Amber's Fire, Book 3 Of Blood In The Dragon

I remember you 46

Chapter 46

Amber POV (Age 12)

I had only seen Court a couple of times. I even invited him to my birthday once, but he never came. I wasn’t upset about it, I just thought it would’ve been nice to include him. My dragon, Nxy, was starting to really dislike him. She kept telling me he was sneaky… dangerous. Honestly, I already knew that. Alpha, on the other hand, reacted completely differently. Every time Court came around, Alpha was right beside me, my protector. Always near. Always watching. He never left my side until Court was gone. Sometimes, it got annoying. I mean, I could handle myself… at least a little. But Alpha insisted on staying close. I sometimes wondered what he’d do when he eventually got a girlfriend. Would he still hover around me like this? I really hoped not. I had just come in from training. Yes, training. Dad had started working with me, teaching me how to control my powers. They still didn’t know I was a fire dragon. They only knew I could control fire… bend it to my will. So, naturally, that meant training. Nxy loved it. Every time I shifted into her, she grew stronger. I could feel it, our power building, shifting inside us. But it also drained me. I was only twelve, and sometimes it left me completely exhausted. We always had to shift indoors, though. Never outside. Not yet. Dad had told me an important guest was coming, an Alpha dragon. He wanted me to rest up, then come downstairs for lunch. So I headed upstairs, took a quick shower, dried off, and got dressed. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, I hated it, falling in my face, and slipped into a pair of ripped jeans. Mom had rules about those. She said I could wear them, just not the kind that looked like I wasn’t wearing anything at all. She had actually bought me a pair like that once and told me to try them, but only in the house. I did. Once. I hated them. It felt like I wasn’t wearing pants at all. I changed so fast and tossed them aside, and Mom just laughed.

“See? I told you that you wouldn’t like them,” she said. “But I wanted you to decide that for yourself.”

She was right. I grabbed a light blue shirt and slipped it on, then slid my feet into my sandals. There is no need for anything fancy. As I headed downstairs, I could already smell what Mom was cooking, spaghetti. My favorite. Especially when I added just a little ranch and mozzarella cheese, mixed it all together… It was amazing. When I walked into the kitchen, Mom was setting plates on the table. I counted four. So the guest really was eating with us… unless it was just Alpha.

“Hey, Mom, do you need help with anything?” I asked.

She paused for a second, then smiled. “Sure, honey. Can you set out the glasses and silverware? I’ve got the bread coming out of the oven.”

“Got it.”

I grabbed everything and set it neatly beside each plate, then brought over the tea and anything else she asked for. Once I finished, she told me to wash up.,I headed to the hallway bathroom, washed my hands, then came back just as a knock sounded at the door.,I started toward it, but Dad stepped out of his office first. He smiled at me.

“Head to the kitchen. I’ll get it.”

I nodded and turned back. Mom told me to sit beside her, so I did.

A moment later, I heard footsteps, two sets. One was Dad’s. The other… heavier. Unfamiliar. They walked into the kitchen.

And the moment I looked up, our eyes met. I let out a small gasp.

I remembered him. It was Ripley. The one who had warned my parents years ago… about the ones who wanted to hurt me.

My heart started beating faster. Nxy stirred inside me instantly.

“Him…” she growled lowly. “I don't trust him.”

“You don’t trust anyone,” I shot back quietly in my mind, but even I couldn’t ignore the strange feeling in my chest. It wasn’t fear.

It was… something else. Ripley looked older now, of course. Taller. Broader. Stronger. His presence filled the room the moment he stepped in. His eyes locked onto mine like he had been searching for me this whole time. Like he already knew who I was.

Dad stepped forward, breaking the silence. “Amber, this is Alpha Ripley.”

“I remember him,” I said softly, still staring.

Ripley’s lips twitched slightly, like he was holding back a smile. “I was wondering if you would.”

Nxy shifted again, uneasy. “He’s watching too closely.”

I swallowed, trying to act normal, even though nothing about this felt normal. Mom gestured toward the table. “Let’s all sit before the food gets cold.” We all took our seats. Of course, Alpha slid into the chair closest to me, his shoulder nearly touching mine. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Ripley noticed. I saw it in the way his gaze flicked briefly toward Dad, then back to me. There was something there… something sharp. Calculating.,Interesting.

Dad started talking, asking Ripley about his pack, his travels, and all the usual Alpha stuff. I tried to pay attention, but I really did, but I could feel Ripley’s eyes on me. Every few seconds. It was distracting. Finally, I looked up, meeting his gaze again.

“Is there something on my face?”

Mom gave me a look. But Ripley?

He actually smiled. “No,” he said calmly. “Just making sure.”

“Making sure of what?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly.

There was a pause. A long one. Then he leaned back in his chair, still watching me.

“That you’re still… you.”

Nxy bristled hard at that. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my stomach twisting slightly.

I huffed and looked back down at my plate, twirling my spaghetti like I suddenly cared more about that than him. But I didn’t. Not even close. Because now I had questions. And something told me… "Ripley had answers.