The Dragon's Secret Baby

by Jasmine Wylder

  Dominque's stomach cramped thinking about it. Bile rose in her throat but she quickly swallowed it back. "And in order to find a mate, I need to go to the Temple of Heaven."

  Anger flashed across Alom's face. "Or you could choose your mate and then go there to bind yourself to him. It's not like there are some mystical properties saying you can only be with one man or be miserable forever."

  "Then I'm mated to Virdi."

  "That again?"

  They had had this conversation more times than Dominique could count but she kept going back to this. She wasn't sure how long Alom's patience could be tested. Though he hadn't done anything that made it seem like he was going to compel her to choose him as a mate, he certainly wasn't giving her any other options. What would he do when he decided that the gifts he was giving her weren't going to do the trick? She hated to think what other methods he might use.

  The purple Dragon rolled his eyes and set the tray of food on a small table, then sat at the end of the bed. "You keep claiming that Skaldi's useless boy is your mate but that is utter nonsense. That clan is very… strange in their traditions. They think that a person can't partake in sexual pleasure without being mated. The truth is that you can sleep with a dozen men and not find a mate. But once you are with the one who is your mate, you will get pregnant instantly."

  That sounded like a load of bull to Dominique. She tossed her hair and put her hands on her hips. "And how do you know I'm not pregnant?"

  "Because there is no way Virdi is the Father of the Emperor. He comes from ignoble stock. Not like me." Alom reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "But since I knew you were going to say that, here."

  He tossed the box at her. Dominique caught it and her stomach twisted. A pregnancy test. She glanced back up at the king Dragon and he smirked.

  "Well?" he drawled. "Are we going to find out or not?"

  Dominique cast him a dark look, then took the test into the bathroom. It had a tub built from rock that continually flowed with hot water through it, and a toilet that flowed with cold water. Dominique spent most of her time in here, since it was quite a bit warmer than the main room, but never felt at ease in the tub. There could be secret spyholes or cameras watching her and she didn't like the thought of being naked when Alom brought her 'gifts' to her.

  She closed the door behind herself and stared at the test. There had to be a way to fake a positive, right? Maybe some enzymes in a fruit or something… But it was just her alone in this room. There was no fruit to try to fake a result with. Her bladder suddenly felt uncomfortably full.

  "Hurry up," Alom called. Laughter was distinct in his voice.

  Dominque kicked the door. She had gotten herself pushed into a corner this time, hadn't she? Growling and cursing under her breath, she ripped open the packaging and used the test. She would find a way to convince the Dragon to let her go. She had to. Or maybe she would just tell him that she'd rather die than be his mate… Would he kill her if she said that?

  She stomped back into the main room and threw the test at the Dragon. He caught it and a disgusted expression crossed his face. He glared at her before he looked at the test. The disgust went to disbelief.

  "What?"

  His tone made her flinch. Dominique inched forward, looking to see the results herself. Her eyes widened, her breath locking in her chest. No. No, that was impossible. Yeah, she hadn't gotten her period since she was brought there but that was the stress. It wasn't because she was…

  "Well, it seems you are pregnant," Alom growled. "Virdi. Your mate and Father to the Emperor. Virdi. Skaldi's son. She'll never let any of us forget that."

  "He's not my mate," Dominique blurted. "I'm not pregnant."

  "This would state otherwise." Alom threw the pregnancy test onto the floor.

  "It's a false positive."

  "But you did sleep with him." He shook his head. "After these months trying to convince me that he was your mate, suddenly you're saying he isn't? I don't think so. But we don't need the egg after all… You are carrying the Emperor already. I will have to adapt my plans, then. I won't be your mate, but you will still tell everybody I am."

  Dominique shuddered and moved away from him. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be some sort of weird stress dream. "Virdi's not my mate."

  "Are you saying he's not the one who got you pregnant?" Alom raised a brow.

