A pink cross.
Adelaide couldn't believe what she was seeing. Standing in the bathroom of her quarters in the Silver Talon HQ, her hand shook as she held the pregnancy test.
This can't be right, she thought. There's no way this is possible.
Snatching the flimsy cardboard box that the test came in, she checked the instructions once again. Sure enough, it was as she thought: One pink line means no, a pink cross means yes.
She was pregnant; there was no getting around it.
How the hell can I be pregnant? she thought, pacing back and forth in her bedroom. It's only been a week since Thorne and I…did what we did.
But there was no denying what had been happening to her. It started the first morning after she arrived here at the HQ, when she woke up gripped with a nausea more intense than anything she'd ever experienced. Then, over the course of the next few days, she'd experienced more and more symptoms. She was convinced that it was some sort of strange flu, and that it was nothing to worry about.
Deep down, however, she knew there was something else going on. She felt something, a presence in her. The thought that it might be a pregnancy occurred to her, but she dismissed it as insane. But she couldn't shake how she felt. Then, when she stepped into the shower the previous morning, she'd caught a glimpse of something strange with her figure. Adelaide stopped in front of the mirror to look at her nude body, and saw, to her horror, that there was a small bump in her belly that hadn't been there when she went to sleep.
Despite how insane it sounded to her, Adelaide knew as soon as she laid eyes on the bump that she could no longer ignore what was happening to her. She convinced Jace to grab for her a test the next time she was out, and once she had it, she knew there was no going back.
And now, she had to tell Thorne.
Thorne had been another matter entirely. Ever since he received the new orders from the Abruzzi, he'd been cold and distant toward Adelaide. She couldn't tell if he was simply upset that his job of babysitting her had been extended, or if there was something more. Despite how much it hurt, she'd been giving him his space. But now, that wasn't an option.
"We have to talk," she said that afternoon, finding Thorne in his private office on the upper floor of the headquarters.
"What is it?" he said, not taking his eyes off the computer in front of him.
Adelaide's stomach tightened with anxiety. As much as she didn't want to have the conversation, she knew there was no getting around it.
Thorne stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. But no words came out. Instead, Adelaide marched to his desk, set the pregnancy test down, and crossed her arms.
"What the hell is this?" Thorne asked.
"It's exactly what it looks like it is."
Thorne swiped the little white object off the desk, shot out of his chair, and held it close to his face.
"Is this some kind of fucked up joke?" he asked, boring into Adelaide with his hard gaze. "Because this is the exact opposite of fucking funny."
"No joke," she said. "I'm pregnant."
Then, she lifted her shirt up just enough to show the small bump that had somehow developed over the last few days.
"And I don't know how, but it's happening fast."
Thorne shot over to Adelaide and placed his hand on her belly. It was as though he was expecting it to not be real.
"How am I showing so soon? This is what I should look like after two months, not a week!"
Thorne looked away in thought.
"It's the blood," he said, his voice grave. "That's gotta be it."
"What?" demanded Adelaide. "My blood?"
"The ancient dragon blood that you've got in your veins. It's more powerful than even I was thinking. When dragons give birth, the process is much faster than with pure blood humans – only takes a few months. But with a silver dragon like me and a human with ancient blood, it's even faster than that."
Adelaide felt unsteady, as though her legs were going to give out from under her at any moment.
"I…can't be pregnant; I can't be pregnant with some…animal child! I'm not ready for this."
"Then you're gonna have to get ready," said Thorne, his voice stern. "Because this is happening, and that child inside of you doesn't care whether you're ready or not."
"And we got another problem," he continued. "The Abruzzi aren't gonna be happy if they find out that you're already pregnant before they marry you off to Cedric. They find out that I'm the daddy, and we're both gonna be in a world of trouble."
Adelaide's head began to spin. She felt like she was in the middle some kind of terrible, waking nightmare.
"Then…what are we going to do?" she said, her voice frantic. "If they find out I'm carrying your baby, they'll kill you, then probably me, then, then-"
Thorne's hands fell hard on her shoulders, holding her in place.
"Listen," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "This isn't what I wanted to happen, but no matter what, I'm gonna keep you safe. There's not a goddamn chance in hell that I'm gonna let the Abruzzi lay a hand on you."
Adelaide felt calmer instantly. She stared hard into his eyes as if looking for any sign of insincerity. But there was nothing of the sort. As she gazed at Thorne, she saw no fear and no doubt. There was nothing but determination and sincerity. He didn't need to say another word – she knew he meant what he said.
"Now…now you care," she said, her voice weak. "I thought I was just some job to you, just another paycheck."
"You…were," said Thorne, his eyes still fixed on her. "At least, that was the plan. But I knew that there was something different about you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. And not just because of whatever blood you have in your veins; because of the person you are."
Adelaide felt a pressure on her hand. Looking down, she saw that Thorne had placed his hand on hers. The touch, as it always was with him, was positively electric.
"I don't know what this mess is that we got ourselves into, or how we're going to get out of it, but I swear that I won't let a thing happen to you."
