****Alec's POV****

"You must remember to keep in control. A good king does not go wild. A good king thinks wisely before acting. A good king . . ."

Alec exhaled through the pain, smoke filtering out of his nostrils. When he was younger, back when he had used his fire for the first time, his Father had scolded him for catching his whole body ablaze. It wasn't uncommon for dragonets, as he would later learn, but for a prince, for a future king, it was a sign. He would have power unmatched but the storm of emotions beneath it might lead him to ruin. None of those warnings settled in back when he was a small child. Things had been easier then. Alec doubts it would've made a difference in the end though. Ever since he met Magnus, things had been different for him. A feeling that had remained with him for years. A constant humming, like the envelopment of wings around him. He was just beginning to understand what this meant. But he knew one thing.

Magnus must survive.

"Alec!"

Magnus was shouting for him, barely heard over the roar of flames. Blue tongues licked up the cave walls from his outstretched wings. While it was true dragons usually breathed fire, that did not mean it could be summoned in other ways. "A good king is a master of their power. They know when to use it and when to yield."

Alec was not going to be yielding anytime soon, even as pain burned where Sebastian had harmed him. He was going to win. Sebastian was going down.

"Sebastian Morgenstern! Prepare yourself!" He bellowed despite the pain. His opponent hadn't let go even with the explosion of flames. Apparently burning didn't faze him at all. Just fine. I'll turn things up a notch.

Like a furnace, Alec upped the temperature in his core. Like the stars he could control, his temperature was able to translate into the same, scorching heat of a star. The air became humid as the whole cave became practically a baking oven. Sebastian let go off Alec when he no longer was able to hold on. Blue liquid trailed down his mouth and dripped small puddles on the ground. Puddles that sizzled into nothingness the second they touched the heated up floor. Magnus was hopping from one foot to the other, scrambling out of the heated radius as fast as he could manage.

"You think a little heat scares me, you're wrong." Sebastian sneered.

Alec shook his head, ignoring how the gesture made his injury sting further. "No. But this should."

With the speed of a shooting star, light streaking through the night, Alec slammed a clawed hand on Sebastian's head. The white dragon smashed forcefully into the wall. A crunch was heard as sharp rocks pierced the maniacs skin. And then the Morgenstern went limp, crashing onto the floor below in a heap. Shallow breaths were Alec's sole way of knowing her was still alive. A small part of him was vaguely disappointed. In the end that was pretty anti climatic.

The stripes on his chest began to dim. Alec curled in on himself, shuddering on each exhale. Turning up his body heat to such a high level was a risky play when he was tired, something to not be taken lightly. But he had done it without a second thought. And for what? Why did he risk himself?

Because of Magnus. It's worth it because of Magnus.

Perhaps he really was a hypocrite.

"Alec! Are you okay?" Magnus ran over to him, the hunter sensing the danger was over.

"I'm fine. Exhausted, but fine."

"But you're hurt!"

He stumbled slightly as he tried to make the remaining distance. His head pounded like the onslaught of a tidal wave. Bile rose up in his throat. He pushed it down steadily. How Magnus managed to not trip in the darkness was beyond him, but soon enough there was a small —to a dragon— hand pressed on his arm, rubbing the scales there with a surprising amount of gentleness.

"Nah. 'Tis but a scratch." Alec attempted a joke. Judging by Magnus's frown it had fell flat.

Magnus waved an arm towards the fallen dragon, not loosing his grip on Alec for a moment. "That's Valentine? He seems a lot younger than you described."

"No. It's not. But Sebastian is Valentine's son so you weren't too far off."

"Huh, you don't think Valentine . . . ?"

Alec shook his head. "He's not here. A good thing too, because . . ." He didn't finish that sentence. There was a very slim chance he would have come out of that confrontation alive.

Magnus seemed to understand, and did not comment on it further. "You look like you need to sit down. That wound is pretty nasty, I'm sorry you had to step in front. Bet you never thought you'd be protecting a hunter."

