“Henry?” Pearl asked, reading the name on the tiny slip of paper.
“Toss,” I muttered, silently reading the name on the top paper I held.
“Jasper?” Jack asked, eyeing a scrap of paper.
“Toss,” I muttered, throwing down the top slip I had read.
“Love doctor?” Nikki asked with a snicker, eyebrows raised and holding up a napkin.
“Does it really say that?” Gideon asked, yanking the napkin out her hand. He nodded, chuckling. “He’s probably compensating for something.”
I agreed. “Toss.”
“Here you guys are,” Ezra griped quietly, ducking behind the tree line where we hid from the onslaught of Mysticals vying for our attention. “I’ve been looking everywhere.” He appeared haggled, his black dress shirt cockeyed, spring green eyes wide, but he asked calmly enough, “What are you doing?”
Pearl waved her wad of papers as I tossed another one of mine on the ground, and she explained, “Going through the numbers passed to Lily.”
He blinked, then reached into his pockets, pulling out fistfuls of tiny papers. “Guess I’ll go through mine, too.”
We gaped.
Gideon asked carefully, “You’re not going to keep all of them?”
Ezra glared at the polite question, waving a fistful of papers, some of them blowing away in the breeze, which he didn’t seem to notice. “I’m turning over a new leaf.” He peered down at his first slip. “Try not to be such a,” a glower at me, “man-whore.”
I shook my head, going back to my own papers. “Don’t blame that title on me. I just call them like I see them.”
He grunted, tossing a slip on the ground without further comment.
“BJ?” Jack asked, head cocked, staring at a pink paper.
“Confused or an idiot,” Pearl mumbled, answering for me. “Toss.”
He tossed.
As a pile grew around his feet, Ezra slipped a torn scrap back into his pocket before continuing to examine the rest.
Huh, perhaps he was serious.
“Tiffany?” Nikki asked nonchalantly, face almost blank. I merely glanced at her and she tossed it, mumbling, “I’m so happy I’m not single anymore. This is ridiculous.”
Jack kissed her cheek, then asked, “Ivan?”
“Oh…” I nodded, holding out my hand. “That one’s a keeper.” I smiled. “He hardly speaks any English.” I slid the paper into my purse for safekeeping.
Pearl snorted hard, shaking her head. “You’re bad.”
“And, he looks oh-so-good.” I wiggled my shoulders, winking. “Powerful. Hot. No English. Equals perfect.”
Ezra blinked at a slip. Chuckled. Tossed it. Didn’t want to know. The next one went in his pocket, which made two out of, like, twenty. Not bad.
Gideon asked, “The Twins?”
I blinked. “They’re vulture Shifters.”
Without looking, Ezra reached out a hand and grabbed Gideon’s slip. Tossed it.
“Squawk,” Jack teased quietly.
“Whatever. I learned my lesson.” I shuddered. Ugh. I still had nightmares.
We all paused, hearing a song start on the sound system. Music. They had finally gotten the DJ set up for dancing. Each of us glanced at the other, then hurried through the rest of the papers. It was time to boogie.
I ended up with five numbers and Ezra ended up with seven. Go figure. Even being picky he still ended up with more than me. Oh well. At least, I had some choices.
Brushing my hands down my bright red dress — it matched my hair — I made sure there were no lingering leaves or dirt on me from trekking there, and followed my friends out from behind the tree line.
We tried to stay inconspicuous, but we were who we were and some noticed. Mainly, the Kings, Antonio, and a few of the parents. The Kings’ expressions were cross, but also amused, at seeing us hiding from everyone. Most of the parents appeared curious.
Antonio just pointed at me, then his hair, a video camera in his free hand.
I quickly found a stick in my hair where he had pointed. Seriously? I was the shortest one of the bunch. How did I end up with a stick in my hair? I tossed it, sighing in defeat, and then was hauled by Nikki toward the makeshift dance floor. The organizers had put it there so the grass wouldn’t become mush.
