Any Price by Gail Faulkner Page B

a large tented pavilion. A red carpet was immediately rolled up to the door and the guards riding in the front jumped out. Yuri excused himself and left the vehicle to direct security.
    Alone for a brief moment in the limo, Lore turned to Kenna. “Apparently what happens between us is more involved than just the two of us.”
    This development affected him at the core of his possessive drive. Oh hell no, he was not allowing anyone else intimately close to Kenna. His back teeth ached as he snapped a chain on the caveman inside him who was fucking pissed.
    Then there was the unresolved issue of her complete refusal to touch him after he’d taken care of her. That was inexplicable to him. Piled on all that was the disturbing knowledge others were aware of the difference in Kenna.
    “That’s what he’s saying,” Kenna sighed tiredly.
    Looking down at the beautiful, brave, exhausted woman putting as much space between them as she could, there was only one issue he had to deal with right now.
    “What is it? Why the anger at the joust?” he questioned forcefully, using his command voice that demanded a response.
    A person put a hand on the car door and both of them were aware of it. “You can’t imagine why I’m upset about having my free will manipulated? That I might object to fantasy replacing reality in my mind by someone else? And beyond that, I’d be okay with it causing the other person to experience my pain but also their own in doing it? Think about it. It’ll come to you.”
    “No. That wasn’t what happened,” Lore objected as he studied her face. There was nothing to read.
    The door to the limo swung open.
    “We need a moment,” Lore stated calmly, and pulled the door shut.
    Turning to Kenna, he held out his hand. “Our perceptions are opposite on this issue. You know you can show me exactly what you mean and see what I thought occurred.”
    Kenna regarded him. “I don’t wish to attend this reception. Just go ahead and lock me in your dungeon or something. Get it over with.”
    The words buzzed in his ears, but he found the lack of connection beneath them made them insufficient. What the hell was happening? The empty space between them expanded and had nothing to do with the physical surrounds of the car. The urge to lunge across the ravine opening between them was compelling. If he could get his hands on her, she couldn’t hide from him. He was sure of it.
    “Kenna, why are you working so hard at putting distance between us? What has changed?”
    “You still have no idea what I’m talking about?” Kenna raised a brow.
    “Honey, if I infringed on your free will, it was only to relieve the stress this situation generated. There is nothing wrong with what we shared.”
    Kenna’s mouth opened then closed. She blinked several times and finally managed to ask, “You have no idea why I’d feel violated? Afraid because you can control me by injecting whatever reality you want into my head?” She shrank farther into the door on her side as if looking at a monster.
    Her words were arrows. They sank into him like nothing he’d experienced. The silence of the connection made them ricochet through his mind.
    “No. It was nothing like that.” Lore couldn’t make sense of her interpretation. Its ugly view of events was a shock. “We have a tool to be brutally honest with each other. Let me show you I didn’t have any intention of controlling you. My only concern was relieving some of your stress. When we touch, flesh to flesh, we can read each other. We can work this out.
    “It is your choice, Kenna.” He placed his hand, palm down, on the seat between them. “Use our gifts to understand each other. Hurting you was never my intention.”
    Kenna dragged in a deep breath. What would be the price of choosing to share with him again? Could she not? Things had just changed dramatically again, if she could call it that. Neither of them had mentioned it, but the other elephant in the car was her