12. Chapter Twelve

Glendora snatched my comforter off my body in one solid jerk. Opening one eye, I glanced at her hurrying around my room. " Get up, Dorran," she hissed.

I sat up on my elbows. "Aren"t we in a great mood this morning, Glendora? It's lovely to see you as well—,"

A strand of gray hair fell onto her forehead, and she blew it off. "Your mother is up to something. Female dragons from The East Kingdom are downstairs. They are waiting for you to have breakfast with them. It looks like a hideous interview."

This caught my attention. "She invited female dragons over here?"

Glendora nodded.

I chuckled and swiped my palm over my face. "The balls on that lady amaze me."

She scoffed. "She'll be up soon to take you down. I just thought I would give you a fair warning."

Standing up, I snagged a pair of jeans from my chest of drawers and a T-shirt. "Why didn't she wait until the ball?"

"Probably thinks you'll slip away again," she said, stripping my bed sheets. She stood up straight and glared at me. "Why, and where did you go? You knew what it would be like."

I slid my tongue across my teeth. Memories from the night before burned my skin. Amara had opened up for me. Let me slide a tiny inch closer to whom she hid inside.

Her blue eyes in the moonlight and the soft sounds coming out of her mouth were engraved into my mind.

I could practically hear it now ...

"Oh, my God," Glendora said. "You found your mate."

I narrowed my eyes to slits. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

She waggled her finger at me, as she walked around to hug me. "I can't believe this. I can see it on your face. You devil. Why haven't you told anyone—,"

I palmed her small shoulders. "She's human."

Glendora's eyes widened, and she pressed her fingertips to her mouth. "Your mother is going to flip."

"Not only that," I said, slipping into a pair of boots wedged under my bed. "She's twenty-five and living with her entitled awful stepmother because of her father's will. I'm having Larry look at it. I hope he can find a way around it."

Glendora frowned. "What does she get in return for staying there?"

"The house and the family restaurant."

Glendora nodded. "You've been sneaking around to see her?"

I grinned. "You know me too well, Glendora."

"Well, I use to wipe your ass, so—,"

My mother knocked on the door, and I cringed inwardly. The lady had no sense of boundaries. The ball was tomorrow night, and she couldn't wait to introduce me until tomorrow. The audacity.

"Jump from the window," Glendora whispered. "I'll cover for you."

Kissing her cheek, I opened the stained-glass window and launched into the sky. Larry's office was clear across the kingdom, so flying was the fastest way, especially since every single girl in the kingdom was watching for me like a hawk.

I landed on the sidewalk, scaring an older woman walking her dog. Larry sat behind his desk typing fiercely on his computer when I walked into his office.

He glanced over his thick brows. "Dorran. Just the man I wanted to see."

Sitting down, I leaned back and hit the arms of my chair. "Give it to me straight."

He sighed. "You can contest a guardianship, Dorran. However, do you know that this young lady can survive alone? Why was she put under the guardianship in the first place?"

"For a condition she was diagnosed with when she was a child? Wouldn't it be wise to reevaluate it?"

Larry shrugged. "Yes, for her sake. I'm not sure how long something like this will take. Four months? A year? It depends on how backed up the courts are."

"My friend is stuck living with her stepmother who is cruel and treats her differently than her stepsisters. She is supposed to take over the restaurant when she turns twenty-eight, which I believe is the year her father took over. She's afraid that if she breaks the will and tries to end the guardianship her stepmother will ruin her chances of taking over her father's restaurant. I fear that her stepmother is going to hurt her in the meantime."

Larry's brows moved up his forehead. "That's a serious accusation, Son. Do you have any proof that she would harm her?"

"No, but I will see what I can do. If we contest the guardianship, would the stepmother be informed about it?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Well," I cleared my throat. "I will work on digging up some dirt then, Larry. Thanks for the help. I'll be in touch."

He looked at me worriedly but went back to his computer.

Amara's scent picked up in the wind, and my dragon stirred awake. Like a lost child, I followed the scent, hoping I would find her alone. I needed another taste.

I lost the scent amid the early morning crowd, and figuring she was at the restaurant, I went there. Amara was bent over a table, showing a small child the menu, giving me a spectacular view when I walked inside.

She glanced over her shoulder partly, "Have a seat. I'll be with you in just a moment."

