King Zeller slowly dragged his eyes away from Antonio, his gaze meeting mine. “I’ll take your word for it.” Green eyes flicked to Isa, and his voice softened the barest bit. “Although, I can see your reasoning. She really is beautiful, Queen Ruckler.” Truth. My lips lifted at the honesty — there was almost kindness in his void words — before he bent, bringing his head level with hers as Elder Zeller had done earlier. Isa eyed him, her own green eyes tracking over his features, her expression reverting back to cautiousness. King Zeller’s lips lifted on one side, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it was a shadow of his real smile. He whispered, “Hello, Isa. You’re a smart one, aren’t you?”
I knew what she was going to do before she did it. She had just recently picked up a fascination with noses. And she was studying his awfully hard.
Isa grabbed it, digging her tiny fingers in, and wiggled it. She grinned slowly with a giggle bubbling past her lips at her ornery action.
Quickly, I pulled her hand back, muttering, “Sorry. She thinks it’s cute.” I paused and blinked. “I mean, she thinks pinching noses is cute,” I waved a hand at his nose, “not that your nose is cute.” Well, hell. That hadn’t come out right, either. “I mean, not that your nose isn’t cute.” I choked, because that sure as hell didn’t come out right, either. “Um, what I mean is—”
King Zeller held up a quick hand to stop my idiotic ramblings. Thank God.
A smidge of the hardness was gone from his gaze, green eyes sparkling with amusement and dancing as he watched me. “I get it. And it’s all right. I can handle a baby’s playfulness.” Appearing like he wanted to laugh at me, which pissed me off — I was truthfully upset at myself for my blathering — he turned to Isa, careful to keep his distance from her hand that twitched as she stared at his nose again. “And you, little one, are not only smart, but ornery.” His lips lifted, but this time it was his cruel, hard smile as he bent forward, whispering quietly near her ear, “Give your mom hell for me.”
“That’s enough of that,” Elder Zeller muttered, slapping a hand on King Zeller’s shoulder and giving him a reprimanding look as he straightened. “Try not to corrupt the young.”
A grunt was his answer, that cruel smile still lifting King Zeller’s lips before he glanced at those silent around us. “Shall we sit down to eat? Our food’s probably getting cold.”
Elder Zeller grunted, too, much like his son. “We might as well.”
Turning to take my seat and pulling my chair out, I froze as my gaze landed on a table three over. Or, more precisely, on a Mystical sitting at the table. His eyes were on me as mine were on him. John Smith. At King Cave he had challenged me, and we had fought, but I had ended up letting him live. He was also a hybrid, which I had figured out during our fight. He pretended to be fully Shifter, as I did, but where I hid my Vampire nature, he hid his Elemental side. I hadn’t seen him since the challenge, but here he was at King Shadow. And he was one hell of a powerful being, his power damn near rivaling my own Queen’s power.
“Queen Ruckler?” King Zeller asked, standing next to me, pulling my attention back to him as he waited for me to move. His eyes were also on John Smith where I was staring. “Is there an issue?”
“No,” I stated instantly, then I glanced at him unrepentantly. “But would you excuse me for a moment? I’ve just noticed someone I would like to speak with.” And I didn’t want the man disappearing again before I had a chance to talk with him. When King Zeller’s eyebrows raised slowly, his attention turning back to John Smith, he shook his head gradually. Placing Isa in Antonio’s arms, I stated, “I’ll be back in just a moment.” Quickly, I took my jacket off, blatantly showing the weapons I had on — which was what I wanted since the man was powerful — and set it on the back of the chair I would be sitting on. I walked over to where he was already standing away from his table, waiting for me.
He stared at me, eyes roaming my face then down my frame, hands in his pockets. When he was through with his perusal, slightly faster than my scrutiny of him, he stated bluntly, “You’ve changed.” His head tilted toward mine. “Maybe I should show you my creativity, after all.”
My head tilted, ponytail slipping over my shoulder. “The last time you got creative my wrist was shattered and you almost ended up dead.” I snorted. “Again, foreplay shouldn’t include a goddamn physician on standby.” I struck, lifting a quick hand, and jerked his chin down, leveling his face with mine, getting to what I wanted. “Are you a Commander here?”
