Kenton (25 page)

Nodding, she got up and went to his bathroom and pulled out the alcohol to clean

them with. She was actually shaking she was so excited. It occurred to her that the voice

in her head had been telling her for the last hour she should put them in as well, but

like she’d done since she’d been home, Jasmine had ignored him. After they were

cleaned up the best she could, Jasmine put the first one in. The tingle of something ran

down her spine to her toes.

“That was weird.” Gavin asked her what. “I’m not sure. I guess the house settled a

little and I felt it on my feet.” A lie, yes, but she didn’t want him to think his poor old

mom had gone off the deep end. She was sure he’d thought that when she’d left his

dad.

Gavin got up and got her a mirror so she could see them, and the tingle seemed to

move over her entire body again. Not painfully, but just to let her know that something

was there. As she cleaned the other earring, she thought perhaps this was a bad idea

and wanted to pull it out and sell them. But Gavin told her that she was pretty and

Jasmine didn’t want to disappoint him, not even in this.

Laughing just a little, she let Gavin help her put the other one in. As soon as he

clipped the body of the dragon to his tail through her ear, Jasmine felt a screaming in

her head that made her sick to her stomach. Then the pain in her entire body made

everything blink out for a second. And that was when she saw him, the big man that

was suddenly a dragon. He just changed, like he had been one all along. Holding onto

the sheets, she tried to think what to say when Gavin told her that her nose was

bleeding.

Her thought was that the dragon had come to take her, which was silly. What

dragon? And where would he have fit in her body? But she knew, as surely as she was

sitting there with a tissue on her nose, that something was wrong.

There is nothing wrong, my lady. You have brought another part of me to life
. She started

to ask him what he was talking about when she realized that she was talking to the

voice again.
I am here. The dragon in the jewelry. I can tell now that the part that you have

awakened is my wings. I shall be able to fly high in the sky when the other parts of me are

brought to them.

“Them who?” She looked at Gavin and realized she’d spoken aloud. Telling him

she was fine and that he had to go to bed now, Jasmine tucked him in and told him she

loved him. If she was going to go nuts, she wanted Gavin to know that she loved him.

Going to her room, Jasmine leaned against the door and closed her eyes.

You must take me to my owner now. He will be most pleased to have you as part of his life.

Jasmine decided that the voice in her head was from too much stress. And tomorrow

she was going to make a day just for herself.
That is a wonderful plan. You will need to go

soon after, however. The McCades are awaiting you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know any McCades, and I’m

certainly not going to be a part of any of their lives.” She realized that she was talking to

him again, herself she supposed. “Leave me alone. I don’t want you talking to me

again.”

But I must tell you how to get to them. You will love them as much as I do. I have told

Emma about young Gavin. She is happy about that
. Jasmine started to tell him not to tell

people about her son, but that would just be stupid.
You are not stupid. Why do you keep

saying that
?”

“Because I’m having a conversation with a voice in my head and not wanting him

to tell fake people about my son. I think that borders to being about as nutty as the

Christmas log that Grannie makes every year.” Jasmine hated that thing too. It was too

sweet and salty, a combination that had never set well with her. “I’m going to contact

Mrs. Dunlap tomorrow, let her know that I have her pie safe, and then go and have my

hair cut. I might even have a nice lunch in a restaurant with cloth napkins that are set

on the table and not in a venting box.”

I’m afraid that I don’t understand
. She didn’t bother explaining it to herself either.
No

matter. You will be all right once you have made your way to them. I wonder which dragon you

will be paired with
.

Dragon. She thought of the dragon she’d seen, the one that was a man too. And

whatever was going on with him, Jasmine wasn’t going to have any part of it. And she

was selling the earrings too. Even for a dime if she had to.

Before You Go…

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Kathi Barton, author of the bestselling series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her

husband Paul. In addition to writing full time Kathi likes to spend time with her eight grandkids,

three children and three children-in-laws. She writes to relax and have fun.

Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers

in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal

romance with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi on line and drop her an email if you’d

like. She loves hearing from her fa
ns. [email protected].

Follow Kathi on her blog:
http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/