30. Chapter Thirty-Two

I downed the scotch in my hand and rubbed my temples with my other hand. The story of Amara's life was becoming deeper and deeper. I never anticipated any of this when I found her on the bridge that night.

What a whirlwind.

I'd never been so pissed in my entire life.

I had to remind my dragon repeatedly not to kill him.

After he disappeared, I wasn't sure if my fire would have seared him like a normal enemy. Being in line to take the throne meant watching what I did daily. Do not break any laws or overstep any boundaries.

This was one time I think I could have forgotten about the rules, and attempted to break him. The smug look on his face. It kept rolling around in my mind like a rollercoaster.

It made me regret taking her there at all. It was my idea, and now we were preparing for a siren army to come for her. Going to my father was the last thing I wanted to do. They had enough to worry about with merging with The East Kingdom.

I could vaguely hear Amara and Sasha whispering in our room, and I was glad she had Sasha to talk with. I needed to calm myself down and plan something to protect her from whatever was coming for us.

Several minutes rolled by with a desperate plea for my alcohol to set in when someone knocked on the door. Sliding my palm down my face, I walked over and found Zerk on the other side.

I hadn't contacted him yet, because I needed to relax and gather myself.

"I sensed your unease," he said, making his way inside.

I shut the door behind him. "Did we mate without me knowing it? How do you know I'm uneasy?"

Zerk pulled out a chair and sat down. "When you were small I put a charm on you. I never ended it. What is going on? Did you find out something about Amara?"

I chuckled. "Boy, did I?"

Zerk looked curious. "You found out what she is?"

I made long uncomfortable eye contact. "Well, tell me, Boy, before I die and meet our maker."

"A siren."

Zerk stalled, his gaze searching mine for a lie, but there was nothing there for him to grab. "A siren? You're sure?"

"Positive. I took her to The South Kingdom, a person in town led us toward a river, and we found out very shortly after that they were looking for the long-lost hybrid siren. The previous King banned hybrids, so they wanted to kill her. I need to end this, but he isn't going to back down. He disappeared—,"

Zerk swiped his palm down his face. "They can do more than that. They're powerful, but standoffish because they're afraid the world will turn on them. Take their land. How did Amara get to our kingdom?"

I sat down and rested both elbows on the table. "Her mother got pregnant by a human—which they don't approve of—and she went on the run. By the time they found her, she'd already given birth to Amara. That's all we know."

"Have you spoken to her stepmother?"

"Tomorrow," I said. "We've had one hell of a day, and I need to gather myself before I speak to Helena. She's a pain in the ass, and I don't trust myself around her right now."

Zerk glanced toward the hallway. "Has she had any more powers show up?"

"No. She's with her friend Sasha right now. They are down the hall."

Zerk leaned forward and lowered his voice an octave. "This may not end well, Dorran. I don't want to ruin your mate bond or depress you, but from what I know of sirens, they are ruthless. They're worse than elves. This man will come for her."

My fingers curled into a fist on top of the table between us. Fire licked my insides, and sent me down to my knees.

"Dorran," Zerk said, getting up to help.

"Get back," I whispered.

Zerk watched as I struggled with my dragon. I slowly lost the battle, and crawled toward the front door, hearing soft footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Stay back!" I shouted, climbing to my feet. I flung the door. "Watch her," I told Zerk before my dragon ripped from me.

I soared over the mountain's edge.

The taste of freedom leaked over into my veins, erasing the fear of facing this unknown species, and fueling his need to fly. I had no destination in mind, but I made sure he didn't take me to The South Kingdom.

My dragon flew for what felt like hours, until the sun began to rise over the east side of the kingdom, drawing me back home.

I knew leaving Amara with Zerk while she was distressed was a dick move, but my dragon wasn't always the nicest. I landed on the mountaintop, and I felt her gaze on me.

My dragon lowered to his belly, watching as Amara stood from the front steps and walked over. The guards surrounding us, all found somewhere else to be.

Amara was barefoot. She wore a soft summer dress that blew in the chilled wind. I wanted to shift and wrap her in my arms. She didn't need to be outside in such a thin dress, but I knew she was worried.

I could feel it.

Amara stopped in front of me and ran her fingertips against my scales. The dark scales looked out of place against her pale skin. "You're beautiful," she whispered.

My dragon snorted, loving the feel of her, and her compliment. The time began to lengthen, so slowly, not to startle her, I shifted.

Her lips pressed into a hard thin line. "You left without saying goodbye. I thought something happened to you."

Brushing my knuckles against her jawline, I traced down to her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry. My dragon needed to fly. He's ..."

"Scared?" she asked. "Because I am."

There was no reason to lie. "Don't stress," I whispered against the top of her head. "I'll protect you no matter what."

I carried her into the house, and away from the cold. Zerk stood in the kitchen, making breakfast for them, and Sasha sat at the table with a cup of coffee. She shrieked and covered her eyes. I'd forgotten my clothes were long gone.

"My bad."

I walked down the hallway with Amara's soft footsteps behind me. The bed was unmade, and by looking at Amara, I figured she hadn't slept. "You need to sleep, Little Mouse. My father is coming, and we're bringing Helena up. You'll need your wits about you to get through both of those conversations."

Amara sat on the edge of the bed. "It's so odd. I couldn't sleep without you. I've always slept alone. I kept tossing and turning."

I grabbed a pair of sweats. "It's normal for mates. I'm here now, so you need to sleep."

"Don't you need to sleep, too?" she asked in a small voice.

"Are you afraid to sleep?" I asked, watching as she avoided my gaze.

Amara glanced down at her lap where her hands rested.

I stepped over and lifted her chin with my fingers. "What is it? Why are you crying?"

Her bottom lip trembled. "I'm seeing him when I close my eyes."

Heat washed over me. "Your mind is playing tricks on you—,"

"No," she said desperately. "He is coming to me when I close my eyes. Please don't leave me here. I'm so tired, but I'm scared he's going to hurt me."

I rubbed the pad of my thumb against her bottom lip. "Zerk," I said loudly, knowing he could hear me.

The bedroom door opened seconds later and he filled the doorway.

"He's coming to her in her dreams," I whispered, my throat dry. "She's afraid to sleep. Can you stop it?"

Zerk nodded. "Come on, Love. We'll get you set up." He gestured for her to follow him, and she reluctantly walked over. "I'm sorry."

She walked passed Zerk before I could ask what for, and disappeared down the hallway. She thought this was her fault?

I didn't get a chance to ask before a silhouette formed outside of our bedroom window.

The guards standing watch didn't seem to notice.

At first, I thought it was an apparition, but I knew better.

Evian watched me through the glass with a daring smile on his face. He could see us, hear us, we had to do something to keep them from it.

Then it hit me.

How hadn't they found Amara here in the kingdom? The medicine Helena gave Amara had to have hidden her, as well. Flipping him off, I watched as he laughed and disappeared.

Stalking down the hallway, I found Sasha sitting on the couch, avoiding my glare. "Listen, I didn't mean to look at your dick—,"

"Sasha!" Amara yelled from the kitchen table.

"Forget about that," I said. "Call Toby and tell him to bring Helena now."

Sasha sat her coffee on the side table, while she grabbed her phone next to her. "Oooo. Can I please stay for this? Are you going to burn her at the stake? Beat her to a pulp, maybe?" She sat up on her knees. "I want her to pay for what she did to Amara."

"No," I said. "I'm going to make her tell us what she knows about Amara's abilities."