Chapter Forty-Five

The stream of light from the slit in the curtains woke me. Something pinched my stomach and caused a wave of nausea to roll through me.

Had I eaten something bad?

Did I have a virus?

Then like a punch to the face reality smacked me.

The battle. Dorran. The dragons. Wolves. Evian ...

Swinging my feet from the bed, I stumbled against the wall, hardly catching myself. Glancing down at my white loose dress, I felt a bandage underneath the fabric.

Memories of Evian sticking a blade into me bounced around in my head.

Knowing he was dead made it hurt a little less. My gaze shifted toward the cracked door, and the hushed whispers at the other end.

I forced myself upright and used my strength to walk down the hallway. Dorran stood with his back to me when I rounded the corner to the living room.

Toby caught my stare over Dorran's shoulder and froze.

Dorran turned around swiftly.

There was nothing about that man that I didn't like, and he always looked great, but he looked tired at that moment.

Heavy dark circles mirrored underneath each eye.

"Amara," he said, his voice gravely. "What are you doing up?"

I glanced around the room at Toby who looked uncomfortable. "What did I miss?" I asked, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

Dorran walked closer, braced one hand on the back of my neck and the other on my cheek. "How do you feel? Zerk will be back with medicine soon."

I glanced at Toby again, because I could feel his stare, but he turned his sight toward his cell phone.

"What's going on?" I asked. "You"re both acting weird. Why won't Toby look at me?"

Dorran frowned, and he caressed my bottom lip with his thumb. "It's nothing you need to worry about—,"

The irritation forming in my stomach twisted my insides. "Tell me."

Dorran sighed deeply. "My father has been busy. He's demanding all the guards and dragons who fought against his wishes to come to the castle. He's also, forcing us out of the kingdom."

I blinked several times to make sure I understood what he said. "Because of the battle?"

Dorran shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yes. He agreed to wait until you healed—,"

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days," he answered.

Rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms, I attempted to keep my emotions together.

How heartless was this man?

Dorran went to console me, but I turned to face the kitchen. If he touched me, I would cry, and I didn't want to cry.

The front door opened. "Amara, you're up? You shouldn't be up—,"

"I'm fine," I said, turning back to face Dorran after several seconds. "How many warriors did we lose?"

Dorran closed his eyes. "Seventy-five. My father has kicked Gideon off the guard and is attempting to punish Toby for helping me."

Toby scoffed. "He's delusional if he thinks I'm going to abandon all of you—,"

"You'll get kicked out of the kingdom, Toby," Dorran said over his shoulder. "Or worse. I can't live knowing you lost your home because of me."

This wasn't Dorran or Toby's fault. None of it was. They were being punished because of me.

Zerk touched my arm and didn't let go when I tried to move away. "We need to change your bandage and put more medicine on. All that drama will be there afterward." Zerk lifted an eyebrow, daring me to decline. "Come on."

He helped me onto the table, while Dorran hovered over me like a helicopter parent. Zerk pulled my dress up and began to pull off the bandage. My fingers curled around the table at the sight.

"Is it infected?" I whispered.

Zerk began to clean the wound. "Yes. There was something on the blade that he stabbed you with. Whatever it was caused it to become infected."

Glancing up at Dorran, I watched the anger dance across his face and his jaw twitch as he tightened it. "Can you fix it?"

Zerk reached over to his bag and pulled out an ointment. "I think I found something that should wipe out the infection. If not, I'll call some friends I know that may help."

Zerk used a cotton swab to put the medicine on and it stung. Then he carefully bandaged me up. Silence followed as Dorran helped me from the table.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I want to talk to your father."

Toby scoffed from the other room. "Good luck with that. He's holed up in his office plotting our demise."

Dorran watched me walk to the kitchen cabinet and grab a mug. "I don't want you anywhere near the castle, Amara."

I stuck the mug under the coffee machine while sliding the pod into the top. "Well, I didn't ask."

Silence enveloped the room.

I kept my gaze on the coffee as it poured into my mug, and listened as Dorran asked, "Can I speak with Amara alone?"

Zerk cleared his throat. "Be careful, Dorran. She's still healing."

The door closed seconds later.

Dorran's breath hit the back of my neck, and he barricaded me against the counter, bracing a palm on each side of me. "Amara," he whispered. "I know you're upset, but I'm telling you not to speak to my father. I don't know what he'll do to you."

A smug part of me thought I could take him on, but not with this stab wound in my side. "Where are we going to go?" I whispered.

Turning to face Dorran, I noticed that there wasn"t any worry on his face about our living situation. Maybe a part of him wanted to go? "The possibilities are endless, Little Mouse."

"You won't be King?"

Something dark flickered across his face. His dragon didn't like the idea of not taking the throne. "I'm not concerned about that."

