What in the world is going on?

Chandra certainly didn’t understand. She’d fled the Silvergrace mansion in a daze, trying to come to grips with the fact that she was pregnant. Struggling even more to deal with the fact that Tomas had stormed out—left because the baby wasn’t his.

Dear, Devi, she didn’t even know whose baby it was, but now all kinds of little things made sense from her finicky stomach to her fatigue. She could also pinpoint when it had happened—during those days she’d lost after getting caught by Parker’s raakshas. He’d done something to her. Implanted her with what? Someone else’s egg? Had he used her own? Fertilized with whose sperm?

Devi help her, what kind of child did she carry?

She couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of something perhaps not entirely human nesting within. Something that could hurt her?

No. She couldn’t think like that. Wouldn’t. I’m pregnant. She placed a hand on her stomach. No matter what, this is my child. Mine to protect.

She just didn’t know how to do that when she couldn’t even save herself.

Once again, Chandra was a prisoner.

In a cage.

A real cage.

A cage inside a room furnished with too much medical equipment. That just screamed danger. The room appeared empty of anyone else. However, given the stools and the hooks by the door where a lonely sweater hung, she could assume someone would come at some point.

What did they want with her?

Nothing good, that was for sure.

I’m such an idiot. Why did I run away? She could only blame herself. When she’d called the taxi to get her out of the Silvergrace mansion—I had to leave. Tomas was gone, and I was alone. Alone, shocked, and scared. She’d had only one thought—escape.

But she didn’t make it far in the taxi before it slowed down and her door was yanked open. She didn’t even have time to protest. She didn’t even get a clear view of her attackers. The dart with its drugging agent hit her too quickly.

She’d woken up here, a prisoner. She had a hysterical urge to find a cup to drag it along her bars and scream for help. But who would hear her?

Who would care?

The only furniture in her cell was a bed. A cement platform with a foam mattress on top. Chandra lay on it, facing the far wall and staring blankly. She curled into a ball as she stressed about what would happen next.

What is Parker going to do to me?

“I brought you some food.” The soft voice saw Chandra rolling so fast she almost fell off the bed. She caught herself and noticed she had company in the form of a blonde girl. She was young, a teen Chandra thought at first until she truly looked at her.

The long blonde hair and unmarked face indicated youth, but the maturity of her body and features put her at someone college-aged, in her twenties.

Chandra looked at the thick and creamy soup in the bowl that the young woman passed through the bars, and her stomach churned. “I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat. For the baby.”

“What do you know of the baby?” Chandra scrambled to her feet and hit the bars, grabbing them in fingers that white-knuckled.

“All I know is Uncle says you’re pregnant.”

“Uncle? As in Parker?”

The girl nodded.

“You should ask your uncle why he thinks I’m pregnant since I was a virgin up until two days ago.” Chandra couldn’t help but color her words with bitterness, and the young woman’s tentative smile drooped.

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“I should hope not, dear niece, since you’re not married. I must admit I’m shocked by you, Chandra. I thought your morals a little more firm.” The devil strode in, Parker’s smile wide and unrepentant. Why should he care? He had it all. He wasn’t even horribly ugly.

“I should have known you were behind this,” Chandra hissed.

His lips pulled into a small smile. A man in his late forties, Parker sported specks of gray in his hair and a flinty gaze that showed no mercy. “I see you’ve met my dear niece, who, I might add, isn’t supposed to be down here. Sue-Ellen, why don’t you be a darling and run along while I entertain our guest.” When the girl hesitated, his tone took a deeper tone. “Now.”

At the warning implicit in the word, Sue-Ellen didn’t even spare Chandra a second glance before fleeing.

Lucky girl. Chandra would have liked to follow, but the whole cage thing made it kind of difficult. “You need to release me at once. Kidnapping is a federal offense.”

“As is genetic experimentation.” Parker took a seat on an empty stool by a barren metal counter. “Did you know I have evidence showing some questionable and unethical practices by you while working for Lytropia?”

“I never did anything wrong.” A vehement denial.

He leaned forward. “But I can make it seem like you did.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Only if you force my hand. But that’s not why I brought you here. You, unfortunately, left our care earlier than expected. We weren’t quite done with you.”

“Oh, I’d say you did enough. I have you to blame for this, don’t I?” Chandra placed a hand on her tummy, still trying to come to grips with the idea that life grew in there. My egg and someone’s seed. Whose seed?

No wonder Tomas was so angry.

“You are carrying a miracle of science. Or, at least, it will be once I’m done with you.”

“I am not some kind of lab rat you can use to advance your sick experiments. We’re done.”

“We’ll be done when I say we’re done. You and that baby are going to make history.”

“I won’t help you.”

