We stared, the four of us not believing what we were hearing.
“It’s the way it has always been done,” Elder Jacobs clarified. “Be happy you’ll have an Elder for company. They’re only allowed during unfriendly times.”
“The way things have always been done is archaic,” I said heatedly, not wanting any of us out there, much less with only one Elder per ‘retriever’ against all the hostile Coms.
King Kincaid’s expression cracked so he could glower. “You know not what you speak of. You are still too young and inexperienced to have an opinion on that.” He growled at me. “So keep your fucking mouth shut before you embarrass yourself.”
My wolf snarled at him, tired of his demands. Yes, the majority of the time he acted as more of a father figure, but there were plenty of other times he acted the righteous King. “Kiss my ass.” My mouth snapped shut.
Not soon enough.
“Oh, Christ,” Elder Merrick breathed.
Everyone in the room got a first-class view of what happens when two alphas lose it.
King Kincaid stood from his seat, leisurely taking his jacket off, then vaulted over the table at me, not backing down because I had pretty much challenged his authority — in front of a power group. I grunted as his massive shoulder hit me square in the chest. My chair toppled backward, taking us both to the ground as his fist swung at my face too fast. Jerking my head to the side, I managed to take the blow as it glanced off my cheekbone, instead of hitting me squarely on my nose. Fury ripped through me as I cried out, pain throbbing at my cheek.
“One of you stop him!” Pearl shouted. “He’s going to hurt her.”
I lifted my legs and thrust with all of my Shifter strength as another fist aimed at me. He flew straight up in the air, not touching me this time. He grunted as his back and head slammed into the ceiling, and I jumped to my feet, whirling and kicking out as he fell. My blow landed smack in his gut, and I watched as if in slow motion as he bent over my leg before the force tossed him through the air and across the room, slamming into the bar. The harmony echoing throughout the room was a combination of shared growls.
And the goddamn man stayed on his feet when he landed, charging at me again. I crouched and sprung at him, letting my nails shift to claws. He saw that and quickly did the same. We met somewhere in the middle of the room with fists and claws and legs being thrown, all our shots missing their marks as we each evaded the other.
“Goddamn it,” Jack shouted. “You are the fucking Kings and Elders! Get in there and stop this! If he hits her, he could kill her!”
And he did hit me right then as I paused, distracted by Jack’s words. I took a brutal blow to my ribs, feeling and hearing at least two crack as his foot connected. I choked in agony as he followed through, flinging me through the air. My right shoulder and head crashed against the rock wall, and my vision went to a black void of oblivion.
When I blinked my eyes open, I was lying on my stomach. I quickly re-positioned to my hands and knees at hearing footsteps pounding toward me, only to fall again as I screamed from the sharp stabbing in my ribs and shoulder, tears instantly flowing down my cheeks. But he didn’t care, grabbing my throat and jerking me into the air with one hand. I grunted a high-pitched sound as my body straightened out, and I instantly grabbed his wrist to take some of the weight off my neck.
My back was slammed against the wall as he growled, “I said to shut your fucking mouth.”
I gasped, pulling in as much air as I could, my cheeks wet. “And I said to kiss my ass.” I swung as hard as I could on the side he held me, which had left him open. My blow was just shy of its true mark because my ribs screamed at me, but I did land the punch well enough to hear and feel some of his ribs break, too.
Just returning the favor, bitch.
King Kincaid stumbled back, shouting and releasing me so that I fell to the floor again, my own agony-induced cry ringing throughout the room.
Elder Merrick was suddenly between us. “That’s enough.” His eyes were glowing with the command in his tone. “You two may be damn animals, but act like the fucking Rulers you are.”
I growled even as my head hit the floor, but unable to resist his command, being hurt as I was.
“Get over here and help her,” Elder Merrick growled at someone, catching King Kincaid as he started to fall. “And keep her quiet.”
King Venclaire was instantly next to me, kneeling beside my head. “How badly are you hurt?”
