Chapter Eight
“He just left in a hurry,” Aros stated over the line the next morning.
“Thank you,” I murmured, and I hung up my cell phone, glancing at John. “Time for you to go. And I might suggest you leave King Shadow as soon as possible.”
He stared at me for all of a heartbeat, then he nodded once, grabbed the pad of paper and pen he had been using, and stood up from the couch, stuffing them in his leather satchel. “I’ll call when I have news.”
“I know,” I stated, pointing at the front flap to my tent. “Seriously, I’m about to have a visitor and you need to leave posthaste.”
His eyes scanned my face. “Do you need me to stay?”
I couldn’t help but grin, the smile stony because he would only escalate matters. “No. Thank you, though.”
He nodded once then maneuvered around where Isa was playing with her toys. “I’ll find her.” He peered back at me. “And then we’ll kill her.”
“Yes, you will, and no, you won’t.”
His grin was feral. “Not at first, anyway.”
“No, not at first.” I nodded to the tent flap. “Go.” A direct order.
And he stalled for a second just to spite me, then he did as told.
“Damn obstinate man,” I muttered, hoping he got away in time.
John Smith had arrived directly before dawn this morning. Having set my alarm clock to wake me early, I had been ready for him. Like I had known he would, he took the job. After spending forty-four minutes and twenty-eight seconds in my front room with me — I had timed it, and had Ezra held out longer than I had initially bet on — John’s mission was set. He was going to track down Elly Belford, a lion Shifter. She was the individual who had romantic ties to Philip Masterson, the leader of the cult responsible for starting MCWWII, and I believed if we found her, we would be that much closer to tracking down Mr Masterson and, pleasantly, be rid of him.
“Hidden — permit Ezra Zeller.” I wasn’t able to see the flash of gold, but I knew it would be there. And I was right on time because not ten seconds later Ezra shoved aside the tent flap just as he was snapping his phone shut, his cheeks flushed in anger and eyes not exactly what I would call cold and dead…more like livid and glimmering, he was so pissed. I waved a hand at him, taking my boots off my coffee table as he shoved the tent flap down, glaring daggers at me. “Good morning, Ezra.” I stood, picking up the two coffee mugs sitting on the coffee table, and brushed past his statue-like form to set them on the bar. “How do you take your coffee?”
And…I was happy that I had decided to go with the non-attack plan, leaving my weapons off, otherwise he might have gotten a silver knife to his gut when he blurred so fast I couldn’t track him. All of sudden I was lying on my back behind the bar with an extremely heavy, enraged Vampire on top of me, luckily out of Isa’s view.
I wheezed in a breath, barely managing to fight my wolf back, as I stared into fangs and glowing green eyes. “Get off me and we’ll talk about this civilly.”
Ezra’s Vampire growled, and as quickly as he moved before, he jerked my head up, baring my throat, his fangs steady at my pulse. I did freeze, not moving to even breath so he didn’t accidently nip my throat and draw blood, which wouldn’t be a great idea if I wanted to keep my hybrid nature hidden from him. Plus, I knew he wasn’t going to kill me. This was about predator ownership…and just for the fact that he was pissed. His Vampire continued growling as he yanked my hands from where he had pinned them at my sides to above my head, his thumbs digging into the underside of my sensitive wrists and showing me he wasn’t afraid to apply pain.
I gritted my teeth through it, the action testing my skills to not even flinch since I couldn’t risk moving.
He held me in that position for at least a minute — which I realized was as long as he had already seen me hold my breath for — then he held me there for an additional twenty seconds before he removed his fangs from my skin. I choked in air, feeling light-headed and my hands cramping and going numb from the pressure he wasn’t releasing. I wasn’t able to get in a decent breath with him on top of me, and I shook my head hard to push away the fuzziness.
Ezra waited until I stared him steadily in the eyes, which took a good minute, and then he growled low, “Did. You. Fuck. Him?”
“Like I said,” I whispered harshly, unable to do more with him on me, “Get off me and we’ll talk about this properly.”
