Chapter Eleven – Ruby

The ride back in Fara’s truck didn’t seem so bad. Or maybe it was because she had other things on her mind. Staring out the window, she gazed unseeing at the tall pine trees and distant views of Bear Creek. Meeting Magnus had turned her life upside down. She had always dealt with reality, no matter how difficult. Even in the aftermath of losing her mom and dad, never once had she lost sight of reality, never once had she figured it would be better to hide away from the sadness and grief.

Was that why Magnus was asleep in that cave? Had he chosen to hide from pain and sorrow?

We do not know his past. We are as much in the dark as he is, her dragon told her. There may be many reasons he was asleep.

But who would choose that? Ruby asked.

Someone with a broken heart. Her dragon was right, of course. Ruby could not judge him until she knew the truth. Her dragon chuckled.

What? Ruby asked sharply.

Judging is one of your character traits. Her dragon blew smoke out of her nostrils as she laughed.

Ruby didn’t respond, her dragon was right, she often jumped to conclusions. With a sigh, she turned her attention to Magnus. “Rest tonight, and tomorrow we can go into Bear Creek and look through any old records that date from the period Fiona remembers.”

“Good idea,” he answered on autopilot.

“Magnus, is there anything else you remember? Anything at all?” Ruby asked. “You don’t have to hide or hold back from me.”

“I know.” He half turned, gazing at her with soft eyes that crackled with flecks of gold. “But there is nothing. I don’t even recall their faces. Just a sense of them being there.”

“Names? Any names at all?” Ruby asked.

He shook his head. “Only the taste of the strawberry, the warm grass beneath me, and the sound of water. A stream perhaps.”

“Or a creek. What if it was Bear Creek?” Ruby asked excitedly. “There are houses built next to the water.”

His eyes opened wider. “Perhaps we could explore the area together.”

She smiled, a sense of relief sweeping over her. “Yes. I’d like that a lot.”

Fara turned onto the dirt track leading to her farmhouse and stopped next to Ruby’s car. “Time to eat.”

“Not for me,” Ruby replied, not sure if she actually had been invited. “I need to call my parents and then get home.”

“I thought you would stay,” Magnus said, his disappointment obvious.

“It’s getting late and I want to go and pick my mom’s brains before she goes to bed. She’s working tomorrow, so this is the only chance I have before we go to town.” She jumped out of the truck, her boots scrunching on the gravel.

“Then I will see you tomorrow.” Magnus watched as Fara walked toward the house.

“I’ll get those steaks on,” she called over her shoulder.

“She is being tactful and giving us privacy.”

Ruby placed her hand on his cheek. “I know.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him on the lips.

“I need more than that.” His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her close, his hard chest crushing her breasts. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he swept her away. Their lips locked in a kiss she wished would never end, his tongue tasted her, probed her mouth, searching out her secrets and desires. She would tell him them all if he promised to never let her go.

New sensations flooded her body. Want. Desire. Not like when she wanted a candy bar. This was deeper, stretching deep inside her, and then permeating her soul. If he asked her to stay, she would. If he asked her to fly away with him to anywhere in the world, and forget about everything else in her life, she would have to say yes.

Fiona. Ruby pulled away from him, breaking their kiss. “I really have to go.” She fought the need to stay. Battle her own self as she clung to him. But this was important, they could live wrapped up in themselves. Magnus needed answers, more so than ever. The memory he glimpsed would haunt him forever if they never found the truth of what happened to his mom and sister.

“Thank you.” She’d expected him to beg her to stay. “For everything you’ve done for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me. We’re a team.” Ruby unlocked her car and took a step away from him.

“A team. I like that.” He cracked a smile, looking more relaxed. “Is Fara on our team, too?”

Ruby grinned. “One of our teams. Not the other.”

“Which other?” he asked seductively, taking a step closer to her, his eyes crackling with life. Magnus might have been asleep for years, but he was awake now, and he had an incredible effect on her. It was as if she was about to burst into life. Damn, if she wasn’t careful, she’d be shouting out to everyone she met how amazing it was to have a mate.

