Page 129 of Rescued By The Dragon

Dorran shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yes. He agreed to wait until you healed—,”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Two days,” he answered.

Rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms, I attempted to keep my emotions together.

How heartless was this man?

Dorran went to console me, but I turned to face the kitchen. If he touched me, I would cry, and I didn’t want to cry.

The front door opened. “Amara, you’re up? You shouldn’t be up—,”

“I’m fine,” I said, turning back to face Dorran after several seconds. “How many warriors did we lose?”

Dorran closed his eyes. “Seventy-five. My father has kicked Gideon off the guard and is attempting to punish Toby for helping me.”

Toby scoffed. “He’s delusional if he thinks I’m going to abandon all of you—,”

“You’ll get kicked out of the kingdom, Toby,” Dorran said over his shoulder. "Or worse. I can’t live knowing you lost your home because of me.”

This wasn’t Dorran or Toby’s fault. None of it was. They were being punished because of me.

Zerk touched my arm and didn’t let go when I tried to move away. “We need to change your bandage and put more medicine on. All that drama will be there afterward.” Zerk lifted an eyebrow, daring me to decline. “Come on.”

He helped me onto the table, while Dorran hovered over me like a helicopter parent. Zerk pulled my dress up and began to pull off the bandage. My fingers curled around the table at the sight.

“Is it infected?” I whispered.

Zerk began to clean the wound. “Yes. There was something on the blade that he stabbed you with. Whatever it was caused it to become infected.”

Glancing up at Dorran, I watched the anger dance across his face and his jaw twitch as he tightened it. “Can you fix it?”

Zerk reached over to his bag and pulled out an ointment. “I think I found something that should wipe out the infection. If not, I’ll call some friends I know that may help.”

Zerk used a cotton swab to put the medicine on and it stung. Then he carefully bandaged me up. Silence followed as Dorran helped me from the table.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“I want to talk to your father.”

Toby scoffed from the other room. “Good luck with that. He’s holed up in his office plotting our demise.”

Dorran watched me walk to the kitchen cabinet and grab a mug. “I don’t want you anywhere near the castle, Amara.”

I stuck the mug under the coffee machine while sliding the pod into the top. “Well, I didn’t ask.”

Silence enveloped the room.

I kept my gaze on the coffee as it poured into my mug, and listened as Dorran asked, “Can I speak with Amara alone?”

Zerk cleared his throat. “Be careful, Dorran. She’s still healing.”

The door closed seconds later.

Dorran’s breath hit the back of my neck, and he barricaded me against the counter, bracing a palm on each side of me. “Amara,” he whispered. “I know you’re upset, but I’m telling you not to speak to my father. I don’t know what he’ll do to you.”

A smug part of me thought I could take him on, but not with this stab wound in my side. “Where are we going to go?” I whispered.

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