Elder Farrar, Elder Zeller, Elder Merrick, King Zeller, King Collins, and Brann were the only ones left in the suite with me. They watched as I paced. The others were going directly to the private airport, staying there until we arrived later tonight.
“Okay.” I exhaled heavily. “I can’t explain in detail, but I think it’s safe to say the people you’ve met aren’t who they appear to be.”
“How is that possible?” Elder Zeller asked, clearly disbelieving me. “No Shifter once picked up a lie on their identity.”
My lips pinched, and I stopped pacing to rest a hip against the arm of the couch next to King Zeller. I stared at his dad. “Everything I’m going to say will be cryptic, so you’ll have to work with me here.” My head teetered back and forth in thought. “They are who they say they are.” I sighed. “But not.”
Elder Zeller’s dark eyes stared unflinchingly, and he stated dryly, “That is so very helpful.”
“You are not being helpful,” I muttered, running a hand over my face and glancing at King Collins. I flicked a finger at Elder Zeller. “I’m not sure we need him. It’s obvious he doesn’t trust a damn thing I’m saying, and right now I need the fucking trust to work through this.”
Surprising me, it was Elder Farrar who answered. “He apologizes.” Golden eyebrows lifted to Elder Zeller. “Don’t you?”
Elder Zeller’s jaw clenched as he stared at Elder Farrar, some type of private communication being spoken with their eyes. Elder Zeller stated, “Yes, I apologize.” Dark eyes to me. “I do. I am only…” His Vampire growled quietly under his breath. “I’m frustrated we may have been duped. It’s possible I’m trying to find a way that we may not have all been complete fools.”
“I’m not lying.” My chin trembled for the barest moment before I could hide it. There was a very heavy beat of silence before I flicked a finger at Elder Farrar. I asked as calmly as I could, “Can you please run a hand over me to see what type of spells may have been placed on me, and kindly remove them?” If we were dealing with what I thought, there could be any number of spells on me to keep me from seeing clearly. It was a monstrous person we were dealing with, and a disgusting level scarcely anyone in the history of the world had sunk to.
Elder Farrar cleared his throat delicately. “Yes.” He moved forward, placing a hand on the back of my dipped head. He glowed a pure golden. I instantly heard a quick intake of air from him, and his voice was dreamy. “Protection, which I can’t remove. It’s too powerful.” Another intake of breath. “Oh God, Caro. I’m so sorry.”
I whispered on a shaky breath, “Just remove it.”
Kind, soft words. “I will.”
I jerked when I felt the touch of time and spells infuse my entire being, and the uncomfortable rush of a Mage’s power against mine choked me. I grabbed onto the couch for support.
He stated tenderly, “Sorry, just a moment more. It’s deeply embedded.” He paused with a slow exhale, then he cleared his throat. “There’s…” Another clearing of his throat and with tentative words. “Prepare yourself. It’s a spelled sexual experience.”
Oh my God. “Rip it the fuck out.”
He whispered compassionately, “It may be confusing for you. You’ll still remember what you thought happened, and also what really happened.”
“Tear the fucking blinders away, Elder Farrar.”
The next second, I jolted as time and spells suffused my entire being.
Elder Farrar was lucky he was through, taking his hand away, because as the memory, the real one, flooded my mind, I gagged, jerking off the couch.
I barely made it to a trash can before I spewed, crying silently. Disgust and fury and humiliation swirled in my stomach, making it clench over and over again.
I saw how my first time having sex with a man really happened.
Or, for that matter, didn’t actually happen.
King Collins had at one point moved, holding my hair back as I lost it. He was rubbing gently at my back, murmuring softly, even though there was a slight commotion with the others. Brann was shouting obscenities, and from the sound of it, they were having a hell of a time keeping him inside the room. At my last heave, I jerked back when King Zeller’s body blew through the room, smashing against a wall. I went perfectly still as a deep growl reverberated throughout the room.
Elder Farrar whispered, “I had to Brann. You need to calm down.”
Wiping my mouth as King Zeller muttered a curse and picked himself up from the floor, I turned my head slowly. My bloodshot eyes shot wide. “Oh…fuck.”
