Still laughing as they screamed in agony, Jack dropped the wall.
We went back into action, which would have been fine for me if they weren’t so close. Again, my weakness was hand-to-hand, which was just pathetic because a Shifter’s gifts in life were their senses and their strength. Senses, I had just fine, but strength only came in handy if you knew how to use it.
I got one shot off before I was rammed in the stomach by a semi, AKA one pissed off Com.
We hit the sand.
I dodged a punch, hearing Coms shriek as the others ended them. I got a decent blow in against the Com’s ribs, feeling the crunch of his bones as they broke. My gaze flared brighter as he lifted a gun, his eyes crazy-wide. Jerking to the left, I shoved his ribs, his injured side, rolling on top of him to grab his arm just as he fired, and the shot went wide. The report didn’t hurt my ears — they were already ringing — but I reacted on instinct, moving the way Ezra had taught me. Using my powered strength, I struck with my elbow to his temple. It worked. With a sickening crunch, my elbow broke his skull and his head snapped back, his neck breaking.
He didn’t scream.
I wasn’t sure if that made it any better as I sat on top of the dead Com with his head half smashed in and his brain coming out of places it most definitely wasn’t supposed to.
“Damn,” Pearl muttered into the now strange quiet. I tore my gaze away from the gore and saw the other three standing a few feet away. Pearl’s nose crinkled. “That’s disgusting.”
Jack grunted, cocking his head, staring at the Com under me. “Yours was worse.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “The fall did that to them, not my elbow.”
Ezra glared. “That was too close. He almost shot you.” Rough cursing. “I’m going to have to work you harder.”
Oh, thank you, master Vampire sensei.
Swallowing hard, I stared at the Com under me. The enemy was dead around us, spread over the sand like beached whales. If they weren’t quite dead yet, they were dying shortly the way their heartbeats were fluttering. I had killed my fair share here, but this was the only one I had done with my bare hands. I scarcely kept from ralphing all over his corpse.
Jack yanked me off the dead body, enfolding me in his warm arms, and rubbed my back as he held me tight, whispering, “Don’t puke. It’ll ruin our cool factor. Laugh a little. It’ll keep the stuff down.” He chuckled at the expression I gave him. “It works for me. Try it.”
I did. Ended up belching.
“Alright, bad idea.”
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” King Nelson shouted in Pearl’s ear.
King Fergus pointed a finger near Jack’s face. “What possessed you to do that?”
“So help me, Ezra!” King Venclaire yelled. “I don’t know what to do with you!”
“YOU. SHOULD. HAVE. RUN!” King Kincaid bellowed directly in my face.
The four of us stood in a straight line in King Nelson’s home for this specific rant.
“Technically, Ezra and I did run,” I muttered.
Ezra grunted next to me.
Jack and Pearl snickered on the other side of him.
Antonio’s lips twitched as he sat on the windowsill.
King Kincaid did not find it as charming. He had been walking away, but pivoted sharply, his wolf growling. Stalking back to me, I felt the pulse of his power unleash as his fury exploded. It rocked everyone in the room until he got control of it, a grunt escaping past my lips as he aimed it directly at me. I couldn’t breathe as he towered over my smaller frame.
He hissed, “I am still your King, young lady.” Another pulse of power, my chest squeezed. “Do not disrespect me!” A harsh, powered push and I physically stumbled while sweat began dripping down my face. “I love you like my own, but don’t you dare,” a wolf’s low growl and a throb of power, my eyes tearing, “disrespect me.” He stared me down, his black eyes glowing, the command blatant in their depths as he really let his power ripple.
A scream fell from my lips as I fought his magical push. My body arched as my mind, and my body, begged me to bow down before him in submission. Still, I battled it with all I had.
“Enough,” Antonio uttered quietly, all previous amusement gone. And when an Elder gives an order, a voice of knowledge and experience, those around listened, even Kings.
The King’s power pulled away, dying a slow and painful death.
I was still dizzy and disoriented, and I staggered, hitting the wall.
