The P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy (#1-3) (73 page)

Khol slid into bed beside me, but remained on top of the covers as he pulled me to him. “I like you in my bed.” He stated simply as he pushed his face into my hair, inhaling deeply.

I shuddered as goose bumps erupted across my skin. Yeah I didn’t mind being in his bed all that much either. A fact I wasn’t a fan of. “So why are you waking me up then?”

“We must prepare for a journey.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. The trail leading to information about the dragon pendant has grown cold within the archives that I retained from my ancestors.” He sighed. “We must visit my brother in hopes that he may have what I’m missing.”

“B-b-brother?” I stammered. “You have a brother and this is the first time I’m hearing about it?” About a million questions raced through my mind. “Where has he been? Why didn’t he come when we needed aid against the Riders? Why—”

Khol slid out from behind me, but not before I could feel the tension in his muscles. “He’s my half-brother. And the two of us don’t get along. That’s all you need to know.”

I sat up all the way and stared disbelieving at Khol’s back. “Ummm … no … I need to know more than that. Just tell me.”

A vision slammed into me, stealing my breath.

I focused in on a small boy, his features were smaller, younger, and his hair had a brightness to it that was almost orange, but still I immediately recognized him as Khol. He appeared to be no more than ten, and I internally chuckled because he was scowling much the same way he did at me sometimes. I then let my gaze follow the path of his glare to an infant with a tuft of jet-black hair being held in the arms of a large man who resembled Khol’s adult self. I had no doubt the man was his father.

“This is your brother, son.” Khol’s father stated with some kind of undecipherable emotion in his voice. His father spoke in a language unfamiliar to me, although beautiful, but my powers translated it easily for me.

Khol’s scowl deepened. “But father, his hair is black.”

“Yes, so it is. He is your brother all the same.”

Khol crossed his little arms over his chest in another familiar gesture. “We are Rua Arach, so therefore he cannot be my brother, or your son. Why do you lie to me?”

Khol’s father sighed and seemed to draw on the well of patience that all good parents have access to. “He is not my biological son, that part is true. But your mother grew him in her womb; therefore he is your half-brother.”

Khol’s face registered shock and he backed up a few paces. “No, father. Mother would never be unfaithful to you. You are Anam Caras, she could not be.”

Pain flashed across Khol’s father’s eyes. “That is also true, son. Your mother was not unfaithful to me, by her choice.” He gritted his teeth and looked at his son with almost pity. “I had wished to spare you from such truths until you are older, but I will not lie to you. Your mother was … violated. This child was an unfortunate side effect.”

Understanding registered on Khol’s face, which was quickly replaced by anger. “Then kill him. Why do you suffer him to live, father?”

“No, Khol. He is an innocent. A babe. He will not suffer for the sins of his father. His father, the dragon who hurt your mother, he has been punished, he is dead.”

Khol nodded with approval. “Good.”

“You will treat your brother no differently than as if he was my biological son, do you understand me? If I can love him as my own, then you will accept him as well.”

“And do you love him, father, as your own, I mean? And what of mother?” I was struck by how mature Khol seemed for his age. Were all dragons as wise as Khol at such a young age? I don’t remember being anything but a normal child.

“Your mother loves him, despite his origins. Women … women are funny in that way, son. And because I love her, I will love him. Learn that lesson well Khol, if you love a woman … you will love what she loves … no matter the pain it might cause you.”

Khol studied his father, as he seemed to mull over his words before he dropped his head in acquiescence. “Yes, father.”

I became fully aware of my actual surroundings again. “Damn,” I muttered to myself. “I really need to learn how to control my powers, or be more careful when I ask questions.”

“I wish you hadn’t been shown that.” Khol grated. “There are some things that are not meant for you to know, and things I don’t wish to revisit.”

