Unsure of what woke me, I blinked my eyes open to a dark room. Instinct had me scenting the air, and I instantly knew that the man crushing me was Ezra. With another blink, my location came back to me, remembering that all of us were sleeping at King Venclaire’s, in Ezra’s bedroom, in his bed.
One more blink, and I also realized that in our slumber, Ezra and I had moved from our sides. I was lying on my back and Ezra was using my right boob as a pillow. His other hand was up under my shirt, cupping my left boob — sans bra for bed — and the rest of his body was sprawled over my stomach and legs. He was snoring quietly. Maybe drooling a little, too, since the part of my shirt near his mouth was damp and clinging to my skin. Somehow, us sleeping under the same blanket never ended up proper.
My arms were around his neck, and I grunted, trying to wiggle out from under his frigging immense weight, but he just grunted, pressing down harder, and started snoring full out. Opening my mouth to wake him, I froze. There was another scent in the air. Not one of my friends’, either.
Inhaling deeper, I found the scent was…muted. Barely noticeable really, but still there. My heart kicked into overdrive when I couldn’t figure it out. The scent confused me and my senses. It was like I should know it, but it was only vaguely hovering. Maybe, come and gone?
That made my heart speed even faster: comprehending someone had been in the room while we were sleeping. Very near breathless, I began scanning the room, my eyes glowing severely as I attempted to see if anything was amiss.
I had accomplished evaluating half the room when Ezra’s snore abruptly stopped and he froze over me, his muscles clenching. This also meant his cupping palm squeezed my boob. His hand froze with the action, probably recognizing what he had a hold of. I didn’t really pay attention, though, still scanning.
His head snapped up, his eyes glowing on my face. “What’s the matter? Your heart’s going berserk,” he inhaled sharply, “and you’re scared.” His hand was slowly releasing my breast as if, if he did it slowly enough, I wouldn’t notice it had been there in the first place.
“Someone’s been in the room,” I growled — yes, a little wolf — quietly. “The scent’s odd and light, but it’s there.”
His warm palm slid down my stomach, his fingers trailing over my skin so lightly, and even though I was freaked, goose bumps still popped up on my skin, before he gripped my hip, cocking his head. Listening. His thumb tapped a few times on my lower stomach in an odd rhythm before he started rubbing it back and forth soothingly, whispering, “Only the heartbeats that are supposed to be in the house are. Maybe, you’re scenting something on one of their clothes.”
Another inhale as I tilted my head left, then right. “No. It’s not them.” I was starting to tremble. The scent was puzzling, my senses distressed. I even sneezed.
“Sweetheart,” Ezra purred softly, repositioning, drifting up so his hard body rubbed over mine and stopped directly above me, his face so close our noses brushed, “Calm down. You’re scaring yourself over nothing.” His hand on my hip slid to the small of my back, then higher, rucking my shirt up over my hips to my belly button, and I tried to look around his head, wanting another look at the room, but he pressed down heavily on my trembling frame, keeping me immobile.
I glared.
A gentle shake of his head, his fingers delicately massaging my tense back muscles, and he whispered, “If there was anyone in the house who shouldn’t be, I would hear them.” He bent his head, rubbing his cheek against mine soothingly. His was bristly. Heated lips against my ear, he breathed even more quietly, “Although, I can tell you the cook is getting it on with one of the servants right now. Their heartbeats are going crazy.”
That jarred me from the shaking mess I had become, and I chuckled hard, my body shaking for a different reason now. A pleasant one.
“That’s it,” Ezra murmured on a mere exhale, his words only for us. “Just keep thinking about those old geezers getting their freak on.” He chuckled himself. “I have to listen to it every other night. Half the time they complain about their joints aching before, during, and after. I actually bought earplugs.”
Snorting, I relaxed my arms around his neck, sliding my hands to his shoulders.
That’s when the scent intensified.
My eyes blazed bright and my wolf growled low as my body vibrated.
Ezra paused too, but a second later he shook his head next to mine, teasing, “It could be that I need to buy you a night-light.” He lifted his head just enough so that our eyes were a few inches apart. “There’s no one here, sweetheart.”
A golden light blazed next to the bed in the shape of an immense bubble.
Our heads snapped to it; his Vampire’s growl actually overrode my wolf’s.
Ezra gripped my back tight and, with Vampire speed, blurred, pushing with his other hand and rising onto his knees with me in his arms, the too-quick motion making my head spin. The other occupants of the bed were stirring from our predators’ growls, right as the golden bubble burst outward in a sparkling display of beauty, but with a force that had me screaming and Ezra rotating his back to take the brunt of the explosion, protecting me. He grunted, the blast hitting him full on, and his eyes instantly closed as we collapsed back to our original positions on the bed, me under him and getting the breath knocked from my lungs as we landed, the magic having touched everyone on the bed, but me.
