Magnus felt an odd, creepy feeling of uneasiness go over him as he worked on the engine with Mike. The hairs on his arms stood on end, alert and at attention, and he looked over at Lindy’s office, wondering at the strange sensation.

Her window was shuttered and the door was closed. Was someone in there? Where was Tommy?

She might not be happy for him to interrupt her, but he couldn’t ignore the dragon inside him, insisting something was wrong.

He walked to her office door quietly and tested the handle. Locked. A second later, he heard angry words inside, and that was more than enough for the iron dragon to kick into high gear.

Without warning, he unceremoniously bashed in the door, just in time to see Tommy leaning menacingly over Lindy’s desk. Lindy looked shaken, her blue eyes furious but also frightened. 

Nobody did that to his mate.

Clearing the distance between himself and Tommy in the blink of an eye, he hoisted the scrawny kid into the air. Tommy yelped in shock, crying for help.

Magnus had always thought the kid was weak, maybe even a little slimy. But he’d never expected someone Lindy trusted to do whatever it was he had just been doing.

“What the hell is going on here?” he roared at Tommy, who paled visibly. Lindy didn’t protest Magnus’s manhandling of the guy, so he didn’t back down.

“I… I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it…” he sputtered.

Worms like this rarely operated alone. Someone had put him up to this, made him bold like this. And they were probably the same people who had been attacking the shop.

He’d guessed there was someone watching the shop, but he hadn’t thought it was Tommy.

“Who sent you? Who are you working for?” Magnus demanded, adrenaline racing. He wanted to gut the little bastard, but he figured gutting probably wasn’t legal in this day and age. Plus, he needed information more than he needed the weasel’s head on a pike. 

Tommy’s stuttering worsened, which only made Magnus angrier. With an easy heave, he hurtled Tommy across the small office and into the wall next to the door, hard enough to make a pretty severe crack in the plaster, but not enough to send him through it.

He didn’t want to kill him. That was off-limits. For now.

“Magnus, stop. He didn’t hurt me,” Lindy said, standing up and watching as Tommy tried to get up.

It made him glad to hear his mate wasn’t harmed, but he still wasn’t satisfied with Tommy. He strode over to the little worm and stuck a boot on his chest, pinning him to the wall. He writhed weakly to get free, but it was no use.

“Tell me everything. Now,” he said, emphasizing the last word with added pressure from his boot.

“Okay, okay. I’ll talk,” he pleaded desperately. “It was the other shop. Roscoe’s place. They came to me a couple months ago. Offered me money, lots of it. At least it was a lot to me.”

Behind him, Magnus could sense Lindy’s attention focusing in on Tommy’s words.

“And what did they want?” Magnus continued.

“At first, they just wanted me to keep an eye on things. Tell them everything I knew about this place. But lately…” He trailed off, turning to the side, shame and fear obvious on his face.

Magnus just pushed harder into his chest. “Lately what?”

“They’ve been more insistent. Said if I helped them sabotage Lindy’s operation, help put it out of business, they’d give me more. Give me a position at their shop that paid double. Maybe even make me a manager.”

Wealth. Greed. Betrayal. Tale as old as time when it came to humans doing horrible things.

“So the shelf accident a few days ago, was that you? Did you do something to it?” Lindy asked, alarmed.

“Yes,” Tommy said regretfully. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. Just to scare people.”

“And when those men came over, that’s why you disappeared. You knew they were coming, didn’t you?” Magnus said, rage still seething but gradually shifting from the pathetic asshole beneath him toward the organization that was really responsible for putting his mate in danger.

Tommy nodded compliantly. 

“Tell me everything they’re planning,” Magnus growled.

“I can’t say. It seems like something new is going on over at Roscoe’s place. Something strange. I can’t put a finger on it, just a feeling.”

“Have you ever seen Roscoe?” Magnus queried. 

“No. Just guys under him. I hear he used to be a pretty straight shooter before, but lately—” Tommy’s words stopped, either because he was running out of things to say or because he was running out of air from the pressure on his chest.

