Because Leric had moved at some point during that memory. He was now sitting on the edge of the bed, closer to where the screen used to be, with his back to me and his strong muscles straining his white shirt. His elbows rested on his knees, and his arms were crooked so his chin rested in his hands and his fingers steepled to cover his mouth.
And there was the bitty fact he was glowing bright white, his crown of the galaxies sitting on top of his head.
I cleared my throat, oddly feeling detached from having to watch that special event. “I think I’m going to order room service.” I pulled the menu from the end table. “I’m starving.” Which was no wonder since I had puked all the food I’d eaten earlier. “Does anybody else want anything?”
King Collins’s gaze snapped to mine, very careful to not look anywhere near Leric, but he still stared at me like I was crazy. “You can’t be serious.”
“She is.” Queen Ruckler cleared her throat, also glancing at me and keeping her gaze off Leric. “She’s telling truth.”
“I’m hungry,” I mumbled, staring down at the menu and reading the meals on it as I shrugged a shoulder. “Seeing that wasn’t anything new or shocking to me, it was a pretty tame experience, really.”
The room went quiet, so I guessed no one else wanted anything. It made making the phone call I placed much easier. “Maybe you guys will be hungry by the time it arrives. I got enough to share.”
That was when Leric moved—to pop his neck—before refreezing at the end of my bed.
I rubbed my lips together, watching in fascination as his crown rotated around his head for a few beats, before I peered to my silent King. “Do you want to know the bad news now?”
King Collins’s eyebrows rose, and he started to walk toward me but stopped dead in his tracks when his face suddenly reflected silver…apparently, Leric’s gaze had snapped to him. He relaxed back against the dresser, the silver light on his face disappearing after a few beats, and he asked, “That wasn’t the bad news?”
“Oh.” I shrugged a shoulder. “No. You see, even if you know who he is—”
“We do, but we thought we’d killed him. I swear my shot was true, but the damned bullet wasn’t silver…I should have known better than to believe he went down that easy,” King Zeller groused in heated passion, then he instantly froze. His face was reflecting silver, and his eyes—almost—flicked all the way to Leric, but they slowly came back to mine. He continued speaking, the silver light shining brightly on his face. “His name is Philip Masterson, although I’m sure he’s using a false name—”
“Alexander Kurnoc,” I interrupted.
King Zeller’s eyebrows lifted. “The obscure gambling industrialist?” When I dipped my head, he mumbled absently to himself, “Very interesting.” A nod of his head. “It makes sense then that he’s never been photographed or interviewed.” He cleared his throat and got back on track to tell me something I didn’t know. “He’s a hybrid, Shifter and Mage.” My brows rose at this, and King Zeller nodded slowly at my expression. “Yeah, and because of this, his Mage magic tends to work in reverse. Our best guess is, whereas some powerful Mages can go forward in time, he stores up enough power to go back in time.”
He popped his fingers one by one. “It didn’t work out for him so well the last time he tried it—even though we thought he was fucking dead—so I don’t imagine he would do it again anytime soon.” He blinked. “Oh yes, and he’s the one that initially started MCWWII, creating a large majority of the Beasts by raping Com women.”
I stared. “Alrighty then.” I tried to process all of that, and I was pretty sure it was going to take longer than a few minutes to wrap my brain around. “Well, you won’t like the bad news then.” I flicked a finger where the screen used to be. “He’s also got some type of protection surrounding him, so he can’t be found unless he wants to be.”
Leric glowed just a bit brighter, and all of us started to squint. There was a scraping sound at my door, followed by a bitty howl. Followed directly by a loud, snarling wildcat noise. I sighed and started to stand to let Isolde and Tristan inside, but Leric chose that moment to speak, his rage making the room shake furiously as he shouted a demanding order, “Caro, sit the fuck down!” When everyone froze, his voice boomed, “Somebody else get the goddamn door!”
Roselle instantly moved. “On it, sir.”
