Broken Gates by D. T. Dyllin Read Free Book Online Page B

won’t go through this alone.” It was the last thing I heard before I fell into a fitful sleep.
    I woke up alone in Khol’s bed. I lay there a few minutes trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually pregnant. My hand slid down to touch my belly; it was as flat as ever. Did that mean the gestation period was moving slower like a dragon’s because Khol was the father or had the child just been conceived more recently? How long would I have to wait to find out who my baby’s daddy was? Maybe I should go on Maury Povich to find out.
    I rolled out of bed and lumbered over to the door, wanting nothing more than a nice hot shower and some breakfast. Pancakes—no waffles—no scrambled eggs and bacon—wait—I don’t even like scrambled eggs and bacon, or maybe I did now. Or maybe the baby did? It certainly seemed to have a predilection for meat. Did that mean it was mostly dragon? I was so caught up in thoughts about breakfast and the baby that I ran head first into Bryn’s chest. “Oh . . .” His delectable scent stole the rest of the words from my mouth. His eyes then flashed an intense dragon blue as they skimmed down to briefly rest upon my stomach before they made their way back up to my face. My head swam at the realization. He knew. He knew that I was pregnant.
    “Peej,” he said gruffly. “I was just on my way to see you. Why are you out of bed?” He lifted his hand up to touch me but then stopped short as if he suddenly thought better of it.
    I tried to control my voice. “Who told you?” But it came out shaky anyways.
    “Khol.”
    I slid my eyes shut unable to look at him. “Of course he did.” I never thought to tell Khol not to inform Bryn of my circumstances; I’d been too upset and focused on other things.
    “So you really were planning on not telling me?” His voice broke an octave lower than normal and I cringed at the accusation, especially because it was true.
    I slowly opened my eyes but I still couldn’t manage to meet his, so I let my gaze settle on the floor in between us. “I didn’t want it to affect your decision about me—about us.”
    “Whether you like it or not, it makes a difference if you’re carrying my child,” Bryn ground out.
    Sudden tears splashed down my face and my lower lip began to tremble uncontrollably. “I just wanted you to pick me for me—not because I might be pregnant with your child.”
    Bryn tilted my chin up toward him with his index finger and the minute my eyes met his, I wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms. But I fought the urge and remained where I was. “Peej, I never stopped wanting you, and I never will. All those things I’ve said to you about loving you—I will—always. But that’s not what all of this is about. I just wanna protect you—make sure you’re safe. Khol is your best option for that, but if you are carrying my kid”—he ground his teeth together—“then he’s not raising my kid.”
    I slid my gaze away from him again, even though his finger still rested under my chin. “And if it’s not yours?”
    Bryn’s hand dropped away from me. “Then it’s obvious. You mate with Khol.”
    Had Khol told him about my plan too? “So you’re going to go along with me mating with whoever’s child this is?” I brought my hand up to rub my stomach.
    Bryn was silent for a few moments and I could have counted the seconds by my heartbeats, but I had nothing else to say so I waited anxiously for what his response would be. “Yes,” he finally said. “Khol and I have already discussed the arrangements. We’re both going to take care of you until the day we all get our answer and then—”
    “And then I’ll mate with one of you.”
    Bryn nodded once in affirmation. He swallowed a few times, his Adam’s apple dancing up and down in his throat nervously. “I don’t want this to be weird. I’m sorry about what I did before; you have to know that. You have to know I love you, Peej. Nothing