My left arm jerked back abruptly, my key fisted in that hand.
I grunted quietly. That hadn’t been subtle. It had hurt a wee bit too, my shoulder muscles stretching awkwardly. I glared at the key in my hand as I rubbed my aching limb.
Ezra’s arched, black eyebrow rose. “Guess Elder Farrar didn’t tell you everything.”
“Huh?” I gave in to my key’s direction, strolling to stand next to them again.
Ezra tilted his head to the sweeping entrance. “Royalty have different living quarters to the general populace.”
My lips pinched. Yeah, Antonio had never mentioned that.
Ezra’s lips curved arrogantly, and he took my free hand, pulling me forward. “No worries, sweetheart. You kicked ass today, so there’s nothing too bad about being wrong on one issue.”
I snorted. “Shut it.” He was enjoying this.
He simply continued to smirk, which appeared half forced and half genuine.
Jack and Pearl chuckled quietly, unaware, following us.
We turned a corner down the wide black hallway set alight with golden sparks. Two more twisting corners later, bypassing four other immense openings and six golden doors, we came to four different golden doors. They were positioned on the right side of the wall and directly before a dead end. A single golden spark illuminated the area softly.
Jack stopped at the first door.
Pearl the second.
I halted at the third.
Ezra the last.
Glancing at one another, we each slid our skeleton keys into the locks carefully.
Our doors swung open. Each of us stared inside our own rooms.
Mine was exactly like my room at King Kincaid’s mansion. Including the windows.
“Huh,” I murmured. “It’s just like home.”
Ezra and Pearl nodded and leaned forward for a better examination of theirs.
Jack snorted quietly. “Elder Farrar even got my pile of laundry right.”
Ezra’s eyebrows came together. “What does the ‘the first step’s a doozy’ mean?”
None of us knew the answer, shaking our heads and shrugging.
Honestly, the flooring inside my room appeared normal.
Pearl grinned. “Guess there’s only one way to find out. Shall we do it together?”
“Why not?” Jack murmured absently, still eyeing his floor. “On the count of three.” He ticked the numbers with flicking fingers. “One. Two.” All four of us raised a foot. “Three.”
We stepped forward into our own rooms.
I squeaked as my bare foot passed the entrance and a whirlwind of energy seized my entire body, sucking me inside. My arms windmilled as they tried to stop my forward motion. Instead of free air, I smacked two warm bodies straight against their backs.
A feminine and masculine grunt accompanied the hit.
Startled, I screamed, leaping straight into the air.
No one had been inside my room.
Solid, warm arms caught me as I fell; apparently I had used a bit of my Shifter strength in the jump. Enveloped in a familiar scent, I blinked up into amused green eyes.
Ezra’s red lips quirked, and he drawled, “See a mouse?”
Panting, I ignored his ribbing. “How…” I saw we weren’t in my room at all, where I had most definitely stepped into. “What in the world?”
“Look,” Pearl pointed while rubbing her back with her other hand where I had smacked her, “there’s only one door.” She reached and pulled a key from the lone door where four golden doors should have been. Another key appeared in its place. Pearl repeated this three more times, and held all four of our keys before she shut and locked the door.
Still clinging to Ezra as my heartbeat gradually slowed, I surveyed our surroundings, trying to understand. There was only one door, but all four of us were in the same room. One room. Tilting my head, I rested it against Ezra’s hard chest as my eyes darted. Realization gradually dawning, I murmured, “Antonio gave us one room. For all of us. Spelled on the outside to appear like four separate rooms.”
Jack rubbed his chin. “And one bed.”
Ezra’s body began vibrating against mine as he chuckled softly. “A fucking giant bed.” His laughter deepened. “Unbelievable.”
“Huh,” I mumbled. That was pretty much all I could manage.
The living quarter was extensive; it was a suite more than a bedroom.