“You don’t have a choice.” His lips quirked. “How ironic that the doctor who once studied is now the subject under observation. It will give you a new perspective. And mayhap, if you behave, you can even be a part of this life-changing endeavor.”

“You are utterly insane. You can’t experiment on people.”

“What you mean is I’m not supposed to because, I’ll tell you right now, I can. And it works. You’ll see.”

Her mouth gaped, the claim calmly spoken, so believable.

So very frightening. He grabbed the bowl that his niece had left behind and offered it. “I see you didn’t eat your soup. You really should. Must keep up your strength.”

“Eat it yourself.”

“Now is that any way to speak to the man who holds your life, and that of the fetus, in his hand? Eat.”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.” Not yet, but how long could she resist?

“Always with the resisting. Why is it people never understand that they’re going to lose? I am in control here. I am the one who says what’s going to happen, and I say you are going to eat the soup.”

“I will not. And you can’t make me.” Chandra heard the mistake the moment she said it.

“Can’t?” Parker’s brow raised. “Guards.” Parker raised his voice slightly, and a pair of burly men entered. “My guest needs to eat. Please help her.”

“No.” She backed away from the cage as a key was inserted and a door in it opened. “You can’t do this.” Chandra slapped her hands over her mouth, but the goons easily pried them free, and then one held her jaw open and began to pour the soup. She could drown or swallow. There wasn’t any choice. So gasping and choking, tears streaming down her cheeks, she swallowed the thick soup, wondering what Parker had put in it. Convinced she felt her throat closing. Did he poison her? That would make no sense given the trouble he’d gone to in order to bring her here.

Logic didn’t do a thing to quell her panic as she was forced to eat the entire contents of the bowl.

When it was gone, Parker snapped his fingers. “You may leave now.” The goons left, and Parker leaned back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “Consider that your first lesson in obedience. You will learn to listen. Or don’t. I have methods to cure that.”

“You won’t hurt me.” Chandra didn’t think Parker would harm the baby, which meant, for the moment, he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Do you really think that pain is the only way to make someone bend? I have the power.” He crouched down and held her gaze, a gaze that wobbled and tripled.

Something made her hazy.

Parker crooned. “I don’t have to touch you at all to take away all hope. Hell, you don’t even need to be conscious to have this child. Imagine waking up in time to see the baby born. See, I don’t need you. The child is what I’m after.”

“Whose baby is this? Yours?”

“Mine?” He laughed. “No. My seed wasn’t right for this project. We needed someone with the right kind of genes. Would you like to know who the father is?”

Yes. No. Yes.

She didn’t reply, but Parker leaned close anyhow to whisper one word. A name.

Forget speaking. Stunned, she could only blink at the four smirking versions of Parker.

Her stomach cramped. She tucked her knees close.

“Nothing to say? I’m shocked. Just shocked.” Parker stood. “I always liked you, Chandra. You have incredible genetics. And just think, your child will be the first. The example we will use to draw the others.”

“First what? What are you planning to use my baby for?” She might not understand how it had happened, or like it, but whatever baby grew in her stomach was hers to protect. She cradled the still-flat plane of her stomach with her palm.

But he didn’t reply, and her eyes blinked shut. Everything spun. Even the floor she lay on felt as if it moved. She remained flat on it, trying to regain a sense of balance.

The sharp clack, clack, clack pounded into her head. And then it was a melodious voice talking. “I assume you’ve given her the final dose.” Spoken low and sultry, and rubbing all over. But the words…

The words were wrong.

“Yes. The process is complete. Now we wait for the fetus to mature.”

Me? They’re talking about me.

She pushed her eyes open, the lashes suddenly so heavy. Concrete eyelashes. Someone had cemented them.

Panic hit her for a moment. Then sanity reared its head.

You’ve been drugged.

So drugged she couldn’t lift her head, but she could peek ahead and saw a few sets of feet as she did. Long, gray trousers over leather loafers. And heels. Bright red heels.

“My darling queen. You do me honor visiting.”

She didn’t see it but heard the loud smack of lips hitting skin.

“I heard the girl was recaptured and came to see her for myself.”

“She’s in our care again, and in fine health.”

How could he say that? Her mouth felt as if she’d been deprived of fluids. And Chandra’s head had rocks inside.

“We are sure the pregnancy took?” The woman crouched, her red sheath of a dress pulling up over lean thighs. She didn’t just crouch, though; she studied. Sniffed the air. The woman’s eyes sparked with green fire, and she did a disturbing lick of her lips.

As if I look delicious. Chandra held her breath as the realization hit that this woman was dragon. Judging by her words? Not a very nice one.

“The subject’s womb is quickening,” Parker assured.

Subject. Wince. Chandra blinked, and her lashes cooperated.

“How long until we’re sure it succeeded?” The lady with the alabaster skin and vivid red hair in a chignon stood, leaving Chandra with a view of those red heels and slender ankles.

