Directly in front of me, standing at the fireplace, was Antonio. To his right, sitting on the far couch, was Elder Merrick. To his left, on another couch, was Elder Jacobs. Directly to my left, which I could see only from the corner of my eye, sitting on the gold leather chair, was the fourth to their group. Elder Zeller.
Ezra’s dad.
I was pretty sure I whimpered as I swayed on weak legs.
Mutely, they stared.
I gasped, my vision blurring. An excuse! Goddamn it, think of a fucking reasonable excuse! My mouth flapped a few times in an attempt to obey my frantic thoughts as I desperately sought plausible scenarios that might actually fit this predicament. Shit!
Antonio pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he had a Com migraine. “Lil, don’t even bother.”
Snapping my mouth shut, I stuffed my shaking hands in my pockets.
I was well and truly caught.
His hand dropped to his side, and his gaze returned to mine, as he growled, “You couldn’t sense us until now?” He was mighty upset.
I sputtered for a few seconds, then cleared my throat, trying again. “I was distracted.”
Elder Jacobs replied dryly, “So we noticed.”
I still hadn’t looked at Ezra’s dad. Nor did I really want to. But, I did — carefully — ask the infuriated Mage, “Why didn’t you tell us you were in here?” Peeping Toms!
Antonio bristled. Uh-oh. “You sneak into my damn office and ask me why I didn’t show myself?” He stalked forward, and I moved backward. Best to keep a safe distance.
But still… “Yes.”
He stopped dead in his tracks at my response, clenching and unclenching his fists, and jerked his head toward Ezra’s dad. “We were having a private discussion we didn’t want others overhearing when Ezra walked in. He wanted to see how badly you two were lying to him.” A pause. “Then the whole situation turned,” another head tilt at Cahal, “and he wanted to know his son’s decision.”
He ran a hand over his face, suddenly appearing tired. “I’m going to have to buy a new lounge couch.” My face flamed so hot it had to match my hair. He pointed over my head. “And Ezra’s fixing that crack and anything else he broke by throwing my things about.”
I nodded quickly, watching him warily. Right now, he was running hot and cold.
He shook his head, muttering, “I seriously didn’t want to see that.” He glanced at the desk and the couch, making my flush stay bright. “You need to work on your willpower, kiddo. He played you like a fucking fiddle. I thought we were going to have to watch the whole damn thing,” he shuddered, “to its conclusion.”
I choked, turning my gaze from him, entirely mortified. This resulted with my eyes landing directly on Ezra’s dad. I froze as my gaze collided with his. Antonio didn’t seem to notice as he rambled on about burning his precious candles, and so on and so forth, striding back to the fireplace and muttering to himself.
Ezra’s dad rested with his elbow on the arm of the chair, two fingers propping his chin up as he regarded me with a blank expression.
I had no clue what to say to the man. To any of them, as the room went mute again. An apology seemed ridiculous since I wasn’t, in fact, sorry. Denying the action was just ludicrous. Telling them it wouldn’t happen again wasn’t an honest way to start with a clean slate since, if Ezra wanted to be exclusive, it very much would happen.
Into the strained silence, my face still flaming bright, Elder Merrick drawled, “I do believe I’m going to have to watch my back for a few days.” His chuckle was gravelly. “It could be fun.”
My gaze wasn’t going anywhere from Cahal’s, even when Elder Jacobs mumbled, “And your front and sides.” A pause. “And from below and above.”
Silence extended again after their humor during my undignified experience.
Time sluggishly ticked away as I awaited my fate. No great outcome came to mind.
Finally, Cahal deigned to speak, and still in no hurry, he enquired casually, “You have nothing to say?”
I cleared my throat. Actually, I did. “This was all my fault.” Cahal’s gaze never wavered from mine, even if blank. I straightened my shoulders. “I originally seduced Ezra.” Pulling my hands out of my pockets, I extended them in supplication. “He’s more like an innocent party.”
That did get a reaction. Just not from who I wanted.
Elder Merrick made a gurgling noise.
Antonio sighed heavily.
Elder Jacobs’s jaw fell open.
And Cahal just blinked once — no change.
