A Pet for the Dragons

164.

IVRET

Mavie was out to test me. Ceikalyn had warned me about this, but I walked right into her trap as soon as she asked for a healer. And that healer happened to be none other than Samhorg— the dragon I hated the most.

He was one of my oldest teachers and didn't like me much. I still remember how cruel his punishments were when I was a child and would fail a lesson. I loathed him with the suns. The only dragon I hated more than him was none other than Mavie.

And seeing him so close to Arika triggered me. I wanted to leap at him and tear his throat out. Mavie knew what I felt about Samhorg because she looked smug as I glared at her.

However, she was more focused on Arika. Her eyes scanned Arika from head to toe, trying to see through her. I wanted to hide Arika. I wanted to grab Arika and run away from here before they could discover the truth.

I knew what they were looking for in her, the truth. I have known this truth since the day she was conceived.

The three of us were about to be fathers.

And that was just half the truth.

"Give me your hand," Samhorg demanded. I growled when he snatched her hand when she wasn't quick enough. A wave of protectiveness washed over me.

Suddenly, I wished I had a different skill— one that allowed me to create a shield strong enough to keep other skills at bay. I watched as Samhorg forced his essence into Arika and read her vitality.

I was on edge because I could see everything. I could see him concentrating all his energy around her wound and probing it more than my liking. I stalked closer to Samhorg, ready to tear his hand off Arika and run with her, but Mavie sent me a warning look.

I bared my teeth at her, not caring at all.

"It's a peculiar situation but not uncommon. It usually happens when the female has released multiple eggs," Samhorg notified, and I already wanted to tear his head off his body and crush it in my hands.

Arika was still in heat despite being pregnant and it was making her sicker because her other eggs were waiting to be fertilised. Her body was at war with itself and this was making her sicker.

This was a challenging situation even for she-dragons. It was extremely taxing on her because she was a human. I'd tried everything to ensure she'd shed the unfertilised eggs but it hadn't worked.

"What is it?" Mavie asked, her eyes wide and her body tense. She looked like she was on the verge of lunging at Arika and snatching her away. I stepped closer to Arika, trying my best to protect her.

I couldn't help but think of all the ways I could knock Mavie out and escape with Arika and the others. It would be hard but it would be worth it.

"She's with a child yet she's in heat. There must be more eggs waiting to be fertilised," Samhorg explained. I tried to drown his words with my growl but it didn't work. Mavie had heard him and I could already see the madness slowly bleeding into her pitch black eyes.

"Samhorg—"

"What's the gender of the child?" Mavie cut me when I tried to interfere. She sounded deranged, her real persona slowly emerging on the front. She was a mad woman and no one other than me knew her well. I'd seen this before and it didn't phase me much then. But Arika was with me at the moment. I had a lot to lose.

I stepped closer, ready to grab Arika and bolt out of the room in the blink of an eye, but it was late. A bit too fucking late.

"It's a girl," Samhorg answered. And just then Mavie hit me before I could move another inch. Pain wrapped around my spine like a deadly vine as I collapsed on the ground with Arika in my arms.

I wouldn't let her go no matter what. I held her tightly against my body as I felt the rest of the energy leaving my body. It didn't matter. I'd protect her till my last breath.

"Ivy... Ivy," I heard Arika whimpering as my darkness swallowed me. I clutched her tighter, hugging her closer as the rusty scent of my blood coated the air. It didn't matter. Arika was with me. They'd have to cut my arms to free her from my dead body before they could take her from me.

They couldn't... they couldn't...

"Is he awake?" A familiar voice asked.

Radrox.

"No but he's waking up. He's still dreaming," Zorge replied faintly.

"How long until he wakes up? We need to act quickly," Radrox said. I groaned as I slowly became aware of the pain. Whatever wound was causing me the pain, it wasn't healing as quickly as I wanted it to.

"Hey wake up!" Zorge said, slapping my face. "We haven't got time for a nap. We need to be quick. Wake the fuck up!"

"Fuck you!" I growled, forcing myself to open my eyes and stare at what was before me. All I saw was patches of colours and shapeless figures. I blinked hard.

"He's awake. Let's go. Do you think you can melt our cuffs?"

"I don't know but it'll hurt a lot,"

"I don't care. Do it," Zorge hissed. When my vision finally cleared, I realised we were in one of the cells, deep in the dungeon. It was that part of the dungeon from which no one ever returned.

"What's going on— what happened?" I asked, still burning in pain.

"He doesn't fucking remember!" Zorge raged, but Radrox ignored us. He was busy heating the metal on his arms.

"Remember wha—" Everything suddenly came crashing down on me.

"Where's Arika!" I asked, restless. I tugged at my cuffs and in response felt more pain coursing through my nerves. These were the enchanted cuffs to keep one down with pain.

"We don't know but we need to do something. They took her,"

"What do you mean they took her?" I roared. "You two were supposed to look after her!"

"Oh yeah? Tell me what you were doing, diddlebum? She was with you when you were talking to Mavie!" Zorge spat back. I tugged harder against the cuffs, remembering everything in full detail. It helped me ignore the pain and focus.

"Mavie took her to the sanctuary," I gritted, guessing her next move. Now that she knew Arika was pregnant, Mavie would try to put Arika in a stasis to keep the baby as safe as possible while ensuring that Arika didn't protest against her.

"But why?"

"She's pregnant," I growled, tugging hard at the cuffs until everything burned. 

~

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