Broken Gates

Bryn.”

Khol turned me in his arms and brushed his warm lips over mine. “Let’s not talk about it.”

“But I wanna know.” I fought the feelings of lust that his soft kisses where inflaming in me. He didn’t answer and pulled me closer to him in his arms. “I said I wanna know.” And just like that another vision slammed into me.

Khol was sprawled out on his bed, a tortured pensive expression on his face when a soft knock on his door caught his attention. “Yes,” he growled.

The door opened slowly and a tall beautiful woman, with long curly red hair stepped through the door hesitantly. I’d never laid eyes on her, but the minute she spoke, I knew who she was. “My lord.” She curtsied low. “Drake has sent me to you.” It was Shannon—the female dragon that Khol had once used to try and forget me. The memory of him kicking her out of his room so he could heal me played across my mind briefly.

Khol stood and glowered at her. “I didn’t ask for him to send you.”

She smiled at him in a flirtatious way. “But maybe you should give me a chance before sending me away.”

“I don’t want what you’re offering me . . . at least not from you.” Khol’s green illuminated eyes sparked with anger.

Shannon approached him with more confidence. “No, but I can help ease your pain. Help you forget her, for I am dragon after all.” She came to stand in front of him and dropped the dress that she had been wearing, showing that she had nothing on underneath. When Khol didn’t say anything, she obviously took it as a step in the right direction, so she sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back in a blatant offering.

In a blur of motion, Khol snatched her up by the arms and pinned her to the wall. “Not on the bed,” he commanded, his voice dipping to sound inhuman. She stood up on her tiptoes and tried to kiss him, his response was to flip her around and push her face first into the wall.

“Yes, you don’t have to be gentle with me—”

“Don’t speak,” Khol snarled. He unbuckled his pants with one hand while still holding Shannon up against the wall with the other. He closed his eyes and slid into her. She moaned her delight, which only seemed to annoy Khol more. “I said not to speak—not even a sound.” I was completely and utterly taken aback. I’d known the aftermath of Shannon and Khol’s coupling, but I’d at least thought he’d been somewhat decent to her while they were together. Boy was I wrong. With his eyes firmly shut he moved in and out of her sensually. He even let go of her wrists to wrap her hair around his fist. Things from that point on seemed to go pretty smoothly until Khol broke his silence with a moaned profession of love . . . for me.

I was suddenly staring into Khol’s illuminated green eyes, the live version, the vision fading as fast as it had come. My heart clenched at the realization of what I had just witnessed. I’d asked to know why Khol hadn’t hooked up with Jenna, and my new powers, in a roundabout way, had shown me. He had used Shannon, and apparently even pretended she was me, or at least tried. He didn’t want to do that to Jenna, my friend.

“Khol—” I started.

“I wish you wouldn’t have seen that,” Khol’s voice was somber. “I was not at my best then . . . right after it happened.”

“I had no idea.” Apparently about a lot of things. One of which was how deeply Khol had loved me even then. Would it have made a difference then? No. But now was a whole different story. I reached around him and pulled at the gumband that was holding his hair back and then entangled my hands in his long auburn hair that spilled around his shoulders. I studied him as he studied me. He was so otherworldly in his dragon beauty. He could have been the inspiration for romance novel covers everywhere, but he was the real thing . . . and mine . . . if I really wanted him for keeps. He’d never forsaken me, not truly, not even when he thought I was mated to Bryn for good. “I love you,” I said just before I brought my lips up to take control of his. I thought about giving myself to him right then and there, to ending the dilemma of who I would be mated to once and for all, but then uncertainty began to snake its way up my spine and into my system. I loved Bryn too. He’d been the most important person in my life since the age of five. Was I really willing to throw that all away for someone I hadn’t even known for an entire year yet? Bryn threw you away, not the other way around. A very helpful, or not so helpful voice, depending on how I looked at it, whispered in my head.

Khol broke our kiss and pulled away. “Not now—not like this—not until you’re sure.”

“But I thought you told Bryn you would take advantage if my will slipped, even for a second. It’s slipping.” I looked at him with meaning, partly wondering if the dropping my dress trick that Shannon had employed would work for me.

“I meant it when I said it.” He placed his hands on the straps of my dress, obviously guessing what I was thinking. “But now that I might actually be able to have you the way I want you, with no doubts”—he cupped my face in both of his large warm hands and stared into my eyes with flames igniting in his irises—“I want that. More than you can imagine.” I just stared at him and swallowed, not knowing what to say, and trying to not listen to what my body was telling me to do. Which pretty much entailed destroying all clothes that were keeping us apart at the moment. “I’ll let Drake know you’re ready for the announcement to be made. Do any last minute things . . . You have five minutes.” And then he pulled a Khol and popped out of existence.

Great. Things just kept getting more and more complicated. What other kinds of drama would my new powers bring to me? It was probably better not to ask.

10

I shifted nervously as I stood next to Khol waiting to be announced. We had traveled to his lair, a place we hadn’t been to for some time, because apparently we didn’t have any rooms that were big enough or appropriate for the proclamation that I was the next dragon Queen back at the compound. Of course, the actual journey had been almost instantaneous since Khol had just transported me there with his dragon powers. Again I found myself wondering why I didn’t seem to have the ability to transport myself. I thought it was the coolest dragon power I’d seen so far and I wanted it, damn it! I made a mental note to ask Khol about it later.

“Is this all really necessary?” I whispered to Khol. “It all feels beyond ridiculous.”

He delivered me a patronizing smile that made me want to swipe it off his face. “Yes, it’s important to make yourself known. To gain the loyalty of all the factions. This is the easiest way to go about it.”

“But who says they’re all just going to bow down to me? Not much has changed except for my hair and eye color. And the last time I checked, I wasn’t getting much respect around here.”

“Your hair and eye color is undeniable proof of your powers, none can dispute them. And with your powers comes the mantel of Queen.” He took my hand and laced it with his. “I know you don’t feel it yet, but you will one day be what your true mother was to all of us before, and you will be adored beyond all measure.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t feel very all knowing and adored beyond measure right now,” I grumbled.

Khol dipped his head to skim his soft supple lips against my temple. “I already adore you beyond all measure.” His voice broke an octave lower and my stomach did a little flip flop. I was going to have to have a chat with my traitorous body a little bit later.

Khol suddenly straightened up and placed my hand over his arm and began to move toward the huge oak door in front of us. “It’s time,” he said.

“But I didn’t hear anything. How do you know?” In fact, it had just occurred to me that I hadn’t heard anything, not even people, or I guess dragons talking.

“There’s a sound proofing spell on this room. Drake informed me through telepathy that it was time,” Khol stated matter-of-factly, as he continued moving me forward.

“Oh,” I mumbled as my witty response.

I gripped his arm tighter and followed close beside him, my nerves beginning to ratchet up. At least I didn’t have to worry about my morning sickness deciding to make an appearance, so I could also announce that I was pregnant in front of a bunch of dragons I didn’t know. Khol paused and looked down at me, his eyes trying to