Alec sighed. "Don't be sorry. You just wanted to help. Are you okay?" He narrowed his eyes. Magnus was so small compared to his height. It was hard to tell if the man had been injured at all.

The hunter shook his head. "No. And you shouldn't worry about me, not when you're so hurt." He stepped forward, the small trudge hesitant but full of a meaning he could not detect. "May I see your injuries? I might be able to help."

Alec frowned. "I doubt you'll be able to anything for me, not while I'm in this form."

Magnus's gaze remained determined. "Then shift so I can."

"My, my, bossy aren't we?" Alec shook his head, bemused. "If I shift you have to promise not to do anything."

Magnus tugged the harness still connecting them with pointed emphasis. "Isn't this thing enchanted to ensure that doesn't happen."

Ah. So he pieced that together. Smart. The harness was made with the intention to ensure the two entwined could not harm each other without similar pain inflicted to themselves. Thankfully this didn't apply to the injuries Alec had now. Magnus may be strong in his own right, but his human body would pass out from the blood loss he was experiencing.

"Yes. It is."

There was no point lying to him. Alec didn't have the energy to do so, and, he didn't want to lie to Magnus anyways. The feeling in his heart was pinging again. It was an endless echo, a song he could finally hear and comprehend. How could it be possible? Alec did not know, but he planned to find out soon.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I think you know why." Alec responded.

Magnus sighed, but didn't disagree. "I suppose I shouldn't have asked."

"Magnus," Alec said, his tone becoming serious. "I want to trust you, I really do."

The hunter seemed taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise. None of the sassiness and sarcasm was present like it had been during so many of their conversations. "You do? But I . . . I'm a hunter. I thought—"

"Yes. But things change. Do you remember the day we first met?" Alec asked.

"How could I forget. Is this something we should really be talking about now though, when you're hurt?"

"Jace and the others will come soon enough to give us aid, so we will be fine," Alec said simply. "And I'm glad you remember."

"Why?"

Alec stared Magnus right in the eyes, holding his gaze that contained so much emotion. "It means you felt it too. I tried not to think about it but, since you came to the dragon homeland it's become all the more clear."

"Alec . . . I—"

A sole claw poked at the Hunter's mouth. Magnus reached to knock it away, but Alec held steady. The hunter's movements stopped, as if he somehow understood the dragon had something to say.

It was hard to put it to words. Felt almost too simple.

"You understand what we are. What we are meant to be." Alec knew. Had known for some time now, even though he tried denying it. Focusing on his siblings and his duty as prince only provided so much in the way of distraction.

"I don't think I do. What are you getting at?"

He had to hold back a laugh. The shakiness to those words was all the indication he needed. Perhaps Magnus had come to the same conclusion, just in a different way. Just one and he'll understand surely.

"You'll know soon."

"Will I?"

"Yes."

So Alec moved closer. His side still ached and Sebastian still lay as a lump on the ground. Magnus attempted to back up. The hunter had little to no room however, and found himself pressing up against the cave wall. Alec gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Alexander?"

Hesitance. Alec decided he didn't care if Magnus was scared, or if his heart was beating faster than it ever had before. There was one way to ascertain what he was feeling, and he would not let worry get in the way. And while his first had always been imagined in dragon form . . . he would settle for a chance at being right. A chance that felt like a certainty in his heart.

"Do you trust me Magnus?"

There was no hesitance now. "Yes."

"Good."

The shift was easy, human form taking the place of his dragon form in a flash of light and magic. Making that small difference in space between them was easy enough. This time Magnus did not back away from him. They shared the same breath for a brief second, eyes meeting. Only an inch separated them in height, so infinitesimal but so real, the same amount separating their faces, and more importantly, their lips. Surprisingly, it wasn't Alec who closed the last bit of that gap. Magnus surged forward to lock their lips together. Alec's breath stuttered as his heart stilled for just that one moment. The hunter was warm, sweeter than what he'd imagined. Blue light pulsated into the room as he pressed back, craving this new heat blooming inside. The key that continued to jab again and again at the lock of his soul finally went through. His soul was opening, singing with glee.

It was official. He'd found his predestined.