“Broken ribs and dislocated shoulder,” I murmured, blinking up at the ceiling where I could see a crack in it. I jerked my head at it. “Did King Kincaid’s body put that there?”
King Venclaire didn’t even look. “Yes.” His hands were roaming over my body before he peered away. “Get a medic in here fast before she heals like this.”
I saw a flash of light, hearing King Kincaid yell, “Leave me the fuck alone!”
“Shut up!” Elder Merrick demanded, the mandate blatant. “Not another word.”
I didn’t hear one, but I did hear King Kincaid’s wolf growl as another flash pulsed.
A Mage I didn’t recognize was suddenly kneeling at my other side. As his hands hovered a few inches from my body, golden light spotlighting from his palms on me from head to toe, his eyebrows rose. “Someone did a number on you, Ms Ruckler.”
I grunted, but the movement hurt. “Just fix me up.” Everyone here knew my damn name.
He looked at King Venclaire. “The ribs have already healed. Give her peace while I do this.”
King Venclaire nodded, his eyebrows furrowing as he touched his index finger to my forehead, serenity transfusing me. I sighed, glancing around and trying to ignore the popping sounds I could hear inside my body as the Mage worked. I could see Jack, Antonio, and Pearl standing by my head, their cubs at their feet, but I couldn’t see Ezra anywhere. Slightly tilting my head to the side, I saw his cub in the doorway to the room battling to keep Bonnie back, which he seemed to be having a hell of a time with.
“Where’s Ezra?” I asked, my lids drooping.
Jack and Pearl shrugged, their worried eyes traveling from me to scan the room, just now noticing he wasn’t here.
“Where is he?” I whispered, getting sleepy, my lids closing completely.
I felt King Venclaire shift, and a second later, his mouth was next to my ear, and he breathed, “Elder Zeller forcibly removed him from the room. No one else saw because of their speed.”
I blinked my eyes open. “Huh?”
“Ezra was,” a pause, “upset when King Kincaid attacked you.”
“Oh,” I breathed. “That’s sweet.”
King Venclaire chuckled against my ear even as more pops sounded from my body. “I don’t think King Kincaid would have found it very sweet.”
“I took care of him,” I grumbled more loudly.
Pearl stated, “And got your ass kicked in the meantime.”
“No more than he did,” I retorted lazily, grinning when I heard a growl nearby.
“I said to keep her quiet,” Elder Merrick barked. A heavy grunt. “And we need the medic once he’s done with her.”
I chuckled, but whispered, “See? What did I tell you?”
Jack’s expression was still worried, but he did glance at the ceiling and bar. “Remind me never to piss you off.”
Pearl looked at the crack on the wall where I had hit. “Or King Kincaid.”
The Mage’s hands started to glow more, and I heard my shoulder pop loudly before he leaned down and whispered at my ear, “Your fallopian tubes?”
I stiffened just as King Venclaire did at my side, able to hear him, too. I was sure the Mage could sense I’d had them magically tied. And now King Venclaire knew something was up with them. I said through gritted teeth, “Don’t fix them.”
The Mage paused, but nodded before raising his hands to my head, not asking any more questions but instead beginning to fix whatever was injured with my skull. But that one question had been enough. I glanc
ed at King Venclaire, and his eyes were on mine. Sighing, I whispered, “I don’t want children right now.” Truth.
King Venclaire stared hard. “King Kincaid was right about you being still too young and inexperienced about some issues to know what you’re talking about.”
I shifted my eyes away from him and kept my mouth shut.
“Okay, let’s try this again,” King Venclaire stated. “Without the added,” his eyes met mine, “commentary this time.”
My lips thinned, but I nodded.
We were sitting around the conference table again. Ezra had returned to the room and sat across from me with his boots on the table, his eyes lowered to Bonnie — as they had been the entire time since he reappeared — who had jumped into his lap and lain on her back, while he ran his fingers up and down her belly. Not to mention Clyde, who was glued to me, his paws heavy on my chest and his head on my shoulder. Anyone would think he was asleep, except that his tail kept twitching in distress.
