King Cave

by Scarlett Dawn

  Ezra had planned to steal a car, since he didn’t have one of his own to use. The downside of that was I had no clue what the car looked like.

  “Chinese?” Antonio pointed.

  I shook my head. “No.” That didn’t sound right.

  His finger flicked the other way. “Pizza?”

  “Doesn’t sound good.” Nor particularly correct.

  “Oh,” Antonio sat forward, waving his finger, “there’s a Mexican place.”

  I sat straighter, glancing where he was aiming his finger. Now that sounded about right amongst all the normal fast-food joints. The first time we had taken a private stand against the Coms and Kings had been at a Mexican restaurant. I felt my lips curl. “Yeah. Good pick.”

  Antonio smiled smugly, rubbing his flat belly. “I haven’t had good Mexican food in a while.”

  Turning into the parking lot, my lips twitched. Hopefully, he didn’t get indigestion after he figured out what we had planned. Oh, well. He should know better by now than to not expect Ezra and me to ignore the rules.

  The place was small and intimately lit, so when we entered I had to pause to let my eyes adjust to the darker lighting. The hostess, a Com woman who appeared beaten from the lunch rush, still managed to smile brightly at Antonio as she grabbed menus, asking, “Just the two of you?”

  Furtively, I squinted through the lighting, focusing to make sure my eyes didn’t start glowing. There were only a few people sitting at the maroon booths, but I instantly glanced into the back corners. Bit my lip when I didn’t see anyone. This had to be the place.

  “Just two,” Antonio told her, his eyes also dancing around the interior. “And we’d like to sit at one of those tables,” he tilted his head, “in the corner.” Safety first.

  When we were seated in a round booth, the Com done trying to flirt with a non-receptive Antonio, I pretended to look at the menu while Antonio really did, asking me, “What are you going to get?”

  I sucked in a large breath, staring at the door. “Ezra.”

  Antonio paused, and then chuckled quietly. “I don’t believe he’s on the menu, kiddo.”

  I squirmed on the seat, trying to keep from jumping out of it. No, Ezra wasn’t on the menu, but he was now standing inside the door of the restaurant with Cahal. I watched as he scanned the area, and saw his teeth flash when he noticed us…and when Cahal smacked him upside his head when he saw us, too. The hostess handed them menus, then waved them on back when Ezra pointed to us as he rubbed his head, still grinning. Turning my attention to Antonio, I said quietly, “You love me, right?”

  He blinked, his golden gaze meeting mine over his menu. “Yes.” That was a wary affirmative.

  “Trust me?”

  A pause. “With my life? Yes. With your own life? No.”

  “Thank you, I think…and don’t be mad at me.” My smile was hopeful. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “That, I’m definitely not agreeing with,” he stated, lowering his menu. “What’s going on?”

  I bit my lip, tilting my head toward Cahal and Ezra, who were almost on us.

  His gaze altered. Widened. “Jesus, Lil.”

  I waved my hands at him. “Don’t get upset.” I scooted closer to Antonio, giving Ezra room to sit next to me. “The spell still works.”

  Ezra practically squashed me, he sat so close, throwing an arm on top of the curved booth behind my head. “Dad said it didn’t work when other Mys were near, but all four of us were able to tell which direction we need to go.”

  Cahal was still standing while Antonio was sitting, but both of them stared with the same expressions. Total and complete exasperation. Cahal shook his head first, finally taking a seat, which was a little snug since we hadn’t asked for the biggest booth, but doable after Antonio adjusted to be closer to me, squashing my other side. As Antonio began rubbing his temples, his elbows on the table, Cahal stated bluntly, “The spell won’t work when you’re closer to the Prodigies. It will give you the general location, but it will falter once you’re close. So again, the spell doesn’t work when another Mystical is close by.”

  Ezra shrugged his massive shoulders. “That works for us. Once we get to that point, we’ll hang back, but still be close enough to help if it’s needed, and let each other go alone. But, up until that point,” another shrug even though his eyes were dead serious, “we’re going together.” And then he smiled. It wasn’t pretty. “If you two have an issue with that, you can go back to the cave. This is how we’re doing it, with or without your consent.”

