Chapter 44
Five
“Oh my god, I just want to see the sun again…” I complain to the little dragon, who isn’t so little anymore. I’ve been giving him my food since he is always hungry despite eating the rats and the bugs inside the prison cell.
The dragon, named Henrik by my choosing, has grown from th: rize of a small from to now the size of a large house cat. His blue scales glisten brighter than ever before and his frame has bulked up, becoming more muscular and agile as he hunts. The iridescent sheen on his wings catches the minimal light in the room, making them look like they’re woven with threads of starlight. His eyes, once an innocent violet, now glow a fierce purple, reflecting undisguised courage.
Suddenly, Henrik’s jewel–like eyes dart to a fat rat scurrying across the stone floor in search of crumbs. Like a miniature bolt of lightning, he launches himself from my lap, streaking across the room in an explosion of speed. In seconds, a crunch echoes around the cold stone walls, and Henrik is gulping down his catch.
The dragon burps unapologetically after guzzling the rat and nudges himself onto my lap again, pleased with his recent kill. He feels heavier, but I don’t mind. I giggle at my not–so–little dragon and stroke my hand over his scales.
“If you keep growing, it will be hard to keep you hidden.”
‘It will be okay, mama,‘ his eyes meet mine. ‘The other room is big. There is plenty of space to grow.”
I glance at the other room and decide he is right. It’s larger than the room we are currently in, and the ground is made of mud–if anything, Henrik could dig himself a bigger space to grow in, but…I don’t think he will get that huge?
*Mama is very quiet,’ Henrik purrs as he nuzzles his snout into the crook of my arm, sighing in relief once he is. comfortable.
“I’m just thinking…” I mumble.
‘About?‘
“You.”
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He chuckles. “What about me?”
I hesitate before asking. “How big are you planning on growing?”
“Big.”
“How big?”
‘Big enough to escape.”
I laugh at that and stroke his back tenderly. “That sounds lovely.” It does. I just don’t think I have enough time to wait for Henrik to grow. My b*dy is in pain, and a week from now, there will be a blood moon–the perfect time for Alpha Johan to perform the ritual on me.
I shiver at the thought of having my ice magic stolen. What’s even worse is that they also intend to get rid of my inner wolf. It’s a horrifying realization–who will I be when my identity is ripped away from me? Surely, no longer good old Five….
Hours turn into days and with every passing moment, Henrik grows stronger, more aware of his abilities. He is too big to fit through the hole now, and grumbles on the other side.
“Why can’t you come through the hole?‘ he asks, clearly bitter about not being able to cuddle with me for the last couple of days.
What can I say? It’s been too risky to push myself through the hole to hang out with my child. The guard has been watching me like a hawk since there are just two days until the ritual.
“Because the guard has been watching me, my love,” I murmur through the stone, pressing my forehead against the chilly surface. “You know I would come to you if he weren’t keeping such a keen eye on me.”
Henrik whines on the other side, and I can almost feel his sadness. It’s a palpable thing, like a cloud of sorrow. I
feel guilty listening to it.
I sigh in defeat. “I will come to your side tonight.”
The whole ground rumbles, and my eyes widen. Just how big is he getting in there?! I’m forced to hold on to the wall as he continues doing a happy dance.
‘Yes!” he exclaims through telepathy. ‘Finally, I will be able to sleep in Mama’s lap!”
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Somehow, I doubt he will be able to. I have a feeling he is much, much larger than me right now…
“Five?!”
I lift my head when the guard comes down the stairs and Henrik immediately grows silent. I think he can conceal his scent or something because so far, there hasn’t been a single guard who has noticed him.
“Since you’re soon going to die, the Alpha has prepared quite a luxurious meal for you,” the guard says as he approaches my prison cell. “I said it’s way too much food for a extremely generous. A few other guards are bringing the rest…”
nourished woman such as yourself, but he felt
The guard’s voice trails off into a sneer, his thin lips curling into a smirk as he sets down a tray laden with food before the bars of my cell. Even though I don’t want to accept it, I know that Henrik needs it. He is a growing boy and that’s plenty of food to help him become big.
“Thank you,” I utter as sincerely as I can muster. The guard only sneers at my gratitude, spits on the ground, and leaves. My eyes are glued to the tray of food: a whole roast chicken that smells heavenly, with plentiful sides. My stomach growls, but I push the hunger away. Right now, it’s Henrik who needs this more than me:
I wait until the echoes of the guard’s footsteps have completely disappeared before inching towards the tray. I tear off a chunk of succulent chicken and start pushing pieces through the hole linking our cells.
Henrik pounces onto the morsel instantly, gulping it down before nudging the stone wall for more. “Mmm,‘ he rumbles in satisfaction, ‘So tasty!”
‘Make sure you chew properly,‘ I remind him as I keep feeding him.
When he is done with the chicken, I catch his large purple eye looking through the hole. ‘More?”
“Soon,” I whisper. “The guard said there would be other guards bringing down more food.”
A loud gurgle echoes against the walls, and I laugh. How is he still hungry after eating an entire roast chicken?
“You’re still hungry?”
‘Very hungry,‘ Henrik sighs heavily. “I’m hitting another growth spurt soon. Need food.”
I pat the stone wall, my heart heavy with concern. “Hold on, love. More is coming soon.”
