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.
Chapter Eighteen
Anyone would think after our first two tests in funneling that the Kings would have been just as aggressive on Ezra and Pearl during their tests.
They weren’t.
Ezra’s was accomplished inside of a class reunion at the local Com high school. The place had been packed, and the Kings and Antonio had snuck us in through a back entrance. They had taken us behind the bleachers, and then King Venclaire had ordered Ezra to command the entire group to do an action in unison. Well, there had been music playing, and Ezra had chuckled evilly. We had willed them to do the macarena for three songs straight. It had looked like a twisted version of zombie meets the drunken 90s.
After that, it had been Pearl’s turn. Oh, how she had been disappointed with her test. She’d had to make vegetables grow from seeds to full harvest within an hour. I had been impressed. Damn impressed. Especially because it hadn’t just been, like, one or two. It had been an entire field’s worth. We had done it, and when we had left the high grass field, I had really hoped the farmer had been ready to gather the harvest, because that was a whole lot of money down the drain if not.
After that, the Kings had let us rest for the remainder of the two days in the week. I couldn’t remember a time when I had been such a couch potato. Well, I could, but I didn’t like thinking of those memories. Dominic’s killers had never been found, so it was unpleasant reminiscing about him, knowing I had never served justice to those who had murdered him.
Friday came. Like it always did. Although, this time, while the four of us, Nikki, and Gideon started to relax and watch a movie in my bedroom, there was a knock at my door.
Swallowing my popcorn and wiping my buttery hands on my shorts, I opened my door, glaring at Jack behind me and saying a few words to threaten him with bodily harm if he started the movie without me. I turned back to the opened door. Stopped. Stared. Not at the person who had knocked, because that had just been King Kincaid, closest to the door. No, I stared at the man standing slightly behind and to his side.
My goodness, oh, my goodness.
I quickly swiped my mouth with the back of my hand, making sure I didn’t have any bits of popcorn lingering. Or drool. Come to mama, I sniffed, wolfy. Mmm-hmm.
Already smug, King Kincaid said softly, “Lily, I’d like to introduce you to,” a motion to the hottie, “Broderick Dressler. I believe I mentioned he would be dropping by,” crap, he had, “and his father and I have some business to take care of. It should take about an hour. Do you think you can entertain him while we’re meeting in my study?”
I nodded unintelligently, eyeing the wolf Shifter from head to toe.
He was giant. Like, seven feet tall giant. He was muscular like most Shifters, so he took up that much more space. His shiny silver hair hung almost to his shoulders, his eyes dark. His features might have been plain if evaluated separately, but together they made a perfect unity of naturally arched silver brows, a nose a smidge too long, and plump lips.
I was pretty sure I might have panted there for a moment.
The really beautiful part was he held eye contact with me for a long damn time before his gaze traveled over my facial features, and lower, giving me the exact same treatment I had given him. He didn’t even seem too impressed. Meaning, he had some balls to go along with all that scrumptiousness. It was possible I might, in fact, partake in a blind booty call, after all.
“He’ll break her,” Ezra complained in a whisper from my bed. “She’s too small for him.”