“When your colleagues come for you, I’ll get the truth,” he mumbled.
There was something about that baby… With a jolt, he understood. Of course. The baby… There was a baby stolen from the castle. The princess. This assassin had Wildref in her arms!
Volcant leapt to his feet, his fires flickering madly. He reached to take the child, but the assassin stumbled back, true fear in her eyes now. Of course. She knew that the baby was her bargaining chip. Volcant growled, hating the sight of her.
“Give me the baby and I’ll let you go. I’ll take her back to the kingdom and to her father.”
“What?” the assassin shook her head. “Volcant, I—”
“Don’t play games!” Volcant roared, then forced himself to quiet so as not to draw any attention from the other humans. Who knew how many were in on the plot? “I know that is the Princess Wildref, heir to the throne. I won’t let you hurt her.”
“The princess?” the assassin’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about? What princess? There is no princess. There’s a prince, but—”
“Your paltry lies will grant you no mercy.” Volcant started at her for a moment longer. She did look very familiar. But… but if she was friends with the queen, she should look more than familiar. He should know her name. He should know everything about her. And yet, he didn’t… Why didn’t he? What magic had been used against him to make his memories so spotted? He sank back down to the bed. “What’s your name?”
“Misty.”
What sort of stupid name was that? Volcant frowned. He’d have remembered a name like that.
“If you worked at the palace or were friends with the queen, I’d know you. I don’t know you.” He looked up again. She still stood there, eyeing him warily. For a moment, he had the insane urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. To reassure her that she was safe with him. But she wasn’t, not when she was an assassin. He shook his head and looked her in the eye. “I should kill you,” he whispered. “I should take care of you and take Wildref back to her father. After his wife was murdered… why should you live when you killed her?”
Misty backed away from him, fear fully in her eyes once more. She held the baby tight to her breast and he got the scent of milk. She was taking care of the baby. That surprised him. He thought that the assassins would have killed Wildref. Instead, it seemed as though they were keeping her alive. For ransom? So that they could rule the kingdom through her?
The terror in Misty’s eyes cut through him. As though it was making his heart bleed.
“I didn’t kill anybody,” she whispered. “Please, Volcant. There is something wrong with you. Let me call Indulf—”
“No! Maybe you’re only a stooge for the assassins, but you still work for them… But I will not kill an unarmed woman.”
Misty’s relief was palpable. She let out a shaky breath and all her muscles sagged. She slumped into a nearby chair and held the baby closer to her breast. The princess started to fuss, squirming in her grasp and she adjusted her gently. Perhaps only a stooge indeed, then.
“How long are you planning on keeping me here?” she asked, keeping her voice even.
“As long as I need to.”
Misty stared at him for a long moment before she snorted and turned her attention to the baby. The tension in her jaw eased as she moved the child around, getting her into a comfortable position. “I need the diaper bag from the car.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Then you get it.”
Volcant glared at her. Of course, she’d try to get him out of the room so she could get away. He shook his head resolutely. “Don’t try your tricks, woman.”
“Tricks? It’s tricks wanting the stuff to take care of my baby? She’s going to need a fresh diaper here soon and she’s hungry.”
Volcant continued to watch her suspiciously. He couldn’t take her at her word for anything. Not this woman, whose role in the assassinations still wasn’t clear. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. His legs still trembled and if he stood, he’d surely expose that weakness. He didn’t smell a need to change the baby’s diaper, only a soft powdery scent about her, and she wasn’t acting fussy.
Misty narrowed her eyes for a moment longer, then shook her head. Without a word, she lifted her top, exposing one round breast, and held the baby up. Wildref latched onto the nipple right away, sucking hungrily. Volcant narrowed his gaze. Did she think to distract him with nursing a child?
“Are you a nursemaid?” he asked, leaning forward. That would explain how she was close to the queen. “I know that the queen chose a foreign human to care for Wildref… She said that it was her domain and didn’t let me near her. Thinking I’d seduce her, probably.”
Misty sighed. “No. I’m not a nursemaid and this isn’t the princess, Volcant. This is my baby. Her name is Cara. I carried her, and I gave birth. There is something wrong with your head. There is no princess.”
Volcant frowned. That wasn’t the first time she had said it. Who did she think she was fooling? He knew about his future queen! Perhaps the magic that he’d been hit with was meant to erase his memories, make him forget his mission…
He looked up at Misty’s face again and was hit by another blast of recognition. She wasn’t the queen’s nursemaid, but he had seduced her. He remembered now, rolling around in this very room, her thighs around his hips and his mouth on her breast. With a cry of triumph, he pointed at her.
“I was with you yesterday.”
Her eyes widened.
“We had sex from dusk until dawn. There is no way that this child is yours because I didn’t taste any milk on your breasts. You’re lying. You think you’re clever with your magic, but you’re not. I know the truth! You’re an assassin and—”
“That was a year ago.”
Volcant was brought up short in his triumph.
Misty stared at him, her eyes wide. “You’ve been missing for a year. Nobody has seen you… Indulf feared the worst, he thought that you had been killed. But… you think that was yesterday? Something must have gone wrong in the timestream. Something that messed up—”
“Don’t try to confuse me!”
