Wings Horns and Shifters

by Lacey Carter Andersen

  My gaze roams over it all and to the little table set with food.

  Where the hell am I?

  And then, I remember. Fuck. So much for finally being safe.

  I curl my knees to my chest and stare at the fire. These mages want the babies that they believe are already growing in my belly. Gods I hope I’m not already pregnant.

  In my mind, I picture what my children could look like. Some combination of me and the three massive dragons. My heart squeezes. If I’m pregnant, I won’t let these men have them. I’ll do everything in my power to stop them.

  But, I secretly hope, my dragons are searching for me even now. I’m not entirely sure how they feel about me, but I know how they feel about what I can do for them. And I know they wouldn’t just let me be taken.

  Yet, looking around the cell, I wonder how they could possibly find me here. It seems... impossible.

  I hear the sound of a key twisting in the lock. I rise from the bed onto my feet that still ache.

  A man enters the room. He still wears black, but he’s removed his mask. He’s a strangely handsome man, with dark hair and piercing eyes. And yet, he’s also responsible for kidnapping me.

  “What do you want?” I ask, my voice sounding strangely brave.

  He seats himself at one of the two chairs at my table and indicates for me to sit at the other one.

  “I’m not eating with you!”

  He smiles, and reaches for the pitcher of wine, pouring himself a glass. “What’s your name?”

  “None of your business.”

  He raises a brow. “And how long have you been with the dragons?”

  “None of your business.”

  He laughs. “Oh, Tori, no need to answer my questions. I already know who you are. And I already know it was not your intention to become a mother to the last of the dragons.” He leans back in his chair. “So, let us not play games with each other.”

  Again, he indicates the chair across from him.

  I shake my head, folding my arms. “Don’t play nice when you’re responsible for kidnapping me!”

  He takes a sip of his wine. “You should be grateful that we saved you from those monsters.”

  “If I was grateful, I would’ve gone with you willingly.”

  He grins. “You’re actually a clever thing, aren’t you? Well, fine, we did take you, but you should still be grateful. If we allowed you to stay with those dragons, you would have their children, and the skies would be filled with those arrogant beasts once more. They’d burn our towns. Destroy our boats. All at their whim.

  But now that we have you, everything will change. You shall have their spawn, and we will teach them to obey us. One day, they’ll grow and destroy their fathers. And then the earth will be ruled by man once more.”

  I stare at him in shock. “That’s... a fucking twisted plan! If I have their children, they shouldn’t be used like dogs to obey some master’s bidding. They shouldn’t be taught to kill. And the skies should have dragons again! They weren’t bad. Yes, sometimes their actions had consequences, but dragons were good for our world.”

  He scowls. “You, my girl, are far too young to remember what life was like with those vermin everywhere.”

  “I know enough to know that your plan is a sick one. Probably made by a little man who wants power and doesn’t care how he gets it.”

  His eyes darkened. Draining his glass, he stands. “Your time here can be pleasant or terrible, depending on how you choose to behave. I shall return in the morning, and then you and I shall have another talk.”

  He starts toward the door.

  “I won’t be part of this!”

  His hand curls around the door handle, and he glances back at me. “We put many things in this room. We can just as easily take them away. I wonder how much more willing you’d be on an empty stomach, lying on the ground in a cold, dark cell? Think it over, Tori. Very carefully.”

  Slipping back out the door, I hear the lock turn.

  Collapsing back onto the edge of the bed, I touch my stomach as a tingle moves through my belly. I can’t just let this happen. I won’t just let this happen!

  But what other choice do I have?

  Treasured by Her Harem

  Serial #3

  Chapter One

  Tori

  There’s no way I can get bigger than I am. I’m absolutely massive! It takes a ridiculous amount of rolling back and forth just to get out of bed. And the effort of it is exhausting. But I do it. I roll and roll until I can get to a sitting position. And then, I sit on the edge of my bed huffing like I’ve just done something amazing.

  And all while trapped in a cell.

  Even the dresses they’ve brought me are getting too tight. They strain around my giant belly as if preparing to pop. Which this one just might. As I sit, trying to catch my breath, I feel my belly roll.

  Despite everything, I smile. The midwife says they suspect I have three babies growing in my belly. I don’t suspect it, I know it. I can picture them in my mind when I sleep... their round faces and tiny hands. The sound of their laughter.

  I’m not sure whether they’re boys or girls, but I don’t care.

  I already love them.

  That’s why I have to get out of here. I can’t allow these twisted humans to steal my babies, just because they’ll grow to be dragons. And I’ve been working on a plan. One that I’m finally ready to act on. If all the tiny bits of information I’ve pulled from my midwife are true, there won’t be a better time.

  And the truth is I’m not sure I’ll be able to escape in another week. I’m getting too big, and too tired. As much as I hate to admit it.

  It’s a struggle to get my boots on my swollen feet, trying to tie them when I can’t see them, but at last, I manage it. Then, I stand. My hand automatically goes to my lower back, and I wince, feeling uncomfortable in my own body.

  My captors are getting excited. I know they suspect I’ll go into labor any time.

  Yet another reason why it has to be now. The assholes.

