Page 36 of Unexpected Mate

“What none of us expected was for you to be in heat,” he continued. “I didn’t figure that one out until I got to the castle this evening and caught your scent. I hadn’t thought I would still feel the pull of the mate bond, but it was there. The longer I watched you and your mates, the more my blood boiled. My wolf fought me all evening to go to you and beg for another chance. The scent of your heat was driving me insane and that is when I realized my good fortune. My sources had already told me that, even with how I treated you, you still missed me. Tonight, with your heat distracting you, I knew if I just said the right things, you would cave. I still can’t believe how soft your silly little heart is, and how quick you were to forgive. I don’t want you as my mate, but I really enjoyed using your hot little body.”

I struggled to breathe. The gag was still in my mouth, and between my face impacting with the stone and my constant tears, I could barely breathe through my nose.

“Have you figured out the best part yet?” Cage grinned. “I emptied my seed inside you.”

My brain was shutting down but I tried to concentrate on his words. I knew they were important, but shock was setting in and I couldn’t connect the pieces.

“You’re in heat. The whole purpose of your body going into heat, and driving you crazy with need, is so that you will get pregnant and your species won’t die out,” Cage explained. “My child may already be growing in your belly—a child I will be able to take and shape into a leader fit to rule the earth. Once the leaders are done experimenting with you, they will kill you. That will leave me as the father to the most powerful creature on earth, a creature that will be eager to do anything to please their dear old dad.”

I had never felt anything as strong as the horror I felt at that moment. I yanked at my magic, desperately trying to call it forward, cursing the fact that I sucked as a dragon. I dove into my memories, ignoring the painful throbbing in my head. I needed Beasty’s skills. I let go of all my self-control and let instincts take over. Around me, the walls trembled and reflected the eerie blue of my glowing tattoos. Hope soared in my chest. I might actually be able to save myself, even while weak and in shock.

“Oh no you don’t, slut!”

Cage backhanded me with the force of a werewolf and I was knocked into the wall. My head hit the stone with a sickening crack and everything went black.

Laughter was the first sound I heard as I woke. It was so loud, clanging around in my head like Damien and his obnoxious morning wake-up calls.

“I can’t believe it went off without a hitch!” a woman’s voice said.

“You should see her mates. They are frantically searching for her, and she’s right under their noses! I heard them talking this morning; they believe the kidnappers have already taken her somewhere else, so they are leaving shortly.” The man speaking sounded positively giddy.

“I hope you’re right, Cage. If she is pregnant, that will make all our lives a lot easier. We’ll try some things over the next few weeks to transfer, or at least siphon, her power. If we can accomplish that, we’ll be able to take thethrones and destroy any resistance we meet. If not, we can kill her and use her child to destroy our enemies in a few years. We’re immortal, waiting a few decades for the child to grow isn’t a big deal.” How could a woman be so cruel?

A loud banging on the bars had me jerking to the fetal position, trying to protect myself. I opened my eyes. They felt like they were full of sand and I blinked repeatedly before I managed to focus on the faces in front of me.

It was the former king and queen of the blood driven. The faces that had been so loving and friendly the night before sneered down at me now. The inky black evil had spread like a disease through the paranormal community. I had thought that by taking out Draven, the evil would be stopped. It had already seeped into the hearts of others, corrupting them and twisting their minds. This was the prophecy I was born to fulfill.

“My son is a softhearted fool that is too weak to rule, and yet he is still far too good for you,” Elise snapped. “The thought of him claiming you makes my skin crawl. You are a beast, an animal, and now you will be treated as one. This room has been spelled so your magic is null. You are at my mercy.”

She threw her drink in my face before spinning on her heel and leaving the room, the men following her out.

I reached down inside me and called upon my magic. It tried to answer my call but was blocked by an invisible barrier. I smiled to myself; she said my magic was null, but it was still there. I just had to figure out how to get it out.

The sound of footsteps had me shoving myself back intothe far corner. I needed time to heal myself; a slow process without magic, and while the heat was still eating away at me.

I watched as a guard strode into the room. He eyed me through the bars, and then unlocked the door and walked in, carrying a large box with him. I shrank further against the wall, not sure what his intentions were.

“Be still, rabbit,” he said. “You cannot get away, so your actions are pointless.”

I bristled at being called “rabbit”. I was a dragon. A fire-breathing, lightning-catching, sword-wielding, enemy roasting, dragon.

The guard barked a laugh. “You have a high opinion of yourself, little bunny.”

Great, he was a mind reader. How was a girl supposed to hatch a diabolical escape plan with a guard reading her mind?

This was really not my day.

Or week.

Or month.

Or year.

The guard tilted his head like a dog and studied me. “You are unusual.”

“Right back at you.”

“Hmm.” He turned and started pulling things out of the box. I watched him warily. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

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