We currently stood in a living room of sorts, which included a smorgasbord of furniture from our different factions. A black leather couch, a golden imperial chair, a brown leather love seat, an enormous blue beanbag, and a glass coffee table in the center. Under that furniture was a black, red and black, blue, and gold long-haired rug so the cave’s black floor wouldn’t be harshly cold. Along the left side of the wall were a variety of books aligned on the rows of black wooden bookshelves, and golden sparks were on the wall to the right for lighting.
The room was structurally shaped like an upside down ‘L’, and the sleeping area was at the far end. A bed that was at least the size of two king-size beds was located there, its huge black wooden headboard rising halfway to the tall ceiling. Impressively, said ceiling was spelled identically to the main ceiling of King Cave to reflect the sky outside, the shimmering stars and moon shining down on us.
“I can’t believe he did this,” Pearl whispered, her golden eyes roaming.
“Me either,” I murmured, extracting myself from Ezra. I crept deeper into the room, wanting to see what was behind the wall. Peeking to the right, I cocked my head, seeing four dressers placed against the wall opposite the mammoth bed and next to four gold doors. There was also a full-length mirror with an elaborate trim of gold, and two other gold doors on the far wall; I could see from here one led to a bathroom, so the other probably led to a linen closet.
The four of us stared at the four gold doors. Our names were written above them.
“Closets.” Pearl nodded. “I bet that’s it.”
Stepping forward, I yanked ‘my’ door open. Blinked. Stared at the clothes inside the walk-in closet, a thin golden spell bathing its walls. “You’re right, but it’s all the clothes I had at home.” With a cautious stride past the golden doorframe, though the spell was not malicious, I yanked a t-shirt off its hanger and waggled it outside the doorway. “I just washed this and hung it up last night.” Swiftly glancing at each item, deciding all of my keepsakes and necessities were here, I tossed my shirt aside and strolled out, naturally kicking my door shut.
Jack threw open his door. “Damn.” He sighed heavily, waving an agitated arm inside his closet. “I only have half a wardrobe. I hadn’t done my laundry yet.”
Pearl snickered, but she pointed to the mirror. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
Ezra exited his closet, appearing pleased with its contents. “What is it?”
I blinked. “A mirror.”
Pearl laughed hard, shaking her head. “No. It’s an enchanted mirror to supply whatever clothing we can imagine. They’re expensive and rare; only a few top Mages are able to perform the spell.” She walked in front of it, staring at her reflection. “I’m tired, so I’ll pick something for bed.” Her gaze roamed over her reflection while she wore a thoughtful expression.
Nothing happened. “Maybe it’s broken.”
She shook her head. “I’m just deciding on a color.”
Ezra grunted, his voice dry. “Gold?”
Her sigh was heavy. “Fine.”
Standing next to our ginormous bed, I stared in astonishment as a golden nightgown, ankle-length with slits in the legs and spaghetti straps, shimmered to life over her reflection. The clothes Pearl was currently wearing ruined the effect, since you could see her t-shirt under the gown, but it was beautiful nonetheless. After tilting her head to the side, evaluating it, she nodded and the gown materialized to reality against the front of the mirror and hung there.
Pearl lifted it away and tossed it to me, probably since I seemed the most
impressed by the magical mirror. My jaw was hanging, I knew, but it was marvellous. It was any woman’s dream mirror, that was for damn sure. The material was soft, satin against my fingertips, and it felt like water as I let it slip through them to the black fur bedding when reality intruded with a glance from Ezra.
He cleared his throat, and then motioned toward the bed. “Jack, Pearl…Lily and I have something to tell you both. You’ll want to sit for this.”
I moved to stand next to Ezra, rubbing against his side in silent comfort.
Jack and Pearl instantly quieted, their expressions turning wary as they scanned our faces, and slowly took seats on the edge of the bed. Pearl lifted the nightgown next to her and started fiddling with it, twisting it around her hands, while Jack leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees and staring at us avidly.
Jack murmured quietly, “What is it?”
“They look like death,” Pearl mumbled, her golden brows furrowing.
Guess we weren’t hiding it so well. Clearing my throat, I stuck my hand in my pocket and pulled the lipstick out, nervously twirling it through my fingers. I stuttered at first, but managed to state, “We thought it best to do this to save both of you today, and others.” I glanced at Ezra, who nodded. “Antonio put you both under a spell. One that’s still active.”