“I’m not sure if this is an improvement,” Elder Zeller hissed harshly next to Elder Farrar.
There was an enormous black wolf, at least the size of a regular tiger, growling furiously and baring his teeth at Elder Farrar and Elder Zeller. Expensive, ripped clothing dangled from his soft fur. He crouched into a pouncing stance.
“Brann…” I stated softly, staring at him in shock—and yeah, a little terror—but his growl cut off for a beat, amber eyes flicking to me. I grabbed King Collins’s hand, using him to stand to my feet, and very slowly with deliberately soft footsteps, I moved toward the gigantic wolf, arms outstretched in supplication, speaking in a soothing tone. “Elder Farrar’s right. You need to calm down.”
He huffed, sniffing in my direction before he swung his eyes back to the Elders, growling at them for a long moment. But a second later, a huge black cloud whooshed out around his four-legged form, only to fly back at him.
I jerked to a stop, my eyes growing large on my face before I quickly slapped a hand over them. Brann now stood on two very thick muscled legs. I twirled my back to him, mumbling a bit stupidly, “Naked Brann, naked Brann, naked Brann.”
“Don’t you ever do that to me again.” His voice roared, eliciting a squeak from me in his wrath.
“I had to,” Elder Farrar stated slowly. “You had just thrown King Zeller across the room.”
“He sucker punched me in the damn kidney,” Brann growled, still furious. “And besides, I didn’t hurt him.”
“Yes, well…” Elder Farrar cleared his throat. “You needed to calm down.”
A wolf’s growl deep in his chest. “Oh, fuck off. That asshole deserves to die, and everyone here knows it.” He grunted. “The sooner the better.”
Dry words by the Elder Mage. “I believe Caro was going to tell us how.” There was a long silence. “Caro? We’re waiting.”
“Oh.” I realized my hand was still over my eyes, and everyone was probably staring at my back. I quickly dropped it to point vaguely behind me. “He’s naked.”
Slow words from Brann. “Felon, I am a Shifter.”
“Well…” My hand fluttered beside me, still flustered by the flesh I had seen. “I’m not, so somebody give him something to put on.”
King Zeller next to me muttered a curse, but he took off his velvet robe, tossing it to him. “I doubt it’ll fit right since you have a few inches on me, but try wrapping it around your waist.”
Brann’s wolf growled, but the fabric rustled. “You owe me five grand for that outfit.”
A snort from Elder Farrar. “Bill me.”
I waited a moment, ignoring Brann’s curse, then I asked, “Done?”
More rustling, then came a gruff, “Yes.”
“All right.” I ever so gradually turned around and very judiciously kept my eyes away from the bare-chested Brann, rolling my head on my shoulders. “First, I need someone to buy diamonds and have them ground into powder.”
Without even blinking this time, Elder Zeller asked, “How many?”
Inhaling slowly, I kept my emotions at bay the best I could. Again having to be cryptic, I ‘skipped’ his question. “Second, I’ll need someone to arrange a private dinner for just us and them.” My white eyebrows lifted. “And make sure their meals get the extra garnishment.” That wasn’t technically giving spirit information away.
A black brow lifted. “You want them to ingest it?”
Again, I ‘skipped’ hi
s question, running my gaze over them. “Third, make sure you stretch your muscles before dinner, but not your powers.”
King Collins’s eyebrows furrowed. “We can’t use our powers?”
I stared, blinking at him while keeping my mouth shut, not moving on.
The room was quiet.
King Zeller snapped his fingers. “They won’t be able to use their powers once they ingest the ground up diamonds.” He grinned when my lips twitched, apparently enjoying himself a bit. “This is like charades, but verbalized.”
My tone was far past derisive. “Try to remember, this is my life. And it’s not a game.” My brows quirked at him. “And fourth, when the chaos is flat on its stomach…” My head teetered in thought. I finally shrugged, stating bluntly, “It’ll be me who has to end it.”
Brann hissed, “You mean, you have to kill them.” A grunting huff. “We can’t do it?”
I whistled quietly, tapping a toe.
