Chapter Nineteen – Ruby

Ruby stood back to back with Magnus in a defensive position. “What’s happening?”

“I have no idea,” Magnus replied. “I cannot see Tiberius and Helena, can you?”

She swung her head around, searching the room for them. “Maybe they’re hiding behind the bookcases.”

“Helena doesn’t strike me as the hiding type.” Magnus half turned to look at Ruby, taking his eyes off the shifters, who were circling them, waiting to strike.

“Perhaps they just want to talk.” Ruby figured it was worth a try. She lowered her hands and approached the nearest wolf hoping he spoke English. “We came to look at the books. If we’re trespassing, we’re sorry, we’ll just find our friends and leave.”

The wolf stared her straight in the eyes, and then peeled back his lips and snarled. Magnus moved fast, positioning himself between the wolf and his mate. “I do not think they want to talk.”

“So we fight.” Ruby looked inward for her dragon, who could tear all four shifters to pieces if they didn’t surrender. She didn’t want to, but she could.

Her dragon wasn’t there.

Ruby staggered backward, tripping over her own feet as the gravity of their situation and the loss of her dragon hit her. This is how Magnus felt. Alone inside. A piece of him torn away. The ground rushed toward her as her head swam, but Magnus reached out and grabbed hold of her arm. He would not let her fall.

“Ruby.” His voice filled with pain as he pulled her close.

“I can’t shift.” Her throat constricted as panic gripped her. “Why can’t I shift?” Her dragon was gone.

“I do not know. Maybe there is a curse on this temple that prevents your dragon emerging. That’s why Helena has not shifted.” Magnus put himself between Ruby and the approaching shifters, who were closing in.

“What do we do?” Ruby gathered her wits and stood on her own two feet. She wasn’t the damsel in distress type and never would be. She was a dragon. Just because she couldn’t shift that didn’t make her weak, her dragon was always with her in spirit if not in body.

Rolling her shoulders she cast off the tension in her muscles and raised her fists, ready to fight. Alex had taught her a few self-defense moves, which she’d practiced until she perfected them. But she never expected to use them on shifters with teeth and claws.

“You could shift when we were outside on the ledge. We have to get you back out there.” Magnus lunged at the nearest wolf. With a snarl and a snap of his teeth, the wolf fended him off, but Magnus was fast and smashed his fist into the side of the wolf’s jaw, sending him flying across the hard stone floor. “Go, Ruby. Go!”

Ruby stood her ground. “Not without you. And not without Tiberius and Helena.” She scanned the room for any sign of them. “Where are they?” Sapphi would kill her if they got hurt.

“Agreed, they came here to help me. I’m not leaving without them.” Magnus’s eyes glowed green, and he shimmered as rage took hold of him. Ruby stayed alert to their attackers, but she was mesmerized by him. His dragon was close, she could feel it and longed to reach beneath his skin and drag him out to battle their enemies.

“Watch out.” The other wolf ran at them, and behind him, a bear approached, head down snarling with rage. “Ready?” he asked Ruby.

“Always.” They moved as one, punching and kicking at the creatures, while the fallen wolf got up and whined pitifully. The creatures kept their distance, staying out of reach of Magnus and Ruby. “Let’s circle around and look for the others.”

Magnus moved with her, they were stronger together. As mates, they would always succeed if they were true to themselves and each other. Yet the loss of her dragon hit her hard, threatening to take the strength from her and leave her weak.

The bear rushed them, butting into Ruby and knocking her into the air before she had time to react. He was fast, but Magnus grabbed hold of the creature’s thick brawny neck and wrestled with him, protecting Ruby with his body.

With the wind taken out of her, Ruby took a moment to force the breath into her lungs. Dragging herself to her feet, she saw the other bear shifter, who had not attacked them. He watched as the fight unfolded as if he were assessing them. All was not as it seemed. Were Tiberius and Helena in on this? Was it a test?

Rage filled her, and she called forth her dragon. No one had the right tear them apart. Her dragon was there, under her skin, rushing to meet the other half of herself. But they could not swap places, they could not pierce the veil between human and beast.

Lifting her head, she locked eyes with the bear shifter who had not joined the fight. This was a test, he was responsible for robbing her of her dragon.

What did this mean, what were they trying to prove? If they got it right, was this the key to unlocking Magnus’s dragon?

She joined Magnus, pushing the bear off him with all her strength. But the wolf leaped at them, a snarling ball of gray fur, as he lunged forward, Magnus knocked Ruby out of the way. She fell backward and sprawled to the ground. Magnus would take the full force of the attack in order to save her.