Jack cocked his head, stating calmly, “I can’t feel one.” He had complete trust in Ezra and me. His faith only made me feel worse.
“You wouldn’t.” Ezra pointed at Jack’s forehead. “You also can’t see the evidence of the spell. You both have a slash of pink lipstick on your forehead.”
Both tilted, glancing in the mirror, their brows puckering in confusion.
Pearl turned her attention back to us, asking slowly, “What kind of spell is it? Why was it needed to save ourselves and others?”
Licking my suddenly dry lips, I whispered, “It made you forget.”
Jack’s entire body stilled. “Forget what?”
Lips thinned, I peered to Ezra for help.
Ezra’s jaw clenched, but his gaze was steady on our best friends. “Your mates died today.”
Both sat motionless. Staring. Obviously searching their memories for the truth of Ezra’s statement, but they wouldn’t find any. The spell had promised that.
“Mates?” Pearl asked softly.
I took a small step forward. “I need to complete the spell, so you’ll remember.”
They flinched and their eyes instantly grew stony.
Shaking my head once, I spoke honestly and gently, “Your time with them, your memories, your experiences — they are not something you want to lose. While the thought of Dominic still tears me apart some days, I wouldn’t want to forget him for anything. Life’s experiences are not to be forgotten. You learn. You grow from them.” My lungs felt like they would seize and my throat was burning, but I held their now hooded gazes. “You need to let me finish the spell.”
In the tense hush, they didn’t respond, only watched. Real panic had entered their eyes.
Ezra stated quietly and steadily, “She’s right. And both of you would be doing a disservice to the two individuals who loved you so much by not remembering them.” He paused as their increasingly frightened gazes met his. “In time, you’ll understand why I’m saying this. Not at first. At first you may hate us for telling you to remember, but eventually you’ll understand.”
Pearl’s chin began quivering, but she straightened her spine. “I won’t hate you. And I understand why you allowed it. If I lost my mate today, I wouldn’t have been able to save lives. I probably would have gotten myself killed.” She nodded stoically, her jaw firming even though her chin still trembled. “Finish the spell.”
Not giving her a chance to back out, I uncorked the lipstick, my hands shaking with the motion as I twisted it, and quickly finished the last slash, completing an ‘X’ on her forehead.
Suddenly, she jolted, sucking in a harsh breath, her golden eyes flying wide…and she screamed, clutching her chest where her mate had once lived inside her Core. “Gideon!” Her head shook rapidly, her golden hair tumbling over her shoulders. “God, no! Gideon!”
Swiftly handing the lipstick to Ezra, I sat on the bed and caught her as she crumpled in racking sobs, her agony ear-piercing, shouting her mate’s name repeatedly. I clutched her close to my chest and held her face to my neck, feeling her heated tears wetting my flesh, and started rocking her as I had done when I had first learned Gideon was dead. Keeping my own tears at bay this time, pushing away my own anguish for her hurt, I became the pillar of a best friend she needed right now. As she beat on my shoulders with flying fists of rage, I let her, holding her only tighter and lending her my strength.
Jack’s face was now buried in his hands, his elbows still on his knees, and he hunched as he fisted his hair. “Ezra?” Evidence of his anguish to come was unmistakable in the catch of his voice.
Ezra’s was solid. “Yes?”
“Don’t let me kill myself.” He was serious.
The same truth quietly stated. “I won’t.”
Jack paused between Pearl’s cries. “I’ll want many drinks once I crawl out of bed.”
“We can do that.”
Rocking Pearl, who had stopped pounding me, I hummed softly against her damp temple as she wept, her whole frame shaking while I desolately watched my other best friend’s life change forever.
Jack lifted his head, his features carefully blank. He nodded.
Ezra blurred in a step forward and finished the spell in a distraught blink.