We stuck close in a tight circle on the edge of the dance floor so no-one would try to barrel into our group, and I was quickly tossed in the air by Jack. I squealed, laughing as he caught me then twirled me with a dip. I had no clue how he and Nikki still stepped on each other’s feet because he was a fine dancer.
Shaking my body to the beat, I spun to Pearl, and we started bumping hips, generally making fools out of ourselves, incorporating fifties-style moves to the funky retro music. I twirled her, imitating what Jack had done, which was a little awkward since she was so tall, but when I dipped her, my strength held her easily. She laughed, her golden hair dangling to the flooring before I lifted her with one arm.
Ezra cocked an eyebrow at me as he twirled Nikki to Jack. Invitation clear. Shaking my hips like a belly dancer, with my hands in the air, in answer, he chuckled. Rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. He and I moved like we always did, even as he spun me and placed his chest to my back. His warm, strong hands ran down my sides to my hips, gripping tight as we partied on the dance floor.
Reaching up behind me, I brought his head down to my level, so I could whisper near his ear, “Should we mess up? Nikki’s looking at us again.” She seemed envious.
His eyes rose in her direction before lowering. “No. Jack needs to quit being safe with her. Be a little daring. If she gets upset, maybe he will.”
My lips curved against his cheek. “Nice thinking.”
He shrugged and lifted his hand from my hip. His fingers hovered an inch from my cleavage, his palm so hot I could feel it against my bare skin without him even touching. My attention snapped down to where his gaze and fingers were, and he tucked two of said fingers into the top of my bodice…and pulled out a slip of paper that had been barely showing there.
Stunned, I gaped at it.
“Someone was creative,” he murmured, wrapping his other arm around my stomach while opening the piece of paper in front of our faces. “Jett?”
Quietly, I chuckled. “Cheetah. And fast.” Fast enough to stuff his number down my dress without me noticing.
Ezra snorted, tossing the paper. “No woman wants it over too fast.”
I laughed hard because, well, that was true.
“Kings and,” Jack groaned, “parentals headed this way.” He shuddered. “God, I think they’re actually going to dance.”
Ezra and I stilled, and then spun away from each other. It was most definitely too late, King Kincaid and King Venclaire saw everything, but we had to make an attempt at not being glued to one another. It was dancing, yes, but King Kincaid and King Venclaire were relentless when it came to the two of us.
Jack snickered, but widened his and Nikki’s dance area, letting me in with them. That didn’t really help much because, twenty seconds later, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and by Jack’s expression, and the scent, I knew who it was. Can’t a woman have a little fun?
I sighed, and plastered on a smile, turning.
King Kincaid immediately wrapped me in his arms and twirled us. “Have you met any Shifters today?”
I nodded. “I have five numbers that are keepers.”
He smiled, a small appearance of relief. “Good.” He cleared his throat, and whispered on a mere breath, only for my ears, “I’m just worried about you, Lily. That’s all.”
I knew that. I nodded and jumped, kissing his cheek. It made him — wow — blush, but he seemed pleased. “You’re awesome. You know that, right?”
He grinned outright. “An actual compliment. I could get used to that from you.”
I snickered, shaking my head. “You’ve been great to me.” I paused, inhaling deeply and holding his gaze. “Seriously. You’ve been wonderful.”
His smile turned soft, and he hugged me while twirling us. “Even though I lost him, I gained you in return.”
I sniffled, my throat clogging. I couldn’t say anything or else risk bawling. He really was great. Besides Antonio, he was like a father to me. King, yes, and always first, but still a father figure and, with me being unable to tell my biological father who I was yet, our relationship was special to me. He was special to me. Always would be. That was, until he twirled me away when Fi walked over, and I landed smack-dab in Cahal’s arms.
I blinked, barely holding back a groan. Ezra’s dad was kind of terrifying and most definitely intimidating. I wasn’t sure if it was the way he stared at people or the whole leakage of power bit, but add in his huge frame, and he was a smidge too much for me to handle one on one.