His nostrils flared, his muscles in his jaw flexed, and he literally hissed in my face, baring his fangs. “Answer the fucking question.”
Patience…channeling patience. “Ezra, get off me and I will.” A little give and pull, which was…yep, gonna take a bit, with him so pissed.
We went through the whole neck-baring-and-fang thing again, but this time I damn near passed out when he held his fangs there for a full two minutes.
This time, I didn’t bother answering him. I only choked and wheezed as I caught my breath, glaring, fighting fiercely to keep my wolf back because we didn’t need a real fight in here. “Ezra, Isa’s in this room, and I’m telling you right now I can’t hold my wolf back much longer. I suggest you get off me, so we can talk about this rationally.”
His Vampire became even more enraged when I didn’t answer. His face…I wasn’t positive I saw it correctly, but I could have sworn his face altered somewhat, his features becoming sharper and more harshly beautiful, but when I blinked he appeared normal as Ezra began battling his Vampire back. When he stopped growling, I knew we had made progress even if he was still furious. And it was only a few seconds later that he yanked me to my feet and, yes, loomed over me, muscles bulging against the simple pair of black mesh pants and red t-shirt he was wearing. Belatedly, I realized he wasn’t wearing shoes, his feet bare. And honestly, his feet were just as nice looking as the rest of him.
“No,” I stated simply. “I didn’t fuck him or do anything sexual with him.”
Ezra jerked away from me and began pacing the confines of my front room, occasionally rubbing the back of his neck. “He was here for close to forty-five minutes.” His voice was still growly, but I could tell he was trying to be civil.
“I know. He and I were having a private meeting.” I paused, then I got to why I had let this happen in the first place. “Ezra, I am the Queen Shifter. Most of the Mysticals around me are men. I will be having private discussions with multiple men of my faction, as is my right and duty.” I waved a hand at the floor below me behind the bar. “And behavior like you just showed will get us caught.”
I stared him in the eye when he stopped dead in his tracks. “I will not bow down to you. I will not ask permission to do my duty for my people. I will not give you a detailed list of the individuals I’m meeting with daily because, mainly, that fluctuates and changes minutely, and honestly, it’s none of your damn business.” I shook my head softly. “Furthermore, you cannot react like this every time I have a man in my tent.”
He stood frozen for about a half-minute, and I could see the wheels turning inside his head, then his gaze raked down my frame slowly, not sexually, but analyzing me. Then he turned on his heel and jerked the flap to my bedroom back, ducking his head inside and glancing immediately to right…where I kept my weapons on top of a dresser. He stared for a few beats before he dropped the flap to turn to me, arms crossed. “You knew I’d react this way.”
I nodded once. No point in lying. “Of course I did, especially after how possessive you were last night about John before you even knew for sure we were married.”
His jaw clenched. “Was he a test?”
I shook my head. “No. I really had a meeting with him.”
His wide, supple lips pursed, his eyebrows snapping together. “Swear to me you’ve never had a sexual relationship with him.”
I blinked then sighed heavily. I knew he was watching me for any visible deception. “I swear I’ve never had a sexual relationship with him. If you would like, I’ll make you a list of all my previous partn
ers, if you’ll do the same for me.”
He blinked this time, and he held up his finger to lift his cell from his pocket, pressing numbers then placing it to his ear. He was quiet a moment, then someone must have answered because he stated, “Release him. He’s free to move about camp.” He snapped his phone shut and placed it in his pocket.
My jaw clenched fiercely, and I stated through gritted teeth, “Did you hurt him?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “His jaw and eye will heal quickly enough.” He ignored the fact I was spitting mad that he had taken a Shifter in this camp without informing me and continued stating, “It could be an issue if you want a list of all my bed partners.”
A rough, humorless chuckle escaped. “Christ, you’re unbelievable.”
His head tilted as he placed his hands in his pant pockets. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.” His lips quirked when my scowl only intensified. “I would like that list, and I’ll provide you with one of all the names of the women I can remember.”
I threw my hands up and turned to pour a cup of coffee for myself, grabbing a new cup. “Fine, and I’ll somehow endeavor to remember all of the names…you can actually remember.”
