He froze completely, even as he sniffed the air.
But it was too late for him.
Sin rose from the level ground a few feet behind him, dart gun raised, and shot. Aim perfect. The dart injected directly into his neck. Even as he growled furiously, starting to twirl around to the unseen adversary, yanking it out and tossing it, he was already swaying with the silver-laced sedative, unable to use his powers. I swung down quickly from the limb while Sin used his power, roots lifting from the ground, encircling Elder Merrick’s ankles, vines falling from the trees, snaking around his wrists, lifting them high above his head, stretching him tight.
“You fucking bitch,” Elder Merrick bellowed, but his head teetered as he glared.
“Yes, I am a bitch,” I murmured, putting the dart gun into my black cargos side pocket. “Especially to the wicked.” And I swung hard into his stomach, my power flaring.
He grunted, the vines moving with him, then bringing him back in front of me, but he only grinned sloppily. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“Nope.” My lips popped with the motion, and then I jumped, slamming my glowing elbow into his face, his head flying back between his raised bulging arms, beautiful blood dripping from his nose, not healing thanks to the injection as he glared back down to me. “I’m only getting started, asshole.” Then, I took my boot and rammed it directly into his crotch.
He shouted a very foul curse, his body trying to hunch in on itself.
I grinned in pure sadistic delight. “God, I fucking hate you.”
“Likewise, spirit bitch.”
Sin had a hand on the ground, keeping watch with his powers, watching us silently, but he interrupted after I rammed my fist into Elder Merrick’s kidneys. “There’s someone coming. One minute max.”
“Dammit,” I muttered harshly, glaring up at Elder Merrick’s bleeding, furious face, pissed I wasn’t going to be able to use him as a punching bag for much longer, so I plowed my fist into his eye. “You just got lucky, asshole.” I darted him again quickly, his lids drooping from the added drug before gesturing to Sin. “Make it deep. Shifters freak from that shit.”
“I hate you,” Elder Merrick muttered on a deep, gravelly slur even as he started to sink into the ground at a swift pace. “Watch your fucking back.”
I chuckled. “Watch yours. I’m sure there are all kinds of little critters down there that are going to try to burrow into you.” I waved. “Buh-bye, asswipe.”
He inhaled heavily just as his head went under the eating ground, the vines snapping around his raised wrists like handcuffs as Sin sunk him deep into the earth.
I waved an absent hand. “I don’t want him dead, so leave an air hole.” I pouted a bit. “I didn’t get to finish.”
“Will do,” Sin mumbled, and I saw a tiny air hole form. “Deep, you said?”
“Very.” I glanced about, not seeing anyone yet. “Time to go?”
Sin was still studying his work, his eyes glowing fierce green, but he yanked me close, stating, “Hold your breath, love.”
And down we sank into the ground, moving far away from the scene of the crime undetected.
After sneaking back inside and taking breakfast in our room, enjoying being coddled by Sin, missing him as I had, and coddling him right back, I knew I couldn’t miss the luncheon meeting scheduled King Collins had phoned to tell me about, clearly expecting me to be there and on my best behavior. I was the Prodigy again, after all, plus…I had some more business to take care of. I showered and changed into clothes I had also missed, wearing a pair of my black leather pants and layered black and hot pink soft t-shirt, dug my Prodigy ring out from the secret compartment in my purse, putting it back on my toe, then made my way down to the meeting, trying to keep a tight rein on my emotions.
Walking sedately into the conference room, I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear, and sat next to King Collins, ignoring the glances I was receiving by those who were in the room, actually arriving a few minutes early, leaning and whispering, “I’d like to talk with you privately after the meeting.”
He patted my hand. “Alright.” He squeezed before pulling his hand back, brown eyes evaluating me. “You appear like you’re feeling better from your ordeal.”
“I am. Thank you.” I pulled a sandwich and chips from the middle of the table. “Did the Elders get you up to date on what happened in the past?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Well, the parts they could remember, anyway.” He snorted as he ate a chip, blue eyebrows rising. “The other Rulers and I would love to know exactly what the four Rulers before us couldn’t remember, seeing as they gave us hell when we were Prodigies.”
