A Pet for the Dragons

167.

ARIKA

Something cold and hard was pressed against my back. I shuddered, feeling the cold seep into my bones. My skin erupted with goosebumps, and my teeth chattered. It was cold.

I felt some commotion around me, making me stop shuddering momentarily. I tried to open my eyes, but suddenly, my eyelids seemed to be made of granite. They felt so heavy. I sighed deeply, trying to move my body but couldn't.

I didn't have the energy to move, but apart from that, I felt someone holding me down. Whatever it was, it didn't allow me to move even a single finger. I wondered if that was why I couldn't open my eyes.

I tried to shift again, but nothing happened. What was going on? Was this a dream? I wanted to pinch myself to check, but I couldn't move at all.

"She's awake," Someone said beside me. Their voice was almost a whisper. It was soft and silky. I'd never heard it before.

"Should we tell her—"

"She's awake, isn't she?" a voice asked, or rather demanded. I couldn't remember the owner of this voice, but her voice was familiar. I forced myself to remember, but nothing happened.

"Yes, your Majesty. She seems to be awake and we—"

"Have you done the necessary procedures on her?" Demanded the other voice.

Mavie.

It was Mavie. Her name flashed in my head like a firework, which was enough to force me to open my eyes. As my vision cleared, I realised I was in an unfamiliar room. Soon enough, Mavie's familiar face appeared in my vision as she looked down at me with a smug look.

"Hello there," She greeted me with her sickly sweet smile. From this new angle, she looked even more unhinged. "I hope you had a good rest. It's a necessity for growing a baby,"

"Huh," I responded because that was all I could think of at the moment. I didn't know what was going on around me. My brain was taking too long to process whatever Mavie said. All I could do was cluelessly stare at her face while the rest of my brain woke up.

Mavie eyed me momentarily, something uncertain in her eyes before she turned to someone on her side.

"Is she alright? Why isn't she responding properly? Did my spell hurt her? Is she still with child?" Mavie rained her questions.

"S-she's alright, your Majesty. It must be brain fog and nothing more. I'll see that she's fully awake." The previous voice spoke, and suddenly, I was being made to sit up.

My stomach cramped and I winced but as soon as I noticed that I was completely naked, all was forgotten. My hands shot to cover my breasts but no one around me seemed to be interested in that, especially Mavie.

She seemed to be interested in me, or rather something in me.

"Hello there," Mavie spoke, stepping closer to me until she was the only one I could see. "Are you awake now? Do you remember who I am?"

"Of course, I do," I managed to speak as my brain finally processed everything. "Why am I naked?" I had to ask because this was unprecedented.

"I had you looked at," She replied. "You seem to be fine, which is good news, but we're still determining what to do about your heat," Mavie informed, and as soon as her words sank in my head, the brain fog finally lifted and I remembered everything. I remembered my talk with Mavie and I remembered being in Ivret's arms as his blood pooled around us. "Where's he—"

"—he's fine. You don't have to worry about that. Answer me first. Which one of them bred you? We need to figure it out fast for the next step,"

"What do you mean? I need to see Ivret and others fir—"

"You are in no condition to make demands of any kind," Mavie cut me sharply yet with her sickly sweet smile. I shuddered in cold. "Now tell me, whose child you carry right now,"

"What will you do after I tell you?" I asked. Mavie tilted her head to the side as if considering.

"Depends. It's a girl so I will have you keep it. Had it been a boy from anyone other than Ivret, I wouldn't have been so accommodating," Mavie replied, making me shudder again.

"You..." I was a sailor yet all my cuss words seemed to be too bland to describe the atrocity Mavie was.

"Yes, I know, but I'm doing what's necessary in the long run. Now, answer my question. Whose girl you carry? Is it Ivret's?"

I remained silent, not wanting to answer to that. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay quiet for a while. She'd make me speak one way or the other.

Mavie scoffed.

"The only reason I'm not touching you is the baby," Mavie gritted. "But I have other ways of making you speak that would cause no harm to the baby,"

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, blinking tears. I felt so vulnerable and cold in that moment. I wrapped my arms around me, feeling so lonely and cornered. I only felt this way when the orphanage I grew up in would invite witches and mages to test spells on me. This deeply triggered me.

"I thought we talked about this," Mavie sighs deeply. "I just want a baby from you and Ivret. That's all,"

"But why?"

"That's not for you to know," Mavie snapped.

"I'm not giving you anything," I told her.

"You have no say over anything here, Arika. I could just put you in stasis forever and have them shoot you with hormones so you stay in heat and have Ivret's seed injected in you. That'd work too but I want your co-operation in this. That would yield the best results—"

"Oh fuck off!"

"So stasis is it? We'll find out if the girl is Ivret's anyway," Mavie sighed deeply. 

~

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