Leric went mute again, his mouth still behind his steepled hands. The silver glow of his eyes disappeared every once in a while as he stared at the wall, apparently barely blinking while Roselle opened the door to let in Isolde and Tristan. She shut and locked the door behind them. Isolde chose to go around sniffing and growling at everyone, but Tristan instantly jumped on my bed, rolled on it a few moments, then his enormous head dropped onto my lap and he started his huffing purr instantly. Only to stop when I lifted Isolde onto the bed, placing her on my free leg and ordering her to behave. They both watched each other silently while I stroked their heads.
I yawned as I spoke. “What’s the plan to keep the big bad from getting what he wants?”
Elder Farrar flicked a finger at me, eyebrows raised. “Meaning you and Sin.”
I blinked tiredly. “Sin and I can both handle ourselves now, hence the reason I didn’t mention anything before Leric caught me in the lie.” I rested back against the headboard, my head lolling to the side. “But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess no one here believes that now, after seeing that memory, which, by the way, was before either of us had our powers.”
Elder Farrar smirked. “Your guess would be right, especially where he’s involved, since you know,” he waved a brazen hand, “the man did orchestrate MCWWII into happening.”
“Hmm.” I blinked slowly. “You almost had a point there.” Another blink. “You think my food will be here soon?”
Almost everyone blinked right back at me.
Oddly, it was Mrs Damon who snapped out of her funk, brushing Mr Damon away as she wiped at her bloodshot eyes. She stomped across the room, ignoring when Leric’s silver gaze shot across her face, making it glow, to lift the phone on my bedside table. She called room service and barked orders like a deranged military sergeant. I almost felt sorry for the poor schmuck on the other end of the line. She slammed the phone down, nodding efficiently at the mistreated phone while stating, “It’ll be here in a few minutes.”
My head lolled the other way, peering up at her. “You want some of my food?”
“No,” she clipped primly. “But thank you for the offer.” She moved back to Mr Damon, leaning heavily on him as he wrapped his arms around her.
“You know, I’m really tired.” I yawned again, moving to snuggle down on the bed. I placed Isolde above my head on the pillow and used Tristan for a body pillow, tossing my leg over his warm body. “This day has been majorly draining, so do you think maybe you can get to the plan before my food arrives and I pass out?”
King Collins ran a hand over his face before massaging at his temples. He finally stated unhelpfully, “I’d like to sleep on it then talk with the other Rulers privately and, more than likely, a few of the Elders, too, before we come up with a plan to keep you out of his sadistic fucking hands.” He blinked up at me. Stared. Blinked again. “You may want to,” another blink, “call Sin and have him come back where he can be protected.”
“I’m thinking you didn’t hear me.” I yawned again, my jaw stretching huge. “Sin and I can take care of ourselves, even if you don’t believe me.” I sniffed, snuggling against Tristan’s warmth, but my head shot up when there was a knock at the door. “My food.”
Roselle instantly moved. The golden Mage protection disappeared from the walls with a flick of Elder Farrar’s little finger. She asked clearly through the door, “Who’s there?”
The answer was clear. “Room service.”
“Can you repeat the order, please?”
He started rambling a list of my dishes.
I moaned, waving a hand at Roselle. “Let the man in before it
gets cold!”
King Collins stared at me for long moments, then he cleared his throat, stating evenly, “Caro, there is going to come a time when you have your own Prodigy. I’ll forewarn you, whoever it is will never be anything like you expected.”
I raised a brow. “Thanks. I think.”
Chapter Twelve
I sat in a booth inside the lodge’s bar the next night staring out the window into the dark night. Laughter and merriment continued around me. I was lost in my twisting thoughts of Leric. And always Sin. I ran from any romantic relationship put in front of me. Even my longest, being with Isa, I had run from. I could have come back to her…and I hadn’t. Instead, I ran from everything romantic, mainly out of confusion. I was not sure how someone could actually love me, a twisted fuck of an individual. I knew my uncertainty arose from a lack of trust, a long-honed survival instinct.
And fear.
The one emotion it always came back to.
The terror that currently had my palms sweating and my muscles clenched tight. It was also making me nauseous, which wouldn’t be a great thing since I had eaten an enormous meal again at dinner. Fear was literally making me feel ill.
I wasn’t hiding it well because Brann’s deep voice rumbled across from me. I hadn’t even noticed that he had sat down at my loner booth. “Are you all right?”