I slid into an open booth, watching her maneuver around the restaurant and the way her breath hitched when she saw me. "Well, someone couldn't get enough of our cooking, huh?" she asked, sliding me the breakfast menu.

Chuckling, I sat back in the booth. "Oh, I'm coming back for something, but it's not the cooking, Little Mouse."

Amara smiled. "Cute. What can I get you to drink? Do you like coffee?"

"That sounds good, and I want your sampler platter. I'm feeling really hungry after last night."

I watched her skin flush red while she took her bottom lip between her teeth. The door opened, brushing her hair off her shoulders in a gentle whoosh of air.

"Dorran, there you are."

Dear Hades, someone kill me.

My mother stopped beside my booth. How she knew I was here flew past me. Not to mention the female dragon standing beside her with a huge smile on her face.

My dragon grew pissed, and I was right along with him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I'm trying to enjoy my breakfast."

My mother's lips pressed into a hard line as Amara slipped away to bring my coffee. "I tried to find you this morning, but you slipped out. I want you to meet Georgina, she is from The East Kingdom. Cousins to the royals."

I blinked several times, making uncomfortable eye contact with my mother, praying she understood this look meant she better be glad she was a woman and my mother. Otherwise, I would have fought her like a man right then.

I glanced toward Amara as she sat my coffee down and dismissed herself. I watched her hips sway in those shorts and thought about how my mother was ruining it.

"Georgina," I said, nodding my head. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sure you'll attend the ball tomorrow night, right?"

She shifted, her red wings shuttered as if speaking to me made her do it. She was blonde like I said on the invitations, but she didn't make my dragon purr like Amara.

Amara was small. Portable.

So ... perfect.

"Yes, I'll be there."

"Well, I will see you then," I said, turning my attention back to the table. My mother's shadow darkened the table as she scooted in on the other side, and gestured for Georgina to sit.

"Mother," I hissed.

Her dark eyes narrowed to slits. "Waitress!" she shouted. "I can't believe you're eating here," she mumbled. "I've lived here for decades and I've never—,"

"You and Georgina are more than welcome to leave," I said, sipping my coffee.

She chuckled. "Dorran is such a kidder."

Amara reluctantly walked toward our table, not making eye contact with me, and it twisted my stomach.

My mother ordered for her and Georgina, which didn't surprise me, and then turned her attention to Georgina. "Georgina won the fire shooting contest of 2022."

Amara dropped off their plates, thirty pain-stricken minutes later, and stepped backward. "Can I get you anything else?"

Georgina gave her a sideways look. "Yeah, you can bring me more tea. If that isn't too much trouble."

My fingers clutched the edge of the table, and my dragon fought for dominance against me.

Amara nodded.

"I mean my tea was empty," Georgina mumbled, taking her first bite.

My mother obliviously ate, while Georgina took my clothes off with her eyes. Amara walked over a few minutes later, nibbling on her bottom lip, something brewing on her face.

Georgina took a bite of eggs. "So, Dorran. I hear you like blondes—,"

Amara tripped a few feet from us, I jerked up to grab her, but she'd already poured the entire picture of tea all over Georgina.

She shrieked, and jumped up, her wings spreading wide, and fire fuming from her nose. Stepping in front of Amara, I glared at her, daring Georgina to touch her.

"I'm so sorry," Amara said in a small voice behind me.

Georgina"s eyes turned red, but she backed down when she noticed my face.

My mother sighed loudly. "God. Let's go get you cleaned up. Can you box this up and send it with my son?"

"Yes ma'am."

Mother and Georgina left in a fit, leaving Amara and me. Amara bent down to retrieve the tea pitcher, keeping her gaze down, and she smiled.

When she stood back up, I cleared my throat. "You little minx. You did that on purpose."

Amara blinked those blue eyes. "Did what on purpose, Mr. Dragon Prince?"

She turned to go to the kitchen, but I grabbed her forearm, and whispered, "I have news from my lawyer. Can you meet me tonight in my room? We have important things to discuss."

I wanted to see how she looked laying on my bed, her blonde hair a halo around her head, and her body pressed into my satin sheets.

Amara had no idea what mating with a dragon truly entailed, and I wanted to tell her. Show her.

Amara's body grew warm. "I'll be there."