King Kincaid spun to face Antonio. “Elder Farrar, she’s going to be Queen. She’s no longer the little child you raised. She is so powerful she doesn’t even know she masks it.” Yes, I did, having finally mastered that goal. “She’s a tremendous asset to not only the Shifters, but to the Mystical community as a whole.” King Kincaid paused, and then really bellowed, “She could have been killed! She’s not ready for combat!”
Gulping much-needed oxygen, I sniffed the air, scenting his aggression, but also his protectiveness. He was freaking, not handling it right. He was scared I was going to end up like Dominic.
Pearl and Ezra each took one of my arms, helping me right myself while all three of my best friends stared at King Kincaid with death’s own glare, but they wouldn’t do anything to interfere between us. The four of us never stepped in when one of the Kings was having a meltdown. We knew their places, and we knew ours. Every Mys faction was diverse in the way they taught and treated their people, because they were different. Although, sometimes it was harder than other times to keep our mouths shut. For the other three, this was one of those times.
“I know her value as a Queen.” Antonio’s voice was soft, and his eyes glowed as he peered off to the side. “However, pushing your will on her is not the answer,” a sharp glance at King Kincaid, his eyes no longer glowing, “and she will always be the child I raised.” He held King Kincaid’s gaze for another beat. “We need to focus on the attack. Talk to Com leaders in the United States. Find out what they know, keep the relations strong.”
Resting against Ezra and Pearl, I watched as all four Kings started shouting again, but this time at one another, and even at Antonio, while I recovered.
We waited for their verdict. We knew we were going to be “grounded” again, since we had been told before — repeatedly — not to fight with Coms. To run until we were stronger. We had directly disobeyed their rule. What we waited to hear was if we would be allowed in the discussion with the United States Com leaders, that now being the subject of their argument.
Eventually, they agreed we would, but disagreed on one subject, which I hadn’t even realized was a subject until it was stated and, seemingly, neither had my friends, because all four of us froze at the comments being voiced.
We had known Antonio was traveling the globe, asking certain high-powered Mysticals to transfer to our school, which they had done. First, there had been Felix. Next, was Aros — wolf Shifter. Then, Alex and Ally — Vampire twins. Later, Ross and Jordan — Mages. Lastly, Chris — earth Elemental — and Eda — air Elemental. What we hadn’t put together was why they had been specifically asked here. Now, we knew.
For us.
Essentially, they were here to be our elite guard, sworn to stay near, and protect us.
I stiffened further as a ghastly thought intruded my mind. As they argued about whether our elite guard should be introduced to the United States politicians, I interrupted loudly, ice in my tone, grabbing their attention. “Do they know what they are?” My friends stayed silent beside me, and I repeated my question, the Kings’ confusion clear. “Do they know what they are? That they’re supposed to be our elite guard? Training for it outside of school, perhaps?”
King Nelson’s golden eyebrows came together. “Of course they do. And yes, they’re training outside of school.”
While attempting to push back my ruthless assumption, I asked slowly, “None of you thought to tell us this?”
King Kincaid took a step forward, obviou
sly deciphering I was upset. “We decided to tell you once they had all arrived, and we were planning to this weekend, since Eda finally made it here.” Dark eyes scanned my face. “Honey, is there something wrong?”
Jack whistled low, figuring out what I had, the errant thought I couldn’t rationalize away.
My eyes met Antonio’s. He was the one who had brought them here. He was the one who might have asked. I felt like an ice sculpture when I questioned, “Did you tell each of them to stick close to us?”
Antonio held my gaze steadily, his words blunt. “If you’re asking if I told Felix to have sex with you to keep you close, no, I did not.” His golden eyes never left mine. “Nonetheless, however he chooses to do his job,” he shrugged, “so be it. Just as long as he does it.”
I sucked in a harsh breath. God, Antonio was so brutally honest. If you wanted sugarcoated words, even if they were hard to say, he wasn’t the one to ask. He just told you how it was when he actually deigned to answer a question asked.
A deafening muteness overtook the room’s occupants.