  I rested my head against Ezra’s chest, enjoying how he instantly rested his chin on top of my head. “And the beauty is that we’re not breaking any Laws because it’s only tradition.” In other words, they couldn’t haul us back with them to King Cave and threaten us to do as they wished.

  There was a beat of silence, and then Cahal glared at Antonio. “Did you know about this?” He waved a hand at us. “They’re skating a fine line between jail and insubordination.”

  Antonio sighed, his shoulders lowering with the action, and dropped his hands from his temples onto the table, turning his own glare on Cahal. “No, I didn’t know they were going to do this.” Truth. “They’re also right, unless you can think of a Law I’ve somehow,” he threw his hands in the air and thumped back on the booth, further smashing me and knocking into Cahal at the same time, “forgotten.” He thrust a thumb in my direction. “She may be God-awful at history, but her memory of the Law is indisputable.”

  Cahal stared at me, his dark eyes unreadable, for what seemed like forever, and then he muttered, “No, I can’t think of a damn thing we could do to them Lawfully.” He smiled, letting me know he wasn’t opposed to going outside the Law.

  I managed to hold his gaze, gripping Ezra’s thigh tight when I felt him start to lean forward. “You’d have to catch us first.” My grin was just as sweet. “I can mask better than anyone you know, and I’m betting Ezra could do it if he tried hard enough.” I shrugged. “Add in everything Antonio’s taught me,” my grin grew, “and you wouldn’t have a chance.”

  Antonio flicked my forehead. “I also taught you not to provoke those stronger than you.”

  I rubbed my forehead, but didn’t look away from Cahal’s unwavering gaze.

  Finally, his dark eyes lifted to where Ezra was still resting his chin on top of my head. “Is she as good as she thinks she is?”

  Instant. “If she wanted to disappear, none of us would be able to find her.”

  Dark eyes landed back on me, then he grunted. “Makes sense for who raised you.”

  I couldn’t really argue that point since it was true.

  “So,” Ezra’s arm lowered from the top of the booth and hooked over my shoulder to intertwine his fingers with mine, “we’re good?”

  Neither answered, but instead picked up their menus and started perusing the choices, which was answer enough. They weren’t leaving, and they weren’t hauling us out of the place.

  Tilting my head to the side, I grinned up at Ezra. “What took you so long?” They had left before us.

  Ezra lifted his own menu, his lips twitching as a waitress arrived. “Just a sec.” The waitress, who also tried to flirt with Antonio, took our orders then sauntered away, her hips sashaying. Snickering quietly at the woman’s antics, I glanced back up at Ezra for his reason. He smirked, damn near pulling me onto his lap as he re-positioned himself. “Dad had issues with me borrowing,” his dad sniffed, “a car…then, after listening to him lecture, when I did finally find one to borrow, he had issues with the vehicle itself.”

  His dad’s nose rose. “He picked a…,” he blinked, “what did you call that atrocity?”

  “A POS.”

  His dad nodded. “Well, he tried to get me to ride in a,” he said it like it was a type, “POS.”

  Antonio snorted, coughing quickly.

  Cahal’s eyebrows slammed together even as Ezra and I kept stoically blank expressions while he glared at Antonio. “What?”<
br />
  Antonio drummed his fingers on the table, drawling, “Do you even know what a POS is?”

  Cahal’s expression didn’t change, but it was like I could see the wheels turning rapidly in his intelligent mind. His gaze narrowed slightly. A few beats later, he stated, “A piece of shit.”

  “Good guess,” Antonio muttered, and then took his drink, which the waitress held out. Only his drink, and no one else’s, just so she could sashay those hips again as she left. Casually, Antonio asked, “So…what did you end up with?”

  Cahal sniffed. “A Jaguar.”

  This time, I chuckled and couldn’t stop it. “You guys are riding with us.”

  “Why?” Cahal asked. “You have a utility vehicle.” It wasn’t a compliment.

  Ezra sighed. “Dad, there’s a reason why I dropped the car off blocks away and made us walk here.” His thumb lazily brushed back and forth over mine where we were holding hands. “New and expensive cars normally have GPS systems to track them if they’re stolen.”

  Cahal stared. “How is it that you know which car is best to steal? Or even how to steal one in the first place?”