“So that’s why you hate Black Dragons so much, because one of them raped your mother?” It all made complete sense now. Of course Khol would hold some kind of small resentment from his childhood. And obviously Khol didn’t have a loving relationship with his brother as his father had wished. Khol said they didn’t get along, which lead me to wonder, why?

“Stop trying to analyze me.” Khol demanded harshly. “I won’t speak of such things. That is all in a part of my past I don’t wish to revisit.”

“But I wanna know you Khol, all of you.” As soon as I said the words, I realized they were true. There was still so much about Khol that was a mystery to me. Sure I knew the most important part … that he was trustworthy … but what about all the rest?

“I can’t.” Khol rasped. “If you care for me at all, my little Queen, you won’t ask me to revisit that painful part of my history.”

My heart clenched at the raw pain in his eyes, and on his face. “Fine. I’ll let it go.”
For now
, I added silently.

Khol eyed me warily, probably sensing that I only planned to drop the subject for the immediate future. “Please shower, eat, and whatever else you need to do before we leave. You have an hour until I return for you.” He then shifted out of his room leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Touchy much?
I guess it was okay for him to pry into every little aspect of my life, but not for me to do the same.
Right. That’s about to change. I will be getting all the answers I want, whether Khol likes it or not.

“But won’t the Riders be able to track us here?” I asked as I eyed the lobby of the very modern looking high-rise smack dab in the middle of Manhattan.

“No. The building is cloaked much like my lair is … with dragon magic.” Khol responded as he impatiently stared at the elevators.

As weird as it sounds, I hadn’t thought about Khol’s lands since we had left them. They held some very good, and some very bad memories for me. “Is your lair still cloaked, and your lands still protected?”

“Yes, my little Queen, my lair is very much still mine and intact. My magic not only protects it from outsiders, but from time itself.”

My eyes widened slightly, “You mean … ?”

His lips quirked up slightly as he remained staring ahead. “Yes it will be as it was when I return. Just as it remained untouched while I slept for all those years.”

“Oh.” Huh. Some of the things that dragon magic could do still boggled my mind. Would I have magic like that some day? How cool would that be?

I noticed Khol visibly tense as a set of shiny elevator doors slid open to reveal a tall black-headed man. His green eyes lit up when they landed on Khol and he strode towards us with purpose. I studied him as he neared. He was shorter than Khol, but stacked with the same amount of massive muscle. He also shared Khol’s intense green eyes, but that’s where the similarities ended. Where Khol’s features seemed as though chiseled by Michelangelo himself, his brother’s were more rugged, and his nose was crooked, as if it had been broken one too many times. Where Khol always had an almost serious and intense energy surrounding him, his brother seemed less … formal.

“Khol.” His brother said with warmth as he neared us, a smile breaking out across his face. “It’s been a long time.” He stepped forward as if he might embrace Khol, but Khol backed up and scowled. “Well,” His brother laughed. “I see you haven’t changed.”

“Nor have you.” Khol bit out. “What have you been doing all this time? We needed your help. The survival of this planet—”

“I don’t care much what happens to the humans. And the planet will be fine. Our kind will go on much as they always have.”

I was fully prepared to give Khol’s brother the benefit of the doubt, but his response evaporated any chance of that happening. “I was raised human.” I hissed, anger coursing through my system.

Khol’s brother’s eyes turned my way for the first time, and shock played across his face briefly. “The Queen? I thought it was a rumor … ” His voice trailed off as his gaze moved between Khol and myself and then down to my distended belly. A fresh smile cracked his lips. “Well, well, well, is it yours brother?”

“Yes,” Khol growled. “But we can discuss everything in private. Not here, out in the open.”

“Alright.” His brother said as he reached out to the touch the both of us, but Khol slapped his hand away from me and took mine in his instead. Khol then touched his brother and nodded. I then felt the familiar weightlessness of shifting.