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Suddenly, the sounds of heavy footsteps echo through the narrow corridor outside my cell. Two guards appear, lugging another tray between them. This one is heaped high with food, more than enough for Henrik’s growing
appetite.
“Here you go, bitch,” one of the guards grumbles, setting down the tray with a clatter before retreating back up
the stairs.
“Thank you,” I whisper again to their backsides, a bitter taste in my mouth.
As soon as they’re out of sight, I get to work. With swift movements, I begin pushing food through the hole to
Henrik’s side of the cell, his excitement evident in his impatient whines.
‘Please hurry,” he pleads. ‘So hungry.
“I know.” The sound of my voice is soft and soothing as I continue feeding him. “Eat slowly.”
‘Mmm…so good.‘ The rumble of satisfaction hums through the stone wall beneath my hand.
Once Henrik has consumed all that he can hold and falls into a contented slumber, I finally allow myself to eat from what remains: a few chunks of bread and cheese and a small apple. It’s not much, but it’s more than I’ve had in days.
As I gnaw on my scant meal, my mind begins to race with plans. Time is running out; only two days left until the blood moon rises and Alpha Johan attempts his insidious ritual. And while Henrik has grown and grown fast, he is still too young and untrained to fight against an Alpha wolf.
But there has to be a way out of this dungeon – a way to save both myself and Henrik. We’ve already survived so much; together, we’ll find a way to beat this, too.
‘Mama?‘
“Yes, love?”
‘Where are my daddies?”
I’m a bit shocked that Henrik knows I don’t have just one mate but two of them. Then again, Henrik claims to be my magic baby reborn, so how is this weird again?
“I don’t know…”
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And I really don’t. The twins should have noticed I’m gone by now, and since they are smart, they should also have figured out I’m kidnapped and not just want to spend time on my own. Sure, we fought, but I would run off for this long. I’m not THAT childish…right?
I sigh. I hope they don’t think I abandoned them and that there just aren’t any tracks or signs to where I’ve been taken? Surely, they would have saved me by now if they knew Alpha Johan had taken me.
“Mama?‘
“Mhm?”
‘I can’t sleep…
I smile to myself and remember my promise: I’m going to crawl through the hole and spend time with Henrik.
“Is there space for me in there?” I ask jokingly, but Henrik doesn’t laugh. He is scarily quiet.
‘Umm… I’m growing.”
I blink. “But there is space?”
He goes very quiet before saying, “Some.”
What does he mean by that? Just how big is my little child growing in there?
“Can I fit in there with you?” I insist, my hand reaching out to feel for the hole. It’s big enough for my arm, will be a struggle to get inside. I wince as the sharp ends of the broken stones scrape against my skin, but! suppress a cry.
but it
‘Try… Henrik’s voice trembles slightly.
Pulling back, I examine my scraped arm before twisting around to position myself against the hole. “Take a deep breath,” I instruct him as I start inching into the opening. The stone grazes against me, but there’s just enough room for me to squeeze through.
As soon as I crawl through the other end, Henrik’s large purple eyes capture me in their gaze. He is curled up in the far corner of his cell, surrounded by remnants of our last meal. His massive dragon–like b*dy takes up most of the space. He is easily the size of a Shire horse.
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The sight of him takes my breath away. “Oh, Henrik…” My heart clenches at how fast he’s been forced to grow, at how quickly his childhood was taken from him.
…or maybe dragons are supposed to grow this fast. Regardless, he doesn’t seem happy about his enormous size and tries to press himself against the wall.
“Mama,‘ he whimpers, and even though he’s physically enormous, at that,ment, he seems so small and vulnerable. ‘Am I too big?”
“You’re not too big; you’re perfect,” I murmur, edging closer towards him. Every step is a cautious one, fitting my b*dy around his scaled form until I can reach out and touch his large snout.
He shivers under my touch, pushing his snout against my hand in a silent plea for comfort. ‘Missed you…
“It’s okay. I’m here now, and I’m staying all night,” I whisper again and again until his trembling lessens and he allows me to cuddle up against his belly.
There we stay as minutes trickle into hours, huddled together in the semi–darkness of our shared cell. My mind whirls with unanswered questions and desperate plans of escape while Henrik merely exists in his innocent curiosity about the world outside these walls.
“Mama,” he says after a while, breaking the silence.
“Yes, love?”
‘Tell me about my daddies…”
So, I do. I tell him about the twins and how we met, our fights, and the bullying. Henrik growls when he finds out they were mean to me at first, but he calms down once I tell him about the twins‘ kindness and how they have grown to care for me. Henrik purrs at that, and I go on.
I tell him about how I discovered my powers and when Eric died and returned as a hybrid. Henrik finds Eric’s bloodthirsty side scary and asks if Eric would hurt him, but I assure him that his daddies would never harm him.
When I finally run out of stories, Henrik is quiet again, digesting everything he has heard. His gaze is far away, lost in a world he has only ever known through my tales.
‘I want to meet my daddies… Henrik finally admits.
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A pang of despair hits me. My child should not be locked away like this; he deserves to know the warmth of his fathers‘ embrace. To understand what it’s like to be loved by them just as much as I do.
“I know,” I whisper, hugging him tighter. “We’ll get out of here soon. We have to.”