He didn’t seem to understand that or, if he did, he didn’t care, because he lowered one of his hands to my waist and took hold of my hand with his other, then began classically dancing with me. Bizarrely, it worked with the slow rock song that was playing.
Again, he stared.
“How’s it going?” I asked, just to fill the void of silence.
“Do you want to know something interesting, Ms. Ruckler?” he inquired, ignoring my question.
“Sure.” Not really, with that look in his eyes.
“Before Ezra left with King Venclaire for New York, my wife took him cellphone shopping.” Oh, God. Please don’t tell me. “I remember Vivian specifically complaining when they came back that the cell they’d really wanted wasn’t in stock, so she’d had to get him another barebones cell. One without a camera.”
“Email,” I stated instantly, breathing shallowly to keep my heart rate down. “The picture must have been an attachment on his email.”
A single eyebrow rose. “He doesn’t have email capabilities on his cell. He checks those on his laptop. Again, his cellphone is only basic, and he never asked for another.”
I swallowed hard. Well, shit. “Maybe, he downloaded it from his laptop?” This is what I get for lying.
He cocked his head, spinning us expertly. “Interesting theory.” Not really an answer. His eyes deliberately dipped, then rose. “Cheetah, huh?”
I blinked. This just wasn’t good. Glancing on either side of us, I spied Ezra, but his back was to us as he was dancing with his mom. No help there. Out of options, I sighed and turned my attention back to Cahal, telling the truth, “The picture I saw was in his room. A whole group of us were in there.” I added helpfully, “It’s a very nice family photo.” Clearing my throat, I smiled. Hoped it was sweet enough.
“Hmm.” He stared. “You lied because?”
“I didn’t think it sounded appropriate,” I replied honestly.
A cock of his head. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?” Again, he glanced down, then up. Implication clear. He hadn’t liked seeing his son’s fingers down the top of my dress.
“We’re just friends,” I stated bluntly.
He hummed softly. “I didn’t say you weren’t.”
Right. Said friend needed to get his ass over here. Again, I glanced Ezra’s way, and luck was on my side this time because he was looking in our general direction over his mom’s head. Swiftly, I merely met his gaze, and then turned my attention back to his dad, saying, “No. You didn’t. I just thought it needed saying.”
“Why do you think it needs saying?”
My God, he should have been a fucking shrink instead of a King with all of my answers he kept twisting around. Hell, maybe he was one now, when he wasn’t doing his Elder duties.
“May I cut in?” Ezra asked his dad, stopping in a twirl next to us. He nodded at his mom in his arms. “I’m sure Mom would love to dance with you.”
His dad smiled, and I wasn’t able to read it because I didn’t know him, but he released me, holding out his hand to his mate. “Beautiful lady.”
Vivian chuckled, then kissed Ezra’s cheek before taking Cahal’s hand, and was swiftly enveloped in his arms as they began dancing.
Ezra instantly grabbed me and whirled us away from them.
Banging my forehead against his chest a couple of times, I mumbled, “Fact: you should have told me who the hell your dad is. Fact: you should have helped me when I lied to him about the photo earlier if you knew he would know it was a lie. Fact: he didn’t like you putting your fingers down my cleavage earlier. Fact: he is seriously scary.”
Ezra raised his head, looking to wherever his parents were, then spun us even closer to a bulky speaker thumping with music. “Fact: I thought you knew. Hell, we had a test about him in history class.” Three years in one year, enough said. “Fact: I didn’t know you were going to lie about the photo, otherwise I would have stopped you.” His eyes dipped down like his dad’s had, but lingered — ‘cause he was Ezra — before coming back to mine. “Fact: he wouldn’t have been paying attention to where my fingers were if you hadn’t lied in the first place. Fact: yes, he can be scary.” He paused, then added, “Fact: he’s also a Vampire, if you’ve forgotten, so when you say something even remotely close to him, remember he can hear you.”
I glanced at the vibrating speaker. “Unless we’re near something like this?”
“Yes. Our voices won’t carry over the sound.”