“You know which other.” She ducked her head, dragging herself away from his gaze. If she didn’t stay strong, he would reel her in and she would never get away again.

We don’t want to get away, her dragon reminded her.

“Tell me.” He moved quickly and sandwiched her between his hard body and the warm metal of her car door.

“Mates. You and me. That’s all there is on that particular team.” His very presence forced her to look up into his eyes. As she stared at them, only flicking away momentarily to look at his lips, she was aware something had changed in him. It was as if the memory had triggered an awakening in him. Primal. His need for her was evident. As she looked into his eyes, she sensed the dragon simmering beneath his skin, waiting to break free.

And what then? What if he shifted and forgot his human side? What if the man and beast were separate, their connection lost? Ruby dragged her eyes from his and looked up at the mountain in the distance. What if the two had become physically separated? Was that even possible?

Ruby placed her hands on his chest and applied a light pressure. “I really do have to go.”

He kissed her cheek and reached behind her to open the car door. “Drive carefully in your mechanical beast.”

It was gone, the creature she’d seen beneath his skin, replaced once more by the man she’d met this morning. “I will. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I do not have one of those jail phones.” He lifted his hand to his ear and shook his head.

“Cell.” She smothered a laugh. “Cell phone.”

He frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Jail. Cell. I will conquer this new language.”

“Yes, you will.” She hid the smile from her lips. “Does Fara have a phone?”

Magnus shook his head. “She says they fry your brain.” His brow creased once more. “I do not understand why.”

“I will explain it to you another time. Does she have a landline?” Ruby waited for him to frown once more. Instead, he looked down at the ground under his feet. “I know of ley lines.”

“Listen, somehow, I will speak to you tomorrow. If I can’t get hold of you, I’ll drive over and pick you up. Although I have a couple of chores I need to do tomorrow morning.” She slid into the car. “I was supposed to do them today.”

“Will you be in trouble?” he asked, shutting the door closed as she rolled down the window.

“No. Especially when I tell them I’ve met my mate.” She leaned out of the window, grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him down to her level. “One more kiss before I go.” He kissed her lips, nipping her bottom lip as he pulled away from her.

“Sweet dreams, Ruby.” He stood up and watched her drive away. As she turned left onto the road taking her back toward Wolf Creek, she looked in the rearview mirror. He was still there, staring after her, and she had to grip the steering wheel tightly with both hands and force herself to keep on driving, instead of turning around and running straight back to his arms.

As she drove, she used her hands-free to call home. “Hi, it’s me.”

“And where has me been all day?” Fiona’s voice asked accusingly down the phone.

“I’ve been in the mountains,” she admitted, knowing the insinuation in Fiona’s voice encompassed the question, why couldn’t you pick up the phone and tell us you are okay?

“And there I was, worried you were in the bottom of a ditch or something worse.” Fiona rarely went for melodrama, but tonight was an exception.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said simply. “I’m on my way home now. Will you wait up...please?”

“Is everything okay?” Fiona’s tone immediately changed.

“Yes. And no.” Her voice wavered as the shock of the day hit her. “Yes. Can I explain when I get there?”

“Of course,” Fiona’s worried voice answered. “Have you eaten?”

“No. Not really.”

“I’ll fix you some soup and Harlan made some fresh bread. Where are you?”

The night was gathering around her, but she recognized the road. “I’m on the outskirts of Wolf Valley. I’ll be twenty minutes.”

“Wolf Valley.” Fiona huffed. “If you have any trouble, I’ll be there in a flesh.”

“I am a dragon, too, you know.” Ruby smiled. She was sure Fiona often saw Sapphi and Ruby as helpless children, but then there was such an age gap between Fiona and the girls. The older dragon had seen so much, and not all of it good.

“Wolf Valley used to be a den of thieves and brigands,” Fiona told her in disgust.

