Page 148 of Rescued By The Dragon

Zerk watched me make myself another cup of coffee. “You seem on edge. Is everything all right?”

I watched the coffee pour into my cup. “Everything is fine.”

Several seconds later, I felt his hand land on my shoulder. “Dorran.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the concern on his face. “You can talk to me about all of this, Son. I’ll always have an ear for you.”

“I’m scared,” I said softly. “What if I’m not ready to be King? I never thought it would come so quickly. I wasn’t prepared.”

Zerk leaned back against the island across from me and crossed his ankles. “A dragon is always ready. Your human may not be ready, but your dragon will guide you. He’ll show you exactly what to do.”

Swiping my palm down my face, I took a deep breath.

I had so many things running through my brain.

Amara’s mental health, her fitting into the kingdom, my ability to rule a kingdom.

None of it sounded easy.

“It’s normal to be nervous, Dorran. There is no reason to be ashamed of not knowing if you can handle something. It takes a true man to admit he’s afraid.”

“I don’t like it,” I said bluntly. “I’ve been trained to be strong. To not seem weak.”

Zerk walked toward the dining room to look down the hallway. “You’re not weak because you have feelings,” he said. “You’re weak when you can’t show them. Amara is waking,” he said. “I will let you both enjoy your morning. I’ll be around the kingdom today if you need me.”

He shut the front door behind him.

I made my way toward our bedroom, finding Amara tying her hair on her head and staring out of the window. I took a moment to take in her bare backside, and the porcelain skin the sun hit just right from the window.

“Good morning.”

She turned to look at me, a soft smile on her face. “Today is the day,” she said, grabbing a robe slung over the nearest chair. “Are you ready?”

I walked over, stopped in front of her, and watched as she covered up. “I wouldn’t call it ready exactly. I have big shoes to fill and I’m not sure I’m ready to do it.”

Amara slid her hair from under the back of her robe. “Are you not ready or are you afraid?”

“Both,” I answered honestly. “Do you think that makes me weak?”

She blinked lazily. “No. I think that makes you human. Why don’t I make us some pancakes before we head down to the kingdom?”

I didn’t budge from my spot.

She quirked an eyebrow while waiting for me to say something.

“Are you ready to be my Queen?”

“A human queen,” she whispered. “I’m not sure how the people of the kingdom will take that.”

I rubbed the pad of my thumb against her mouth. “A human queen is exactly what this kingdom needs. Someone relatable. That understands everyone’s needs, not just the dragons. But most of all, I need you, Amara. You know that saying behind every man is a great woman. I believe that to be true. You’re going to keep me together when I’m weak. You’re going to get me through all of this. We're going to help one another through this change."

Amara leaned her head against my palm and smiled. “I hope so.”

“October is showing out,” Amara said, zipping her jacket and looking out over the mountain. The leaves were orange and yellow below and the air felt more frigid than it had in the previous days. “This is my favorite time of the year,” she said. “My father would rake our yard and let me jump into the middle of the leaves every year until he passed away. It was the start of the fireplace and hot chocolate weather.”

I swept her into my arms. “We can have all of those things. You just have to ask, Little Mouse.”

She squealed when I jumped into the air and nosedived toward the kingdom. The closer I grew toward the town the more nerves surged me.

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