I blinked at her, more than confused. But it slowly, ever so gradually, dawned on me as they stayed quiet. No one seriously liked, or approved of, Leric. “Ah, I understand.” And Leric was the leader of the spirits.
Abruptly, Brann pushed off the wall, his wolf growling in his chest. He stalked toward me and sat down on the coffee table to stare into my now carefully blank face, placing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. His vibrant amber eyes stared straight into my frosty gaze, his wolf riding his voice hard. “I’m going to be your friend right now and tell you what everyone else here won’t say, because I believe that’s what a true friend does—even if it pisses the other person off.” His nostrils flared. “We do appreciate what he and his family have done to protect us.” He shook his head a bit, staring at his hands, and was quiet for a moment in apparent thought before looking back into my eyes. “But there’s something wrong about him and all of the other spirit Elementals we’ve met.” His gaze never wavered. “The way they all stare at you when you’re not watching, eyeing everything you do, it’s just wrong.”
My eyebrows furrowed, almost touching I was that deeply confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Their eyes,” Aria murmured quietly, interrupting. I glanced at her, seeing her flicking her finger between her own blue eyes. “They…aren’t right sometimes.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen you do what they do.” Her lips thinned as she dropped her hand. “And their emotions are so faint, I can barely smell them.” Her brows pinched. “Like they’re muted, or something. Or just that unfeeling.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I stated slowly. “The Shifters would know if they were being deceitful.”
Brann shook his head slowly, rubbing his chin while staring me in the eyes. “Emotions are very different to the scent of truth and lie.”
I blinked slowly, resting back onto the couch and crossing my arms. I was a bit hurt, feeling more than ganged up on, even if I had asked for it. “None of you like them because they’re different.” It wasn’t a question. It was a definite fact.
King Collins sighed heavily, running a hand through his blue, choppy hair, then he murmured, “Caro, how we feel about him, or any of them, should have no bearing on how you feel for them.” He dropped his hand. “And you are right, just because we don’t personally like them, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be more polite to them, especially when they are saving our lives.”
Brann snorted, even as a few people sighed as if chastised. “With all due respect, King Collins, fuck that. I’ve had enough of being quiet and respectful.” Amber eyes swung back to me, utterly serious and piercing my own gaze. I sat frozen under his regard, only having seen this expression once before on him. And that had been when I was fighting, saving their lives. “Look, Felon, I have a feeling I’m going to get reamed by Queen Ruckler for this, but I have to say it.” He shook his curls, inhaling heavily, before he clasped his hands together again. “I seriously hate Leric. There is something about him that just makes my wolf want to rip his head off and—”
I interrupted, “That’s a bit much.”
His wolf huffed quietly. “Caro, just shut up and listen to me.”
My eyes widened a bit, but my mouth eventually closed.
“Like I was saying, my wolf wants to tear him apart practically all the damn time, which I don’t even fucking understand. It’s not just the way they all eye you when you’re not watching, it’s…” His nose crinkled. “They fucking reek.” A shake of his head. “They smell nothing like you do. I don’t know if it’s a product of living at the Temple, but it’s just not right.”
“I…” Confused. I was definitely confused, and I was starting to worry about Brann a little, so I spoke carefully, “I don’t smell anything when they’re near me.” I evaluated his face closely. “What exactly do they smell like?”
Not only did Brann answer, but so did Queen Ruckler.
Both said with disgust, “Death.”
As I stared back into Brann’s eyes, my brows puckered.
I crossed my arms tight against my chest.
And I froze.
Breath shakily exhaling.
Remembering.
Something I had been taught at the Temple.
Something they had only touched on.
Something unnatural.
My head swirled with the comments that had been said in this room.
With the possibility…
Hyperventilating. I started hyperventilating, grabbing at my chest, sucking in air. I stumbled to my feet, knocking into Brann in my haste to get up. I grabbed onto his shoulder to keep from completely falling on my face as a gut-wrenching revulsion filled me. I shoved his hands away when he tried to steady me, gasping, “Don’t touch me!”