  She wrapped her arms around herself. Ever since she was brought here, she had been clinging to the fact that she had their time together, and that no matter what happened, she could remember her first time with fondness. Many times she fell asleep thinking about it and the feelings that stirred inside her lulled her to sleep when her mind wouldn't shut up.

  "He did, didn't he?" Alom moved forward, looming over her. "You know, it could be that since you're human, you could get pregnant no matter who was inside you. You're right, he may not be your mate. Maybe he just smelled your fertility and seduced you so he could be the Father of the Emperor."

  Dominique didn't even let herself think about that. She grabbed the mug of hot chocolate that Alom had brought in and smashed it against his face. He recoiled, howling and she darted past him. The door was slightly open and she dodged for the stairs. She heard the howl of pain turn to one of anger and the thunderous footsteps of Alom as he chased after her. Her heart was in her throat as she ran down the stairs, struggling to keep her footing on the slippery steps.

  "Stop," the Dragon shouted after her. "Come back here! I am not going to hurt you."

  Yeah and Santa Claus farted out eggs that the Easter bunny delivered. She got to the bottom of the stairs and ran towards bright daylight. A half dozen Dragons milled about the room she burst into. They looked startled but quickly sprang into action. All of them jumped in her way. She darted to her right, trying to find a gap, anything that would give her freedom. They shifted with her, not coming forward, just blocking her escape routes.

  Alom entered into the room with golden spikes tearing through his clothes. Smoke rolled from his nostrils and he glowered at her. Her stomach twisted as she backed away.

  "There is nowhere to run," he growled. "Now let's go back upstairs and finish our conversation."

  She shuddered. The windows were too narrow to fit through, but there had to be a way for her to escape.

  "Dominique, don't make this turn bloody."

  "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, her voice trembling. "Just stay away—"

  There was a thump on the wide wooden doors. Heads swiveled towards the sound. Alom froze. Dominique took the opportunity to try to edge past the Dragons, get closer to the door. Whatever was thumping against them sounded like it was trying to get in. If she was close enough, maybe she could get out…

  The doors burst open. Virdi lunged into the room in full Dragon form. He crouched, coiled. As the other Dragons turned their attention to him, he leaped for Dominique. She reached for him, but Alom came between them. He grabbed Dominique as the other Dragons piled on Virdi. He howled, flame flickering between his teeth. Dominique screamed and clawed at the arms holding her but Alom's skin had turned purple, small, fine scales protecting him from her efforts.

  "Well, it seems Skaldi found me," the king snarled. "Kill the boy and get ready to move."

  Virdi roared. He threw off half of the Dragons and started for them again. Dominique slammed her elbow into Alom's sternum. With a wheezing noise, he released her. She ran forward but was quickly caught again. Virdi dropped. Even as the Dragons around him shifted into their beast's forms, his wings retreated, the teeth in his mouth dulled and he became human.

  "Lord Alom, you have to listen to me," he said, his voice urgent. "The Mother is in danger. Skaldi wants to force the egg to bond with another and she has sent an assassin after Dominique. You have to let me take her away from here."

  An assassin? Dominque's heart jumped. She struggled to free herself from Alom's grip. The king Dragon only laughed, though. What was wrong with him? With Skaldi
sending an assassin after her they'd all lose! Especially if she was already pregnant….

  "Nice story, boy," the king drawled. "But not even your mother would do something like that. We need the Emperor. If you think you can convince me that Skaldi would be so stupid as to kill the Mother—"

  A whistle and thud interrupted him. Something warm sprayed against Dominique's face. The arms around her went limp and Alom collapsed to the ground. A pool of red began spreading around him. Dominique stared, bile rising in her throat. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Virdi shouted something. He lunged forward, eyes wide, as another whistle sounded in her ears.

  Chapter Eight

  Virdi

  The sight of blood kicked adrenaline throughout Virdi's body. A howl burst from his mouth, flames flickering around his teeth before he realized that it wasn't Dominique's blood. Alom's guards shouted and rushed for the fallen king. Virdi launched himself into the air using their backs to spring over them and land beside Dominique.

