Some of his relatives were still settled in the area, and Morgan knew that the best thing would be to go talk to them, to greet them appropriately and to make preparations for what he knew had to come next. Instead, he found himself walking the paths through the forests. There was only a little bit of light left in the sky, but he knew these paths as well as he knew his reflection in the mirror. He walked without thinking, because if he thought at at all, he would find his thoughts circling back to Harper and what she must think of him.
They said that there was no controlling when one found one's mate, whether it happened at a good time or bad, and he laughed a little bitterly at the lesson he had never taken so seriously. It had happened, Harper was a blessing…and he couldn't bear it.
He could tell himself all he liked that there were never more than a handful of dragon-blooded who could actually change into dragons. Even the largest clans boasted no more than a half dozen or so. The Castells only had him and his cousin Cai, while the Marrak branch only had Reese and his mother Gwen. They sort of shared Uncle Wilf between them, but it had always been enough to defend their clan and their interests.
And I have to do what's right for them, what's right for all of us.
Still he walked until he came to the entrance of a cave that was half-hidden by a deadfall. It was his, his in a way that few other things in the world were, and he paused, wondering how in less than a century he could become so very unworthy.
It was only when he paused that he became aware of heavy breathing and a stumbling step behind him, and a prickle of horrified recognition shot up his spine. In a second, Morgan was darting back down the path, finding Harper on the trail behind him.
“You followed me?”
“You must be pretty out of it,” she said, smiling at him. “I really wasn't very subtle.”
“You shouldn't have followed me at all,” Morgan said, still bewildered. “The path can be treacherous, and –“
“Hey.”
Harper's voice was sharp, and even in the dimness of the darkening evening, he could feel himself pinned by her direct gray gaze.
“Harper?”
“Would you let me go running off into the woods if I had just spent the better part of six hours unconscious?”
“Well –“
“Keeping in mind that if you say it's different because I'm a girl, I will not hesitate to push you down off this mountain.”
“This is not a mountain,” Morgan said for want of any other argument he could make. “This is a hill that wants to grow up and be a mountain.”
“Whatever. Morgan. Please. Tell me what's wrong.”
Before he could respond, she took his hand in his. There was a strange echo to the moment, as if somehow they were calling back to his ancestors who had taken hands with their true mates in the dark just like this, swearing to love each other, to honor one another, and to be at one another's side no matter what.
“Morgan. If…if this is us. If this is going to be for good and always…show me how you want to go forward.”
He could either put her off, push her away…
Or he could let her in.
Morgan took a deep breath, let it out, and took another. He realized that she was breathing with him.
“You know, I once fought a kraken.”
“Krakens exist?”
“Hm, yes. It was when I was crossing the Atlantic to get to Italy. It rose out of the water like the wrath of some sea god, and I was terrified out of my wits.”
“What did you do?”
“Fought it. Tried not to get pulled into the water. Mostly succeeded.”
He shook his head.
“Will you think the less of me if I say I am more afraid now than I was then?”
“Never,” she said, and his heart squeezed with love for her, for the thrill of knowing that no matter what, the world had said that this brave and good woman was for him, whether or not he deserved her. Whether or not he would be allowed to keep her.
“All right, then.” he said, and he led her underground.
Chapter Seventeen
∞∞∞
The way down into the cave would have been completely black if Morgan hadn't picked up a powerful flashlight hidden in an all-weather box formed to look like a rock. With the strong beam, the passage was easy, if a little narrow and twisting.
Morgan was silent, and so Harper stayed quiet as well, following him into the earth.
Despite everything that had happened today, she felt curiously calm. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she was with Morgan, and right now, that was what she cared about. This was what mattered.
They traveled downwards for almost fifteen minutes, and then something shifted in the air. Somehow, she could tell that it wasn't a narrow passage in front of them any longer, and instead the way had opened. Morgan fumbled for something on the wall, and the space was lit with soft lights coming from the roof of the cavern high above.
Harper looked around in shock as Morgan switched off the flashlight and set it aside, staring at the cavern that seemed to her to be the same size as a cathedral. It was roughly finished with a flat stone floor, and everywhere, piled high up against the walls, was treasure.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she said, looking around in wonder.
It was gold, of course there was gold, but it was more than that. She could see iron chests overflowing with ropes of pearls, piles of what she guessed had to be rubies, and a wide range of antiques she was sure she had only seen in museums. The