  Ezra’s lips twitched. “I learned a few things when I left California.”

  “When you went on your unscheduled tour of the world?” Cahal’s jaw was clenched.

  “Yes,” Ezra cleared his throat, pointing vaguely, “You’d better contact Mom now.”

  Cahal’s expression instantly changed to caution.

  I blinked, understanding the genius of Ezra’s evasive tactic.

  Antonio laughed outright. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Cahal mumbled, “You haven’t got a damn clue,” he rubbed his forehead, “The woman has a pair of lungs on her I normally enjoy…unless she’s upset.” Then his eyes went distant, and I realized he and Vivian had telepathy as their mate gift. The rest of our drinks arrived while he was communicating with her, but the waitress didn’t seem to notice his pained expression, staring at Antonio as she was. A minute later, he blinked, then nodded to Ezra. “She’s going to be,” Ezra’s cell rang in his pocket, “calling you.”

  Ezra sighed and had to stand to get his cell, we were so crammed. “Yes, Mom?” He sat back down. And I literally pulled my head away from him when I heard the screeching over the line made by one Vivian Zeller. Antonio even rubbed at his ear as Ezra murmured, “Mom…I’m fine…Mom…I…no, of course not…wait…uh…yes, I will…it’s not…that…,” he sighed heavily, “I will. I love you, too.”

  My chin was trembling in an effort not to laugh at them. Both Ezra and Cahal had the same pained expressions on their faces now. It didn’t help when Antonio pointed his beer at Cahal, stating, “I almost feel sorry for you.” He chuckled, the sound evil. “Almost.”

  Cahal rubbed at his temple. “Fuck off.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  An hour and fifteen minutes later, all our bellies were full on a meal, free courtesy of Ezra’s power, and we were back on the road. Clyde had been in Ezra’s duffle the whole time during the meal, so he was thrilled to be out of its confines, both he and Bonnie lying in the back on all of our duffles. Ezra had growled a little at Antonio and Cahal when they both wanted to ride shotgun, so he was sitting next to me while they sat on the back seat griping about our music choices.

  Ezra leaned over, nibbling at my neck while I drove, murmuring, “Dumping them somewhere is sounding excellent.” His lips lifted against my neck, purring, “Then we could have the whole back seat to ourselves.”

  “Stop it,” I whispered, blushing and pushing at his shoulder, which didn’t help.

  Cahal groaned behind us, and it sounded like he started moving around. “Please tell me this back seat hasn’t been used for that.”

  Ezra’s chuckle rumbled throughout the SUV. “We’ve only been back there once.” His hand started roaming up my thigh, and I quickly swatted at it, my flush flaming high, knowing he was talking about the time he had drunk off me in King Hall’s parking lot. “I wouldn’t mind a longer, and more thorough, session, though.”

  Ezra’s face jerked against my neck when Antonio smacked the back of his head. “Quit groping her in front of me.” He sounded ticked off. “She may be grown, but there are still some things I don’t enjoy seeing happen to my baby girl.”

  I pushed at Ezra’s shoulder again.

  He assented after raking his fangs against my neck once, settling back into his seat and mumbling over his shoulder, “Thanks for letting him hit me, Dad.”

  Cahal grunted. “You deserved it.”

  I squinted. “Oh, my God.” I bit my lip, glancing at Ezra. “Is that who I think it is?”

  Ezra’s mien instantly changed from lazy playboy to alert Vampire, scanning the area. He squinted like I had, then rested an elbow on the console, covering his mouth. “Incredible.”

  “What is it?” Antonio asked instantly, leaning forward. “I can’t see shit back here.”

  Dry words from Cahal. “It’s my mate.”

  “What?” Antonio asked, incredulous.

  I started slowing for the hitchhiker — Vivian — on the side of the road, standing next to a POS car with its hood up. “You told her where we were, Elder Zeller?” I knew Ezra hadn’t since he hadn’t been able to get in an intelligent word.

  “It may have slipped,” he muttered, head in his hands. “I didn’t expect her to do this.”

  Dry words from the son. “It’s Mom. Of course she would do this.”

