Aryal released her so quickly she almost stumbled, standing too close between her and the street, crowding her. The harpy wore a leather jacket that gaped open as she put her hands on her hips. Pia caught a glimpse of the sentinel’s shoulder holster.
“You know, I could get over that cheerleader ponytail of yours,” Aryal said, giving her a smile that could cut glass. “It would take me a while, but I could. I could get over the gryphons losing their goddamn minds for whatever reason and fawning all over you. What I can’t get over is this: you broke the law. You endangered the life of the Wyr lord, and by doing that, you endangered all of us, and you haven’t been punished for it. So I’ve got to admit, that one pisses me off.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pia snapped, even as her gut clenched. She rubbed at her burning eyes. She had felt trapped at the time, but could she have done anything differently to avoid what had happened? She felt off balance and stupid and completely at sea.
“What have I got no idea about—that you may or may not be Dragos’s mate?” said Aryal. “Well, cupcake, that’s the intractable problem and why I can’t just kill you.”
Pia’s hands fisted. She said between her teeth, “No, you can’t, can you?” She shot her fist out with such speed she got past the harpy’s guard. She slammed it into Aryal’s shoulder so hard that the sentinel staggered back. “You don’t have to like or approve of me. You don’t have to agree with Dragos’s decisions. You have to do what you’re told. Did he tell you to bring me back to the Tower?”
Aryal glared at her and remained silent.
“No, I thought not. So you have to back the fuck off. You don’t get to question or intimidate me and demand answers like I’m some kind of grunt under your command because I’m not and I never will be.” She strode forward until she was toe to toe with the sentinel, her body combat tense. “And Graydon’s the one who gets to call me cupcake—you don’t. You haven’t earned it. Now I’m going to do what I came here to do. You’re going to do your job or Dragos is going to want to know why you didn’t.”
Surprise flared in Aryal’s stormy gaze, followed by a thoughtful expression.
Pia didn’t wait to see any more. She turned away and pushed through the front doors of the clinic.
Half a dozen people sat around the waiting room. A few were watching All My Children on a TV set high on a wall. She went to the receptionist window. A nurse she recognized gave her a perfunctory smile. “Afternoon. What can I do for you?”
“My name is Pia Giovanni. I need to see a doctor or a nurse practitioner,” Pia said, keeping her voice quiet so other people couldn’t hear. Her face and neck muscles ached with tension. She twisted her hands together. “Dr. Medina knows me. I’m sorry. I don’t have an appointment. I—” Her eyes glittered. “I’m afraid it might be an emergency.”
“Oh, honey,” said the nurse with quick compassion. She handed Pia a Kleenex and motioned her through the doors and into an alcove with a sink, a chair and a weighing scale. “All right, what’s going on? Are you sure you should be here and not in the ER?”
“I don’t know. There’s been so much happening.” She swallowed. “I’m a half-breed Wyr so I have an IUD. You know, the one with copper, not the one with hormones, because of not being quite human. And I’m in this new relationship with a full Wyr, and I managed to change last night—”
“Congratulations!” offered the nurse with a wide smile. RACHEL, her name tag said.
“Thanks.” She tried to smile as she remembered how happy she had been. “But all of a sudden I’ve gotten sick the last couple days. It was really bad this morning, and I’m pretty sure that somehow I got pregnant. I can feel it now that I’ve changed. And the IUD’s still in place.” She focused on the nurse, her expression intense. “I’m in shock. I can’t think straight, but I do already know one thing. I do not want to lose this baby.”
The nurse put her hand on Pia’s abdomen, her gaze going inward. Pia stood still. She felt the tingle of magic as the nurse scanned her. “Oh wow, you’re right, you are pregnant,” said the nurse, her eyes lighting up. “What a sweet little strong spark.”
“Did changing last night hurt it?” she asked.