I chuckled quietly, glancing at Elder Kincaid and Elder Nelson directly across the table from me, who were decidedly eavesdropping and giving me covert glances. “You know, I can’t remember, either.”
Another snort, even as the Elders relaxed on their chairs. “Sure, you can’t.” A choked chuckle. “I can imagine what it was like if you were there.”
I flicked a glare at my King. “I’m not that bad.”
More choked chuckles as a few stragglers entered the room, it almost full. “Of course not.” His eyes turned slowly serious. “And Elder Jacobs told us about what he and Elder Merrick did.” He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry any of that happened to you, especially after what Jacob Angel did.”
I nodded once. “I know.” I smiled sweetly. “Just doing their job, and all that bullshit.”
Queen Ruckler sat on my other side, and lifted a sandwich from the middle of the table, asking the room’s occupants, “Has anyone seen Elder Merrick this morning? He wasn’t at breakfast and we had a meeting scheduled an hour ago, which he missed.”
I ate a chip slowly, keeping my expression blank while I was damn giddy on the inside, an evil chuckle reverberating through my boiling, furious veins. As everyone voiced they hadn’t seen him, like clockwork, their expressions blanked, and all heads swung toward me. I chewed another chip gradually, asking innocently, “What?” Unfortunately, I knew my eyes were frosted, cold and deadly, while they continued staring, but I couldn’t help that, enjoying it entirely too much. I tilted my head to Queen Ruckler, staring back into her own cold eyes. “Like you, the last time I saw him, he was furious and alive.” I chewed another chip, speaking around it. “Pity, that last part.”
Elder Farrar sat at the table, grabbing a sandwich, golden eyes watching me calmly, interjecting quickly as Queen Ruckler’s eyes narrowed, her lips parting. “Lily, I believe I saw him a few minutes ago, coming in from a run. I’m sure he’s on his way here as we speak.”
“He’d better be,” Queen Ruckler muttered, and then leaned down whispering directly in front of my face. “Get over their deception. It was in the damn past before they knew who you were. Their actions were justified from what I understand.” She bared her teeth a bit. “You’ll only get hurt if you mess with someone a hundred times more powerful than you.”
My eyebrows only lifted a bit. “I don’t believe I stated I had done anything wrong.” My head dipped to her. “But thanks for the advice.”
And…speak of the devil. Literally, in my opinion.
Elder Merrick walked calmly into the room, wearing a pair of black dress pants and a silver blue button-down shirt, dressed nicely like the other Elders, but his chest was heaving a little, his black curls were still a bit damp from a shower, and—I bit down a grin—his cheeks were flushed on his olive skin, obviously having rushed to get here in the Elemental section for the meeting. Leave it to Elder Farrar to twist the words I had once used—which would only be yesterday morning in 2035—when his perusal swung to Elder Merrick, who was catching more than a few looks, deadpanning, “You’re looking refreshed, Elder Merrick.”
I attempted to contain my smile. Not only had I accomplished taking him down—literally into the ground—I had also snuck into his room and stole my short swords back. It had only taken twenty minutes to rummage through his bel
ongings to find them. I stretched my legs out in front of me comfortably, continuing to eat my chips, and waited for his response as damn near everyone in this nosy room of onlookers were doing.
Elder Merrick grunted, swinging a leather chair around to sit down, saying evenly, “Actually, I am.” His grin was feral as he pulled a sandwich and chips from the middle of the table, eyes swinging to Elder Farrar. “A decently executed restraining technique can be invigorating, and I’d like to enjoy the afterglow and shit, so fuck off.”
I ate another chip, trying not to stare any more than the others were doing, comprehensively enjoying watching him put the truth out there to hide the secrets.
“Right, then…fucking off,” Elder Farrar mumbled, chuckling and shaking his head as he lifted his sandwich. “Although, I believe it bears repeating the house staff is a damn bad idea.” Golden eyes flicked to Elder Merrick, but slid to Aria before traveling back to his sandwich as he took a bite.
