A Pet for the Dragons

46.

IVRET

I tested the new potion batch again to ensure it would be safe for Arika to consume. She was still bleeding and in pain, but she was somewhat better than before. Not that better, but I was glad she wasn't unconscious anymore.

Zorge summoned me at night to tell me he would take her to the human healer the next day. It filled me with immense relief, or else I was worried I'd have to poison Zorge to make him agree to take Arika to a human healer.

I'd been trying to heal her desperately, but the bleeding wouldn't stop permanently. The potion I made for her only subdued her bleeding and pain, and I wondered why. It was usually the kind of potion that was greatly capable of healing internal wounds but it wasn't working as well on Arika.

I kept wondering why. Was it simply because Arika was a human? This could be the case, but I didn't want to accept it. There had to be another reason my potion wasn't fully working on her, and I was sure it was the same reason I couldn't access her energy to heal her.

Something was constantly blocking me out, and Zorge confirmed the same thing about her. She had some strange kind of wall around her that kept me out, and it made me feel worse.

I wondered if Arika did this consciously. Did she choose to push me out even after we'd claimed each other? She'd called me hers yet... yet... she wouldn't allow me to access her energy and heal her properly. This was troubling me more than it should.

It felt like I'd failed her. I'd already failed at healing her; maybe that was why she was blocking me out. Perhaps she thought that I wasn't a worthy mate. The thought awakened my dragon, but not in a good way.

My dragon wanted to prove to Arika that I was more than capable of being a worthy mate. I just had to prove it to her somehow. But how? The only way I could've done this was by healing her and showing her how well I could take care of her, but I'd failed in this terribly.

I'd failed at the very thing I was best at.

I kept thinking about this while I prepared more potions for her and made a separate diary to note down all the recipes that failed and succeeded at curing Arika.

It was a good distraction but not enough for me to forget how Zorge held her in his arms while she peacefully slept, curled against him. She even smelled of him, making me want to thrash Zorge. He'd passed me a smug look and only cradled her closer to his body. To make it worse, Arika had unconsciously searched for more of his warmth, further burrowing deeper into his arms.

The sight of them together made me feel like I would explode. I'd never experienced jealousy so intense before.

I'd stormed out of there before I could do something stupid and awaken Arika from her peaceful sleep. Though it hurt me to know that Zorge was able to provide her with the peace that I should've been able to provide her in the first place, I'd failed...

...maybe, I wasn't worthy...

No. I clenched my jaw and focused on my work. I was determined to find the cure for Arika's bleeding one way or the other— even if it meant that I'd have to swallow my pride and take her to a human healer. I was willing to do anything, and I was sure that she'd soon notice and acknowledge this later. I knew she would. Arika was smart.

Even though she slept with Zorge, she let me claim her first. She let me pleasure her first, and no matter what Zorge did, he'd never be able to change this.

It was early in the morning when I heard a knock on the door of my tower. I went downstairs to find Zorge. He gave me a smug look while I glared at him.

"Is everything ready?" He asked me, the smug look growing on his face every second. I clenched and unclench my fists. It didn't help that I caught a whiff of her scent on him. It made my heart pinch because I hadn't had the time to hold her properly ever since she fell sick.

I'd been in my tower since then, trying to make a potion to heal her. This allowed him to have Arika all to himself. I wouldn't let this happen anymore after Arika's healing.

"Almost," I replied, glaring daggers at him. Zorge flashed me a wide grin.

"Alright. She's still sleeping. I'll go and prepare for the journey. She'd be flying on my back," Zorge stated, making me straighten up.

"No. I'll take her with me. She's too weak to fly on anyone's back," I said. He flashed me his teeth but in a threatening manner. I wasn't going to back away from this.

"She trusts me more than you. Didn't you see how she was sleeping in my arms?" Zorge reminded me smugly.

"Yet she let me claim her first," I shot back at him, unwilling to back down. Zorge set his jaw and glared at me. "I'll be carrying her in my claw. That's the safest way to take her to the other side,"

"I was the one to bring her here. I'll do it," Zorge hissed, and I shook my head.

"You fly like a youngling who has just sprouted wings. I'll not let you take her. She'll get sicker," I told him, and Zorge gave me a threatening growl.

"You dare question my flying skills? Did you forget that I'm trained in air combat?" Zorge growled, taking a step threateningly close to me. His grey eyes were blazing with anger, but I wasn't scared. I merely cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's the thing. You're trained in air combat. Not transporting the ill," I shot at him. Zorge glared at me but said nothing because he knew I was right.

"Alright then. Flip a coin, and we'll see who gets to carry her," Zorge suggested.

"Okay. Flip a coin. I'm going to carry her either way," I told him adamantly, and he laughed at my face.

"We'll see about that," Zorge said.

"Heads," I said as soon as he tossed the coin. It landed on the floor, heads up.

"Fuck this!" Zorge growled, kicking the coin, but the decision had already been made.

"Get her ready. I'll finish the prep. We meet in the courtyard in an hour," I told him, slamming the tower door on his face, feeling triumphant for the moment.

I went back to my laboratory and read the stars for the day to see if we should be wary of something while travelling.

However, my heart dropped when I saw the stars weren't good today. They indicated storms and mishaps, which made me wary. I considered whether we could maybe go tomorrow, but the stars seemed to look worse. In fact, the stars indicated a month full of storms and mishaps. But we couldn't wait a month for Arika. No. That'd be too late.

I always trusted the stars, but I decided to overlook them today for the sake of Arika's health. I returned to work immediately, preparing to leave as soon as possible.

~

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