Val screamed and fought, but there was no way out. Melinda had her where she wanted her at last.
". . . And you have to stop sleeping with every handsome man that goes past you! Why don't you have any self-respect? You're a beautiful girl. You're twenty-one years old. You should care more about yourself."
"I have self-respect," Val shouted back. "I've got a boyfriend!"
"A street thug? He's beneath you, Valerie," Melinda said. "A mongrel human. Nothing special."
That really inflamed her temper. Valerie straightened her shoulders, growing a foot taller in the cramped room. "Nothing special? Gris-gris IS special! He's a gentleman. He treats me like gold. He wooed me, unlike your 'special' son. If Nathaniel was really so wonderful, he wouldn't have had to use his talent on me, would he?"
"It's a dragon's way to take what she wants," Melinda pointed out. "You've done that, haven't you?"
A trifle guiltily, Val thought about the way that she and Gris-gris made love, with Val firmly in control. Melinda nodded.
"Yes, I know. It's none of my business. Then, on to what IS my business. You. You and this precious child you are carrying."
She glanced over her shoulder at the armed men in suits. Val went even more on guard. Melinda turned back. She smiled like a shark. But instead of moving closer, the men edged back. They were still between her and the door.
"What do you want?" Val asked.
"To give you a world of opportunity," Melinda said. "Come with me. Right now. I have a limousine waiting."
"No! You'll take me away. This is my life."
Melinda smirked. "Mai told you I'd kidnap you, didn't she? I can just guess what that little oriental bitch has been telling you. Make your own judgment! Are you a dragon?"
"Yes! That's what everyone keeps telling me!"
"Don't do that! Decide based on what you know, not what other people tell you. Here are the facts: I have been within reach for almost three months. Have I laid a single finger on you?"
Val paused before answering. "No."
"Am I coercing you to get in a car with me?"
"Well, no, but . . ."
"Just no! Then how am I impinging on your life?"
"You're here! You keep calling me. Nagging me! I want time to make my own decisions. Back off. Leave me alone. I'll get along fine without you."
Melinda shook her head. "You need advice. I spoke to your brother. He is concerned that you are taking this step too soon on your own. I have a proposal for you. Let me take your child and raise it. You can get on with your life. You will have full access, but you can finish growing up."
"I am grown-up!"
Melinda clicked her tongue. "My mistake. I shouldn't put it that way. Let me say it differently: I want you to have the opportunity to fulfill your potential. Being a very young, marginally employed, single mother will make it harder for you to achieve it. Do you want to finish college? Do you want to have a career? I can help."
"Your help? I would rather have a goiter and two broken legs!"
"You can have all three," Melinda said calmly. "They're not mutually exclusive. Let me raise the baby until you feel ready to take care of it. I'm a mother. I love babies. I have been through all the stages: colic, sleepless nights, teething, head colds, diarrhea. I can handle it. I'm not the monster you think I am."
Val reminded herself that not all monsters looked like monsters. Some of them looked very pretty, like those crazy changelings that had been all over the conclave dance. And some of them looked like the president of a powerful corporation. But only one thing was keeping Melinda here, terrorizing her. She steeled herself.
"You had better get out of town while you still can," Val said, dropping her voice to a cold whisper. "I don't have to bring your grandchild into the world. You've got three kids. Let one of the others have a family. This one doesn't have to be your pawn."
Melinda's eyes narrowed. She understood what Val was implying. "You wouldn't dare."
Val knew she would not, but Melinda didn't. She put her chin up defiantly. It was hard to push the words out, but she managed.
"Some of my friends have had terminations. It was horrible for them, but they couldn't handle having a child too soon. Maybe it's the same for me. I . . . I know where to go."
Melinda's face turned purple. "You can't!"
Val looked down her nose at the shorter woman. "I can. Anything rather than having you hounding me and hovering over me for the rest of my life!"
"You'd really do it?"
"Yes! Anything to get you to go away!"
Melinda threw open her arms. "Come here, darling! You really are a dragon!"
"What?" Val found herself enfolded and pounded on the back.
Melinda held her at arm's length and beamed at her.
"Only a dragon could make a statement like that to tip the balance of power. It's immature and misguided, and I know that you would rather tear your own intestines out and drape them around your neck than harm a single scale on that baby, and you were reluctant even to think about it; but I really admire you, Valerie. I was beginning to wonder if being raised as a human had made you too soft. Boy, was I wrong! You are the real thing, sweetheart."
Val pushed away and retreated out of reach. "I still don't want you bothering me."
Melinda waved a hand. "You'll get over it. You will need my help. I can be a resource for you. You can ask me anything. I don't mind. I do not embarrass easily."
"Yeah, I figured that out," Val said. "Otherwise, you might have civilized your own kids."
Melinda put an arm around her and patted her on the back. "I tried. You have to believe me. But after a while, they go their own way. And Lizzy--never mind. I don't want to rehash the past. She will not bother you. I can keep her busy somewhere else. All I want is to be in my grandchild's life as it grows up. Malcolm doesn't understand the softer feelings. He sees them as weakness. I know that you need the entire range to be effective. I can be brutal, but real loyalty comes when you love someone."
"I know that," Val said.
"I will limit my contact with you, if that's what bothers you so much," Melinda said, "but you have to allow me some. You are a strong woman. I do believe you now when you say you can handle what's coming. What I ask is if you feel something is going to be too much for you, that you swallow your pride and ask for help. It's harder than going it alone, I know. But you have talents of your own that even your prodigy of a brother will never have an inkling of."
Val was confused. "What kind of talents? I can grow big and I'm superstrong. What else?"
Melinda regarded her pityingly. "You don't even know what you have got there under the hood, do you? No, of course not. That Mose didn't want you to know that your potential is greater than your brother's."
"What?" Val was suspicious.
"I am not lying. They haven't told you about female dragons, have they? They fear us, darling. They fear us. We can run circles around them. There isn't a male dragon that can equal us, and they didn't want you to know that. I will help you reach the pinnacle. You can learn to control all your talents. Ask Griffen. He knows more than he has ever said. They call us female dragons wild. But we can control that savagery and make it work for us. You shouldn't be wasting your time pouring drinks in a side-street bar and rolling the occasional man who catches your eye. You could be running a major corporation or a small country."