“If this baby can’t be mine because you didn’t taste any milk on my breasts yesterday, then how am I feeding her right now?”
Volcant’s head throbbed. A feeling of nails being ripped over his skin made him shudder. His stomach churned even as he fought to keep himself straight. What she said made sense. She couldn't be the woman he seduced the previous day. Perhaps she had a twin sister? Perhaps this was all a plot to make him doubt himself… to make him give away the secrets of the palace so that the assassins could kill the king next time.
The bitter taste of ash filled his mouth. Memories flooded his mind, making sweat stand out on his brow. Assassins coming in from all sides. Overwhelming them, with blasts of magic that brought half the guards down before they even knew what was happening. He had shielded Indulf with his body as best he could, breathing fire out over the assassins.
They’d driven them off. But it was too late.
Indulf clutched his mate, holding her to his chest as he begged his attendants to do something, anything, to save her. Blood stained the air. Its scent clogged his nostrils. They were too late, she was already gone, but Indulf kissed her and begged her to come back to him.
“I swore,” Volcant whispered, his voice low, his eyes unfocused. “I swore I would find the assassins and bring them to justice for our queen. I swore one day I’d be able to return Wildref to him.” He lifted his eyes and focused on Misty again. Her eyes were wide, confusion etched on her face. “I won’t let you stop me.”
He started to stand, but his legs were too weak, so he settled himself back down. He kept his face impassive as he stared down the human. As soon as he was strong enough, he’d take her back to Byrelmore. Let justice deal with her there.
Chapter Five
Misty
Cara’s babbling woke h
er from a light sleep. The bed beneath her was hard and uncomfortable and she lifted her head, confused for a moment about where she was. It came back quick enough. Volcant. His crazy rantings. Threatening her.
She glanced around, her heart in her throat, and spied him on a chair nearby. His head had fallen forward to his chest, his eyes closed. He breathed in fits and starts, his muscles twitching. Misty watched him for a moment to make sure he was asleep before she eased off the bed. Cara gave a happy giggle as Misty picked her up, then started to fuss—no doubt because her diaper was uncomfortably full.
Misty darted into the bathroom and closed the door softly. She didn’t know how long she had here, but she needed to let the others know where she was, at least. Her hands trembled as she pulled her cellphone from her pocket. It had been burning against her leg this whole time, but she hadn’t dared use it for fear of what Volcant might do.
There were half a dozen missed calls, making Misty glad she had put it on silent. She selected Sylvia’s number since she had called the most, and held her phone to her ear.
“Misty, where the hell are you?” Sylvia shouted at her as soon as she answered.
Misty flinched and turned down the volume. “Not so loud! Is Indulf still there with Anna? I need to talk to him.”
“What are you—”
“Sylvia, please!”
Sylvia let out an annoyed huff, but did as she asked. Moments later, the dragon king’s voice came over the line. Misty let out a relieved sigh and quickly launched into explaining what had happened. Indulf didn’t interrupt. Once she was finished, he spoke rapidly.
“I was married before I met Anna,” he told her. “My wife was murdered, and my daughter kidnapped. But that was centuries ago.”
Misty squeaked, the air leaving her lungs. Cara’s complaints grew louder, her little fists waving in protest.
“I don’t know what is going on with Volcant, but it appears that his memories have been tampered with. Tell him that—”
What she was meant to tell him, she never found out. Because at that moment, the bathroom door yanked open. Misty screamed, more out of shock than anything, and Cara burst into tears. Volcant lunged. He snatched the phone from her hand and threw it to the floor. It cracked and then he crushed it under his heel. As if that wasn’t enough, he then snatched it up and tossed it into the toilet.
Misty shrunk back from him, clutching Cara to her chest. She didn’t want to believe that he would hurt her, but with that look in his eyes, how could she be certain? She swallowed hard as he glared at her.
“Calling your assassin friends to come get me, are you?”
Why was it that he had enough memory to know how phones and cars worked, but not enough that he didn’t know how long ago the assassinations were? Indulf’s voice rang in her ears. It was centuries ago. Volcant had said something about living up to his promise. Had he been holding onto guilt for centuries?
“You’re not well,” she whispered. “Volcant, please listen to me. You’re not well.”
His head dropped for a moment and she thought that he was going to see reason. But then he looked up again, his eyes blazing, and teeth bared. “Tell me what magic you used on me. Everything is wrong in my head, tell me what you did to me.”
Her heart sank again. How was she meant to get out of this situation if he was acting like this? He was all messed up in the head and she had no idea how to fix him and get them both out of here.
“Volcant, I don’t have magic.”
“Liar.”
He pulled her out of the bathroom. He opened his mouth, but Cara gave a loud scream at that moment, tears starting to run down her face, and he jumped, startled. Regret crossed his face, and without a word, he pulled her from the room. At first, she thought they were going to drive away, but instead he grabbed the diaper bag and pulled her back into the motel. After he went through the bag (presumably looking for weapons), he let her tend to Cara while he sank back into the chair.
“Working for the assassins,” he mumbled to himself. “Has to be. Got to get the princess back… but how without a mage?”
