After a few twisting turns down various other hallways, the One opened a door to what looked to be his private office. The room, much like his bedroom, was open and airy, with windows all along one wall, and the decor of teaks and white and silver. The bookshelf filled with ancient tomes completely surprised me. I gaped at all of the books for a beat too long, but I quickly averted my attention to where the One was gesturing to the long conference table made of white marble.
I took the seat he had mutely indicated to, my gaze flying to the other side of the room. There was a handsome but modest white marble desk at the other end with two chairs in front of it. The long couch looked pretty damn comfortable, a coffee table in front of it. The seating was positioned in the middle of the room to look out the windows. Books littered the coffee table.
Nothing in this room was what I would have expected for his office.
“Ms Jules,” the One stated loudly.
My attention snapped around to his nose. He sat directly across from me, and I kind of got the hint he may have said my name a few times. My tone was composed. “Yes?”
Roselle cleared her throat, glancing at the One, but said nothing. She reclined on her chair, sitting on the right side of him. Reese was on his other side.
The One’s eyebrow raised the barest bit as he stared back at me, even as he asked steadily, “Would you like to wait for the others to arrive or would you like to proceed now?”
I bit at my bottom lip, my gaze going to his opened door. “Will it be long?”
“No,” he murmured as he also relaxed on his chair, his long silk shirt gaping open a bit to reveal his amazing chest and his flexing abs. “They should be here momentarily.”
I nodded once, focusing my gaze on my purse as I positioned it on the table. “I’d like to wait. I have a few notes I need to read over, anyway.” I had to see what the hell type of questions the Kings and Elders had put together for me to ask.
I pulled the notepad out, trying to unwind on my chair. I would have normally enjoyed the plush white leather, but I was damn fidgety now. I adjusted…readjusted…and then my brows came together. I stuck my hand behind me and dug down into the crevice of the seat. I pulled out a—I stared at it and blinked. I glanced around the room, trying to find the television the remote went to. When I couldn’t find one, I shrugged it off and set the remote on the conference table then continued reading the first question repeatedly. I eyed the letters but they didn’t make words, my attention elsewhere.
The three of them spoke quietly about some business having to do with someone’s pigs. Their babble utterly confused me as they spoke of zoning ordinances being in effect or not. I finally breathed a sigh of relief as the others started coming in less than five minutes later. I was somewhat—oddly—pleased to see Mr Damon and Mrs Damon appear exactly as their Walkers. Right when Mrs Damon went to shut the door, Tristan barreled into the room before she got it closed. I muttered a silent curse, keeping my attention off the damn tiger and hoping he didn’t come my way while the One’s parents began taking their seats.
The One opened his right palm in my direction. “Mom, Dad, this is Caro Jules, the Prodigy Elemental, the next Queen Elemental.”
There was a possibility crickets were chirping somewhere as they eyed me.
Unable to take their stares any longer, I placed the unread notes face down on the table and started digging for my pencil to give my hands something to do. “It’s nice to meet you all. I asked the One for a private meeting with you because of what’s happened recently.” Finally having found my pencil, I placed my purse on the ground, out of line of sight of everyone’s staring. I leaned and placed my forearms on the table, tapping my pencil lightly on the pad of paper. “First, I would like to ask each of you if you suddenly felt an extra jolt of energy a week ago.”
Mr Damon sat forward, his head cocking slightly as his gaze ran over my face. “That’s a very odd question to ask.”
My eyes landed on his with a steady regard. The one thing the Walker hadn’t gotten right about him was the fact he wasn’t quiet, obviously being the first to speak up. “Yes, it is.” I nodded once, and I groaned inwardly when I felt Tristan under the table rubbing against my legs. I stalled, placing a quick hand under the table and pushing his face downward when he started sniffing at my crotch. The Walker for the tiger had most definitely been right. I cleared my throat again and acted like I was brushing off my pants, glancing down when Tristan ignored me and placed his huge furry head on my lap under the table. I shot him a stern look, but I quickly looked back up since no one could see him down there. “Um…” Think dammit. “Oh yes. Did you feel the extra energy?”
