The Last Dragon Rider (Book 1 of Rider Series)

Chapter 56

The bell that was on the door to the building where my mother worked jingled when I pushed it open, with my basket in my hands that held Toran's shirt as well as the dessert from Maron, Jonah, and Charles.

"I will be right with you," my mother said from the back doing something work related. "If you are just needing to drop something off, then you can go ahead and drop it into the basket on the front desk, and I will pick it up when I am done."

I bit back a small smile and shook my head, not saying a word. I sat down in the little waiting room that they had and placed my basket on the table, biting back a small sigh because I knew that my mother would know it was me if I made any type of sound.

I pulled my skirt and pursed my lips in annoyance when I saw the tear again and stuck my fingers through it and wiggled it around. At least I would be able to fix it when I get home and before this evening when I train, I thought while I pressed my lips into a thin line and let my skirt go so that it fell back to the ground.

"Who is there, anyway?" my mother asked, breaking the silence again but didn't leave the safety of the back back. "And what do you need done?"

I licked my lips before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, hesitating. "It's me, Mama," I said, praying that she wouldn't ask about my skirt and if I knew what caused the markings on Toran's shirt. "I brought something from Toran as well as some dessert for you."

There was a lot of clatter when she stopped what she was doing and rushed into the front room where I was seated. Worry filled her eyes while she stared at me, and she pressed her lips into a thin line because I didn't normally come here while she worked.

I hesitated before I slowly stood and cleared my throat, shifting on my feet. "Hello, Mama," I said and bowed my head in greeting before I looked at her again. I cocked my head and studied her, with furrowed brows, concerned. "Are you ok?"

"Am I ok?" she asked while she raised an eyebrow in question. She cocked her head while she studied me, pressing her lips into a thinner line. "What do you mean? You are the one that is here when you aren't supposed to be, Marini," she said. "I am sure that it is me who is supposed to be making sure that you are ok."

"Well, I have already told you why I was here," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, even though I didn't take out the stuff from my basket. "I brought some dessert from Jonah and then a shirt that Toran wants you to fix, but I can fix it if you are busy."

My mother set her jaw and looked me up and down before she looked me in the eyes, and I couldn't help but cringe because I knew that she caught sight of my dirty shirt and torn up skirt, even though I hadn't done anything to cover it up beforehand. "What happened?" she asked, her voice turning darker. "Who hurt you?"

Oh, Gods...

"It's... nothing, Mama," I said and shook my head before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, becoming very nervous, for some reason. "I am fine; I promise. It is not something that I cannot handle."

Even though I am still not able to contact my dragon...

My heart yearned to hear my dragon's snarky responses, and I prayed that I would be able to hear him when I was back in his presence again.

Oh, Gods, please make it so that I can hear him again... I silently prayed while I pressed my lips into a thin line, waiting for my mother to say or do something instead of studying me and waiting for me to tell her the truth.

My mother set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "What happened?" she asked again, not liking the fact that I didn't tell her what happened to me. "Who did this to you?"