I peered back to his nose. “And you said I was a bad liar?”
His lips thinned. “Fine, there was one I used to gain access to the back rooms.” Another clearing of his throat. “She wasn’t very pretty.” Then he spoke words that were more confident. “I didn’t touch her, though. And I managed to keep her fucking slippery hands out of my pants the whole time before I was able to sneak away.”
I blinked at him, not needing to hear the muffled laughter inside the room to know he wasn’t telling the truth. “You really suck at lying, you know that?”
His eyes narrowed directly. “It must be the blood loss. Because it can be an art form of mine.”
I only stared.
He sighed heavily. “Fine, she was decent looking.” He shrugged a shoulder from his prone position. “And I managed to find out where they are.”
My brows rose. “And that would be?”
His lips curved slightly. “I said I would get my diamond back.”
“I’m done,” Bindi stated efficiently. My head snapped up to his body, seeing no more gaping holes in his torso. “He’ll need to rest for the remainder of the day before his body fully recovers.”
“Thank you,” Elder Farrar stated steadily.
I continued to stare at his well body, Bindi’s words repeating inside my mind he was going to be fine.
“You’re sure he’s all right?” I questioned coolly. “You didn’t miss anything?”
Irritated words from Bindi. “Of course I didn’t.”
“All right,” I murmured, my voice suddenly breathless. I couldn’t breathe, and my eyes blinked quickly. “Thank you.” The world skewed as my facade shattered. I was hyperventilating, my heart thumping painfully against my chest. I tilted, unfortunately falling off the table, the room spinning in a feverish blur. Through the whirl, Elder Merrick lunged in my direction, his strong arms surrounding me just as my eyes rolled back into my head, consumed.
“I. Am. Fine.” We stood in the formal Elemental living room, and my eyes burned in irritation as my arms crossed. “Quit asking that damn question.” You would think after seven hours of ordered rest, when I had felt perfectly fine after waking from the sleep I had fallen into, would be enough for my King. “You’re becoming a damn worrywart.”
King Collins sighed heavily, his own eyes narrowing. “Excuse me for caring about my Prodigy when she can’t tell me shit about her physical or mental limits.”
I waved a hand, then I quickly recrossed my arms. “I really am fine.”
Brown eyes appraised me, like, for the millionth time. “I’ll trust you for now.” A finger pointed at me. “But if you faint again—”
“Sleep,” I interrupted. “I didn’t faint, I just slept.”
He glowered. “If you faint again, then you’re going back up to your room and Bindi will examine you.” He muttered a curse under his breath. “What you’ve been through in the past month would put most people under for a year.”
I pointed at myself and with dry words stated, “Clearly, I’m not most people.”
He sat on a green chair. “Yes, well, either way, my ruling still stands.”
“I’ll endeavor to stay vertical,” I muttered, which earned an incredulous grunt from King Collins. I rolled my eyes and flopped onto a love seat next to Reese, sharing it comfortably with him. “Mind, come back from the gutter.”
King Collins gestured to the room with only Elementals. The One sat on a blue chair, appearing well, his color returned. Roselle stood close behind him. Elder Jacobs sat on a white chair. One of my King’s blue eyebrows rose. “I’ve called you downstairs to discuss what the One has offered in exchange for the return of the Primal Diamond.”
I stretched my feet in front of me, crossing my booted ankles, and stared at them. “He wants my Primal Diamond in exchange for the information he discovered today. But since he didn’t divulge the information instantly, Philip Masterson and Jacob Angel have probably already switched locations. And since he was obviously caught, they’ll try to alter their plans because they know someone infiltrated their hiding spot—which doubtlessly contains cameras, so they’ll figure out who he is. They’ll also increase their security, pretty much guaranteeing that if anyone tried to use the Primal Diamond again, it would be a one-man suicide mission.” I tapped my toes together. “So, pretty much, to sum it up, his information is shit and he wants to trade nothing for something.” My eyes went to my King’s brown ones. “Correct?”
The King’s lips pinched. “Your assessment of the situation is correct, except for what he’s offered in exchange for the diamond.”
My gaze returned to my boots. I was not really surprised the One was a few steps ahead of me, though it was slightly irritating. “And that would be?”