful flowers growing in verdant valleys.
“All of it belongs to the earth,” Damon murmured, his voice far away. “Metal as much as flowers. The coal and the diamond and the swamp.”
Autumn took a deep breath, sighing with pleasure as she opened her eyes. The car had come to a stop, but for a moment, she lingered on the visions of what she’d seen.
“You’re incredible at this, you know,” she finally said, still feeling a little awed. She didn’t know much about mining, but for some reason, Damon was so good at explaining that she felt as if it had all come alive around her. “It was like I could see it all before me. Do you teach?”
Damon turned towards her, giving her a small smile that turned her knees liquid. His eyes had that same metallic gleam again—the brown turning to bronze for a moment, like a mysterious, powerful inner light.
“Sometimes,” he said. “My father does, for the most part. I assume that if I ever retire from my duties, I might do the same.”
“I think you should,” Autumn said earnestly.
She really didn’t know much about geology—but Damon had a true gift for making facts about rocks so fascinating that she’d lost all sense of time.
“And you? Are you a teacher?” he asked.
“Me? Oh no, it’s much more boring than that. I’m a travel agent.”
Damon smiled. “So you get to travel for free for your job? That doesn’t sound boring at all.”
“If only.” Autumn sighed as she left the car.
Before her, she could see stretches of mountain, the stark rock covered with white snow. She took a deep breath. Even the air tasted differently here—like freedom. Like wilderness.
Like adventure.
She smiled to herself, filled with sudden joy at the realization that she’d really done it. She’d flown to a different country, all on her own. And she was making the most of her days here.
“I work in a tiny travel agency,” she said when Damon joined her. “These days, it’s just me and Karen, my boss. We used to have another woman working with us, but she retired a year ago. And now I get to do her work as well, for the same pay. I’ve never even left the country before. Travel agency sounds glamorous, but I could probably do the same job for the same pay as yet another underpaid call center drone. At least it’s not quite as soulless in Karen’s little shop. We’ve got regulars who come in for a chat, even if all they do is book a plane ticket to see the grandkids twice a year.”
Once, long ago, when she’d started working for Karen, she’d been so thrilled by all the brochures of far-away countries and luxury resorts—but somehow, there’d never been any money left at the end of the month, what with rent and groceries and having to pay off her tiny car.
At least her car was all paid off now, which meant that after this trip, she could go back to saving up a small sum each month. And eventually, she’d step on a plane again...
“I get to travel a lot for work,” Damon said. He nodded at the distant mountains. “I know there are lots of people who get sick of it—but I never have. I love the beauty of flight—that moment when you climb through the clouds and see the sun shine above them. There’s nothing that compares to it.”
A shiver of pure happiness ran through Autumn. She’d experienced that—and it had been so beautiful that she’d spent most of the flight with her face pressed against the window.
“And look at this,” he then continued, his voice soft and strangely distant. He’d wrapped his arm around Autumn again, who felt heat rise up within her at the warmth of his touch.
“If I ever grow bored of getting to experience the majesty of these mountains, then I know it’s time to retire.”
“Maybe I was wrong,” Autumn murmured as she looked up at him. The wind was tugging on his dark hair, blowing strands into his eyes, which were gleaming with that beautiful, metallic inner light again. “Maybe you should be on a board of tourism somewhere.”
“If I had to be anything other than what I am,” he said earnestly, “I’d want to be a ranger. Outside all day, hearing the stones talking to me, preserving the beauty of mountains and forests.”
“I can see that,” she said softly.
He’d fit right in, too. With his warm, woolly sweater and that broad, strong body he seemed made for rescuing lost tourists and carrying injured lambs to safety.
All he needed was a farm of his own, with a herd of the fuzzy Icelandic horses and a fire in the fireplace.
And a family, a treacherous voice whispered inside her. A family just like Tilly has...
For a moment, she thought of all the pictures of Tilly’s family she’d seen: the handsome Icelandic farmer whom she’d married, the two cute little kids playing with the sheep dog, the way her husband always proudly hugged her in all of the pictures, the way you could just see the love in him when he held one of his kids.