  He wrapped her in his arms and turned her back towards the window, shielding her with his body. A bullet whizzed by his head, impacting the stone on a trajectory that would have killed her if he hadn't been there. His heart pounded as he pulled her into a corner where the assassin would have a harder time targeting her. Bile tasted in his mouth.

  As soon as he had found out where Alom was holding her, he'd come. And already he was out of time. He had to get her away from here, before the assassin moved in closer or got a clean angle. He spread himself over her, pressing her against the stone wall. They couldn’t get her without killing him first.

  Dominique's hands clutched at his arms, a whimper sounding in her throat. "She wants to kill me?"

  "Don't worry, I won't let that happen," Virdi promised but even as he did so, his heart sunk. His mother wouldn't spare him if he got in her way. Especially now that he betrayed her. "I have Esther and Claire with me, they're waiting for us outside."

  "You!" One of the guards, kneeling over Alom's body, turned on them. "You killed him!"

  Virdi didn't bother taking the time to explain that he wasn't the one responsible for this. He shifted Dominique onto his back and charged for the open doors. His wings burst from his body as he flung himself off the stairs. He struggled a little to gain altitude with the extra weight on his back but he flapped his wings harder and brought him and Dominique into the air.

  The guards followed them out, shooting jets of flame after them. Virdi banked left, avoiding the missiles. A glint in the trees below caught his eye. The assassin. He roared, turning hard right to avoid flying over them. He heard Dominique moan and winced, imagining his back spikes impaling her. The other Dragons must have seen the glint as well because half of them broke away and dove towards it.

  If the assassin was who he thought it was, his mother's favorite, then they weren't going to catch her. Only Skaldi could call her off.

  At the moment, though, the important thing was shaking off the guards still following them. He pitched his head down, tucking his wings over his back, holding Dominique in place as he fell. Close to the ground, he spread his wings again, catching himself and dodged through the trees. All his attention was focused on avoiding hitting a tree and making sure Dominique stayed put on his back.

  The sounds of pursuit quickly caught up with him. He wound deeper into the trees, wings brushing against trunks, vines snagging at his feet, until he was forced to land. Dominque slid off his back and he crouched protectively over her while she sat on the ground, curled into herself.

  The other Dragons landed in a circle around him. They growled, smoke curling from their mouth. Virdi crouched lower over Dominique, preparing himself for the battle.

  A high, piercing wail burst through the trees. It drilled into his head, sending white-hot pain flashing through his body. He rocked back, howling, as he clawed at his own head, desperate for the sound to stop. The other Dragons were also thrashing. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew if he continued this he would crush Dominique. With effort, he shifted; the pain lessened only a little and he collapsed, screaming with pain.

  Hands grasped him. He tried to shake them off but they were insistent. They heaved him up and dragged him through the swirling jungle. They pushed him into something and he moved, plodding through the forest. Eventually the screeching, piercing sound faded and he was able to take in his surroundings. Esther, Claire, and Dominique were all in an ATV with him, driving along a trail.

  Dominique was hugging Esther tightly while Claire drove. Her green dress was torn and Alom's blood clung to her but there was no sign that she had been injured by their flight.

  He smiled in relief to see that Dominque was okay, then promptly leaned over the edge of the vehicle, puking. His body shuddered as it normalized itself. His brain still felt like it had been stomped on.

  "What was that?" he asked, wiping his mouth.

  "High-frequency modulator," Claire said. "It's good against attack dogs, I thought it might be useful against Dragons. You know, since you guys have sensitive hearing."

  "Well, it was."

  Dominique pulled away from Esther. "How are you two even here?"

  "Princess Skaldi took us prisoner but Virdi broke us out," Esther said. "And we knew where Alom was holding you, so we came right away. Are you hurt? You're bleeding."

  Virdi's heart jumped. He looked closer and saw there were dots of blood on her dress. His shoulders slumped. He had hurt her.