“I take my coffee black,” Ezra stated directly behind me, his hands suddenly on my hips — I hadn’t even felt the brush of a breeze as he used his speed to move across the room so quickly — startling me so bad I almost dropped my cup. He bent, using his chin to brush back my hair, and placed a gentle kiss at my throat where his fangs had been earlier. He didn’t apologize, not that I expected him to, but I was kind of learning that his actions spoke for him, which if I was honest with myself, was more commendable than most people with their false request for forgiveness. As I poured the cups, he squeezed my hips, kissing my neck once more — how many times had he held his fangs there? — and murmured quietly, “Just so you know, in the future, I’m a hell of an ass in the mornings, like you are in the evenings, so you may want to give me a heads up if you think I’ll react badly to something in the early hours.”
He stepped back, putting the proper space between us as I turned and placed the cups on the bar. I bent, peering into the mini-fridge, trying to find the cream I had put back in there only an hour ago. “I’m still upset at you for taking a Shifter without my consent.”
He chuckled quietly. “I somehow doubt you would have consented to me harming him.”
I finally spotted the cream and grabbed it, straightening to pour some into my cup. “So that’s how this works between you and me in the future? You don’t tell me if you don’t think it’ll work out to your benefit?”
He sipped his coffee, leaning toward me on the bar, and sadly, I did notice how his biceps and pecs bulged under his t-shirt. “This situation was completely different than normal business matters and you know it.” When I only stared at him, he stated, “All right, I won’t jump to conclusions in the future and hurt a Shifter without speaking to you first.” A pause. “Unless I find him in your bed.” A sip of his coffee as he shrugged one shoulder. “That man will be dead, no questions asked.”
Unbidden, a chuckle escaped, and I shook my head. “Un-freaking-believable.”
His lips lifted cockily on one side as I stirred sugar in my cup, and he took another sip of his drink. “I’m going for brutal honesty here. Take it or leave it.”
I sighed, finally taking a sip of my own drink. “I’ll take the honesty.” I shrugged, realizing I really was parched thanks to our little bout a few minutes ago, and took another larger drink. “And really, I can’t say I would do any differently if I found someone in your bed.”
He toasted his coffee cup against mine. “We should celebrate. We each married a sadistic killer.” His head tilted toward Isa as we drank our coffee. “I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard she ends up with.”
My smile was just as feral as John’s had been earlier. “Imagine the poor schmuck’s face when he finds out not only who both her parents are, because she will eventually tell him, but who her grandparents are.”
Ezra almost spit his coffee out and slammed a fist against his chest, even as he chuckled hard. “Fuck, maybe I should feel sorry for…” He stopped abruptly then shook his head. “Nope, not happening.”
I nodded once, finishing my coffee. “Damn straight.”
Isa was with Bindi, her normal babysitter, and I hadn’t bothered buttoning my black, fur coat against the chill in the morning air, just enjoying being able to feel it. The whiteness of the mist hovering around me fit with my soul after last night’s revelations — a bit of light in my dark with the knowledge of the truth.
Now, two hours later after my morning ‘meeting’ with Ezra, I walked through the black tent’s flap of headquarters, and I headed to the left to make myself coffee, their headquarters — probably all headquarters — fashioned the same way. Actually tasting the liquid’s warmth, I moved through the information and computer center to the conference room in the far back. Everyone was already there except for King Zeller, and after hanging up my coat, I sat down, placing my duffle on the table without a word. I took a file handed to me by Elder Merrick, who was watching me closely. I was used to the expression from many others, and I had constructed my cold wall beautifully the past year, keeping everyone out. I realized hiding behind it was second nature to me and I was doing it now. Not really bothered by this, and seeing no reason to alter the person I had become, I rested my boots on the table, reclined on the leather seat, placed the file on my lap, and opened it to begin reading about King Shadow’s itinerary — our game plan here for the war.
Elder Merrick resituated himself next to me, turning so he was facing me. “I heard some interesting news this morning regarding a Shifter…Mr John Smith.”
