Page 39 of Under the Dragon's Spell
"So you are."
I took a deep breath.
"You are right, darling," she said. "This is not the place to discuss that."
I turned to her. "And you are not the person to discuss it with."
And then I left the room before she could say anything else. I had to find Adrian. He had to be worried out of his mind. Only last night he'd told me how afraid he was that something might be wrong with him, and I'd dismissed him out of hand. Still, this wasn't a hurdle that couldn't be overcome. The doctor had mentioned medication and... what else was it? Better living circumstances? I could give him that. I could give him plenty of that. But first, I had to ease his mind.
The applicants had already returned to the vacation home as a group, so that was where I went too. I took a cab, wishing that I could simply change into my dragon form and fly to the house instead. Wings were so much more convenient than wheels, but the humans insisted on their little rules and for now, I had to play by them--no matter how quickly I wanted to get to my mate.
He's not your mate.
But the recent news had rattled me a little, so I misspoke in my thoughts.
Once I reached the house, I got out of the car, paid the driver and left a way too big tip because I couldn't wait any longer, then I rushed inside.
In the hall, I passed Zane, who, on closer inspection, really could stand to gain a few pounds. I made a note to ask Paul to feed him some treats.
"Adrian?" I asked as he approached me.
He furrowed his brow, an expression of concern taking over his boyish features. "In his room."
I nodded and continued on, never stopping until I reached the door to Adrian's room on the first floor. And then I went in. I never even botheredknocking.
*ADRIAN
After we'd returned from the clinic, I'd gone straight to my room. Paul had offered to prepare us some snacks because lunch would be late, but I wasn't interested. In fact, I wasn't sure I'd ever be interested in food again.
Maybe in the next life.
Maybe in the next life I could be healthy and happy and have healthy and happy children.
I pressed a pillow to my face. God, I had to stop moping. The doctor had said sometimes these issues were only temporary, after all.
But by the time they were fixed, if ever, this competition would be long over. That was the reality I had to face.
I wasn't sure how long I sat there before the door opened, but when it did, I didn't have to look up to know who my visitor was. I'd heard him come down the hallway. There was a certain sense of purpose to the sound of his steps that was unmistakable—Tyrel had come to see me.
But did I want to see him?
Part of me wanted to throw myself at him and weep into his shoulder. I didn't know where those feelings were coming from, considering I hardly knew the man, but there they were. Another part of me wanted to yell at him and his false promises that everything would turn out all right. And yetanother part of me wanted him to leave because I couldn't stand seeing anyone right now, not even him.
Eventually, I made myself look up. "What are you doing here?"
He closed the door behind him and approached the bed, never answering my question until he was right in front of me and I could smell a cologne he must have put on this morning for his outing. But underneath that cologne lingered a different scent, his scent, which I liked far better.
"I wanted to check on you," he said. "See how you're doing."
He must have heard about my test results. Was he concerned for me or concerned for the heir he wasn't getting from me now, though? I wanted it to be the former with a ferocity that scared me.
"You won't be able to get a baby from me," I said, just to see how he would react.
His expression remained unchanged, neutral. "You know I'm not that into babies."
For a moment, I felt relieved, like there was still a chance for us, but reality didn't escape me for long. "You need one, though. For your inheritance."
"Let me be the one to worry about that." He sat next to me, letting me feel the heat of his body close to mine.
