13. Kara

Arelentless banging on the door wakes me from my slumber. I stretch and yawn, feeling absolutely wonderful, and then I remember why I'm in bed. Why my eyes feel slightly swollen. I tighten my grip on the pillow and stare at the locked door that rattles with another loud rapt, rapt, rapt knocking.

"Kara, open the damn door!" He sounds furious, and even as my heart races, I swallow down the fear and hold onto my conviction. I'm glad I managed to piss him off. He lied to me, and I don't want him near me.

I almost yell for him to just go away, but then I smile, knowing it'll piss him off even more if I simply ignore him. My smile vanishes as quickly as it came. What I felt was one-sided. His intention was purely to impregnate me. He only wanted to use me and breed me. I clench my thighs and close my eyes in shame. Why the fuck does that turn me on?

I shake my head. It doesn't matter that I'm aroused by the notion. This isn't like being his pet, where we both knew every angle of the relationship. This was him lying to me. Him using me without me knowing. My heart clenches and the pain shoots through my chest to the point where my palm naturally rubs between my breasts to try to dull the agony.

I still don't understand the pull he has. I don't understand why I feel as I do. But I know he lied to me, and all life has ever taught me is that I should have known better than to trust him.

"Open the door!" He bangs again. "Kara!"

Another hard series of Bang! Bang! Bang! jolts my body. I wish he'd just break in or give up; my head is fucking pounding from all the noise.

A moment of quiet passes, and I nearly think he's left, but then I hear his voice, much quieter, but more placating.

"Kara, treasure, please open the door." I can't help but feel a slight shift of warmth inside of me at his gutlessness. "Kara, please say something."

With worry coating his tone, I instantly feel guilty. I don't mean to make him worry. Although I'm too ashamed to say it doesn't bother me all that much. I want him to suffer for being such a deceitful prick.

"Kara, say something." He makes his demand through the door, but again I continue to ignore him. Even though my heart is pleading for me to cave.

"Kara, say something. Yell at me, I don't care. Just say something."

"No!" I roll my eyes at the word that leaps from my throat. No? Now he has proof that I'm not being rational. I groan into the pillow.

"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."

"I'm leaving when you see I'm not pregnant."

A look of pure hurt crosses his face and I almost regret my words. Almost.

He reaches for my hand and takes the key from me. I give it up easily, making sure his skin doesn't touch mine, and I take a step back. I don't want him to touch me. His touch is a drug to me, a spell I wish I could break.

"I'm taking this though. There's no reason for you to lock the door."

"Why didn't you just break it down?" He looks at me with pain in his eyes.

"Sit down and I'll tell you."

"I don't care enough to obey you." I walk away from him to go wash my heated face down with cool water. I look back over my shoulder to add, "I'm not your pet anymore."

I have to admit I'm curious. But he doesn't get to command me anymore. I won't submit to someone I don't trust. To someone who was going to use me and spit me out when I didn't produce an heir for him. I'm all too aware how much he could hurt me. I wish he'd just do it, just show me the monster he is so I could stop feeling so much for him. That's going to hurt me in ways no beast can.

His footsteps are heard over the sound of the running water. My fingers slip beneath it, feeling how cool it is and waiting for it to warm just slightly.

His question is murmured. "Have you heard of the purge?" He sighs deeply as he takes a seat on the bench by the large soak-in tub that he bathed me in. Peeking over my shoulder, I'm caught in his gaze, which shines with grief and memories that never leave. I nod my head and swallow thickly.

"I've been told stories," I answer him. One dragon wanted all the wealth, all the power. He tricked the others into a gathering and decimated them. All but the three young dragons. It's rumored they possess a dangerous combination of magic. My body shudders as I remember how scared I was when I first walked into the throne room. To see the three of them, together. It's a truly intimidating sight.

"So you know how my uncle killed the other dragons and then tried to kill us?" I turn sharply at the counter to face him.

"Your uncle? That's awful. How could your own family betray you like that?"

"Yes, he was my uncle." With my back to the vanity, I grip the edge of it and watch Drago as he tells me the story. "My mother was a magic dragon, like Cyrus. She had the most beautiful green eyes. It's all I really remember about her." My heart aches for him, knowing how painful it can be to lose everyone in your life. Well almost everyone, save his brothers. At least I knew it was coming. I always had someone up until last week.

"She sealed the doors when the purge happened. She used the last of her strength to seal each of our doors with her magic." He isn't emotional speaking about it. But I can still feel his pain. "We listened to it. To their screams. It was over quickly, believe it or not. It can't have been more than minutes that passed." My eyes fall to the floor as I imagine such tragedy. I want to go to him and comfort him. But then I realize that's probably what he wants. Is he using this to get to me? To make me surrender and cave to him. I hate the feeling of betrayal that comes over me.

"With the key in the locks, no harm will come to those concealed by the doors."He looks past me to his bedchambers. "Luckily he wore himself out trying to get our doors open." He shakes his head. "My uncle was a brute but a coward." Anger fumes from him as his eyes flash red. "He was so tired from trying to get through the door he didn't see as Cyrus's magic lulled him to sleep. He was too afraid to call out to us and risk waking him though. So he stayed in his room listening to our uncle breathe on the other side of the door until Galen and I gathered up the strength to open our doors. I will never break down the door...it's all that's left of our mother."

"I'm sorry, Drago." My voice is hoarse and cracks at the end. He stands and makes a move to brush my cheek as my eyes turn glassy with tears, but I turn away from him. My heart aches worse than ever before, and at this point it could be a number of things causing the pain.

After a long moment of silence, he says, "I'll give you space, but you need to eat. I still want to feed you."

I don't bother trying to suppress the need to roll my eyes. "I'm not going to starve myself over you, Dr—" I'm stopped by his hand suddenly grabbing my chin.

"I'll give you space, treasure, because I know you need time right now. But watch your mouth, Kara." He leans down and steals a forceful kiss from me. His lips are like fire, and they burn a deep need inside of me. I'm breathless as he pulls back, my heart hammering at his brutal touch. "I'm keeping tabs of all your insolence."

He lets go of me and moves his hand away fast enough that I can't do a thing but attempt to regain my balance.

He scents the air and looks at me with a threat dancing in his eyes. My cheeks burn with embarrassment. I wish his threat didn't just send an intense wave of arousal to my core. "No pleasuring yourself, treasure." I part my lips but bite back my snide comment as his heated look meets mine. I glance down and see his hardened dick and then back up to him.

"So you can get yourself off all you want while I have to be in discomfort because you're a lying prick?" I huff out in anger. "You forgot, I'm not your pet to boss around anymore."

"Watch it treasure; you're really pushing me." His eyes spark red and I can practically feel his beast. I want to push him. I want him to hold me down like he did last night. I want him to punish me and own me. He takes a sharp inhale, sensing my need for him. I quickly close my eyes and turn back to the sink. Ignoring the sexual tension between us.

"I'll be back here for lunch."

"I already ate." It's a lie, but he can't know that. He opens his mouth to question me but then he seems to remember the tray on the bed, and he literally curses under his breath. I bite back my smile.

"I'll see you for dinner then."

"Fine." I agree just so he'll leave me. But he stays and watches as I wash my face.

I pat my skin dry with a plush hand towel and catch his eyes in the mirror. "What?" I keep my tone even.

"I truly am sorry, Kara. And I do love you." I stare at him for a moment. I want to believe him, but I don't. There's no reason he should love me. He only loves that he thinks I could give him dragonlings.

I pace back to his bedchambers, walking around his large form. I say without looking back at him, "I'll see you at dinner, Drago."