As we swayed to the music, I rested my cheek against his chest in frustration, and felt his own cheek rest on top of my head. His chest expanded as he inhaled harshly, and he grumbled, “Guess we can add my dad to the list of people who think we’re having sex.”
I nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I got from him.”
“Perfect,” he muttered. Grunted. “When are they going to get over this shit? We hardly ever touch unless it’s on the damn dance floor. I have sex with other women. You’re picking other men to have sex with. What the hell else do we need to do?”
I shrugged inside his strong, familiar embrace. “I have no clue.” I joked, “We might as well have sex, and enjoy the benefits, if we’re going to be hounded for it.”
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“Definite affirmative.”
Ezra led me off the dance floor two songs later, staying clear of King Kincaid, King Venclaire, and now, his dad. Although, I was pretty sure I saw them watching us as we weaved through the dancing couples. I was starving, and so was Ezra, if his rumbling stomach was any indication. We could see Pearl and Gideon at the buffet on top of the hill, and Jack and Nikki were sneaking behind the row of trees where we had hidden before.
Ezra dipped, taking his hand off the small of my back just as we exited the dance floor, asking, “Do you need to eat before the Awakenings?”
I debated that. Blood. He was talking about blood. I really didn’t want another fainting spell to occur, but I wasn’t all that thirsty, since it was only noon and I normally drank before, or directly after, dinner. “I’m not famished, but it might be a good idea.”
He nodded, automatically maneuvering us — without touching me — in a different direction, barely breathing, “I thought about that last night, and made sure I drank double my normal. We can do this before we normally do and I’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling up at him. “That was thoughtful.”
He shrugged. “Better than having King Kincaid attack me again.”
I snorted as we hurried up the hill to the back entrance of King Hall. “Exactly where are we headed?”
He was quiet, then whispered, “Under the bleachers in the gym.”
I choked on a laugh. “That’s your hiding spot? Isn’t that a little cliché? How many women have you taken back there?”
His lips curved, drawling, “If it ain’t broke…”
I snorted, and then started jogging, glancing over my shoulder. “Race you?”
He grinned and sprinted after me.
Quickening my pace, running as fast as I could without my Vampire speed, I laughed when I stopped abruptly and tripped him on the grass. My only way of beating him. I shot off again, hearing his fake growl where he had landed. I made it to the door before I was picked up off my feet — no one could see us there — and I shrieked as he raced us inside and down the hallway with his Vampire speed to the gym.
The place was silent and dark, but lights weren’t needed with our glowing eyes, and he set me on my feet. He bent going under the bleachers ahead of me, but I didn’t need to duck the bar there, following him easily. Traveling to the middle, he stopped, his spring green, glowing eyes roving over my dress. “Hike your dress up a little, so you can wrap your legs around me.”
Blinking, I glanced about and realized he was right. There was no way to do this unless he got down on the dusty floor, because I was so short, and that wasn’t happening with his black attire. I hiked my dress up until modesty could have been threatened if I took it another inch, and he lifted me easily.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, he moved so my back was against the wall, then leaned heavily against me, asking patiently, “You know you can’t send me what you normally do, or I’ll fall, right?”
I paused. Shit. “What do I send you?”
“Whatever you can manage without making me hit the ground.” He grinned. “I fall, you fall.”
“Great,” I muttered, biting my lip, tiny fangs already descended. “Joy?”
He nodded. “That should work.”
My eyes moved to his throat, and I gently tilted his head back and to the side, careful not to mess up his spikes. Placing my mouth against his throat and inhaling softly, I sighed quietly. He didn’t smell like food, even though his blood was delicious. He smelled like my best friend. Like Ezra. Against his heated skin, I whispered, “Thank you.”
He pressed against me harder, holding me in a tighter embrace. “You’re welcome.”
I licked over his pulse slowly, feeling the pounding against my tongue. Rubbing along it, I found the exact place I wanted. I tilted my head a smidge more, and gently sank my fangs in. His hot, dark spice blood ran over my tongue and I moaned, gripping the back of his neck. I sent him emotions.