“No! Oh no, shifting is the most natural thing in the world. Your nausea does sound a little different, though. And with the IUD, you did the right thing by coming in. We’ll get you in to see a nurse practitioner or doctor. Just go ahead and take a seat right there, and I’ll pull your records. In fact, I’m going to see if I can catch . . .”
Muttering to herself, the nurse rushed off. Pia slumped in the chair and put her head in her hands. Thank God Dragos had stopped roaring in her head, because otherwise she thought she might spin into the air and fly into pieces. She thought his silence was ominous, but she didn’t care as long as she could hear herself think for just a little damn while.
She felt shaky and on the edge of nausea again. She put her hand on her abdomen. Stay in there, peanut.
Luck continued to flow her way, as Dr. Medina was getting ready to go on vacation and had just seen the last of the patients she’d had scheduled for the day. Pia was acquainted with Dr. Medina and comforted by the familiarity. She was a brisk, gray-haired canine Wyr with a no-nonsense attitude and a sense of humor Pia found calming.
After a quick examination and a pulse of Power, the doctor removed the IUD and grinned at her. “Good news. You, my dear, are in excellent shape and it isn’t ectopic, which is one of the major risks when pregnancy occurs with an IUD. That baby is exactly where he’s supposed to be, all snuggled in right and tight in your uterus and not in a fallopian tube or anywhere else. I’m glad you came in so soon though. Women who put this off for too long run a high risk of miscarriage or other serious complications. Now tell me about this nausea you’ve been experiencing.”
Pia sagged with relief. She described the last few days. “I’ve not ever been tempted to put meat in my mouth,” she said with a shudder. “But it’s smelled so good. And that’s so wrong.”
The doctor regarded her over half-glasses. “Are you by any chance with a predator?”
“Yes?” She didn’t mean that as a question. Did she?
“Well, that’s your problem.” The doctor sat back and smiled at her. “Predator/herbivore mixes are much more unusual than homogenous matches, although they do happen, of course, since we Wyr are much more than just our animal natures. I’m not going to lie to you. You’re in for a bumpy ride for the duration, and it may seem at times like your instincts have gone haywire.”
“Will it be a high-risk pregnancy?” Her hand went to her abdomen again.
“I wouldn’t say that. There’s no reason to go there right now. Think protein and calcium. If you can’t force yourself to be omnivorous for the duration of the pregnancy, you’ll need to stock up on protein drinks. Soy is fine. Whey is better. Along with the prenatal vitamins, I’ll prescribe an anti-nausea charm that should help. It won’t block pain, mind you. Pain is too important a messenger. But it should help you keep your food down. Keep it with you everywhere but in the shower. It loses its efficacy if it gets wet too often.”
“Thank you so much, especially for seeing me before you left on vacation,” she replied with heartfelt feeling. The doctor scribbled on a prescription pad and handed her a slip. She said, “One last question, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, go ahead, as long as it won’t take too long. I’ve got a flight to Cancún this evening and a mate who won’t be happy with me if I miss it.”
She hesitated, not sure how to word things, and plucked at the edge of her examination gown. “The pregnancy is a real shock. I mean, I had the IUD, so I thought it should have prevented things, right? It hasn’t even come up as a topic of conversation with my . . . partner. I was starting to feel nauseated before I changed this morning, so I must have already been pregnant. So it had to have been the father who . . . changed things?”
The doctor’s eyes were shrewd and kind. “No sin
gle birth control is a hundred percent foolproof, for either Wyr or human. Yes, all things being equal, the IUD is a very effective method of birth control, for the most part. And yes, Wyr can control their reproduction cycle. For the most part. But I’ve also known Wyr to lose control during the first days of the mating frenzy. Only the two of you can say whether or not he’s just your lover or your mate. If I were you, though, I’d think about going easy on your partner on this one, if he’s your mate. Does that help?”
Her throat worked. She had to swallow hard before she could reply. “Yes. It helps a lot. Dr Medina, thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. I love the babies. Should have been an obstetrician.” The doctor closed her file and stood but paused before stepping out. She regarded Pia curiously. “By the way, you never did tell me what you shifted into?”
