The Dragon

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

I woke up groggy.

I struggled to blink my eyes open, but there was nothing above me, save a bright blinding light that shone down on me. I turned my head away, blinking several times to clear my vision. I found myself in some kind of room, all white, with a two-way mirror to my right. I scowled at it, and against the light, turning my head back. I went to lift my hand to protect my eyes against the light, but found I was unable to move it.

Frowning, I lifted my head and looked down to see I was restrained to some kind of metal table. Worse, my legs were bent up and spread apart, strapped down at the ankles, with no way of closing them. I jerked my head up to stare at the two-way mirror, then at a door across the room.

This wasn't happening.

This wasn't going to happen.

I refused to let this happen.

I would sooner die than let anyone, but Six touch me.

My breathing picked up instinctually out of panic, and I jerked hard at the restraints to no avail. I twisted and turned uncomfortably, trying to break free of the restraints, but still nothing budged. I looked at the two-way mirror.

"You can't do this," I said, unsure if anyone was even on the other side listening, "I don't want children, damn you. I don't want to be a parent, especially now of all times. And I certainly don't want them to grow up in an environment as toxic as this one. Do you understand me? If you force this pregnancy on me, I will do everything in my power to make sure I lose it, do you hear me? I won't have a child."

There was a long pause before something crackled and I realized there were speakers built into the wall on either side of the mirror.

"You can and you will have this child, and you will love it," an eerie female voice said, "You will care for it and you will raise it within our walls. You will raise it to fight for the cause and you will raise it with the utmost care and respect. We will be ever vigilant to ensure the safety and proper raising of the child."

"I don't want a child," I repeated angrily, "I don't want any child!"

"You will learn. Once you've held a precious innocent soul in your arms, you will change your mind. It is most certain." Yeah, that was definitely Chloe. It sounded like her tone, her choice of words.

"What you are doing is rape," I said heatedly, "I do not consent to this."

"Sometimes we must do vile things in order to maintain the balance of good," Chloe responded with a heavy sigh, "It is most unfortunate that it must happen this way. The Mother is very displeased you've not accepted your role. It forces her to do things she finds distasteful." I shut my eyes tight and dropped my head back down on the table, trying to find some level of calm, but it was growing difficult as my panic rose.

Talking to these people wasn't going to change their minds. Yelling at them would work even less. They were stuck on this path they'd drawn up for themselves. They were going to rape me and force me to have a child, because that was what they believed to be the only way to make this happen, to create their army of little soldiers to die for a cause that was rooted in Hera's obvious family problems. For a goddess of marriage and family, she sure had a fucked up view of it.

"Please be patient," Chloe informed, "Your new mate will be arriving shortly." I tensed as I listened to the speaker crackle off. The faint muffled sound of a door opening and closing followed.

I struggled to find some calm to focus on an escape plan, but it was hard. My chest hurt, my arms and legs ached from twisting and fighting against the restraints. The very idea that I was about to be attacked, violated, ramped up my fear. Even worse was how long she was taking to get the person who was supposed to violate me. She was taking her time on purpose. She knew it was going to ramp up my panic. She wanted me to be afraid, and that infuriated me. She was playing with me.