Antonio glanced at me, surveying my attire, ignoring my commentary. “Although it’s not what I wanted you to wear, you do look beautiful.”
Pure sarcasm. “I’m thrilled you approve.” He was yanking on me awfully hard, moving at a fast clip. “Mind the merchandise, Antonio.” I jiggled my arm, but he didn’t release me.
In fact, he pulled me along faster, again muttering, “We’re late.”
Bindi, Felix, and Aros had gone with the Shifter who had taken our bags to where our tents were set up. This was a formal dinner for only Elders and the King and Queen, a meet and greet, which was just ludicrous now, but it didn’t appear I was getting out of it. Antonio had filled me in a little more on Elder Zeller since he was part of his four, telling me that the man knew Antonio had raised me, and so I had reread the file on him. He was a badass. There was no other way to describe it. The gene had obviously been passed on to his son — I had also reread the file on him after our encounter. Both equally vicious when they needed to be.
“Well, we might as well make our late appearance,” Antonio sighed at the tent’s entrance.
Entering the red tent, which I had already been in and knew it was spelled to be much larger inside to accommodate all of the Mysticals in this camp, we followed the Vampire who met us at the opened tent flap to the back of the room where King Zeller sat, and next to him his dad, Elder Zeller. Even from where he was sitting, I was reminded Elder Zeller was just as gigantic as his son, dressed in a black Armani suit. Last week, when I had been incoherent from blood loss, I hadn’t taken a lucid perusal of him. He was Native American with shorter red and black hair. His muscles straining his suit jacket, he was extremely handsome like all Mysticals, and his facial features were very similar to his son’s, and just as hard.
I saw him glance in our direction. Do a double-take. And he glanced at his watch.
Antonio sighed next to me, having seen this, but quickly schooled his features when Elder Zeller met his gaze with an arched black eyebrow, which was also identical to his son’s.
I was too busy getting my hatred under control to worry about our tardiness, when I saw King Zeller follow his father’s gaze to us, his face carefully blank. Christ, it was truly an amazing feat that I could feel such abhorrence for someone as handsome as him, my face just as blank as his to easily hide my loathing, and I imagined he was doing the same. From his sitting position, all I could see he wore was a hooded dark silver robe, unbuttoned and opened to reveal a billowy white silk shirt, the only two buttons at the top undone to reveal a portion of his smooth mocha chest, the material resting against his flesh like a whisper. Like my hair, which was back to its normal neon red color, his hair was back to its natural color, which was black and red, and spiked to perfection around his head, his green eyes sparkling under the golden glow of the Mage sparks.
Yep, the frost in my veins had a seething partner now that I’d seen him and remembered, while hatred, pure hatred, flared right alongside the frigid ice. Survival instincts — year-long, honed survival instincts — took root, saving my ass since I could not legally attack him. Instead of leaping across the room to slit his throat, which was only a switch of restraint away, my eyes were hard and cold, frost coating my heart, mind, and soul with — maybe — a bit of a heat in my thoughts reserved just for him.
Finished making our way through the many bulky, wooden picnic tables filled with Mysticals eyeing us, their conversation quieting to mere murmurs, Antonio and I stood across from King Zeller and Elder Zeller, both having stood along with the table’s other occupants; it was only then that I belatedly realized there were others sitting at the table. I blinked and glanced at them, seeing two faces I had met before, the memories between the black voids in my mind.
One was Elder Merrick, and I knew him because he had been my teacher for honing the use of my Shifter strength at King Cave, and was the Shifter of Antonio’s four. He looked no different than the last time I saw him: bold features, black hair, bronze skin, and navy eyes. The other, Elder Jacobs, the last of Antonio’s four and an air Elemental, also looked the same, his yellow hair short against his head, his dark ebony skin appearing almost polished, a fierce contrast to his hair, his body and features delicate. I hadn’t known they were going to be here, too, but it made sense for Elder Harcourt to have pulled them in, bringing together the four Rulers who had led the previous war, uniting their strength.
All four at the table stayed mute — staring.