It was becoming more obvious by the second that Tommy knew even less than he wanted to pretend he knew, which meant he was useless to help Magnus solve Lindy’s problems. 

But regardless of the rage he still felt at Tommy’s betrayal of his and, more importantly, Lindy’s loyalty, he was still a dumb kid who got in way over his head. 

But that didn’t mean he deserved to get off scot-free.

“We should at least call the authorities. Have them deal with this mess,” Magnus said. 

“No, I think he’s learned his lesson,” Lindy said, being merciful when Magnus felt the kid deserved anything but. 

“He should be behind bars.”

“The last thing I need is a court battle trying to put my ex-employee behind bars when I’m pretty sure he won’t be any more trouble to us.”

Tommy nodded obediently, which annoyed Magnus. Removing his boot, he pulled the kid up by the front of his shirt and stared at him face to face, man to man.

“If I ever see you near this place again, or ever smell your scent in my life, I will hunt you, Tommy. Hunt you like a rabid dog that needs to be put down. Understood?”

His expression a mixture of confused and petrified, Tommy just nodded again. And when Magnus put him down, the kid ran like a bat out of hell. Only seconds later, Magnus could hear Tommy’s car start, then peel away from the shop.

But Magnus was far from done being angry.

Now he had a whole organization of people he hated but didn’t know, which only made his anger worse.

“Now what do we do?” he asked out loud, more to himself than to Lindy.

Lindy came up behind him, and he could feel her hand on his arm, calming.

“I’m pretty sure that with their thugs beat and their mole permanently gone, things may finally calm down. Still, I can’t believe Tommy would do something like that,” she said, a twinge of sadness in her voice.

Magnus turned and held her, letting her know he was still there, still by her side. That he would protect her, even though he probably didn’t need to say it more than he already had. 

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked, looking down at her. “He didn’t do anything?”

She tucked her hair back nervously as she pulled back from him. “He just threatened me. If you hadn’t come…” She looked away. “Dammit, I’m coming to depend on you too much.”

“Just the right amount,” he said. “So he didn’t touch you?”

She averted her eyes. “He just put a finger here.” She touched her collar bone, and Magnus felt rage rush through him. Just what the hell had Tommy intended? He wanted to chase him down in his car and beat him again.

“Stop it,” she said. “I’m fine. You don’t have to look so angry.”

You’re mine, he wanted to say. I don’t want anyone to touch you. He was agitated, his dragon pacing, aware of the threat to his mate. But right now, she just needed peace and calm.

That’s what he wanted to give her.

“We should head out,” he said. “Let Mike close up the shop.”

She nodded, and he was glad she didn’t fight him.

“I’ll want some additional security installed here in case anyone comes snooping,” Magnus said, focusing on the things they could fix right now. “I’ve been looking into companies just in case, and I can give them a call and hopefully have them take care of it before day’s end.”

Her expression was strained as she looked up at him. “You know I can’t afford that, Magnus.”

“I can’t afford for you not to be safe. For the things you care about not to be safe. Please, let me do this for you.”

She looked like she wanted to resist, but she nodded. “But how can you afford to do it? You’re a handyman.”

He winked at her with a grin. “I’m a dragon. I’m rich of course.”

“Oh, of course,” she said dubiously. “I forgot.” She put her hands up in surrender and walked out of the office in front of him. Then she stopped, looking over her shoulder with a softness in her gray-blue eyes. “And thanks. For stepping in when you did.”

“Of course,” he said. “Always.”

She stared at him for a moment, and he had to resist the temptation to read her thoughts. “All right, dragon, let’s go home.”

He practically skipped after her and out of the office. Home sounded perfect to him.

* * *

Magnus could have faced a hundred angry villagers and been less nervous than he was right now, cooking for Lindy with a sinking suspicion his dish wasn’t going to turn out.

It wasn’t Titus’s fault, who was giving him directions in his mind, or Citrine, who kept cutting in with tips about winning over a human.

It was the combination of everything, plus the scent of his mate in the next room, constantly distracting him.

It had been hard to stay separate from her, to be only friends, when all he wanted was to put his hands on her and show her exactly what she meant to him.

