A Pet for the Dragons

63.

ARIKA

I felt like shit after Ivret left. I wanted to talk with him but didn't want to push him. He already seemed pretty closed off, and pushing him more would make him close off even more. I didn't want that to happen.

I had broken his trust, and it was usually tough to gain it back. Unfortunately, I didn't have much experience in these sorts of things because robbing people at the sea was more about guts and strategy than trust. I didn't trust anyone, and nobody trusted me. Well, now I was paying the price for it.

I cried some more while thinking about my situation. By now, it was clear that I wouldn't be able to take the collar off my neck, and it would take a lot of time and effort from my side to get these dragons to act normal again. But getting them to trust me again would be hard—almost an impossible task for me.

Also, there was no way for me to leave this anymore. And even if I managed to leave, I didn't have a place to go. I wasn't even sure where my ship was. But I didn't want to leave even if I had a place and knew where my ship was. I didn't have anyone good waiting for me, except for the police and the fellow pirates who, I was sure, were looking for me as well because the bounty on my head was pretty high.

Considering these things, I was the safest here and going anywhere else would be nothing but the biggest foolishness. I had a roof over my head and stuff to eat... well, as long as they were kind enough to me. I still wasn't sure and was fond of this pet thing, but I couldn't do much about it.

I needed to think it through.

My stomach groaned, and my hair smelled, so I ate whatever Ivret had brought me and bathed. My little bathroom was attached to the bedroom. A massive pile of ice slabs was stacked to melt and use in the corner. Beside the bathroom was a small closet with fur cloaks, vests, and trousers. I ended up wearing them and lying in bed, still thinking.

It must have been at least a couple of weeks since I had a proper bath and a proper meal. I also had clean clothes, even though I was very fond of the designs. It was better than nothing.

As soon as I lay in bed, I fell asleep and slept for a long time, even though my sleep was plagued with bitter memories of the past and nightmares.

My most prominent nightmare was about being chased by the police in a car and a red dragon lifting my car in the air all of a sudden. I wasn't wearing a seatbelt, so I smashed the windshield and fell, screaming.

I woke up gasping and covered in cold sweat. My throat was dry, and the side of my mouth was covered with dried drool. I wiped it off and almost gasped when I noticed a pair of grey eyes staring at me from a dark corner of my bedroom.

The room was dark, and it was snowing heavily outside. The only light source in the room was the low flames in the hearth, but I didn't need any light to know that Zorge was in my room, and he might've been watching me sleep.

For a second, I couldn't determine if I was dreaming or if this was real. Hints of my sleep and nightmare still lingered on my eyelids. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, watching the almost silver-grey glowing eyes staring back at me.

"I know you're in there," I said after a few seconds when he didn't move or say anything. My voice croaked, and for a second, I searched the room for a clock to figure out what time it was and how long I'd been asleep.

After a couple of seconds, Zorge finally stepped out of the shadows, his eyes never leaving me. It was as if he was afraid I'd run if he blinked.

"Why are you here?" I asked when he refused to say anything.

"I thought I heard a tomcat wailing. It turned out to be you," Zorge said. I bit my lip.

"Yeah... sorry for that," I muttered. "I was having a nightmare,"

"About what?" He asked.

"I don't remember it," I shrugged, rubbing my eyes again. "What day and time is it? How long have I been asleep?" I asked him.

"It's late at night, and it's the seventh of Knun," Zorge said, keeping his tone dry and casual, but I could see interest gleaming in his eyes. I had a feeling that he didn't come to my room just because he had heard a tomcat wailing.

"Knun?" I asked, confused.

"That's the name of this month," Zorge said.

"Okay," I said, and we both fell silent momentarily, staring at each other. It was a tense silence. I didn't know what was going on in Zorge's head, but he had his eyes trained on me pensively. I wondered if he was trying to read my emotions.

His jaw clenched as if he wanted to say something but held himself back. I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to break the silence. Finally, he caved.

His eyes hardened as he crossed his arms over his chest and rounded the bed to get closer to me.

"Where did you go when you ran away?" He finally asked, almost looming over me. "We searched for you everywhere,"

"I went where I went," I told him, and he narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he sat on the bed, edging closer to me. I noticed his every move— how he clutched the blanket I had on. It was as if he was holding himself back.

I wondered if Zorge was still angry with me. When I looked at him, there were more signs of curiosity than anger. But I didn't want to bet on that. Zorge was very good at hiding things, including his feelings.

"What does that mean?" He asked. "Were you with someone?" His question was odd, and I shrugged.

That was when he snapped and tugged me towards him by my collar. I gasped, shocked by his sudden action.

"If you have someone out there, you better forget them. We are your masters now," he told me grimly. I didn't miss the threat in his voice. Even though he didn't show it, I could feel his rage oozing off his body. I froze when he slipped his hand under the fur I was wearing and cupped one of my breasts. "You belong to us in every way now, and you won't be able to run away anymore. You shouldn't even think about running."

He twirled my nipple between his fingers as he spoke. I was still highly frustrated and unsatisfied by what Radrox did to me. It was why such a simple gesture like that instantly made me grow hot with need.

I couldn't resist moving close to him. So close that our faces were inches away, eyeing his lips hungrily.

"I promise I won't run away again," I told him, and just because I was a needy bitch who had missed her dragons terribly and wanted them back desperately, I closed the rest of the distance and pressed my lips against his.

~

A/n> What do you think so far? The tension will remain there as Arika tries to sort through this. Meanwhile, something else is cooking, and it will soon come up. Can you guess what it might be?

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