A Pet for the Dragons

156.

IVRET

I couldn't believe it when I found Arika back in our wing. She was in my room, sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened.

I stilled for a moment, staring at her longer to ensure my eyes weren't lying, and she was indeed back in our wing, in my room, sleeping.

After Mavie took her from me at the Dinner, I did everything I could to stay close to her and watch her. Mavie was aware of this, and that's why she took Arika away, hiding her from me to torture me even more.

The brothers were angry when I returned to the wing without her, but we quickly began searching for her. It was chaos. We searched for her in every place we could.

I was about to visit Mavie's council to help me grant access to one of the restricted parts of the palaces when I felt a pull towards our wing. I didn't know what it was, but I felt this strong compulsion to return to our wing, only to find her back. This was odd, but I was glad that she was back.

As soon as I realised that this was real, I leapt towards her, checking her pulse and checking her body for any wounds. She seemed to be sleeping, completely unscratched. This was another thing that puzzled me, but I was glad she appeared unharmed.

I checked for any spells that might've been cast on her but found nothing. She was completely normal. This puzzled me as much as it gave me relief. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her and pull her into my lap, burying my nose in her hair and taking deep whips of her scent to calm my nerves.

My dragon stirred inside me immediately, wanting to be let out so he could be close to her and ensure that she wouldn't be able to get away from us again. My canines tingled with venom, urging me to sink them into her delicate skin and claim her again just for the sake of my satisfaction.

For a moment, I thought that I had lost her when Mavie took Arika away, while all I could do was stare at her and do nothing. It was nothing less than torture, and when Mavie hid her away from me, I almost lost my mind.

But now she was back and safe with me, and that was all that mattered. I swore to myself to never let this happen to her again. Even though Arika seemed to be deep asleep, I couldn't help but hug her tightly to feel again because her absence made me numb. This was more to assure me she was here than to check her well-being.

"Ivy..." Arika breathed as she stirred in my arms.

"I'm right here. Are you alright?" I couldn't help but ask. I pulled back to look at her face. She seemed to be waking up from her sleep.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you alright?" She asked, yawning.

"I'm fine as long as you're fine," I told her, stroking her face like she was the most delicate thing in the whole realm. I couldn't help but notice how her long dark lashes brushed over the top of her cheekbones whenever she blinked and how her eyes seemed more blue and vibrant while her skin was flush and glowing, making my mouth water.

She giggled at my response, "That's such a cheesy thing to say,"

"I don't know what cheesy is, but I'm glad to have you back. What happened when Mavie took you away? Tell me," I demanded because I couldn't help. Even though Arika seemed awake and well, I kept scanning her for wounds or bad spells but found nothing. This puzzled me even more.

"I...wait..." She trailed off, pushing me back slightly, but I didn't allow that. I was determined not to let her leave my lap until I'd made sure that she was completely unharmed and unhexed in every single way.

"Yes, tell me what happened. How did you get here? Did you return by yourself, or did someone drop you here?" I asked, searching the scents in my room for some clue, but there was nothing.