But she also meant enough for him to hold back.

He poured the water off of the noodles he’d been boiling, wondering if they were squishy enough.

Did you hear me, Magnus? Titus asked. I was just saying that Citrine says it’s important to show her your quiet side.

Magnus snorted. You’ve known me since childhood. Since when have I ever had a quiet side?

There was a pause, presumably as Titus spoke to Citrine. Citrine could speak to dragon thoughts when they were nearby, but only the metal dragons could communicate over long distances with their crews.

He says he means the side of you that someone might want to spend a quiet afternoon with, not just the Magnus who fixes everything and is fiercely protective.

Magnus snorted. And what does he know about winning a mate? Citrine is a bachelor.

Citrine says he’s offended, and you should know he played a role in several of the gem dragons finding mates.

Well, that just means they need help and I don’t, yet another reason metal dragons are superior to gem dragons. He grinned, imagining Citrine’s irritation.

Citrine would like to remind you that you are not successfully mated either and also that you’re an asshole.

Magnus laughed out loud and then covered his mouth, hoping Lindy didn’t hear. She would think he was insane, laughing to himself.

Tell Citrine thanks for the vote of confidence.

Citrine says he has zero confidence, and it will take a miracle to get you mated.

Right, Magnus replied. Tell Citrine I’ll give him a big hug when I get home and make it all better.

Citrine says no, but if you bring him some new bulbs for his garden, he’ll think about forgiving your insolence, Titus replied. Okay, I’m done with this interpreter shit. Anything else you need from us?

No, I think I got the noodles ready. And you helped me with the sauce. I should be more or less okay.

No, I meant with the mate situation. You said earlier there was danger?

Can you ask Citrine to look into Roscoe’s auto shop? Magnus replied. Supposedly, they are behind things, and you know he’s a computer wiz and the best one to check into this.

Citrine asks what you’ll give him.

A big hug.

Citrine says he’ll do it just to stop hearing you.

Deal, Magnus replied with a grin, tasting the sauce in the pan in front of him. Seemed good enough. Then again, he was used to whatever Titus threw together when they were at sea. Not that Titus wasn’t a good chef, but with usually only salt and whatever fish they caught, he never had a lot of ingredient options.

He’d gotten more into cooking in the modern world, though.

Thanks again, Titus.

Anytime. Good luck tonight.

Before Magnus could think of a snarky reply, he felt that Titus and Citrine were gone.

For a moment, he felt oddly alone. Then he realized Lindy was just in the next room, watching TV and waiting to eat with him, and he sighed, relaxing somewhat.

He was just where he was supposed to be, and if things went right, he’d never have to be alone again.

* * *

“Wow, this is really amazing,” Lindy said, twirling her fork in the delicious spaghetti that her ancient dragon warrior had somehow made.

How he could stomp into her office in a daring rescue one moment and cook her an awesome dinner the next, she didn’t know.

She just knew she was getting used to being with him and was starting to be unable to picture life without him.

Nearby, Perky was enjoying her dog food. She just seemed to be happier whenever Magnus was around.

Lindy was too. When she’d been alone in that office, threatened by Tommy, she’d felt that helplessness she’d felt after her dad’s death, that feeling of being isolated in the world, just for a moment.

And then Magnus had appeared in the doorway like some kind of avenging angel, and everything had been all right.

And she knew things would continue to be all right as long as they were together.

After several days, she just knew it. She couldn’t fight it anymore, how good it felt to look across the table at his kind green eyes, so focused on her. How good it felt to have someone to depend on, someone she could utterly trust.

“You like it?” he asked, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“Of course,” she said. “It’s amazing. You’ll have to give me the recipe.”

He frowned. “Recipe?”

“You know, the ingredients and instructions for making it.”

“Oh,” he said. “I don’t have it.”

“How did you make it, then?” she asked, sitting back in her chair. “Don’t tell me this is also something to do with dragons. You’re cooks or something.”

“No,” he said with a chuckle, pushing his hair back over one shoulder. “I mean, it does have something to do with it, in that it’s a dragon friend who helped me. He’s gotten really into cooking.”