“Dammit,” he muttered. “Wait, she did say loosen up our muscles.” Quiet, and then a very slow, evil chuckle. “At least we’ll get to bash their faces in.”
“She said she has to be the one to kill them,” Elder Farrar stated patiently. “Do try to remember not to rip off any body parts.”
I lifted a finger. “There’s one other thing, but I think you would all appreciate it if I brushed my teeth first.” I stared at an amused Elder Farrar. I waggled my fingers, pushing my own mental pain aside for now. “Can you magically—” I stopped, my head cocking when he lifted a non-glowing hand—apparently, no real power needed—and suddenly a toothbrush and toothpaste appeared on his palm. “Perfect.” I lifted them from his hand. “Just give me a second.” I stalled on my way to the bathroom, glancing back at him. Evaluated his expression, his intelligent eyes. “Did you know all of this in advance?” He was Elder Farrar after all.
His lips pinched the slightest bit.
My gaze ran over his face. “You couldn’t say anything, either, could you?”
He shook his head once. “I can’t alter time or events—other than my normal involvement.”
I nodded once. “I understand…and I’m sorry.”
His lips quirked on one side. “I really do like you, Caro.”
My own lips quirked. “Let’s see how much you like me after tonight.” With that, I turned and went to brush my teeth. When I exited the bathroom, I could tell they were all watching me cautiously. “It won’t be that bad, and honestly, I probably should have done this in the first place when they arrived.”
King Collins asked, “What is it?”
“I can’t say.” I shrugged a shoulder. “Just trust me. You’ll need it to keep anyone from watching the pre-show.”
“Protection,” Brann stated instantly.
I smiled as much as I could, my stomach still churning. “Who wants to go first?”
I swear, they all shot toward me at once. Except for Elder Merrick.
That Elder was silent, standing with his back to a window, perfectly happy to watch.
King Collins stood first in the line—a literal line—the others had formed. “What do you need to do?”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Just don’t tell a certain someone about this, please.” I raised my hands, grabbing fistfuls of his blue hair, and yanked his face down to mine. “Open your mouth.”
Startled brown eyes stared directly into mine. He jerked away, actually flustered. “Caro…”
Elder Farrar chuckled quietly and stepped forward, bending to place his face in front of mine. “Do your worst, young spirit Elemental.”
Flashing irritated eyes at King Collins, I lifted my hands, gripping Elder Farrar’s jaw lightly, and said, “Open, please.” When he opened his mouth, I tilted my head, inhaling heavily. I opened my Core, glowing white, and placed my open mouth against his. I exhaled extremely slowly, shooting my own unique blend of the protection of the stars into his very being, every nook and cranny. I had to grip his face tighter when he jolted, his hands instantly gripping my shoulders tight. I was not sure if the action was to push me away or to keep me close, probably a bit of both, as he glowed a smidgen. But when I gave all I had to give in that one breath, I released him.
He shook his head hard, actually knocking on the side of his head with his fist.
“Now, no,” I touched his arm, “with the enemy.”
He blinked in a daze but slurred, “No touching. Understood.”
Rolling my shoulders, I glanced behind him. “Next.”
Brann stepped forward, glancing at Elder Farrar. “How bad was it?”
Elder Farrar kept blinking, still glowing. He now had a bracing hand on a chair. “Oh, piece of cake.”
Brann grunted, seeing exactly what I was seeing: it appeared as if Elder Farrar was half drunk. Liquid amber came back to me, directly on my level. “Put ’em on me.”
I blinked for a moment, an actual chuckle escaping, even if a tiny one, and placed my hands on his jaw. “You asked for it.” I inhaled again, filling my lungs to their max, and glowed brightly before leaning forward, tilting my head, and placing my opened mouth on his. His hands instantly went to my hips, his fingers digging in more than slightly as his wolf growled loudly. I was suddenly slammed up against his massive body as I filled his entire being with my own unique blend. I released his jaw, tilting my head back when I was out of oxygen. His wolf was still growling, and he shook his head like a dog that had gotten wet, black curls flying about his head.
I patted his bare chest that I was smashed against. “You all right?”