Again, I cleared my throat, ‘cause I had to keep trying. “Really.” I pointed at myself. “It was me who initiated it.” Kind of the truth. I was the one who had been caught ogling his lips and ass. “There’s no reason for you to be upset with your son.” I had no clue what his dad would do to him, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be all warm and fuzzy.
Ignoring the other three, who appeared to be choking, fainting, or possibly dead, Cahal lifted his chin from his fingers and folded his hands across his flat stomach. Reclining further on the chair, and also ignoring everything I had said, he stated bluntly, “You two lied to me.”
Gulping, I nodded once. “Yes.”
He stared, dark eyes fathomless. “You two share a bedroom?”
With my thoughts quickly assessing what had been said earlier, my lips pinched. “Yes.”
“He was the father of your twins?”
My nostrils flared. Oh, God. “Yes.”
His head cocked. “He said they were a boy and girl. How did he know this?”
Lie. “A guess,” I stated evenly, keeping my eyes firmly off Elder Merrick, knowing he would sense the fib. Bindi was a good doctor and I didn’t want to get her in trouble.
Cahal’s thumbs started ticking together, and I realized it was to the cadence of my heartbeat. “Other than the five of us in this room, who else knows about your relationship?”
Sweat began to bead on my forehead. “No one to worry about.”
His lips curled cruelly. “Who, Ms Ruckler?”
My lips stayed firmly shut, watching him warily. As soon as I saw the very beginnings of his eyes glowing, I quickly dropped my gaze. Anger and fear overtook my emotions. The fucker had been about to mind trap me into telling him.
He chuckled quietly. “Maybe there is some intelligence in that brain of yours.” Still with the soft chuckling. “But I will have that answer.”
It was my only choice on how the situation was dealt. Asshole. “King Venclaire knows.” He could handle Ezra’s dad the best out of the few others who knew. I only felt slightly guilty handing over his name.
He hummed. “Interesting.” He paused. “How did he figure this out?”
My lips lifted on their own accord, glancing up at him. “He’s smarter than the rest.”
He watched me, eyes roaming over my features. “Is he the only one?”
“Yes.” I kept my heart rate steady, having to take a chance Elder Merrick wouldn’t blab.
I jolted when my new cell phone in my pocket began ringing. Not sure what to do during this inquisition, I only lifted it from my pocket, trying to figure out where the ignore button was, but Cahal stated, “Answer it.” Well, guess that made up my mind.
I flipped it open. “Hello?”
“You’re not back in our room yet,” Ezra growled over the line, apparently having better luck tracking down cell phone numbers than I’d had. “You said you were going to handle your issue yourself, but you’re not here doing it.” He sounded all kinds of put out. “Where the fuck are you?”
My gaze lifted over Cahal’s shoulder, thanking God that King Kincaid had told me the phones were spelled so no Vamps could overhear what the caller was saying. Go Shifter paranoia. “I got held up.”
“If it’s not important,” Cahal’s lips were pinched slightly, probably because he couldn’t eavesdrop, “hang the fucking phone up.”
But I knew instantly the spell didn’t go both ways when there
was dead silence over the line, before Ezra asked quietly, “Where are you, sweetheart?”
“I have to go,” I stated evenly. I hung up without another word. My phone instantly rang again, but when I couldn’t find the damn button to ignore the call, I stuffed it in my pocket with it still ringing. Eyes steadfast on Cahal, I murmured, “Sorry.” The ringing stopped, only to start again instantly. “It’s new, I don’t know how to shut it—” I jerked, my voice silenced when the door slammed open behind me.
Everyone’s gaze, including my own, snapped in that direction.
Ezra stood in the doorway, nostrils flared, his green eyes instantly doing a sweep over my person before traveling over everyone in the room, his gaze honed and assessing as he snapped his cell phone shut next to his leg and placed it in his pocket in an efficient motion. My phone instantly stopped ringing, and I realized that was how he had found me — by the ringing. His hair was a wet mess all over his head, as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He was only wearing a pair of athletic shorts. And that was it for clothing. Even his feet were bare.
