His head dipped to her. “Understood.” He didn’t apologize, just continued eating his sandwich, navy blue ice cold eyes never once swinging toward me to give anything away.
I was just biting into another chip, conversation starting up around the table again when the One asked lazily, but a bit harshly, “Ms. Jules, would you care to explain how you lost my diamond…in the fucking past?”
I chewed slowly, setting the bag down on the table, and went with a patient expression when I swiveled my chair toward the far end of the table to where he sat. Not having glanced at him yet, keeping a rein on my control for now, I stared directly into shadowed, attractive silver eyes, and lied out my ass, stating slowly, and clearly, “It was mine, not yours, and it went down a drain.”
Slow words. “Mine…and a drain?”
I nodded once, tilting my head toward Elder Farrar, but keeping eye contact with the One. “When I found Elder Farrar with it, I landed in a shower with him. He was…busy…with company at the time, and my arrival startled all three of us. I dropped the damn diamond,” I made a subtle, small whooshing motion with my hand, “and down the drain it went.”
It was dead quiet in the room as he blinked at me once, then asked in a bored tone, “You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?”
“Of course not,” I stated, and then crinkled my nose. “Well, I guess I could be, but I would have come up with a better freaking story than that.” And, I let my cheeks blush, making myself remember vividly what I had seen on Elder Farrar. “It’s actually damn embarrassing.”
His eyes flicked over my face, and then he sat heavily back on his chair, running a hand over his mouth. “Dammit, I hate losing my shit.”
“It was mine,” I muttered, swiveling my chair, turning my attention back to my sandwich.
“Mine.”
I snorted, taking a bite of my food, chewing calmly.
And…not one Shifter outed me, every single one of them either watching silently, or eating their food calmly, even the one I had buried this morning.
Across from the One, Elder Zeller leaned forward, appearing all types of eager for information, asking him, “Now that’s it’s gone, will you tell me what it could do?”
The One flicked a tired hand, his brows still together in irritation. “It’s sufficed to say, the damn thing had many different influential uses.” Another irritated flick of his hand. “Think of the name itself. Primal Diamond…Primal. It wasn’t just spelled. It was ancient. An original.”
I swallowed slowly, the bite feeling cutting down my suddenly dry throat, taking a pickle off the sandwich with a steady hand and setting it on the wrapper as I felt Elder Zeller’s dark gaze on me, his words even darker when he muttered dryly, “You couldn’t have held on to the damn thing, Ms. Jules?”
“You have no clue what I saw in that shower.” I faked a shudder, still rocked by what the One had said. “I was lucky I didn’t faint.” I took another bite.
“So was I,” Elder Farrar muttered dryly around his food. “Teeth don’t have to be sharp to hurt.”
I chewed slowly; trying not to choke as every single man at the table blinked, shuddered, and then started shifting on their chair.
Irritated words from Elder Merrick, who talked while chewing slowly. “That, is going to ruin my glow, dammit.”
Elder Farrar snorted. “It did mine.”
“Towels on the right…” King Collins muttered under his breath, shaking his head, and then, he turned his attention to me, asking, “Did Philip Masterson give a reason for the attack and taking you back in time?”
Dammit…think, think…I swallowed my bite, and then murmured, “He was upset we had attacked him in his place of business.” And, he had been.
King Collins muttered a curse, and then grumbled, “That was damn extreme using his powers like that, but he probably figured taking you way back would get you out of the picture since you know his secrets, growing up with him as you did.”
I hummed, looking thoughtful and nodding absently…and let everyone else talk after that about the fallout from the press on the attack and any new intel the MIA had been able to pull, which wasn’t a whole hell of a lot.
Finally, sitting in King Collins office, one of the privacy spelled rooms in the Elemental section, all the Rulers were in here, plus a few of the Elders, and Queen Ruckler stared at me with cold, blue eyes, asking bluntly, “Tell me I didn’t just cover for you in there because you selfishly want to keep the Primal Diamond.”
I snorted, ignoring the few surprised glances around the room for those not in the know. “Of course I’m keeping it. It’s mine.” I sat more comfortably on my chair before continuing. “But I lied because Philip Masterson’s whole reason for taking me back in time was because he wanted to take me to someone who could supposedly extract it from me.” My head cocked. “Tell me…how did he know I had it after the One so obviously used it, since Philip Masterson and Jacob Angel are protected magically, and then the Guardian under the One’s care?”
Everyone’s faces went deathly, scarily quiet.
I nodded once. “Yep, we’ve got a traitor in our midst.”
“It had better be a fucking spirit, and not one of our own,” King Zeller growled quietly, his Vampire sounding.
“Actually, I think it is,” I stated evenly, staring back into his deadly, green eyes. “Did you notice anyone else’s reaction in the room while I spoke about the diamond?”
Elder Zeller murmured, “Reese was more pissed than the One was.”
Elder Merrick muttered a quiet curse, his wolf growling as he started pacing back and forth, like he was caged. “He reeked of aggression at the news.” His head lifted, eyebrows together, sniffing once in the air. “Do you smell that?”
I sniffed the air, but didn’t smell anything.
Queen Ruckler sniffed the air, relaxed on her seat, answering, “Maybe the carpets were cleaned recently, but other than that, no.”
I moved along as Elder Merrick continued to pace. “Reese tried to hide it, but his eyes,” I narrowed my gaze, “they got all squinty.”
King Collins inhaled heavily before sitting tiredly behind his desk. “How the hell do we handle this? We can’t attack Reese without telling the One, but I somehow doubt he will believe us.”
I spoke evenly, possibly a bit clipped in irritation when I couldn’t contain it any longer. “Let me talk with him on this subject.”
Every single person in the room froze, including me, when a quiet chuckle came from a corner…an empty corner…the sound menacing and purring, then suddenly the space wavered to show the One standing there, arms crossed, leaning a shoulder against the glimmering golden wall, an eyebrow cocked. “And what would you say, Ms. Jules?”
My nostrils flared in instant irritation. “Seriously, Leric?”
“I would have hidden longer if he,” head tip to Elder Merrick, whom had been edging, pacing, toward that corner, “didn’t have the power, and nose, he does.”
I jumped to my feet, pissed the hell off. “You’re fucking spying on us in our own home?”
His lips curved gently, but his gaze was predatory. “As I’ve been spied on since I arrived.” Both eyebrows raised, and he stated evenly, “I want my diamond back.”
“And you can kiss my ass, because it’s mine.”
His eyes flared the barest bit. “How the stars have such humor…” He shook his head. “Ms. Jules, you really should have stayed at the Temple longer to learn more.” His head tilted slightly, white rolls dangling, swaying. “Now, tell me, what would you say to convince me one of my most trusted has deceived me?”
My chest heaved as I growled, “I would say,” a jabbed finger in his direction, “that you already fucking knew, and you allowed him into my home.” He knew fucking everything about his people if he wished.