A Pet for the Dragons

143.

ARIKA

I anticipated Zorge would return within an hour and demand to be with me, but that didn't happen. It surprised me, but at the same time, I was glad that he was giving me the space I had asked him for.

With the constant stimulation from the dragons and the looming danger, I didn't have a moment of peace here. I remained in the bath for a while, enjoying the warmth of the water, scrubbing my body and washing my hair before stepping out and drying myself.

My thoughts had slowed down a bit, and I could finally start to think more clearly. I thought about the dinner invite for tomorrow night. We needed to figure out something before that.

I didn't see any problem attending the dinner, but my dragons reacted to the invite as if Mavie had asked me to fight a Kraken. Either they were overreacting, or I was underestimating the situation.

The latter seemed the case because I was still unfamiliar with dragon customs and their politics. Still, their reaction didn't make sense to me, especially Ivret.

I was worried for him of all three because he was bearing the brunt of all the pressure here. Again, I wished I could do something to help him ease his tension. I felt so helpless and... useless.

I picked out a peach-pink dress that was somewhat transparent. It was one of the dresses that the brothers had bought me. I took the time to comb my hair after wearing the dress and took a good look at myself in the mirror.

I couldn't recognise myself at first. I looked very... different. My gentle glowing eyes and the collar had changed everything about my looks. My hair had grown longer than I liked. It was down to my waist, and I could make out several marks over my body through the translucent fabric, especially over my chest. Some were bite marks, and some were slight bruises from rough handling. Nothing painful.

A lot changed quickly, and I was still going through so many changes. It overwhelmed me so much. I wish things could slow down a bit so I could spend some uninterrupted time with my dragons.

I lifted my collar a bit to see the marks under it. They were flaming red before, but now they had somewhat faded. But they were still there. I ran my fingers over the collar, realising how quickly I got used to it.

Just a few days ago, I wanted to get rid of it and spent hours finding a way to undo it, but I hardly thought about it nowadays. It didn't mean I didn't want to get rid of it. I ran my fingertips all over it for the nth time, searching for a lock or something that would set me free from this thing. But I was met with nothing but frustration and disappointment.

I gave it a hard tug, but it didn't do anything as always. I sighed deeply and gave up immediately. I might have to seduce one of the dragons to help me take this off. I liked the idea immediately, but at the same time, it made me even more aware of how time seemed to be against us. It made me feel even more restless for my dragons.

I snapped out of my thoughts due to a slight movement in my peripheral vision. I straightened up and looked at the mirror reflection. I almost screamed in panic, but he covered my mouth before I could make a noise.

"Don't," He hissed at me. I took a few moments to recognise him because he looked very different.

Yvune.

The last time I met him, he seemed like a five-year-old kid, but he seemed to have doubled his age and grew a foot tall overnight.

"How did you— What happened to you?" I asked, groping for words as I spun around to look at Yvune because I found it had to believe the mirror reflection. There seemed to be some enchantment involved. There's no way a child could grow so much this fast.

"That's not important. I cannot be here for long, or the Mage will know I've escaped, which will bring me more trouble. I'm already in a lot of trouble, Arika. I came here to see you for the last time," Yvune spoke grimly. Even his voice sounded different. He sounded like he was about to hit puberty. The unsettling aura he carried with him seemed to have amplified with the changes he'd gone through in this short period. It made me wonder if the two were interrelated.

"What do you mean by last time?" I asked as he shuffled nervously, his eyes darting all over the room as if expecting someone to fade in through the walls.

"Again, that's not important. I'm here to tell you to leave. Leave as soon as possible and never come back. She's planning something terrible, Arika." Yvune warned me darkly, sounding restless and out of breath. I was about to ask him who he meant by she, but the answer dawned on me almost immediately. "I need you to leave now. I cannot stay—"

"—wait!" I grabbed onto his arm before he could get away. Instantly, a jolting sensation coursed through my arm, filling my senses with a sense of doom and darkness, but I didn't let him go. I needed some answers from him. "Tell me what's happening? Why do you want me to leave right now? How can I leave?" I asked. I wanted to ask more, but time wouldn't allow it.

"I don't care how you leave, but you must leave, or it would be too late. I will miss Yko, but I want her to be safe and far, far away from the Mage. I will kill the Mage if he even touches her. I'm going to kill the Mage anyway. It'll piss her off, but this must be done."

"You said she's planning something terrible. What do you mean?" I asked, breathless, as I searched Yvune's face for answers.

"You don't want to know that. You must leave Arika." Yvune said, ripping his arm off my hold. I shot to my feet, ready to pursue him, but he was already gone, leaving only a whisper behind. "Keep Yko safe,"

~

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