There were a few beats of silence where I could tell King Collins’s brain was spinning like mad as he tried to figure out what to do.
Brann’s rumble, calm and steady, echoed in the room, “If she were dying or badly hurt I’m sure she would be making some kind of protest to not be here.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw him begin to walk toward us, still dressed in his fine, fancy clothing. “She wouldn’t be claiming, even if untrue, to be fine. She would be making some sort of a fuss, even if unable to say anything, instead of telling you to trust her, which by the way, is true.”
He sat down on the other cushion of the loveseat, and like last time, he utterly squashed me, but I stared at his hands as he gently placed a blanket over me that he had grabbed from somewhere. “Just let her be. This doesn’t seem to be a new issue for her, even if it is for us.” He peered back over his shoulder at King Collins, who appeared to be calming. “And it’s possible we’re all overreacting.”
“It’s not a possibility,” I grumbled, turning back around on the couch, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders, and laying my head on the arm of the couch. “It’s a fact.”
“Truth,” Brann stated quietly in my direction, then he said to King Collins, “I think you can just chalk this one up to another spirit fact to add to your list.”
Slow words from King Collins. “All right, Caro. I’ll trust you.” He cleared his throat, running a surprisingly gentle hand over the back of my head. “But if it gets worse and it’s not normal for you, I will expect you to seek out one of the Rulers in this room. Or Bindi. She’s not just the babysitter, she’s also a physician.”
“Thank you,” I croaked. “Can someone put the movie in now before I crash?”
A hard knocking sound woke me, and I slitted open my gritty eyes to see King Collins’s face way too close in the dim lighting. I slurred, “What’s going on?”
“Shh,” he hushed quietly, and I realized he was holding me as he juggled me. “Go back to sleep, my sick Prodigy.”
Bright light blinded me for a moment when I heard a door open close by, then Sin’s familiar timbre asked, “Did she pass out in the first fifteen minutes of the movie?”
“First five,” King Collins rumbled. “She shouldn’t have even come down if she was this sick.”
“You know why she did,” Sin mumbled as he began to lift me from King Collins’s arms. He pressed a cool kiss to my heated, damp forehead, holding me firmly. “Now you all know she gets this way from time to time.”
King Collins brushed hair off my cheek as I tucked my head against the crook of Sin’s neck. “I won’t expect her for the next couple of days, but I do expect her to be resting.” A clearing of his throat as he took his hand back. “And since I don’t know the extent of your relationship, I need to state any…extracurricular activities…while she’s ill will more than likely not be beneficial to her health.”
I felt Sin’s shoulders tremble a bit, and I groaned because the action caused my head to shake, so he stopped and murmured steadily, “We’ll try to control ourselves.”
King Collins started to walk away but stopped, glancing over his shoulder. “She was mumbling in her sleep,” blue eyebrows pinched, and I felt Sin still, “something about difficult amber and a god.” He paused, and I closed my eyes, playing and not really playing the sick card. “Any clue what she was talking about?”
“You said yourself she was dreaming.” Sin shrugged his shoulders, and I didn’t complain this time as he covered for me. “There were probably floating bunnies and laughing candlesticks along with many other fantasies rummaging around inside her fevered thoughts.”
I peeked from one eye and watched King Collins blink slowly then sigh heavily. “That’s disappointing.” He ran a hand through his hair and turned to continue walking away. “I would have loved the whole ‘god’ aspect to be an undisclosed spirit fact.” He pointed over his shoulder. “Take care of her.”
“Always do,” Sin murmured, already turning into our room, using his foot to close our door. With it firmly closed, he stated to me, “I can’t let you go anywhere alone, can I?”
I moaned, “I’m tired, Sin, so leave me, and my unconscious thoughts, be.”
“And you also become the biggest baby when you’re sick, so you’re no fun to pick on.” He began walking to our bedroom, grip tight. “Do you want soup or the vapor rub?”
I hummed as he laid me on the bed. “Soup, then the vapor rub.”
“I need to speak with her,” King Collins spoke from outside the closed French doors to our bedroom, waking me. “I know she’s still ill, Sin, but something’s come up.” A pause. “I won’t take more than a moment.”