Antonio cleared his throat and said, “Cahal, Merrick, Jacobs, it’s nice to see you again.” They nodded with greeting, and Antonio turned his body in my direction, lifting an arm, gesturing across the table. “Queen Ruckler, I don’t believe I’ve ever had the privilege to,” he glanced at me in warning, “formally introduce Elder Zeller,” his arm moved to the right, “and King Zeller.”
I barely repressed childishly rolling my eyes and yawning.
Both moved around the table to greet me, and I turned, following their movement while adjusting the velvety fur material strapped around my shoulders, which wrapped around Isa and held her secure against my back. I could feel her glancing around behind me, taking in the scenes, perky and fully awake after having her diaper changed and her bottle. She was also lightly yanking on my ponytail, but it was probably because it was brushing her face, annoying her. Behind me, I heard Elder Merrick make a startled noise when he saw her hidden, but I didn’t worry about him since I somewhat had considered him a friend at one point.
For the first time, I noticed Elder Zeller’s eyes were dark, unlike his son’s, which meant King Zeller must have inherited that trait from his mother. I met them with my own frosty stare and held out my hand to him. “It’s a pleasure to,” I paused just to annoy Antonio, “formally meet you, Elder Zeller.”
He took my hand, but instead of replying in kind, his head cocked, still staring, and finally he asked, “Why do you have two heartbeats, Queen Ruckler?”
“My daughter’s in a sling on my back.” And I was seriously hoping I didn’t have issues with this man about Isa, because if it came from him, the man with power practically oozing from him, then I might be in trouble. Although, I didn’t think it likely since he hadn’t been anything other than shocked when he had initially heard the news.
He stilled. “You brought Isa with you tonight?”
I nodded. “Yes, I thought it best not to hide her.” My head tilted, and since this Zeller wasn’t half-bad, I added, “But don’t worry, she won’t eat you out of tent and home.” I paused, and amended. “Well, she does drink a lot of formula.”
His gaze snapped to Antonio, his hand still holding mine firmly while his eyes scanned his face. “What is it like being a grandpa?”
Isa chose that moment to pipe up behind me, shouting, “Pa!” She giggled. “Pa!”
“It’s an amazing experience.” Antonio’s lips instantly lifted, and he moved behind me where I felt him begin to unravel the material around her. “Cahal, I want you to meet Isadora Marie Ruckler.” I took my hand back from the frozen Vampire and pulled my arms out of the material hooked over my shoulders to help Antonio, but I kept a watchful eye on Elder Zeller, never completely trusting him. A few minutes later, Antonio tossed the sling over my shoulder and stepped beside me holding Isa in his arms, bouncing her a bit. “Isa, this is Cahal.”
The table’s occupants stared blatantly at her, and Isa’s tiny Cupid’s bow mouth pinched, her large green eyes staring up at Elder Zeller; in my proud mind, she was analyzing him. I reached over and pulled her vivid green knit cap down farther on her head, covering her bitty ears against the chill of the autumn air, the decorative frog eyes jiggling on top. She peered at me, back to Elder Zeller, then back to me, staring.
I nodded, smiling at her cautious expression. “It’s all right, Isa.” I peered at Elder Zeller, gauging him long and hard as he gazed at her with a slowly growing look of adoration, which I was not wholly surprised about since she was that adorable. I was decided. “He’s a
nice man.”
Antonio bounced her again when she stayed mute, her attention going back to Elder Zeller. “Isa, smile for me. Show him that stunning grin.” And when Antonio ducked his head and made a monster noise against her throat…she giggled, her cheeks scrunching as she smiled at Antonio, clapping a tiny hand over his mouth as he lifted his head. “There it is,” Antonio whispered, kissing her fingers and glancing at Elder Zeller, his chest puffing proudly. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
And I blinked, seeing the badass Elder Zeller…grinning…flashing white teeth down at Isa. Guess he liked the little ones. “Yes, she is.” I watched his hand closely as he raised it, tipping her chin up with a light finger to stare down into her face, smiling at her. He bent, softly saying at her level, “It’s nice to meet you, Isa.”
