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 toward 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.”