When we appeared in a large, and rather gaudy penthouse, several things were swirling around in my mind. One was that Khol just told his brother that my son was definitely his. Two, Khol hadn’t wanted his brother to touch me, even to shift us. And three, the whole dragon acquisitiveness was definitely not a stereotype. Hello … gold encrusted … everything. Or maybe it was just Khol’s family that dug the over-decorated look?

“So, you knocked up the friggin’ dragon Queen. Nicely done, brother.”

Khol growled and tugged me behind him. “She deserves your respect. She—”

Khol’s brother raised his hands in mock surrender. “No disrespect. I guess I’ve been watching too much T.V. lately. I’ve been using more human slang. My bad.”

I stepped out from behind Khol, and shot his brother a death glare. “Oh, I see. You don’t care for humans and yet you like watching T.V.? Well I got news for you—no T.V. if there aren’t any humans to film stuff.”

“I’m Lorik, by the way. For someone who is all about respect and manners my dear brother seems to have forgotten his.” Lorik bowed low with a flourish. “Nice to meet you, your Queenliness. And I’d probably do better without that stupid contraption sucking up all of my time anyhow.” He winked at me and I fought back my fire magic. It probably wouldn’t do anyone any good if I burned Lorik to a crisp before he helped us find what we needed, but after …

Khol squeezed my hand. “No burning my brother to a crisp, my little Queen. If I’ve managed not to kill him after all these years of knowing him then you can put up with him a few short hours.” He couldn’t hide the slight amusement in his voice, which annoyed me even more than I already was.

“I told you to stop doing that. My thoughts—or emotions—are mine. And I’m not really sure I’m buying that you can’t read my thoughts, you word choices are pretty convenient sometimes.” I huffed. Seriously … if he could read my mind, why wouldn’t he just tell me already?

“Ouch. Burn me to a crisp. Really? A bit harsh, don’t you think? At least get to know me before you hate on me.” Why did I feel like Lorik and Jenna would hit it off famously? I hoped for Jeremy’s sake that the two never crossed paths. “It appears we have a lot of catching up to do, brother.” Lorik smiled at Khol tightly. “Why does she not bear you mark? If she’s—”

“It’s complicated.” Khol stated with no emotion. “Come, brother, we will talk—” He glanced down at me briefly. “—in private.”

“Oh, no-no! Hold up! I have a right to be included in your little pow-wow.” Did Khol really think to not include me?

“This is family business, my little Queen.”

I stepped in front of Khol and stood up on my tiptoes in an attempt to look him directly in the eyes. After a moment’s hesitation he gave in and met my angry gaze. “You wish to claim me as your
Anam Cara
, I’m carrying your son—” I raised my eyebrows at him in silent question. “And I’m the dragon Queen. Do I have to keep reminding you about that? I didn’t get this ugly ass hair for nothing, I hope.” I tugged at my offending white locks.

Khol’s eyes danced with sudden amusement that quickly turned to heat. Before I could react to his apparent sudden mood change, his lips ensnared mine in a scorching, passion filled kiss. My mind blanked as his tongue deftly took control of my mouth. His large warm hands slid down my back, pulling me tightly against his rock hard chest. But just as abruptly as Khol had taken my mouth with his, he broke off the kiss and stepped around me, leaving me a sputtering, hormone driven mess. Was that his plan—to kiss me into submission? Because it was working.
Damn him
. “I won’t be long, my little Queen.” And with that, both Khol and Lorik disappeared, leaving me in his brother’s penthouse all alone. Or so I thought.

“Wow. So the mighty Khol has finally chosen who he wants for his
Anam Cara
. Of course it would have to be the Queen of us all. I should have known.”

I willed my pulse to slow as I turned my startled eyes towards the owner of the voice. She was short and thin, almost childlike in appearance, except for her killer curves.
Killer curves that I do not possess
, I thought with envy. She had long auburn hair, a shade or two lighter than Khol’s, that hung down to almost her waist. Her small heart-shaped face and blue eyes were currently studying me as intensely as I was studying her. “Who are you?” I asked as evenly as I could.