A Pet for the Dragons

91.

A/N> I know many of you don't follow me and, hence, missed my post on the message board. I had a health scare and was in the hospital for a few days. That's why I was gone. I'm fine now. I'll do daily updates for this week and maybe next week too. (I'm not sure about this, though. You'll find out if you follow). 

ZORGE

Ivret spoke to the Empress while Radrox and I remained quiet. Since the scroll was addressed to him, he was the one who was supposed to speak. This proved the best because I had the perfect opportunity to tap into the Empress's emotions.

Knowing the kind of history she had with Ivret, I was expecting at least a hint of jealousy on her part to see Arika, but surprisingly, I found none. This baffled me. Instead, she seemed to be keenly interested in Arika.

This should've relieved me because attracting jealousy from the Empress was not good, but so was the case with attracting interest. It was best not to have any attention from the Empress at all.

I'd lived most of my life in the Cardinal House, serving as one of the warriors, and I used to like my life here. Moving to the Arctic was something that bugged me initially, but soon, I became used to it. Being in the Arctic meant I could do whatever I wanted without having to explain myself to anyone, but now that I was back, I'd be watched. I was sure about that.

Warriors were always watched to ensure that they weren't doing anything that went against the Cardinal Ruler, and things were even stricter back then. I wondered if Mavie had made things even worse now.

I didn't have to wonder for long. Just being in her presence was suffocating enough. Even though there didn't seem to be any malice in how she perceived Arika, I didn't like it. I could sense the same displeasure in others as well.

We were all tense when Mavie took Arika's hand. Since Mavie was the Empress, her powers were not disclosed to everyone. I always speculated that she was some sort of reader, like me. However, I could only read people's emotions. I was sure that Mavie's powers went beyond that. She could read people's memories, their past and most likely, their futures.

Very few people knew about her powers. Those who knew were mostly her bonded. Anyone other than that was executed. It was why I never risked discussing it with anyone, but I was sure she could read others.

I read Mavie and Arika's emotions to know what Mavie was looking for in her. I immediately felt Arika's discomfort and nervousness, but Mavie seemed shocked after reading Arika. I couldn't tell what exactly she found out about Arika, but it was shocking enough for Mavie. I could get this much only before Mavie dismissed us.

"What was that?" Arika asked as a guard led us to our accommodation. Arika was nervous, shocked, puzzled and a lot many things. Her emotions quickly overwhelmed me.

"She was looking for something," Ivret replied quietly. He seemed to be in some distant thought regarding his past with Mavie. I always speculated that he was one of those few people other than Mavie's bonds who knew about her true powers. She definitely must've revealed it to him.

"Looking for what?" Arika asked, shaken. I placed a hand on her back and stepped closer to ease her a bit, but my small gesture went unnoticed by her. Arika was too stunned to pay attention to anything around her.

A part of me couldn't believe I could finally read her emotions. It pleased me, but at the same time, her feelings flooded my senses. They were too powerful for a human. I'd never felt something so intense, even in a dragon.

"Only she knows," Ivret sighed deeply. He'd been the most tense. "But we're sure for now that she won't take you away," Ivret said.

"Why would she take me away?" Arika asked.

"We can't take any chances. It feels like a set-up to me," Radrox said. It was the first time he'd spoken up. He'd been silent and plotting in his head if situations headed south. He always liked to be over-prepared for everything. While that was a good thing and often saved us from a lot of trouble, it also got annoying when he refused to adjust his plans.

"No, answer me first. Why would she take me away?" Arika demanded, turning around to face us. "I'm tired of this shit. You all talk about me as if I'm not here and expect me to know everything on my own. This isn't going to work." She hissed. She was angry because she felt out of place. This place daunted her, and I'd have felt the same if I were in her shoes, but we'd been too caught up in the mess to sit down with her and tell her everything.

"I need to see the Milth," Radrox said, ignoring Arika's irritation and leaving before she could curse him out.

"And what about you two? Planning to leave me as well?" She hissed at us.

"I'm sorry, Arika, but I need to meet some officials. I'll see you soon," Ivret said, leaving Arika with me.

"Guess I'd be the one keeping an eye on you," I said before she could spit fire at me. If anything, my words angered her even more. I'd have found it amusing at another time, but she was tense in this situation.

"I hate you all so fucking much," Arika spoke before storming away after the guard. I followed her, hot on her tail, as I picked at her emotions. She was mad and frustrated. I should've chosen better words, but I'd already made the mistake.

"Hey, listen," I called for her, but she ignored me like thin air. The guards left us after we reached the wing assigned to us. We were finally alone, and I decided to take advantage of that. My dragon found the thought utterly pleasing because he'd been anxiously waiting for the bond to be created so he could feel more connected to her. But now that we had marked her and the bond was created, things were in turmoil.

This needed to be fixed.

"Arika, listen. It's— wait, where are you going?" I asked when she entered the room and was about to shut the door on me. But before she could lock me out, I blocked the entrance.

"Arika," I growled, "You wanted to talk, so let's talk,"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore," She hissed, trying to close the door on me, but I was adamant. I pushed the door and barged in, but she stormed away, determined to get away from me. If anything, it made me follow her as she stormed to the other door in the room and tried to get behind it. I barged in, and she let out an annoyed groan.

It was a small closet that could accommodate only two of us. I pressed my back against the door and smiled at her. She had nowhere else to go right now. I sensed her annoyance growing at this. She glared at me, huffing with anger.

"Why not leave me alone when I wish to be left alone now?" She hissed at me. However, her emotions said otherwise. She didn't want to be left alone now that she was with me in this small space. I could feel her thoughts growing more and more heated now that she was stuck with me here.

"Do you really wish to be left alone, leshka?" I purred, closing the distance between us until there was no more space between us. "Or is this mere talk? Because I can feel what's going on here," I said, pointing to her chest. My mere words flooded her with arousal immediately.

However, her gaze grew more fierce as if that'd help mask her need for me. It made me smirk at her. There was no hiding anymore. Previously, it would have confused me, but now, everything is clear. She said one thing but meant a different thing.

"Oh, you do?" She asked, her eyes blazing fiercely as she pressed her front against mine. "Not like it matters because you're going to run away like you usually do. Actually, I think I know what to do to make you leave me alone," Arika said, and suddenly, I felt nervous.

"What are you going to do?" I asked because, for some reason, her emotions stopped flowing through me.

"Can't you guess?" She mused, reaching for my pants.

~

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