King Cave

by Scarlett Dawn

  Ezra and I both grinned.

  Pearl snorted. “It’s kind of disgusting, really. If any couple in this room gets the sugary sweet award, it’s definitely you two.”

  Ezra’s lips twitched — same as mine — as we watched Jack become still, before his head swung to her.

  His eyes danced all over her face, asking, “You want to be a couple-couple?”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip, her English accent becoming heavy as she stuttered, “Well…maybe…if you…you know…would like to?” And damn, if her eyes weren’t earnest.

  Jack’s lips didn’t slowly lift. He damn near blinded us all as he flashed his teeth, grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, I’d like that very much.” And I blinked when he decided to attack her mouth with his and play tonsil hockey with her right in front of us.

  Ezra’s chest was shaking as he rested an elbow against the arm of the love seat, covering his mouth when Jack started maneuvering her down on the couch…which Pearl didn’t seem opposed to as she gripped his shirt, yanking him closer, not at all shy with what she physically wanted. I, on the other hand, really didn’t want a repeat performance, live and in person, of the freaky shit, so when Pearl started glowing a little, and I could have sworn I heard the sound of waves, I clapped my hands loudly while Ezra dropped his forehead on his hand, barely keeping his laugh silent.

  “Hey!” I clapped again when they didn’t break it up. “If you guys start…hovering…again I’m going to shift and bite your asses.” Ezra lost it, his laughter booming throughout the room. I glared at him, pointing across from us where they were still going at it. “I’m glad you think this shit is funny, but I’m,” I rubbed at my ear, “starting to hear shit.” My head cocked. “It sounds like waves, but as if they’re rolling faster and faster.” I blinked. “I think I’m traumatized by what I saw earlier.”

  Ezra doubled over, slapping my leg, apparently finding what I said hilarious.

  I scowled and let a little of my power ripple out, kind of like a gentle shove in their direction to remind them we were here. I screamed as a blast of Mage and Elemental magic flew back at me so hard it tipped the love seat Ezra and I were on backward, both of us toppling with it because of the mini-explosion. Ezra stared down at me wide-eyed, having landed on me, and he whispered studiously, “Sweetheart, I’m thinking they didn’t appreciate the interruption.” He lowered his face, snickering at my ear. “And now that I’ve seen it begin, I’m pretty sure the wave sounds are a reflection of how turned on Jack’s becoming, same with how Pearl’s glowing.”

  I blinked, staring at my feet, which were straight up in the air behind Ezra’s head, against the cushion. “Oh.” I blinked again, my eyes widening. “Oh, now I get the water and the sparkles.”

  Jack opened his door to our bedroom forty minutes later, peeking his head out to where Ezra and I were sitting outside in the hallway. Empty dessert dishes surrounded us, which we had consumed after deciding to take them out with us while we waited, because Jack and Pearl sure as hell hadn’t broken apart even after we had righted the love seat. His smile was lazy and sated as he jerked his head, stating, “It’s safe to come in.”

  “Wonderful,” I grumbled as Ezra helped me to my feet, grabbing off the ground the few empty plates Ezra hadn’t. “Maybe we can talk now before we pass out from a sugar overdose.”

  Ezra groaned, rubbing his flat belly. “We probably shouldn’t have eaten that second piece of pumpkin pie.” A pause. “Or was that the third?”

  “Fourth,” I muttered, burping quietly. “There were only two apple pies and three blackberry cobblers, but there were definitely four pieces of pumpkin pie.”

  We both stared at the empty plates in our hands.

  “Maybe we should have stopped with the apple pies,” Ezra murmured absently before moving into our room.

  I licked my lips, following him. “Or maybe just had one of each.”

  Ezra hummed. “We’ll try that next time. Show some restraint.”

  I thought about how good all the desserts had been going down. “We could try.”

  We set our plates down on the coffee table, and sat on the love seat with Jack and Pearl on the couch again, and this time, Ezra didn’t waste a second and plowed into our news, stating bluntly, “Tomorrow morning, Lily and I are leaving King Cave and going into hiding.” When Jack’s and Pearl’s jaws dropped, he held up a hand to stop anything they would have said. “Antonio had a vision. A future he said he can’t stop because he’s not powerful enough. The damn man was crying because he was so upset about…,” Ezra glanced at me, “what did he say exactly?”