King Kincaid’s eyes began narrowing furiously.
Antonio held up a stopping hand in the King’s direction and cocked his head, eyes on me. “I didn’t think you two were serious. Was I wrong?”
Ignoring the obvious answer to that and my voice cracking, I stated harshly, “Tell me, Antonio, would you want someone to take you to their bed because it’s their job to do so? And then, to top it off, you have no clue you’re just a job in the first place? Instead, you just think, hey, someone actually thinks I’m nice looking, actually feels something for me sexually, and not because magic made the person feel that way.”
Shaking my head, I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I quickly swatted them away. “I don’t look like any of you! You’re all so damn perfect. And me? Not so much. Do you know how hard that is to be around all the time? To have people only sleep with me because they think it’s a privilege to sleep with their Prodigy?” I snorted and swiped away a few more tears. “And now, I’m just a fucking job. The freak-fucking-Queen lay.” Another shake of my head. “I wonder if he ran to the bathroom every time afterward, so he could throw up.” My stomach churned; I was feeling sick myself.
Silence.
Everyone stared. Like normal. But this time, their jaws were hanging open.
Pearl and Ezra had death grips on my arms, and Jack even had a hand on my shoulder.
Shaking, I tried to calm down, realizing everything I had just spewed.
King Kincaid took a tentative step forward, appearing very much like a man unsettled, not knowing how to deal with an upset woman, like the rest of the Kings appeared. With his palms out wide, he said softly, “Honey, Dominic thought you—”
“Dominic was drunk the first night we had sex,” I cut him off, my anger flaring once more, on a damn roll. After a Mystical’s Awakened, their magic knows. Elementals feel the pull to their intended mate when their magics meet. Mages much the same. Vampires know by the blood. Shifters through intercourse or, more specifically, right at their climax. It had been two weeks before my Shifter Awakening when we’d first had sex, so I hadn’t known then. He had. “How can I not wonder if it was just the magic talking?”
A shake of my head. I had thought about this a lot since he died. “I can’t. And now, not only am I a freak,” my glare turned on Antonio, “I’m also just a damn job. Thank you for that.”
I lurched away from my friends and stormed out of the room, needing to get away before my mouth decided to spout anything else I would rather others not know about me. I, normally, gave off a very confident vibe. And that, in there, hadn’t been. Definitely not the tough side I usually tried showing to cover my insecurities.
King Kincaid’s voice carried down the hall, growling, “I’m going to kill Felix!”
“King Kincaid…” Antonio murmured in reprimand.
I didn’t hear anything else because I picked up my pace, purposely not listening as I rushed out of the house to the backyard. Tears stung my eyes, wetting my cheeks, and my throat felt like it was clogged and burning. Choking on a sob, I ran to the nearest tree I could find. I wasn’t going to really run away because I found out a guy had screwed me to keep an eye on his job, to protect me, but I definitely needed some good self-pity time. Even if Felix had just been a fun time for me, it still hurt my ego, the fragile thing that it was to begin with.
Jumping, I caught a branch, and swung my legs up. I hung upside down for a few moments until I coughed on another sob, and then swung myself up. Climbing from branch to branch, I aimed for the large, thick limb halfway to the top. Once there, sitting on the heavy branch, my cheek resting against the hard bark of the trunk, I let the tears take over.
So long I had wondered about Dominic. We had jumped in so fast. When Felix took what I thought to be an honest interest in me physically, I had believed, maybe, just maybe, Dominic might have actually found me attractive like he had said. Oh, he definitely had once we were mated, but that could have been the magic. Now, all those doubts were back.
If I was honest with myself, my issues weren’t solely focused on my late mate. They were also inner-focused. On me. I hadn’t lied when I had said it was hard being around all these perfect Mysticals. They were all so tall, and curvy, with everything perfectly proportioned. Everything I wasn’t. It was pitifully vain, but it still hurt on a daily basis.
My sobs eventually quieted to a sniffle, or two, when I heard footsteps on the grass below. I tried to scent the air, but my nose was too stuffed up. After a moment, I didn’t need scents to tell me who was coming. Two heads of hair came into view below through the branches. One blue and the other black and red. The men had found me.
