A Pet for the Dragons

41.

ZORGE

"We should take her to the human healer," Ivret was quick to agree. "I'm willing to do anything to heal her,"

I, too, was willing to do anything to heal, but I didn't feel comfortable taking her to the human hospital. Not that I didn't want her to get better. I wanted her to get better, but the thought of taking her away from here didn't settle well with me.

"I'll prepare for our departure right away—"

"Wait," I stopped Ivret before he could get too carried away.

"We need to think this through first," I told him, and he narrowed his eyes.

"What's there to think in this situation? Arika is hurt, and I'm unable to heal her. I'm trying, and I just... I can't see her like this. If a human healer could heal her, then I'm willing to take her to one," Ivret said fiercely. I could sense some doubt in him.

"Look... I want Arika to get better too and make this right, but I just... I don't feel safe taking her back to the humans," I tried to explain it to him.

Even though Arika's well-being was my top priority, some doubt lingered in my head. At the end of the day, Arika was a human and our prisoner. She hadn't turned in the computers yet, but she'd already attempted to run.

What if she used this opportunity as a chance to run away?

"What do you mean? Do you think the humans would hurt her if they got to know she'd been in contact with dragons? They cannot do that. It goes against the treaty," Ivret said, and for a moment, I stopped. This was another thing I hadn't considered well.

Humans or other creatures living in the South were barred from contacting the dragons. Still, if it could be proven that our association with Arika was accidental and we weren't conspiring against anyone in the South, then there wouldn't be any consequences.

As far as I knew, some dragons on the other side of the Arctic traded metals with the humans regularly. This shouldn't be an issue.

Since Arika hadn't shown us the computers yet, it couldn't be proved that she got with us to conspire against the Southerners. I could always make up a story, but...this wasn't my main concern at the moment.

"Yeah, but that's not what I'm talking about, Ivret. Think about Arika," I told him.

"I'm thinking about her," Ivret said. "She's hurt, and she needs a human healer,"

"I didn't mean like that. I meant Arika is pretty smart," I pointed out.

"Yes, that she is,"

"And she doesn't shy away from using it against us," I suggested. Ivret cocked an eyebrow at me before he finally seemed to get what I was suggesting.

"You're afraid that she'd try to run away when we take her to the human healer," Ivret said, crossing his arms on his chest and giving me a pointed look.

"Exactly! I'm glad you still have some sense left in you. I was afraid I'd have to knock some into you," I grunted, and Ivret glared at me.

"I don't think Arika would try something like that," Ivret told me fiercely, a dismissive tone in his voice.

"And why do you think that?" I had to ask because his ways of reasoning were alien to me.

"She's weak. She can hardly do anything without our help," He said.

"Still, I don't think she'd let an opportunity like this go to waste," I offered, but Ivret shook his head.

"I don't think she'd do that," Ivret was oddly defensive about her, and it made me wonder why.

"Why do you think she wouldn't do that? There's always a possibility," I tried to reason with him, but the determined look on his face persisted. It made me groan. If it were any other situation, I'd have thrown punches at him already because it often successfully got my reasoning through his thick skull.

However, I couldn't risk doing that for two reasons: first, I was in Ivret's wing, and second, we were standing outside Ivret's bath where Arika was currently bathing. If we started scuffling, Arika would hear us from the bath, and that might scare her even more. The last thing I wanted right now was to scare her and drive her further away from me.

"Because I claimed her," Ivret declared proudly. "She let me claim her after you left for patrolling. I don't think she'd leave me,"

I almost punched him in the face as soon as he said that. Ivret smirked at me, seeing the pissed look on my face.

"You're doubting her because she didn't claim you," Ivret went on to test my patience. If he kept doing this, I wouldn't care if Arika heard us. I'd rain punches on him.

"I'm doubting her because she's human, and she's not supposed to be trusted, you scaggermosh!" I growled, but he smiled wider at me, annoying me even more.

"That may or may not be true, but I know that you don't like the fact that she let me claim her first," Ivret said, taking a step closer to me. His stance was challenging, and all I needed was another sign to leap at him and smash his nose.

"Oh, and look at you now. You're not able to heal her anyhow. I wonder how she feels about that," I dished back, and it immediately got under Ivret's skin. I could see it in his eyes.

There was a hint of guilt and shame, followed by a flash of rage in Ivret's eyes. I maintained firm eye contact, not ready to back down easily. I heard him cracking his knuckles.

I smiled and continued, "While she was in pain, she curled up against me, searching for my warmth, not yours! I'm the one who drove her nightmares away and kept her warm and—"

"ENOUGH!" Ivret roared, his voice echoing through his whole wing. I was sure that Arika had heard him inside the bath, which made me smile.

"What's that? You don't like it that I was the one who was able to give her warmth and relief even though you're the one who's supposed to be doing such things," I rubbed it in his face. Ivret's black eyes glowed fiercely while he clenched his jaws. I'd never seen Ivret react like this before. He was being too possessive about Arika for my liking.

"I'm not a human healer, but I will learn how to heal humans once we take her back. She won't need you after that," Ivret hissed. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"We'll see about that," I gritted, accepting his challenge.

~

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