Rolling on my side, I wiped at my nose, still feeling wrecked. Only a day had gone by and Sin had been taking particularly special care of me, like he always did when I got this way. “Just let him in, Sin.” My voice was a bit stronger, which was a sign I would soon be on the mend. “I can’t sleep with you two arguing, anyway.”
Sin murmured something I couldn’t hear, but the French doors opened swiftly, and he stated curtly, “Just a few minutes, then she needs her rest.”
Thank you, Daddy Sin.
But both men stopped abruptly in their tracks, staring at me, mute.
“What?” I mumbled. “I know I look like shit, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to either of you.”
Sin blinked, then he turned his head to King Collins and asked slowly, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a bit angrily, “Something’s come up?”
King Collins blinked the same way Sin had, and he quickly recovered from his frozen state to nod once. “Yes. Brann received his this morning, but no one else had yet so we weren’t a hundred percent sure. We thought it might just be a really bad-tempered animal but now it looks as if we have confirmation.”
“Again,” I muttered grumpily, “what are you two talking about?”
King Collins held up a finger and dug his phone from his pocket, turning to walk into our retiring room as he made a call.
“Sin?”
Green eyes found mine, and I know I saw anger there, but more than anything — and surprising me with its intensity — his gaze held worry for me. “Caro…” He ran a hand through his hair then walked quickly to my side, sitting on the edge of the bed carefully, not jiggling me. “Honey, I know you’re tired, but tilt your head up toward the headboard.”
Sighing heavily, the sound more of a croak, I stated, “I don’t want to move.”
“Just do it.” A blatant order.
I scowled at him for a moment, but I slanted my head back on my pillow, tilting its plushness, only to have white fur suddenly hit my face as it slid past me…with a definite yelp. The fur ball continued to tumble, and its trajectory wasn’t optimal since it plummeted right over the edge of the bed. Instinct had my hand shooting out, but I wasn’t quick enough on the uptake, my body creaking with the motion. Apparently Sin had the same instincts because he cursed and lunged, throwing his hands out to catch whatever critter had snuck into our bedroom.
All I could see was Sin’s head over the side of the bed where he had landed. His eyes went huge at whatever he was looking down at, and he mumbled, “Well, fuck. That can’t be right.” His head cocked. “Maybe they’re wrong?”
I sneezed, and wiped at my nose. “Would you care to explain what you’re rambling on about?”
Sin shook his head. “Nope. Nothing to worry about, Caro. Try to rest.” He jumped to his feet with his back to me, carting whatever animal he was holding in his hands out the French door. I rubbed my eyes, but now I was interested. I had been sleeping unaware with an unidentified animal, and they were acting so weird. My mind cleared a bit from the fuzzy sickness as I rolled again, and I peered out through the doors.
Sin’s back was still to me, but I could tell he was holding out his arms, which held the animal. King Collins’s mouth gaped a bit while he stared, a phone pressed to his ear even though he wasn’t talking, clearly in shock from wha
tever animal Sin held.
“You guys have to be wrong,” Sin stated plainly. “The little thing’s licking me…not biting…so you obviously just have some prankster on your hands trying to scare everyone with fake Vizoacs.”
“Vizoacs?” I squeaked in surprise and a bit of fear. I rolled and hit the ground hard before I pulled myself up to hurry as fast as I could out to them. “I have a Vizoac?”
Sin turned swiftly toward me while hiding the animal with one hand behind his back, the other resting on my cheek, even as he stated gruffly, “Caro, go back to bed. This has to be a joke.” His thumb rubbed over my temple soothingly, alleviating a bit of the headache I had. “There is no reason to get yourself worked up over someone’s sick idea of a prank.” He kissed my forehead softly. “Now,” he tried to turn me back toward the bedroom, “go back to bed.”
I took a step back out of his reach and crossed my arms, stating defiantly, “No.” Turning my attention to King Collins, who was still frozen where he stood, I asked, “Brann also got an animal?” At least, that was what I thought he had said when he had first entered my bedroom.
King Collins shook his head a bit, then I watched as he made himself physically relax before he stated into his phone, “Did you catch all that?” His eyes flicked to Sin and me. “Yep. We either have confirmation this is a hoax, or confirmation on…” He trailed off, listening into his phone. “I’m not touching the damn thing. If you want to bleed, you do it.” His lips twitched. “All right, just hurry up so we can get this sorted out.” He snapped his phone shut, placing it in his pocket, then clasped his hands in front of him before peering at me. I wasn’t sure, but I could have sworn I saw a bit of devilish humor in his brown gaze.
