“You want to try to take me for doing my damn job?” Elder Merrick leaned forward, his head cocking in a completely animalistic fashion. “Then I fucking dare you.”
“Whoa!” King Collins held his hands up between us even as we both started rising, the blanket falling off my shoulders, stars of fire starting to glow in my palms. “Wait just a second!” Brown eyes were huge on his face. “Explain…now!”
Elder Jacobs also stepped quickly between us, hands out, eyes glowing, stating, “It was our job to protect the Prodigies, Ms. Jules. You were an unknown. We did what we had to.”
What he had to. My chest heaved at that kind little reminder. I inhaled heavily, slamming my hands together, the room literally shaking, rumbling under everyone as I snuffed the fire out in my palms. “You’re right.” I was shaking I was so furious. “It isn’t as if I don’t know what betrayal is. At least it was for a fucking cause I agree with this time.” I rolled my head on my shoulders, trying to calm down before I said too much, did something I would regret, then glared at Elder Merrick. “But I still fucking hate you.”
“Right back at you, spirit bitch,” Elder Merrick purred quietly, his wolf growling low.
“Alright, that’s fucking enough!” King Collins shouted at Elder Merrick, his expression furious.
King Zeller blurred into the room, asking, “What the hell’s going on in here?” He eyed all of us closely, half the room now standing, preparing to stop a fight. “I’ve got Valium.”
“I hope you brought enough for two.” King Collins continued glaring at Elder Merrick, but snapped his fingers at King Zeller. “Bring ‘em over.” More snapping, more hurried. “I know you can move faster than that.”
I took the pill without argument, staring at the ground so I wouldn’t have access to seek out Elder Merrick after seeing him chuck a pill across the room, his wolf growling loud enough King Zeller didn’t try to give him another, almost grateful I would be in a haze soon.
King Collins put a careful arm around my stiff shoulders, tucking me in close, moving me slowly forward. “Sin, why don’t you take—”
“On it,” Sin stated brusquely, a growl in his own tone, pulling me under his arm.
And as we moved forward, my eyes slowly lifted and steadily met Elder Merrick’s where he gazed at me between Queen Ruckler and Elder Kincaid, both of them trying to calm him after I had damn near directly challenged him.
Sin’s tone was a menacing purr against my ear while I held Elder Merrick’s gaze levelly. “What’s your plan for this justified betrayal?”
“Revenge, of course,” I whispered on a mere breath, so no others in the room could hear. “Of the bloody sort.”
“My favorite kind,” Sin murmured steadily, also now staring over my head as we moved, watching Elder Merrick. “Wanna tell me—”
“Nope,” I stated as we exited the room.
“Well, let me know if you need help, love.”
I squeezed him tight, stumbling a bit as the Valium took hold. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Sin caught me, lifting me into his arms in a child’s hold against his chest. I blinked blurrily up at him, watching him waver in and out. King Collins’ words were the last I heard on an echo behind us somewhere as he barked, “Before the damn press gets here, I want to know everything that happened forty years ago.”
Chapter Nine
The Valium had helped clear, and calm, my mind so I could think properly.
Think properly on the right course of action for revenge, that is.
So now, in the pre-dawn light, I lay in wait. After Sin had done some recon for me, I had found Elder Merrick took early morning runs through the woods of the manor. And this morning was no exception. In fact, Sin’s contact told him he had taken off extra early, along with the general area. I hadn’t asked Sin who his contact was or how he had managed to get it, but I knew it was good…because Sin was that good. After escaping our room, and guards, by going out the side window, I had slunk in the early darkness, careful not to trip any of their alarms, knowing those easily from King Collins mandate the Prodigies know their surroundings, and protections.
And now, I sat on a tree limb, downwind, but toward the manor, out of sight from where I had spotted Elder Merrick’s clothing pile. My dart gun was ready, as it had been for the past half hour, and I was only waiting to take his ass out. Sure, there was another pressing matter I needed to take care of, but this one had—selfishly—taken priority, fury still boiling through my body like damn potent lava.
And revenge came by a sweaty Elder Merrick walking through two trees, his gym shorts already on as he pulled his shirt over his head. I waited a few moments, eyeing him down my sight of the gun, waiting for the moment he noticed me. Because I wanted him to. I wanted to come at him head on…at first.
And like the wolf he was, he stopped dead in his tracks not a moment later, his head cocking. He went completely still. He sniffed the air once. His lips curled viciously, his eyes glowing instantly as his head turned directly in my direction, his gaze bearing straight on me.
My own lips curled a bit as he arrogantly began prowling directly at me.
“Hello, Caro,” Elder Merrick purred softly, unfazed I had a dart gun aimed at him. “Come to try to take me down?”
I lowered the gun a bit, so I could stare him straight on, my own eyes glowing down on him where he stopped ten yards away from under the limb I was on. “Oh…I’m not going to try.” My head cocked. “I will take you down.”
His wolf growled quietly. “You are no match for me, and you know it.” He flicked damp curls from his face. “Run along before you get hurt.”
My brows rose. “Any consideration for me getting hurt was trashed over forty years ago.” My eyes were cold on him, just as his were on me. “Which was only yesterday for me, you bastard. And,” my lips curved, “you once told me two is always better than one, which I agree with wholeheartedly when you really trust the individual, so I don’t believe it will be too much trouble taking you down.” I tapped the tree twice with my foot.
He froze completely, even as he sniffed the air.
But it was too late for him.
Sin rose from the level ground a few feet behind him, dart gun raised, and shot. Aim perfect. The dart injected directly into his neck. Even as he growled furiously, starting to twirl around to the unseen adversary, yanking it out and tossing it, he was already swaying with the silver-laced sedative, unable to use his powers. I swung down quickly from the limb while Sin used his power, roots lifting from the ground, encircling Elder Merrick’s ankles, vines falling from the trees, snaking around his wrists, lifting them high above his head, stretching him tight.
“You fucking bitch,” Elder Merrick bellowed, but his head teetered as he glared.
“Yes, I am a bitch,” I murmured, putting the dart gun into my black cargos side pocket. “Especially to the wicked.” And I swung hard into his stomach, my power flaring.
He grunted, the vines moving with him, then bringing him back in front of me, but he only grinned sloppily. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“Nope.” My lips popped with the motion, and then I jumped, slamming my glowing elbow into his face, his head flying back between his raised bulging arms, beautiful blood dripping from his nose, not healing thanks to the injection as he glared back down to me. “I’m only getting started, asshole.” Then, I took my boot and rammed it directly into his crotch.
He shouted a very foul curse, his body trying to hunch in on itself.
I grinned in pure sadistic delight. “God, I fucking hate you.”
“Likewise, spirit bitch.”