36. Chapter Thirty-Nine

His silence turned my skin warm with embarrassment. I began to grow dizzy, and my stomach turned in circles.

What if he didn't love me?

Why hadn't I waited for him to say it first?

What came over me?

We were mates, but that didn"t mean we were instantly in love, did it? Was it a stupid thing to say? I never thought saying how you felt was a bad thing to do, until now.

The shock on his face, and the way his eyes seemed to look so deeply into mine, it was too much. I slid from the kitchen island and made a beeline for the hallway. I heard his heavy footsteps when I made it halfway down the hall.

Dorran gripped my upper arm, halted me in the doorway to our room, and loomed over me. "Amara," he whispered a slight chuckle on his lips. "Little Mouse—,"

"I want to be alone," I said, fighting the growing lump of dread in my throat.

Dorran lifted my chin with his finger. "Why are there tears in your eyes?"

I refused to blink and free any of them. "Why do you think? I just told you that I loved you and you didn't say anything back. I feel foolish, that's why."

"You think I don't love you?"

When I didn't respond, he continued.

"You shocked me just now." He laughed louder than I imagined he would. "You've been shocking me for a while now. Every day there is something new about you. A new skill. And I've loved every one of them. Good and bad." Dorran stepped forward, cornering me against the door. "I've never been told that. Besides my family, no one has ever said they loved me, and it felt unbelievable. I was shocked and fulfilled. You ran before I could get a hold of myself, Amara."

He wedged his thigh between my own and angled my chin upward. "I love you, Amara. I'll love you until the day I pass. Even when I don't say it enough. Promise?"

I felt breathless. The mate bond warmed me inside. Branding me in a way that didn't seem possible.

"Promise," I whispered.

Dorran leaned forward and kissed me.

Melting away the heartache inside of me.

Hammering away the doubt.

His fingers tangled into the blonde strands hanging down my shoulders, loosening the tension building in my head.

Greedily he kissed me. Like he would never get another chance. Snaking an arm around my waist, he pulled me to his body and lifted me to his waist.

Each spot his body touched mine felt like fire forming under my skin. The heat of his touch forced my fingers under the hem of my shirt, and I tugged it over my head. Dorran tossed me onto the bed, stripping from his clothes, he bent down and crawled over me.

Dorran dipped his head and hovered above my mouth. "I'll never grow tired of you, or this, and I can promise the mate bond doesn't lie. This is forever."

I knew these feelings were true. I wasn't experienced in love, but I knew this couldn't be fake.

He maneuvered his way between my legs, the pressure of his body adding liquid sin to my veins. He made me higher than an injection, his rough fingertips hard against my sensitive flesh, but it drove me harder into the moment.

The rawness of him.

Of us.

Dorran's wings spread wide, like an attempt to cover us from prying eyes. Dorran gripped my hips in his palms and pressed himself against me. His green gaze slid toward me. His high cheekbones flushed from the moment. Thrusting into me, I watched as pleasure took over his face.

Leaning over, he pressed a kiss against my mouth. "I love you, Little Mouse."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, tightening my legs around his waist, my back arched as he fed me every inch over and over.

He cursed under his breath, pushed himself onto his palms, and stared down at my body as if he had never seen it before. Excitement rolled through me as he watched himself pull out and shove himself back in.

Everything about him seared my insides.

That cocky smile, the mossy-colored eyes, and ...

A shadow danced in the corner of the room, pulling at the corners of my mind, demanding attention. I knew who it was, and I knew why he was there.

Because my drink had worn off.

My brows pulled down in frustration, my body still linked to Dorran as he pulled an orgasm from me, making my body feel heavy.

Evian's shadow danced along the room and jumped from one wall to the other.

Siren. Siren. Siren.

Where the water"s drowsy ripple laps the phantom of a shore, And, oh, so fair, so fair am I, I draw all hearts to me, For I am the siren, the siren of the sea.

The words skipped along in my mind. A poem by someone I couldn't remember that I read about in school. A poem about me, and I'd never known it.

Dorran's hand clutched my jaw and he ran his thumb against my bottom lip. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice floating in and out.

Frustration built in my stomach.

Evian's laugh rolled against my skin.

The fury inside of me pushed me to a sitting position. Dorran hovered above me slightly, glancing around the room as I did.

I sensed Evian before he appeared in the doorway. Reaching out, I shoved with all my might.

Something similar to what hit Toby hit Evian square in the chest.

"Get out!" I shouted.

Something took over me.

Evian fell against the hardwood. His steely gaze watched me as he reached back and touched the back of his head.

I stared at him to establish my dominance. It did not last long. He materialized closer to us, sliced his hand through the air, and cut me across my face.

Shock rattled through me as Dorran jumped up to protect me but Evian had already disappeared.

I cupped my palm to my face, feeling blood drip down my cheek and through my fingers. Dorran bent down in front of me and looked at my cheek. "Is it bad?" I whispered.

Dorran didn't answer. He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom to the sink. He sat me on the counter, and I gasped at myself in the mirror.

The two cuts were long. They sliced through my eyebrow and landed around my ear. Dorran's face was stoic as he pulled out a first-aid kit and began to clean my wounds.

"That bastard," he mumbled. "I don't know why he's taunting us."

"He likes it," I whispered, wincing at the pain of the ointment. "He likes the chase."

Dorran's emerald-colored gaze shifted toward mine. "I'll give him a chase he'll never forget."

The next morning I woke before Dorran. I tip-toped to the bathroom and turned on the light. The long scars on my face were red and angry. I blinked back the tears of seeing them.

I'd never been a vain person, but I hated the way they looked. I grabbed a few painkillers from the medicine cabinet and tossed them into my throat. This was not what I wanted on my face. Dorran walked to the doorway behind me and stopped. He rested his hands on the doorjamb above his head. "Are you hurting?" he asked.

"A little. I just took some painkillers. I'll be fine."

He walked over and trapped me against the counter. "What's wrong?"

"I look hideous," I whispered.

Dorran leaned down and kissed my shoulder. "You don't." He met my gaze in the mirror. "Let that be a reminder of what he did to you, so when we fight him, you'll have all the anger you need."

Someone knocked on the front door.

"That's Toby. I called him up to sit with you while I go to chat with Chandler. You can come down after you eat if you want."

Remembering Roan's nasty stares made me not want to go, but I knew I needed to. If I was going to be a part of this fight, I needed to prepare just as they did.

"I'll be down after I grab some coffee."

Dorran kissed my cheek and left me alone in the bathroom. I tied my hair into a high ponytail and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Toby was texting when I walked into the kitchen. "Sup?" he said.

I grabbed a plate of food waiting for me and sat at one of the barstools. "How's Sasha?"

He grinned. "How would I know?"

"Oh, you know," I said, taking a bite.

He stood up straight. "She's at work today. Dorran said I'm your ride down to the cabins. Hurry up, "cause I'm dying to see these werewolves."

"Why?" I asked with a mouth full of food.

"Because I love to mess with them."

"Don't start a fight," I said. "A couple of them, mainly one, give me these looks like they"re afraid I'm going to take over the kingdom and hang them by their toenails."

Toby didn't respond, so I looked over at him. "What?"

He shrugged. "I mean, my grandmother said sirens were cruel. They draw them in, and then," he slid his finger against his throat.

"I'm not like that," I said with authority.

"Sure."

He walked toward the door, and as childish as it was, I flicked my wrist and he fell to his stomach.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"I thought a grown dragon would have better coordination.

The corner of Toby's mouth pulled into a smirk. "Touché, Power Ranger. Hurry up. The wolves are waiting."