I Married A Dragon (Prime Mating Agency)(49)

“Why did he come here?” I asked at last. “Was he the surprise?”

Cedros nodded, puffing out his chest proudly. “Nero agreed to be your companion. A shadow dweller is the closest thing we have on Dramnac that could compare to a pet. I read that humans love pets, sometimes even more than other humans or their own relatives.”

I blinked. “You got me a shadow dweller as a pet?” I asked disbelievingly, although it was more of a statement. I held back the ‘terrifying and nightmarish’ part out of the question.

“Yes! You’re going to love him. Nero is so much better than those strange cat creatures humans adopt all the time. Frankly, that confuses me. Sure, they look pretty and fluffy. However, from everything I’ve read, they’re pretty obnoxious, expect you to serve them and cater to their needs. They’re stingy with their affection, only offering it when they’re in the mood, demanding when they want your attention, and quite rude once they decide they want to be left alone. Some humans even implied that cats are plotting the demise of the human race. Why would you ever adopt such creatures?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle about his rather accurate description. “Cats are not plotting our demise. They just look like they are. Despite their many flaws, cats are cute and fluffy. When they’re in a playful and affectionate mood, they are the best thing in the world.”

Cedros waved a dismissive hand. “But it always depends on their mood of the moment, and they won’t protect you from danger. Nero here is always in the mood to play and give you a cuddle. More importantly, he is an extremely fierce fighter. Remember that lightning he was tickling you with? When used in combat, it is powerful enough to shatter rocks. He can tear an aqrat limb from limb in under ten seconds. His venom is three times more potent than theirs. If anyone ever threatens you, they will not live long enough to realize the terrible mistake they made.”

“Whoa, okay. He does sound badass,” I said, giving Nero a new assessing look. “Does he understand everything you’re saying? Because he appears to be listening very intently.”

Cedros shook his head. “He doesn’t speak or have an advanced language like we do. But he understands a great deal of commands, can communicate things such as danger or tell us to follow so that he can show us something of interest, whether because it’s pretty, important, or requires our immediate attention—like rescuing someone in distress. Right now, he knows I’m trying to appease you about him. He doesn’t know what I’m saying, but he’s waiting for a sign that you have forgiven his mischief.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What kind of sign?”

Cedros grinned in a taunting fashion. “He wants a hug.”

He burst out laughing at my horrified expression. I considered myself a pretty tough chick, but hugging that shadowy, toothy ball of tentacles was a tall order.

“Let me show you,” Cedros said with an air of amused sympathy. “To me, Nero.”

He spoke the words in a gentle voice, while extending a hand towards the shadow dweller. The creature’s face lit up, his eyes glowing, and his frightening mouth stretching further in a nightmarish fashion that I guessed to be a smile. He dashed towards Cedros, his tentacles wrapping all over his chest, arms, and horns while Nero rubbed his face against his cheek. As much as that tableau freaked me out, it also moved me.

Cedros chuckled in a low, affectionate rumble while caressing the sphere that served as both Nero’s head and body. He smiled at me in a wistful fashion.

“Nero’s father, Gola, watched over me when I was a youngling, during my three years in the void,” he said. “He was a little older than Nero currently is. He kept me from going to dangerous areas when my ability to see what lay beyond a portal hadn’t developed enough yet. While I provided for myself, whenever he went hunting, Gola always brought me part of his catch.”

“That was sweet of him. Did he…?”

“Die? No. Gola is still around. Like me, he’s become an adult and has responsibilities. We see each other from time to time, but he has a mate and offspring to look after and a lair to protect from predators.”

“Right, that makes sense,” I said, eyeing Nero warily.

“Nero can do for you what his father did for me. I do not want to hold back your mission, but I also cannot let you walk the void alone. With Nero, I’ll be at ease. He will protect you.”

That was extremely good news. The shadow dweller still freaked the hell out of me, but I wasn’t a wimp. Cedros had told me he was safe. Continuing to resist would basically be me rejecting Nero merely because of his appearance. I took a deep breath and went for it.

“Nero, to me.”

His big purple eyes nearly doubled in size as did their glow, testifying to his surprise—which I believed to be a pleasant one. He untangled himself from Cedros and darted towards me at such speed I thought he’d knock me onto my back from my sitting position on the mattress. To my relief, he came nearly to a halt in a split second and wrapped himself around me the same way he’d done with Cedros.

Nero rubbed his cheek against mine, his tentacles giving me gentle squeezes. The electric tips tapped my skin, multiple times, in what felt like little kisses, most of which tickled. Within seconds, I was giggling and melting for the odd creature.

Cedros beamed at us. “You two will soon become best friends. But for now, off you go, Nero. I need my Ejaya to hug me to get rid of the toxin eating me from within.”