  "I'm… fine. He kept me locked up in a tower but he didn't do anything. I'm fine. I'm fine. These are just little scrapes." Dominique collapsed against Esther again, closing her eyes. "I didn't think I'd ever get away from that place. And now Skaldi is sending assassins after me? I wish we had never found that stupid egg!"

  Virdi reached to comfort her but she shied away from his touch. She glared at him and he withdrew. It hurt to be on the receiving end of that glare but he tried to push aside his discomfort. It was only to be expected. After all, she had been held prisoner for two months. She shuddered intermittently and he found himself withdrawing from her as much as he could in this small vehicle.

  He had said that they should sleep together because it would stop this exact situation. Well, not really this situation. He hadn't expected anybody to actually lock her up as a prisoner. The Emperor was supposed to bring peace. How was taking his Mother prisoner supposed to help that?

  But he said sleeping together would protect her—and it hadn't. She had had two months to think about how he wasn't actually trying to protect her, but was just wanting sex from her. Just like that guy in high school she told him about. She had given him her virginity and now what did they have to show for it? Guilt and anger swirled in her stomach.

  They quickly made it to the airfield where Claire's little personal plane was waiting for them. It was impossible for Virdi to carry all three of them, and Esther and Claire insisted on coming with him and Dominique to the Temple. They hurried in and Claire took off. Virdi finally allowed himself to relax. There was the possibility they would be attacked in the air but planes were faster than Dragons and could go higher than them, too.

  Dominique shivered on the whole flight, her normal cedar tones significantly paler than usual. Virdi watched her, dread slipping through his body as he considered all the reasons why she would be so withdrawn. He had really thought that not being a virgin would protect her, but what if the obsession with virginity was just in his clan? What if Alom had thought he could force her to take him as a mate? His stomach churned.

  They landed in a large human city sometime later. Virdi wasn't entirely confident that it would be enough to keep away all the Dragons, but being in such a public location afforded them a little extra protection. The clans did have human-shifter relations to consider, after all.

  Claire got them a hotel room to share, then she and Esther went out to forage food, leaving Dominique alone with Virdi. She sat on one of the beds, still shivering. She was dressed in a bright green
dress that was sleeveless and only went to her knees. Virdi had had an extra set of clothes on the plane and now wore a dark t-shirt with a pair of shorts. She might not be comfortable with him, but at least he wasn't naked. He moved a little closer to Dominique.

  "Are you okay?"

  She snorted. "Dragons are trying to kidnap me and kill me. What do you think?"

  Virdi flinched. "I had no idea that my mother would want to kill you. She thinks that she can bond the egg to someone else. You see, if the Emperor isn't conceived within a certain amount of time after bonding, he'll die. If the bonded is killed, then he returns to dormancy. At least, that's what my mother thinks."

  Dominique wrapped her arms around herself and didn't reply.

  "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

  "Of course not." Her voice was acidic. "Because you want power and prestige. The glory of being connected to the Emperor. I don't matter one damned bit, to any of you Dragons. I'm just an incubator."

  Virdi hesitated. He cleared his throat, wanting to reassure her that he hadn't meant to take advantage of her. He reached to put his hand on her shoulder and she actually flinched. He withdrew and put distance between them, his fires flickering. She had told him Alom hadn't hurt her, but what he had done even worse? He tried not to let his fury at the thought show. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

  "Dominique… Alom. Did he…" How could he actually say this? The actual word felt like acid on his tongue and he didn't want to say it for fear of hurting her. "Did he…"

  "Rape me?"

  He ran a hand through his hair and nodded. His heart pounded, hoping that his suspicions would prove unfounded.

  Dominque shook her head. She wrapped her arms tighter around her middle. "I thought he was going to but he never touched me. And I mean he literally never touched me. Not even touching my hand. He came to my room every day with food and demanded that I take him as a mate but nothing more."

  Relief poured over him. He opened his mouth but she continued before he had a chance.