Chapter 14 - Lily

I’d been in and out of sleep all day. With only the fruits from the basket as my sustenance for today, I grab an apple and bite into the crisp flesh.

The juicy fruit isn’t as sweet on my tastebuds as it should be. I know it’s because I haven’t had much of an appetite after spending most of my day wallowing in my sorrows.

With Kairo’s absence from the day, I’m left to once again reminisce over the family I’ve left behind.

Or rather, the family I’d been stripped from when Draco abducted me and brought me here. Wherever this place is. The small glimpse of the outer edges of my prison wasn’t enough to build a clear picture. After all, it’d been nighttime, and nothing seemed familiar enough to draw a clear picture from.

Another night befriends me as the sun sets with an orange glow. The mystical hues eventually fade, leaving the silver rays of the moonlight to filter through the blinds. I stare forlornly at the hazy mist on the window, longing to see beyond what appears to be a shield.

There’s a reason I can’t see past it. Whether it’s a good one or not, I haven’t quite figured it out yet. All I do know is that I’m here for Draco’s twisted reason.

The dragon man expects me to give birth to dragon children for him. A dignified sex slave of sorts. If there’s any dignity in what he is.

He’s a monster that haunts nightmares. Even if he’s the man who brought pleasure into my dreams.

Sighing with a heavy heart, I drag my feet toward the bed when the door comes crashing in. It’s the first sign of life from outside ever since Draco left this morning.

But I’m relieved when Kairo comes rushing into the bedroom.

“Lily!” she exclaims, seemingly out of breath. Her cheeks are flushed as if she’d been running a marathon to get here. It makes me wonder what the rest of this place looks like. But my imagination doesn’t have the opportunity to run wild when Kairo waltzes across the room and pulls me into a hug.

“Oh, my God!” she breathes with exasperation as her arms remain tightly wound around me. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Chuckling nervously, I draw back to frown at her. “What’s going on?”

“Pfft!” Kairo blows a heated puff of air as she flings herself onto the bed. “My brother, of course. He knows I’m the one who left the door open.”

I giggle as I join her on the bed. “So you were punished for it?” I titter. “I’m not sure if I even want to thank you for doing what you did.”

Kairo sits up and stares at me with wary eyes. “Did you get to explore much of this place?”

I shake my head, avidly avoiding her eyes when I say, “Not much. I erm—I encountered Draco. And he wasn’t pleased at all.” I can’t bring myself to tell her what happened last night. But I’m not lying by admitting that I hadn’t been able to explore.

“Clearly not,” Kairo says remorsefully. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

“What for?” I frown.

“For everything…” Kairo reaches for my hands, delicate fingers providing comfort as she takes my hands onto her lap. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Then how was it supposed to be?” I press gently.

Kairo takes a deep breath before she begins explaining. “I am a dragon-shifter. So is my brother.”

“A dragon-shifter?” I mull out loud. So that’s what they call themselves. Shifting from the shape of a human to a dragon. “So, where am I?”

“This place is called Aurora Island.”

“Are we still on Earth?”

Kairo giggles as she gives my hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Yes, we’re still on Earth. And my kind isn’t there to harm the human race. Instead, we protect you.”

“By kidnapping young women and holding them prisoner in a luxurious bedroom?” I quip as I stifle my humor.

“No, of course not!” she defends. She calms down when she sighs, then goes on, “We are immortal beings. And we’ve suffered great losses in the past. Because of that, we’ve been faced with a crisis. The males in our clan don’t have females to mate with.”

“C-clan?” my voice trembles. “There’s more of you?”

Kairo nods. “My family’s name is Vulkan, and we are the ruling family of the Western clan of dragons called the Aurora Dragons. My brother, Draco, is the Alpha of the clan. The leader.”

I nod slowly as I process the information. “And I’m here to produce children for him?”

Kairo inhales sharply. “So you know about that?”

When I nod, Kairo turns to me with an apology in her eyes. “Like I said, it wasn’t meant to be this way. It’s just that…” she sighs. “... Draco doesn’t believe that a human mate is capable of bearing children. You see, the elders have decided to follow an age-old tradition of mating with humans. And my brother doesn’t agree with it.”

“Why?” I feel compelled to ask. It shouldn’t matter. In fact, I should be furious that I’d been brought here against my will. Kidnapped, without a choice.

Yet, deep down, there’s a strange pull toward the dragon-shifters. Not just Draco, but the dragon girl who sits beside me, holding my hands. She’s the closest thing to a friend I have here, on the island. And I can’t ignore that I’m drawn toward both of them.

Kairo shrugs. “He’s an egotistical brute,” she chuckles dryly. “He thinks humans are—”

“Weak and fragile?” I scoff. “Yeah, I got that.” I sigh forlornly as memories of our passionate tryst come to mind. How Draco saved me from falling to my death. And I can’t help but wonder, “What is he like when he’s not being mean?”

Kairo perks up at my question with a smile. “Oh, he’s wonderful, Lily. He’s the most caring out of all my brothers.”

“Really?” I stare into the void, wondering what he’d be like. “I would really like to meet that version of him.”

A pair of footsteps emerge from the bedroom door as if on cue. Kairo and I look up in horror, realizing she hadn’t closed the door behind her. We give each other’s hands a tight squeeze for reassurance.

