22. Chapter Twenty-Three

Iclung to Dorran's deltoids on our ride back to the mountain. I planned to talk to him about that, too. He was going faster than usual, making me question this relationship.

I enjoyed what I ate for dinner, and I wanted to keep it in my stomach. When we landed, Dorran marched to the cabin and didn't set me down until the front door was shut behind us.

I stumbled forward; Dorran caught me easily, and sat me back on my feet, all the while seething—obviously. His face was contorted into a sneer. He was pissed.

I almost felt sorry for the person that was in his room. Whoever it was, knew enough to come during dinner. What they wanted, I had no idea. But I didn't know much at the moment. I'd had one too many sips.

Maybe one day I wouldn't get tipsy off one drink. Walking over to the couch, I fell backward over the arm and tossed my legs into the air playfully.

Way too much to drink ...

Dorran's shadow fell over me. "Amara. There is no time for games. I have three dragon guards on their way up here to watch us while we sleep."

Laughing, I pushed up on my elbows. "You"re kind of scary when you're mad, Dragon Prince."

Dorran's face fell flat. He walked around, grabbed me around the waist, and hauled me over his shoulder. I squealed, laughing as he slapped my ass.

He tossed me onto the bed. "Stay here. I need to ensure all the guards are on the same page."

I watched him walk toward the front with a hooded gaze, my body felt limp and heavy from the liquor. Sitting up, I swung my feet toward the floor and walked toward the shower.

I didn't need to be the winy lightweight mate tonight. I stripped out of my dress, and heels, finding my way toward the shower. I started the water and waited for it to warm before I stepped underneath the showerhead.

The magic of a good showerhead was one to reckon with. I lathered up, feeling my body tingle and grow light—lighter than ever before.

That wine must have been stronger than I thought. I giggled softly, running my fingers into my hair, I heard the bedroom door shut, and then a loud gasp.

I glanced over and my entire body froze at the look on Dorran's face. He was as pale as a ghost, his eyes searching my naked body as if he'd never seen it before.

For the briefest of moments, I thought I'd forgotten to take off my clothes, but then I followed his gaze toward my feet.

They weren't touching the floor.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, fumbling in the air, I fell to my ass and hit my head against the shower wall. A thunder of footsteps raced down the hallway. Dorran's wings spread out, knocking out one of the lights, and blocking the guards from seeing me.

"Get out," he whispered to them.

Once the guards were gone, Dorran walked over, opened the door, and placed both hands on the bathroom wall above me. "What in the hell was that?"

My bottom lip began to tremble. "That's never happened before."

Dorran must have sensed my unease, bent down, and helped me up. "You've never hovered over the floor before, Amara?"

"No," I said through a tight throat. "I need to lay down."

Dorran reached around me and turned off the water, ushering me toward the bedroom. Through the bedroom window, I could see the back of a guard's head.

Dorran pulled the curtain to give me privacy as I pulled out Dorran's clothes and got dressed. He stood as still as a statue, his emerald eyes searching me as if he missed something the times before.

"Stop staring at me like that," I said.

Dorran slid his palm down his face. "I'm sorry, Amara—I'm shocked. I come in to check on you and you're floating in the damn air. You're human!"

"I know!" I shouted, pointing at myself. "Don't you think I'm freaked out, too?"

Dorran sat down beside me and curled his arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say. You've never had anything like this happen?"

"Not that I remember. My parents were human. I'm not a dragon, I don't have wings. What could it be?"

Dorran's warmth settled my nerves. "I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the reason your stepmother wants you to continue your medication. You have an appointment to prove you're mentally capable of making your own decisions. Now it looks like we need to have your bloodline checked."

"Maybe I'm not mentally stable," I said. "Maybe Helena is right. Those pills are keeping me sane."

Dorran chuckled. "You're stable, Little Mouse. I think those pills are keeping you human."

Why wouldn't she tell me? What's she hiding?I stared over at Dorran. "It was kind of cool though, wasn't it?"

Dorran's dark gaze shifted toward mine.

"I mean, you fly all the time, so it's probably not that exciting to you, but for me, a human, it was pretty wild."

The corner of Dorran's mouth tugged into a smile. "It is definitely wild, Amara. I never expected to wake up today and find out that my human mate can float."

"Can we call it flying? It sounds better."

Dorran turned swiftly, pushing me back against the bed, he held himself above me by his elbows. Slowly, he caressed my jawline and down my neck. "It doesn't matter for one moment what we find out. If you have some unheard-of bloodline or you"re my arch nemesis's daughter, you're my mate, and nothing will change it."

"That's good to hear," I said, rubbing the hem of his t-shirt between my fingers. "Do dragons have enemies besides other dragons?"

"Humans," he said softly. "I'm mated to the one thing that we feared the most for centuries. We fear no creature, but humans fear those that are different from them. They are intelligent like us, so we feared that their distaste for us would lead to isolation. Which it did. But as you know we won the battle, and it's the reason you sneak onto the bridge to see The Dragon Reign."

"So, if I turn out to be a troll you won't mind? What if this turns into a Shrek fairytale?"

"A what fairytale?" he asked.

"Never mind. I'm going to hold you to your word, Dorran."

"You'll learn very soon, Amara, that you can always trust me."