I choked, trying to get air in, and, suddenly, saw King Venclaire, King Kincaid, and Antonio standing where the bubble had been, their scents flooding the room as I finally inhaled and caught my breath, my eyes wide in shock, my body stunned motionless.
Antonio shook his head in disappointment. “You should have paid attention to your instincts, Lil.”
King Kincaid tapped his nose, growling, “Always trust your senses.”
Antonio lifted a hand, and flicked a glowing finger in my direction.
My eyes widened even further as a tiny, gold spark flew right at me. Jolting, I tried to get out from under Ezra’s unconscious weight, but the gold spark hit me dead center on the forehead. I saw nothing else as darkness took me under.
Blinking my eyes open to the dark night, I instantly knew I wasn’t where I should be. The side of my face laid on cool sand, along with the rest of my body, a quiet breeze ruffling my hair. Scents flooded my awareness that weren’t standard to waking. Wild scents.
Also, there were the sounds behind me.
A lion’s roar.
A wolf’s growl.
A panther’s snarl.
A monkey’s screech.
A bear’s roar.
Slowly, very damn slowly, I turned my head just enough to peek behind me. Peering through my hair, I saw all of those beasts — a lot of freaking animals — heading my way in a slow stalk, their eyes shining as they reflected the lamplight illuminating the zoo’s walkways for the exhibit I was currently lying in, the area where I lay a replica of the Sahara with red sand and ugly, pale brush sticking up sporadically.
Oh, shit.
Even more slowly than before — no sudden movements — I turned my face back the way it had been. Jack, Pearl, and Ezra lay behind me in a pile of arms and limbs, sleeping, all of us still in our pajamas. And the worst part was we were trapped. There was a vast sand wall stretching up at least fifty feet to where a railing lined the top, normally where visitors could look down at the exhibit.
Instead of visitors, all four Kings stood there, beholding us.
King Fergus had a pebble raised, as if he had been in the process of throwing it at us, but lowered it seeing I was awake.
Oh, well thank you for waking me, so I could see death stalk me.
Antonio was there too, sitting on the railing and swinging his legs back and forth merrily, appearing entertained. They had trespassed in the damn zoo. Stuck us in this exhibit.
What the hell?
One day I would…I didn’t know, but I would get payback.
Ten, maybe a hundred, fold.
Over the animal’s threatening calls, King Kincaid decreed, “This is your challenge for funneling.” My jaw dropped, and he paused, his eyes on mine as he shrugged. “Stop them from killing you.”
My friends were starting to stir, their reactions the same as mine when they saw what was headed our way and, still not moving, my eyes on my King, I hissed stridently, “I’ve never controlled a wild animal. Only Shifters.”
Surprise showed on the Kings’ faces, their attention swinging to King Kincaid.
Chortling this time, he shrugged once more. “You better hope you’re a quick learner.”
“Oh. My. God,” Pearl whispered, fear straining her voice. “They can’t be serious.” She was beginning to back-pedal on her hands and knees, but she quickly hit the sand wall.
“Have you all lost your damn minds?” Ezra shouted, furious, his glowing eyes on the Kings and his fangs extending. Apparently, he didn’t know you weren’t supposed to make all that racket around wild animals. They roared or growled or hissed even louder. He didn’t seem to care. “She just said she doesn’t know how!”
Jack ignored all this, though his face was pale, and he asked, “Where are our mates?”
“Sleeping peacefully and safely back at King Venclaire’s home,” Antonio chirped, and pointed down to the left. “What’s in that shadowed area over there?”
“Gorillas,” King Nelson stated, cracking his back. “They were harder than the bears to get down there.”
“Hello!” Ezra yelled, jumping to his feet, but lowered to a crouch as the animals went wild. “Did you crazy fucks hear me?”
“Oh, we heard you,” King Kincaid murmured, glaring, his voice dryer than the sand under us. “We’re choosing to ignore you.” His gaze leveled with mine. “I can’t believe you let some,” his wolf growled low, “Vampire dissuade you from your initial instinct. You’re a Shifter! You knew something was wrong, and you let him persuade you everything was fine.” He paused. “For that, I added,” he pointed down to the right, “them.”
Ezra’s attention snapped to me. His eyebrows lowered and his wide lips pinched. He didn’t say he was sorry, but I could tell by his gaze he felt — somewhat — apologetic.
I turned my head to where my King was pointing. Saw alligators coming out of a small body of water. Huge freaking alligators.
“They’re hard to control,” King Kincaid stated factually, then chuckled quietly. “Kind of like Vampires.” He clapped once. “Enjoy.”