“We won’t be sure until after the birth.”

Nails scraped across the surface of the table, a discordant sound that made Chandra wince.

“I can’t wait that long. Things are moving rapidly. We need something to stem those who are moving against me.” The woman Parker called queen stood very close to him, their shoes almost touching.

“I think I have an idea. Let’s speak somewhere more private.”

The feet left her line of sight, and she heard the soft click of a door closing and the more ominous thunk of a lock engaging, leaving Chandra alone.

The initial effects of the soup appeared to be wearing off, but that didn’t mean Chandra didn’t act. It took some trembling, but she managed to stick a finger down her throat and gagged as she tried to force herself to vomit. She wanted that soup out of her.

It didn’t work, and she collapsed, panting. The concrete floor smelled of bleach. So clean. Was it to hide what they’d done before?

The lock clicked. Someone came. Devi help her. She wanted to be brave. She really did but…she was so damned scared.

The door opened, and she could see the crack, see the booted feet that approached.

And now her stomach did heave on its own, but nothing emerged. The dry retching only served to hurt.

It also embarrassed as the boots stopped outside the cell. Someone watched her.

“Is that an indication of how happy you are to see me?”

“Tomas?” She opened her eyes and turned enough to see him, a big, blocky shape that wavered in and out.

“I’m going to get you out of there.” He growled the words, and his eyes glowed with green fire. He yanked on the door to the cage, and when the lock held it shut, he grumbled louder. The muscles on his arms bulged, his face took on a stern cast, an almost alien feature, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw ebony shadow wings behind him.

Metal screamed as it twisted, the cage no match for an angry dragon.

He dove into the cage and dropped to his knees. In mere moments, she found herself cradled in Tomas’s arms.

“How did you find me?”

“Microchip.”

“You mean Parker didn’t disable it?” Her mind began stuttering into working mode again, the fuzziness and the stomach pains fading. With every blink, her mental acuity returned, and the questions started. “There’s no way Parker wouldn’t have checked me for a chip.”

“Maybe he forgot, or someone didn’t do their job.”

“How much resistance coming in?” she asked, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip.

“Some. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Said with an arrogant grin.

“In other words, too easy.”

“I wouldn’t say easy. This past day, while we were apart?”

“Day?” Chandra had thought herself asleep for only hours.

“I wanted to get here faster, but we did need to prep for the visit. Lucky us, Parker practically invited us in.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as she managed to lift her head and see only one Tomas.

“What he means is Parker has called a press conference. As such, his security was not as stringent as usual.” Zahra Silvergrace swept into the room, a cool breeze of elegance in her silver-threaded pantsuit.

“What are you doing here?” Chandra blinked. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous.”

Both Tomas and Zahra answered with bright smiles and an enthusiastic, “Yes, it is.”

The head of the Silver Sept waved a hand. “But what is danger when a lesson must be taught? We cannot afford to look weak in front of Parker. The man is entirely too convinced of his invulnerability. It is time he was shown his proper place in the chain. Not to mention he needs punishment for his lack of decorating sense. Ostentatious place above us. All those colors.” She shuddered.

“We’re in Parker’s house?”

“Under it,” Tomas corrected as he stood with her. He kept one hand on her waist to steady her.

“And he’s invited the media. That seems odd.”

“It’s probably a trap.” Tomas grinned. “And I totally walked into it.”

She blinked, but he still had that stupidly male smile. “This is not a game. Parker forced me to eat the soup.”

“Hey, I take offense. What’s wrong with soup? I happen to enjoy a hot bowl of it, especially during the chilly months.”

She poked him in the ribs. Hard. “He put something in the soup. I think it’s meant to affect the baby.”

At the word baby, he swallowed hard. He turned her that he might look upon her. His expression turned flinty. “I promise we’ll make him tell us what he’s done and handle it.”

“We?” He’d referred to them as a pair. As in a…couple?

“Yes, we. I seem to have added you to my collection.”

“What do you mean added? I’m a person. You can’t add me to anything.”

“Actually, I can. I’m a dragon, and it seems you belong to my hoard.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You can’t refuse,” Zahra interjected. “The man has mated you.”

“Mated me?” Chandra’s hand went to the bite mark on her neck. “What does that mean?” A hopeful part of her fluttered, but the more realistic part held tight and wouldn’t let it fly free.

He shrugged and, for once, looked sheepish. “We are mated. I’ve claimed you. For life.”

“Unless he trades you,” Deka piped in as she sauntered into the room. She looked quite elegant in her silver sheath and heels. She studied the fingers on one hand. “I broke a nail. And I just had them done. Damned guard.” She scowled.

“Language.”

“Sorry, Auntie.”

Chandra began to wonder if she was on some kind of reality show because, surely, all of this wasn’t happening.

