Chapter 1 Life Anew

Kaelith 

"Five.   I need five females, between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. Ready in three days.  After that I'll need the same every three months.  They need to be mixed bloods." 

I turned sharply as the magistrate tried to interupt.  "Sir, we don't-"

I narrowed my eyes and stood to my full height.  "I will take no others, and do not lie.  I could smell them the moment we were brought to your office.  I know that you provide many to the other shifters and now we have come to claim ours," I sai firmly.  

I wsn't sure how well this would actually go over with my brother, but we had to do something.  Every year, fewer and fewer dragons were born, and of those born, only a tiny handful were female.  If I waited for my brother to act,  we would be extinct.  The other shifters had begun searching for mates among the humans years ago and according to the reports I'd received, they'd had a decent rate of success.  

"Actually," I added, considering what I'd learned of human bloodlines over the last few months, " make them all Madrigals."

 Madrigals were the last of the human fae bloodline - rumored to be more beatuiful, more ethreal, simply more.  Worthy of dragonkind. 

THe round man in front of me paled, wringing his hands as his beady eyes darted around the room.  The scent rolling off of him was unpleasant and worsening by the second.

He stuttered "Sir, um, your lordship-"  

I cut him off.  "Good lord, man, spit it out already.  I don't have all day," I growled.

"There are... um... no more Madrigals, sir.  Well that is to say, there is only a few males left, none old enough-"

"How can that be?" I demanded.  "Madrigals were rare, but they were protected."

"They were uh, but um, about fifty years ago they started slowly disappearing.  At first we didn't realize they were missing- I mean, keeping track of every single one was impossible, you know," He swallowed loudly and dabbed his brow with a handkerchief.

"But then the babies being born... they didn't have any Madrigal blood in them.  They were just like everyone else." 

He shifted nervously before continuing. "That's when we started tracking the females more closely.  One day they were there, and the next -gone.  Rumor is that the fae came back and claimed them, though there is no trace of anything. No magic. No scent. Nothing.  The last female Madrigal was seen was almost 18 years ago ... and then she vanished.  

Jakob tilted his head slightly.  Do you think it's true?  Are they really gone? he asked,  his eyes never leaving the magistrate.

Unfortunately I can't smell a lie on him, I replied mentally.    How they managed to loose an entire race, I have no idea. 

"Fine," I said aloud.  "They still need to meet the standards that I've outlined.  They can be sent with the delivery this week.  Make sure Collin gets the paperwork when he arrives."

I turned towards the door, eager to leave.  I had forgotten how small everything was in human cities - and how much they smelled.

The magistrate scrambled ahead of us, nearly folding himself in half as he opened the door.  "Yes sir. Your lord,- Uh Prince sir.  Thank you sir," he simpered.  "Are you sure you don't want accommodations for the night?  We always have the penthouse at the Ritz available for traveling dignataries such as yourself."

No.  Hell no.  The sooner we left, the better.

"No we're leaving.  Don't be late on my delivery," I said, already striding out of the room.

We made our way up to the roof where we had landed - and where we would take off as well.

While we are here, we should check our borders just to be safe, Jakob said.

I nodded, stripping out of my clothes and tossing them to Asher to pack away.

I closed my eyes and let my dragon take over.