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Azar nudges my shoulder with his shoe, not getting up from his chair. "Speak up, now, female. You're mumbling."
I grit my teeth and glare up at the pale, annoying lord. "I didn't know he was a dragon," I say, louder. "I thought he was an imaginary friend."
His brows furrow as he gazes down at me. "A what?"
I close my eyes again, struggling to breathe through the pain. "An imaginary friend…that I made him up…in my head…to help with the nightmares."
It's quiet for a long moment, and then Azar nudges me with his shoe again. "Nightmares? Tell me more about these nightmares."
I'd shrug, but I don't have the energy. "Bugs…"
"The Rift?" he presses. "Do you dream of the Rift?"
I manage to shake my head. "Just bugs…and dirt. Filth. Like even the air around me is dirty and I can't ever get clean."
He hums low, as if considering this. "Your dreams. They feel evil?"
"Yes."
"And this dragon, he started talking to you in your dreams?"
"I…guess?" The throbbing in my head seems to lessen a bit, and I swipe at the blood under my nose. "He sensed I was scared. He showed up to protect me. I thought it was all in my mind, though. He never told me anything about himself."
Azar grunts. "When did these nightmares start?"
Why is he so interested in my dreams? "A few weeks ago. About when the large bugs started showing up in the city. I guess they freaked me out enough that I dream about them."
"What bugs?"
I squint in his direction. "What do you mean, what bugs?"
He kicks at my shoulder again, harder, and my head flares in agony once more. This time, Azar grunts too, as if he's being pained as well. "I'm just getting her attention. Calm down," he mutters. "Tell me more about the bugs. What bugs?" He enunciates as if I'm slow. "Explain it to me."
I sit up, dazed. It's hard to think with my head feeling as if it's a burst melon. "I…the bugs." I try to focus. "Some of the people in Fort Dallas have started seeing them. We've always had bugs, but not as big as these. They're the size of cats. Or dogs. Maybe even bigger." I bite the inside of my cheek, because just thinking about them makes my stomach churn. "People are catching them and eating them because there's not enough food to go around."
"Fools."
"And Hightower and I saw them chewing on a corpse outside the gates. It's like they're coming out of nowhere."
Azar leans forward in his plush chair, glaring at me. "Have you eaten them?"
"God, no. Just the thought makes me sick." I press my hand to my mouth.
"Good. Don't. They're just as unnatural as you think."
"Where are they coming from?"
He doesn't answer me, though. He just keeps watching me thoughtfully. Eventually, he says, "You'll show me the people that have been eating them? And where they're finding them?"
I blink up at him. "Right now?"
"Of course not right now." Azar gets to his feet. "Right now you need to fuck my dragon and bind him to you. The sooner you get pregnant, the better."
"W-what?" I stare, not entirely certain I've heard him right. Did he just say I need to fuck his dragon and get pregnant? "Excuse me?"
Lord Azar is unmoved. "You heard me. You know what my program is for, and you agreed to it. You're happy to eat my food and wear my clothes and sleep in my safe beds. Well, now it's time to pay up. I have a dragon that thinks you are his mate. Even if it means I must now collect a new one to guard the fort, it will be another tool in our arsenal. And you"—he points at me—"will make him happy. Play nice with him. Flirt. Flip your hair or whatever it is you females do. Seduce him. And make it quick. We don't have endless amounts of time to wait on you."
I gape, shocked. "You…you expect me to just spread my legs for a dragon? Right now?"
He shrugs, his lean body already heading toward the door of the warehouse. "If you don't, I see no point in continuing this program. If you want your friends to be fed and safe, you'll do as I ask."
I stare at his retreating back, stunned.
I'm not entirely surprised at what he's asking me to do. I knew in the back of my mind that eventually there'd be some sort of payment due. No one gives you food and protection for free. I knew we were being used as lures for dragons. It's just…so sudden. I swallow hard and get to my feet, wobbly.
That's when I notice the manacle around my ankle. I've been chained. It's not like I could run anyhow—there's nowhere to go—but they're making sure I seduce this dragon.