A frown pulled at my mouth. "You deserve the crown, Dorran. You can't let him take it from you."

Dorran swiped his palm down my arm to my hand. "Don't worry about it. We need to get you well so we can get the hell out of here."

I couldn't let Dorran leave this kingdom. He'd planned to take over. I wouldn't let his father rip it from him. "Did the wolves go home?"

Dorran scoffed, his emerald-colored gaze blazed with fury. "They were forced home. My father—like the coward he is—came in once the battle was over, fired Gideon, and forced the wolves to leave."

It wasn't surprising.

I tried to turn for my coffee, but Dorran stopped me. "Please, Amara. Promise me you won't go speak to my father?"

I hated that promise. I didn't want to agree to it. Dorran's intent gaze wasn't letting up. "Okay," I whispered.

Dorran pressed his mouth against my forehead. "Do you need pain medicine?"

I grabbed my coffee and blew into it. "I'm fine. Did the sirens touch the kingdom? The humans?"

"Yes. Some homes were destroyed. I think they are still doing a count, since some of the kingdom was found deep in the woods, far from home."

I nibbled on my bottom lip. I wanted to know if Helena or Sasha had been harmed. "Can you take me to the village?" I asked. "I need to check on Sasha."

Dorran nodded. "You'll need to wear a hat." He smiled. "Not that a hat would hide anything about you, but it may help. We'll go look at the damage."

I took another sip and asked, "Did all of the sirens flee?"

Dorran rubbed his palms over his face. "Yes. When Evian died, they vanished. I'm assuming they no longer have a reason to fight. He was the culprit. He was the one that wanted to fulfill his father's wishes."

Finishing my coffee, I walked into the bedroom and found a pair of jeans and a loose T-shirt of Dorran's. He seemed to hover in the doorjamb of every room I walked into. I felt his fear for me. His regret. His guilt.

I sat my toothbrush down on the cabinet and turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You have to stop that," I said softly, shaking my head. "I can feel your guilt. This," I said, pointing toward my side, "is not your fault."

Dorran looked the other way, his arms folded over his chest as his irritation grew. I walked over, and put my hands on his forearms. "None of this is your fault. Stop the guilt. Let it go."

Dorran slid his tongue across his teeth.

Tears built in his eyes and it felt like being stabbed again.

"Dorran," I whispered, reaching up to pull him into a hug.

He bent down and wrapped me in his arms, holding me close. I felt his chest moving as he cried. Dorran carefully picked me up and buried his head into my shoulder. I could only imagine what it would look like to someone on the outside.

A huge dragon shifter crying into a siren's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I let him stab you," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "He was quick—,"

"Stop," I pleaded. "Just stop. It's no one's fault."

Dorran sat me down on the bed and ran his fingers into his ebony-colored hair before bending down in front of me, his palms on my thighs. "My dragon is mourning because he feels we failed you. It's the worst pain I've ever felt. He could have killed you, Amara. At my hand."

Placing my palms on the sides of his face, I rested my forehead against his. "Dorran. It's okay. You're not perfect. Neither am I."

"It's my job," he said sternly. "My one job is to protect you, and now your body is infected—,"

Silencing him with a kiss, I felt his body relax at my touch.

The sadness twirling in him was swallowed by his need.

I reached for my T-shirt, but he stopped me. "You're hurt."

"I'm well enough."

Stripping from my clothes, I waited for Dorran to join in. His resistance snapped, and he kicked out of his jeans and sat me on his lap.

Our bodies connecting warmed me from the inside out.

The heaviness of him resting between my legs forced my fingers to curl over his deltoids. Dorran eased me onto his length, griping my hips, he helped me gather a rhythm that wouldn't hurt my side.

He tangled his fingers into my hair, while I rode his lap. Dorran whispered into my ear, caressing the globes of my ass, and pulling everything from me.

I wanted him to forget the battle.

Forget Evian.

Forget about everything other than getting his throne back. I couldn't risk having him lose his rightful place as king.

Dorran buried himself deeper into me, which made me cry out in blissful pain.

He filled me over and over until I was a quivering mess on him. Dorran came several minutes later, kissing my face and mouth until I went limp against him.

"Take me to the kingdom," I whispered. "I need to see if the restaurant is still standing."

Dorran stroked my back softly. "Let's wash you off, and I'll take you wherever you want to go, Little Mouse."

I slid to the floor and walked toward the shower to rinse myself off. I felt Dorran's gaze on me as I showered.

I needed to speak with his father, but I had no idea how I could do it with him hovering around. Maybe I could talk him into it?

Or use Toby as a messenger.

Either way, I was going to talk to The Dragon King, and he was going to give Dorran his throne back, whether he liked it or not.