He jerked his chin away, his wolf growing quietly.
“That’s what I thought,” I muttered, running my hands over the top of my head, tightening my ponytail. “Dammit, John.” I growled, thumping his chest, frustration and complete understanding filling me at the same time. “Meet me after dinner at my tent.”
His eyes became guarded. “To take me up on my possible offer?” No, he didn’t want to talk about himself, or the power he hid from everyone, and he was hedging to find out which it was I wanted.
I growled, not giving him an answer. “Just find my tent.” When he nodded, I turned away from him and rubbed a hand over my face, trying to decide how the hell to use him in this war in a way he would allow. He was too powerful an asset not to take advantage of. Sitting on my chair, the table’s occupants quiet, I lifted Isa from Antonio’s arms and onto my lap. “Sorry for the disruption.”
“Friend of yours?” King Zeller drawled across from me, reclined on his chair.
“An acquaintance,” I specified, resting on my seat more comfortably and taking a sip from my cup of coffee in front of my plate. I made a face and reached for the cream and sugar, the coffee black in my cup. My eyes met Elder Merrick’s. “You may remember him from King Cave.” He had been there during the fight.
Elder Merrick stared, then he glanced over his shoulder at John. Watched him a few moments. He chuckled, the sound still rough, turning back to me. “Yes, I do.” Navy blue eyes searched mine. “I remember you showed him leniency when he challenged you, but what do you plan to do with him now?”
I stirred the sugar and cream in my cup. “I haven’t figured that out a hundred percent yet.”
“Compassion during a challenge,” King Zeller murmured, taking a sip from his own coffee, staring. “He must be someone special.” When I only shrugged — I was not about to give away John Smith’s secret to anyone — King Zeller turned his attention to his plate. “So, Queen Ruckler, you were at King Cave?”
“Yes,” I stated, a bit of ice entering my tone, which couldn’t be helped. It was the place where I was mind raped. But I was still conscious enough to keep the conversation rolling. “Have you ever been?”
“Yes, briefly,” he glanced at me then down to Isa. “I think she’s beginning to sweat.”
“Oh!” I placed my coffee cup down carefully and quickly began taking her green knit jacket off, then her knit cap, setting them on the table. Her hair was a mess on her head, smashed down from the cap as it had been, and I quickly ran my fingers through it, feeling it was, indeed, damp with her sweat, the fire Elemental having done their duty. She grinned at me, rocking back and forth and babbling happily with the attention, making me smile at her sweet innocence. She bounced, pressing her cheek to mine, her baby arms around my throat as she glanced around at the table’s occupants, still grinning. I blinked, seeing everyone staring blatantly at us, their eyes darting back and forth between the two of us. “I’m sorry,” not really, “did I miss something?”
King Zeller slowly lowered his coffee cup, his head cocking. Green eyes flittered back and forth in quick succession between Isa and me, taking in each part of our faces. My lips began to pinch, but I quickly adjusted the action, knowing exactly what he was going to say before he did. Slowly, he drawled, “Your adopted daughter looks much like you, Queen Ruckler.” His eyes went to her hair. “Your Vampire daughter.”
Playing it cool, eyebrows raised, I murmured, “Well then, I guess I should feel fortunate since even you’ve said she’s beaut
iful.” I had actually had this conversation a few times before with others who also had a keen eye, so I knew how to handle it and keep my words truth. “Thank you for the unintended compliment.”
His eyes flittered to mine, narrowing slightly. He didn’t argue the ‘beautiful’ point, which actually surprised me, but he wasn’t to be deterred, his eyes swiftly turning back to Isa. Her hair. His head cocked slightly. “I haven’t seen so few black streaks since Elder Venclaire.”
And…I froze, unprepared for that comment…because in my mind, she did have her grandfather’s hair. Elder Venclaire. Lots of bright red with tiny, sporadic streaks of black. Fortunately, King Zeller was still staring at Isa, and I was able to glance at Antonio for help.
But, the unfortunate part was, he did nothing to assist me.
