“What. The. Hell?” Fergus slurred on a shout from the ground, sounding entirely pissed, the other Prodigies voicing their complaints loudly, too, as they were silvered.
“Calm down,” King White murmured, bending to lift Fergus to a sitting position, and then he shouted, his head flying back when Fergus swung his head back in a quick jerk, slamming the back of his head into King White’s face. “Shit!” He shook his head swiftly, blood running down his nose, but it quickly cut off, healing, his grip not loosening on a clearly furious Fergus. “I’m not going to hurt you, dammit!”
“Get her out of those cuffs!” Fergus growled before a slew of inventive curses aimed at the Kings starting flying out of his mouth on a slur.
King Bridges actually chuckled at the furious expression King Samson wore at one of the particularly artistic insults toward him as they started dragging their drugged and silvered Prodigies to lean against a wall next to each other.
“Shut up,” King White muttered under his breath, starting to drag Caleb next to the other Prodigies. “Before you piss one of them off too badly.”
Instant slurred order. “Get. Her. Out. Of. Those. Cuffs!”
“Not after we’ve gone through this much trouble to get her in them,” King White muttered, placing Fergus gently on the wall, then growled another curse when Fergus started shouting at all of them, many different variations of ways he would kill them if they hurt me…to the point where King White gagged him with one of his gloves and the curtain ties he grabbed. “Be quiet before they charge your ass.”
King Samson murmured very dryly, “It’s tempting.”
And, Fergus flipped him off.
“Fergus!” I barked loudly, shaking my head against the ringing in my ears that caused. “I like you living, so do as he says.” My forehead sweating from the silver, I turned my eyes to King White. “He’s only protecting you.”
“Very nicely deduced.” King White removed his other glove, straightening to stare at me directly across the intimate room we were in, the Prodigies about ten yards away from me. “And seeing as you’re extremely intelligent and smooth with your dialect,” he waved his arms wide, “here we are.”
“I didn’t lie,” I mumbled. “You asked. I answered.”
King Townsend waved a finger. “You still never answered a question directly.” A wave at the silent, glaring Prodigies. “And you, your powers unknown to us, a woman with no background or history, except for activity with a criminal stopping by your apartment late at night and trained fighting skills against Law enforcement—we saw a video of that, by the way, a woman who does not exist in this world, you’ve managed to worm your way into their lives to the point each one trusts you completely.”
I sighed heavily. “I have no malicious intent toward any of them or any of you.”
King Townsend murmured, “Truth.” He nodded once. “I think you understand where this conversation is going, Ms. Farrow, so why don’t you start at the beginning.”
I chuckled quietly, eyeing them as I slurred, “Peace Kings, my ass.”
All four of their lips lifted slightly, and King White stated simply, “We brought peace to a world terrified from war.” A shrugged shoulder. “How we did so, is moot at this point, everyone much better off than how things were.”
I grunted. “I’m not really up for giving my life story.” I blinked slowly. “It’s really a dreadful and depressing one to most.”
“We’ll ask, then, and you answer without the elaboration of warped prettiness.” King White inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Your parents. Who are they?”
“I don’t know. I was raised in foster homes, none of those people’s names worth remembering.”
King Townsend nodded once.
“What are you since we can’t feel your power?” King Bridges asked bluntly, his arms crossed, leaning back against the bar.
Keeping it simple. “I’m not a Com. I’m Elemental.”
Another nod from the Shifter.
King White ordered, “Elaborate.”
My lips pinched, but I exhaled heavily, seeing no real way around this unless I wanted my throat slit, since I had no doubt one of them would do it in the dark of night if I didn’t pass this little test, stating, “I’m a spirit Elemental.”
All four stared at me for long moments, clear shock radiating on their faces, then three of their heads jerked to King Townsend, and he nodded once absently.
King White muttered a curse, running a hand over his face, peering at me with brown eyes as he held his hand over his mouth for, at least, a full minute. Not saying a word in the shocked silence before he dropped his hand, face blank, but he wasn’t a fool, not missing a damn thing, turning his attention to the Elders, asking them gruffly, “Did you know she’s a spirit?”
And, they both only stared at him calmly—no shock, their eyes both hooded. Apparently, they were going to let him run this little show, but they weren’t about to help.
“That would be a yes,” King Bridges murmured, actually appearing a bit amused—must have been listening to their heartbeats, his gaze coming back to me. “Why can’t we feel your powers? Is that a spirit thing?”
“No,” I stated calmly. “I don’t know how it happened, but I’m protected from others feeling my powers from a distance.”
A nod from the Shifter.
“Where are you from?” King White asked quietly, studying me closely, definitely a different light in his gaze now that he knew what I was.
“All over,” I slurred, blinking slowly to keep them in focus. “All over this fucking world.”
Instantly, King Samson’s head tilted oddly, and his eyes started glowing, and they all waited until he murmured in a dreamy tone, “World…Distance…Years…Dates…” My heart rate shot off like a cannon even with the drugs in my system, sweat beginning to trickle down my temples. King Bridges eyes flicked to me, then back to the Mage, whose head cocked the other way. “Lost…Scared…Alone,” his eyes glowed brighter, “Soul mates…Crossed…Love…Dates…Time,” he stuttered, voice airy, “Time…Time…Time…” He jerked, his entire body glowing dimly. “This isn’t her…time.” A wave of a hand as he stared off at only something he could see. “She’s from the…distance.” Another head cocking. “The future.”
I kept my face perfectly blank, scared to do anything else as he lurched, his glowing stopping, his gaze positively frantic as he asked me hurriedly, “You haven’t done anything to disrupt the future, have you?”
I stayed silent.
Somewhere I heard a door shut as the employees of the home worked in the hushed quiet.
“Answer me!” King Samson shouted at the top of his lungs, and started stomping toward me.
“Wait!” King White bellowed, slamming a hand on his chest stopping him in mid-motion, then stated more quietly, and slowly, at his furious expression, “You could be wrong.” He stared at him steadily. “And she is not yours to deal with.”
A finger jabbed in my direction. “I am not wrong, and only a Mage can travel through time, unless you know some secret about the elusive spirit Elementals I don’t.” He shook his head. “And even at that, no Mage can travel back in time. Something. Is. Wrong!”
Yes, something was very wrong if they kept up with this line of questioning, but I didn’t know what to do, unsure of what was safe to say.
“Are you from the future?” King Townsend asked bluntly, his wolf riding his tone, appearing confused as hell to even be asking the question.
My eyes tilted back to King Samson…staring at the man who had already done the damage…feeling a nice simmering anger for him in my belly, but I pulled my attention back to King Townsend, saying the only thing I could, “Yes.”
He muttered on a whisper, “Truth.”
“Jesus,” King Bridges mumbled in horrified wonder.