Välikirja: The Wyvern's Pact

Chapter Sixteen - Unlock The Cell

          After that incident, I hadn't seen Aiden anymore. He was either outside castle walls or inside his room, locked alone. Was he trying to think things out by himself? Was he trying to understand what I had told him last time? Sometimes, I feared what he might do to Safia because of what I had done to him. Would he pour his anger on Safia because I was his mate and he couldn't hurt me directly?

          Because of this, I visited Safia more frequently in her new cell, which was really bigger and better than her old one, and stayed there longer. She had made no improvements, but I still didn't lose hope. I believe that someday, she would become sane again, and we would be able to live happily together, no matter where we lived, as long as we were together.

          It was afternoon after I brought food to Safia when my ears recognized a sanguine voice who was calling out to me.

          "Koshka!"

          With a smile creeping to my face, I turned around and saw a purple, little dragon flying towards me. I opened my arms and let him attack me with a hug. His small body tickled me as he clung to my collarbone. "Chaucer, I missed you," I told him, stroking his back with two of my fingers.

          He hummed, nodding. "Koshka needs to have lunch inside the dining room! The Amaranthines are preparing for the feast."

          "Feast?" I asked. "For what?"

          Shrugging, he shakes his little head. "Chaucer doesn't know, but Koshka needs to be ready for lunch—that, Chaucer knows!"

          I removed Chaucer from my collarbone and let him stand on my palm as I spoke with him. "Will Aiden be coming?"

          "Yes! Yes!" he chirped, bobbing his head with enthusiasm. "It was Aiden who told Chaucer to ask Koshka to dinner."

          So this was his plan, then. This was his plan to be able to get close to me even when I avoided him. He couldn't stay away from me for too long. He needed his energy, his power. Without it, he could get killed.

          "I'll just...help prepare the food, if you don't mind."

          A bright smile made its way to his face. "Does that mean Koshka's coming?"

          "No. Let him suffer. He needs to know that not everything goes according to his plan."

          "But...Aiden needs your help."

          I shook my head as I made my way the kitchen, Chaucer still on my palm. He was very light, so I didn't mind. "I needed his help, too, but that didn't change his plans; he still did what he wanted to."

          "Chaucer wants you and Aiden to be happy together," he purred, enlarging his eyes over-dramatically while looking sad. "Please?"

          I sighed. Sometimes, I wondered if Chaucer was here to help me or to help Aiden have his way with me. It was a bit irritating to see my friend team up with someone I loathed. I felt betrayed. "I'll...I'll think about it."

          He cheers.

          "I'm almost done seasoning this chicken," I told the crowd, garnishing the roasted chicken. "Do you need help getting that bacon ready to be served?"

          Reolus shook his head as he swiftly sliced bacon into thin pieces. "Reolus can take care of this! Maybe Alys needs Koshka's help with the apple pie. The apple pie is Aiden's favorite dessert."

          I looked over my shoulder and saw Alys carrying the apple pie with one hand. That was his favorite dessert, huh? What if I messed up