He was staring at me oddly, but his gaze was sharp. “Yes, I did.”
I flicked the pencil at the group. “And the rest of you?”
One by one they nodded.
Not the One, though. He was still resting lazily on his chair, one elbow on its arm and his chin in hand with two fingers over his mouth. With the gaze of a fucking tiger, he drawled, “Why have you come here, Ms Jules?”
“Jesus,” I muttered, sitting back on my chair and running a hand over my face. No matter how much I tried to fool myself, I was not really able to handle the weirdness of this situation. I shook my head, staring up at the ceiling. “This is just too damn bizarre.” I was sure they were staring at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t really care. I inhaled heavily, trying to calm myself. Eventually, I let my head drop to stare at his nose. “I’m here because of Walkers.”
He froze, as did everyone else. But he recovered the fastest, flicking a finger in my direction. His voice was no longer bored but now blunt in the extreme. “You have our direct attention, Ms Jules.”
I nodded once and then started. “Everyone I asked into this room had a Walker.” I waited a beat, letting that settle in for them. “As I tell you what happened, please bear with me. It’s easier to use your names—even though they weren’t really you.” Another deep inhale, and I rolled my head on my shoulders. “It all started about a month ago when Leric, Roselle, and Reese, plus four guards—whose names I can’t remember—asked to visit the current Kings and Queens. Leric, in the entirety of his time with us, never stated what his true purpose for being there was. He only said that he was needed…” For the next half-hour I told the story of what had happened, stumbling over my words a few times when I had to think on my feet and flat out lie because I didn’t want to get into the physical relationship I’d had with the Walker Leric. I finished it off with the truth of how I had figured out they were Walkers, and how I had killed them, releasing their essences back to the bodies they actually belonged to.
Because that was what a Walker was. Someone, at some point, had stolen the barest bit of these people sitting around the table with me right now. They had taken their essences from them—using the direct contact needed—and put those essences into the bodies of the dead to create walking and talking versions of the individuals. With one mastermind behind it all. Licking my dry lips, I cleared my throat and glanced down at the notepad in the extending silence. “That about sums it up.”
Staring at the blank page, I murmured, “We have a real situation outside the Temple. The target appears to be me for some reason, since I was the one befriended and used as a gateway into the Manor. The point being, whoever was behind it didn’t try to kill us. That wasn’t the objective. The spirit behind this wanted us to trust him through Leric. I have no clue why the spirit chose him, other than he has the most magic inside his essence, which may be the only reason.”
I licked my lips again. “Anyway, I’ve already noticed marked differences with some of you compared to the Walkers. With your help, if you’ll answer a few questions I have, I could possibly narrow down when the spirit touched you.” Nibbling at my bottom lip, I peered up to the silent spirits. “Would you all be willing to answer those questions?”
Slowly, they all nodded.
Except for the One, again. He was sitting completely
mute, watching me like…well, like a tiger. So much so, I could feel his keen eyes roving my face, not missing any tiny detail. I turned my attention directly to Roselle. “Your hair. When did you have it waist-length last?”
Her eyes widened. “That was at least…” She glanced to Reese. “What, maybe, ten years ago?”
He nodded. “My wife’s hair’s been short for some time.”
I nodded, jotting her name down on a blank page and marking it with ten years. I leaned over the table a bit, glancing across to where Mr Damon sat. I asked, “Who would think you shy? Or more importantly, have you ever been the quiet type? And if so, when?”
He actually started laughing. “Dear God, I’ve never been shy.”
I eyed him carefully. “What do you do here at the Temple?” I ran my gaze over his face. “Your job, I mean?”
Instantly, his gaze hooded the barest bit. But he still grinned. “I work as an accountant.”