I sipped from the lemon water I was drinking before answering. “Not really.”
Liquid amber eyes scanned my face. “Relationship sickness?”
I chuckled quietly, spinning my drink on the table slowly. “Always lately.”
He hummed quietly, sipping from his brandy, watching me. “He’s an asshole. You deserve better than that crown-toting fuck.”
Again I chuckled. “I know.” I peered up to him. “I’m horrible with relationships, Brann. Like, anyone who has a real interest in me should fucking run, horrible. You know?”
His lips quirked before he took another sip from his drink. “Or it could be said, you haven’t met the right person yet.”
I blinked, and my gaze wandered over his flawless features. “I’m a little off tonight, Brann, so you’ll have to tell me if you’re implying…” I mean, fuck, we had talked about this.
“Um…no. No offense, of course.”
I snorted. “No offense.”
His lips curved, and it was most definitely the scoundrel in him staring back at me. “I’ll tell you a little secret about myself, Felon.” He twirled his now empty glass on the table. “Not many men would ever own up to this, but it’s true nevertheless.”
I waited, leaning forward.
His lips quirked sardonically as he glanced at his empty glass. “I lost my virginity when I was sixteen. And…well, I thought I was in love with the woman afterward. It was the experience of a first sexual encounter, awkward at first, but definitely intimate as it progressed. So intimate, I didn’t think I would ever meet someone quite like her.” He twirled his glass again before gazing up into my carefully blanked expression—I understood where he was going with this. “My point being, no matter what, the first person you have sex with always leaves a lasting impression. It’s inevitable, but it rarely ever lasts.”
I stared into his eyes, as still as a statue, again hating another person voicing what I had already worried was a real possibility. I had actually seen poor idiots think themselves in love after they lost their virginity.
His brows bounced slowly before he tapped his glass twice on the table, then he slid out of the booth, running a hand over his amber dress shirt. “And I didn’t say that just so you would feel horrible.” His lips tilted on one side in an ironic fashion, completely self-deprecating. “I’m fucking horrible with relationships, too.” He snorted, running a hand over his face. “And although I loved Dakota, she and I were far from perfect. And we were mates, which scares the hell out of me for any future nightmares of a life with someone else.”
My lips tilted, the smile of the jaded. Sometimes matings weren’t always what they were cracked up to be, and I repeated myself, “Anyone who has any real interest in you should fucking run, horrible?”
“Undeniably.” He glanced into his empty glass. “And, after that cheerful bit of honesty, I do believe I need another drink.”
As he started to turn, I grabbed his hand, stopping him. I quickly released his warm palm, saying honestly, “Brann, thank you.” I peered up into his molten amber eyes. “It’s nice having someone around who I can be myself with and who’s not…” I bit my lip, wondering if I should be completely honest or if it would just be rude.
A black brow arched. “Who’s not tough and perfect like we pretend to be?” Still nibbling on my bottom lip, I nodded once, and he chuckled quietly. “Likewise, Felon.”
I smiled down at my lemon water as he walked away. With Sin gone, it was nice having a friend nearby. I finished off my water and stood, walking to the bar to get a refill. When I was on my way back to my table of solace, I was flagged down by King Collins where he and the other Rulers and Elders, plus Leric’s parents, sat at a table. Everyone was drinking moderately, but they were definitely relaxed and having a decent time.
“Sit with us, my Prodigy,” King Collins murmured, tapping the empty seat next to him. “It’s better than being alone over there.”
My brows lifted, seeing him tilt a bit, and I realized he had imbibed a bit more than moderately. The tipsy look was interesting on him—his expressions were much less guarded. “Sometimes, I prefer to be alone.” And that was the truth.
“Eh, that’s the talk of the lonely.” He pushed out the empty chair.
My lips twitched, but I quickly placed a steadying hand on his shoulder when he tilted just a little too far. “Whoa there.” I pushed him back up straight. “I’ll sit, if you stay sitting. How about that?”
Blue eyebrows waggled as I sat next to him. “Gotcha to sit with everyone, didn’t I?”