“That’s kind of a funny thought,” she said, smiling and resting her cheek in her hand as she twirled another bite of spaghetti onto her fork.

“We dragons of the modern era have to be multitalented,” he said. “If we want to win our mates.”

Her grin widened, and she took another bite to disguise how disgustingly happy she felt. Was she foolish for wanting to just go along with this? If anything, it should be even more unbelievable than things with Ed had been before.

But at the same time, it was Magnus. Honest, straightforward to a fault, ax-wielding, insisting-he-was-a-dragon Magnus.

And she had to admit she was falling for him. Just the way her heart had leapt when he’d saved her from Tommy had made that clear to her.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “So many things.”

“Good or bad?” he asked. He folded his arms on the table. “Did you know dragons can read thoughts if we want to?”

She blinked. “No. Shoot. Are you reading mine now?”

“We generally only talk with our crew. My kind, at least, aren’t really interested in intruding on the thoughts of humans. I believe if you want to tell me something, you should be able to say it.”

She nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Thank you.”

“Then again, if it was ever too hard to say it, you could just tell me, and I could read what you were thinking.”

She flushed, looking down at the spaghetti, thinking it had suddenly gotten too warm in there. If she looked up, she’d see his straight jaw that she just wanted to run her fingers along. His long, dark-auburn lashes shading those incredible irises, that straight nose and those high cheekbones.

A face that was as handsome for its objective beauty as it was because she had grown to really like him.

“If you look at me like that, I’m never going to be able to finish this spaghetti,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to have to get up and go in the other room to resist wanting to kiss you, wanting to take your beautiful curvy body in my arms.”

“Seriously?” she asked. “I’ve never been the type to tempt a man to distraction.”

He gave her a disapproving look. “You’re wrong. You drive me crazy constantly. But I said we’d be friends, and I’ll stick to that as long as you stop looking at me like you want to eat me and focus on your spaghetti.”

She laughed at the grumpy, slightly firm tone of his voice. “Hm. Right.” Then she dug into her food, and he did the same with his.

She was pretty sure he was going to be pleasantly surprised tonight, but she didn’t intend to tell him that, not until she was sure.

When dinner was finished and the dishes were washing in the dishwasher, she and Magnus went into the living room and cuddled on the couch with a movie on in front of them.

It was turned down quiet so they could talk. She still had so much to learn about him.

“Tell me more about your time,” she said, taking his hand in hers and turning it over, examining the calluses. “What life was like.”

He closed his eyes slightly and then opened them. “I don’t like to think about it much. After all, that’s over, and this is my life now.”

“Still, I feel like it’s something I don’t know about you.”

“Sometimes it was quiet. Visiting our home village and seeing friendly crews, having feasts and exploring the mountains. And then sometimes it was adventure, sailing to new places. I built our boats, and—” His gaze shuttered as if it were painful to think about. “Anyway. Things were simpler in a way, but it’s not like I wish to go back there.”

“No?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “Because you’re here.”

A warm feeling filled her chest. How did he always know how to make her heart melt into a puddle of goo? She entwined her fingers with his, and he eyed her curiously.

The tension between them rose as they locked gazes, and Lindy could feel herself poised at the edge, ready to fall off.

With him.

“I can’t hold back any longer,” she murmured, eyes dipping to his lips.

“What?” he asked, drawing back slightly in shock.

She pulled her hand away from his and put both hands on his chest, rubbing over his shoulders. “You were right. I can’t keep my hands off you. I tried.”

“Oh,” he said, still holding back as she moved her hands over him, feeling his warm biceps, silky skin, and hard muscle. “Are you sure?”

She appreciated the way he was waiting for her, even as his body seemed strained, taut, making the greatest effort not to lunge at her. “I’m sure,” she said. “In fact, I’m so sure that if you don’t take me to the bedroom right now, I’m going to get angry. And a dragon doesn’t want that, right?”

He shook his head rapidly.

“Good.”

She smiled as he scooped her up in his arms and practically ran for the bedroom. Time to let her dragon light her fire.