She grinned, wiggling in Antonio’s arms, clapping her hands, apparently decided that she liked him, too, and enjoyed his attention. I smiled at her, fiddling with her matching green knit coat, making sure it wasn’t bunching at her elbows and bothering her. She hated that. Then, when I was done procrastinating, I turned my attention to King Zeller and stuck my hand out to him, stating, “King Zeller.” I couldn’t say it was nice to meet him because Elder Merrick was behind me, and the man had an incredible nose for truths, half-truths, and partials, and I really wasn’t in the mood to explain why I wasn’t happy to meet King Zeller again.
He shook my hand firmly, his palm warm. “Queen Ruckler.” His grip tightened on my hand. “And unlike you, I will say it’s a,” glacial green eyes held mine, “pleasure to see you.”
Lie.
Damn man. “Oh, rest assured, King Zeller,” asshole, “the pleasure is all mine.”
Lie.
And, a bit pathetically — I’m not even sure who started it — we were suddenly battling in a Mystical macho handshake of strength and will. Our powers crashed into each other where our palms connected, neither of us going easy on the other. Instantly, my wolf growled quietly as his power, feeling like dark and seductive whispers, made contact with my animal’s wildness, and I was pleased to hear his Vampire growl at the same time, both of us going completely still in an effort to hang on and not be the first person to blow us apart in an invisible, magical detonation.
“Huh,” Elder Jacobs leaned against the table, “I haven’t seen a decent showdown in forever.”
“King Zeller…” Elder Zeller sighed, the tone half-exasperated and half-warning.
The air vibrated around me, and I instantly pushed more power down my arm, countering the influx he threw at me. His grip turned bruising in an effort to hold on, even though I could have told him that if either one of us popped the explosion…well, my grip was tight enough that his hand would be coming with me and not with him…Lawfully. Which, I believe, he was just starting to figure out as his glowing gaze stared down at our hands.
And for the second time in so long, I chuckled, the sound just as gravelly as before. “I would suggest you relent, King Zeller,” asshole, “unless you would enjoy a surgery to reattach your hand.” Shifter strength did come in…handy.
Again the air vibrated, and I grinned evilly, my curling lips matching his as I threw even more power down my palm just in time to meet his assault. We both grunted, our bodies beginning to tremble while our predators growled intermittently.
Antonio bent, pressing his lips to my ear and whispering softly, “Lil, there’s no shame in yielding first,” my wolf growled at him, “because you’re not thinking clearly.” He paused, barely breathing loud enough for me to even hear, meaning no one else could either — even the Vamps. “Isa.”
I stilled and, instantly, overpowering fear crippled me. I had thought Antonio would protect her if an explosion occurred, and I still knew he would, but his pseudo threat was enough for all thoughts to hone in completely on my daughter. My power abruptly cut off, and I was consumed by King Zeller’s power. My knees buckled and air escaped me, and all I saw was a mist of spring green, a direct contrast to the dark, seductive power bombarding me.
Abruptly as it hit, the power attack ended.
I blinked, shaking my head hard past the fuzziness. “Goddammit, Antonio.” And I stilled, realizing King Zeller must have caught me instead of letting me drop to my knees in front of him, since I was wrapped in his arms against his heated, hard muscles, his scent engulfed in his warmth. I shoved at his chest, throwing myself out of his strong embrace, wobbling only for a moment. I met his hard green gaze. “Why?”
Why hadn’t he taken the victory?
King Zeller’s head tilted as he brushed back his floor-length, dark silver robe to place his hands in the pockets of his designer holey jeans, his gaze not leaving mine for a second as he slowly and quietly drawled, “Queen Ruckler, when you do,” a cruel, sensual curve of his lips, “fall to your knees before me, it will be because you can’t stop yourself, not because you tripped at a distraction.”
A few ticks of silence went by as our unforgiving gazes held.
“Well,” my eyes lowered to his crotch, then up to his icy gaze, “if that impossible day ever happens, King Zeller,” asshole, “just remember you’re not the only one with sharp teeth.” I mimicked his deliberately forbidding carnal smile.
