Page 55 of Rescued By The Dragon

I turned to look at his eyes in the early morning sun and finger the curl that fell onto his forehead. “You said we have forever to do ... ya know, earlier. What’s going to happen when I die early, and you live for three or four hundred years?”

Dorran’s face softened and he ran his thumb against my bottom lip. “That’s not something you need to worry about. We will live this life we’ve been given to its fullest. I’ll take care of you every day, and make sure that you get everything you deserve. We all die, but I’ll make sure you’re protected so I can spend your entire life with you.”

I nodded quickly, taking a sip of coffee to divert his attention from the sadness on my face. Not sadness for me, but for him.

Rain began to sprinkle down on us and I chuckled at the feeling. Helena always wanted me to stay out of it growing up. She said I got ear infections easily.

I never remembered an ear infection.

Feeling the water made my body warm despite the cool wind. It was oddly relaxing

Dorran sat up straight several minutes later, and his gaze shot toward the house. “Stay here.”

He sat me to the side.

To satisfy my curiosity, I followed his route to the front door, but it flung open before I made it there.

Dorran looked pissed when he waltzed inside.

I didn’t know why until I noticed someone behind him. I cringed. I was still in his T-shirt from the night before.

His mother stopped in front of the door. She looked younger than my stepmother did and I knew that wasn’t the case. She was beautiful, dressed in a full gown, her hair twisted on top of her head, and her hands clasped in front of her as if I were under examination.

Which was probably the case.

“Mother,” Dorran said, stopping in front of me, he angled his face to look over his shoulder at her. “This is Amara. We just woke up and weren’t expecting anyone the morning after the ball.”

She laughed in a singsong voice that rubbed me the wrong way. “Don’t worry. I understand—,”

She moved to get closer and stopped when she noticed my neck. It looked like all the blood drained from her body. A small gasp left her throat, and she folded her arms over her stomach.

“You wasted no time, I see.”

“What do you need, Mother?” Dorran asked sharply from beside me.

“I gave you the night. Now I need you to come to meet with The East Kingdom—,”

“Mother,” he snapped, raising the hair on the back of my neck. “You tell me now. I’m having alone time with my new queen, and I won’t be bothered with this.”

She turned her face to the side and looked out the window. “Your father met with The East Kingdom’s royal family. They are sinking due to the war with The West Kingdom, and he’s agreed to become a dual monarchy. The kingdom, what's left of it, will move in gradually, but the royals will be staying in the west wing of the castle, and they are moving in now. What’s left of their kingdom will occupy the condos built on the lake.”

Dorran looked unreadable for several seconds until he laughed humorlessly and ran his palm down his face. “Dad agreed to that? I don’t trust them for a second—,”

“Well, if you would have met with them last night, you could have voiced your opinion, now couldn’t you? The royals are dead-set on expanding their dragons with ours, and moving back once they rebuild their kingdom.”

Dorran stiffened. I followed his gaze to his mother who looked at him just as begrudgingly. “I am not impregnating one of their dragons.”

My spine stiffened.

“No one asked you to,” she said.

Dorran slid his tongue across his teeth and gestured toward the door. “You need to leave, and do not come back unannounced.”

His mother turned and left us both standing in the living room. I felt out of place amid their conversation, and suddenly, I felt unwanted.

“Your mother hates me.”

Dorran looked down at me, caringly dragging his knuckle against my jaw and chin. “Don’t you spend any of your time worrying about her. I’m pretty sure she was birthed by Satan himself.”

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