15. Chapter Fifteen

My legs were wobbly as I walked toward my bedroom, passed a sleeping Doberman, and into my room.

Toby crawled from my sheets, but I wasn't able to respond to whatever it was he said to me.

My head was too far gone.

My body reacted to Dorran as if he was some type of demi-god sent to obliterate all of my resolve. There would be a permanent smile on my face. I clung to my sheets, imagining the pace of his tongue, and the grip of his fingers.

It was surreal.

If he kept his promise there would be much more where that came from. There was one thing knowing what a mate would do to a woman, but experiencing it was a completely different ballgame.

Tomorrow I'd go to the ball, dance with Dorran, and start a life together. For the briefest of moments, I didn't care what my step-monster thought.

I didn't care about her stupid list of things to do. Or her reasoning for hating me so much.

My head was spinning from the promise The Dragon Prince gave me. A life of protection and care. A life full of breaking down my walls and giving me the life I've always wanted.

A life with someone who cared for me.

I woke the next morning with a determination to demolish my list of chores, and meet Dorran. The step-monster was up in a mad rush to get the girls to their hair and makeup appointments.

Which would give me the entire day to get the house ready.

She stood at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee and tapping her fingertips against the granite. "Amara," she said sharply. "About time you got up. Do you still have the list I gave you?"

I waved it before sitting it down and tying my hair into a bun. "What do you want for breakfast—,"

She scoffed and pushed her ebony hair from her aging face. "Nothing. Nothing for the girls. They need to look trim for the ball tonight." She eyed me up and down. "You too if you make it. That list is long."

"What about the rule stating all single females must attend."

She shrugged. "That's on you, Amara. If you don't get your job done it's your fault. You should have taken better care of the house. It'll be yours one day," she said with a smile.

I watched the sarcasm on her face as she took the final sip of her coffee and put it in the sink. "We're leaving soon. We'll be gone most of the day, so I can't watch over you. Do everything on the list, Amara. I mean it. I don't want our neighbors thinking we live like pigs."

She left me in the kitchen and went to get the girls. I couldn't even care. My body was still reeling from the touch of his fingers.

Dorran's husky voice, the deep groans, it was all too much to handle. I bit my bottom lip as the girls scurried around behind me, getting ready to leave. I didn't even care when Zella bumped into me from behind, and I was shoved into the oven.

I was spent.

I shut the fridge door and caught the step-monster staring at me from the doorway. She had her keys in one hand and the girls yelling at her to come on behind her.

"You're ... different today, Amara."

I shrugged. "Excited about a fun-filled day of cleaning."

She quirked an eyebrow before slowly shutting the door.

Cleaning the house from top to bottom was an everyday thing. It was the extra stuff like alphabetizing the bookshelf and rearranging the China that would take up the most time.

Before I knew it, lunch rolled around, and I hadn't eaten anything.

My stomach growled, but I didn't dare stop to eat. I was afraid I'd miss my chance, and that was one chance I couldn't afford to miss.

I made it to the top floor to clean the girl's room when I felt him. It was magnetic. A pull. A knowing.

Dorran stood in the doorjamb of Stasha's room, chewing on a piece of gum with one boot tucked behind the other, and his shoulder perched against the frame.

"Well, look who has been cleaning so she can dance with me tonight."

Just the sound of his voice warmed my stomach and threatened to immobilize me. I smiled, though I felt my cheeks turning bright red and Dorran seemed to enjoy it.

"Are you blushing, Amara?" he asked in my ear, suddenly closer than before. "Have you been thinking about last night?"

I slid my tongue over my teeth and put the vacuum against the hallway wall. "I'm thinking about getting this list finished so I can attend the ball."

Dorran grabbed the handle of the broom I clutched in one hand and leaned it against the doorframe. "This is going to be taken care of, Amara. Now it's time for you to get ready."

I turned to get a good look at Dorran. His green eyes were light, the mouth that'd tasted me the night before plush and smiling. He was dressed so simply in a gray t-shirt and jeans, but he made them look so good.

"There are still many things on my list—,"

He pressed his index finger to my mouth. Grabbing my waist, he ushered me downstairs and into the midst of what looked like a cleaning spree. There were dragons from the castle on every inch of the house, tidying, scrubbing, and straightening things that weren't even on the list.

"Dorran," I whispered. "What is this?"

