Page 10 of Rescued By The Dragon

Everyone stilled.

My mother came running from inside the castle and stopped with wide eyes beside me. I shrugged as if I didn’t know what was happening.

“I’d like to announce the ball this Friday. Every eligible woman in this kingdom must show up. Human or Dragon. If I find out that one woman didn’t attend without reasonable cause, I will make certain they pay the price. Dorran wants every possible choice in making someone his queen. Tell everyone you know, because I’d hate for anyone to get left out. As for the rumors of fights breaking out with the East Kingdom. The people of my kingdom will always be safe, and I don’t want to hear anything else about it.”

I could almost see the huge question marks sitting above each person’s face. “Now,” Dad said. “On with it.”

He turned and walked past me, and I poked my head through the closing doors. In the corner of the courtyard, I noticed the girl from the rooftop with Amara.

She was craning her neck to see inside.

When her gaze caught mine, I pointed at her with two fingers, and she hurried into the crowd.

I chuckled.

She’d make sure that Amara knew I wanted every woman there.

Now, I needed to go buy a new scaled mannequin for Amara’s room. I couldn’t have my date for the ball learning to sew with a mannequin older than my mother.

Chapter Five

Amara

I craned my neck to the side, trying to loosen the knot from hours of carrying a drink tray. The restaurant was the only old-school diner with burgers, shakes, and an extra side of grease on the side in the kingdom.

It kept us busy.

My dad always said to never underestimate the power of comfort food.

“Mara!” Frankie yelled from the kitchen. “Your cheese fries are ready.”

I pulled at the bottom of my black shorts and grabbed the fries from underneath the hot lamp. Frankie turned his ball cap around backward and winked at me. My father hired him straight out of high school, and he'd been here ever since.

I slid the fries onto the back corner booth and noticed someone moving around outside of the front door.

Sasha was waving like a lunatic.

I glanced back at my customers, double-checking that no one needed anything before I walked outside.

“He wants you to come to the ball.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the chill of the late September air against my skin. “What are you talking about?”

“I was on my way home from the library when the Dragon King announced that all women must attend, or they will be punished. Then I saw Dorran, and he pointed at me.”

I lifted a brow. “And you think that means I should attend, why?”

“One, because it’s mandatory. Two, because he wanted to make sure you came—,”

“Sasha,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re insane. He probably wants to make sure that I’m there so they can arrest me—,”

She rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t he have already done that? He was looking in your window because he’s curious about you, Amara.”

I opened the door for a couple of dragons walking up the sidewalk and then glared at Sasha. “Sasha. You live in La-La Land. The only reason I’m going is because I don’t want to go to prison.”

Sasha clapped her hands. “What are you wearing?”

I cringed. I had zero dresses appropriate for a ball. I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t have anything—,”

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