Ah. “Yes, I was aware of the situation.” I had spent the previous fifteen minutes diffusing a slight uprising from a few Shifters who had seen King Zeller…well, ‘brutally bashing John’s head in’ and ‘unfairly slapping him in silver cuffs’ by their accounts. And I had called John to make sure he was okay, which he was, if slightly confused and irate at being ambushed and held as he had been. I wasn’t positive he had believed the bogus ‘mistaken identity’ excuse I had given him, but he hadn’t pushed for any further explanation. “It’s been handled.”
Elder Merrick’s eyebrows quirked. “You may want to talk with King Zeller about his lack of control and discretion.”
“Like I said, it’s been handled,” I stated bluntly, not appreciating his input.
“What’s been handled?” King Zeller’s voice rumbled behind us as he moved past the tent flap of the conference room no longer dressed in workout clothes, but in — yeah, I stared — his dark silver robe, a silk, sapphire blue billowy shirt, and…oh, God…black leather pants. Year-long iced control kept me from ogling him, but I did peek over when he turned to take his robe off, hanging it next to the other coats.
My mind…just…went blank.
Well, not exactly blank. More like a zillion naughty ideas flew through my mind in rapid fire, like a reel going so fast I just kind of zoned out as my peek turned into a flat out stare of his ass. I had never checked it out before, but the me of the present most definitely agreed with the me of the past.
His ass in leather was absolutely God’s finest work.
Fucking hell, that was just…yummy.
“Um…” I tried to speak, unsuccessful in remembering what he had asked as he hooked his robe on the old-fashioned claw. “What did you ask?”
His ass flexed under that soft leather, and I blinked, hardly noticing the file in my lap fall to the ground as my fingers went numb. I sucked in a harsh breath as heat swamped me, and squeezed my eyes shut. Gave my head a decent shake. This was really not the time.
Yeah…didn’t stop me from opening my eyes again to the ass I wanted to sink my teeth in to.
King Zeller’s voice skimmed across my nerve endings like heated silk. “Queen Ruckler?”
“Present.” And his ass was like a pre
sent, all gift-wrapped in buttery leather.
He chuckled quietly, all rumbly and cocky as hell, but I didn’t care about his tone when his action caused his ass to visibly flex again.
A hard thump on my forehead had me snapping my attention to Elder Merrick. “What the hell?” I rubbed my forehead, since he hadn’t hit me softly.
He thumped me again, eliciting a growl from me. “Control and discretion goes for you, too, Queen Ruckler.”
My lips pursed when I exercised my normally well-honed self-control to not gaze at the first-rate ass of God’s across the room, since I could see from the corner of my eye he hadn’t moved, his perfectly spiked red and black head of hair turned, green eyes peering over his shoulder at us. “Fuck off, Merrick.” And I firmly ignored how my cheeks flushed in mortification, having been caught acting like a…girl…drooling over a hot man.
And really, it was my first time seeing his ass, so ogling couldn’t be helped.
When Elder Merrick only continued staring at me, all alpha, I mumbled, “Won’t happen again.”
His lips pursed before he sighed. “I’d like to believe that, but—” He gurgled. Stopped. Waved a hand and muttered, “Never mind. Just watch yourself.” His attention turned to Ezra. “And you,” his eyes narrowed, voice turning growly, “don’t ever pull that shit with a Shifter again or you’ll have me to deal with.”
Still from the corner of my eye, I saw Ezra pivot and pull a file off a shelf. He sat at the conference table opposite me, stating, “If this is what you two were discussing before I arrived, Queen Ruckler’s correct. It’s been handled.” A pause, his voice flat. “And don’t threaten me.”
Ignoring their little battle of alpha dominance, I lowered my legs to pick up the file on the ground. And almost dropped it when my hand started shaking again. Quickly, I altered the file to my other hand, fisting the involuntarily trembling one before shaking it out, my muscles tight. And paused before sitting back up, seeing Elder Jacobs, who was sitting on the chair on the other side of me, watching the action. Slowly, his eyes rose to meet mine, and one yellow eyebrow cocked.
King Tomb (Forever Evermore) Page 14