The bear and wolf moved in for the kill.

“Magnus!” Scrambling her to feet, Ruby attempted to drag the wolf off him, but she wasn’t strong enough. Cursing the shifters who were attacking her mate, she pivoted and ran for the bear shifter who was watching the fight. “Stop this!” she yelled at him.

He turned his impassive gaze on her, his bear’s head huge as he studied her dispassionately. Behind her, snarls and growls filled the air. It was probably too late, they would kill Magnus and she would live her life brokenhearted and alone. “Please, he’s done nothing to you.”

Was that true? Were the men from this temple those responsible for casting the Ancient Slumber spell on Magnus? If so, what crime had he committed to warrant such a fate? Why had they locked him away for centuries?

With one last surge of strength, Ruby turned her back on the bear shifter and launched herself at the shifters pinning Magnus down. She could see his fists as they rained down blows on the wolf and the bear. He was fighting for his life and she would live or die by his side. “Run, Ruby!” he yelled at her.

“I can't leave you,” she replied. The wolf was lighter in stature, if she stood any chance of subduing one of their adversaries, it was him. Ruby leaped at the wolf and dug her fingers into his fur. Planting her feet on the floor, she levered herself backward and yanked with all her strength.

“Leave.” Magnus’s voice sounded weaker but she was not willing to give up and admit defeat. But the wolf was too strong and a sob erupted from her throat.

“I can’t leave you.” Her voice cracked as her fingers cramped up and she lost her grip on the wolf.

“You have to.” Tired, his breath ragged, Magnus locked eyes with her. “Don’t die for me.”

“What about Tiberius and Helena?” She sobbed as she realized the futility of her actions. The wolf was too big. Too strong.

“You can't help them if you are dead.” He lifted his head for a moment, summoning his strength as he shouted. “I love you, Now go.”

Ruby stumbled backward. What was she supposed to do? If this was a test, they wouldn't kill Magnus. Would they?

Was he supposed to be willing to die for her? Or was she supposed to be willing to die for him?”

She spun around and looked at the old bear shifter, who stood in the same spot, unmoved by the fight. “What do you want?” She ran to him her hands outstretched. “You want me to choose? My mate or my dragon? Life or death?” There was no choice. Without Magnus, there was no life. Her dragon would understand that. She wasn’t choosing Magnus over her dragon because they couldn't live without him, not now.

Wearily, she turned around and searched the room for a weapon. All she saw were scrolls and books. Perhaps if she broke one of the bookcases up and made a stake. That would work, a stake through the heart didn't just work on vampires. But as she ran to the bookshelf, and lifted her leg, ready to kick it over, a shout rang out.

“Enough!” The old bear had shifted back into his human form and stood with his hand raised, his voice a command that could not be ignored.

The bear and two wolves released Magnus, who looked relatively unscathed, except for blood dripping from a wound on his forehead. Ruby rushed forward, and knelt beside him, pulling her mate into a sitting position. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, touching his fingers to his forehead. “Nothing that won’t heal.”

The bear and wolves stood together, shaking their heads and licking their wounds. “I don’t understand.” Ruby got up and pulled Magnus to his feet. Together they turned to face the old man. Tiberius and Helena appeared from behind the bookshelves. “You were watching the whole time?”

Helena rushed to her side and took her hand. “I’m sorry, we couldn’t help you.”

“Because it was a test.” Ruby’s face set firm as she took a step toward the old man. “Explain.”

“Ruby, this is the head of the temple.” Tiberius’s voice held a warning, but she didn’t care.

“Well, he needs a lesson in how to treat his guests.” Her fists were clenched at her sides, but as she stared at him, his face broke into a smile and then he laughed.

“You might be right,” the old man said, coming down the stairs to stand before her. “I had my reasons.”

“And what were those, old man?” Magnus asked, wiping the blood from a cut on his lip. Ruby longed to kiss his poor bruised face better. Right after she’d torn a strip off the head of the temple. Who did he think he was attacking them like that? Was he worried they were going to steal his books?

Tiberius coughed and raised his eyebrows. “What do you have to do with this, Tiberius?” Ruby squared up to Alex’s dad, which inflamed Helena, who still held Ruby’s hand. A rush of warmth fed through her fingers where Helena gripped them as her temper rose.

“You came to us for help,” Helena told Ruby. “Tiberius got you the help you needed.”

