by Sasha Pruett
“Doctor, what is the likelihood that the girl will survive?” She asked, recovering from her revulsion as if it had never been.
“She is quite healthy my lady. Your servants have taken excellent care of her. I have every hope that she and the child will be just fine as long as her care continues and she is left in peace that is.”
“Naturally.” Drake and his wife shared a private tete-a-tete before continuing their conversation.
“This is our wish doctor. You will stay here and continue to care for the girl and the unborn child. You will dedicate your life to it. No mention of it shall pass your lips to anyone; not even those of this house! No one outside of me or my wife. Is this clear.”
“Yes, my lord it shall be as you command.”
“Good.” Drake turned from Dr. Edme silently dismissing him. “Well my wife, I suggest you inform the children that the young woman is to be left alone. Are they all in house?”
“All have returned except Drakon and Delphine. I’ll have them notified the instant they return.”
“Very well, and she has been returned to her room?”
“Yes, her servant has been instructed to bring her extra provisions and to see to her comfort. I thought it best to do a little too much than to do too little; at least until we were more aware of the situation.”
“Quite right my dear, how thoughtful you are.” The smile he gave her was pure gold as if they hadn’t been discussing the life of their captive only moments before.
“Well if you gentleman will excuse me I have some things to take care of.” She rose from her chair without waiting for either of them to respond.
The two stood as she did and gave a slight bow as she left the room. Drake had waited patiently for his wife to leave, making her way further from his study before beginning another topic with the good doctor.
“Dr. Edme, there is another task I have for you. I want you to devote the time that you’re not caring for the girl to discovering the reason behind her conception. I want to know why, how this is possible? This is to be kept between you and me alone is that understood?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good. Dismissed.” He waved his hand, the conversation clearly over, “Hamil set a guard at the girl’s door. She is not to be disturbed.”
His personal servant who had been quietly standing at attention in the background, bowed his head and left the room without saying a word. The only ones who knew about the pregnancy were the doctor, the lord and lady, and the three servants that were involved, but they would not say a word. They couldn’t. Containment was essential at this point. These six were the only ones to know, these six and one more.
Chapter Six
Lady Anula made the rounds throughout the household. Quickly informing each of her offspring that an issue with the sacrifice had arisen and that she is strictly off limits from that moment on by order of their father, the Head of the House of Drake. No one argued, at least not out loud and all would obey whether they liked it or not.
“My dear Erzsébet, is Delphine still in Milan?” she caught her daughter in the hall.
“Where else?”
“And your brother Drakon?”
“Still hunting or doing whatever it is he does out there? I don’t get it mother, why hunt animals when humans are so much more entertaining?” Erzsébet scrunched her brow as if this were the question of the ages.
“It’s something about the honor of animals. Drakon sees humans as vile and corrupt beings not deserving of his time.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation at her brother’s pride.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to your ‘modern’ vocabulary my dear. Please inform Delphine when she returns of the forbidden interference with the girl. Same as if you see Drakon. I’m sure I’ll have no difficulty with you obeying this will I?” Her mother arched her brow.
“Of course not, why would I? I never took an interest in her before. Rais and Ivan are the two you should be worried about.”
“Because my dear. You may not have been interested in her before, but now that she is off limits she has become infinitely more fascinating to you.”
“True, now that you mention it mother, but don’t worry I’ll behave; this time.”
“Good. See that you do.”
*****
He was an expert of maneuvering around the house without detection. Sharpening his senses to such a degree, that other than the private telepathic link his parents shared, he could listen in on anyone’s conversation from nearly any corner of the mansion. He, like the others had returned home surprised to find that the girl was still alive. He had fully expected by now that all traces of her existence, just like all the others, would have been wiped from the face of the earth. Now he discovered that not only is she alive, but the doctor had been called in to confirm that she was pregnant.
He went unnoticed in the lab. Completely hidden to the doctor and his assistants. Taking what he needed. Then made his way throughout the house listening to every conversation he could. He had to know, was it his? He was about to steal into her room to find out for himself when his mother returned to the study. Fortunately for him his parents, feeling safe with the idea that they were the only ones with such important knowledge, held their conversation the old-fashioned way. He heard every word.
“My dear?”
Sir Drake looked up from his papers, “Yes?”
“I’ve been thinking my love. I know during our earlier discussion that we had decided that we’d wait and see if the girl survived the birth. Then possibly keep her on until the child is weened before disposing of her, but I’ve been wondering if that is the wisest course of action?”
“Why is that my dear?” He put his papers aside and motioned her into her regular chair.
“If this child is all we hope it to be, then why limit ourselves to just one? Why waste such an opportunity?”
Drakes eyes brightened and his smile stretched wide. He threw back his head exploding into a full laugh, “You truly are my equal my dear. I was so consumed with the how, I neglected to think of the possibilities!”