“Mmm.” I cocked my head. “And…you just became your Walker.” I smiled sweetly even as he stared back in a cool, even manner. I pointed my pencil absently in his direction. “Why don’t you think a bit if someone powerful, or disgruntled, left your accounting firm ten or more years ago while I continue.” It was more a demand, less a question.
My gaze altered to Mrs Damon. “How long has it been since you got that ring?” I pointed to her finger with the wedding band, which I hadn’t noticed on her Walker’s finger. The damn diamond was huge, sparkling to the point it almost blinded me as she tapped her fingers on the table.
Her eyes rounded. “Over a hundred and fifty years ago.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, my brows pinching together. “Do you take it off often?”
Mrs Damon sniffed, her voice clipped. “Never.” Her fingers stopped tapping. “Well, when I have it cleaned I do. Other than that, I never take it off.”
My own fingers tapped on the table as I wondered what the hell that was about, and I peered back to Mr Damon, twirling my pencil at my head. “While you’re thinking of those who quit your firm, try to think of someone who wouldn’t want that honking diamond on her Walker’s finger.”
Set with determination, I glanced to the One’s nose. He still sat completely silent, watching me, with those two fingers covering his mouth. “Your hair. When was the last time you wore it down to your shoulders?” I pointed at his head with my pencil. “And without the braids?”
He was silent for an overly extended amount of time, and his mom glanced at him, huffing when he still stayed quiet while he gazed at me. Mrs Damon peered directly at me, answering for him, “He had his hair like that about twelve years ago. He’s been cutting it shorter and shorter ever since.”
Attention on her, I responded, “Thank you.” I quickly jotted that down then flipped the pad of paper over. I was done asking my questions and on to the other set not my own. I read the first question the Kings and Elders had written. A bubble of laughter slowly escaped, and I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth, stopping it and shaking my head. I marked through the question aimed toward the One, courtesy Elder Zeller, not about to ask that.
Roselle asked, “Is there an issue?”
“Nope,” I mumbled behind my hand, reading the next question. I choked, coughing hard, and had to hold up a finger at the group. “If you’ll just give me a moment, I need to,” I scratched out the next offensive question, “re-read my notes here.” What the fuck were they thinking? “Um…” Another scratch through a question. “I think…” I choked again at the next question, courtesy King Collins. “Yep.” I placed the notepad face down on the table, my left palm firmly over it. “I’m done with my questions.”
And yeah, I received more than a few odd considerations.
I lifted my chin the barest bit and glanced to Mr Damon. “Any clue who the powerful spirit may be?”
“Actually, I do have an idea—”
“Wait,” the One interrupted, his voice still that lazy drawl as he actually deigned to speak. I slowly peered back to his nose, waiting, and saw him take his fingers from in front of his mouth. Although, he still sat languidly on his chair, and his thumbs started tapping on the arm of it. His question was slow in coming, frying my nerves further. “Ms Jules, why didn’t you ask me about the marking on my neck?”
I blinked very gradually. That was the second mistake I had made. Because I had already known he had gotten the tattoo less than five years ago. Yet the answer of his hair had been twelve. Quickly thinking on my feet, I murmured, “When I was at the temple, I also saw you in the halls one day. You didn’t have it then, so I already knew the rough time range.”
“How old are you, Ms Jules?” he asked casually.
“Twenty-three.”
“Then you were here between four and twelve years ago.” His thumbs were still tapping. “Which means you left without receiving my protection over you.”
And that had been mistake number three, but there was no turning back from it. “Yes.”
“How did you leave the temple without my protection? No spirit would have carried you over, for the simple fact of the very position you’re in right now. No spirit Elemental is to ever be one of the Rulers—for your own protection. And by your expression right now, you fully know this.” He waited a moment, but when I didn’t speak instantly, he asked, “I will ask again. How did you leave the temple without my protection?”
I kept my inhale shallow, no believable excuse coming to mind. I rubbed a hand over my mouth, glancing down to my pad of paper. I had to tell the truth on this. There was no way to maneuver around it. “Five years ago, I was in your room. We were talking when Lissa came to the door. Before you came back inside from coddling her, I was gone.”
