Page 38 of Under the Dragon's Spell
Sure enough, my mother started talking about her favorite topic once she'd finished her first cup of coffee.
"Do you have a favorite yet, darling?" she asked.
"What if I do?" I shot back, hardly believing that my opinion on this matter would be of much importance to her.
"Well, it might be good to know if you do. Although I suppose there's no real use talking about it until we know theresults of the checkup, I'd like to know if your attitude toward humans has changed any."
Had it? Perhaps. At least I was starting to consider that there might be exceptions who were worthy of my time, even if most humans weren't.
"How did your date last night go?" Mother asked when I didn't reply.
"I had a good time last night," I said. Of course, my mother was referring to my date with Michael, while I was thinking solely of the time I'd spent with Adrian after my obligations had been fulfilled. My time with Michael hadn't been awful, but everything that had happened after?
I'd never thought I'd feel any kind of connection to a human, but Adrian... slowly he changed the way I saw the world.
"I didn't hear you come home last night." Mother raised an eye brow at me. "Stayed out late? Paul informs me Michael came home before you did." She said it like it was a crime to let your date go home without you.
"I accompanied him here. But I didn't come in with him. I went out into the city for a drink instead." No sense in hiding that fact. I was a grown-up. I was allowed a drink every now and then.
"I see. Is that all that happened last night after you date?"
I shot her a smile. My mother, always so suspicious. She knew me too well.
"It's all I'm going to tell you about," I said.
"Just as well." With a sigh, she poured herself another coffee.
After that, she stopped asking about my preferences regarding the applicants. Perhaps she understood that I didn't have anything substantial to say on the topic--at least not to her.
It was toward the end of our time together that Mother received a phone call from our physician, asking us to come tothe clinic to hear the results of the testing that had been done today.
I admit to being the tiniest bit nervous about what he might have to say. There was no reason for me to worry, but part of me did, anyway.
If Adrian and you truly are fated mates, then—
I stopped myself from finishing that thought. Was I truly buying into the fated mates thing now? I'd spent too much time around Michael and his fairy tales.
When we got to the clinic, the doctor called us into his office. I knew him well. He'd seen to me when I was sick ever since I was a little child. The fact that I only got to see him while I wasn't feeling my best didn't endear him to me, but I knew that he was skilled in his profession, and that was something I respected.
Mother and I sat in the chairs before his desk and he started briefing us on his findings. The first thing he said was that Michael and Bernard were fine and should have no trouble getting pregnant and giving me a healthy heir.
So far so good, but what about the other two?
I narrowed my eyes at the doctor. Why hadn't he included Adrian in that initial statement?
"As for Mr. Murray, he should be fine, but I would still suggest that he put on a little more weight." That was Zane taken care of.
"What about Mr. Lark?" I asked, letting my impatience get the better of me. I needed to know what was wrong with my—with Adrian.
"Ah." The doctor looked down at his desk, then back up at me. "I'm afraid Mr. Lark suffers from a bit of a hormone insufficiency. Sometimes that can be rectified with medication or better living circumstances, but it does currently lower his chances of conceiving."
"A hormone insufficiency?" But he'd said there was medication. "You can fix it?"
"We could discuss options if you are particular about wanting to mate with him, but if not, the side effects of the treatment might not be worth it."
Of course my mother had to speak up now before I could properly process all the information Dr. Kelve was giving me. "Are you particular about Adrian?" she asked in a tone that implied that she already knew.
"This is not the place to discuss that."
