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“Kara, I’m sorry.” The handle jiggles and then he bangs his palm on the door again. “Open the door, treasure.”
“Red!” I shout out the door. He doesn’t get to call me treasure. He broke my trust. “I’m not your pet anymore.” My heart beats so loud I imagine he can hear it.
I’m met with nothing but silence.
After a long moment. He finally speaks. “Kara, it’s almost time for lunch.” I roll my eyes. He can’t lure me out of here with the promise of food. My mouth waters remembering this morning’s meal. A good portion is still sitting on the tray at the foot of the bed. There’s so much cured meat still piled on the tray, I’d probably be good for two or three days.
“Kara, I want to take you to lunch and have you meet some of the residents here. They’re going to take you shopping.” His words are laced with bribery. As if he can buy me pretty trinkets and clothes, and I would be all right with his deceit.
“Not going to happen!” I yell back in a sing song voice.
He bangs on the door again. “Damn it, Kara, open the door!”
“No!”
“Treasure, I’m going to punish your ass?—”
I cut him off and almost open the damn door just so I can yell in his face. I race to the door and scream at it knowing he’s on the other side. “I’m not your treasure! You don’t get to have me anymore. Not when you lied to me!” I don’t even attempt to censor myself. “You were just going to breed me and then what? You didn’t seem too keen on me staying. Or were you just waiting to see if I could even have your…” The words die on my lips. That’s exactly what he was doing. Tears brim and I let them come. He only wanted me if I could have his dragonlings. My hand flies to my lower belly as my lower lip drops.
“Kara, stop it. I know what you’re thinking. It’s not like that.”
I don’t even have the energy to respond. I walk slowly back to the bed.
“Kara!” he screams, but I don’t answer. Not because I want to piss him off, just because I don’t have anything to say back. I’m so bloody hurt. It’s not at all about me or a mate or heat… it’s about dragonlings.
He bangs for a while longer, yells and speaks calmly, he does everything he can to get me to open the door, but I lay on the bed feeling numb as it all turns to white noise.
So what if I’m not pregnant? Galen said my heat has passed. I could be pregnant now with his dragonlings. But I remember Victor talking about how hard it is for women to get pregnant. How it would take years of nurturing a mated relationship and dragons are impatient. I can’t imagine I’d get pregnant on the first try.
“Kara, please open the door.” He sounds both exhausted and defeated. I only barely hear him through my thoughts. I feel used and spent. I don’t want to fight. I only want to get out of here. I slip off the bed and turn the key in the lock.
“I’m surprised you didn’t knock it down,” I mutter as I turn away from the door and walk back to the bed. I don’t get on it though; I stare at it as he talks.
“Kara, treasure.” I turn to him with anger and give him a look to shut his mouth. His eyes widen at my anger, and he puts his hands up as if he’s approaching a wild, wounded animal. “Kara, it’s not what you think.”
“How would you know what I’m thinking?”
“It’s not hard to guess what you’re assuming.”
“Assuming? Okay here’s what I’m assuming. I’m assuming that you were keeping me around until you figured out whether or not I’d be able to get pregnant for you.” I pause thinking maybe I should tell him what the sorcerer said. Maybe I should fill him in on the fact that it takes years of mating and bonding before dragonlings are able to be carried by humans. But I decide not to. I don’t want him to keep me around just to be tossed in a few years if I can’t get pregnant. I feel more for him than I have anyone else, and I could see myself allowing this treatment if only he would pretend to love me. Feeling pathetic, I turn my back to him and close my eyes as if not seeing him will help how badly my heart hurts for what I know I must do. “I want to leave. I’m not staying with you.”
“You are staying with me. Kara, I love you.” I huff a semblance of a sad laugh at his words.
“You’re only saying that because I was able to heat. I know how rare that is for you dragons.”
“That’s not true.”
I point at the bathroom door behind us. “Only hours ago you couldn’t give me a straight answer on how long you wanted to keep me,” I sneer the words remembering how much I wanted him to want me. “But now you love me?” I widen my eyes and force the tears to stay back. My chest feels like something is tearing at my heart and ripping it to shreds.
“I know it sounds bad.” I turn away from him to gather something better to put on than this damn nightgown, but then I stop and press my lips together. I don’t want anything from him. I’ll just leave in this. Whatever. I’ll find somewhere I can stay in exchange for work. I’ll figure out something on my own. I always have. I survive. That’s what I do.
I start walking to the door, but Drago stands in my way. “Move.”
“You could be pregnant with my dragonlings. You will stay here.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.” He’s lost his mind if he thinks that’s happening.
“I’ll leave; I don’t have to stay in the same room.” I’m surprised by how easily he backs down. “I see that you need space so I’m willing to give it to you. I will give you time to settle down and adjust.”
