Chapter Four – Magnus

Surrounded by three females, Magnus sat at a table drinking coffee. One thing he’d realized since he came down off the mountain, people drank a lot of coffee.

“So, what can you remember, Magnus?” Nadine asked after a few minutes of small talk and introduction. Her voice was gentle, he liked her immediately.

“I remember how to walk, how to talk. How to do most things. But I do not remember who I am.” Magnus considered this statement. “Apart from my name.”

“Your name. Magnus Dumas. And you are certain that is your name, you didn’t read it anywhere, or maybe hear it spoken?” Nadine asked.

“No.” He shook his head.

“When I found him, he told me that was his name. We were way up in the mountains, the fella wore old-fashioned garments that were in tatters. I figured he might be one of those larkers.” Fara reached for another piece of brownie.

“Larkers?” Nadine asked, shaking her head in confusion. “I haven’t heard of a larker.”

“You know, they like to dress up in costumes and act out games and stuff. Sol does it for his Dungeons and Dragons stuff.” She took a big bite of the still warm cake.

Nadine looked to Ruby for help. “I think she means LARPers.”

Nadine’s eyes widened as she understood. “Makes sense. Perhaps you hit your head.”

“Doc in Bear Bluff said no.” Fara sighed. “I’m telling you, it was as if he just walked out of the mountains with the clothes on his back and nothing else.”

“And you don’t remember where you came from or where you were going?” Nadine asked Magnus.

He shook his head. “It is all hazy. I remember being cold, there was snow on the ground… I… All I kept thinking was I had to go down, I had to get somewhere warmer.” He shivered at the thought.

“Okay, don’t try to force it. We’ll get to the bottom of what happened.” She glanced across to Ruby. “How did you get mixed up in this? I don’t know you from town.”

Magnus shifted, feeling the need to jump to his lady’s defense. Wait, she was his lady? Something stirred in his mind. She was. But he didn’t understand how he knew this with such certainty. “Do I know you?”

Ruby’s cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. “I’m from Bear Creek.” Her eyes flicked toward Magnus and then back to Nadine. “I saw the article in the newspaper. Well, my mom did, and she told me...”

“You aren’t an ambulance chaser, are you?” Fara asked, her tone accusatory, and Magnus felt the heat build up inside his body. Was this what the phrase letting off steam meant? Any minute now steam would come out of his mouth like a kettle coming to boil.

Nadine watched him closely, assessing his reaction. “Wait, do you know Ruby?”

Magnus shook his head. “I have never seen her before in my life. At least as far as I am aware. But I sense a connection and when you speak to her cruelly, I want to tear you to shreds.” His voice drifted off. “Not that I would. That would be uncivilized.”

Fara burst out laughing and slapped him on the back. “I think we all have a theory on why that is, but let’s hear the little lady’s story first.”

Ruby stifled a retort at being called a little lady. “My mom showed me the article, and I came over here to meet Magnus to find out if he was a dragon shifter.”

Fara’s mouth fell open, and Nadine’s eyes widened, but she kept it together. “Why would Magnus be a dragon shifter?”

“My mom said she recognized his name.” Ruby shrugged, looking uncomfortable, as if she had told a big secret and wanted to take it back.

“From where?” Magnus asked, hope that he might soon be reunited with his memories exploding inside him. Along with the hope that he and Ruby meant something to each other. She spoke as if she had been searching for him for a long time.

“From...” Ruby looked at Nadine. “Isn’t it better for amnesia patients to figure this stuff out on their own?”

Nadine sipped her coffee thoughtfully. When she placed it down on the table, she said, “That can be true. However, if you can give Magnus a memory, that might be the thread he follows to find the rest. I think it’s worth a try.”

“Okay.” Ruby clasped her hands together. “My mom remembered your name. She said she thought you were once a famous artist.”

“Famous.” Fara snorted. “We did a search on Gooble.”

“Google,” Ruby corrected.

“Whatever,” Fara began. “The thing is, we searched and there was no one by the name of Magnus Dumas. Not that matched this description.” She pointed at Magnus, moving her finger up and down from his head to his feet.

“And if he were famous, he would have been at the top of the search,” Nadine interjected.

“I do know how a search engine works,” Ruby retorted. “But you are missing one vital clue.”

“Which is?” Magnus asked eagerly, sensing Ruby was telling them the truth, and yet holding something back.

“My mom remembers Magnus from a long time ago.”

“How long?” Magnus asked. “Fara said I was wearing tattered clothes.”

“Do you still have them, Fara?” Nadine asked.

“I was going to put them on the fire, but since they were the only thing that belongs to you, I figured we should keep them. I couldn’t risk putting them in the washer, they looked as if they would fall apart. I folded them up and put them in the barn.”

“The barn?” Ruby asked, turning the full force of her attention on Fara.

“They were wet and muddy by the time we got back,” Fara said indignantly. “Any other circumstances and I would have burned them.” She picked up her coffee cup and drank deeply, averting her eyes from the others around the table.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Ruby asked.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Fara said snarkily.

“There was a gold coin in the pocket of my jacket.” Magnus earned himself a glare from Fara.

“We agreed that wouldn’t be mentioned, we don’t want gold diggers coming after you.” Fara aimed her words at Ruby, who hardly seemed to notice.

“What was the date on the coin?” Ruby asked eagerly.

“What date do you think will be on the coin, Ruby?” Nadine asked calmly.

“The Magnus Dumas my mom heard of...” Ruby searched all their faces, but finally, her gaze came to rest on his. “Was alive in the seventeenth century.”

