A Pet for the Dragons

173.

ARIKA

I sucked in a deep breath as my eyes locked with the dragon. His eyes narrowed and zeroed in on me as I slowly pressed my back against the back of the cupboard, hoping the darkness would swallow me. I hoped that he hadn't seen me, actually and that I was over-reacting.

However, all my hopes were shattered when I heard the dragon man's angry footsteps storming towards the direction of the cupboard I was hiding in.

I had been caught. It was too late.

"Hey, wait, what's—" Yvune tried to interrupt, but the dragon man slapped him out of his way and almost leapt towards the cupboard. I clenched my fists, ready to throw hands.

As he ripped the cupboard doors apart, I jumped at him and got hold of his hair. Yvune attacked him simultaneously, managing to get him away from me.

"RUN!" He yelled at me, and I didn't need to be told twice. I bolted towards the door as Yvune and the dragon man struggled on the floor. I let out a string of curses when I found the vault door sealed shut.

I tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. Not only was it heavy, but it also seemed to have been sealed by some runes I had seen previously arranged by Yvune.

By this time, the dragon man had managed to pry himself off of Yvune and turned to me. I ran towards the other end of the room, hoping to find something to arm myself with.

"Where would you go, human?" The dragon asked coldly. The poison in his voice was unmistakable. I shuddered as I tried to find something. "So it's her who has the Empress' eyes. I've always wanted to get my hands on a human,"

"I won't spare you if you touch her," Yvune threatened, putting himself between me and the dragon man.

"Move out of my way, brat," The dragon growled at Yvune, but he kept backing until he was near me.

"There's a way at the very back. It's behind the freezing unit where I store my wasted bodies," Yvune whispered. I kept backing, and the dragon man growled.

"I'm giving you a chance, brat. Hand her over to me and I will—" I didn't wait for him to finish. I ran once I managed to locate the place he was referring to.

As I bolted towards the body storage unit, I heard things crash behind me. I wanted to look behind to see what was going on. I wanted to ensure Yvune was alright, but there was no time.

There was a timer ticking away in my head. I knew I had to get out of here as soon as possible or my body would join Yvune's bodies. I noticed a sharp turn behind the freezing unit and ran towards it.

I heard Yvune following me closely behind. It was a relief, but at the same time, it was terrifying. I kept on running, and when I reached another vault door, Yvune muttered something behind me, making the door fly open.

It made me run faster. Behind us, I heard an explosion. Before leaving through the door, I got a whiff of burnt and decomposed flesh that made me sick to the stomach immediately.

I had to stop briefly to bend down and hurl, but nothing came. I heaved as my insides ached. My feet were hurting, and the cuts on my limbs were burning.

"Come on! We don't have time!" Yvune said, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards one of the corridors ahead.

"Where are we going?" I managed to ask weakly as we ran. I was feeling tired and sore all of a sudden. I wanted to lie down and take a deep nap, but that would be fatal. The dragon man was close behind us, and I couldn't afford to get caught up in this situation.