  Like, risk her damn life to tag along and make sure her son and mate were alright. “Jesus.” Sighing heavily, I muttered in defeat, “You two had better make room back there.” I stopped my Hummer behind the pseudo broken-down car, her expression not one of surprise at seeing us, peering at Ezra. “You’d better behave if you don’t want your mom knowing about us.”

  The back door opened just as Ezra’s face fell into his hand, his mom asking instantly, “Know what about you two?”

  One green eye opened to glare at me between his spread fingers. “Vampire, sweetheart.”

  I bit my lip and turned my attention forward as Vivian threw her bag in the back, Clyde and Bonnie growling, and made herself fit in the back seat with Cahal and Antonio. Hell, no one even asked her what the fuck she was doing here with only a shawl over her head as a disguise, she was that damn scary. She waited until she closed the door to ask again, “Ezra, dear, what don’t you want me to know about you two?”

  My lip was damn near bleeding I was biting it so hard, and I quickly busied myself with getting us back on the road.

  Ezra growled quietly, tugging on one of my pigtails. “Coward.”

  “Yep.” Where his parents were involved in our love affair, that answer was definitely yes.

  A beat, then he sighed, saying, “Stop the car.”

  I exhaled profoundly myself, and then decided that pulling over was probably the best course of action, just in case she tried to attack me once he told her. Again, I stopped on the side of the road, maybe twenty yards ahead of where I had initially pulled over. I parked it, then took my seatbelt off and turned on my seat.

  Ezra stated to Vivian, “This, Mom.” He blurred, leaning over the console, and his lips were suddenly on mine. A tiny squeak was all I was capable of before I sighed, sinking against him when he gently cupped my cheeks, softly caressing my lips with his. As far as kisses went, it was fairly chaste, but it still felt like heaven as our lips molded to each other’s.

  The deep rumble of a throat clearing broke us apart, and then Antonio groused, “If your lips hadn’t been attached to hers, I would have hit you again.” He pointed an aggravated finger at Ezra’s grinning face. “I saw enough in my damn office to blind me.” His finger punctuated each word. “Quit. Groping. Her. In. Front. Of. Me.”

  Ezra’s cocky, self-assured grin — a daring expression — didn’t change as he lightly ran his hand up and down my throat in clear ownership.

  Antonio growled, then glared at Cahal, saying, “Get control of your son before
I hurt him.” And…it didn’t sound like an idle threat, either.

  Before this went any further, I whispered, “Ezra, stop it.” I patted his chest lightly, then pushed more firmly. “Or you’re going to sit in the back.”

  Ezra’s eyes slammed to mine, narrowing. “You can’t be serious.”

  My own gaze narrowed as I placed a hand at his throat, since he hadn’t removed his. “I am if you start a fight in my car.” I felt him swallow slowly against my palm, the action easy since neither of us were squeezing, even as his eyes flared at my simple threat. My eyebrows rose. “Just stop, alright?” This was turning into a battle of alpha wills real quick. I knew how to deal with those easily enough. “If you do, I’ll let you sleep in bed with me tonight.”

  Never ignorant, he stilled, and gently he asked, “Where else would I be sleeping?”

  Easy. “On the couch.”

  His Vampire growled deeply, sounding furious.

  My gaze didn’t waver. “Your choice. This may be a long trip and everyone needs to get along.”

  At least a full minute passed as his Vampire continued to growl, no one in the back seat moving — or breathing from the sound of it — as we stared each other down. My own wolf wanted to growl right back, jumping at the challenge, but I pushed back at her. My words had been my growl, and adding anything else to this would only escalate it. Little by little, Ezra leaned forward, his eyes glowing a bit, and his face hovered right in front of mine before he nipped my lip, hard enough for me to know he wasn’t pleased…then he released my throat without another word and moved back into his own seat, my hand sliding from his own throat.

  My lips lifted a little. “Thank you.” I leaned over when he flicked me a glare, and I kissed his cheek, earning a rumbling huff from his Vampire that was damn adorable, before settling into my seat and back against my door, hand on the door handle. My gaze met Vivian’s mouth — where her fangs would come from. “Any questions?”

  Her head cocked. “No.” A long pause. “Not right now.” One side of her lips lifted into a grin, showing me one of her fangs, which were descended. “But I would love to hear more about you.” Her finger flicked at Antonio. “And not from him this time.”