A Pet for the Dragons

95.

RADROX

Nezag's words kept ringing in my ears as I returned to the chambers assigned to us.

It's not about titles, you know that. It's about the magic he carries. The Empress is after that.

Ivret had given up his titles because of this very reason. He'd thought that leaving the title would free him from the Empress' ambition, but it didn't work. She's after him even after all this time... but I couldn't help but wonder why did she chose now.

She could've taken him while he was still in her servitude. She could've taken him after he gave up his lordship, but why now? Why, after all these years?

So many questions warred in my head. Only Ivret could answer these things. He knew a greater deal than he ever revealed to my brother and I. He'd always kept his secrets from the very beginning of our power grouping.

It was initially annoying, but we learned to live with it as long as it didn't affect anything. However, we couldn't let this happen anymore. He needed to tell us what was going on. I wouldn't let him keep his secrets anymore. I'd pull his tongue out if it meant he'd speak again.

The cloud of thoughts cleared from my head when I returned to our chamber. Without my knowing, my feet took me to the bedchamber Arika had been kept in. My dragon stirred at her thought, yearning to be near her and deepen our bond.

Even though we'd marked her, he still wasn't satisfied. My desires weren't different, but I couldn't trust her again. On one side, the Empress was testing us with her political prowess, while on the other, Arika seemed to be crafting the newest ways she could betray us.

I couldn't help but wonder what she might be planning alone in the bedroom.

Alone.

Arika was alone.

This struck fear in me. I'd told Zorge not to leave her side no matter what, but he was gone. I couldn't sense him in the room. Fear tickled my neck.

I ripped the door open to her bedchamber and stepped inside, searching the room for the human who had become the bane of my existence. My eyes darted all over the room until I finally located her sitting on the bed with her back towards the door— another thing that irked me.

I wouldn't have cared about such things had it been the Gallow Castle in the middle of nowhere, but this wasn't our home. It was the Cardinal House. Secrets and dangers lurked between the walls here, and one constantly needed to be careful where they stepped. One wrong move was enough to land you in danger here.

Arika needed to be briefed about these things, but we all had been so caught up in the summoning that everything else had left my mind.

"Arika," I called for her. She straightened up and glanced at me over her shoulder. It was then I noticed that she wasn't alone.

No. There was a child in this room. Not just any child... but the golden prince. I froze as soon as I saw his golden hair and gilded horns.

"What is he doing here?" I asked right away, drawing my hand towards my sword slowly. He might be a child, but something about his aura alerted my dragon. The fact that Arika was close to him made me even more uncomfortable.

"Who are you?" The golden prince asked. He looked like a child, but there was an authoritative infliction in his voice that only adults possessed. I instantly noticed what Nezag had pointed out earlier about the golden prince.

The golden prince was different from the other kids. He looked far younger, shorter and weaker than kids his age, but something about his manner reminded me of a cunning courtier who directs the Cardinal's finger.

"I found him waiting here after I stepped out of the bathroom," Arika told me. I ignored her momentarily and focused on the prince instead, my walls high and my thoughts running faster than ever.

I didn't know why, but my dragon perceived him as a threat, and he wouldn't calm down until I ensured that the prince was out of this room and far away from Arika. The prince analysed me the same way I was analysing him.

"I see. You're one of her bondeds," The prince said, finally moving away from Arika and closer to me. "I was curious to see a human when I heard the Empress had summoned one," He told me, giving me an innocent childish smile, but it looked more like a mask.

"You can leave now that you've seen one," I told him in an abrasive tone, and instantly, the smile disappeared from his lips. His dark eyes hardened on me.

"You dare dismiss a prince?" He hissed at me. His voice was childish, but its threat felt more potent than a war cry.

"I believe a prince like you must have more important things to tend to than fancying a meagre human," I replied crisply, keeping my words diplomatic but my tone abrasive. He seemed to have gotten the message that way.

"What does a red dragon like you know of important matters of a prince?" He sneered at me, heading towards the door. I was relieved to see that he was showing himself out. I was already running low on politeness. However, before leaving, he turned to Arika and said. "We have a lot to talk about, Arika. I'll be back,"

"What did he talk about?" I asked her as soon as that golden ball of arrogance and danger left the room. Arika sat on the edge of the bed, chewing on her bottom lip. She seemed to be deep in her thoughts.

I couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem as disturbed by his presence as much as I was. I wondered if it was her shield at play. Her shield must've been too powerful to resist a prince's magic if that was the case.

"Nothing," Arika said dismissively, keeping her back to me and laying on the bed before pulling the covers over herself. I knew that was a lie. She was hiding something from me. I ground my teeth in frustration because my dragon's yearning for her threatened to cloud all my senses.

"I know a lie when I hear one," I said, fighting my urges. I wanted to give in and let go of it all. For once, I wanted things to be smooth between us so I could give my dragon what he'd been craving, but I reminded myself of her deceitful nature, and instantly, my mind cleared up. It was a good trick— one that my heart and dragon were not too fond of.

"Aren't you getting late for something? Don't you have somewhere to be like Ivret and Zorge? Why bother me now?" She asked coldly.

"You don't talk to your master like that," I gritted. I needed to teach her many lessons... very important ones at that. "And where did my brother go? He was supposed to be with you,"

"I don't know. He left with one of those green dragons. Now go away and let me sleep. I've had a tiring day," She said dismissively. I didn't like that at all. I didn't know what I was expecting from her, but her words disappointed me. But at the mention of green dragons, I froze.

Why did Zorge leave with one of the Cardinal Guards? Was he in trouble? Suddenly, I was thinking about all kinds of things Zorge could've gotten into trouble for. It seemed like my nerves could never get a rest.

"Why did he leave with the guard?" I asked her. She made an annoyed noise and finally turned to me with rage in her eyes.

"You ask questions as if I know everything about this place and as if I'm not someone who'd been thrust here without being given a single hint about anything! How about you tell me what's going on in this place first!" Arika roared. She glared at me murderously, and it should've made me more cautious of her, but no. It fuelled my dragon's desire and unearthed the need I'd suppressed for so long. I didn't know what it was about her rage that drew me to her like a moth to the fire. It was dangerous... and I needed it. I needed to breathe her fire.

"Alright then, it's time for your lesson," I growled. 

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