Ticks of silence passed by.
I swallowed hard, eventually peering up to stare at his nose. His frame had frozen completely. I explained, “You wouldn’t have let me leave, but it was supposed to be my choice. I had to take matters into my own hands. I found a way home outside of your rule.”
Mrs Damon leaned against the table again. “I don’t understand, dear. How did she get home from your room?”
The One blinked slowly, his body relaxing in gradual increments. He flicked an absent-minded hand at his mom. “That’s unimportant.” My nostrils flared with the understanding he wasn’t going to out me. His thumbs drummed on the arms of the chair again. “What is important is that she’s lying to us.”
Slow words on my part. “Excuse me?”
“Your recount of the Walkers.” More thumb bopping. “You, Ms Jules, are a terrible liar.” I heard Roselle grunt in agreement before he continued. “If you wish to know what my dad has to say, I suggest you tell us the truth.”
Chapter Twenty
I shoved away from the table, bumping Tristan’s snoozing head in the process, unable to play it cool any longer. I ran a hand through my hair as I paced back and forth, tripping over Tristan a few times. I muttered at him to move, shoving at his enormous bulk. That only earned me more rubbing on his part, his antics just as sweet as what I remembered five years ago. I stopped before he made me fall, my head dropping back.
Go figure, Tristan sat motionless next to me then.
I spoke to the ceiling in the completely still room, “Fine, it’s mortifying on my part, but I want that name. I plan to kill the bastard when I find him.” I scrubbed at my face before peering off to the side. My voice was a blistering breeze of demise. “I was the target although I refuse to believe it’s because I’m the weakest link in the chain—and I know I’m missing something in the equation.
“Anyway, Leric targeted me specifically. He played the perfect role. Somehow he knew I was the girl in the One’s bedroom five years ago, and he played off that from the very beginning. We…” I gagged, grabbing at my throat before pounding on my chest, choking to keep the bile down. “Sex…we had sex.”
I shook my head and started pacing again. My words were breathless. “Although not really. I later found out that penetration did
n’t occur because he couldn’t physically get it up. He had to fucking mind-spell me into thinking it had happened. He played my emotions, played my attraction to him…he just flat out played me.”
I sucked in a heavy breath as I continued pacing, not caring I was tripping over Tristan. I just needed to keep moving. “And I swear, no one had better say a word on how big a fool I was on that one, because I already know.” I halted, physically locking my muscles. “That’s it. My fucking nightmare in a nutshell, truth fully unloaded.”
My chest heaved from actually having to say that all aloud. Knowing my gaze was as haunted as I fucking felt, I turned my attention directly to Mr Damon’s shocked features. I didn’t gaze anywhere else but at him. “I want that fucking name now.”
He inhaled heavily, his lids hooding his penetrating eyes. He glanced toward the One only for the barest moment before coming back to me, and he stated in a soothing voice, “That experience could be traumatic for anyone. Why don’t you sit down and give yourself a moment to relax, Ms Jules?”
My nostrils flared wide, and I whispered on a harsh breath, “I just wanted to come and tell you about the Walkers. You deserve to know. And I need help finding the bastard who did this. Find out why the fuck he targeted me and give him the most painful death I can imagine. But I cannot…” I sucked in a sharp lungful of air. “I cannot sit here in the same room with,” my hand shot toward the One, “him and pretend everything is fine, when it is so clearly not.”
Tristan started rubbing around me again, his soft huffing purr loud in the room of God-awful silence. A shaky laugh escaped me at the ridiculousness of the damn loving tiger. I glanced down at him, shaking my head while I ran my fingers through his soft fur. “Yes, I’ve missed you too, Tristan. It’s been five years too long without seeing your real handsome face.” I spoke whisper-soft. “I don’t have any chocolate for you. I’m sorry.” He only tilted his head up and licked my palm before nuzzling his head back against my hand.
Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore Book 5) Page 16
