A Pet for the Dragons

16.

ARIKA

I woke up with my head killing me. I winced as the stabbing pain travelled to my neck and my back. I felt this way whenever I'd sleep too long... which means...

I snapped my eyes open and sat up abruptly, looking around me, expecting to see my cabin and the vast sea through the cabin windows. Instead, I was met with grey stone walls, and for some reason, that was even scarier than waking up in unfamiliar waters.

However, as my brain started to wake up again, I recalled I had awoken in this same room the last time. Which meant... I looked to my other side and almost leapt out of bed to see a man with red scales and horns. But nothing was more scarier than his glowing red eyes and the ugly and terrifying scar splitting his face in half. I wanted to scream in terror, but my scream died in my throat as I stared at the red-scaled dragon man in horror.

It took me a moment to recall that he'd been the one who'd caught me when Ivret and Zorge were chasing me. But where were they? And who was he, and what was he doing here?

His red eyes were intently set on me, and he remained seated in the chair, unmoving like a statue, making him look even more terrifying. I stared back at him, unsure what to do with him.

"Who are you?" I asked him after a second because he didn't seem interested in speaking. He was only interested in staring at me, and he was staring hard. He stared at me as if he could see through my clothes and the thick fur pelt wrapped around me.

"We had a deal," He replied. I recalled hearing his voice before going unconscious.

"You're Radrox?" I asked carefully. I knew it had to be him. I'd heard someone address him by that name before I'd fallen unconscious.

"Yes, I'm." He answered. His voice was gruff, and the scar on his face made him look surly. He was rough and tough in every manner.

I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. I could tolerate Zorge and Ivret and somehow work around with them, but Radrox would require a lot of effort... that is if the previous two dragons hadn't decided to kill me already.

"I guessed," I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, but from the inside, I was deeply shaken and tremendously nervous. Where are the others?" I asked just to be sure. Radrox raised an eyebrow at me, which had been cut in half by the ugly scar.

"The others are away. I'm here to talk to you," He stated firmly. I tried not to shudder. While Zorge and Ivret had been curious and causal around me, Radrox looked like the kind to get straight to business. Get to the business, he did. Immediately. "Where are the computers you promised us, Arika?"

I tried not to visibly shudder due to how my name sounded on his lips. The threat was thick in his voice. The others might've been charmed off by me, but I could tell that Radrox was here to call an end to my bullshit.

"The computers are on the other side of the Arctic sea," I told him. I wasn't going to give up. It was as if I'd been granted a second chance (actually a fifty-fourth, if I counted all the unfortunate events at sea) at life, and I wasn't going to throw it away. I would make the best of it and try to get out of here without harm.

"Where exactly on the other side?" Radrox pushed.

"I can show you once you take me there," I returned, but he didn't look satisfied with my response. Instead, his eerie red eyes dug deeper into me. They glowed a bright red, and it was making me deeply uncomfortable. I wanted to look away, but I didn't want him to take that as a sign that I was scared of him, even though I really was.

"Do you even have the computers?" he asked, and I clenched my teeth hard.

An unnatural fear struck me. I remembered Zorge mentioning that all dragons had some superpower, and one of them was reading others' minds. I wondered if it was Radrox's superpower, but then I soon remembered that he'd told me that Radrox could breathe fire. Not that it was anything better. He could toast me anytime. But at least he couldn't read my mind and figure out that I was on the verge of pissing myself.

"Of course, I have," I defended myself. "And I hope you have three chests of Drakkon gold ready for me," I shot back because I wanted him to know that if he could breathe fire, then I could be fiery, too. Something flickered in his red eyes, but it was gone almost instantly.

"We have the gold ready. It'd be yours once you show us where the computers are and show us what's in them," Radrox stated the terms of our deal.

"I need to see the gold chests first," I demanded, crossing my arms and giving him a determined look. Radrox narrowed his eyes on me.

"That wasn't what was agreed," He stated.

"I need to see the gold first," I repeated, shrugging nonchalantly. I could see fire in his eyes as he set his jaw and glared at me.

"Do you realize that you are in no position to demand anything?" He stated, and his words sent a shiver down my spine. I knew that well. If they decided to kill me, no one would ever know or even find out my dead body. The thought was harrowing, but I kept a straight face.

"I know what you Drakkons have been up to lately," I started. I needed to show him that just because I was here didn't mean he could scare me. "The merpeople have told me plenty," Radrox rolled his head, but I continued. "I know you dream of spreading your territory to the south, but the treaty doesn't allow you to. You're looking for a good enough reason to break the treaty," By now, I had Radrox's complete attention. He was listening to me intently, his head tilted to the side.

Even though his face scared me a lot, especially his red eyes, I inched closer until my face was close to his. His scar looked even uglier up this close, but I ignored it and looked deep into his glowing red eyes.

Up this close, I noticed streaks of gold in his red eyes, and as I inched closer, his pupils dilated, and his nostrils flared. I didn't miss how his eyes briefly flickered to my lips and darkened there.

I wondered if he wanted a kiss. Suddenly, an idea crossed my mind, and I smiled at him.

"In those computers is a perfect reason for you to break the treaty and conquer everything in the south," I whispered as if it was the utmost secret.

~

She's using her feminine wiles on Radrox but the question is, will it work on him? 😏

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