Six

Corithias went back to Alicia’s room and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” Alicia called out as she sat at her vanity, being prepared for the evening meal by Natalie and Lauren. “It is me, Prince Corithias,” he said, straightening his suit. Lauren giggled and Natalie teased Alicia. “Go, let the prince in, you silly girls,” she teased, grinning at them.

“My Prince,” Alicia said, bowing before them. “Alicia, please,” Corithias said, causing her to rise before him. “We are friends. Although you are more used to my dragon form, I am still the same friend you came to know. I am your dragon. When we are alone, let’s just be ourselves, okay?” He asked, kissing her hand.

Alicia was mesmerized by his dazzling sapphire blue eyes. She could barely believe this human was her dragon, but obviously he was, and he was a prince. He wore the clothing and crown of a prince standing before her now, and she smiled at how handsome he looked.

“My Lord, you look very handsome in your suit,” she said, bowing her head to hide her blush. Corithias grinned at her. “And, my dear lady, may I say that you look ravishing as well. But my name is Corithias, Cory to my friends. Would you please call me Cory from now on, my sweet friend Alicia?” He asked, cupping her chin with his hand so he could gaze into her sky-blue eyes. “Of course, Cory,” she responded, smiling at him.

“Might we go for a stroll?” He asked, offering her his arm to hold. “Yes, if it pleases you,” she answered, politely placing her hand in the bend of his arm. “I would like to get the town’s gossip started about the prince and his lady,” he teased, grinning at her as they walked down the hall together. Alicia gave him a side glance, thinking it rather bold of him to call her his lady since they had only just met in person. He winked at her and grinned, making her blush again.

He took her on a private path through a secret garden with a relaxing waterfall surrounded by fragrant flowers. He offered a bench for her to sit with him and chat. Alicia felt a little anxious. She had never been alone with a man before, and this particular one oozed with masculinity.

Alicia held her hands in her lap demurely, and Cory took both of them in his own, bringing them to his lips to kiss her knuckles. Alicia giggled nervously as his kisses caused an electrical impulse to travel through her.

Cory chuckled. “I love your laugh, Sweetheart. It’s music to my ears,” he said, tracing her lips with his thumb. His touch sent tingles through her body, making her want more, wanting his kiss. Alicia had never been kissed before, but she would certainly not resist if he wanted to, she decided.

Cory studied her eyes and imagined kissing her full pink lips. He could read her thoughts. He knew she wanted him to kiss her, but he also knew that he could not afford to rush things. He had to be practical. If it turned out she was an ordinary human, he could not produce an heir with her. Pregnancy and the birth of a dragon child would cause her much pain and possibly her death. He could not put her through that.

Cory decided holding Alicia’s hand was a safer idea, so he reached over and put his hand around hers. Alicia looked at their clasped hands and smiled up at him, looking in his eyes. Cory stared back into her eyes and smiled back.

“I need to ask you something, Alicia. I know you lost the first eight years of your life. Have you ever had anything I don’t know, magical or supernatural, maybe heard an internal voice telling you something, anything like that? I mean, when your tears touched me, I felt warmth and healing virtue flow through me…and when I looked in your eyes I saw flames of fire. Has anything ever happened to you like that before?” Cory asked.

Alicia thought about what he said. “I have had several animals that were injured, and I wished I could heal them, and suddenly they became healed. I felt like I had healing powers, and I could feel heat in my hands when it happened,” she admitted.

“Something else, I have had a recurring dream of this big bird not like a dragon, but a huge bird and it was surrounded by fire. I felt like this big bird wrapped its wings around me and I was not afraid,” she explained.

“When I looked closer at the bird in my dream, I could see a woman’s face. It was like a memory from my past. I always felt the fire bird and the woman both symbolized my mother. I never told anyone because I thought they would think I was crazy,” Alicia told Cory, watching his reaction.

“Alicia, this is valuable information. We need to talk to my grandmother about this and see what she thinks about it,” Cory suggested.

“What does it all mean?” Alicia asked, suddenly realizing that her healing gift and the dreams were not just a product of her vivid childish imaginations, they were real, and they were connected to her somehow.

“I don’t know, but I feel that my grandmother, my father’s mother will be able to tell us. We will talk to her after our dinner tonight,” he promised her. “Speaking of which, we better get back before we are late. My parents are extremely strict on punctuality,” he said, grinning as he stood, still holding her hand.

As they walked back to the castle, Alicia braved to ask him a question that had been on her mind. “Cory?” She began. “Yes, Sweetheart,” he answered, looking down at her and placing her hand on his arm, clasping his over it.

“You told your mother I was your mate. I don’t know what that means. Does it mean that I am your girlfriend, or does it mean something different?” She asked.

“Let’s go into that discussion after we talk to my grandmother, shall we? For now, yes, you are my girlfriend…that is, if you want to be,” Cory explained. Alicia smiled and nodded, content with his explanation. “My boyfriend the prince,” she said, liking the sound of that.

Cory seated Alicia and took his seat between her and his father, across from his mother. His grandmother and grandfather sat across from them, and an uncle sat at the other end of the table. The meal was delicious and surprisingly all foods that Alicia was familiar with. After they finished their dessert, Cory let his grandmother know that the two of them needed to speak with her.

Adelaide Jacovshire was a beautiful and wise woman. She was older but still very active, being regarded as a teacher and source of wisdom in the castle. Many of their kingdom had long enjoyed listening to her public teachings and readings in the castle’s courtyard, and many came to her seeking knowledge or wise counsel.