“A child with all of our strengths and none of our weakness would be a powerful asset indeed. With such a force as that the House of Drake would rise to be the greatest of all the clans.”
“Marvelous, absolutely marvelous! And if the child is not satisfactory; no matter. She would still make an excellent breeder don’t you think?” His mind began to reel with the possibilities.
“That’s not quite what I had in mind husband. She may have conceived under rather oppressive circumstances this time, but her body may refuse to conceive again under such emotional stress. Humans are such fragile things my dear.”
Sir Drake deliberated this for a moment. “Yes, my wife, I had not considered that. She would do much better connected to the family. Whom did you have in mind? Not Rais?”
“No of course not my love. Even such powerful offspring couldn’t warrant the disregard of Nobility. No, he will marry a Noble woman just as his birthright demands. I believe the daughter of the head of the Predaré clan has been putting herself forward, she’s a fine match and it would be advantageous to have the Predaré’s on our side. No, I was thinking that we could hold onto her until either Ivan or Maximilien is of age to marry.”
“I don’t believe that would work. Being human she would be past her child bearing years and I wouldn’t want to attempt to subjugate her like the servants. It might interfere with whatever anomaly allowed her to conceive in the first place. Besides once the child is born we will know who the father is and if she is not wed by then I suspect Rais to claim her and the child, especially if it is his.”
“Is he that taken with her?”
“Her no, the power that would come from their offspring yes. I have little doubt that he would choose to seize it and take his place as the head of the House of Drake. After all, I would have over thrown my father had the opportunity arisen. I expect
nothing less of my heir.”
“True, he is your son. Then what are you proposing? Ivan is nearly sixty years from the marrying age.”
“No, that wouldn’t do. I’d be concerned that Ivan would turn her into one of his demented experiments and Maximilien is too immature to carry out our plans. No, I believe this is task for Drakon.”
“Drakon! My dear have you lost your senses. He would sooner end his life than be attached to a human female. You’d have a better chance of marrying her to one of our underaged sons than to Drakon.” She nearly fell out of her chair.
“True he does have a dislike of them.”
“That’s putting it mildly my dear.”
“But he is also the younger son and has recently reached the age of marriage. No one would question his choosing to marry an unknown. Even if news of the pregnancy were to surface no one would think it questionable under our mandates. They would think him young and impetuous and most likely tied to a woman of lower rank because of his impulsiveness. If he were to marry the girl before the birth of the child than even if it were to be discovered to have been sired by Rais, neither would have any recourse in the matter.”
“Yes, my husband, on the surface I would agree, but how will you convince Drakon of this?”
“He would not dare defy the head of the House of Drake and his father. Regardless of his distaste for humans.”
“My dear, out of all your subjects and your children he would be the one to try.”
The figure in the shadows had heard enough, he needed to act quickly while there was still time. He hurriedly made his way to the girl’s chamber, to get the answers he needed. It was time to find out once and for all if this child was his.
Chapter Seven
Calynn stood by the small window in her room. They had locked her in the second she had been escorted back. She had expected to die that afternoon, was ready for it; almost. No doubt the monster she was facing would cause agony like she’d never known and she wouldn’t be able to control her cries of pain, but she would not beg him anymore than she would the other four. Then, without warning she was sent back to her room to await her execution once more, but with one major change.
She had little memory of her time there. Entire days were missing, but she could put enough pieces together to know what was happening to her. Whatever they were treating her with was working quite well. She felt no pain and there was little trace of any bruising, but she still knew they were torturing her. Why they had removed any memory of it though was beyond her? That almost seemed like a mercy and she was sure mercy was one word that was not in these creatures’ vocabulary. Calynn subconsciously stroked her belly with her thumb. It didn’t take a genius to guess what the issue was, she’d had plenty of time to come to the conclusion hanging in that torture chamber. Somehow, one of those things had knocked her up and now they were in a panic. Guess this kind of thing didn’t happen very often. It definitely wasn’t in their designs any more than it was hers. Would they kill her outright or wait until the little abomination was born then get rid of her? Whatever their plan was she was sure it wouldn’t play out well for her.
She shivered at the idea and the feeling of being watched settled over her again as she probed her missing memory for anything that might help her, but perhaps she was better off not knowing. Her days melded into a blur of walking the halls and staring out at the freedom just beyond her reach and suddenly she was very tired. Coming so close to a torturous death and discovering you were carrying a monster child will do that to a person. She turned from the window, ignoring the tray of food and drinks she’d barely been able to pick at and slipped between the covers of her bed, wondering if her thoughts would even allow her rest. It didn’t matter, with the adrenaline gone and the day wearing on her sleep came easily. Drifting into unconsciousness, she never noticed the presence hovering in the shadows.