Misty cleaned up Cara’s diaper, her daughter going back to her normal cheerful self once her needs were being taken care of. As she washed her hands, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Round face, full-figured. She’d gained weight, most of it on her hips and thighs, since giving birth. How could anybody think she was an assassin?
But, maybe she had to play into that angle. If he wasn’t going to see reason, then maybe she had to humor him.
What would her D&D character do in this situation? Well, try to seduce her way out. That wasn’t going to happen. Failing that, though… She’d come up with a plan, turn the situation on its head and use it to her advantage. Misty nodded as she went back. Volcant stood over the bed, staring down at Cara with a look of pure concentration on his face.
Misty ran up to him, pushed him aside and pulled the baby into her arms. It was risky, but she had to trust that somewhere he knew she wasn’t a threat and wouldn’t harm her.
As he let out an angry huff, accompanied by a puff of smoke, she turned so that she was shielding Cara from him. Cara grizzled, not liking being so confined.
“You keep going on about assassins. How do I know that you’re not one of them?” she snapped at him. “I want proof that you’re not working for them, Volcant. Can you give that to me?”
His jaw snapped shut. “My proof is my honor.”
“Fat lot of good that means if you’re an assassin,” she shot back. She then forced herself to relax and pulled a regretful expression. “Although I suppose I have no choice but to trust you. Not if I am going to get the princess back to the palace, without a mage to open a time portal.”
Volcant’s gaze became suspicious, but there was a spark of belief in his eyes. This might just work after all!
“Me and my group, we’re working against the assassins,” she said. “We were never part of the palace, but we heard about the planned attacks and infiltrated their group, so that we could stop them… we were too late.” If she tried hard enough, she could get some tears going… There they were! “We couldn’t save the queen. But we did manage to save the princess. We came here to keep her safe, but the assassins are still after us.”
Volcant’s jaw clenched. “How many of you are there?”
“Five. Me and the other girls, we’re trying to get Wildref,” she stumbled over the name, “back to the king.”
“And my memories?”
“I don’t know anything about that. I’ve been in hiding. The masters think that the princess is dead, and I’ve been tasked with making sure they continue to think so. If they found out she’s alive, they’d know about me and the others. They’d kill us all and they’d kill her. So, I must remain anonymous. Please… you have to help me. We have to get to the safe house right away. There is a mage there that can open the portals and allow us back to Byrelmore before the masters find us.”
Volcant considered her for a moment before he smirked. It sent a shudder down her spine and not an entirely unpleasant one. “Nice try. I almost believed you, there. Except you made a mistake.”
“Volcant, please—”
“You said that the assassins were after you, but that the ‘masters’ thought the princess was dead. Can’t be both.”
Misty sank onto the bed. Should have rolled a higher deception count. Tears burned her eyes even as she fought them. Right, so that hadn’t worked. Now what did she do? She considered Volcant and noted with a shock that he was swaying on his feet. She reached out to steady him and he jerked back, only to collapse to his knees.
Concern flooded through her, pushing away all thoughts of him kidnapping her. She placed Cara into her car seat and then wrapped her arms around Volcant’s chest and heaved him upright.
“What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly. His skin was hot, hotter than it had been when they had made love.
On closer inspection, his cheeks were sunken, his ski
n papery and she could feel his heart hammering in his chest. His mouth dropped open as he panted, and his tongue looked swollen. Blood cupped his teeth around his gums. That glazed look was back in his eyes.
“Oh,” Misty breathed. She heaved him upright and set him on the bed before running to the bathroom. She filled both cups there with water and brought them to him. “Drink.”
Volcant glared at her, but obeyed. He gulped the water down with an almost pained look in his eyes. Misty made sure that he finished at least one glass before she pulled a package of applesauce from the diaper bag. Whatever happened had left him dehydrated and malnourished. Maybe even given him scurvy, if the state of his gums was any indication.
“Eat this.” She held the applesauce out to him. “Come on… you need to eat before you faint.”
Volcant stared at the applesauce and shook his head. “You’ve poisoned it.”
“Oh for—” She sucked on the end, getting some into her mouth and opened it to show him before swallowing.
He practically drank the applesauce down. Once he was finished, Misty made him lie down, despite his protests, and sat next to him. She had a bit more food in her diaper bag, but they were going to need more. She held Volcant’s hand, wondering if she should leave him and get food, leave him and get help, or just force him out to the car while he was in this more agreeable state.
His eyes narrowed briefly at her. “Maybe you’re not an assassin after all.”
“I should say not.”
“Can’t risk it!”
He launched himself upright and pushed her into the chair. Then he ripped the handle off the diaper bag and tied one hand to the chair. While she cried out in protest, he ripped the sheet off the bed and tore it into pieces. Soon, she was very firmly tied to the chair.
“What is this about?” she demanded.
He didn’t hear her. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his whole body slumped onto the bed. After a moment, it was clear he had passed out. Misty struggled against her bonds, growling under her breath. The asshole! He’d tied her too tight, though, and she sagged into the chair. What the hell was she meant to do now?
The Dragon Warrior's Baby Page 3