Dorran played with a piece of hair that'd fallen from my twist and rubbed it between his thick fingers. "My promise. I told you this would get done. It's being done. Now," he cleared his throat. "Sasha is waiting for you upstairs in your room."

I glanced at him as if I didn't believe him. Dorran ran his thumb against my jawline. "You'll learn to trust me, Little Mouse. I told you that the list would get gone, didn't I?"

"You did."

Dorran smiled, leaned down, and whispered against my mouth, "Your taste is still on my tongue. I was right. You're sweet."

Dorran left me heaving against the kitchen counter, while I tried to catch my breath. "You're in way over your head," Sasha said from the doorway. She laughed loudly. "You look like you're about to explode right there."

It was a little too late for that.

Sasha waggled her brows at me. "Come on. We have to get each other ready. And you have to tell me why you're blushing, and what exactly Dorran's done to make you that way."

Sasha was better than I was at hair and makeup. I refused anything on my face other than a smidge of blush and lipstick.

If my mother gave me anything, it was a great complexion and my blue eyes. Sasha sprayed the last of my hair and stepped back in her lavender gown to look at it. "You look beautiful, Amara," she whispered, wiping away a fake tear. "I can't wait to see Dorran's face when he sees you tonight. Are you two going to sneak away and have it out in a broom closet somewhere? Is he going to mark you tonight—,"

"Oh my gosh, Sasha," I said, grabbing the skirt of my dress to walk toward my closest mirror. "We have other matters to deal with before we can do that—,"

I stopped in front of my mirror and stared. I hadn't seen myself so put together in years. "You look like pictures of your Mom," Sasha said.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do. I can't believe this is happening," I whispered, my heart racing. "The ball starts in thirty minutes."

Sasha did a grand twirl in my room.

The front door shut downstairs, and my heart rate picked up. The dragons had finished cleaning the house hours before. Dorran kept his promise, and it was spotless.

This was my stepmother coming home with the girls.

Sasha stared at me as footsteps hurried up the stairs and my door opened. Helena stopped in the doorway staring at me with wide, shocked eyes.

Her gaze swept over me nonchalantly, but I could see the resentment twisting behind her eyes. "You finished, I see," she said.

"I worked all day," I said.

She glanced at Sasha and gave her a half-hearted smile. "Well, we are leaving. I guess we'll see you two there then?"

"You will."

She shut the door behind her in a hurry. Sasha glanced over and chuckled. "Jealous much? I wish I had a camera. No," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I wish I had a camera for the look on her face when he chooses you to dance with him."

Sliding my sweaty palms down my dress, I grabbed my purse from my nightstand and took a deep breath. "Are we ready?"

Sasha and I descended the stairs to an empty house. When we made it outside to the courtyard, it was full of dragons and humans in fancy gowns. Some had dates to come and enjoy the food, but there were mostly single women dying for Dorran's attention.

I hid my nerves, though I felt like throwing up at the thought of all the attention he would get tonight. Sasha tugged me closer to her, and whispered, "Look at all these tramps."

I laughed. "Says us."

She laughed as we made our way passed the front gates and to the double doors swinging open. My gaze shifted toward Dorran's balcony, and I caught sight of him glaring over.

I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or not, but deep down, I felt he sensed me.

I lifted my chin in an attempt to appear confident. The doors to the castle opened completely with two dragon guards standing on each side. Toby was one of them and winked at me when he caught me staring.

Embarrassment climbed my body. Toby knew what was happening between Dorran and me. I was sure that he could smell it on us. I hid my face, watching my sandals peek out from underneath my dress as I stepped into the castle.

Sasha squealed beside me. "Can you believe this place?"

The white marble sparkled beneath our feet. Classical music came from the main room, and light chitchat pulled us straight into a Bridgerton episode.

My eyes climbed the grand staircase, knowing if I took those stairs, I could find his room and him.

But I didn't need to.

He stood at the curve of the staircase, his gaze lingering on me. Out of all of the women there for him, he stared at me.

He smiled slightly, his tongue running across his bottom lip in a silent invitation.

"He's staring at you," Sasha whispered. "He's undressing you with those gorgeous green eyes, Amara."

I smiled, turning my head away from him to keep myself from melting into goo. "I know. You should see what he does with his mouth."

Sasha gasped and I felt my nerves slip from me and crumble beneath my feet.