  Since Pearl and Jack were starting to appear freaked out, I stated it factually, “He said he was so sorry for the agony you two will endure, referring to Ezra and me.”

  Ezra nodded, his eyes back to them. “So we’re leaving. Neither one of us wants the other harmed,” he shuddered, “like what happened today, so we’re getting the hell out, and we’ll try to make it on our own in hiding.”

  Pearl’s jaw slowly shut, her lips pinching. “If Elder Farrar saw it,” she shook her head, her expression one of worry, “I don’t know if hiding will help.”

  Jack lifted his head from where it had fallen in his hands, saying quietly, “But they have to try.”

  I pointed at him. “That’s right. We do.” I stood, jumping a little on my feet, anxiety beginning to creep in further. “So we’re leaving before the sun comes up, and tonight, I’d like for all of us to watch a movie together. Do something mundane before we run.”

  Pearl instantly stood and embraced me. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I know,” I whispered, hugging her tight. “I know.” Tears slipped down my cheeks at knowing this was probably the last night we had together. “But I want us to all relax before we leave. Enjoy our evening together.”

  She nodded quickly, squeezing me, her own tears falling on my head. “Then let’s do it.”

  And so we did, after the hugs and tears were through, lying down next to each other in bed and finding a good old-fashioned comedy to watch before we all passed out.

  Chapter Thirty

  Waking in the dead of night, I instantly knew something was wrong. Immediately, I calmed my heart rate but still took in the scents. I smelled Ezra, his spicy scent strong, just like his arms around me in our spooning position. I also smelled Pearl and Jack, Pearl’s scent the strongest, since she lay on the other side of me. But…I scented something off…something that made my wolf want to growl and that tried to make my body tremble. I had been in this exact situation before, but what I was scenting didn’t bode well. Because it was strong as hell, which meant…many bodies behind a Mage spell.

  Eyes still closed, I slipped my hand further under my pillow and grabbed my gun, glad I had been paranoid enough to sleep with it under my pillow instead of under the bed like normal. I swallowed and then pressed down on Ezra’s leg under the covers hard enough to wake him. He grunted quietly and re-positioned his leg…and I almost sighed in frustration before I heard him inhale sharply and feel his hand tighten on me. This time, I was truly happy for his damn Vampire nose, he having smelled my panic, his heart rate fluctuating a moment, then evening out to normal, more than likely just as mine had done.

  I coughed loudly as I thumbed the safety off my gun, Ezra’s grip on me tightening. His thumb tapped once on my stomach. Bumped twice. And right when he thumped it a third time, we leapt out of bed. Jack and Pearl both started awake, the blanket flying off them as Ezra and I both growled, our predators taking voice, our eyes glowing fiercely. Keeping the gun behind my back, Ezra at my side, we crept toward where my nose led me even though there appeared to be nothing under the moonlight of the spelled ceiling. Jack and Pearl were instantly behind us with their own eyes glowing, not asking questions, but still with us. I stopped, everyone halting with me. I glanced at Ezra, and we split apart, both of us going wide at the living room, Pearl and Jack staying stationary. And I growled low, “Show yourse
lves.”

  In a whoosh, there was a flare of golden light taking up the entirety of our living room, its boundary an inch from my nose, and then it disappeared.

  I was left staring at approximately forty individuals, dressed from head to toe in black and appearing like shadows under the moonlight, only the fact that their eyes glowed at us in blues, greens, browns, and golds proving they were real and not ghouls, even though they might as well have been. My heart stuttered, then pounded furiously as the four of us took a few steps backward, putting more room between us and them. Fear rode me hard at knowing the odds weren’t good, while self-anger hit me for not making Ezra and myself leave this place sooner, but hope entered when I saw Antonio, Cahal, Elder Merrick, and Elder Jacobs rush into the room through gaps in the ghouls’ ranks, all four of them in their pajamas and looking frazzled as they stepped through our broken-in door, the spell taking all but Antonio for a ride.

