A Pet for the Dragons

169.

ARIKA

"You need to learn how to address a prince," The boy answered. My eyebrows shot to my hairline as soon as I recognised him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"As usual, I'm snooping around to keep you out of trouble." He gave me an annoyed look. "But it seems you love trouble. Didn't I tell you to leave this place as soon as possible?" he asked, crossing his arms and stepping closer to my enclosure.

Up this close, I could see his features well. He seemed to be in his late teenage years— almost on the verge of becoming a man. If anything, this confused me even more. It had been hardly more than a week and I had seen him switch from a literal child to a young adult. This didn't make sense to me at all.

Did the dragons really grow this quickly? I didn't think so. There must have been something else going on with him—something really, really sketchy.

"You say that as if I could just walk out of here and your mother wouldn't bat an eye? She put me here in the first place," I shot back at him. "And what's up with you? Weren't you just a child the first day we met? How did you grow this big so quickly?" I asked him. As usual, he ignored my questions and looked around, searching for something.

"We need to get out of here before one of them returns," He muttered.

"Dodging my questions like always—"

"— step back," He ordered, ready to break the glass.

"You cannot break it. I've tried—"

"— I said step back," He snapped at me. I glared at him and tried to press myself against the backside of the encasing. I watched silently as he put his fingers together. A slash of light emerged before there were cracks on the glass. I sucked in a breath right before the glass shattered and I was sucked out of the enclosing due to the pressure difference.

Some of the glass got stuck in my skin and my body burned with pain but I endured.

"Quick, we don't have time," He said, taking his cloak off and giving it to me. It was in that moment I remembered that I was completely naked. I couldn't help but feel hot in my face, but there was no time to be embarrassed.

I took his cloak and draped it over me. It fit me perfectly. When I was done putting on the cloak, he grabbed my arm and rushed me out of the laboratory.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"Somewhere unassuming," He answered, his eyes focused ahead. He ran down several empty hallways before he opened a door in the wall I could've never noticed. Beyond the door was utter darkness. For the first time since Yvune's return, I felt anxious.

Was this a good idea?

"Get it," He snapped at me.

"What's in there? Are you locking me away?"

"I'm coming with you. Now be quick. There will be two guards on their round here soon,"

That was enough for me to get in. He followed me before closing the door behind him. Right on time, I heard footsteps outside. We could've been caught!

Yvune's golden eyes blinked back at me before he produced a faint source of light. That's when I noticed a flight of stairs, descending deeper into darkness. I swallowed hard, eyeing the bottomless darkness.

"Come on. We can't be here forever," He said as he descended the stairs. I followed him hesitantly. All I could do now was trust him and nothing more. Silence stretched between us as we both descended the stairs. They seemed to go on forever before we finally reached the absolute bottom. There were no stairs anymore—only a heavy, metal door.

I watched as Yvune fiddled with some of the markings on the door. He seemed to be arranging them in a particular order. The door clicked open as soon as he was done arranging all the markings together.

Yvune pushed the door open and instantly I saw thick clouds of cold, dense air escape the gap the door had created.

"Get in," He ordered. I entered reluctantly and he followed me soon after. It was very cold here and I started shivering immediately. I'd been wet moments ago, and my damp hair had also made part of the cloak wet.

"What is this place, Yvune?" I asked as he secured the door and turned to face the room. He flicked his finger and immediately, the whole room was lit. It was more like a freezer.

I immediately forgot about the coldness when I saw what was in the room. All my years of pirating could've never prepared me for the sight. I wanted to scream but it died in my throat as I looked at the bodies.

Not just any bodys. They were bodies of Yvune, but in different age ranges. In the back of the room, I noticed the same pods I had been encased in. In those pods were fetuses, all in different developmental stages.

"Wh-what is this place?" It took me a long time to find my voice.

"This is my vault," Yvune told me with a huge, creepy smile. A shiver ran down my spine, and suddenly, I contemplated my decision to come here with Yvune.

It seemed like I was in hot water previously but to escape it, I jumped into a pan full of hot oil.

"I know... I know..." Yvune sighed, reading my expression. "I brought you here because this is the only place they wouldn't come looking for you once they find you gone. This is my vault. I store my bodies here,"

"What do you mean by storing your bodies here? And what are those?" I managed to ask. I was still in shock, but I forced myself to talk to ensure I wouldn't completely lose my mind. However, I feared losing my mind once I learned the answer to my question.

"I'm cursed—my body decays. I need to switch bodies now and then to continue living," Yvuen explained, his eyes eerily focused on me. I couldn't help but press my back against the wall, trying to put as much distance between me and the abomination.

"What happened, Arika?" Yvune asked, stepping closer. An evil look in his eyes. "Are you scared of me now?"

~

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