I waved my hand with my tissue clutched inside it. “So? I have a Vizoac?” I knew my eyes were wide, searching his gaze for the truth because that could mean only one thing. “Brann got one, too?” I stilled. Blinked. “What kind is it?”
King Collins’s lips twitched. “If it really is a Vizoac,” again with the twitching, “it’s a wolf.”
My jaw clenched, and I crossed my arms with a hoarse huff. “That doesn’t mean I’m weak.” If the Vizoac was real, that meant Brann was the most powerful of the Prodigies. “I could still kick his ass in a battle any day.”
King Collins’s head dipped once. “Yes, I do believe you have the most experience in conflict and intrigue.” He waved a hand. “I felt the same way at first when we received our lions. Don’t worry, the feeling goes away quickly. What I figured out is that each of the four Rulers have their own unique individualities to make a more united front.” He paused and his lips twitched again. “And really, if I’m honest, brains and fortitude always outwit strength and power.”
“I heard that,” King Zeller’s voice rumbled from down the hall somewhere, the sound echoing through my opened doorway.
“I know,” King Collins stated loudly over his shoulder, then he turned his attention back to me, barely whispering, “Pen, sword, and all that. Take it as you will.”
“All of that is interesting,” Sin muttered, taking a step in front of me and moving the animal in front of him as King Zeller entered our room, shutting the door behind him quietly. “But none of it matters where a Vizoac is concerned.” And I saw the wolf for the first time as he lifted his hand. She was…tiny. Adorable, really. A bitty, white fur ball with the sweetest blue eyes and little wagging tail. Sin held her easily as he continued, and I went completely still, only now realizing what that meant because of my sick-addled brain. “Because this obviously cannot be a Vizoac. She’s letting me hold her.” We all watched as the wolf opened her mouth full of bitty sharp teeth…to lick his finger. “And she is continually licking me.” He brought the wolf closer to his face and stated softly, “Stop that. You’re going to make me smell like wolf slobber.”
I watched as she lifted her head and touched Sin’s nose gently with hers, not licking but gifting him with a kiss, and my heart melted a little. “Ah, she’s so cute.” I stepped closer, going on tiptoe, which put the top of my head barely at the top of Sin’s shoulders — if I jumped a little. I raised my hand without the tissue to very carefully let her sniff me then rub the top of her furry head. I glanced at Sin, eyes hopeful. “It’s obviously a prank, but…I want to keep her. We’ve never had a pet before.”
Patient eyes stared down at me, even as Sin brought the tiny wolf in close to his chest and pressed his forehead to mine. “Caro,” he shook his head slowly, his cool skin feeling great against my fevered flesh, “a wolf is not a pet.” My jaw set, and I glared into his eyes. He sighed, pulling his head back, and stated, “Maybe we could find a dog or a cat instead.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but King Zeller cleared his throat, gaining our attention. Both his and King Collins’s arms were crossed, each Ruler with a fist in front of their mouths, their expressions blank, though their eyes were a bit squinty. And I felt my gaze narrow, wondering what it was they were hiding, so I asked directly, “What aren’t you telling us?”
King Zeller cleared his throat again, then he dropped his arms as he moved closer to us. “Before you two start deciding the benefits between wild and domestic pets, we need to figure out if it is a Vizoac.” A head tilt toward King Collins. “And he doesn’t want to be bitten, so I’ll test the issue.”
I shook my head, eyebrows furrowing. “Sin’s obviously tested the theory since he’s holding her. She’s not a Vizoac.”
The wolf pup yipped at me quietly, but her head swung to King Zeller when he took another step closer.
King Collins stated, “Just humor us while we test her. She’s…smaller…than Brann’s; if she does bite, hopefully it won’t be as painful.”