Dorran pressed a kiss to my forehead and rolled me over to my side. "You need rest. I think float—flying, really took the tipsy out of you, but you need to sleep."

"You're right."

Dorran stood up but I caught his wrist. "Where are you going?"

"To tell the guards everything is okay, and that we're going to bed. You need me to go to sleep already, Amara?"

I hadn't thought about it much, but his not being in the bed made my stomach turn. This bed was ten million times more comfortable than mine, but I knew it had nothing to do with the bed, and everything to do with Dorran.

"Maybe."

Dorran winked at me. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Dorran walked out, and my mind grew tired, the remains of the alcohol swirled in my body, and before I knew it, my eyes fluttered closed.

Dorran's strong hands woke me from a deep sleep the next morning. Groaning awake, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and glared up at him.

"Come on, it's almost 9 AM, we have to get to the clinic."

Dragging myself from bed, I walked toward the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I didn't look any different or feel any different.

Only the memories of what happened the night before, and my vivid dreams about flying over the moon.

Dorran brought me a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "I had Toby sneak into your room last night and grab some clothes. Some of these are super random, and I was skeptical to ask him since he is a clothes sniffer, but he brought back enough for you to make it until I get you more."

I met his dark gaze in the mirror. He looked so put together so early in the morning. Though he wasn't wearing a shirt, he was dressed from the waist down, and his hair had been combed.

"Thank you."

I grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and began changing clothes. Dorran's gaze on me made my body warm. I zipped up my jeans, and Dorran slunk over, placing both hands on either side of me on the counter, matching my gaze in the mirror. "You remember what I told you," he whispered into my ear. "No matter what we find out nothing is going to change."

I nodded.

"Come on," he said, standing up. "I made some blueberry muffins and coffee."

Judging by Dorran's race to finish his breakfast, I followed suit and finished getting ready. By 10 I was in Dorran's arms on the way to the kingdom. The early morning glow from a mountain top was a sight meant for everyone to see at least once in their life.

Dorran landed us right in front of the dragon's clinic. It had a doctor's office, along with a pediatrician and a therapist. It was known as the medical ward of the kingdom. The office receptionist let us right into the back of the building where Dorran led me toward a small hallway.

"This is where you'll get your testing done. Theresa is an old friend of mine. She'll give you the test. From what I understand it consists of your appearance, memory, language, and judgment skills."

"Okay," I said nervously, sliding my hands up and down my thighs.

"Don't be nervous, Little Mouse. It won't take long."

Dorran knocked on the door, and a few seconds later a beautiful blonde dragon answered. I immediately reverted back to being a tenth-grade girl, full of jealousy and the need to trip her.

"Dorran," she said, leaning in for a hug. "Long time no see. I was surprised to receive a phone call from The Dragon Prince," she said, rubbing her elbow against him.

Her dark gaze shifted down toward me. "I'm so glad to meet you, Amara. Everyone knows the next Dragon Queen. Congratulations on finding your mate."

"Thank you."

She opened the door wide for us, stepping to the side to let us into her office. It was a decent-sized room, with a couch, desk, and a full-on library. "Dorran, unfortunately, you'll have to wait in the lobby. There can be no distractions during the test."

"I'll wait in the lobby then."

He glanced over his shoulder at me before shutting the door. Theresa sat down in her roller chair and smiled. "Dorran told me about your stepmother. I'm so sorry about that. We'll make sure we get a good result and stick it to her, huh?"

I grinned, suddenly feeling stupid for the jealousy. What was wrong with me?

"Now, he mentioned medication she had you taking since your youth?"

I nodded.

"You don't know the name of your condition? The pill Dorran gave me didn't look familiar."

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Helena always made sure I took them. She said I hallucinated and needed them to stay sane."

"That's okay," she beamed. "I sent one off to the lab to have it tested. You stopped taking them?"

"Yes."

"Any side effects?"

I wasn't sure if telling her that I was floating would help my case. So, I lied. "No."

"Great."

The test took forty-five minutes and consisted of questions and observations. It was easy, and I could tell by the look on her face that I passed. She printed out a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Good job, Amara," she said with a chuckle. "Now you can get that guardianship off your back. However, it'll take a few days to find out the origins of your medication. This will at least get you out of that house."

"Fingers crossed."

Theresa led me toward the waiting room while Dorran scrolled through his phone. "We're all sane here," she said with a chuckle.

Dorran stood up. "Exactly what I thought. Thanks, Theresa. Tell your mom that I'm dying for some of her peach pie."

"Noted," she said. "I'll call you when I hear back from the lab about the medication."

With the piece of paper in my hand, we walked out into the sunlight, and Dorran turned to face me. "See, that wasn't so bad. Now, my lawyer is at a lunch meeting, and won't be back until later. Let's go see about finding your heritage."

"How will we do that?" I asked.

Dorran playfully twirled a piece of my ponytail around his finger. "We go see Zerk. He's our medicine man if you'd like to call him that."

I shifted my weight and folded my arms. "Meaning ..."

"He deals with medicine, and herbs, things that our ancestors believed in. I think he can link you to a heritage, and if not, he'll know someone who can."

I started down the sidewalk, but he stopped me. "Zerk, is eccentric, Amara. He's a little alarming. Don't worry. He's harmless."

"Now, I'm worried he'll steal my soul or something."

"Nah, you'd need a sacrifice for that."