Jack reacted, jerking with a deep inhale before hurdling from the bed. He bellowed in ferocity as he stalked to the living room area grasping at his chest. He lifted the coffee table and pitched it against the wall; the glass shattered as he bent at the waist, yelling, “Nikki!” Another furious shout and he roughly seized the golden chair and propelled it into the bookshelf, half the books tumbling to the ground. His chest heaved, and he stared at his now plain palm, his mate mark gone, and roared, using that same hand to shove a different row of books off. Then another row. And another.
With his hands gripping the empty shelves, he kept his back to us as his body sagged and his shoulders started quaking. Crying silently. His massive frame drooped against one of the bookshelves, his forehead resting against the wood, as his pain began unleashing in a torrid of soundless sobs, overtaking his fury.
Ezra briskly wiped a hand over his face, and appeared to fortify himself with a gradual, deep breath. Cracking his neck once, he tossed the lipstick aside and moved behind Jack. Ever so gently, he rested one of his hands on Jack’s shoulder.
As I rocked Pearl, only my soft humming was heard on this forsaken day.
Abruptly, Jack turned to Ezra, wrapping his arms around him, and wept — still soundlessly — against his best friend’s shoulder, no words said.
Ezra held him, much like I was holding Pearl, and soothingly rubbed his back.
I doubted Jack felt it. Just as I was betting Pearl couldn’t discern my touch. Their own loss pulling them into a dark abyss I had hoped they would never find.
Ezra and I were still there for them. We always would be.
Though this night was not one I would ever wish to remember.
Dragging minutes passed. Another round of fury unleashed from both of them. This time Pearl also unleashed her anger by blowing up the couches, as Jack froze the bookshelves to crack them with his iced fists. Their tears were ever-flowing.
When they both crashed, falling to the floor, Ezra and I picked them up, lay them in the center of the bed, and crawled in around them, holding them as they wept themselves into a fitful sleep of mental exhaustion.
Ezra eventually left the bed to flip the switch, turning off the glittering golden lights, and only the stars and moon of the spelled ceiling lit his way back through the debris.
My eyes met his troubled gaze as he crawled back in beside Jack.
Without a sound he lifted one of his hands and r
ested it on Pearl’s side, his fingertips grazing mine in a comforting gesture, before he intertwined our fingers. Our eyes held the truth now. We had both been drawn back into our own haunted memories of when we had lost our mates; the actions of tonight had brought them to the fore. But together, in due course, we fell asleep alongside our heartsick besties.
English accented cursing woke me.
Rolling away from Jack and blinking, I opened sleep-blurry eyes to see Pearl glowing golden in the living room area, one of the couches she had demolished last evening wavering and materializing back into shape…except it didn’t look quite right. It was too long and the color was navy. I watched as she jerked an agitated hand — she was still in her clothes from the previous evening, her golden hair askew around her face — and the couch darkened to black. It was still too long.
She cursed again.
Gently leaving the bed, being careful not to wake Jack or Ezra, I padded toward her on silent feet, but gave her plenty of space, since she wore the furious expression of the tormented. “Pearl,” I whispered, the sun beginning to rise above us and giving enough light from the yellow, orange, and blue ceiling for her to see me clearly, “May I help you?”
Her jaw clenched, and she flicked her hand. The couch turned purple. “I’m trying to clean up the mess.” Another twitch of her hand, and the couch went black and only three cushions long, appearing as it did normally. She nodded once, crossing her arms.
“I can see that,” I murmured softly, prudently, because she was still glowing. “Is there anything I may do to help?”
Perhaps make sure you don’t harm yourself from Mage energy? I wasn’t sure that was possible, but right now her expression didn’t bode well. She appeared a bit crazed.
Her lips pursed and her gold eyes darted, never staying too long on one area of the hazard zone that had become our living room. “You could dust.” Her words held finality. She raised her hands and a bottle of Windex and a washcloth appeared in her grip. She held them out. “Take the couch first while I continue with the other furniture.”
Who the hell cleans leather with Windex? Not to mention, it wasn’t dirty. But…yeah. I would clean alongside her and watch to make sure she didn’t take one of the shards of glass from the shattered coffee table and do something unforgivable.
King Cave Page 6