Chapter 48

~Kamari~

Nye clung to Ignis. He barely let me hold her until it was time to feed. "Nye, you've been hogging her!" I harshly whisper as she sleeps on Nye's chest. He smiles smugly. "She enjoys my company. She never cries."

"Wha-Are you saying she doesn't like me? You're not even letting me bond with her!?" I lay on the bed, gazing at Ignis. Nye chuckles, "You've had your moments."

I leer at him playfully. "I'm going to scratch your face if you don't let me have more time with Ignis." Nye lays his face to the side as if accepting my threat. "Draw my blood, then," he taunts.

"Ugh." I groan, crossing my arms over my chest. Nye sighs, "Here." He places Ignis on my chest; her body is scorching." Ouch!" Nye smirks. She's a fan of my body heat; she cries about being cold. Your body can't compare to the heat mine can produce."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Still, I wouldn't say I liked it. It felt like Ryuu all over again. Not to mention, I missed Calea immensely, and Koa was still gone even though Ignis had been born. I needed to do my royal duties, and having other things on my mind didn't help. I got dressed and found Aneth in the library. His eyes intently shifted as he devoured the book. "What are you reading now?" I chuckled.

Aneth smiles at me, "Humans can get quite creative with things. This book is about how to kill a dragon." Aneth throws it over his shoulder. "No wonder I've burned so many humans at a time." I sit on his lap but hiss in pain, my core still healing. Aneth wraps his arms around my waist. "What is it little one, did you need me for something?" His voice hums pleasantly in my ear, and my head falls back with a warm smile. "I need an escort. I have to do many things today, and I'm not in the state of mind to do it myself." It's been a rough couple of weeks since Calea has been gone.

"I'm at your command." Aneth kisses my bare shoulder. "How is Ignis?"

"Being coddled by Nye. Apparently, she's a fan of his body heat." I feel a twinge of envy. All the whelps I have are going straight to you guys once they're free of me." Aneth chuckles; the warmth of it gives me chills. "In time, she will come to you." 

Aneth goes with me into the Kingdom, and when I see Ryuu speaking with one of the Vendors, my heart melts. "Ryuu!" He turns and smiles at me as I walk towards him. "Aren't you supposed to be resting mother?" Ryuu hands me a bag of my favorite fruit. 

"Oh! Mael is still here?" 

The only fruit vendor we had in the Kingdom, and thank Kadea for that; my people would become sick if they didn't have the proper nutrition. "Be sure to pay him kindly; I'm shocked he stayed through all the horrors here." 

Ryuu slightly bows his head to me, and I ruffle his hair, then intertwine my arm with his, "So, what have you been doing?"

"Everything you do." 

I halt. "What?" 

Ryuu smiles, "You weren't well."

I double-blink, but I'm unsure how Ryuu handled speaking to humans and writing simple letters for supplies to be traded. "May I ask how you learned to do this so quickly?"

 Ryuu's smile fades as he says, "Calea."

My heart aches, of course it would be her to do something like that. Even in her stead, I found little things she did throughout the kingdom that made a huge difference. I could tell my son was hurting from losing Calea, but I wasn't about to give her up so easily. I was determined to break that horrid blood bind and bring her back. 

I take his face into my hands, "I promise I'll find a way to break it. She will come back."

Ryuu lays his forehead against mine. "Father has not returned?"

I sigh. "No. I don't know what's keeping him. It's starting to worry me." I admit. Aneth places a hand on my shoulder. "Koa may have gone to the depths. He hasn't been there for a while."

Since our fight, I have felt a distance between Koa and me. I tried not to let it bother me as I tended to my people's needs, but it preyed on my subconscious. After my duties, I happily returned to the Castle to see Ignis. When I get to the room, I see Nye and Ignis are fast asleep. I feel Aneth behind me, "Go, we'll be quiet." We all go in and I watch as Ryuu rounds the bed, gazing down an Ignis, a smile appears on his face.

"She is a fire-breather." Ryuu kneels before them. "Hello, Ignis."

Ignis opened her eyes to my surprise, and I watched as they gazed at one another. Ignis lifted her head, and my jaw dropped. "Goddess, I forgot how quick their development is…" Ryuu reaches out to take her. "Wait!" My heart spikes, and as I think it, Nye's eyes flash open, and he grabs Ryuu by the throat. Ryuu hisses at Nye, and he growls low in his throat.

"Nye, wait!" I scrambled over to them. "Ryuu wasn't going to hurt her; he wanted to hold her."

Nye leers at Ryuu. "He has a death wish." Nye sneers, then lets go of Ryuu, and he stumbles back. Ryuu's nose twitches, and then he walks out. I leer at Nye. "Really? He wanted to see his sister Nye."

I understood Nye protected Ignis, but he needed to give her to me at some point. "Nye, she hasn't eaten. I need her." Nye doesn't move. Now I was starting to get pissed. "You know what," I straddled and leaned into him, carefully leaving space for Ignis. "Give me Ignis so she doesn't grow weak."

I knew that word would impact him, and as I suspected, his eyes locked on mine. He sighs heavily, "Very well." I take Ignis into my arms, and of course, she cries because I'm not boiler. "Shh, it's okay." I hear Nye growl behind me. I look over my shoulder at him. Nye, she's fine. She's fussy."

"She cries." Worry laces Nye's voice even though he tries to hide it. I sit next to him on the bed and feed Ignis. Aneth sits in a chair near us, legs crossed, reading another book from his hoard. Knowledge was ever present in the man's mind, but I didn't mind. I found it charming. Once Ignis is done feeding, she stops fussing and sleeps on my chest. I wear a smug smile as I look at Nye.

"Does this amuse you?" Nye rolls his eyes. 

"Maybe." I smile down at her. Suddenly, someone walks in, and when I see Koa, I latch onto Ignis. Nye stands up, but Aneth only glances at them and says, "Koa, welcome back."