His lips lifted cockily on one side as I stirred sugar in my cup, and he took another sip of his drink. “I’m going for brutal honesty here. Take it or leave it.”
I sighed, finally taking a sip of my own drink. “I’ll take the honesty.” I shrugged, realizing I really was parched thanks to our little bout a few minutes ago, and took another larger drink. “And really, I can’t say I would do any differently if I found someone in your bed.”
He toasted his coffee cup against mine. “We should celebrate. We each married a sadistic killer.” His head tilted toward Isa as we drank our coffee. “I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard she ends up with.”
My smile was just as feral as John’s had been earlier. “Imagine the poor schmuck’s face when he finds out not only who both her parents are, because she will eventually tell him, but who her grandparents are.”
Ezra almost spit his coffee out and slammed a fist against his chest, even as he chuckled hard. “Fuck, maybe I should feel sorry for…” He stopped abruptly then shook his head. “Nope, not happening.”
I nodded once, finishing my coffee. “Damn straight.”
Isa was with Bindi, her normal babysitter, and I hadn’t bothered buttoning my black, fur coat against the chill in the morning air, just enjoying being able to feel it. The whiteness of the mist hovering around me fit with my soul after last night’s revelations — a bit of light in my dark with the knowledge of the truth.
Now, two hours later after my morning ‘meeting’ with Ezra, I walked through the black tent’s flap of headquarters, and I headed to the left to make myself coffee, their headquarters — probably all headquarters — fashioned the same way. Actually tasting the liquid’s warmth, I moved through the information and computer center to the conference room in the far back. Everyone was already there except for King Zeller, and after hanging up my coat, I sat down, placing my duffle on the table without a word. I took a file handed to me by Elder Merrick, who was watching me closely. I was used to the expression from many others, and I had constructed my cold wall beautifully the past year, keeping everyone out. I realized hiding behind it was second nature to me and I was doing it now. Not really bothered by this, and seeing no reason to alter the person I had become, I rested my boots on the table, reclined on the leather seat, placed the file on my lap, and opened it to begin reading about King Shadow’s itinerary — our game plan here for the war.
Elder Merrick resituated himself next to me, turning so he was facing me. “I heard some interesting news this morning regarding a Shifter…Mr John Smith.”
Ah. “Yes, I was aware of the situation.” I had spent the previous fifteen minutes diffusing a slight uprising from a few Shifters who had seen King Zeller…well, ‘brutally bashing John’s head in’ and ‘unfairly slapping him in silver cuffs’ by their accounts. And I had called John to make sure he was okay, which he was, if slightly confused and irate at being ambushed and held as he had been. I wasn’t positive he had believed the bogus ‘mistaken identity’ excuse I had given him, but he hadn’t pushed for any further explanation. “It’s been handled.”
Elder Merrick’s eyebrows quirked. “You may want to talk with King Zeller about his lack of control and discretion.”
“Like I said, it’s been handled,” I stated bluntly, not appreciating his input.
“What’s been handled?” King Zeller’s voice rumbled behind us as he moved past the tent flap of the conference room no longer dressed in workout clothes, but in — yeah, I stared — his dark silver robe, a silk, sapphire blue billowy shirt, and…oh, God…black leather pants. Year-long iced control kept me from ogling him, but I did peek over when he turned to take his robe off, hanging it next to the other coats.
My mind…just…went blank.
Well, not exactly blank. More like a zillion naughty ideas flew through my mind in rapid fire, like a reel going so fast I just kind of zoned out as my peek turned into a flat out stare of his ass. I had never checked it out before, but the me of the present most definitely agreed with the me of the past.
His ass in leather was absolutely God’s finest work.
Fucking hell, that was just…yummy.
“Um…” I tried to speak, unsuccessful in remembering what he had asked as he hooked his robe on the old-fashioned claw. “What did you ask?”
His ass flexed under that soft leather, and I blinked, hardly noticing the file in my lap fall to the ground as my fingers went numb. I sucked in a harsh breath as heat swamped me, and squeezed my eyes shut. Gave my head a decent shake. This was really not the time.
Yeah…didn’t stop me from opening my eyes again to the ass I wanted to sink my teeth in to.
King Zeller’s voice skimmed across my nerve endings like heated silk. “Queen Ruckler?”
“Present.” And his ass was like a present, all gift-wrapped in buttery leather.