“I met the sheriff today, she seems to have it all under control.” Ruby drove along the road that bypassed the town. No point taking chances.

“Yes, I heard there was a new alpha in town. But I rarely go there.” Fiona clattered around in the kitchen, and Ruby couldn’t wait to get home. She was weary, and confused, and wanted her mom. “I’ll hang up now, I’ll see you in fifteen.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Ruby paused. “And Mom. I love you.”

A pan clattered on the other end of the line. “I love you, too, Ruby. I’ll be here. Waiting.”

Ruby ended the call and blinked away the tears that threatened. What was wrong with her? This should be the happiest day of her life. Instead, confusion filled her head. And love. And longing.

She wished she could click her fingers and make it all better. Magnus’s happiness was the most important thing to her right now. Yes, she was wrapped up in that happiness, but it could never be complete unless he regained his memories.

Driving home through the country roads that meandered around the base of the mountain, she let her mind wander and think of what could be. What might be, if Magnus was a dragon shifter. They would be free to travel the world together and experience different countries and cultures. Visit places he had lived before he went to sleep. How amazing would that be?

Ruby clung to that thought as she turned toward Bear Creek and headed toward home. Sure enough, Fiona was waiting for her on the porch, her concern masked, but Ruby knew her well enough to read her body language. “I’ve warmed the soup.”

“Thanks.” Ruby got out of the car, drained from the day. Not physically, but emotionally. It was as if someone had ripped her guts out and put them back in upside down.

Nice, her dragon commented.

Ruby didn’t have the energy to respond. She locked the car and walked toward Fiona, mounting the steps and crossing the porch, her legs like leaden weights. “You look terrible.”

Now she knew how Magnus felt. “I’m just tired, and hungry.”

She stood in front of Fiona, who opened her arms and Ruby fell into them. “You can tell me all about it while you eat.” Fiona placed a hand on Ruby’s head and smoothed her hair, while she held her tight against her with her other hand. Ruby wrapped her arms around Fiona and held onto her, absorbing the comfort offered by her adoptive mom.

Only when Ruby sighed and pulled back did she let her go. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“I remember when you first came to live with us. I thought we would never have a real mother-daughter relationship,” Fiona confessed. She stroked Ruby’s face. “I’m so happy you need me.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Ruby’s mouth. “I always needed you, I was afraid to admit it, that’s all. After Mom died, and then Dad...”

Fiona took her hand and they went into the house. “Is this about the man with no memory?”

“Yes.” Ruby sat down at the kitchen table and Fiona placed a bowl of warm soup and a hunk of bread in front of her. “Thanks.” It smelled delicious and she picked up the spoon and ate before she carried on. With all the patience afforded by her long years, Fiona sat and waited.

After emptying her bowl of soup, tomato with just the right amount of herbs to flavor it, Ruby used another piece of bread to wipe the bowl clean. “Do you want to lick it, too?” Fiona asked.

“Saves washing the dishes.” Ruby set her bowl down on the table. “Is there any apple cake?”

“Harlan made some, but I don’t know if it’s as good as Sapphi’s. Don’t tell him I said that.” Fiona got up, poured two coffees and cut a thick piece of apple cake. As she placed them down on the table, she asked, “Are you going to tell me about your day?”

Ruby sighed, she could almost believe none of it had happened, except for the longing in her heart to be with Magnus. “I met my mate.”

Fiona nearly sprayed her coffee across the table. “And when were you going to tell me?”

“I’m telling you now.” Ruby ate a piece of cake while she waited for Fiona to calm down. “He is the man who lost his memory.”

“The man found wandering around in the mountains?” Fiona didn’t sound impressed. “Magnus Dumas.”

“Yes.” Ruby looked down at her cake, her appetite gone. “I met him, and we went into the mountains.”

“You went into the mountain alone with a strange man who doesn’t know who he is?” Fiona asked incredulously. “What have I told you about strangers?”