Antonio made an odd noise, then groused, “Well, why the hell not?” Ezra’s mien didn’t change at Antonio’s outburst into the tense silence. “Come on in, Ezra.” Antonio laughed, sounding frazzled. “Join the party.”
Instantly, I held up my hand. “Actually Ezra, why don’t you go?” I flicked my wrist. “I’ll see you later.” I was already in it neck-deep. He could still run. “At dinner.” Hopefully.
His response was to step inside the room, shut the door, and lock it behind him.
My chest heaved. The man seriously didn’t know how to run. “Remember that nifty trick Antonio did that one night before our trip to the zoo?” It was best to give him a heads up if he wasn’t smart enough to get out.
His feet didn’t even falter as he stalked through the room. “Yes.” And, dear God, was he ever stalking, not just walking, his strides showing his rigidity while nothing else about his expression, or even his heart rate, did.
“Well,” I nodded around, “this happens to be Antonio’s office. All four of them were in it earlier while we were.”
He hummed.
That was all he did, stepping beside me with his hands in his pockets, directly between me and his dad.
No lips thinning. No heart faltering. No fainting.
Just that hum as he trained his eyes directly on his dad.
And they stared at each other with utterly blank faces…for what seemed like forever.
And finally, as before, Cahal started speaking, going through the same questions he had asked me, only this time, to his son. “You lied to me.”
Ezra’s answer was short and simple, like mine. “Yes.”
“Ms Ruckler has confirmed you two share a bedroom.”
Ezra shrugged. “And a bed.”
Cahal’s eyebrows rose. “How long has this been going on?”
Ah, a little deviation.
Ezra’s head cocked. “The first time we shared a bed was in December.”
My head dropped, realizing he was talking about the camping trip last year.
Cahal glanced to me, then back to his son. “Was that when your sexual relations began?”
Ezra’s lips lifted. “That was the first night I kissed her,” he shrugged, “she ended up naked on top of me by morning.”
I stilled, realizing he was taking the fall. Exactly as he said he would do in that supply closet.
Cahal glanced at Elder Merrick, who shrugged, stating, “Truth.”
“We didn’t actually have sex that night as he’s implying.” I wasn’t about to let him do this.
Cahal ignored me, asking Ezra, who also ignored me, “You were the father of her twins?”
His lips did pinch. “Yes.”
“How did you know their genders?”
Ezra’s head tilted back and forth. “It’s only an assumption.” He also didn’t look at Elder Merrick at the lie.
Cahal placed his elbow on the arm of the chair, chin in hand, watching his son avidly. “Who knows of your relationship?”
“Other than the people in this room?”
“Yes.”
Ezra shrugged. “No one who will ever mention anything.”
Cahal’s lips lifted on one side. “Enlighten me.”
Ezra sighed heavily, stating, “King Venclaire.”
Goddamn, what a fucking duo of liars we were.
Cahal lifted one eyebrow. “Who else?”
Ezra’s eyebrows came together. “No one else.”
“And how did King Venclaire find out?”
Ezra’s lips twitched. “He asked for a cigarette.”
Cahal’s dark eyes moved back and forth between us. “Outstanding.” His eyes continued evaluating. “You’re both lying in there somewhere, but you both do it so damn well.” He tilted his head toward Elder Merrick. “Shall I ask him where you both lied?”
We both shrugged, heart rates normal. If Elder Merrick really wanted to rat us out, he would do so whenever he chose to. It was no longer in our hands.
Cahal grunted. “Simply incredible.”
Ezra also grunted. “Are you finished? We’ve done nothing illegal, so we can’t formally be charged with anything, and you can’t do anything other than question us.”
After an extended silence, Cahal stated, “Just a few more questions.” Oh, goodie. His gaze landed on his son. “Did anyone in this room other than you two know of this affair before today?”
Ezra shook his head. “No one in this room knew we were having sex.”
Cahal glanced at Merrick, who stated, “Truth.”
Dark eyes found mine, Cahal watching me intently. “Same question, Ms Ruckler.”
I shook my head. “No one in this room knew we were having sex.”
Again, Cahal glanced at Merrick.
But this time, Merrick lowered his head, choking, “Lie.”