It made his body start to go slack, so I stopped.
He straightened immediately, murmuring, “Try again, but hurry. We need to get back out there before the guards start searching.”
Trying again, I started sending him the usual serenity, but pushed through the haze of his dazzling blood when I felt him react the same way. It was hard, and I grunted with the effort, but I knew immediately when he felt joy instead, his body pressing against me harder than before, straightening.
He whispered deeply, “That’s good. Perfect.”
In answer, I hummed delicately, and then I let myself go back into the fog of dark spice. Gripping the back of his neck, my fingers pressed on his muscles just a smidge, holding tight as one of his hands ran up my back and in my hair, gripping it and pushing my mouth against his neck as he sighed. He seemed to like it, so I knew I was doing a good job.
Moaning at the taste, I rubbed up him for higher positioning, his blood spiced a little different with the joy I was sending him, instead of the serenity. It was scrumptious. Really damn delicious. His other arm slid down under my behind, lifting and giving me the added boost I needed to really get a good pull, and I sent him a heavy dose of joy. In return, he held me tighter.
Two more pulls, because he was that tasty, then I ran my tongue over the wound and leaned my head back, gently massaging his nape and watching his eyes slowly open.
He smiled, and it was a sloppy, happy one. “I like that one better than the other.”
“Same here,” I agreed, scrutinizing him. “You feel alright?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Just need another second.” He rested his forehead against my shoulder, and I continued massaging his neck.
A minute later, his head lifted, and he cracked his neck both ways, his eyelids no longer drooping. In fact, humor etched his features as his lips twitched. “Sweetheart, you aren’t wearing any panties.”
Blinking, I belatedly realized what that meant. His arm under me was touching my private bits. His shirt didn’t even cover it because he had rolled his sleeves up his forearms earlier. Not moving an inch, because that would make it worse, instead I stated factually, “I couldn’t. This dress shows underwear lines.”
His lips twitched again, but he nodded studiously. “The dreaded underwear lines.” He glanced to his right, the way we had come in. “We better go out another door, just in case anyone’s out there.”
“That sounds about right.”
He unclenched the hand he had in my hair and dropped his other arm, keeping pressure on me with his body so I wouldn’t fall. His hands grabbed my hips, which were completely bare by this point with my dress rucked up to my waist. Stepping back from the wall, he held me, and I loosened my legs from around him. Gently lowering me, he kept his gaze on my face, which I was grateful for until I was able to lower my dress.
We ended up taking the gym’s back exit directly outside.
Glancing around, Ezra picked me up, and then moved with Vampire speed, going down through the trees and behind the dance floor to the tree line at the edge of the tables and food. Lowering me, he motioned for me to go on, and then he disappeared, blurring through the trees surrounding us, to enter from another direction.
Sidling around a thick tree trunk, I moved covertly, giving the impression I was just winding my way through tables, trying to appear innocent of any wrongdoings. Absently, I ran my fingers through my hair, since he’d had a hand in it and the wind had blown it. Now I knew why he used so much gel. While trying to work tangles out, I waggled my free hand’s fingers at Jack and Pearl where they sat to the right…and slammed right into a table. Biting my tongue, I barely withheld a curse, my hip bone jarred with the impact.
Jack and Pearl saw it, and I could hear them laughing from all the way over where they sat. At least Gideon and Nikki weren’t busting up, too.
Apology on the tip of my tongue, my attention swung to the occupants of the table, and the words stalled inside my throat, my mouth slightly parted. Sweet baby Jesus. Did this seriously have to happen right now? Out of all the tables on the lawn, I had rammed into King Venclaire, Ezra’s parents, Antonio, King Kincaid, and Fi’s table.
Flustered, I chuckled, unfortunately sounding damn guilty as I tugged my fingers out of my hair — getting that last fucking tangle out, of course, right when they saw it — and pointed to the food across the way. “Sorry about that. I’m just going to get lunch at the…” I jabbed my finger again at the…what the hell was the word?
