Chapter 35

~Javall~

Ignis had been quicker than he expected; it caught him by surprise, and the next thing he knew, a sharp blow to his head made him pass out. The smell of wet stone and the repeated drops of water echoing made his eyes flutter open. A dimly lit cave did nothing to keep his eyes from burning, and the cold, rough stone wall behind him pricked his back. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The air was damp and humid, making it hard to breathe fully. "How assuming." He groans as he tries to stand up, notices the lack of movement, sees his ankles are bound, and so are his hands, but this wasn't just any rope; it was magic suppressant rope. A jolt of unease makes his chest tighten. His head falls back, forgetting the cave wall is ridged, and winces. Javall didn't know how long he had been here, but he knew others would stop at nothing to find him, especially Ursula. 

Now, he had to find a way to break these binds. As he sifts through his thoughts, he hears a soft thud in the darker part of the cave. His eyes narrow as if he could see further in, then he sees the glowing blue eyes; he groans, "Ah, fuck me…" he rolls his eyes. He thought she would just run away and think he would die from hunger, but of course, a Dragon would want to "play" with him. Javall had no idea where this female dragon came from. The woman moved through the cave with a predatory grace; her eyes had him in a trance, but he quickly snapped out of it.

"May I ask what you intend to do with me? I have plans and would like this to be over quickly."

Javall couldn't help but look her human form up and down; her dark hair covered her breasts, and he would be an idiot not to say she wasn't made for man's eye. He quickly turns his head from her, hating the feeling of being slightly attracted to a beast such as herself. But something tells him to look again, those eyes; he had seen them somewhere before. Javall looks at her eyes, and like the spark of ember to fire, it dawns on him. "Well, isn't this ironic?" He pauses, looking over her facial features. "Looks like your Kamari is still popping out reptilian scum."

Ignis kneels before him, her head tilts, and Javall mimics her out of spite. Then, in a split second, she smacks him across the face, but it burns, and he feels the warmth of blood flowing down his cheek. Javall groans and then glares up at her. Ignis smirked, took her finger, glided it over the scar on his cheek, licked it off her finger, locked eyes with her, and didn't look away, "So, how do I taste?"

"Revolting." Ignis stands, spitting out his blood. "Eating you wouldn't be pleasant." She crosses her arms, "Too many bones." 

Javall knew women who would do despicable acts, but he had a feeling Ignis was far worse than them. He couldn't believe Kamari couldn't confront him herself and had her child come to kidnap him. "How pathetic. Your mother can't even face me herself, so she sends her bat-winged children–"

"Whelps. Children are rats." Ignis corrects. She kicks a small stone, and "Father tells me that." Javall stares at Ignis, of course the one called "Nye" would say something like that. He despised them all; they were why he was where he is now. And when he did get free of these binds, even her goddess Kadea wouldn't be able to save Ignis. In a way, this was quite the opportunity for him. "Mother has nothing to do with my actions, and neither does my father." Ignis sits cross-legged in front of him. Javall notices Ignis has Kamari's soft voice and the face you could mistake for innocence that could turn sinister at any moment.

Javall chuckled, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "Oh, I see. So you're a rebel, huh? Breaking away from Mommy's influence and striking out on your own."

His tone was mocking, clearly implying that he doubted Ignis's independence. She looked so Inexperienced in the world of beauty and bloodshed. 

Ignis's innocent face falters at his words, her jaw clenching tighter. "I don't need my mother to tell me what to do," she snaps, her voice sharp as a whip. I have my own mind, my own desires. I make my own decisions."

Javall raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Is that right? Sounds like something a spoiled little girl would say." But he supposed it was only fitting, why wouldn't a mother dout over her little reptilian girl. 

Ignis's eyes glint like a shard of ice, anger piercing from them, her fists clenching at her sides. "I am not a child," she growled. "And I don't have to prove anything to you, a lowly human."

"Oh, ouch," Javall says sarcastically. Javall's smirk widens as he enjoys the effect of his words on her. "Oh, you're not a child? Is that why you're throwing a tantrum like a brat? Or was that just your natural state of being?"

Ignis' face flushed red, her brows pinched together, Javall smirked thinking she looked cute when provoked, her chest rising and falling.

"You're a meaningless flesh bag," she hissed, her voice heavy with restrained rage, "You have no idea what I'm capable of," she grabbed Javall's throat, and he grimaced at the feel of her nails piercing his sensitive skin. She leaned in, face to face with him, his heart beating against his ribcage, and for some sick reason, he found himself liking it, the rush of adrenaline. "When I'm done with you, you'll beg me for mercy. And I won't give it to you."

***

Days turn into nights, and nights into days. Javall's body burns and aches, not to mention the gnawing of hunger and the burn from thirst. Still, Javall holds fast. But he wouldn't break, no matter what Ignis did to him. His body is covered in marks of Ignis's rage. He smells nothing but his own blood and wet stone. His muscles feel like lead, and his mind is growing drowsy. But still, he refused to yield.

Ignis lies on her back, facing him upside down and nonchalantly swinging her legs. "You know you don't scream very loud." Her voice is so innocent it throws him off for a second, and then he leers at her, "I wouldn't dare give you the satisfaction."

Ignis turns on her stomach, crawls to him like a prowling tiger, and sits before him. She digs her nails into a bruise, and he groans between his teeth. "So strong yet so helpless," her voice is sultry yet mocking. Ignis pauses, looking him dead in the eyes. "No wonder Calea almost drowned to get away from you. You're not exactly a prize." 

Javall's anger flares, and he lunges at her even if bound, "Almost?!" He roars. "She drowned in front of me!" He breathes heavily; thinking about that moment crushed him because he knew Ignis was right, she had stabbed herself, gone out of her way to swim out into the open where no one could help her. And yet, she called out the beast's name. Ryuu. He wanted to believe it was a curse, that he wasn't that awful to be around. Ignis sits back on her heels, "Yeah, almost. Ryuu saved her." That response nearly stopped Javall's heart, "What?" He says breathlessly, "What did you just say?" He knew what she said but wanted to ensure he wasn't delirious.

Ignis smiles, a contradiction to the darkness in Javall's demeanor. "You watched. You let her die." Ignis smirks, a smile he wanted to burn off her face, "I don't have to break you physically, but mentally?" She leans into him, "I know where to poke at those soft spots." Javall stares at the ground, half in shock and oddly relieved that she is alive. But something about Ignis had been on his mind. He looks back up at Ignis, and with a blank stare, he says, "Kill me."