Unexpected Mate (Dragon Goddess #2)

Chapter Twenty-nine

L aughter was the first sound I heard as I woke. It was so loud, clanging around in my head like Damien and his obnoxious morning wake-up calls.

“I can’t believe it went off without a hitch!” a woman’s voice said.

“You should see her mates. They are frantically searching for her, and she’s right under their noses! I heard them talking this morning; they believe the kidnappers have already taken her somewhere else, so they are leaving shortly.” The man speaking sounded positively giddy.

“I hope you’re right, Cage. If she is pregnant, that will make all our lives a lot easier. We’ll try some things over the next few weeks to transfer, or at least siphon, her power. If we can accomplish that, we’ll be able to take the thrones and destroy any resistance we meet. If not, we can kill her and use her child to destroy our enemies in a few years. We’re immortal, waiting a few decades for the child to grow isn’t a big deal.” How could a woman be so cruel?

A loud banging on the bars had me jerking to the fetal position, trying to protect myself. I opened my eyes. They felt like they were full of sand and I blinked repeatedly before I managed to focus on the faces in front of me.

It was the former king and queen of the blood driven. The faces that had been so loving and friendly the night before sneered down at me now. The inky black evil had spread like a disease through the paranormal community. I had thought that by taking out Draven, the evil would be stopped. It had already seeped into the hearts of others, corrupting them and twisting their minds. This was the prophecy I was born to fulfill.

“My son is a softhearted fool that is too weak to rule, and yet he is still far too good for you,” Elise snapped. “The thought of him claiming you makes my skin crawl. You are a beast, an animal, and now you will be treated as one. This room has been spelled so your magic is null. You are at my mercy.”

She threw her drink in my face before spinning on her heel and leaving the room, the men following her out.

I reached down inside me and called upon my magic. It tried to answer my call but was blocked by an invisible barrier. I smiled to myself; she said my magic was null, but it was still there. I just had to figure out how to get it out.

The sound of footsteps had me shoving myself back into the far corner. I needed time to heal myself; a slow process without magic, and while the heat was still eating away at me.

I watched as a guard strode into the room. He eyed me through the bars, and then unlocked the door and walked in, carrying a large box with him. I shrank further against the wall, not sure what his intentions were.

“Be still, rabbit,” he said. “You cannot get away, so your actions are pointless.”

I bristled at being called “rabbit”. I was a dragon. A fire-breathing, lightning-catching, sword-wielding, enemy roasting, dragon.

The guard barked a laugh. “You have a high opinion of yourself, little bunny.”

Great, he was a mind reader. How was a girl supposed to hatch a diabolical escape plan with a guard reading her mind?

This was really not my day.

Or week.

Or month.

Or year.

The guard tilted his head like a dog and studied me. “You are unusual.”

“Right back at you.”

“Hmm.” He turned and started pulling things out of the box. I watched him warily. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

He moved toward me with a bowl of soapy water and a rag. He slowly washed my face. I moaned in pain when he swiped gently over the massive bruise where my face had ate rock in the tunnel. His eyes were sympathetic, but he made no comment. Then, he started cleaning the blood from where my skull had cracked into the stone wall. The blood had dried on my scalp. Pain like a knife blade stabbed my brain and I ground my teeth together to hold in the scream.

He cleaned my arms next and moved to clean the bloodied bottoms of my feet next. At one point, the pain caused me to jerk my foot, and my skirt fell open from where the sword had ripped it. We both looked down and my stomach churned at the sight. My legs were bruised and cut, but what had bile rising in my throat was the blood that was dried to the insides of my legs. Evidence that the pain I had felt the night before hadn’t been from the heat, it had been from Cage. He had used me, not caring if he damaged me, and then tossed me aside.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. I repeated it like a mantra.

The guard let out a hiss, and then rinsed his rag and began wiping away as much of the blood as he could without completely violating my privacy. I wanted to tell him that I could wash myself, but I just sat there, swallowing back the sobs.

Something caught my attention as I watched him. “You have ears like I get when I shift!” I cried. “I call them my fairy ears. What are you?”

“I am a wizard,” the man replied.

I breathed in his scent. “Nope. You aren’t a wizard. Plus, wizards don’t have fairy ears.”

“My ears are normal, and please stop saying that. Such a silly word.”

Okay, ixnay on the arseay .

“What does that phrase mean?” His tone was curious again.

“Uh…to not talk about ears. You are clearly self-conscious about yours, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“What language was that? I speak all of the earth’s languages, but that one I do not recognize.”

So, he couldn’t speak Pig-Latin? Now I just had to think my entire escape plan in Pig Latin.

“Pigs don’t talk, and I assure you that is not Latin.” He held out a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. “I’ll leave to give you privacy so you can change. I have left the bowl of water as well in case you have other areas you wish to clean.”

I watched him leave the cell and close the door behind him. I was grateful for his thoughtfulness, but also confused. I was brought down here to die, so why was he treating me with respect?

It took me a while to wash; I scrubbed until I bled, and I still felt dirty. Would I ever feel clean again?

I dressed slowly, my body protesting the entire time. When I finished, I sank down heavily on the cot.

It was only a matter of time before the heat that simmered below my skin became unbearable. The dragon instinct to survive was strong, and my body didn’t care if my mates were nowhere around and I was trapped in a cage. It wanted to ensure the survival of the species by whatever means necessary.

I also knew that Elise would be back as soon as she could get away without raising suspicion. She had been planning my torture for a while, and I think she was relishing the idea of ripping me apart… even if it meant killing her son in the process.

My hand rested over my flat stomach. The craziness of the heat hadn’t exactly given me much time for rational thought. I could already have a baby growing in my stomach. I smiled as I thought of my mates, wondering how each of them would react if I were pregnant. Then Cage’s words barged into my mind. I couldn’t let him take my baby. My child would grow up caring for others. He or she would make the world a better place, simply by their presence.

The elf had moved back into my cell. He gathered up the supplies and placed them outside the door. Then he returned and sat on the ground near the cot. His eyes were level with my own as he studied me. He carefully placed his hand on my head, and instantly the headache that had been banging against my skull eased. Who was this man? And why did my magic grow a little stronger when he was beside me?

“You intrigue me, Bunny.”

I groaned. I was pretty sure that living with that nickname would be worse than the torture Elise was planning for me.

I focused back on my memories, trying to ignore the comforting glow that strange guard was radiating.

I had spent so much time trying to contain my powers, now it was time to let loose. I closed my eyes and started at the beginning of my memories, the ones Beasty had given me during our merge. If I was going to be stuck here until I worked up enough strength for an escape, I would put the time to good use. Right now, the most important thing I could do was learn from the wisdom buried in those memories .

This was the last time I would ever be taken by surprise. The last time I would be weak. It was time to take the training wheels off this bicycle.

This dragoness was going to come back with a vengeance.

I was done with hiding.

I felt the beginning flicker of my dragon fire.

This queen is coming for her throne.