The form waited until she was truly asleep before emerging from the darkness. He watched her just like he had nearly every night since she arrived, but now was not the time. He had to take extra care not to be noticed, and would need to be quick. Carefully he slid his hand under the sheet gently placing it on Calynn’s abdomen just as his father had done. He wasn’t sure if it would work. It was a long shot, but the instant he touched her a shock ran through him from his finger tips to his toes and he felt the child growing inside her; his child, but how? He left her room the same way he’d entered and headed for the massive library. It was rarely used by anyone other than one of his sisters and was more of a status symbol of the great family of Drake, but it also held a history of their kind and very possibly an answer.
*****
He was close, Calynn could feel him just beyond her reach. Always present, always watching, and then he was there, holding her, touching her; a comfort in the darkness. She tossed and turned in the bed as the dream continued. Broken images of a man she could never truly see, his face hidden in a blur of missing memory. When she awoke the next morning she was in a different room, one that was more like a guest suite than a prison, but call it what you will it was no different except this time the door was still locked.
*****
Drake summoned his sons to his private study the moment Drakon had returned the next morning. He wanted to watch the reactions of each as he revealed the girl’s condition. A lot could be learned by the glances and twitches that would pass between them. His wife would inform the girls later that afternoon.
He stood behind his desk, his face a blank mask as he faced his heirs. Rais and Maximilien sat relaxed in the luxurious leather chairs, but Ivan and Drakon had remained standing, almost at attention. “Congratulations,” he bolted out almost sincerely, “it seems one of you has managed the impossible. The girl is with child.”
The dumbfounded looks on their faces was priceless.
“Care to exact a guess as to whom the father is?” He asked as he sat down, not once taking his eyes off the stunned faces in front of him. “No? Well no matter. For now, the girl is completely off limits to all of you including your sisters. I won’t have her bothered in any way, unless she approaches you and speaks to you directly you are to avoid her. Do I make myself clear?” His gaze was had as stone.
“Yes sir father.” It was said in unison though some were more enthusiastic than others.
“What do you plan to do with her?”
“Worried Ivan? For now, nothing. Dr. Edme is taking care of her and the child. Any other questions?”
The group exchanged wary looks, they were all thinking it.
“Yes, the child. We are unsure who sired it as yet, but we will find out soon enough rest assured. For now, you are to leave the little mother alone. Understood?”
“Yes father.”
“Good. Now go, I’m sure you have more interesting things to do today.” Without another word the group left, each of them with their minds full. Some more than others.
Chapter Eight
Calynn stretched and shifted under the covers, hanging on to the last of the dream that kept playing like an old movie over and over in her mind. It was the only comfort she had in this place. Granted her surroundings were much nicer since they moved her to her new surroundings in the middle of the night. One minute she was feeling very drowsy and the next she woke to find herself in the biggest, softest bed of her life. It was certainly better than that small room with a bed and small metal eating table and chair, but if she was still locked in what did it matter? The curtains swayed in the breeze from the open balcony doors, at least she could enjoy the fresh fall air. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, considering she was waiting to die that is. Before she even had a chance to check out her new digs there was a small knock on her door that nearly sent her jumping out of her own skin. It was a miracle she didn’t fall out of bed and onto the floor. No one ever knocked. A small timid girl who looked to be about twenty dressed in a simple servants’ gown and dark blonde hair tied in a bun entered the room with a tray and Calynn had the vague notion
that she knew her.
“Good morning mistress, I have brought you some breakfast. I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I took the liberty of selecting a few things the doctor has suggested for you.” Calynn watched as the girl set the tray onto a small ornate breakfast table across the room.
“I thought you might like to eat in here this morning. There’s fresh fruit, eggs, oatmeal, and milk. My name is Millie. The Lady Anula has requested that I be your servant. If you need anything I am here to attend you.”
“My servant? What is this? What happened to me being on the menu and you can take that away I’m not hungry.” She crossed her arm in front of her chest clearly showing her irritation.
Millie only stared at the floor. Making Calynn feel like a first-class heel and she sighed in defeat, uncrossing her arms.
“I’m sorry, you said your name was Millie?” She couldn’t believe that she was the one apologizing, but as timid as this girl was she wasn’t going to get anywhere by venting her anger out on her.
“Yes mistress.”
“And you were sent by whom?”
“Lady Anula. She is the lady of the House of Drake and wife to the master.”
“Why has she given me a servant?”
“To make you more comfortable miss.”
“Is this because of the baby?”
Millie looked shocked and scared all at once.
“It doesn’t take a PHD to figure it out. Don’t worry I won’t say anything if it’s a problem.” She decided to try the nice approach, maybe she could get enough information to help her get out of here. “My name is Calynn.” She noticed the girl ease a bit and decided to go for it.
“Very well, I guess we should get acquainted.”
Millie smiled.
