Magnus stared out the window at the abandoned road around him as he sped down the highway late at night.

These rides were becoming a habit, a way to fend off the nightmares that had been recurring ever since he and his crew had been found at the bottom of the ocean and awakened.

If they hadn’t been found, they’d be dead.

He could still remember the storm, the icy water lashing his cheek as he held on to the ropes, pulling the sail, wondering how on earth any storm could sink a ship he’d built to be unsinkable, seeing the knowing terror in his shipmate’s eyes, and knowing if they all died, it would be his fault.

Building things, making them work, had always been his talent. If he couldn’t even keep his crew’s ship from sinking, what was he good for?

It hadn’t taken him long to figure out cars were the new ships of this world, and he’d been interested (some would say obsessed) from the first time he’d seen one.

Even odder was no one built their cars from scratch, unlike boats back in the day. People could just buy these magnificent machines and drive them wherever they wanted.

So he’d enjoyed playing with vehicles and escaping in them late at night, but there was always a doubt in the back of his mind, a feeling he might not be enough or he wouldn’t spot a fatal flaw.

He knew his crew mates wouldn’t understand, though, so he kept it close to the chest.

Magnus, we’re going down. Should we swim for it?

We’re too far from shore. We won’t make it.

What do we do?

He closed his eyes momentarily against the sight of a huge wave rising behind Titus and Liam, one that would certainly bury them, knowing he was the only one who would see it happen.

But the sight was still there in his mind.

His jerked his eyes wide open, just in time to see lights flashing on the side of the road up ahead. Someone was pulled over.

Magnus had a funny feeling he should stop, and he liked to follow his instincts, so he slowly pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway and parked a little ways behind the car.

There was a figure outside of it, crouching down with a flashlight and looking at the rear right wheel.

Magnus got out of the car and jogged toward them.

The figure stood, startled, and adopted a defensive stance as Magnus’s eyes adjusted to the darkness.

It was a woman.

Her short, curvy form was visible even in work overalls, and her blond hair was in a ponytail that stuck out from under a worn baseball cap.

She glared at him as she shut off the flashlight. “Who are you and why did you stop?”

“Maybe I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress,” he quipped.

Her nose wrinkled. Wrong answer. “I’m fine,” she said sharply.

He walked forward and crouched by the tire, looking it over. “Just a flat?”

She nodded. “I can handle it.”

He stood and looked around them. No one seemed to be driving out here this late at night. “You sure?”

She sighed in frustration. “I promise.”

“Okay,” he said. “Go ahead.”

“What?”

“Fix it,” he said. “I’ll wait here to make sure.”

“That’s really not necessary,” she said, walking around him to her trunk, which she popped. She rummaged inside and then swore.

“What is it?”

“I don’t have my jack,” she said.

“That could be a problem,” he said. “You have a block?”

She nodded. “You know cars?”

“I know how to change a tire,” he said. And what was needed to put a car up so he could play around underneath it. He cocked his head, wondering how to get around the fact that he could easily take the place of a jack with his dragon strength, but she was unlikely not to notice it.

“I do, too,” she said. “That isn’t the problem.”

“Sure,” he said. “That’s why you left home without a jack.”

She snorted. “Whatever. I don’t need you to scold me. I’ll call someone. It’s fine. You can leave.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “I could never leave a lady in distress.”

“You talk weird, you know that?” she asked, her mouth pressed into a frown. “Anyway, what do you suggest we do, then?”

He crouched. It didn’t really matter what he showed this woman. He wasn’t going to see her again anyway. Might as well help her and get on his way since she didn’t seem to want him around.

He grabbed the bottom of the car with both hands and lifted it easily, then let out a grunt as he remembered he was supposed to make this look difficult. “Here you go. Get the block under.”

She looked shocked, but didn’t question him, doing as he asked. She placed the block, and when he was sure it was in the right place, he set the car down. Then he stepped back, making sure it looked safe.

“Thanks,” she said. “How did you—”

But before she could say more, he was digging in her trunk, looking through tools and pulling out what he needed.

“Wait,” she said. “I can do that—”

“Pshh,” Magnus said, sitting down to change the tire. This would be over in a moment, and for some reason, he wasn’t eager to run off.

He hadn’t really made a connection with any human women, and maybe he was just enjoying being useful, but he kind of liked being here with her.

And it was better than driving and fighting off memories or being at home, fighting off nightmares.

“I can’t thank you enough for stopping,” she said. “But I really can change my own tire.”

He ignored her and continued to work. It was nice to have something to do. Nice to be useful. And nice to smell her scent, like flowers in sunshine, faint mixed with the smell of engine grease and other things but still clearly there.

“Men,” she muttered, stalking off to stand on the other side of the car.

“What about men?” he asked, startled by the irritation in her tone.

“Just always taking over.”

He looked over, and despite the semi-darkness that his eyes had adjusted to, he couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not. But based on her hunched shoulders, he knew she was definitely embarrassed. “I thought you needed help.”

“I’ve told you I didn’t.”

“Eh.” He finished putting on the spare and set the other tire in her trunk, quickly closing it. She walked over to him, hands stuffed in her pockets, eyes avoiding his.

“Anyway, thanks. I guess I’ll be on my way, then.”

A little shudder went through him, and he didn’t know what to label it. Panic? His mind was still foggy from the adrenaline of remembering the wave that had ended everything. At least temporarily.

There was something odd going on here, but he couldn’t make sense of it.

He just knew he didn’t want her to get in that car and drive away. He didn’t want to be alone on this road again.

And why wasn’t she more grateful for his help?

“What’s your name?” he asked.

She grimaced. “I appreciate your help, but I didn’t come here to be hit on. I’m just trying to make my way home.”

So she didn’t want anything to do with him. Disappointment sank like a rock in his stomach. She gave him an apologetic look, and he noticed she had a little grease stain on her cheek.

“I’m sorry if that came off rude,” she said. “But you know. You’re a stranger and it’s late at night, and for all I know, you could be planning to follow me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know you at all.”

Nor did it seem she wanted to.

He took a step forward, watching her eyes, which were blue. They widened slightly, and he saw her bite her lip as she looked him over.

Well, she wasn’t totally unaware of him. That was comforting somehow.

But she didn’t like that he’d changed her tire, and she seemed to want the whole experience to just be over.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve gotta go. Maybe if we’d met in another place, rather than the middle of the night at the side of the road… but I’ve seen too many horror movies. I need to go now.”

Horror movies? What did she mean?

She gave him a little wave and hurried back to the car. She jumped in the driver’s side, slammed the door, and started the car in a hurry.

Then she was pulling away, and Magnus could feel the panic in him escalating, his heartbeat sounding in his ears.

Was it just the memory coming back?

She was driving away in the distance, her taillights slowly disappearing around the corner, when he heard a small, urgent voice break through the static in his mind.

Mate, it said insistently. Mate.

Shit.

He ran back to his car to start it and remembered her saying not to follow her. But he couldn’t help it. He pulled onto the freeway, desperately racing after her.

He’d been waiting and waiting all his life to find his mate, and being awakened in this world had given him another chance. It would be just like him to squander it by not listening to his dragon.

Dammit, Magnus.

He drove and drove but didn’t see any lights. Had she taken an exit? Had she been driving extra fast to get away so he couldn’t follow her? He pulled to the side of the road again and put his hands through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. He got out of his car, slammed the door, and paced in the cold night, trying to see if he could scent her.

But no, her scent had been faint, and now there was no hope of finding her. He had no name. He hadn’t paid attention to the plates on her car.

He was an idiot.

Once again, a fatal error had cost him everything.