"This is her? She's so…small."
The man in the throne before Adelaide looked at her with some hybrid expression of disdain and curiosity. He was a lanky man with broad shoulders, long blonde hair, and a gaunt face dominated by a long, beak-like nose. The room where they were was a grand throne room in the top floor penthouse of a tower in Midtown Manhattan. A massive window behind the thrones looked out onto the evening city.
"I'm not sure what you were expecting," said Aurelius, who stood at Adelaide's side. "On the outside, she appears to be a human like any other. But, like all great things, it's what's on the inside that counts."
"And the blood work came back positive?" asked the woman who sat on the smaller throne to the man's left, a witch-like woman with a bony face and handsome features.
"Of course, it did," said Aurelius. "I wouldn't be wasting your time if it didn't."
"And you just brought her here through the sky?" asked the man. "Not exactly the most low-key strategy."
"I figured the matter was important enough that I could risk it. Besides, no one ever believes dragon sightings."
Adelaide, the flight through the skies of the city still fresh in her mind, could stay silent no longer.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The man raised an eyebrow.
"She's going to need to learn to keep quiet," he said. “I intend for her to be a dragon-breeder, not a conversation partner."
"She's been with the rest of the Silver Talons for the last week," said Aurelius. "You'll have to forgive her for thinking that a human like her can speak with dragons as though they're her equals."
"I don't have to do a damn thing," said the man. "But I suppose I can indulge her one question."
He turned to Adelaide, his watery blue eyes fixed on her.
"I am Martin Van Horne," he said, placing his bony hand on his chest, "And this is my wife, Cecelia. We're your new owners. And you are to be our pet."
"'Pet'?" asked Adelaide.
"That's right," said Martin. "I know of the blood that's in your veins, and now that you belong to me, I intend to put it to good use. You're to be a mother, you see."
"A mother many times over," said Cecelia. "You'll have so many children that you won't know what to do with them."
Adelaide felt sick to her stomach, the thoughts of the child already inside of her at the forefront of her mind.
"And you…killed the Abruzzi?" she said. "Just like that, so you could have me to yourself?"
"That's precisely correct," said Martin. "You didn't think they would be the only dragons in this city who wanted you, did you?"
"We've been working with little Aurelius here since before this mission of the Silver Talons even began," said Cecelia. "Each of the elder dragon families in the city have been searching for one like you, one with your blood, for years. And once we learned that there was one within reach, there was nothing that we wouldn't do to get our hands on you.
"And I was more than happy to take advantage of all of this," said Aurelius, a smirk on his face. "So, I assume that I can have my reward now?"
"Yes, yes," said Martin with impatience. "You'll get all of that. But first, we need to confirm that she is who she says she is."
"The samples that I took aren't good enough?" asked Aurelius.
"Well, no," said Cecelia. "Believe it or not, we're going to trust the word of our own people rather than that of a traitor with something to gain from all of this."
"Fine," said Aurelius. "As long as I can look forward to the command you promised me."
"You'll have all that and more in time," said Martin. "But for now, I want you to take her to the lab down the hall and perform some blood work. Confirm that the ancients still live in her veins."
"Very good," said Aurelius.
With that, he grabbed Adelaide by the arm and led her out of the hall.
"You're not going to get away with this," hissed Adelaide once the two of them were alone.
"I already have, you damned fool," said Aurelius. "Once they confirm you are who I've said you are, my job will be done, and you'll be ready to settle into your new role as a broodmare for the Van Hornes. Not a life I envy, but at least you'll still have your life."
"You're scum, you know that?" said Adelaide as they approached the doors of the lab. "You betrayed your own people just for power. You're a traitor, and the Van Hornes will never trust you."
"Oh, enough," said Aurelius. "And I couldn't be happier to get out from under the thumb of that old fool Thorne. I swear, doing pathetic work like that for a pittance – what was my family thinking in having me sign up for a job like that? Being the lowest man on the totem pole for a group of roughnecks like the Silver Talons – it's beneath me."
He pulled the door to the lab open, revealing a small space packed with medical supplies and equipment.
"Sit that little ass of yours down," he said, making his way over to the equipment and removing blood work supplies.
A syringe in hand, he approached Adelaide's side.
"You know, you really are a looker," he said getting the needle ready. "Maybe once the Van Hornes have gotten the brood they want out of you they'll let me have a little fun."
"Fuck you," said Adelaide.
"That's the idea," said Aurelius.
Before she could respond, he jammed the needle into her arm and filled it with dark red blood.
"Now," he said. "Be a good girl for a moment while I run these tests. Not a peep."
Adelaide's stomach flipped-flopped with anxiety as Aurelius ran the tests. The minutes ticked by slowly, and she knew it was only a matter of time before her secret was revealed.
"What the fuck?" said Aurelius, looking at the display on the computer in front of him. "This can't be right."
He marched over to Adelaide, his hands on his hips.
"You're pregnant?"
With a quick motion, he grabbed the fabric of her dress over her stomach and ripped it open, revealing the small baby bump.
"Unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. "This is…this is bad."
He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. Soon, they arrived at a small bedroom. Aurelius threw her inside, where she landed hard on the bed in the center of the space.
"What happened?" he demanded. "How the fuck are you pregnant? Are you such a little slut that you'd already been knocked up before this all happened?"
Then a look of realization formed on his face.
"No…," he said softly. "It was Thorne. I know it! I should've seen it all along! You two had been getting very, very cozy recently, and you two just couldn't help yourselves."
Adelaide said nothing, tears forming in her eyes. Then, without a moment of warning, Aurelius pulled back his hand and struck her across the cheek. Adelaide let out a shriek as his palm cracked across her skin.
"You little whore," he said. "Do you have any idea how fucked you and I both are?"
His expression was one of tight, hard anger.
"You stay here," he said. "Stay here while I think of something. Just…don't try anything fucking stupid, got it?"
With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Adelaide collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down her face both from the pain of the slap and the fear that gripped her body like a cold vice.
Once the worst of the fear moved through her, she rolled over onto her back, closed her eyes, and thought.
I know this is stupid, she thought, and I know this is just wishful thinking, but Thorne, please find me. Please come and save me from all of this. I don't know what they're going to do with me, but I'm more scared than I've ever been in my life. Please.
The last bits of hope smoldered like a small flame in her heart. But Adelaide knew that it wouldn't be long before her fate was sealed.