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CHAPTER1
CLAWDIA
“Is anyone having déjà vu?” Charlie asked as he threw the car into the next gear and had us speeding away from the collapsed warehouse and, more importantly, the dragon escaping from the rubble.
The dragon was all I could allow myself to call it. Acknowledging who the dragon was—who he was to me—threatened to break my already fragile mind.
“What is déjà vu?” Zaide croaked, indulging Charlie’s dramatic tendencies.
“When you feel like you’ve done this before,” he replied quickly, his eyes shooting to the rearview mirror, then darting back to the front window in time to throw the wheel and dodge a pothole. Pain sparked up my arms as I slammed against the door. Charlie continued, “Except … no, we definitely have done the racing away from the dragon before. Only I didn’t know I was related to it, then.”
“I wasn’t there for that,” I said, trying to distract myself with the conversation and strapping myself in. I couldn’t see what I was doing in the dark, and it took a few panicked jabs before I managed to get the seat belt into the clip.
“Oh, you were there. You were just unconscious because your power had just brought the fucking thing back to life.”
I flinched at the blame in his words. Even if I didn’t consciously raise the dragon, it was my fault that they’d come rescue me from his clutches. I’d portaled myself there without a plan.
The dragon, Fafnir, who was the mythical Norse beast a hero named Sigurd killed.
Fafnir, who was accidentally raised from the dead by scared witches and shifted to his human form to begin living as Mr. Jenkins.
Mr. Jenkins, who I was forced to marry in my past life. And who Charlie, apparently, was a descendant of.
I swallowed a lump of bile as the fear I’d pushed back while I dealt with the reality of him being alive, being a dragon, being a creature that consumes magic and wanted to kill me and my soul bonds, caused my body to shake.
A horrific thought crossed my mind.Am I still married to him?
As though the world had suddenly slowed down, I stared at Zaide, my soul pair, who’d searched the realms to find me. He was battered and bruised, his golden skin turned bronze with his injuries as he rested his head against the seat, eyes closed. His purple scars glowed dimly in darkness as though they didn’t have the power to glow as brightly as they did before.
I turned my gaze to Charlie, the first man I’d ever desired and who’d ever offered me affection. His brows were pulled down into a thoughtful frown as he skillfully drove us away from danger. Ash covered him, making his dirty blond hair look darker and messier. He was shirtless, his skin littered with cuts and soot.
I loved them both so much I couldn’t bear seeing them hurt. I wanted them safe more than I wanted my next breath. But dread filled me at the thought of explaining what had happened once we were home. If we got home.
Are they going to feel different about me when they find out Fafnir is my husband?
A deafening roar drew me back to the moment, and I peeked over my shoulder through the back window of the car to see flashes of green wings under the streetlights and yellow, furious eyes.
“He’s following us,” I whispered.
I knew Mr. Darren Jenkins to be a proud man. He wouldn’t have allowed anyone to make a fool of him. He wouldn’t stop until we were dead or worse. Especially since he saw me. Watched me change from cat to human, felt the power in my soul bonds and believed I looked like his previous wife.
I was a puzzle to him. One he would find and decipher no matter the cost. And when I no longer held interest for him, he’d destroy me, like he would have in our past life. Only I didn’t give him the time nor the opportunity to, and I prayed it would be the same this time.
I rubbed my sweaty palms on the t-shirt Charlie gave me and tried to control my breathing.
Light and heat suddenly flooded the darkened road behind us, and sweat prickled my brow from the intensity of it. Another loud roar followed, sending my pulse racing.
“Charlie,” I whimpered as I turned to see the beast getting closer. Each beat of his wings seemed to get stronger, sending him surging toward us. The orange underbelly scales glinted as he darted above the streetlights. He would have been pretty if he wasn’t completely evil and trying to kill us. “He’s healing as he flies. He’s getting closer.”
“I see him.”
“Can’t this car go any faster?” I asked, glancing at the speedometer. The needle ticked in the middle, but I had no idea what that meant.
“I didn’t think I’d be racing fucking dragons when we picked up this rental, so you’ll have to forgive me for the horsepower,” Charlie snapped.
Zaide reached back and patted my hand. He peered at me through hooded, swollen eyes. “Try not to worry, Little Cat. We will be fine.”
Another thunderous roar, so close I could feel the vibrations in my bones, seemed to negate his statement, and I bit my lip.