And when Draco appears at the doorway, she hangs her head bashfully.

“Brother, I—” she begins as she stands up, but Draco cuts her off.

“It doesn’t matter, Kai. I—” he clears his throat, eyes darting to me for only a split second. Luckily, Im able to dodge behind Kairo. “I brought dinner for Lily.”

Kairo nods and moves aside, exposing me to the watchful eyes of the dragon man. Or rather, the Alpha of the dragon-shifters. A term Id only just learned about.

As soon as our eyes meet, I feel my body tensing up. A fire deep inside sparks, and its anger I feel toward him.

His parting remark from this morning plays in my head. I dont want to be around him because of how he feels about humans.

“You didnt need to bring me supper,” I remark as he comes over. I turn my face away, tilting my chin defiantly as I cross my arms. Refusing the hearty meal, my tummy protests. But I maintain my stance.

He brings out something fierce inside me. Like the flick of a switch, I turn on arrogance as if its innate.

“Suit yourself,” he scoffs as he sets the plate on the nightstand. “Its not like Im the one who needs to eat.”

“Even if I do, Im still a measly human, right?” I follow him with a challenging glare.

He stops and turns, a smirk curling his lips. “Oh, nothing will change that. But if you want to live, you should probably eat.”

Throwing up a skeptical brow, I retort, “And if I dont follow your orders, I suppose youll kill me?”

Draco crosses his arms over his chest, that frustrating smirk still playing on his lips. “I told you already, Lily…” There he goes, saying my name like its delicious. “If I wanted to, I could have killed you already.”

“Anything would be better than being cooped up in this room,” I sneer as I roll my eyes.

“Were better off without you roaming the castle,” he throws back flatly. “You saw what happened the moment you got out.”

“No thanks to you,” I spit venomously, only to be interrupted when Kairo slaps her palms against her thighs.

“Oh, my God!” she exclaims with exasperation. “You two need to get a room!”

I catch onto Kairos double innuendo, paying little attention to what shes implying. Sure, we need to get a room to breed dragon babies.

For the benefit of their kind.

But its the palpable tension in the room between Draco and me that she doesnt know about.

Tossing him an obstinate scoff, I turn my face away. He shakes his head, and I know hes had enough of my antics.

It brings me great satisfaction, knowing I have that effect on him. Serves him well for everything hes done so far.

Or hasnt done, as Kairo pointed out. It shouldnt be this way…

Perhaps I wouldnt be locked up in this bedroom.

“Would you mind giving us a moment, Kai?” Draco asks his sister.

Kairo turns to me with concern flashing in her eyes. “Ill see you tomorrow, Lily.”

I offer her a nod before she takes her leave, seemingly unconvinced. She glances back when she’s at the door, gulping as if she’s afraid to leave us alone.

If only she knew…

“What do you want?” I ask flatly, pointedly avoiding looking up at him.

He clears his throat before he begins pacing the room, his hands behind his back.

I steal a quick, discreet glance at him and catch the way his biceps bulge as he strolls around the room. His jaw was clenched, and he seemed to be in deep thought. When he finally stops pacing around, he lifts his head and stares at me.

“I don’t want anything from you,” he says with little emotion. “Nothing that I haven’t already gotten.”

His last remark infuriates me as I realize that really is all he wanted—to make me his sex slave. Rolling my eyes, I scoff under my breath as I stand up and head to the door.

“Open this door and let me leave,” I say sternly. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

There’s a moment of silence before I hear his footsteps behind me. I shudder from awareness as those footsteps grow louder. Then they stop. I gasp when I can feel him behind me, his heated presence enveloping me in an invisible embrace.

“I’m not gonna let you leave, Lily…” he drawls from behind, his breath a mere whisper at my ear.

“Wh-why not?”

He chuckles sardonically, the sinister sound coursing down my spine and settling in my core. Even though I don’t want it to affect me, it does.

“How do you plan on leaving an island full of dragons?” he challenges.

Straightening my spine, I curl my fists on my sides and hold my chin defiantly. “I’m not afraid.”

“You’re not?” he sneers as he walks around me. Towering in front of me, I have to look up only to find him glowering through narrowed eyes.

“You’re not afraid, huh?” he scoffs. “Is that why you fell off that ledge? ‘Cause you’re not afraid?”

I gulp hard, using that time to think up a suitable retort. Instead, I find myself mesmerized by the glow of his eyes, which seem to turn golden now. As if he’s staring at me blankly, I find myself being reeled into that infinite abyss—the gateway to his soul that appears much less frightening than he is.

Why I can see so far, I’m not sure. It almost feels like I’m an intruder, and I have to tear my gaze away quickly.

“What’s wrong, Lily? Cat got your tongue?”

When I look back up at him, the golden glow is gone. Frowning, I reply, “I want to leave.” It’s not much of a retort, but it’s all I can come up with.

He shakes his head, an eerie smile curling his lips. “I can’t let you leave. This is for your own good.”

“You keep telling me that,” I bite with venom. “And I don’t see how it is.”

“Trust me, when you’re not a weak, pathetic mortal anymore, you’ll know why.”

With that, Draco turns on his heel and opens the door. Stunned by what he’d just told me, I remain frozen on the spot as he leaves and shuts the door behind him.

What did he just mean with his parting remark?