“I’ll try to remember that,” Elder Merrick murmured on a quiet growl as he started to peel into his sandwich, and I knew his comment would come up a lie under the Shifters radar, making them think he might have, indeed, slept with the staff.
Queen Ruckler instantly stiffened. “Next time you plan to miss a meeting for extracurricular activities, I would appreciate a phone call.” Her wolf huffed quietly. “I waited for thirty minutes.”
His head dipped to her. “Understood.” He didn’t apologize, just continued eating his sandwich, navy blue ice cold eyes never once swinging toward me to give anything away.
I was just biting into another chip, conversation starting up around the table again when the One asked lazily, but a bit harshly, “Ms. Jules, would you care to explain how you lost my diamond…in the fucking past?”
I chewed slowly, setting the bag down on the table, and went with a patient expression when I swiveled my chair toward the far end of the table to where he sat. Not having glanced at him yet, keeping a rein on my control for now, I stared directly into shadowed, attractive silver eyes, and lied out my ass, stating slowly, and clearly, “It was mine, not yours, and it went down a drain.”
Slow words. “Mine…and a drain?”
I nodded once, tilting my head toward Elder Farrar, but keeping eye contact with the One. “When I found Elder Farrar with it, I landed in a shower with him. He was…busy…with company at the time, and my arrival startled all three of us. I dropped the damn diamond,” I made a subtle, small whooshing motion with my hand, “and down the drain it went.”
It was dead quiet in the room as he blinked at me once, then asked in a bored tone, “You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?”
“Of course not,” I stated, and then crinkled my nose. “Well, I guess I could be, but I would have come up with a better freaking story than that.” And, I let my cheeks blush, making myself remember vividly what I had seen on Elder Farrar. “It’s actually damn embarrassing.”
His eyes flicked over my face, and then he sat heavily back on his chair, running a hand over his mouth. “Dammit, I hate losing my shit.”
“It was mine,” I muttered, swiveling my chair, turning my attention back to my sandwich.
“Mine.”
I snorted, taking a bite of my food, chewing calmly.
And…not one Shifter outed me, every single one of them either watching silently, or eating their food calmly, even the one I had buried this morning.
Across from the One, Elder Zeller leaned forward, appearing all types of eager for information, asking him, “Now that’s it’s gone, will you tell me what it could do?”
The One flicked a tired hand, his brows still together in irritation. “It’s sufficed to say, the damn thing had many different influential uses.” Another irritated flick of his hand. “Think of the name itself. Primal Diamond…Primal. It wasn’t just spelled. It was ancient. An original.”
I swallowed slowly, the bite feeling cutting down my suddenly dry throat, taking a pickle off the sandwich with a steady hand and setting it on the wrapper as I felt Elder Zeller’s dark gaze on me, his words even darker when he muttered dryly, “You couldn’t have held on to the damn thing, Ms. Jules?”
“You have no clue what I saw in that shower.” I faked a shudder, still rocked by what the One had said. “I was lucky I didn’t faint.” I took another bite.
“So was I,” Elder Farrar muttered dryly around his food. “Teeth don’t have to be sharp to hurt.”
I chewed slowly; trying not to choke as every single man at the table blinked, shuddered, and then started shifting on their chair.
Irritated words from Elder Merrick, who talked while chewing slowly. “That, is going to ruin my glow, dammit.”
Elder Farrar snorted. “It did mine.”
“Towels on the right…” King Collins muttered under his breath, shaking his head, and then, he turned his attention to me, asking, “Did Philip Masterson give a reason for the attack and taking you back in time?”
Dammit…think, think…I swallowed my bite, and then murmured, “He was upset we had attacked him in his place of business.” And, he had been.
King Collins muttered a curse, and then grumbled, “That was damn extreme using his powers like that, but he probably figured taking you way back would get you out of the picture since you know his secrets, growing up with him as you did.”
I hummed, looking thoughtful and nodding absently…and let everyone else talk after that about the fallout from the press on the attack and any new intel the MIA had been able to pull, which wasn’t a whole hell of a lot.