Caught off guard, she stammered, “Oh, a . . . a marmoset.”
“Odd,” the doctor murmured, giving her a quizzical look. “I wouldn’t have classified marmosets as herbivores. And your mate?”
“He’s . . . not one.”
The doctor narrowed her eyes on Pia. “You will tell me, won’t you, if it becomes medically relevant?”
“Yes, of course,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I promise.”
The doctor pointed at her. “Take your vitamins. See you next month.”
She changed into her clothes, giddy with both relief and hunger. She could eat a horse if it weren’t somehow cannibalistic. She bent and tied her shoelaces.
Pregnant. Mate. I’m going to have a dragon baby.
Nope, that didn’t get all the way inside. Let’s say it again.
I’m going to have a dragon baby.
She straightened as black stars danced in front of her eyes. Maybe she really was going to spin into the air and fly into pieces anyway, with or without Dragos’s help. She had so many things going on inside, random thoughts and feelings were popping like fireworks at the Fourth of July.
Panic at possibly losing the pregnancy had receded, to be replaced by panic at being pregnant. She was relieved not only that the pregnancy was viable but, even more, that all the evidence said Dragos hadn’t intentionally trapped her with it. It looked like she owed him a big apology.
But of all times for it to happen! She had only just, literally hours ago, decided to stay with Dragos. Then there was the war with Urien, which had only just begun. And who knew how Dragos was going to react when he heard the news. He might spin into the air and fly into pieces too.
She pressed her hand over her abdomen. Oh, peanut, I always had the sneaky hope I might have a child someday, but I have to tell you, this timing sucks.
She ran into an unexpected snag as she started to leave. The nurse checking her out asked, “Still the same insurance and co-pay?”
Same insurance. From Elfie’s. And her with thirty-three dollars in her pocket and no checkbook. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Offering a mental apology to all concerned with a promise to pay the bill for real, she lied, “Yes, thanks.”
She forked over the twenty-five-dollar co-pay, waved away the offer of a receipt and tried to not look shifty about any of it while she continued her internal dialogue with the peanut. What if he hates the idea of the pregnancy? What if he doesn’t want you? He has to want you, that’s all there is to it. Anyway, I want you. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with you. Just one more thing I’ll have to figure out, along with how to live with the rest of the crazy-ass changes going on in my life.
Business concluded, she made her way through the lobby toward the clinic door where she paused. She didn’t think she had the Power to reach Dragos telepathically, but she decided to give it a try anyway. Dragos?
His response was immediate and, thank God, calm. Yes.
I’m done. I’m headed home, she told him. I’ve got some news and I owe you a big apology.
We can talk about whatever it is later, he said. Where are you? I’ll come get you.
You don’t know? She thought for sure Bayne or Aryal would have told him by now. She pushed through the glass door, squinting in the bright sunlight. Where was the harpy? She shaded her eyes as she looked around. See, I went to my doctor’s—
She stepped on something and shifted her foot as she looked down. She had stepped on—was that a dart?
Sudden pain pricked her neck. She brushed at the pain and saw another dart fall to the sidewalk. Numbness spread through her body at unbelievable speed. The world went sideways and the sidewalk slammed into her.
Bayne. Aryal. She tried to call for them, but her mouth wasn’t working.
Somebody was shouting in another part of her head, but she couldn’t connect with it or understand what they were saying.
Three people walked into view and stared down at her. Two were Dark Fae males with long tilted eyes, high cheekbones, pointed ears and dark hair.
One was a Hispanic woman, with a queenlike beauty and eyes that connected to hers with a snap of Power. The witch Adela, from the Cauldron.
“Oh, it’s you. Again.” Adela’s mouth pursed and she sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
You stupid bitch, she tried to say. I’m so going to kick your ass.
If Dragos doesn’t get to you first . . .
Everything floated away.
EIGHTEEN
A Mephistophelian voice thundered in her head. It called her Name.
