The P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy (#1-3) (51 page)

I bit my lip and swallowed down the angry words I was about to say. “Yeah, I know. Just as long as all of us are on the same page.” But I wasn’t really sure
any
of us were on the same page.

“Now open your gifts,” Khol said as he set them on the bed.

I obligingly took the lid off the clothing box first and gasped my surprise. “It’s beautiful.” I giggled with delight. Inside was the most amazing crimson silk dress I’d ever seen. It matched the ruby in my new necklace perfectly. I didn’t bother asking Khol if he’d planned it that way because I knew he did. I pulled the dress out and ran my hands over the luxurious material. “I guess this is for tonight too?”

“Yes. I wanted you to look your new role, and you deserve to be dressed in nothing less than the best silks and jewelry in the world, whether you were a Queen or not. Try it on, I want to make sure it fits.”

“Okay,” I said with excitement. I knew it was kind of shallow, especially with everything else that was going on, but I’d never owned such a beautiful dress. Maybe I could blame it on the dragon acquisitiveness that had to be part of my nature since I was in fact one hundred percent dragon. “You’re really putting the hardcore press on me, aren’t you?” I asked with a touch of humor.

But Khol’s eyes were completely serious when he answered, “Yes. I’ve made no secret about the fact that I want you for my own. Now that I know you’re fully dragon, I also know what buttons to push to help grow your affections towards me. My tactics were different when I thought you to be half human.”

Choosing to ignore his mini confession session, I simply wanted to put the dress on so I could feel the soft material against my skin. “Turn around,” I commanded. “So I can—”

“But I have already seen you naked,” Khol protested.

My voice went up an octave. “That’s different. You’re a guy—you don’t understand. Just turn around.” He grumbled under his breath but did what I asked of him. As soon as I double-checked to make sure he wasn’t peaking, I slipped out of my jeans and sweater and into the crimson dream. I realized that it wasn’t the type of dress that I could wear a bra with, or my normal boy cut panties, so I made quick work of removing those garments as well. If the skirt on the dress hadn’t have been so long and flowy I might have felt odd, but in the dress with nothing underneath I felt like some siren from the 40s or 50s. All I needed was one of those long cigarette holders . . . or was that the 20s?

“You look absolutely stunning,” Khol’s voice was warm and seductive. I couldn’t even be bothered by the fact that I hadn’t told him he could turn around yet.

I walked over to the bed to open what I was already sure were a matching pair of shoes, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were a low-heeled set of elegant slippers that actually appeared to exude comfort. I slipped them on and turned to deliver Khol a dazzling smile. “Thank you. It’s all so amazing.” Nothing like a little retail pick-me-up to brighten a girl’s mood.

Khol came to me in a blur of speed, wrapping his arms around me and tipping my face up towards his. “Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” He brushed his lips against mine at first softly before he deepened our kiss, and I was suddenly
very
aware that I had nothing on underneath my dress.

“You’re just lucky I didn’t do her make-up yet,” Jenna’s petulant voice cut into my Khol induced fog.

He reluctantly pulled away from me, but his heated gaze caused me to flush under its intensity. “I’ll leave the two of you, for now. Call for me when you’re ready.” The question was would I ever be ready? For Khol that is? I was so out of my league with him, and he was playing by a set of rules that I’d barely been introduced to.

“Wow,” Jenna said as she surveyed my new look, compliments of Khol. “Who would have thought any straight man could dress a woman so well.” She nodded her head in approval. “The man knows what he’s doing.” A wicked grin spread across her face. “In more ways than one.”

“Shut up and finish helping me get ready. I don’t need your running commentary,” I said with a small smile threatening to outbreak on my face, I was feeling more than giddy. Khol had really stepped up his game lately, in and out of the bedroom. I went to stand in front of the bathroom mirror again and was surprised by the image that was reflected back at me. I hardly recognized myself. The red of the dress combined with my white hair, and large dragon pendant, made me look completely non-human, but then again I guess I wasn’t . . . human that is. My hair had mostly grown out of the long angled bob it had been cut into and it hung in loose curls just past my shoulders. The gold of my eyes picked up the red of my dress and made them seem more of an amber shade. I would definitely be believable as a dragon Queen if I did say so myself, and the new look was even starting to grow on me . . . a little.

“That’s one hell of a rock. I’m guessing it’s real?” Jenna eyed the ruby centerpiece of my dragon pendant. “Does it mean something special? I mean is it like royal jewelry or something?”

I ran my hand over the necklace idly as Jenna began applying my make-up. “No, it’s just a gift from Khol. But I do think it’s appropriate, with the dragon and all.”

“
Just
a gift.” She snorted. “I wish someone would give me something like that. But yeah, it seems to fit you perfectly.”

Her words suddenly made me want to tear the pendant from my neck. Everything about it seemed to declare me changed and different, because the fact that it fit me perfectly now . . . well I knew something like it would never have been me before. I inhaled and exhaled a few times to keep me from doing something stupid.
I was different
. No point in trying to deny that anymore, it was time I just accepted that fact and stopped fighting it. “You almost done?” I asked, fidgeting impatiently.

“Almost, now keep still before I poke you in the eye or something.”

After a few more applications of this and that, Jenna announced my transformation complete. As I stood I caught the hem of my dress on the heel of my shoe and to keep myself from falling, I grabbed Jenna’s wrist . . . and was rewarded with being thrown into another vision.

“Hey Khol,” Jenna said as she sashayed through the open door of his bedroom. In the back of my mind I noted that Jenna’s hair was rainbow colored, so this had to be another vision from the past. And from the look of Khol’s bedroom, it seemed like this vision took place when we had been in the dragon realm in Khol’s lair.

