Any Price by Gail Faulkner

herself to deal with this in small chunks, Kenna turned to Thomas and picked up the threads of that conversation.
    “Do you speak to each other? Can you send thoughts?” she asked Thomas sharply.
    “An adrenaline rush briefly enables this, usually between close blood relatives in an emergency,” he answered calmly. She could now feel him sending her reassurance and strength. Yuri and Julianna joined him. Their combined influence invaded her rising panic with calming reassurance, and yet that they could help her like this scared the shit out of her.
    * * * * *
     
    In the outer room, Lore abruptly stood. “I must go. We will finish this conversation later. We’ve covered the critical issues. Thank you for your attention to detail.” It was the king dismissing Gregory again. Smoothly, politely, but Lore inserted steel in his tone so there would be no mistake that the interview was over.
    His connection with Kenna was clawing at him. She was terrified and trying to hide it from him. Knowing all that and being separated from her was intolerable. Watching Gregory’s face darken in a frown shot intense distaste through Lore. He needed to get to Kenna. Gregory was going to delay that.
    “Lore!” Gregory abandoned royal titles in his frustration. “We have to talk about the woman. What do you think you’re doing with her?”
    Lore had already turned to the bedroom door. He looked back over his shoulder at Gregory, his eyes were hard as he slowly turned to face Gregory again.
    “The woman, as you call her, is none of your business, Gregory.” Lore’s voice dropped low and harsh.
    Gregory could feel leashed animosity emanating from Lore as the king continued. This attitude was as confusing as the rest of the man’s behavior had been today. It was swiftly becoming insulting.
    The low growl of Lore’s voice continued with its cutting commands. “What I think I am doing with her is even less your business. Refer to her in such fashion again and I will have to do something about it. Don’t force us to that.”
    Lore took a pace toward Gregory. “I will not discuss her, Gregory. I will not tolerate interference with regard to her.” The pause burned with Lore’s enmity as he looked into the angry face of his closest advisor. “Yuri will show you out. In the future, please respect my privacy enough to stay out of my apartment while I am not present.” The words were carefully polite, but the inflections made them deadly threats.
    Gregory’s lips thinned, but that was the only outward sign of his response. He turned to the outer door, which Yuri held open.
    After the door closed, Lore lifted his eyes to Yuri’s grim face. “In the future, if there is anyone in this apartment without an invitation, besides Kenna or myself, they are to be removed with force. Clear?”
    “Of course, your highness. I apologize for this intrusion. It will not happen again,” Yuri assured him.
    Lore blew out a heavy breath in an effort to calm the ferocious, possessive anger and added in a tired voice, “Don’t bust someone over it. Things have changed dramatically since this morning. No one could have known.”
    “Sir, she needs you. I will take care of these things,” Yuri responded quietly.
    Lore’s focus narrowed on Yuri in suspicion. “You feel her?”
    “Yes, my lord. As I said, it is not like your connection. It is a different thing. Now that she is learning how to handle it, she is becoming stronger. Have you not found it so?”
    “Yes,” Lore agreed grimly. He turned to the bedroom door.
    As he entered, Lore was a bit surprised at his relief. Thomas was nowhere near Kenna and it soothed some small part of him. Needing other males to keep a certain distance from his woman was a primitive feeling he’d never encountered before. A territorial awareness he was not comfortable with because it was threaded with deadly intent.
    Nodding to Thomas, Lore held the door for him to leave.
    Kenna opened her eyes as soon as she felt