I quickly pulled my eyes from him, in complete disbelief he would contradict me. I was saving his ass, goddamn it. I felt Ezra stiffen next to me, not knowing this. Both of Cahal’s eyebrows rose as he stared at Merrick.
And, oh, so damn slowly, his face turned to me. “Who?”
My lips pinched shut, not knowing what the hell to do.
“I did,” Elder Merrick stated gruffly, again earning Cahal’s attention. “I knew Ezra was the father of her twins. I originally had my suspicions about their relationship, but when he reacted almost like a Shifter when King Kincaid began using his power on her when she became ill, I knew for sure.” He snorted. “I thought I was going to have to save the King’s life there for a few moments, and Ms Ruckler saw this.”
Cahal’s gaze roamed Elder Merrick’s face. “We’ll discuss this later.”
Elder Merrick’s lips tilted in a small smile at the obvious irritation in Cahal’s brusque tone. “It should be no surprise to you I keep my mouth shut.”
A grunt ensued from Cahal, his eyes returning to me. “Was Elder Merrick the only one?”
“Yes.” Assumptions were different than fact, and I couldn’t one hundred percent be sure Antonio had known about us.
Before Cahal’s head even turned completely to Elder Merrick, he stated, “Truth.”
Dark eyes on me. “Why would you choose to protect him?”
I shrugged. “He meant no harm to Ezra and me, so no harm should fall on him.”
His thumbs began that ticking motion, but this time it was in cadence to Ezra’s heartbeat. “What if I said, because of the new information about hybrids, a new Law has been passed, which states if any two individuals from different Mys factions are found guilty of sexual relations, the punishment would be five years jail time followed by a permanent spelled separation?”
Both Ezra and I stilled completely, our heart rates instantly galloping, no longer able to play it cool. Cahal’s thumbs stopped their drumming as he cocked his head, watching us closely. I turned to Antonio, searching his expression. He wouldn’t lie to me about this.
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Antonio was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching the proceeding carefully, but he met my gaze evenly. “Some of the Elders are considering this.”
My mouth was open, but I quickly snapped it shut, not knowing exactly what to say that was safe.
Ezra growled at Antonio, “To help with war negotiations? Or out of fear?”
“Both, I believe,” he said softly, eyeing Ezra.
Ezra’s chest rose and fell heavily, his gaze turning toward Cahal. “Are you one of the Elders trying to pass this Law?”
“That isn’t the issue here, although I will state, not touching on the fact you two are from different Mystical factions, a romantic relationship between two Rulers can have horrendous outcomes, which I don’t believe you two are even considering.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Do you have any idea the disasters that could erupt if this continues and somewhere down the road one of you ends up hurting the other? The four Rulers have to keep the peace together for their subjects’ sake. Add in emotions, instead of rational thought, and you both could fuck up the balance.”
He snorted, like, as in an actual snort. “You two have already done that with your childish behavior.” He shook his head, his eyes closing. He fell back against the chair, actually showing emotion as he muttered a curse under his breath.
He ran a hand over his face, appearing worried as his eyes went to his Ezra. “Son, I wasn’t always mated to your mother. I understand true love without the magic. I’ve experienced profound jealousy. I know what it can do to a person when things don’t go your way.” Another shake of his head. “You need to listen to me when I say that sometimes you just need to walk away before you get in too deep.”
My head dropped to stare at my feet, when all I wanted to do was pounce on the damn man and beat the living shit out of him. Yes, he had a valid argument. All of those things could happen, but Lord help me if I was going to let my damn throne dictate who I did and did not want to be with privately. With someone worth the risk. It already took so much from me, I wasn’t about to let it take my soul, too.
Ezra cleared his throat. “We aren’t foolish enough to believe it would be easy if we chose to have a real relationship.” His voice was soft, and I could tell he was startled by his dad’s honest words, probably shocked that his dad had a life before his mom, but he didn’t give in. “And on the legal aspect, no Law has been passed yet to try to stop us. Ultimately, it’s still our choice. If we did choose to do this, I’m sure we would try to make better decisions in the future in regards to arguments or,” he cleared his throat, “other things.”
King Cave Page 30