“Mom, I’m not twelve.”

“I don’t care how old you are.” She took a sip of her coffee and composed herself. “I’m sorry. I know you can look after yourself. But I also know there are bad people in this world.”

“You’ll be pleased to know, I didn’t go alone.” Ruby clasped her hands together, putting her thoughts into some kind of order. “He was found by a woman named Fara.” Ruby knew better than to call Fara old, since she was close to Fiona’s age. And Fiona was very tetchy about her age.

“And she went into the mountains with you? Why?”

“We wanted to retrace his steps and see if anything jogged his memory. “

“You hiked all the way into the mountains. The article said he’d been found... You flew?” Steam came out of Fiona’s ears.

“Yes.”

“You told him you are a dragon shifter? You told this Fara you are a dragon shifter?” Fiona’s eyes blazed.

“Yes. But before you get all worked up, remember, he is my mate, and I trust him. And he trusts Fara. She’s a little quirky, but I trust her, too.”

Fiona placed her hand flat on the table. “Just tell me if this trip into the mountains was worth it.”

“It was,” Ruby told her firmly. “He didn’t get his memories back. Not all of them at least, but we found the cave where he’d been asleep, and we found his treasure.”

Fiona looked partly mollified about that piece of information. “Treasure. So, he is a dragon?”

“We still don’t know. He’s worried he was asleep in the cave because of another reason. But he knows I’m his mate, he feels the connection, so it has to be true.” Her words rushed out of her mouth. “Doesn’t it?”

“I can’t answer that,” Fiona said sadly. “But you said he remembered something.”

“Yes, when we left the mountain, he ate an energy bar and he had a flashback. He said he had a sister and he remembered his mom. Not their faces, but their presence.” Ruby leaned forward and asked, “Do you remember anything else about Magnus Dumas? Any clue that might help him remember more?”

Fiona shook her head. “No. All I remember is he was an artist. There was an exhibit in Bear Creek.”

“Here in Bear Creek?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, I was passing through. I hadn’t settled here. In those days I kept moving. I’d made my fortune, had my treasure hoard stashed away and living was cheap. There were no street lights in those days, so I could comfortably move around at night without the fear of being seen.” She smiled to herself. “I spent a summer here, exploring the mountains, before moving north.”

“Did you actually meet Magnus?” Ruby asked, enthralled by talk of Fiona’s past.

“No. Art wasn’t my thing.” Fiona drank her coffee and then got up. “We need our beds. If I remember anything else, I’ll tell you. But if you want answers you should go into town. Visit the library or the museum. There may be records relating to the time. There might even be a picture of your mate.”

“That’s the plan for tomorrow.” Ruby stood up. “I could sleep for a week.”

“Really? When I met Harlan, I didn’t think I’d ever sleep again, my head was so filled with thoughts of him.” Fiona placed the cups in the sink and turned to face Ruby. “I’m sorry it’s not been straightforward for you.”

Ruby shrugged. “When is life ever straightforward? You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” She went to Fiona and hugged her close. “Thank you. I’m so happy you have Harlan. It must have been a lonely life all those years alone.” Fiona had told them how she’d lived in hiding for centuries, immersing herself in human life, while believing she was the last dragon.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been before,” she confessed. “Especially now that my two daughters have their mates.” She enveloped Ruby in her arms. “It will work out okay.”

“I know. It’s not as if I’m out of ideas. If we can’t find answers here, I plan to take Magnus to see Tiberius. He might have some ideas.”

“Whatever any of us can do to help. You know that.” Fiona looked at Ruby. “I’m incredibly proud of you, Ruby. And your sister.”

“I know.” Ruby gave her mom a cheeky smile. “Good night and thanks for waiting up.”

“I’m always here for you. Night or day.” Fiona watched her daughter leave the kitchen. Ruby felt like a child under the watchful eye of an ancient creature, who had seen everything the world had to offer and still found the greatest joy in her own family.