More growling then a gruff, “Yeah.” His fingers slowly released my hips and he took one step to the left, dropping onto the chair Elder Farrar was still leaning on. His head fell back onto the top of the couch, and when he opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, I could see they were glowing. Barely blinking, he ran a hand over his face before it dropped slack onto his lap.
Quickly, I averted my gaze to the remaining few. “Next?”
Predictably, they all hung back this time, expressions now wary.
I raised my arms innocently. “Elder Farrar said it wasn’t that bad.”
Brann snorted, then he started chuckling like a man three sheets to the wind. “It’s actually very, very good.” He rolled a lazy finger. “During and afterward.”
Elder Farrar started snorting and practically fell over the arm of the chair, his face level with Brann’s. “Thank God, it’s not just me,” he whispered not so conspiratorially. The control he had apparently been trying to maintain cracked as he laughed his ass off, his hair hanging in his glowing face. “I’ve never felt like this before.” A snorting pause. “Not by a woman, anyway.”
My eyes shot wide at that announcement, and I sniffed in their direction.
And yep, I could definitely tell they were turned on.
Brann rumbled, sounding high, “Hush, man.” He lifted a clumsy hand, shoving at Elder Farrar’s head and knocking him back. “I don’t want to lose it.”
Elder Farrar, snorting, fell from the shove right onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, not moving except to blink. “Fuck, this is good.”
Jaw gaping at them, I turned my attention back to the remaining three in line. I shrugged a shoulder when they stared at me pointedly. “I guess it’s really not so bad.”
Elder Zeller glanced at them, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he glared the barest bit at Elder Farrar. He stepped forward, staring down his nose at me. “Show me what you’ve got.”
I blinked up at him. “You’re going to have to bend down.”
He grunted but did as told. I went through the process with him, and his Vampire growled loudly while his fingers instantly threaded through my hair, holding my face close. But he did release me easily when I was finished. He raised slowly, and stumbled…and fell flat on his face next to Elder Farrar on the ground, not really moving either. He muttered into the carpet, “I’ll have to work on imitating that.”
A fairly unintelligible response came from
Elder Farrar.
King Zeller and King Collins were both appearing very apprehensive about this, and I rolled my eyes at them. “It’s for your own good.” I blinked sluggishly. “And if you need to think of it in another light, just remember it’s not cheating. It’s magic.”
Elder Zeller rumbled from his prone position, “Very good magic.”
“Be quiet,” Brann slurred. “Who knows how long this is going to last.”
When neither of the Kings moved, I sighed heavily and stepped forward. I grabbed King Zeller’s billowy shirt, yanking him down to my height. I planted my lips on his after having to use my thumb to open his mouth. I grunted when his hands slammed onto my back during the processes, his Vampire snarling as the man damn near ripped the back of my shirt.
In the end, he instantly jerked away from me. “Fucking…hell.” And he promptly fell on his ass right there, staring like an incoherent blind man. He chuckled quietly. “Oh yeah. I can duplicate this shit.” Quieter, slightly wicked snickering. “She’ll never know what hit her.”
My lips pinched. “You know what they say about old dogs that bring new tricks to the bedroom.”
“I’m not old.” He waved a wobbling hand. Fell on his side. “And I hide nothing from her.”
My attention swung to the wary gaze of my King. “You ready? It’s your turn.”
King Zeller sang drunkenly from the ground, “Here come the water…water…water.”
Brann’s wolf growled. “Shut. Up. People.”
Before King Collins could protest—because he appeared to be about to—I yanked his face down and planted my mouth on his, luckily catching him with an open mouth as he was mid-protest. As with any turned on water Elemental, the sound of waves crashing instantly echoed in the room as I blew into his mouth. His hands flew to my cheeks and into my hair, gripping tight until I stopped. He stumbled backward, tripping over King Zeller, and flopped onto his back. He stayed there as he stared at the ceiling, while King Zeller laughed his ass off. The sound of the ocean was still heard faintly in the room. King Collins muttered, “I’m so writing this down about spirits.”
Snorting softly, I turned and headed to Elder Merrick where he was resting against the windowsill. Just watching. Like he always was. “Ready?”
Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore Book 5) Page 13