Page 44 of Under the Dragon's Spell
"I was."
She turned a tea cup in her hands. "Don't think nobody heard the noise from Adrian's room, darling."
"I wasn't thinking that for a minute." He had been quite loud, but I'd enjoyed every sound that I could pull out of him.
"So you freely admit that you've broken our agreement not to sleep with the applicants? What do you suppose the others are going to think of you now that you've slept with one of them?"
"I never agreed to anything, Mother. I only quietly went along with your plans for my own reasons. Besides, I care not what they think. I've made my choice."
"Is that so? Did your reasons, as you call it, not include securing an heir? Are you fine with letting the family fortune go to your brother?"
Mother did not speak of my brother very often. Sometimes I thought it hurt her to hear his name, so she must have been quite upset to bring him into this now.
"Rest assured that I don't plan on doing any of the sort."
"And yet you've picked Adrian."
"So I have."
"He'll not give you a child. Even the drugs won't take effect fast enough."
"I don't need drugs.Hedoesn't need drugs. He only needs someone not to be an asshole to him."
My mother raised an eyebrow at me. "And you're saying that someone is going to be you?"
I'll admit she had a point there. Up until meeting Adrian, I'd thought all humans were the same, and my opinion of them had been low, but I could change my views. Also, there was that thing Michael had mentioned… I didn't believe it myself, of course, but I was curious to hear what Mother had to say on the subject.
"How do you feel about the concept of fated mates?"
Mother raised an eye brow at me. "Fated mates?" she asked in a tone that indicated I was being a little bit silly.
I shook my head. "Forget about it."
"Are you trying to say you believe this human is your fated mate?"
"I'm not trying to say any such thing. I was only wondering if there was any truth to the stories."
"Please, Tyrel, our forefathers might have believed so, but it's become an antiquated notion."
"In theory, could a dragon's mate be human?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment. "The human omegas carry some dragon blood in them."
"Perhaps they're all supposed to be with dragons, then."
She laughed. "I never thought you'd come to me with such a topic."
"Me neither." But things had changed a bit over the last few days. "In any case, I've made my choice. You can send the others home."
"Are you sure, darling? We might have to send for them again in a few weeks when you realize your chosen partner cannot give you a child."
"That's not going to happen." I stayed firm.
"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you."
I stood. "Do compensate the others adequately." They were just human, but they were still good people.
Mother nodded. "I suppose I can also make preparations to return to our island, then."