Nothing at all like her asshole of an ex who’d cheated on her on the day of their engagement party.
Nothing like him, no.
But Damon... Damon would fit right in on a farm like that.
Even now, although he barely knew her, he looked at her as if she was something incredibly precious. He’d saved her life, although he’d been in danger himself. And he’d never been anything but earnestly chivalrous, in a sweet, almost old-fashioned way.
The way he talks about his family and his duty... He’d never cheat or run from commitment.
But at the same time, she knew that all of this was just a dream. He wasn’t a simple Icelandic farmer.
He was a highly paid specialist engineer, the scion of some mining corporation going back generations. The sort of family someone like her had never even heard of.
He isn’t going to throw his life away to settle down on a farm with me. Stop dreaming, she told herself firmly.
Still... she had him for today. And this evening, their date. It was way too early to even think about commitment.
Just relax and see where it takes you. He’s sweet. He’d never hurt me. He’s obviously interested. Don't ruin this... Just let it happen naturally, if it does happen.
They’d escaped the huge crowd from the buses, because they’d arrived in Damon’s car. Still, there’d been lots of other people arriving just like them, in their own car and without a guided tour.
As Damon led her into the national park, he chose the less crowded paths when possible. They still passed small groups of tourists every now and then, but for the most part, they could walk slowly and enjoy the breathtaking landscape without being disturbed.
Chapter Six: Damon
Every now and then, Damon checked his phone. He’d tried to call one of the other council members as soon as possible after they’d made their escape, but he still couldn’t reach any of them.
Which meant that they had to be gathered in Sky Home, on the mountain above the clouds, where the signal wouldn’t reach.
Either way, the attack had been strong enough that the chimera would have sensed it. In addition, Damon had hastily texted and sent emails to the dragons of water and air. If they hadn’t shifted right there at Sky Home to fly to Iceland as quickly as possible, one of them would surely call back any minute.
And if they didn’t, that meant that council backup would arrive in a few hours. Either way, they’d deal with this problem. Autumn would be safe.
“Does this sort of thing happen often?” Autumn asked as they slowly made their way up a rocky hill. “I know there are active volcanoes here—but there were no warnings on any of the websites I’ve checked.”
/> “No, that was entirely unexpected,” Damon said.
He could feel Autumn's concern—even though they weren’t formally mated, there was already a fragile connection. How could he reassure her? He needed to explain to her about shifters as quickly as possible.
And then he had to hope that she wouldn’t hold the attack against him. She’d been in danger because he’d been there. If he could show her his true power, perhaps she’d forgive him if he swore that from now on, he’d shield her from any harm.
Perhaps this evening, when they’d be safely back in Reykjavik. He knew that he had a lot to make up for—but if he could show her that he was serious about protecting her, perhaps he could prove that he was a good mate.
With a deep breath, he sent his dragon’s senses deep into the earth once more. He’d kept half of his attention focused on the land even as they’d walked, and everything had been quiet.
Now, once more, every stone and rock was singing out to him, greeting the presence of his mate with warm notes of happiness.
Everything was calm. His mate was safe here.
“But it won’t happen again. I promise,” Damon added. “Trust me. I know about rocks, remember?”
She tilted her head in open amusement. “But if that earthquake was so unexpected, how can you be sure?”
Damon’s mouth opened, and then snapped shut again. He gave her an apologetic look.
“You’re right,” he said. He couldn’t very well tell her that he knew because he was the dragon of earth, the lord over mountain and forest. “But how likely is it that something completely unexpected happens twice in one day?”
Now Autumn laughed. “There’s been more than two entirely unexpected things happening today,” she murmured, the warmth in her eyes leaving no doubt that she was talking about him.
Damon took hold of her hand again, entwining their fingers. “Is that so?” he said teasingly, glad for the distraction. “Then maybe it’s a good thing today ended up so explosive. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss meeting you, not for any earthquake in the world.”