  “What’s going on here?” Cahal demanded, his voice shaking in anger, eyes assessing.

  Elder Harcourt suddenly blinked into appearance to the left, in front of the ghouls’ frontline, not dressed in black but in a golden ceremonial robe. He was resting back against the wall, his hands clasped before him and his face solemn, and he ordered, “Someone hit the lights, please.” The golden sparks flared to life. Unfortunately, the added light didn’t make the group in front of us appear any less intimidating, every single one of the individuals built like badasses under their tight-fitting black outfits, most definitely all males. When Cahal growled, since his question hadn’t been answered, Elder Harcourt stated, “Today, a Law passed concerning two Mysticals of different factions having sexual relations.”

  I stilled but tried my hardest to keep my heartbeat normal. No one had seen anything torrid, only the four of us sleeping in bed together. They had no proof if I could keep it together.

  Elder Harcourt’s gaze traveled, meeting not only Ezra’s gaze and mine, but Jack’s and Pearl’s as well. “Once someone brings a charge to me, the senior Elder, I am spellbound to uphold the Law if those charged are found guilty.”

  Cahal’s Vampire sounded low and furious. “Exactly who has been charged and what are the specific charges?”

  Elder Harcourt nodded. “King Zeller and Queen Ruckler are charged with possible sexual relations, and King Collins and Queen Cooper are also charged with possible sexual relations. The individual who came to me tonight stated he suspected after seeing multiple odd behaviors on all of their parts, including overhearing certain conversations between all parties on different occasions and even seeing all four of them nude together, doing…acts…in a hot tub,” he waved a hand, “such as two of them disappearing under the water for lengthy amounts of time.” He waved a hand again. “After the Law passed, he believed it to be in all of our best interests to inform me of this possible unLawful behavior.” He shrugged. “I must conduct a trial.”

  I was ready to faint dead away, no longer able to keep it together, my gaze flying to Antonio through the mass of enforcers, which I was sure as hell that was what they were, sent to invade and capture the four current Rulers, knowing they would have a battle on their hands if we were found guilty. Antonio’s eyes met mine, and I almost dropped. His gaze said it all. This was exactly what he had seen, and he already knew the outcome. Trembling where I stood, I asked Elder Harcourt without taking my eyes off Antonio, “What is the penalty if found guilty?” They could have altered it since the last time we heard about it.

  “Under the circumstances of a possible war, or actual war, I have the option to modify the ruling for Elders, Kings, and Queens.”

  My breathing hitched, praying…

  “If any of you are found guilty, seeing as you are the current Kings and Queens, I have the power to alleviate the normal jail sentence of five years, which I would do, so that the ruling would stand as a spelled memory wipe, and then a spelled separation.”

  My vision swam, and I teetered to the side and stumbled a few steps, seeing Antonio’s reaction to the sentencing. His gaze had lowered, but I had still seen his chin tremble. I shook my head as a flood of tears flew down my cheeks, absolute despair reaching into my soul.

  I was going to lose my husband.

  Breath catching, I turned my attention to Ezra.

  His jaw was clenched, unable to keep his pain hidden as he glared at Elder Harcourt, and he shouted, “Who the fuck brought these charges?”

  Elder Harcourt actually smiled. “I thought you would never ask, King Zeller.” He waved his hand toward the back of the room, stating, “The charged seeks the accuser. Please step forward and identify yourself.”

  There was a movement on the right, the side closest to me, as one of the men in black began moving forward. I wiped the tears off my face, but more tears came to take their place as I watched a man step out of the mass. His hands raised, and he took his mask off, his eyes intent on me as he stated bitterly, “My Queen should not be fucking the King Vampire.”

  A jolt of Mage magic hit my body from the inside, and my gun suddenly pointed. I was unable to stop it, my Vampire speed showing for all to see as I put a bullet through his brain, the sound explosive in the small area.

  Everyone froze, their eyes wide on me.

  I physically jerked as my right arm, which was still aimed at the falling dead man, burned as a golden ring at my wrist first appeared then sizzled against my flesh. A soft shriek past my pinched lips as it lifted completely from my skin and grew to a large circle around my, now, normal wrist before disappearing.