King Zeller grunted, staring down at her and eyeing her carefully. “Even if she is smaller, it doesn’t mean it’s not going to hurt.” I watched in confusion as he lifted his hand slowly to her head, talking quietly to her in a soothing voice. Then, startled, I jumped against Sin’s side when King Zeller muttered a loud curse, his hand blurring at he pulled it back…because the tiny she-wolf had bit him. Viciously. With a scrappy growl to go along with it. I watched, stunned, as King Zeller’s thumb healed instantly, the blood dripping down his hand the only sign he had been cut. As he lifted a tissue from a box close by, wiping his hand, he glanced at King Collins and muttered sarcastically, “Oh, no. Didn’t hurt at all. Why don’t you give it a try?”
I blinked. Glanced at the wolf as she licked the blood staining the white fur around her mouth. And instantly dropped my tissue to grab her from Sin’s frozen hand. Eyes wide, worry coursing through me, I held her away from everyone with one hand while I seized Sin’s hand, checking it and asking quickly, “She didn’t bite you, did she?”
He stared down at his hand, too, flipping it inside my hold to look at it from all angles, but there was no blood there. “No, I don’t think so.” Slowly, he took his hand from mine as his head lifted to the two Rulers, his eyes carefully analyzing their studiously blank faces. “Care to explain?”
King Collins’s eyes went to the ceiling, his head teetering back and forth before he glanced back down to us. “No. I don’t believe I will.” A shrug of his shoulders. “Call it payback, or whatever you want, but you two will figure it out eventually.”
King Zeller’s lips twitched as he glanced at King Collins. “It could mean something else.”
King Collins’s eyes flicked back and forth between Sin and I where we stood glaring at him. “Yes, it could, but it’s not really likely since it only happens with the other Rulers or…” His lips curved. “Well, anyway, enjoy the conundrum.” Brown eyes swung to me. “And it does appear you have a Vizoac. I imagine London and Aria will be receiving theirs shortly, if they haven’t already.”
I inhaled heavily, the sound wheezing. “But,” I licked my lips, eyes staring hard into his, “that means…”
His lips pursed, and his eyes turned cold, much colder than I had ever seen from him. Hell, it made me shiver i
n foreboding. “Yes, it does. But it doesn’t necessarily mean a war. A gifted Vizoac means only that there will be a time of unrest during a Prodigy’s eventual ruling.” He cracked his neck and glanced at King Zeller, who now stood staring at our closed door as if he could see through it. “Plus, if there is a time of unrest, at least you’ve got the current Rulers, us, who have been through hell and back, to train and learn from.” Again his lips curved, and it wasn’t a pretty smile. “We actually enjoyed parts of the war. A little action is sometimes balm for the soul.”
King Zeller chuckled quietly, the sound scary as fuck, and I was really happy his back was to us so I couldn’t see his expression. “Sin, you’ll want to stick around for a while. It appears you’ll be able to use those skills you’ve been reining in since you arrived here. And maybe I’ll teach you a few techniques of drawing out pain to where it’s damn near a work of art.” He nodded to himself and began walking out the door. “I’ll start working on a lesson plan for him, and possibly Aria if she can handle it.”
I stared after him even when he disappeared out of our room. “Sin…”
Sin cleared his throat and spoke reasonably, “Hey, who am I to turn down the King of the Vampires?”
My eyes closed and I sighed heavily, bringing my Vizoac close against my chest, cuddling her. “This does not give you free reign to revert—”
“I know, Caro,” Sin stopped me, his voice irritated as he pulled my back against his front, keeping my Vizoac away as he rested his hands on my shoulders. “We’ve had this conversation plenty. It doesn’t need to be rehashed.”
Agreed…I guessed.
I opened my eyes to King Collins, feeling the need to emphasize a point I had already made. “I still won’t use my powers.”
He stared at me evenly, then he stated simply, “Then you will die.” He shrugged his shoulders, walking backward toward my door as both Sin and I stiffened, more than a bit stunned at his words. “Just because it might not be a war — and it still could possibly be — you were gifted a Vizoac for a reason. For a time of unrest. A violent time.” Hand on my doorhandle, his blue eyebrows rose. “I don’t know your fear for not wanting to use what is yours, but,” another shrug of his shoulders, “I suggest you get over it before you get yourself, and the other Prodigies, killed.” He stared pointedly at me for a moment before his cell phone rang and he walked out, shutting the door swiftly behind him as he answered it.
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