  For whatever reason, my dragons aren’t coming for me. So my only choice is to escape on my own.

  Moving across my cell, I smile at the flowers they’ve placed in pots all around the room, then shuffle to the ancient fireplace. A pot boils water over it, and I have two mugs with tea leaves already in the bottom of them. I almost reach for the little pitcher of milk, then remember, and my hand drops.

  Everything is ready. So where is she?

  Right on time, I hear the familiar sound of the key turning in my lock and stiffen. Seconds later, the door opens.

  The only woman I’ve seen since coming here is the midwife, and I don’t like her one bit. Her cold eyes slide over the room as she takes a few steps in, her bag of medical equipment slung over one shoulder. I know she’s been told to sit with me. To talk to me and try to keep me happy.

  But I also know she hates me. And that her son was killed by dragons years ago.

  I force a smile. One I’ve been practicing in my tiny mirror every day. “Sheryl, I’m so glad to see you.”

  Her smile is equally forced. “And I’m glad to get a break from the men.”

  I wave her to one of two chairs that have been placed before the crumbling fireplace in one corner of my windowless cell. “Will you join me for some tea?”

  She nods and sets her bag on the bed.

  I’m not sure what she thinks. Up until a couple months ago, I would scream, bite, and strike her every time she went near me. It took several of their men to pin me down, so she could examine me with each visit.

  I hated it. I hated her. I didn’t want any of them touching my body, or near my babies. But then I realized the truth, I’d never escape if they had to send in a team of strong men every time they opened the door. And it wouldn’t hurt to have this woman as a “friend.”

  Which is how my idea began to form.

  I pour us both a cup of steaming tea from a kettle hanging over the fireplace, and add a
little milk to hers, and sugar to both of ours. She sits down in the chair across from me, her gaze always cautious.

  Staring back at her, I hate how strong and healthy she looks. Even though she’s older, with long white hair secured at her neck, she wears the same leather clothes as the men, and she keeps a weapon at her side. This woman may be small and old, but she’s a fighter.

  Unlike me. I grow weaker each day. No one says it. But I know it. The bigger my belly gets, the more slender my legs and arms become. I’ve seen my face in the little mirror. I look thin. And sick.

  They won’t tell me much, but I don’t think it’s often human women survive the birth of dragon babies. The one good thing is that I’ve used my appearance to help my plan. I pretend to be sicker and weaker than I actually feel. Which is why they finally stopped sending guards in with Sheryl.

  “What’s the weather like outside today?” I ask, trying to sound pleasant. As if our conversation is the most normal thing in this world.

  She answers the question she’s grown accustom to answering. “A little rainy and overcast, but nice.”

  Perfect weather to hide my tracks.

  I purposely sigh. “I miss the rain. And the clouds. Is the sky blue or grey?”

  “Grey,” she says. “I think there will be a storm tonight for sure.”

  “Is it afternoon then?”

  She takes a sip of her tea. “Yes.”

  A good time to make a break for it. Bright enough to see by, but also close enough to evening that hopefully I can hide when night falls.

  I sigh again, trying not to watch her too closely as she drinks. “Sometimes I think I hear the wind or the rain.”

  She gives an unkind laugh. “Not this far down in the tunnels.”

  Bitch.

  “And are the men playing their card games again?”

  She smirks. “They spent some of the morning hunting, but now they’re drinking and gambling. Two things I’ll never understand.”

  Good, then they’re distracted. And hopefully a little drunk.

  I nod and take a sip of my tea. “Have they gone to town lately?”

  A slightly guarded look comes over her face.

  Have I pushed my “innocent” questions too far? I’ve been carefully trying to figure out how often they go, so I can get an idea of how far we are from town. And my dragons.

  It also helps to know when there are less men guarding me.

  But none of this will work if she gets suspicious. So, I force my voice to grow wistful and stare off as if lost in thought. “Sometimes I just sit here, trying to remember what the sounds of a town are like. Maybe even the smell of it. I try to picture what it was like to walk in the market, or to haggle a price.”

  Her shoulders relax slightly. “They left a few days ago to get more supplies. Food and stuff for the babies—“

  She stops herself and takes a long draw of her tea. “Speaking of which, how are the babies?”

  I know it would make her more suspicious if I appeared eager to share, so I answer her slowly. “Good. They seem to be moving a lot.”

  “Are you having more strange cravings?”

  “It’s always for meat, but this time for chicken.”

  She nods, and I can see her making a mental note. That’s the thing, they’re eager to give me anything that they think might help the babies.

  “And is the smell of your cell still making you nauseous?”

  I frown, taking another sip of my tea. “The flowers help. Somehow they’re the only thing that keeps me eating.”

  The yellow flowers are all over my room in small vases. When I started refusing food due to the “smell,” they were eager to make me happy. I “mentioned” that these flowers were my favorite, and since then, they bring me more nearly every day.

  She finishes her mug and sets it down, as always eager to escape my company.

  “Will Spark come to see me today?”