“Report,” Zahra demanded.

“There’s just this one basement level. She’s the only one in a cage. The others are empty.”

“Staff? Guards?” Tomas asked.

Deka shrugged. “Not as many as you’d expect in a place like this. Maybe Parker cleared them out ahead of the news conference he’s holding.”

“Chandra is right. This is too obvious of a trap. Which means we’re not seeing something.”

“Or we’re doing exactly what he wants,” Chandra interjected. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“No way was I letting you go.”

The lowly growled words startled her. She didn’t have time to process them.

“Does it really matter?” Deka asked. “He obviously wants us to take Chandra. And that is why we’re here. So let’s stop being peeved that things were too easy and go get drunk somewhere and start a bar fight.”

Zahra sighed. “You are so like your mother.”

The cringe could almost be heard. “Don’t say that,” Deka gasped.

“If Parker wanted me to have you, then why not just give you back? Why make us come get you?”

Zahra eyed Chandra. “Are we sure she’s not working for Parker?”

Before Chandra could exclaim her indignation, Tomas jumped to her rescue. “Chandra is not working for him. And whatever is going on might be related to whatever is happening above us. Or have you forgotten the last few times Parker held news conferences?”

Chandra doubted anyone would forget. The first one Parker did had revealed shapeshifters to the world. The moose memes were particularly clever.

“Most folks seemed to think the action would happen at eight.”

“What time is it?” Parker asked.

Nobody looked at their wrists, as the three dragons in the room said, “Hammer time.”

And one muttered, “I wish I’d brought my MC Hammer pants.”

I’m surrounded by lunatics.

But lunatics who gave enough of a damn to come after her and rescue her from Parker.

As Tomas carried her down the hall, she noted she wore a plain gray tracksuit. Her feet clad in soft wool socks. Not naked, and yet, she certainly felt self-conscious as they made their way up the single hall, many of the rooms visible via viewing glasses.

Lots of empty spaces with medical equipment.

Where are the doctors and patients?

“And why is it so easy?” Tomas murmured, his arm still firmly anchored around her waist, even if she was capable of walking.

“Are you mind reading again?”

“I can feel your tension. You’re worried.”

“Aren’t you?” she asked. The Silvergrace women weren’t. They sauntered through the space as if they owned it. Arguing as only family could do.

“Worry is for those who fear destiny.”

“That’s just a pretty way of saying hold my beer and watch this.”

“I’m more of a cognac kind of guy.”

The elevator opened with the swipe of a pass Deka had filched off a guard. She’d left him sleeping off his concussion in a closet.

Only silence without the aid of music filled the elevator car on the short trip up. The doors spilled open into a small confined room with a snoring guard.

Outside that room, a wine cellar, the door to the elevator camouflaged by a swinging rack filled with bottles.

“This is right out of Scooby Doo,” she remarked as it shut behind them with hardly a push.

“And see, for me, that’s the norm. Because my kind has so many secrets, clever hiding places and methods to protect them are something I know a lot about.”

“All dragons protect their hoard,” Deka added. “It’s our thing.”

“And everyone has one?”

“Any real dragon does.”

Deka scouted ahead while Tomas remained with Chandra, and Zahra arrived late behind them. They emerged up a set of stairs into a kitchen.

The staff dressed in white layered with white aprons didn’t even look in their direction as they prepared platters of canapés and loaded trays with drinks.

Deka had quickly traversed and poked her head through the swinging door. She pulled back and shot them a look. “Seems like there’re lots of people out there. Whatever it is, I don’t think we’ve missed it.”

“I swear, if that man reveals one more….” Zahra swept out of the room, taking her threat with her.

Chandra hesitated, feet rooted. “You said I’m part of your hoard. Does that mean you could trade me?”

“Not fucking likely.” He sounded most indignant. “One doesn’t get rid of perfection.”

“But I’m pregnant. I won’t stay perfect.”

“So what? You’re mine.” The possessive claim warmed.

It didn’t mean she didn’t tease him. “With those words, you really prove how prehistoric you are. You’re not a dragon. You’re a dinosaur with longer arms.”

His eyes widened. “Did you just compare me to a T-Rex?”

“Would it help if I said you were my T-Rex and I don’t mind you claiming me?”

Smugness shone in his smile. “I knew you liked me.”

“I shouldn’t.”

“But you do.”

“A little.” She shrugged. “Maybe a lot.”

“Excellent. That means I won’t have to explain how the universe works.”

She blinked. “You lost me.”

“It is a well-known fact that the universe revolves around dragons, more specifically me at the moment.”

“You?” She laughed. “You might want to revise that opinion, dear Tomas, because, according to Parker”—she placed his hand on her belly—“this miracle of in vitro science is…” She paused before dropping the bomb. “Yours. Daddy.”