Fara puffed the air out of her cheeks. “Well, I’ll be.”

“That matches your date?” Nadine asked in some confusion.

“Yeah, the coin was old. I figured it was most likely a fake. A good fake, mind you.” Fara’s eyes narrowed. “So, where’s he been all these years?”

“I can’t say for sure.” Ruby looked down at her hands, collecting her thoughts, before lifting her eyes and holding his captive. “But there is a spell, or a curse, called Ancient Slumber. It was used on dragons to put them to sleep for a long time. A really long time. Like forever.”

Fara cackled loudly. “Wait, you’re saying that Magnus is a dormant dragon shifter?”

“Why not?” Ruby turned on Fara. “It makes sense.”

“Except he woke up.” Fara pointed at Magnus. “He’s not exactly sleepwalking.”

“Fara is right. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason he woke up.” Nadine studied Ruby. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“A mate can wake up a dragon shifter.”

“Oh.” Fara’s expression cleared. “Now that is making it all sound more plausible.”

“When I was flying in the mountains this morning, I thought I smelled something.” She inclined her head toward Magnus. “Maybe if I took you to the place, it might jog your memory.”

“Well, wait a goddamn minute,” Fara ground out. “What do you mean by flying?”

“I’m a dragon shifter, too.” Ruby shrugged. “I could fly Magnus up there. We could have a poke around.”

“It’s a good plan,” Nadine agreed.

“As long as there is room for two on your scaly back,” Fara told Ruby. Were they fighting over him? If they were, he didn’t like it.

“He is an adult, he can go on his own,” Ruby bit back.

“With a woman he’s just met?” Fara slammed her fist down on the table, making the cups jump and the coffee slosh in the pot. “How do I know you aren’t planning on taking advantage of him?”

“Because, Fara, Ruby is Magnus’s mate.” Nadine’s words caused the older woman to close her mouth and study Ruby closely. “She can’t hurt him.”

“What is a mate?” Magnus asked as the gravity of the situation struck him.

“Nothing,” Ruby said quickly. “It’s just like a really, really good friend.”

“But you said you did not know me.” He frowned, confused by the tension in the air. There was so much unsaid, so much they were not telling him. He had sat and endured their conversation, and now he wanted an explanation. “Tell me the truth.”

“Fara, why don’t we go outside and let these two young people talk?” Nadine got up awkwardly, her hand rubbing her swollen belly.

“No, you stay, we’ll go outside.” Ruby got up abruptly and stalked to the kitchen door, where she stood waiting for him to join her.

Magnus rose from the table, nodded at Fara and Nadine, and followed the feisty Ruby outside. She stirred his blood and other parts of his anatomy. Was she the reason he’d been on the mountain?

“Are you going to tell me what this mate is?” he asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the others.

“It’s difficult to explain.”

“Try.”

“Well, I’m a shifter.” She placed her hand on her breast. “And shifters know who the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with is as soon as they meet them.”

“I understand.” He nodded. “And this is me?”

Ruby blushed again, and he reached out and touched her cheek, his fingertips buzzing as they made contact with her skin. “Yes. I think so.”

“And you woke me?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I mean I certainly didn’t wake you with true love’s kiss.” She inclined her head, and he stroked her cheek.

“What is this true love’s kiss?” His eyes flicked down to her lips. “I would surely like to try it.”

Ruby’s head snapped back. “I don’t think there should be any kissing until you have your memories back.”

“Why not? If we are mates like you say, then we should kiss.”

“We should?” she asked, confused, or was she worried he was taking advantage of her?

“Yes. If true love’s kiss might have woken me but did not, then maybe our kiss will awaken my memories.” His brow creased as he went over his words. “Is it possible?”

“That kind of thing only happens in fairy tales,” she told him firmly.

“You do not want to kiss me?” The thought of tasting her lips, of feeling her body in his arms, was almost too much. The urge to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off... To where? His thoughts were side-tracked, and he looked away as he tried to grasp hold of an elusive memory.

“Are you all right?” Ruby touched his arm and he flinched as the shock of recognition hit him square in the chest. “I’m sorry.” She pulled away from him.

Magnus turned and grabbed hold of her hand. “I know you.”

“You don’t,” she squeaked as she looked at her hand, which he held firmly in his.

“Such a small hand.” He opened her palm and trailed his finger across her skin. She shivered, and he lowered his head and kissed her palm.

“Magnus.”

“Hmm.” He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. “Mates.” He lifted her hand and placed it over his heart. “I think I understand now.”

“Great.” She forced a smile on her face. “That’s. Great.”

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, letting her go.

She took a faltering step backward. “Nope. Just...”

“Just what?” Magnus asked, the intensity of his gaze zoned in on her breasts, which heaved as if she were fighting for breath. He left her breathless. “Surprised?”

“That would be one word for it.” Ruby ran a hand through her hair and then fanned herself. “We have to slow down and take it back a step.”

“Do we? I would like to take a step forward.” He leaned toward her, and she put her hand out to stop him.

“Listen. We need to know who you are and why you woke up.” She breathed deeply, taking back control.

“Why? Why does it matter?” he asked.

“It matters because it might give us a clue as to why you were asleep.”

“Why I was asleep? You mean why I was put under this spell… Ancient Slumber you called it.”

“Yes, it could be just because you were a dragon. You know, someone wanted to stop you from burning people alive. Or it could be because you were…” Ruby shrugged.

“Bad.” He turned away from her. If only he could remember who he was.