I rubbed his back comfortingly and listened as King Venclaire outlined what we would be doing. Which would be to go on four separate missions to find the new, young Prodigies, while only being allowed to pick one Elder to go with us. A spell, almost like a compass, would lead us to them, the spell telling us when we had found the correct individual. Also, the picked Elders were not allowed to intervene once the journey began, only along for the ride, unless our lives were in danger…then they could start killing any Com they saw fit, in order to save us.
How sweet.
I raised my hand politely, and King Venclaire sighed in exasperation but gestured for me to speak. “No one ever did that for me.” I paused, my eyes swinging to the still irritated King Kincaid. “I know the mate gets the power, but you still never did that.”
King Kincaid’s jaw clenched. “I did do it. You just didn’t realize it. It’s something that has to be done even if we know the truth plainly enough.” He rubbed his chest, glancing away from me. “You were in bed asleep when the spell found you.”
I blinked. “Oh.” Nice to know he had snuck in on me when I was vulnerable, and I hadn’t even noticed him. I glanced with irritation at King Venclaire. “That’s all.”
“How fortunate,” he muttered before stating loudly, “You’ll all be leaving as soon as you’re crowned.”
All four of us froze.
King Venclaire clapped once. “The other Kings and I need to begin helping the Elders with the war they believe inevitable. We have more contacts at our disposal, so it’s time for the four of you to become the faces and names of our people.”
I raised my hand again.
Elder Jacobs sighed, “Are you fucking kidding?”
“Obviously, she’s not,” Ezra hissed, his eyes still down. “So shut the hell up.”
King Venclaire gazed at me with forced patience when Elder Jacobs glared at Ezra. “Yes, Lily?”
I cleared my throat. “Won’t it worry our subjects to have,” another clearing of my throat, “young and inexperienced Rulers when a war is approaching?”
King Kincaid smiled. It wasn’t his nice fatherly one. “Everyone knows the Elders are who really rule when a war erupts.” His smile turned satisfied. “You won’t have only me to listen to. All the Kings’ and Queens’ actions are a majority of the time dictated by,” a pause, “the Elders’ decisions.”
Perfect. I needed to find that damn history book. Again, I was thinking too much like a Com. Playing it smart for the first time since entering this conference room, I kept my mouth shut as King Venclaire walked to Ezra.
King Venclaire stared down at him until he eventually looked up. And now I saw why Ezra had kept his gaze down, hidden beneath his lashes. His eyes were slightly glowing and his furious expression was only barely masked. King Venclaire didn’t seem surprised by it, and he held Ezra’s gaze with unfeigned tolerance.
“There’s no time for fanfare or parties. We need this done immediately and have the four of you back here as soon as possible so we can begin our duties as Elders.” King Venclaire pulled the red and black ring off his finger. “Do you have your Prodigy ring with you?”
Ezra grunted and leaned on one hip as he dug into his pocket, holding Bonnie carefully with his other hand. “You told me to always keep it with me.” He pulled a smaller version of the King’s ring out of his pocket. “I listened.”
“Good.” King Venclaire nodded. “Place it on your finger.”
Ezra slipped it onto his index finger.
“Ezra Zeller,” King Venclaire took Ezra’s hand, making Bonnie hiss, “I, the current King Vampire, hand over my right to the Vampire people and dub thee the new King Vampire.” He slipped the King’s ring onto Ezra’s middle finger, and I blinked as it molded perfectly, and then fused, with the Prodigy ring, leaving only a little space between his fingers. As Ezra stared at his hand, holding Bonnie back with the other, King Venclaire smiled. “When the spell reaches the new Prodigy, the rings will separate again, and you will pass the Prodigy ring to the child or child’s guardian.” He rested his hand on Ezra’s shoulder, grinning at him. “You, I know, will do amazing things.”
Ezra cleared his throat, glancing at his dad, who had a small smile playing on his lips. Green eyes quickly darted to King Venclaire. “I pray I do as well as those before me.”
King Venclaire patted his shoulder, hastily taking his hand away when Bonnie almost got free of Ezra’s grasp. “You will.”