Adelaide didn't have to wonder for a moment if Thorne's words were sincere. She knew, just knew, at that moment that this man, this dragon in the body of a man, would do anything to keep her safe. The urge to surrender to him gripped her, and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms. Then, as though he had some way to read her mind, he did just that. Thorne pulled Adelaide close, taking her into his embrace. She held still for a moment, savoring the feeling of his body wrapped around hers, closing her eyes as she listened to the sound of his heartbeat.
However, as soon as she was wrapped within him, Adelaide knew that she wanted more – much more. Still in Thorne's arms, she turned and gazed up at him. His eyes flicked down to her, his expression both warm and stern. Adelaide felt her lips part slightly as her heart beat faster.
Thorne's hands moved down to her hips, holding her firm. Then, he gave her what she wanted. Taking her chin into the crook of his finger, he leaned in and placed his lips on hers. The kiss was…different to Adelaide than the ones they'd shared before. When they'd made love the first time, the energy was unrestrained and primal, like two animals in the grip of their passions having at one another. But now…it was softer, more tender.
It was just what Adelaide wanted.
She fell into the kiss right away, her body loosening as she allowed herself to be supported by Thorne's strong grasp. They kissed long and deep, their tongues playing, exploring one another's mouths, the feel of Thorne's rough stubble against Adelaide's face intoxicating beyond belief. As they kissed, their hands moved over one another's bodies – Thorne's on her curves, and Adelaide's on the hard angles of his sculpted torso.
"I…haven't been able to stop thinking about you," she said, the words slipping from her mouth.
"And what have you been thinking about?"
"You," she said, her voice breathy. "You, being inside of me. Deep, so deep."
"Tell me what you want," said Thorne in between kisses along the curve of her neck. "I want to hear you say it."
The words were hard to speak. Adelaide had never been the type to be so open with expressing what she wanted. But after a moment, the sheer intoxication of Thorne's voice, his kiss, his touch, coaxed the words he wanted to hear out of her.
"I want you to fuck me," she said, gazing up at Thorne. "I want you to fuck me hard."
Thorne took in a long breath through his nostrils, the arousing power of the words working through his body. And as he looked down at Adelaide, she moved her hand down, down, until it was over the hard outline of his prick through his jeans. If there was any doubt what Thorne wanted, it vanished as she laid her hand on that firm, solid prick.
Thorne returned to his kisses, his touch now more intense, more firm. His hands on her hips, he moved them slowly upward, pulling up her shirt and exposing the flesh of her midriff. Once the shirt was off, he made short work of the clasp of her bra, snapping it off and tossing it aside. Thorne's lips then moved to her nipples, licking and lashing one after the other. Adelaide's head tilted back as she took in the sensation of him teasing and sucking her nipples, the wet strokes of his tongue beyond compare. His head just below hers, Adelaide took in a long, slow sniff of him, the scent of his hair and body like some kind of drug.
It almost seemed to her as though they were meant for one another on some deep, chemical level.
Thorne still paying attention to her breasts, Adelaide grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off over his head. His salt-and-pepper hair fell down mussed in a sexy tussle, a pair of stray hairs dangling over his blue eyes in a manner that struck Adelaide as beyond sexy. Running her hands over his body, she kissed the back of his head and then his shoulders before bringing his face back up to hers to pull him into another long, sensual kiss.
"I want to make you feel good," he said, his voice a lovely purr. "I want to lick you until you cum hard, baby."
"Then do it."
A wicked grin formed on his gorgeous lips as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. Then, with an effortless hoist, he lifted her off her feet and set her on a nearby chair. Once Adelaide was placed, Thorne dropped to his knees, Adelaide's legs open in front of him. He kissed her bare stomach as his hands undid her belt, and a few moments later, he'd pulled down her pants and panties, leaving her totally bare. Adelaide wanted to cross her legs out of modesty, the feeling of her pussy right there for him to see striking her at first as somewhat overwhelming, but as she watched Thorne's expression turn to one of sensual hunger as he gazed at her, she felt the feeling soon pass.
Thorne slipped his arms under Adelaide's legs, lifting her hips slightly and pulling her closer to him. Then, once his face was only a few inches from her pussy, he went to work. Thorne started with kisses along her inner thighs, licking and kissing the sensitive skin right near her sex. Adelaide felt herself get wetter by the moment, and just as he'd done before, Thorne knew just how to tease her to build the anticipation to a boiling point. By the time he finally placed his mouth on her pussy, Adelaide was about ready to go wild with desire.
Slipping a finger into her, Thorne ate her with a feverish passion. He expertly worked his tongue, paying just the right amount of attention to her clit as he fingered her, the pleasure building and building by the second.
"Ah, fuck, fuck," moaned Adelaide. "You're so goddamn good at that."
She'd never had a man please her with such expert skill before. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before – aside from their last love-making session, that is.
Thorne continued, the sound of his mouth on her pussy filling the air, that wet lashing sound that accompanied the ecstasy rushing through her body. It didn't take much more of this attention before an orgasm built, built, then released, pulsing through her as Thorne continued to go down on her.