Without warning, we were swiftly doused. In blood. Pig’s blood from the smell of it.
Pearl shrieked, her golden hair plastered to her face and shoulders, red rivulets running down into her cleavage, her golden pajamas not so golden anymore.
Jack gagged, wiping the blood from his eyes, and glared up at the Kings.
Ezra and I just scowled at King Nelson and King Fergus as they lowered the previously full buckets they had just dumped on us.
Not even bothering to wipe his face, Ezra asked through clenched teeth, “Why couldn’t I hear your heartbeats earlier? And what was that explosion?”
“What explosion?” Jack asked, choking as blood ran off his hair into his mouth.
Antonio waggled his fingers, sitting easily on the railing. “Just a little specialty of mine I learned a long time ago from one hell of a sneaky devil. It blocks every Mystical’s senses but a Shifter’s. To them,” his head teetered in thought, “it makes them anxious. Nervous. They can scent who’s inside the magic, but it’s dull and off base, a scent not right.” He paused, thoughtful. “Plainly, it freaks them out.”
King Kincaid sighed. “Honey, behind you.”
My friends froze, their eyes widening on their crimson, damp faces, staring over me.
Not a good sign.
A roar sounded directly behind me, and I instinctively rolled, barely missing being swiped by deadly grizzly-bear claws. The brute of a bear rose on its hind legs, roaring again, drool dripping from the corners of its mouth. Thank you God that my wolf didn’t let me go out a wimp.
My wolf growled back as I sprang to my feet.
Jumped with a bit of my Shifter strength.
I clocked the grizzly right on the side of its gigantic, frigging furry head, landing in a crouch, again, barely missing a wayward paw full of claws as it stumbled back, a funky whimpering sound eliciting from the beast.
My wolf growled as I gradually straightened.
The bear didn’t come back.
Yet again, King Kincaid sighed. “Lily, don’t harm the animals, just keep them from attacking you. Get control of them by funneling.” He paused. “You’d better hurry up. I think they like the smell of the blood.” A merciless chuckle.
“This is seriously more twisted than mine,” Jack hissed, standing to his feet and moving behind me. “I don’t think we’re getting out of it, though.”
Pearl and Ezra quickly moved behind me.
The mass of wild animals were now within twenty yards of us. There were so many of them. It was hard to concentrate, much less come up with an idea on the fly to stop them. From grizzlies to cougars to gorillas, well, it was intimidating.
We quickly made the link. There was nothing else to do but do it.
Through the warm haze, I whispered, “I want them to stop.”
A feeling like I had never felt invaded my warmth as I stared at the swarm of animals. I felt each and every one of my best friends’ unique brand of magical will invade me, touching my Core, and sit alongside mine as I pushed my power, my charged will, forward, shoving it on the animals in front of me. It was enchanting.
The animals didn’t stop.
“Oh, God,” I whispered, my thoughts flying in circles as I tried to piece this puzzle together. I didn’t truly think it was because I was a hybrid. I could feel the part of me that was Vampire in my Core, and it was almost like it was taking a nap, being dormant for this. So, no, it wasn’t that. But what else could it be? My hands trembled as the animals slowly closed in another five yards. “I want their paws glued to the ground, unable to move.”
I felt the combined push of our wills. It didn’t help. Said paws still moved forward.
I whimpered, my eyes scanning. They were all so fierce. All so untamed. All wild. Each ready to savagely tear us apart. Another whimper escaped when they were only ten yards away, those long, bared teeth all I could see, all so primitive.
Wait.
Primitive…
Wild…
Untamed…
An animal that was primitive or wild or untamed doesn’t just “stop”. They have to have a reason to do so. They don’t think logical, rational thoughts. Animal. Not Shifter. I knew enough, my wolf being fearless and imprudent when I shifted, that I should have figured this out before they made it this close. They think with instincts, with how their body is feeling. Like, right now, they were hungry, and smelled the blood, so they were going to eat. Or, if they were protective, they would fight to defend their territory.
If I wanted them to stop, they would have to be…
“Tired,” I mumbled rapidly. “I want them exhausted. So tired they can’t move.”
I pushed our will of lethargy on the mass of animals not five yards away.
It worked. Kind of.
Almost all of the animals were affected by our will, but King Kincaid had been correct. Those damn alligators gave us the most trouble, waddling drunkenly, fighting our will all the way to an inch from my toes before they plopped down, hitting the sand like the other animals had, sleeping, each making a wild kind of snore. All of them.
Absurdly, a thought came to mind, making me giggle and earning me a few glances.
These snoring beasts had nothing on Nikki.
Politely, I kept that to myself.