“Buffet?” Antonio’s golden brows rose as he leaned to rest a crooked arm on top of the table, his chin on his palm with a balled-up napkin covering his mouth.
“Yep,” I snapped, swinging my pointed finger at him. “That’s it.” I started walking backward…and my ass slammed against another table that was, like, a foot away. I didn’t even look at that one, for fear of who might be sitting there. Why the hell did they put them so close? “Food. Yeah, at the…” I pointed once more. Shit.
“Buffet,” Antonio offered again, his napkin still covering his mouth suspiciously.
“Honey, are you alright?” Concern clouded Fi’s expression. “Your face is flushed.”
Oh, Lord, have mercy.
I squeaked, “I’m good.” A point to the food. “I’m going to the…” Shit. “Over there.”
King Kincaid stared. “Come and eat with us when you’re done at the buffet.”
Instantly, I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “I was going to sit with—”
“I would prefer it,” he clarified, interrupting me.
Oh, God, no.
Out of the corner of my eye…I glanced that way, and saw Felix and Aros storming toward me, all types of pissed. Uh-oh. No time to argue. “Okay.” I looked back at the table, their heads swinging toward me, following my head movements. “Be back in a minute.” My feet pedaled as fast as they could without the appearance of running until I got to an area where there were no tables — I watched where I was going this time — and went a few feet more, then stopped and waited.
“Where the hell did you go?” Felix loomed over me.
“Won’t happen again.” I paused. “Sorry to worry you.”
Aros growled, “We can’t protect you if you run off like that.”
“And with a fucking Vampire,” Felix hissed on a mere breath.
“We were just running up the hill,” I muttered. “We both needed to get away from all these people for a few minutes.” Truth to all.
Both inhaled heavily, then shut their mouths, cognizant of when to push and when not to.
Good elite guards. I was the boss. End of story.
Still, I apologized once more, “I’m truly sorry for worrying you both.”
They nodded slowly, and stepped back, giving me space, so I moved on to the buffet.
Ezra was already there, on the other side of the table farther up the line, giving me a raised eyebrow once-over, most definitely having heard the conversation with his gifted ears, and even seen it, since there hadn’t been any trees in the direction I’d had to run.
I rolled my eyes.
His lips twitched as he lifted a brownie in question.
My mouth watered, and I peered at the table. Last one. Damn. He needed it, since I had just taken his blood. I shook my head, and he placed it on his plate as he progressed down the line. Filling my own plate, I moved to each dish and couldn’t help but be envious, since he was going to sit with Pearl and Jack instead of…
“Ezra!” Cahal barked loudly. “Come sit with us!”
I didn’t have to glance back. I knew Ezra had been walking toward our friends’ table, and now, he wouldn’t be. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Both of us sitting at that table…on second thought, probably not so good. Finished loading my plate, I actually debated skipping orders and going to sit with my friends, but King Kincaid was watching, so I made my way through the tables and sat beside him.
Fi sat on his other side, and she leaned forward, peering around him, asking, “Are you sure you’re alright? Your face is still rosy.”
I waved a hand, trying for calm. “I’m really okay.” I stuffed my mouth full of pasta.
Antonio’s lips pursed and he jerked his head toward where Felix and Aros were standing. “What was that about?”
I had an answer for that one. The truth. “They lost me there for a minute in the crowd and were worried.”
“They’re your elite,” Antonio stated. “Don’t let them lose you.” A command.
My mouth full again, I nodded, and then found my plate fascinating in examination.
That was, until Ezra, who was sitting next to his dad across the table, reached to grab the salt from the middle of the table, and King Kincaid went quiet. Predatory quiet. More than likely, only a Shifter would notice his animal’s wildness silencing, so only Fi and I glanced at him. He was peering down at his plate with his nostrils flared.