If anything, that cruel smile of his only increased as he cocked his head the other way. “Yes, I do believe having you here will be interesting.” Gradually, his gaze touched my hair, my face, my throat, slowly moving down my body from head to toe, scrutinizing me. “I never would have guessed you to be the Queen of the Shifters.” Green eyes lifted to mine. “You’re fortunate you told me when you did last week, otherwise…well, you know where you would still be hanging.” My nostrils flared in angered irritation, and he smirked at my expression before his gaze traveled to Isa. “And I never would have imagined a Ruler to adopt a child of another faction, especially with this war we’re in.”
Protective instincts flared, stealing my breath I felt so consumed by them, as King Zeller just as slowly analyzed my daughter as he had done me. Before I knew it, I was standing directly in front of her, practically smashed between Antonio holding her and King Zeller, my wolf growling quietly and my eyes glowing brightly as I glared up at him. Wolf riding my voice harshly, I growled, “Mine.”
Deliberately, one cocky eyebrow rose as he stared down at me, not backing away. “I was only getting a good look at what sent you here to be tortured.” My growl lowered even more, furious, my eyes slightly narrowing as I debated the pitfalls of hitting him only once. Not to kill him, but just as a bit of retribution to feed the soul. Again he smirked, and bent so his face was inches away from mine, whispering, “You may think you know my weakness, but with certainty, I now know yours.” He rose, glancing over my head to Isa while I seethed. “And trust me, Queen Ruckler, even though your daughter is beautiful and appears sweet, I won’t ever lay a finger on her for any reason, good or bad.” He shrugged a shoulder, peering down at me. “I hate children.”
All of that had been truth, except for that last comment. It had rung more of confused dishonesty. As if he believed he should hate children but didn’t entirely understand why. I said nothing, my head cocking as I evaluated that little bit of information. Every morsel of weakness I knew about this man was gold, as were my weaknesses to him.
I watched his eyebrows begin to pucker just the tiniest increment as he stared over my head at Isa, but his expression quickly turned hard and cold before he asked with a voice void of emotion, “Is she cold?” His gaze flittered down to mine then back to her. “You have her wrapped up like it’s the arctic, and her cheeks are pink, but she’s not sweating. If you would like, we can have a fire Elemental warm it up a bit in here.”
Ah…in no way did he hate children.
That was all I needed to know for now. Slowly, I moved out from between them. “That’s very kind of you,” I murmured, feeling Isa’s cool, rosy cheek. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
He grunted, no emotion showing as he glanced back t
o where two Vampires stood — a male and a female, both of them very similar-looking to each other — and asked one of them to have the heat turned up. King Zeller’s green gaze then turned to Antonio. And stayed there. I watched his eyes harden even further than while he had been evaluating my daughter. His black eyebrows snapped together as he glanced over Antonio’s facial features. “Last week, I didn’t…” He trailed off, his gaze slamming back to Antonio’s. “You never caught me, Elder Farrar.”
I blinked and hid my confusion the best I could by staying silent. I had no clue what this was about, but Antonio seemed to understand by the way a small smile played at his lips.
He rested Isa more firmly on his hip, eyes never leaving King Zeller. “King Venclaire may have been the one to eventually find you,” his lips lifted further, “but who do you think helped him be in the right place at the right time?” His eyebrows lifted in question. “And believe me, I had much better things I needed to be doing, such as raising my daughter,” a head tilt in my direction, “Lil, here, but instead, I had to run after a foolhardy young man while she was sent to live with her now,” his grin was a bit evil, “deceased uncle.”
I stood still as a statue, completely understanding now. Antonio hadn’t just left me after my first Awakening, which felt like so long ago. He had been searching for a goddamn runaway Prodigy Vampire. Doing the math quickly in my head…I blinked…well, hell. I couldn’t exactly add this to my list of things to hate King Zeller about. That had been around the time he had lost his mate. Some unhinged more than others when their mate died, and as my eyes roamed King Zeller’s carefully blank face, I realized he was one of them.
“Love’s a bitch, King Zeller,” I murmured, lifting Isa from Antonio’s arms to break the growing tension between them. “We’re all much better off without it.” I kissed Isa’s forehead. “Unless it’s the love of a daughter or son.” My smile matched Isa’s, and I placed another kiss on her forehead. “Now that is worth having.”
King Tomb (Forever Evermore) Page 6