They didn’t even look up. They just started climbing.
Wiping my cheeks and rubbing under my nose, I hastily cleared my throat.
Neither glanced in my direction, but both found a branch to sit on near me.
A beat later, Pearl was below, grumbling about breaking a nail, but didn’t hesitate when she started climbing, finding a perch under the three of us. Oddly, she seemed at home in the tree as she lay back on the branch, gazing up to me. My eyes darted away, completely mortified from all I had spewed, and she sighed. There was a flash of gold, and she snapped her fingers, stating, “Truth time.”
Jack and Ezra groaned, but didn’t argue with her using truth magic.
She muttered dryly, “I’ll go first, since no one seems to enjoy the spell.” She lifted a foot, kicking one of my hanging ones, making me look at her. “Lily, if I wasn’t mated, and wasn’t straight, and you were a Mage, and we hadn’t made that pact for friendship’s sake, I would totally screw you. You’re beautiful. And, really, most of the women at school are jealous of you. Not just because of your status as Prodigy, but because of your differences. What you call freak, most Mys women would love to be.”
She shrugged when I stared in shocked wonder. “I wouldn’t mind being a lot shorter. It’s awkward with the majority of Coms being so much smaller than me. It makes me feel like a gorilla.” Her mouth slammed shut. Really, she pinched her lips in an apparent effort not to say anything else. She pointed to Jack, sporting slightly pink cheeks.
He cleared his throat. “If you were an Elemental, and we hadn’t made the pact for friendship’s sake, I’d have sex with you in a heartbeat. Your face and body are just as gorgeous as any other Mys. You aren’t a freak because you’re smaller and you’re a Shifter with red hair. I can’t believe you don’t know you’re beautiful.” He cocked his head, brows rising, and bent at the waist to peer into my bloodshot eyes, his tone incredulous. “Do you not own a mirror? I mean really, Lily?”
I pretty much gawked at his truth to all.
Pearl pointed to Ezra.
He stated bluntly, “Lily, I think you’re sexy as hell. You have hips that a man can hold on to. A perfectly round, firm ass. And after seeing your breasts today, I’m pretty fucking sure I prefer them over any I’ve seen s
ince I’ve been in New York. Your facial features and red hair are just as attractive as the rest of your body.” He shrugged. “If you were a Vampire, and we didn’t have the friendship pact, I would have seduced you into my bed a long time ago,” a roll of his finger, “for lots of sex.” Another shrug when my jaw hung open.
Pearl stated factually, “As far as Felix goes, if you want me to kill him, I will. For you.”
“Ditto that.” Jack cracked his neck. “I’ll take care of him tonight, if you want.”
Ezra snorted. “I seriously doubt Felix was having sex with Lily because of his job.” He paused, and then added, “But, if you want me to kill him, I’ll do it.”
I sputtered, nothing real coming out until, finally, my vocal chords allowed me to say, “That’s so sweet of you guys to offer to kill him for me,” I guess I really did think that was true, my vocals still pulling the thoughts from my head, “but I don’t want him dead.” I felt compelled to offer, “I’d kill for you guys, too. I love you all.” I choked, my mouth firmly shut.
Pearl chuckled below. “I love you, too.” She sighed heavily before blurting, “I love all of you.”
Ezra divulged like he had a hairball caught in his throat that he couldn’t expel. “I love the three of you, too.” He instantly glared at Pearl.
Jack kept his mouth pinched shut, making noises like a Harley gunning its engine until he gasped hard and muttered, “I love you all, too.” His gaze snapped to Pearl. “Turn it off!”
There was a flash of gold, and a snap, and the spell was gone. Pearl instantly kicked my foot again, saying, “Okay, spill. Since we all know Dominic was bloody in love with you, your claim it was magic is entirely ridiculous, and I want the details. How drunk was he? Was it drunk enough for kinky shit? Or so drunk he could barely get it up?” Her golden gaze was angelic.
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