  Spark is what they call the only mage who visits me. I despise the man with every ounce of my being. Unlike Sheryl, who barely tolerates my company, I feel Spark’s interest in me like a slimy caress. He says he likes my fighter’s spirit, the black specks on one side of my face that mean I was cursed by magic, and tells me on a regular basis that I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

  I think for now he doesn’t touch me for fear of what it could do to the dragons that grow within me, but I’m scared about what he’ll do after I have them. Sheryl has slipped once, so I know he seems to claim me as his woman to the other men.

  Sheryl shakes her head. “Spark will be gone until the morning... he had business to attend to.”

  I’m relieved. I knew he was leaving soon, and I was really hoping I timed this right when he would be gone. I’m glad I did. Everything seems to be falling into place.

  After a moment of silence, Sheryl stands. “We should get to your examination.”

  I nod and struggle to rise out of the chair. And even though I loathe it, I allow Sheryl to help me stand.

  She moves me to lie on the bed, and I grit my teeth as she touches my belly, listens to it, and checks me to see how ready I am for the babies’ arrival. When she’s finished, she looks oddly happy. Even though her eyes look a bit glazed.

  “It’ll be any time now.”

  I feel my heart race. She can’t leave yet. I need to figure out a way to keep her long enough...

  She goes to put her tools back at the edge of the bed and stumbles.

  I rise to a sitting position. “Are you alright?”

  Letting my feet hang over the edge of the bed, I watch her intently.

  Sweat gathers on her forehead. “Yes, I just—“ She crumbles to her knees.

  I stand and move behind her, putting one hand on her shoulder while I ease the dagger out of her belt. When she tries to speak, I cover her mouth with my hand. But she barely struggles against me, her movements slow and labored.

  “Y—you b—i—t—c—h,” she mumbles against my hand, then falls onto her side, eyes closed.

  I check her pulse and her breathing, then kick her and shove her before I’m confident the flower’s poison has taken affect. Pulling the hidden cords of cloth from beneath my mattress, I tie her hands and feet and gag her, before dragging her to the other side of the bed, concealing her from sight.

  Huffing and puffing like I’ve run for miles, I grip my side as the babies kick and roll in protest. “Shhh,” I tell them, “we’ll be safe soon.”

  From the bottom of my knitting basket, I grab the bag I’ve made that’s filled with the things I’ll need for my escape. I drop her dagger into it, then let my claws grow.

  This is it. The moment that will change everything.

  Taking a deep breath, I move to the door and knock in just the way Sheryl always done. The key turns in the lock, and the door swings open.

  I don’t give the guard time to react. Using my claws, I slice his throat.

  As he grabs his neck, eyes wide, blood spurting everywhere, I grab him and yank him into the room. He collapses onto the floor, and I don’t look back as I peek into the hallway. No one stands on the narrow stairs.

  Stepping out, I close the door behind me, lock it, and take the key.

  Looking up at the crude, torch lit staircase, I straighten my shoulders. No matter what I face next, I’ll destroy it. My babies are counting on me, and I won’t let them down.

  But what exactly will I find out there?

  And how far will I have to go before I find my dragons?

  Chapter Two

  PHOENIX

  If Frost tells me to eat something again, I will burn this temple to the ground.

  “We shouldn’t waste a single moment!” I growl at him.

  My brothers exchange another of their looks, the one that says they’re growing tired of me. But I don’t care. I won’t rest until Tori is found safe.

  Azure and Frost eat with no enthusiasm, and even though my fire burns within my belly, urging me to shout and dest
roy things, I force myself to grab some meat and eat. But only for my brothers’ sake.

  Since Tori was taken, they haven’t smiled, they haven’t laughed, and they find pleasure in nothing. Like me. Only they don’t have the added knowledge that they failed to protect her... like me.

  The mages stole her while I slept. Yes, their spell forced my sleep, but it means nothing. A dragon doesn’t deserve to live if he cannot protect his mate and young.

  “Where should we search next?” Frost asks the question that he has asked each day.

  Azure finishes eating and drains his mug of wine. “I’ll be going to the east. On foot.”

  We know the wizards had to have taken her someplace close. The further they traveled, the harder her scent would have been to hide. But we have searched every inch of the areas close to us, and explored every inch of this damn world. And there’s nothing. Not the smallest trace of her.

  Frost and Azure have taken to walking the woods around us.

  But for me? I cannot. I have to believe that the kidnappers will make a mistake soon, and I intend to be in the sky when they do. Somewhere that I can see far more than on foot.

  “It has been almost nine months,” Frost says into the silence.

  “You think we don’t know that?” I snap at him.

  His ice-blue eyes lock onto me, and I know how raw he must be, because I can see the anger simmering in the depths of his irises. “I mean to say that if our mating resulted in a pregnancy, she’ll give birth soon.”

  “If she still lives,” Azure whispers, his voice like the waves of the ocean.

  I tense. “Of course she still lives!”

  His features are tight, as if on the verge of losing all control.

  I close my mouth. Water dragons feel too deeply, and Azure is on the verge of something bad. I’ve heard stories of his kind diving into the waters and never being seen again. I fear soon he will do such a thing.

  It takes everything within me to swallow the fires that burn within my soul. “We’ve read every book we can find on the mages. And one thing is clear, they always make a mistake. We need only to be at the right place at the right time to find her.”