Licking my lips, I stated, “Well, I guess it is like his.” It came out a smidge shaky, but I was coming up with this on the fly. Really, I should have been prepared for this. King Zeller had been trained by Elder Venclaire. He knew the Elder, so this shouldn’t have caught me so off guard. “Maybe that means she’ll be powerful like him.”
Green eyes slammed to mine. “You’ve met Elder Venclaire?”
“Yes.” My heartbeat and breathing were normal; the only sign of nervousness was the slight flush I could feel burning my cheeks. “He and the other three Kings did my Awakening when I shifted into a wolf.” My lips lifted, and I tried again to distract him. “It was a bit of an ordeal.”
His gaze flicked to my hair. “I bet it was.” And like a fucking hawk, he turned his attention back to Isa, murmuring softly, “It’s remarkable, really, the resemblance between you two.”
I blinked, coming up with shit to say, so I went with that. “I don’t know what to say…other than thank you.” I shrugged a shoulder when he stared at me. “If I’m half as pretty as her, I would be grateful.” Truth.
He stared for a long moment. Grunted. Eyes back to Isa. “Honestly, she even looks a bit like Elder Venclaire in the eyes.” His head cocked. “Not the color, but the way they tilt.” He blinked slowly, glancing back to me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he was eyeing the shape of my eyes as he asked, “Who was the father?”
Instant and truthful. “I don’t know who the father was.” Christ, I needed to get him off this line of questioning, so I went with the only thing I could to distract him, lifting her in his direction. “I know you said you would never lay a finger on her, but would you mind holding her while I eat since you don’t appear to be too hungry?” Yeah, there we go. He appeared a bit startled, his hard face cracking. “I’m starving, and it’s difficult to eat while holding her.”
And, as I knew he would since this was a formal dinner and he had tortured me, he slowly lifted his massive arms to take her from my grip, giving me a quick glare. She whimpered quietly going into a stranger’s hands, and peered back at me, but as soon as King Zeller tucked her against his body protectively, she made a cooing sound and ducked her head under his chin. She snuggled into his warmth, keeping a watchful eye on me to make sure I wasn’t leaving entirely. I smiled at her encouragingly then glanced up at King Zeller, saying, “Thank you.”
He grunted, his grip on Isa tightening, appearing massive compared to her. “She’s tiny.”
Covertly, I sniffed, and even though I could have blatantly called him on his earlier lie, since he reeked of protectiveness while holding her, I murmured, “She’s perfect as she is.” Lifting my silverware from the table, I blinked — my eyes flittering back and forth between King Zeller and Isa. I froze again, feeling light-headed, my vision dimming, heart rate shooting into a wild gallop. If she looked like me…well, the dual pairs of spring green eyes staring back at me, the mocha skin, the arched eyebrows, Isa’s red and his black…
The knife and fork in my hands began to shake as I sucked in a harsh breath, my body visibly trembling as, unbidden, I whispered, “Impossible.”
And it was. The Law that had mind raped me not only spelled the two who had broken the Law to not remember one another, it spelled them to be separated, never to see each other again. I shook my head, ignoring the way King Zeller’s eyebrows were beginning to furrow. It couldn’t be. There was no way. He just had to look damn near identical or be a great representation of the man I had been with. Hell, of the man I had loved and who had loved me in return.
King Zeller asked, “Are you feeling all right, Queen Ruckler?” His brows pinched even more as he glanced at my hands on my plate. “Perhaps you should eat if it’s been a while.”
An odd noise left my throat, but I was feeling a bit of sanity return at knowing this had to be pure madness on my part, and I turned my attention to Antonio next to me. And all air escaped me as he held my gaze with the most utterly blank expression I had ever seen on him, which was saying something.
Holy shit.
Instinct had my gaze darting to Elder Zeller. I choked, seeing the same expression there.
No way.
My gaze to Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs was returned in the exact same fashion.
I was hyperventilating — yes, hyperventilating — as the knife and fork fell from my limp fingers to my plate, clattering loudly. As I sucked air harshly, the noise loud and high-pitched to my ears, my gaze swung to King Zeller. His eyes were darting everywhere mine had, to the mute and motionless Elders around us, then back to mine. For the first time ever — in what I could remember — he showed confusion as he stared, his gaze swinging back and forth between my eyes.