Finally, sitting in King Collins office, one of the privacy spelled rooms in the Elemental section, all the Rulers were in here, plus a few of the Elders, and Queen Ruckler stared at me with cold, blue eyes, asking bluntly, “Tell me I didn’t just cover for you in there because you selfishly want to keep the Primal Diamond.”
I snorted, ignoring the few surprised glances around the room for those not in the know. “Of course I’m keeping it. It’s mine.” I sat more comfortably on my chair before continuing. “But I lied because Philip Masterson’s whole reason for taking me back in time was because he wanted to take me to someone who could supposedly extract it from me.” My head cocked. “Tell me…how did he know I had it after the One so obviously used it, since Philip Masterson and Jacob Angel are protected magically, and then the Guardian under the One’s care?”
Everyone’s faces went deathly, scarily quiet.
I nodded once. “Yep, we’ve got a traitor in our midst.”
“It had better be a fucking spirit, and not one of our own,” King Zeller growled quietly, his Vampire sounding.
“Actually, I think it is,” I stated evenly, staring back into his deadly, green eyes. “Did you notice anyone else’s reaction in the room while I spoke about the diamond?”
Elder Zeller murmured, “Reese was more pissed than the One was.”
Elder Merrick muttered a quiet curse, his wolf growling as he started pacing back and forth, like he was caged. “He reeked of aggression at the news.” His head lifted, eyebrows together, sniffing once in the air. “Do you smell that?”
I sniffed the air, but didn’t smell anything.
Queen Ruckler sniffed the air, relaxed on her seat, answering, “Maybe the carpets were cleaned recently, but other than that, no.”
I moved along as Elder Merrick continued to pace. “Reese tried to hide it, but his eyes,” I narrowed my gaze, “they got all squinty.”
King Collins inhaled heavily before sitting tiredly behind his desk. “How the hell do we handle this? We can’t attack Reese without telling the One, but I somehow doubt he will believe us.”
I spoke evenly, possibly a bit clipped in irritation when I couldn’t contain it any longer. “Let me talk with him on this subject.”
Every single person in the room froze, including me, when a quiet chuckle came from a corner…an empty corner…the sound menacing and purring, then suddenly the space wavered to show the One standing the
re, arms crossed, leaning a shoulder against the glimmering golden wall, an eyebrow cocked. “And what would you say, Ms. Jules?”
My nostrils flared in instant irritation. “Seriously, Leric?”
“I would have hidden longer if he,” head tip to Elder Merrick, whom had been edging, pacing, toward that corner, “didn’t have the power, and nose, he does.”
I jumped to my feet, pissed the hell off. “You’re fucking spying on us in our own home?”
His lips curved gently, but his gaze was predatory. “As I’ve been spied on since I arrived.” Both eyebrows raised, and he stated evenly, “I want my diamond back.”
“And you can kiss my ass, because it’s mine.”
His eyes flared the barest bit. “How the stars have such humor…” He shook his head. “Ms. Jules, you really should have stayed at the Temple longer to learn more.” His head tilted slightly, white rolls dangling, swaying. “Now, tell me, what would you say to convince me one of my most trusted has deceived me?”
My chest heaved as I growled, “I would say,” a jabbed finger in his direction, “that you already fucking knew, and you allowed him into my home.” He knew fucking everything about his people if he wished.
His lips curved slowly. “Of course I did. And I still am. He will lead us to who we seek eventually.” He pushed off the wall, and started stalking toward me, his white linen shirt and pants billowing out behind him, his movements altering to predatory, a hunting stalk. “And I do not appreciate you trying to lie to me.”
“And I don’t give a fuck,” I hissed, righteous anger flooding every part of my being. “You knowingly allowed a damn traitor into my home.” I slashed a hand through the air, my body starting to tremble. “I will lie again. Again. And again when your selfish and negligent actions help to contribute an attack that killed almost all of my guards. My fucking people.”
He hovered over me, his own chest heaving, and he bared his teeth down at me, using the words I once had. “They should have moved faster.”
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