I paced back and forth in my room, occasionally stopping to try and pull of the armlets, to no avail. Finally, I sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, and held my head in my hands. I couldn't believe...mate? His mate? Why me?
A part of me knew: it was the kinship we felt as animals, the sort of bond that only came with understanding another on the basest level. We were both animal spirits, almost destined for each other.
But the other part of me, the Nobody part, denied everything fervently. I couldn't feel; I had no heart, and neither did he. How could he claim to desire me, when we couldn't feel desire at all? All we had left were echoes of emotions, how our minds told us to react.
It was growing late in the day, and I hadn't eaten since morning. Granted, I could last for a while without food, thanks to the survival training I'd put myself under a while ago, but I could smell something delicious from downstairs. I growled lowly.
I had one of two choice: sneak downstairs and try to grab some food at the risk of it being a trap, or stay up here and suffer. I debated for a few moments longer, and then decided to take my chances.
I stood up and made my way over to the door, opening it carefully.
"Re--"
I gave a short gasp and lashed out instinctively, surprised to see Pashnirix at the door. He jumped back quickly to avoid my attack and raised an eyebrow. "I understand you're still upset with me, but is that really necessary?" he asked.
I frowned and muttered back, "I didn't realize you would be at the door. Trust me, if I knew, you wouldn't still be standing."
Pashnirix sighed. "And here I come, bearing good will," he said sadly with a hint of a smirk.
I moved to close the door on him, but he stopped it with his hand. "Go--"
"I came to invite you to dinner," he said over my protests. "I know you're hungry, Tigress, and I've prepared quite the feast."
My stomach growled at his words, the little traitor. "Fine," I said. When in doubt, follow your stomach.
He led me down to an exquisitely decorated dining room with a table spread out with all kinds of food: chicken, soup, rice, noodles, vegetables, fruits, pastries, cakes--I nearly fainted from sheer joy.
"Oh," I said softly. "You did this all yourself?"
I didn't look at him, but I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Of course," he said. "I am a dragon. We are very self-sufficient creatures, much like yourself."
But I wasn't listening anymore. I made my way to the table and piled a plate high with food, taking a seat at the end of the table. I saw him sit down across from me out of the corner of my eye.
Chuckling lightly, he said, "If I had known that it was this easy to subdue you, I'd have tried this ages ago."
I didn't argue. As it stood, I was thinking of revising my opinion of the dragon. A mate who could cook for me was definitely something worth considering...
I finished my dinner and moved on to dessert, grabbing a handful of strawberries in one hand and a lemon danish in the other. I made a small noise of happiness as I bit into the warm, fluffy pastry. It was delicious.
I licked the extra lemon filling from my fingers, ready to start on my strawberries, when suddenly, I found myself being hauled across the table. I dropped the strawberries to brace myself on the table, suddenly very aware of my lack of chains. Before I could regain my bearings, I felt the warm lick of a tongue across the side of my mouth.
My jaw dropped, and my eyes flickered over to Pashnirix's. There was a tense moment, and then he whispered, "You had a bit of lemon filling on your mouth. I thought I'd clean it for you."
I was in such shock that I couldn't even move, until I saw the glimmer of mischief in his eyes. He released me, casually sauntering over to the door. I growled, slammed a hand down on the table, and shouted, "Dragon! If it's a fight for dominance you want, it's a war you'll get!"
Pashnirix just waved me off, cocky jerk.