“This is your way of helping?” Ruby asked scathingly. “Hiding while we got attacked?”

“It was a test to see if your dragon mate is worthy,” the old man said, stepping down off the stairs to stand before Magnus.

“And am I worthy?” Magnus asked, his voice strained.

The man nodded. “You and your mate both passed the test.” He glanced across to Ruby. “I thought you were going to run out on him.”

“Never,” Ruby replied hotly. “I was confused for a moment at the loss of my dragon. Then I realized that if I left and my dragon returned to me, we would die of a broken heart without Magnus. There was no choice.”

“Textbook answer,” the old man said. “Now, let’s have a look at you, Magnus Dumas.”

“Do you know me?” Magnus asked, his eyes fixed on the old man.

“No. But I have heard of you. Your name is written in the book of lost dragons.” He leaned forward and sniffed Magnus. “Your dragon is inside you. Deep inside you. He is still asleep, and cannot lift his head to breathe the free air.”

“Can you help him?” Ruby asked, her voice softer now that she knew no one meant them any harm. “Can you free his dragon and his memories?”

“Yes,” the old man answered simply. “If he wants them returned.”

Magnus eyed the old man thoughtfully. “At what cost?”

“To me or to you?” the old man asked, then answered, “Both must pay a price.”

Magnus’s jaw tightened as he surveyed the man before him. “What is the cost to me?”

“You have to part with some of your treasure.” The old man grinned, his teeth still surprisingly good for his age.

“Done.”

The old man’s grin widened. “A dragon who is not going to barter?”

“Take it all if you want it. I need my memories, I need to know what happened to my sister.” His eyes flashed as his emotions welled inside him, threatening to spill out.

“Your sister. Therein lies a mystery. Tiberius tells me she was not with you while you slept.” The old man nodded, while the shifters still surrounding them shuffled with agitation.

“She died,” Magnus said bluntly.

The old man shook his head. “No, no, no. She was very much alive when you both disappeared.”

The color drained from Magnus’s face. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. As certain as I can be. Your sister’s name is written alongside yours as lost. Not dead.”

“But I saw someone stab her. There was a flash of memory and she was dead. Stabbed by a man I didn’t know.” His voice shook as he ground out the words. “I should have protected her.”

“How do you know you didn’t?” the old man asked. “Half a memory is worse than none. Just like half a dragon shifter is useless if you want to fly.”

“I am ready,” Magnus stated firmly.

“You might not like who you are.” The old man watched for his reaction.

“Who I was,” Magnus corrected him. “I know who I am now, and no matter what I may have done in my past, this is me.” He reached for Ruby and she went to him. “This is me.”

“Very well.” The old man put his hands on Magnus’s head and closed his eyes. Ruby kept her questions to herself as the old man concentrated hard, his eyes screwed shut and his forehead beaded with sweat. She wanted this to be over, but she also wanted to know who had done this to Magnus.

Magnus jolted backward. The old man moved with him, never letting go as he kept the pressure on Magnus’s head. Magnus groaned and his eyes flickered as if he were experiencing REM sleep. Her mate cried out, and Ruby lunged forward, but Tiberius grabbed her wrist and kept her back out of the way.

“He needs to finish this, or Magnus’s memories will be scrambled.” Tiberius pulled her into his arms.

“I’m so sorry we had to trick you, Ruby.” Helena held both her hands. “It was the only way we could get the head of the temple to agree to unlock Magnus’s memories and his dragon. He wanted proof that Magnus wasn’t a bad dragon. Many were put into Ancient Slumber to protect the world. He had to be certain he wasn’t about to unleash a terrible blight on humanity.”

“I understand.” She fixed Helena with a haunted stare. “I do understand. And thank you. Both of you. This is Magnus’s best hope. I’m just scared of what he’ll remember.”

“He has a good heart,” Helena said.

“That’s not the part I’m worried about. It’s the memories themselves, of his mom, of his sister. We don’t know what happened to her. And we don’t know who did it, or why Magnus was put under the curse.” Ruby watched as the old man released Magnus and took a step back. “But we might be about to find out.”

Magnus opened his eyes and stared blankly for a moment as if he didn’t know where he was. Then he turned, his attention fixed on Ruby. “I remember.”

Ruby’s heart hammered in her chest. The past and the present were now integrated. Magnus was whole. His dragon realigned with him. But she could not celebrate yet. Not until he told them all he knew of the ancient curse that had put him to sleep, and who was responsible.