Unexpectedly, he moved so brutally fast he scared the shit out of me. He stood, seizing my arm and jerking me to my feet. I dropped my fork and my chair knocked over, but I did manage to keep my yelp at bay. He proceeded to drag me away from the table at a fast clip, not saying a word, working his way through the tables to the woods behind.
No one tried to stop us, and after the initial movement, I tried to keep up the best I could, so we wouldn’t make a scene for whatever this was about. Honestly, only a few people noticed, thank goodness. When we were past the tree line, he continued stalking, taking us deeper into the woods, so far that no one would be able to hear us. Eventually, he halted, releasing me with a jerk.
Pacing back and forth between oaks, his wolf growled low and, still being cautious, quietly he hissed, “I thought King Venclaire told you to be private about your goddamn affair!” His nostrils flared. “And, today, of all days, you decide it’s a great idea to fuck a Vampire on school property?” His wolf snarling, he got right in my face, making my own wolf want to growl, but I knew better than that. “Tell him as soon as he’s done eating to dunk himself in the damn pond. He reeks of you. Any Shifter who comes within a few feet of him is going to recognize, at the very least, he’s sleeping with a wolf Shifter. And no-one can fucking know!”
His forehead banged against mine, staying there, so our eyes were an inch apart. “Both of you need to get your fucking acts together before you two start a goddamn revolt! You’re going to be the Queen Shifter. He’s going to be the King Vampire. The two don’t mix, unless it’s behind a locked, sealed, and barred damn door, and even then, to almost every single Mys out there, it’s fucking wrong. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. I had figured it out, but couldn’t explain the truth. It was because of Ezra’s arm. When he had held me…well, the sexual fluid of a Shifter gives the animal away to one of our kind. Even though we smelled of each other from dancing, this was a different scent entirely, and no amount of grooving on the dance floor could explain the situation away.
He started stalking away, and pointed at me. “I expect you to call some of those Shifters by tomorrow.” An order. How lovely. He continued marching through the trees, rubbing a hand over his face repeatedly, and then began strolling normally before he was out of my view through the vegetation.
I was thankful at the moment that Aros and Felix had stayed back. Whenever King Kincaid and I talked privately, they were instructed to guard at a distance for privacy. Good damn rule.
My wolf was more than a little ticked but I, myself, felt like crying in frustration. I walked it out, pacing back and forth, only sniffling a few times and blinking rapidly to keep any tears from falling. When I felt I had better control of myself, I made my way out of the woods, and back to my table. I could sense the individuals at my table eyeing me, but I moved casually and calmly, and sat on my chair, which had been righted.
I kept my eyes on my plate, and sighed, realizing I needed a fork to eat with since mine was under the table somewhere. After getting another one, I sat back down and made myself eat. I was not going to pass out today. Food was a must.
Once I had finished, not hearing a word of the conversation around me and really hoping no one had tried to converse with me, I lifted my glass and perused the table’s occupants. Cahal and King Venclaire were both casually watching me as they talked to one another. Ezra was too, but more covertly, as he spoke with his mom about her lessons. After listening for only half a minute, I decided that if I were her student, I would probably run. By the sound of it, under all of that pretty and sweet was a hard woman. Opportunity knocked when Cahal and King Venclaire turned to view something behind them.
Stealthily, I tapped my nose and then my arm, before they returned to coolly watching me while talking between themselves, and I placed my glass down, fiddling with my fork.
Ezra’s conversation stalled. “Mom, I’ll be back in a second.” Smart, he was.
“Okay,” she murmured, confused, as he stood from his chair and sped away in a blur.
King Venclaire and Cahal flat out eyed me, not even bothering to talk.
Well, then…I turned toward Antonio, who was staring at the woods as calm as could be. “See anything interesting out there in the woods of King Hall?”
His gaze slammed to mine. “What did you just say?”
“The woods.” I pointed to said woods, having picked him to talk with because I hadn’t thought he would be mean. “Anything—”
He shook his head, stopping me. “Exactly, Lil. Exactly, what did you say?”
“Um…” A slow blink. “See anything interesting out there in the woods of King Hall?”
He disappeared.