My eyes opened wide in surprise, and I couldn’t help but laugh as he suddenly sat straighter in his seat, less slouched. I had just been played. “Sympathy card? Fuck, I can’t believe I fell for it.”
He grinned happily, taking a drink from his beer. He was definitely not drunk. “It works both ways between the fledgling and the experienced.”
I grinned and my mouth opened to say something else, but my lips stalled as a sudden cool breeze wafted through the room, ruffling the hair of everyone at the table.
The flames in the rock fire pit in the center of the room flickered in the draft.
“Christ,” Queen Ruckler shivered, glancing around. “Did they leave the doors open?”
As King Zeller turned to see the back of the room where the wide, glass paneled doors and the enormous windows were, the unnatural breeze still floated around the room. My veins froze in instant horror, my heart hammering. This really was a shitty night.
But I pushed past my dread.
I had to, because this was who I was. What I was born to be. What I was born to do. My nose ring was like ice against my skin, and I instantly thumped my enormous purse on the table. Mechanically, Mrs Damon, Mr Damon and I stood, each one of us beginning to prepare. I dug through my purse, my hands trembling as I panted and tried to regulate my breathing. This was why I fucking hated being what I was. T
The entire table went mute, seeing Mrs Damon lift a knife made of diamonds from her purse.
“How long?” I asked Mr Damon, fumbling for the hidden zipper in my purse.
“Minutes,” he muttered, taking off his white blazer, but he stared at me hard. “You shouldn’t be involved. You’re still young.” He paused. “Leric would not approve, and neither do I.”
Finally getting the zipper undone, I shivered past the icy breeze and pulled out my specially made ‘brass knuckles’. Except they weren’t brass, because when I hit the switch on the side of each, diamond spikes jutted from each knuckle. I quickly slid them on. “Leric does not own me, and neither do either of you. This is my fucking world. I chose here, not the damn
Temple, fully knowing the dangers.” I glared as I dug out a diamond spiked choker, clasping it efficiently around my throat. “And furthermore, I’m the damn Prodigy of the Elementals. I chose that, and I won’t run from the responsibility that entails.” I jerked my head at the door. “In fact, this isn’t your fucking battle, so why don’t you two run along while I take care of business?”
“What are we missing?” King Collins asked slowly—standing just as gradually—and stared at our weapons.
Mr Damon grinned at me, flashing his teeth, most definitely not in his friendly way. The grin was more like Leric’s, showing the side he hid from everyone.
Nostrils flaring, I glanced at King Collins. “I don’t have time to explain, nor can I.” I peered past him to Queen Cooper, asking her hurriedly, “What was it that you did the day I woke up after being kidnapped by you? When you did a spell…” I couldn’t say anymore.
Her beautiful face went instantly alert, glancing about the room. “It was a simple protection spell.”
“Well, you’re going to need another protection spell,” I muttered, dropping my purse under the table quickly. I rolled my shoulders, just as Mr Damon and Mrs Damon were beginning to do, working out their muscles. “Do it for everyone in here. Put up the spell. And no matter what, don’t drop it until we’re done.” I held up a hand when everyone at the table instantly stood and started to argue. “No fucking questions. Just trust me. You’re going to see something, and you’ll want to help…but you can’t. Just stay behind the fucking protection until we’re done.” I pulled my gun out from my back holster, already starting to move away. “Understood?”
“You should really stay back, Ms Jules,” Mrs Damon argued, her voice stern. “Leric’s going to be very upset.”
“Leric can kiss my ass,” I muttered, then I pointed at King Collins. “Get everyone to the back of the room.” When he didn’t immediately respond as I thought he might not, since this was all a bit sudden and King Collins was normally not one to be told what to do, I jumped onto the nearest table. The wind was starting to pick up. I raised my gun, firing two rounds into the wooden ceiling. And beautifully, and abruptly, all sound stopped, even the damn loud music. Everyone’s eyes trained on me. I holstered my gun, which was a bit harder to do with my ‘brass knuckles’ on, and rubbed at my ear that was throbbing from the loud shot as I shouted, “I am Caro Jules, the Prodigy Elemental. I’m ordering every damn one of you to move to the back of the room right now for your own safety.”
Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore Book 5) Page 10