“What is it that you require, little Speaker?” Khol didn’t even turn to look at her as she walked further into the room.

“Well, it’s not really just what I require, but maybe what you require too.” She ran her fingertips down his back and around him, then down his chest when she came to stand in front of him. There was no question what she wanted. She stood on her tiptoes and attempted to wrap her arms around his neck, but Khol was too tall for her, so she settled her hands back on his chest. “So what do you say?” She batted her eyelashes up at him and smiled.

“I’m in love with another, which you already know.” Khol locked her wrists in his hands and took a step back from her.

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Who is currently doing the nasty with her new mate, and that isn’t you in case you haven’t noticed.” She wriggled one hand free from him and ran it down his front. “I just thought I could comfort you is all.”

A low growl escaped from Khol’s throat. “I will never seek comfort from you.”

Jenna frowned and dropped her hand away from him. “It’s not like she’s going to care. She’s with Bryn. She loves Bryn. In fact, she tried to off herself after you were with her. I’m thinking that pretty much means you don’t have a shot in hell with her.”

“Get out,” Khol’s voice sounded barely human. “Get out before I throw you out!”

Alarm registered across Jenna’s face and she scurried for the door, shutting it quickly behind her. As soon as she was gone, Khol started pacing back and forth, a wild look in his eyes. He then stalked into the bathroom, halting in front of the very same bathtub where I had attempted to end my life. The tub looked clean, no trace of my blood anywhere to be seen. Khol stared at the empty tub for a few more minutes before he dropped to his knees clutching at the sides. An inhuman roar wretched from his chest just as he ripped the tub from the ground and threw it against the large mirror on the opposite wall, the sound of shattering glass echoed in my ears. He then continued his rampage, obliterating almost every square inch of the bathroom.

When he was finished, he stood surveying his work, his breathing ragged. “Drake,” he called out hoarsely.

The large dragon appeared a second later and dropped down into a deep bow. “My Lord.”

“Take care of this,” Khol said with no emotion. “And speak of it to no one.”

“That, of course, is a given, my Lord,” Drake responded in the same emotionless tone. He then shifted and stood facing Khol with question and worry intermingled on his face. “If I may be so bold to ask . . . why did you not merely kill him?”

Khol picked up a piece of the broken tub and studied it for a moment before answering. “She would never have forgiven me. I know that now.”

“But she would be yours.”

“Not completely. Not in the way that I truly desire her to be.” Khol’s face contorted into a mask of pain for the briefest of moments before becoming emotionless again.

“I do not understand, my Lord. It is the way of the dragon.”

“But it is not the way of love.” Khol clenched and unclenched his fists. “And I fear love makes me grow weak.” He whirled around and disappeared.

Drake remained motionless staring at the spot where Khol had just been. “I fear that too, my Lord,” he whispered to himself.

I looked up at Jenna and let go of her wrist. So many emotions were swirling around in me at once. The first was my shock at seeing a side of Khol that he’d never let me see before, a side of him that made me love him just a little bit more than I had a few moments ago. And the second was an irrational anger at Jenna for her attempt at trying to seduce him. I knew logically that I’d been with Bryn, and that Jenna would have seen nothing wrong by going after Khol who I had no real claims on . . . but the dragon in me roared at the horrible offense.

“You tried to seduce Khol,” I growled at her. “And you never even said anything.”

“Uhh . . . duh! Why wouldn’t I try to seduce him? He’s smoking hot, and I wasn’t serious with Macon yet, and—besides you were with Bryn!” She cried out the last part with outrage. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“If you didn’t think you did anything wrong, then why did you never say anything?” I could feel my dragon fire magic rising up from underneath the surface and I fought to keep it under control. My mind conjured up an image of what Khol and I had done together, but with Jenna in my place. I think my blood actually began to boil. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I screeched.

“You were with Bryn!” Jenna screeched back, as she moved towards the door.

Khol appeared just in the nick of time as flames shot out of my palms in the general direction of Jenna. Khol grabbed my hands and began siphoning off my energy, but I still heard Jenna scream even though I knew the flames hadn’t touched her.

I heard Macon’s voice as he entered the fray. “What the hell is going on?”

“She tried to burn me!” I heard Jenna cry out.

“That’s because you’re a slut who tried to screw Khol!” I growled between clenched teeth.

“You were with Bryn!” she screeched back at me.

“My Lord?” Macon’s shaky voice said with question.

“Nothing happened,” he responded in a flat tone. “Take her out of here.” He paused and seemed to think better of what he said. “Do not punish her, it was before the two of you were seriously involved.”

“Don’t punish her my ass!” I hissed as I struggled inside the iron bars that were Khol’s arms. “If you don’t I will!” But Macon and Jenna were already gone, and the adrenaline rush that had been fueling me suddenly dissipated into wave of dizziness.

“Hush,” Khol crooned as he kissed the top of my head. “You must learn to keep your dragon temper under control. You may end up hurting someone you do not wish to one day.”

“But she tried to seduce you,” was my lame attempt at an excuse even though the rational side of me was already beginning to chastise my behavior towards Jenna. She was right; I had no right to be angry with her for what she did. I had been with Bryn at the time and had no claims on Khol. So why did I still feel so betrayed by her? “You don’t seem all that upset,” I groused at Khol. Yes, he had advised me that I would regret hurting Jenna, but he didn’t seem angry at all by my outburst . . . not really.

“I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you why.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

No, he didn’t have to explain why he was so pleased, not really. He was completely digging the fact that I had gotten all crazy jealous over him. “Why didn’t you hook up with her? It’s not like you didn’t know I was with 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.