Adelaide thrashed and moaned, her hands still shoved into Thorne's thick hair. She pressed his head against her sex, as if wanting to squeeze out every last drop of pleasure. Soon, the orgasm passed, and right as it did, all she wanted was for him to give her what she'd wanted from the beginning.
And Thorne was happy to indulge her.
Slipping his arms around her waist once again, Thorne wiped her juices from his mouth before lifting her up. Adelaide loved the feeling of being carried by him like this, and soon, he'd placed her on the edge of the nearby desk. Glancing down, she could see that his cock almost looked about ready to burst out of his jeans.
"I need it," she moaned. "Give it to me now."
Thorne smirked, appearing to love just how wild and out of control Adelaide was becoming. Undoing his belt and zipper, he pulled down his pants and underwear and stepped out of them, his long, thick cock pointing right toward Adelaide's pussy. He reached down, grabbed hold of it, and slowly, slowly, slid it into her inch by inch.
"Ohhh, oh God!" she shouted as he penetrated her, the feeling of him entering her like being split in half in the best way imaginable.
Once he was buried inside of her, Thorne began moving slowly, giving her a moment to get used to his girth and length. Adelaide bit down on her lower lip so hard that she worried she might draw blood. But soon, once he'd entered her a few more times, nothing remained but the incredible feeling of him being inside of her.
Thorne began to rock his hips back and forth, his blue eyes locked onto Adelaide's. The feeling of him being inside of her, looking at her in that way, was like nothing she'd ever felt before. It was an overwhelming combination of both physical and emotional delight, and by the time the words slipped out of her mouth, she knew they'd come from a place deep down inside of her.
"I love you."
Her hand shot over her mouth as soon as she spoke, her eyes going wide. A sexy, knowing smile appeared on Thorne's lips as he took some amusement at the display. But he didn't leave her hanging for long.
"I love you, too."
Adelaide sighed with pure joy, the words dancing in her heart. But Thorne hadn't lost sight of the business at hand. The pace of his thrusts picked up, and soon, he was bucking into her hard, his hips slamming against hers as he fucked her over and over again, his cock moving deep inside of her and coaxing out of Adelaide's body pleasure that she'd never known before. He grunted as he drove into her, his face tightening in an expression of concentrated pleasure.
The orgasm stirred within Adelaide, and it didn't take much more of this before it broke loose, running through her limbs like white-hot pleasure. Then Thorne came, shooting himself into her with a grunt, his hands gripping her hips hard as he sprayed his load deep inside of her.
Once their orgasms passed, Thorne pulled Adelaide close, covering her face in tender kisses.
She knew she could stay like this forever.
***
The two of them lay together for a time, holding one another close. Neither of them said a word, instead gazing into each other's eyes, caressing one another's body, the routine broken only by the occasional kiss.
Then, a look formed on Thorne's face. It was like he had something to say but wasn't sure how to begin. Adelaide looked at him with concern, eager to know what was on his mind.
"I…was married once," he said, looking at the ceiling above. "For about five years. My wife and I were both mercs. It's how we met actually. Her name was Maryann."
"I…had no idea," said Adelaide.
"That's not by accident. I don't exactly tell this to just anyone."
He stopped for a moment, as if trying to carefully choose his next words.
"We were happy. It was a relationship like I'd never had before. We'd go on missions, get wild drunk, then make love till morning. But when I finally proposed, it was like I got a glimpse of a part of her that I didn't know was there. A tender side, a side that wasn't the merc that I knew. It was as though she'd always hoped I'd make her my wife so we could live the regular life of a house and kids that we'd both always wanted but never had the guts to admit to wanting. As regular as things can get when you're a dragon merc, that is."
"So, we got married. And once the partying was done, we started with the planning of just what was next. We'd decided to move upstate, to get a house and get away from all this bullshit in the city. Maybe even have a couple kids. We just had one last op to do, one last escort for some rich fucker who we'd been working for during the last few months.
"The op…didn't go as planned. We got caught in an ambush, and I was the only one in our crew to make it out. Everything happened so fast, I didn't even have a chance to see how Maryann left this earth. And just like that, just over the course of an hour, I went from a man with a wife and a whole life ahead of me, to a widower who'd lost everything.
"It took me a year before I could even put the bottle down long enough to get back on my feet. And when I did, I decided that things would be different. I'd get back into the merc game, but never again would I let my heart get in the middle of my work. I'd do anything for a payday, and not give a damn about anyone but myself and my new crew.
"But that all changed when I met you."
The words were like a fire in Adelaide's heart.
"You cast a spell on me from the moment I saw you, and I knew, deep down, that all the bullshit guards I put up would be nothing. And now you're carrying my child, about to be given away to someone else."
Then, a look of grim determination came across his face.
"I don't know how I'll get you back, but I swear I'll do it. I'll protect you, and make sure you and our baby are safe. I swear it."
Adelaide didn't know what to say. His words overwhelmed her with emotion. She wanted nothing more than to curl back into his arms and never leave.
But they both knew the days ahead of them would tear them apart. All they could do was hope their love would be enough to see them through.