Quickly, watching as I grabbed at my chest, he asked, “What am I missing?”
I sucked in air again, blinking hard, then pointed a shaking finger at him, wheezing, “You said you were at King Cave?”
Instantly, his eyes hooded, guarding any expression he might show. “Yes.”
“When?”
His eyebrows furrowed even further. “Directly after the attacks began.”
“What do you remember of King Cave?”
Lazily, he drawled, “Now, that’s an odd question to ask.”
Too bad his tense body didn’t reflect his calm words.
I stared. “Oh, Jesus fucking Christ.” A half-hysterical laugh escaped me as my attention snapped to Antonio. “Am I right?” I paused. “But how the fuck is it possible?”
No answer. No expression whatsoever.
My attention turned to Elder Zeller because he was acting exactly the same. “Can you speak about this?” My gaze darted furtively between his dark orbs. “Am I right?”
No answer. No expression whatsoever.
My gaze turned to Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs…who had the same blank expressions. “Oh. My. God.” My eyes were wide. Huge, in fact. I know they were as they swung back to King Zeller, another half-hysterical laugh bubbling as I stared, evaluating him. “I don’t even like you.”
Clear confusion was now displayed on his handsome face as he murmured, “The feeling’s mutual.” He leaned forward and whispered harshly, “What the fuck is going on?”
I countered, leaning forward and keeping eye contact, and asked bluntly, even if barely above a whisper as I was automatically conscious of confidentiality, “Were you mind raped a little over a year ago? Origins at King Cave?” I pointed to my head with a shaky finger. “Blank, black spots going back for some time?”
He had gone predatory still, so much so, Isa began squirming in his arms. Ever so slowly, eyes glowing dimly, barely controlling himself, he hissed, “How the fuck do you know that?”
Air shuddered out of me, and I clamped a hand over my mouth as I swung back against my chair, staring at him intently. Panting, I shut my eyes in dazed confusion. I could not understand how this was possible, not an ounce of clarity to guide me…except there was enough evidence to extinguish the one little fact we should have been spelled to never meet.
“Answer me!” he ground out, and my eyes flew open as he slammed a fist onto the table, Isa’s soft whimpers going quiet at his scarcely contained fury. “How the hell could you eve
n guess that?” No, he was no longer a cold outer shell, as I was no longer one right now.
I pointed at Isa, my whole body trembling, voice a mere breath of sound. “King Zeller,” asshole, “take another, harder, look at Isa, and you’ll have your answer.” I was still shaking my head in denial, utterly confused. “You were already on your way to figuring out who her mother is…now try to look past the impossible to see who her father might be.”
Green eyes, still furious, darted between mine, but after a few moments of silence at our table, he glanced at his dad’s completely void face, glowering even further at him before he slowly and gently lifted Isa away from his body to stare her in the face. Again, his eyes flicked back and forth between me and Isa, now with a cautious expression. His head cocked, and he stared me in the eyes for a moment too long — no emotion showing — before gazing back to her without a word, even though I knew he had come to the correct conclusion of who was Isa’s biological mother. Time passed as he continued staring. He did not voice one guess as he analyzed the second part of the equation, considering the man who had created her — the Vampire I had illegally had sex with. His eyes flicked over Isa’s features in rapid succession, his black arched eyebrows pinched.
And still I waited for him to look past the impossible.
His scrutiny finally ended on Isa’s spring green eyes.
And stayed there as he froze.
As mine had done earlier, his hands gradually began to tremble.
Isa whimpered and peered back at me, her chin beginning to tremble. She was done playing this game.
I started to lift my arms to take her, but King Zeller’s Vampire growled quietly, and in a flash she was swiftly tucked back against his body. He rubbed her back softly, and she began to quiet, nuzzling into his warmth with an arm lifting around his neck and her bitty fingers gripping into his skin, their coloring exactly the same as King Zeller’s.
King Tomb (Forever Evermore) Page 7