But the fury I knew well had taken hold of him, and he ignored me, asking aloud, his voice harsh, “Which one is it?”
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed his hand that had already healed, and started wiping the blood off, ordering through our connection, “Leric, you need to control,”
“Fuck control,” he barked harshly, starting to glow a bit. “I want to know which person my goddamn Chosen is cradling between her thighs.”
My gaze slammed to his. “Stop this.”
“No,” he growled, his glowing eyes narrowing. He gripped my hand in his. “And I don’t even need to ask.”
Instantly, I sucked in a harsh breath, trying to jerk my hand back…
…but the images flooded my mind in a flurry, his power flooding my being in an uncontrollable burst of dizzying speed, every detail whizzing by in sharp relief.
The first time I had slept with Cain in our drunken state.
The second time, of our own free, sober will.
Every subsequent time in the past.
The manic, carnal joining in the present.
Our tender kiss after the Barren.
And our last, more violent joining in my room at the Temple.
…and then, it stopped, maybe ten seconds passing, but honestly, it could have been ten seconds or ten minutes, no real clue as I groaned, slumping against my chair, blinking slowly, shaking my head against the nausea, hearing Leric’s tiger growling fiercely, his entire being lit up, crown of the galaxies on his head as he stared down at me, utterly livid with possession.
“Leric…don’t,” I managed to croak, holding my head, squinting past the blurriness, everyone at the table silent, and I knew my Lajaks didn’t understand how quickly his power passed, but all were deathly still, and I felt Cain’s hand where he sat directly on my left instantly land on my leg under the table, gripping me tightly.
Leric’s nostrils flared, and he bared his teeth, hissing, “Do you want to know the difference between how women handle their issues and men do, my Chosen?”
I swallowed hard, shaking my head again against the debilitating power. “Leric…no…”
“Women talk through their issues while men,” he bent, glaring straight into my gaze, “beat the shit out of each other until one of them is dead.” A tiger’s furious snarl. “And it won’t be me.”
Sucking in oxygen, I forced peace down our bond, and he instantly jerked, his glow dimming, and he growled, “Stop that.” His narrowed gaze started to move the barest bit to my left…to Cain…but I jerked a wavering hand out, grabbing his chin, keeping his attention on me. Even when I pushed more peace, he growled, “You are fucking mine.”
Blinking blurrily, I whispered through our connection, “I am no more yours than you are mine.”
Chest heaving, he growled aloud, “Sex doesn’t make you his, either.” He jerked his face from my hand, and shot up from his chair, the back banging noisily on the ground, his tiger sounding furiously, but after staring at me for a long moment, he turned and quickly moved through the tables of those staring around us, Roselle and Reese both following at a distance, giving him space.
I stared after him for long moments, waiting until I saw him enter the hotel completely, then let my eyes close against the dizziness, holding my forehead, not bothering to move, not wanting to move yet.
Slowly, conversation picked up at the other tables, probably gossiping, but it was something other than the dreadful silence.
King Collins’s voice was quiet when he asked, “What the hell did I miss during that?”
Cain cleared his throat next to me, rubbing his thumb over my leg gently, stating gravelly, but lazily, “I believe he knows she’s sleeping with someone.”
I barely withheld my chuckle.
“I got that,” King Collins muttered dryly. “And Sin, even though you two hide it well, you might want to leave the Temple.”
Sin’s voice was utterly even. “Oh…I think I’ll stay awhile. I always enjoy a good challenge.”
My lips trembled the barest bit, but luckily no one could see it with my hair hanging.
King Collins muttered, “You’re fucking crazy.” He cleared his throat. “But anyway, how did he go from furious…to breakneck in less than a second?”
Ah…I had been wrong on how long it took. “I touched him.” I reached blindly for my water, keeping my eyes closed against the twirling, and felt Cain press it into my hand with his free one. I took a sip from it. “He went into my memories.” Another larger drink. “He saw everything and every time.”
Silence descended again while Cain’s hand tightened brutally on my leg.
Elder Farrar muttered, “Well…I bet that was one hell of a porno.”
“Christ,” King Collins muttered in reprimand. “A little tact, man.”
“I’m just saying…”
I did chuckle then, peeking my eyes open slowly, making sure the table in front of me wasn’t spinning too horribly. “And clearly, the peep show into my personal affairs was not well-received.” I rolled my head on my shoulders, trying to sit up straight. “Plus, his power packs a punch that leaves you winded.”
“You’re alright?” Cain asked brusquely, helping me straighten with gentle, but steady hands. “I knew he did something.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I muttered, shaking my head past the last of the remnants of Leric’s power, firmly ignoring how warm Cain’s palms felt as he lifted me slowly, and his scent that spiked the barest bit. “It just made me dizzy as hell.”
He grunted quietly, releasing me quickly…only to place his hand back on my leg under the table.
Elder Samson dipped his head to me, and I swear his gaze held respect I hadn’t seen there before. “You, Ms. Jules, handled the bond’s pull much better than he did.”
My brows lifted the barest bit even as I pressed my leg against Cain’s. “I’ll still kill her in a heartbeat if I see them together physically.” I tapped my fingers on the table. “Honestly, he held it together pretty damn well for what he viewed.”
“Yes, but you used your head while you faced her, unlike what he pulled from you. You know the boundaries of your bond, and you formulated a plan before anything unfortunate could happen.” He shrugged a negligent shoulder. “That was well done for someone of your age and situation.”
I grinned a bit. “And then, I got sloppy drunk.”
Golden brows rose. “As would anyone in your circumstance.” He stared pointedly, not falling for my act as so many others did. “Take the credit where it’s due, Ms. Jules.”
I grudgingly nodded with a heavy inhale. “Thank you.” I hated that shit, so I glanced to my other Lajaks, moving the topic. “I’ve still got money to blow…so…we’re going to hit the market again.” It was fabulous with antiques and handmade goods, but there were groans from all around. “Oh, quit whining and maybe I’ll buy each of you something.” I waggled my brows. “And a gift from me, is always a priceless treasure to hold close to your,” I touched my chest, “heart.”
Instantly, Elder Bridges appeared affronted, muttering, “We’re fucking screwed.”
King Collins nodded. “She’s got that look.”
I chuckled, raising my hands. “Oh, come on…I’m not that bad.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Now,” I clapped my hands delightedly after dinner…and after giving each of them their gift, “who wants to watch a movie?”
All scowled from their lazy positions about the room, no words uttered.
I wiggled my hips in my pajama shorts. “Or…who wants to go dancing?”
Their eyes narrowed further, because that meant they would be back on duty.
“Movie?” I gestured to the projector the hotel had instead of a television. “Or dancing…” More hula wiggling of my hips, turning in a full circle with the motion, grinning at them, then tossing my arms wide. “Your choice.”
Cain blinked, his hooded gaze lifting from my hips to my eyes, muttering gruffly, “Movie.”