Use your Power, damn it. I can feel you’re there. Try hard, the imperious voice demanded. WAKE THE FUCK UP.
Everything whirled around her. It stank like oil and exhaust. She lay on something hard that vibrated, her cheek pressed against a rough carpet. She felt dizzy, sick. She breathed in shallow pants.
Someone was making a thin whining sound. Oh, it was her. Shut up, stupid.
She fought to do as the voice demanded and reached deep inside. Her training instructor would have said she reached for her chi, her energy flow, the seat of her breath.
For a terrible moment she was disoriented and rudderless in the dark. Then she connected. Power flowed up from the base of her spine and flooded her body. It didn’t dissipate all the effects of the drug, but it helped to clear her head some.
She was bound with her arms behind her, gagged and in the trunk of a car traveling at high speed. She drooped. Apparently it really did never rain but poured.
Answer me now, Dragos commanded.
Having a hell of a week, she managed to articulate. Her mental voice was thready and lacked control, but he heard her.
There’s my girl. The thunder was gone, replaced by desperate relief. Talk to me. Are you hurt?
No, some kind of drug. She struggled to find words that made sense. Tied up. In the trunk of a car. We’re traveling fast.
All right. Stay calm, said Dragos.
Bayne and Aryal. She tried to figure out how to articulate their names into a question.
We found them outside the clinic. They were drugged too. They’re okay; they’re shaking it off. Dragos sounded composed again. We finally got ahold of someone who can cast a tracking spell. I’ll be able to follow you in just a moment. How are you tied? Can you get loose?
Nausea lurked. She clenched down on it hard. She couldn’t afford to vomit with the gag in her mouth. She bent back in a bow so she could feel along her lower legs with hands that were prickling and starting to go numb.
They’re those plastic restraints. No locks. I can’t get them off.
All right, he said again. Don’t worry about it.
She had important things to tell him. What were they again? For how long would he be able to talk to her? Graydon had said something about his telepathic range being over a hundred miles. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious or how far away they were from each other.
She said. I have to tell you things in case we lose contact.
We’re not going to lose contact, he snapped. That’s it. I’ve got a tracking spell on your braid. I’m on my way.
She kept her br
eathing deep and regular. It seemed to help keep her stomach settled, although the exhaust fumes made her want to gag. She tried to think. Was that land magic she felt in the distance?
Will the tracking spell still work if we cross over to an Other land?
He said, I’m not going to let you get that far away.
He didn’t tell her the spell would work. She had a feeling that meant it wouldn’t.
She said, It’s two Dark Fae. They’re working with a witch from the Magic District.
His voice turned ominous. Describe her.
She’s dark-haired, a human, first name is Adela. She owns the shop Divinus. I can’t remember her last name. She struggled to think.
Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter, he said. Can you describe the Dark Fae to me?
She tried her best, but she had gotten just that brief look at them before falling unconscious. I’m sorry.
He turned gentle. None of that matters right now. Let’s just focus on getting you back.
Her sense of land magic grew stronger. Uh-oh. But I have to tell you. I’m pregnant.
His roar filled her head. WHAT!
She talked faster. I never had control over that so I had an IUD implant. When I realized what was going on this morning, I was so scared I was going to miscarry, all I could think was I had to get to the doctor fast and get the IUD removed. And I was so damn mad at you. I thought you’d done it on purpose.
Pia. My God.
I dreamed about him this morning. I think it was real. He was a white dragon, the most beautiful little boy you’ve ever seen. They went into a wide turn, picked up speed for a brief while, then slowed into another turn. She told him with enforced calm, We’re leaving a highway and slowing down. I can feel land magic close by.
Quickly, he said. He sounded more shaken than he ever had before. The car trunk has a lock. Try to push it up, and tell me what you see.
If her hands were free or bound in front of her she could just spring the catch of the trunk lock from the inside. She struggled to get her knees underneath her and push up on the trunk with her shoulder. The catch gave just as they rolled to a stop.
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