  Clarice’s first ultimatum complete.

  Elder Talus was now dead, her dear friend’s murder vindicated.

  To everyone else, I had just committed murder against one of my own, an Elder Shifter.

  My gaze met Ezra’s, silently telling him I loved him, right before I was slammed in the middle by a pack of Shifters — they had to be, by their strength — and we went down hard even as I heard Ezra’s Vampire roar, shaking the very air around us. I fought, using every ounce of strength I had and every damn skill I had acquired, even using my tiny amount of Vampire speed…but these were enforcers, their skill set greater than mine, not to mention it was ten to one. Eventually, I took a blow to my chest and felt multiple ribs crack, and another to my left arm, feeling the bone break, and the last to my left thigh, the bone splintering completely through my flesh.

  I was down.

  It took them all of a minute to subdue me.

  I screamed as I was yanked by my arms to my feet, all the while hearing Ezra’s Vampire roar in my ears, the sound just as earth-shattering as it had been the first time I had heard it. Shaking my head past the pain, I was dragged when someone kicked my one good leg and broke my ankle. My body shook in agony but not quite to the point of passing out, which would have been preferable when someone grabbed a handful of my hair, jerking my head up and placing my own gun to my temple.

  My chest stinging with every breath I took, pretty sure one of my broken ribs had punctured a lung, I spit out a mouthful of blood, my blurry gaze quickly darting to my friends and husband. Jack and Pearl and Ezra were trapped inside three separate golden spheres of Mage magic, suspended in the air. There were four enforcers directly under Pearl, holding the spell together as she blasted her jailing sphere repeatedly. The same amount of enforcers had their hands pressed to Jack’s and Ezra’s trapping spheres, their power shoving into the hovering golden spheres as Jack and Ezra pressed their own powered palms against their spelled cages, fighting to get free. My gaze met Ezra’s glowing green eyes, and he growled, shaking his head furiously as he pounded on the sphere.

  The man held my hair tighter and shouted to be heard over Ezra, “I have another char—”

  Elder Harcourt stopped him by lifting a quick hand, eyes glowing. “Silence.” Suddenly, there was absolute quiet, even though I could still see Ezra’s mouth opening and closing in fury. Elder Harcourt flicked his hand. “Still.” Everyone froze in the room. As in, everyone literally f
roze in whatever action they had been doing. Including myself. The only movement my body allowed me was to breathe and blink.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Elder Harcourt push off the wall and walk toward me. I tried to breathe shallowly, but it still hurt like hell in the dead silence, Elder Harcourt’s shuffling the only noise in the room. He stopped in front of me, bending so that his wrinkled face was directly in front of mine, stating, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted that bastard dead. He has committed so many heinous deeds it would overwhelm anyone here, but no one could ever catch him in the act. Now, thanks to your deal with Clarice, he’s no longer a blight on our society.”

  He lifted and turned to walk toward Ezra. Stared up at him, his head cocked. “So this is the Vampire.” He rubbed his chin, talking to himself. “Impressive. Utterly ferocious. I don’t believe it would be in my best interest to release him.” He nodded and then moved so Ezra could see him in his frozen state. “I’m not going to free you from the sphere, but I’m going to move you so you can give Queen Ruckler peace while I heal her. If you try any funny business, I’ll make her pain one hundred times worse, so don’t test me.” He lifted a finger. “And please, stop the roaring, it was killing my ears.” Elder Harcourt flicked a hand.

  Ezra was suddenly free to move and speak, blurring to his knees and staring down at Elder Harcourt with narrowed glowing eyes. His face was again harsher than normal, more deadly and beautiful at the same time, as he bared his fangs at the Elder, and a growl that gave me chills, frightening in its softness, echoed throughout the room from Ezra’s chest.

  “Yes, I know you would love to kill me,” Elder Harcourt waved his hand again, Ezra’s sphere lifting higher into the air directly above the Elder, “and that is precisely why I’m not letting you out.” He began shuffling back to me through the frozen chaos, Ezra’s sphere moving with him. “But do try to behave so I can heal Queen Ruckler. She deserves a medal for killing that sadistic son of a bitch, not all of the broken bones she currently has.”