1. Meeting Him
1012 Words
Serena often had to be patient in her line of work as an anesthetist despite the fact that she worked in a private clinic – or maybe it was precisely because she worked at a renowned private clinic that she had to be.
She loved the big city. And thanks to her brothers, she was able to get away from her parents’ claws. Admittedly, she was able to evade the numerous arranged mating attempts too.
Indeed, because of her rank and status, it was expected of her to be mated off to some royalty or, at the very least, some nobility, the sooner the better… but she wanted none of that.
Although she and her brothers hadn’t been brought up by the most loving parents, she couldn’t help but believe in love with a big L. She wanted the kind of love she could feel her older brother harbored for his mate, Emily.
She wished for it, day in, day out. She fantasized about meeting her mate almost every day even though one couldn’t claim she led her life as a nun.
One could only imagine her disappointment once she did meet him, and he outright rejected her.
It was on one rainy afternoon that it happened, a few weeks after Liam’s coronation as king.
She had to do an afternoon round and see the patients who had had surgery in the morning, see how they were doing, and remind them of whatever instructions were necessary to their recovery – usual routine doctor work.
She was about to enter room 15 when a potently delicious scent reached her nostrils, almost making her dizzy.
She shivered and her steps faltered slightly.
“Are you okay, Dr King?” The nurse who was with her asked.
She nodded wordlessly and then entered the room from which the scent was attacking her.
She did her best to focus on the patient laying there – Female, 28 years old, had a cholecytectomy in the morning.
When she finished her job, her gaze darted to the man standing against the wall, a somber look on his face.
He wore his hair a bit too long to her liking – but she could imagine herself running her fingers in it – and had striking electric blue eyes. His body was that of someone who exercised just enough to stay fit, but didn’t care for the buff muscles.
“Are you her kin?” She asked almost hopefully after her quick appraisal, wishing with all her might he was a relative and not the patient’s husband.
“I am her brother,” he nodded, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Ah okay,” she said awkwardly.
She’ll have to look the man up. A quick look to the chart told her the patient’s name was Charlotte Merrywell.
A few seconds later and she took her leave, unable as she was to find an excuse to stay and strike a conversation with her mate.
When she emerged from the room, she breathed out noisily.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” The nurse’s face reflected her worry.
“Positive,” Serena smiled at her.
Her smile must have been particularly bright for the woman nodded, her lips stretching into a smile as well.
They were barely a few footsteps away when the door behind them clicked shut. The hairs on Serena’s back rose to attention as she shivered in pure awareness.
“Can I have a word?” The same man, who shall now star in her most ridiculously hot dreams, asked.
Serena turned around, her smile still plastered on her face.
“Sure,” she agreed with a nod, trying hard not to seem too enthusiastic.
A quick meaningful look sent the nurse away a little bit.
He looked around furtively or maybe cautiously before asking, without preamble, “What are you?”
Serena froze at once, and her eyes narrowed on him. “I beg your pardon?”
“I can sense that you’re not human,” he announced in a hushed tone, a shrug accompanying his statement. “Mutt? Leech?”
She shook her head negatively. “Nah. My kind is more into breathing fire than it is into sucking blood.”
“Dragon?” He frowned slightly.
“Why are you so surprised?” She asked.
“I thought your kind didn’t like mingling with common mortals,” he said pensively. “Being a doctor requires a lot of that.”
“Curtsey would suggest that you tell me what you are as well,” she told him tersely, “not judge my choice of a career.”
“I’m a warlock,” he said proudly.
Why wasn’t he hinting at the fact that they were mates? Surely, he hadn’t just followed her because he was intrigued by what she was.
“The name’s Gregory,” he went on.
“Nice to meet you,” she smiled at him. “I’m Serena King.”
“Serena King,” he echoed after her, almost as if tasting her name, “King?”
She could feel the question coming before it did.
“The dragon princess?”
“The one,” she said stiffly.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re mateless… I don’t think I’d be feeling this drawn to a mated dragon.”
Her breath caught in her throat at that, and her eyes went wide.
“You’re not mistaken,” she said breathlessly.
“Well, kindly be informed that as the prince of Oblivion, I have obligations towards my people,” he stated grimly. “And I do not care for a mate.”
"I will stand by you," she told him in response, in an attempt to make his heart soften, trying to make him see reason. "No matter what, I will stand by your side."
"Right," he scoffed before turning on his heels and heading into the room.
“That went well,” she told herself sarcastically as she looked at the closed door with both sadness and anger.
- Writer