King Fergus stood and did the same spiel for Jack, only their rings were multicolored with red, yellow, blue, green, and white. Together, they placed the King’s ring and Prodigy ring in the same location. Index finger and the middle finger.
My eyebrows furrowed as King Nelson did the equivalent with Pearl with identical fingers, but golden rings. That was going to be an issue for me, and I would feel foolish for asking if I had to do the same. This was probably another deed I should already know. Nervously, I watched King Kincaid stride toward me. He seemed to be over his alpha’s temper, walking fluidly, the Mage having done his healing magic on him.
As he neared, I removed the Prodigy ring from the chain around my throat where I had kept it as only a reminder of Dominic, and not because it was the Prodigy’s ring. I stared at it, remembering it on Dominic’s finger in that parking lot so long ago when I had watched him tap his thumb on my rear-view mirror as he confronted me. The gradually decreasing memories weren’t any more welcomed than they had been previously, but as I glanced around at everyone else’s fingers, I blinked and realized maybe that was the answer to my question.
King Kincaid stopped next to my chair, and ignoring the fact that it was an embarrassing question, I quickly asked, “Can I put the ring on whatever finger I want?” I paused, staring up into his startled dark eyes. “I need to be able to shoot my gun properly if I’m going out there beyond protection, and Dominic wore it on his thumb.”
King Kincaid’s eyes instantly softened, glistening a little, but he gazed down at me with pride. “Yes. Any finger you like. They just need to be next to each other.”
I sighed in relief and stared down at the ring I had never slipped on before. It was still Dominic’s size, and I was betting that once I put it on it would form to my finger. The last bit of him gone to me. My Core ached at the thought, so much so, I rubbed the center of my chest…but it wasn’t as horrible as I thought it might be. My eyebrows puckered as I tried to work that one out in my mind.
It didn’t take long.
Because it was simple.
Well, if simple meant…being in love with the, now, King Vampire.
My breathing hitched as full comprehension dawned at just how far I had fallen for him.
Sure, I loved him as a best friend…but now…I was in love with the man. I was in love with the private smile he graced only me with. I was in love with his demanding attitude. I was in love with the way he sometimes drooled while he slept. I was in love with the way he cared for Jack and Pearl. I was in love with every single one of his goddam
n imperfections just as much as I was in love with everything perfect about him.
I was in love.
Just as I felt a debilitating dose of fear, which seemed to radiate in pounding pulses throughout my body, at the thought of him not wanting me as badly as I wanted him…I paused my thoughts…and a brief bloom of hope, which had made an appearance yesterday, broke throughout my body, causing me to physically shiver with instant warmth, almost like adrenaline pumping through my system.
The ache in my chest decreased, so much so, my hand dropped to my lap. I bit my lip to quiet my panting breaths, inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling shakily through my lips. God, I hoped he felt some of these emotions for me. If he didn’t, and he said no to a relationship…Christ, he would break my newly, fragilely mended heart. This was different without magic bringing two individuals together.
It was…my choice. Utterly and completely my choice. I had walked down this road without being led, at any time being able to turn away. Instead of magic throwing me at Ezra, my heart had followed him.
And I wanted him to be mine, since the damn man held my heart in his hands.
All. Fucking. Mine.
I was growling softly when I felt a hand shake my shoulder quickly. Clyde growled. The hand just as quickly disappeared. My head snapped up.
“What?” My wolf was riding my voice, both my wolf and I feeling astronomically possessive.
I wasn’t sure who had shaken my shoulder, but Antonio leaned forward, his eyes close to mine, his expression worried. “Lil, are you alright? King Kincaid’s been saying your name for a while now.” He brushed hair out of my face, getting swiped by Clyde’s claws but not even seeming to notice that he bled for a millisecond before he healed. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“Lily?” Ezra’s voice came gently from the other side of the table.
Before I could say anything, Elder Jacobs cursed, asking, “She’s not pregnant again, is she?”
And, like clockwork, everyone at the table froze.
Stared at me.
King Cave Page 34
