Tears had begun to track down my face and I sucked in one shaky breath after another. “Why are you telling all of this to me now?” I managed to choke out.
“Did you really think that you could be so strong as a half breed? Your powers took longer to develop as a dragon, that’s why you received your first vision so late. It’s also why your powers call so strongly to ones such as Khol. He only believes you to be half human because of your emotions, he does not understand that being raised by humans, even a full-blooded dragon would not see the world as most dragons do. The way we are is more nurture than nature, but he does not believe that. Most dragons don’t. You’ve only just begun to experience what you can do. You need to know these things because it is time.”
“And Bryn? How is it that another dragon grew up so close to me?”
“I made sure he was there. He needed to be. I can’t tell you anymore about him without risking a change in the future.”
“But if I’m full-blooded dragon then why can’t Bryn and I mate bond completely? And—” Holy Shit! “And does that mean I’ll be able to shift into a dragon?” The thought actually scared me to death. I had been relieved back when Khol had explained to me that half-breeds couldn’t take on the second form of a dragon. In fact, it hadn’t gone unnoticed by me that Khol and the others had never shown me their other form. Khol must have picked up on my fear of seeing it. Maybe I was afraid because deep down I had known what I really was and didn’t want to accept it.
“You’re not strong enough to mate bond with someone like Bryn yet.”
“Yet—that means one day I could. That means one day I could fully be mated with Bryn.” My heart leapt in my chest with joy. There had always been the question about if Bryn and I would ever be able to fully bond with each other, even after we’d both come into our full set of powers. Now the question was answered, and it felt like I had just won the lottery.
“If he’s the father of your child, you mean,” the Queen stated matter of factly. “Because isn’t that what you decided?”
I dropped my head to study my feet. Huh. I kind of need a pedicure. “Yeah, it is.” But could I really go through with mating with Khol when I could truly and completely bond with Bryn? Maybe I would never have to answer that.
“With my powers added to yours, you will be the ultimate weapon to extinguish those dirty little creatures that have been threatening our world.” She hissed with disdain. “I’m just sorry I never got to know you, my daughter . . . or my future grandson. And I’m sorry that so much will rest on your shoulders alone. Things will get worse before they get better.”
It suddenly occurred to me. “If I’m full-blooded dragon, then the child could possibly be full-blooded as well—if Khol is the father.”
“Yes, but that information still won’t reveal the father to you any sooner than it’s meant to be revealed.” Her face hardened into stone. “Now focus, daughter. Khol and Bryn will be back soon and there are still a few things left we need to deal with.”
“Okay,” I squeaked, hating how young I sounded.
“You must know that these creatures can only get a hold in people that already have a darkness in them. There are very few that are pure enough to fight them off. Once inside, after a time, they bond so completely with the human that the human no longer remembers it being any other way. They don’t know the alien is in them, but the alien has full awareness. The human rationalizes the actions the alien forces it to make. I tell you this because there is a way to remove the aliens from the humans, but they will still target you when they are gone, the fake motives for their actions will still be firmly planted in their minds. You’ll never be able to go back to your normal life if that’s the course of action you wish to take. Or . . .” She paused and began to study my face intently. “You could just continue to kill them like your friends have been doing.”
“No,” I gasped. “Killing them isn’t an option at least as far as I’m concerned.”
A slight smile tugged at her lips and she nodded once with approval. Apparently I had passed the test. “Good. Then there is only one thing left for me to do.” She strode over to stand in front of me and then pushed her palms against my temples. A sudden burning heat began to spread through me.
“Wait!” I cried out. “I still have so many questions. You can’t do this yet!”
“The answers will be shown to you when the time is right. You will have the guidance to take control of all of your powers new and old when you need to.” I began to feel light headed as the heat emanating from her palms began coursing through my body. “I am sorry about your hair,” I bewilderingly heard her say. “Of course I am partial to the new color, but I know how much you’ll hate it.”
“What are you talking about?” I mumbled with distress. “What about my hair?”
But then a bright warm light engulfed me and I suddenly felt like a nice nap was in order as I felt my eyes flutter shut.
So many questions . . . I had so many questions. They were all swirling around in my mind as I regained consciousness. Was I really a full-blooded dragon? Then why couldn’t I do the whole disappearing act that even Bryn had already managed to master? How could I have grown up with the people I thought were my parents, and never known I wasn’t human? Why when I had been behind the boundaries of Khol’s lair had I not been able to have visions? We’d thought it was because my Seer magic was blocked and my dragon magic had taken control . . . but if I was truly full-blooded dragon that would mean my visions came from my dragon magic. So why had I been effected the same way that Bryn had? Maybe the magic my people possessed and the dragons possessed weren’t as different as we had all originally thought. But I guess I couldn’t really say they were my people anymore. My people . . . or species to be more specific . . . was dragon. How was I supposed to ever get used to that—to knowing I wasn’t even human? I certainly still felt human.
“Peej!” I heard Bryn’s voice call out with alarm. “What the hell happened to her?” I felt warm strong arms scoop me up and press me into a rock hard chest . . . Bryn’s chest. His enticing scent washed over me and I snuggled into him and inhaled with delight. I was home . . . finally.
“Amazing,” I heard Khol murmur. “I didn’t know. She hid it from all of us.” It was in that moment I knew Khol understood it all . . . who I was . . . what had happened . . . all of it.
“Don’t just stand there, heal her. That’s what you’re good for after all,” Bryn growled, ignoring Khol’s words.
“She doesn’t need healing. She’s perfect,” Khol said with reverence.
“Peej? Can you hear me? Peej?”
I was completely conscious and fully capable of responding to Bryn, but I didn’t want to open my eyes and deal with reality just yet. I simply wanted to remain burrowed in his arms, where I felt so safe and content. There, pressed up against him, I could pretend that nothing had changed between us. I didn’t want to open my eyes and face the very real reality that I could still lose him forever.