“Alright,” King Collins cleared his throat, speaking hesitantly, “I’m not sure where to even begin on the tiger bit…anything you can contribute to that, Prodigy?”
“He’s the One,” I muttered harshly, staring out at the lawn, yanking my hands away from the window to run them through my hair. “That should be enough reasoning for him.”
More knuckles cracking, then my King stated hesitantly, “So then, it’s not normal.” Knuckles. Cracking. “Is there any chance he’s your mate? Is this a possible,” a pause, “excuse my idiotic floundering, but is it a possible spirit…mating thing? He did say you should have learned more at the Temple…and he’s trying to “awaken you”?”
My shoulders shook for long moments before I started chuckling quietly, the sound pulled from deep within me, a deep hurt, but at the same time, a glory at having the freedom of choice. “All Mysticals are not created alike.”
All I heard was silence.
“Well…I had to ask,” King Collins mumbled, sounding irritated, and maybe, just a bit ticked. “Just once it would be nice to ask a damn question and have it answered.”
I stated, voice void, “And just once, I would like for you to see the bigger picture when you ask questions you shouldn’t, but I still manage to answer.”
A deep irate huff. “Caro, I am trying, but dammit,”
Elder Merrick actually interrupted, his tone curt, and overriding. “King Collins, with everything we know so far of spirit Elementals, I believe it’s easy enough to deduce she means they’re like Coms in reference to mates, so when she says all Mysticals are not created alike, it means spirit Elementals don’t have them.”
Ticking…booming…silence.
My own voice was curt, but void, as grass blew in the breeze. “Don’t any of you dare pity me.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve heard enough horror stories of mates to scare anyone off from having one.”
Elder Farrar cleared his throat. “Yes, I believe Elder Merrick’s late mate would fit that category.”
“Elder Farrar,” Queen Ruckler demanded in quiet shock, her tone a reprimand.
Elder Merrick grunted. “There’s no offense taken, Queen Ruckler. She was way before your time, and she also ended way before your time when I put a silver bullet in the bitch’s head.”
I placed a hand down on the edge of the window as calmly as I could, barely managing to keep my heart rate under control, yanking that white solace down over me, knowing I had buried a man this morning who had killed his own mate, never having asked him if he had found his yet. In the beginning it was because it was “casual”, but later I kept silent for, maybe, fear of the answer…which was only more absurd now with his treachery, but Queen Cooper didn’t manage so well, hearing her gasp, and mutter, “Jesus.”
He actually chuckled quietly, the sound pure malice. “Lawfully, of course.”
“If you wouldn’t have done it, I would have even without the Law,” Elder Jacobs mumbled.
Elder Farrar and Elder Zeller both grunted.
A beat, then King Collins murmured, “Moving right along,” a pause, “since it doesn’t appear we have any current answers to the “tiger issue”, I’ll do some research on it until Caro gives us some indication she has an answer.” He clapped his hands a few times. “And until then, I’d like to talk with Elder Merrick and my Prodigy alone, so this meeting is adjourned.”
Oh, for the love of God.
“I have something I need,” I started to murmur, turning to face my King, just as Elder Merrick muttered, “Queen Ruckler and I need to,”
He cut us both off. “It wasn’t a request.” A snapping of his fingers, pointing. “Please sit down.”
The damn room seemed to clear out fast as I inhaled heavily with defeat, seeing that look in my King’s brown eyes, so I trudged to a red chair, flopping onto it, even as Elder Merrick moved to sit in the farthest seat from me. Both of us stared at each other with barely banked loathing, hardly hearing when King Collins closed and locked the door behind everyone, and Elder Merrick without removing his gaze from mine, instantly stated, “I do not appreciate being ordered to a private meeting like a scolded child, King Collins.”
“Then don’t act like one,” King Collins immediately retorted, coming to stand to the side of us between our two chairs, his gaze darting back and forth as we continued to silently eye one another with retribution in our gazes. “Now, tell me what really happened in the past, because you are both hiding the truth, and this type of hostility is not healthy when we need everyone working together.”
My nostrils flared. “He befriended me, gained my trust, all for information he wanted to obtain because he viewed me as a threat.” My teeth bared at him. “And now, I am a fucking threat.”
His wolf growled quietly. “A dart gun and a little dirt do not constitute a threat.”
“Yeah?” I smiled sweetly. “How are your balls feeling, Elder Merrick?” His nostrils flared, an angered flush rising on his cheeks, and I beamed. “Any worms crawl into your mouth?”
Lush, red pouty lips curved the barest bit. “I am going to make you fucking scream, spirit bitch.”
My mind blanked. Remembering him saying that to me before, but in a different variation, a more intimate one…one where I had thought we connected on a much deeper level. But, instead, he had been fucking me, someone he detested, all for intel. My voice was a mere whisper as I stared at him. “You are such a bastard.”
His smile was feral. “Yes, I am.”
Memories rushed in a torrent. Us, together. Our bodies’ hot and sweaty bodies rubbing. Sweet, sensual words whispered breathlessly. Dirty, torrid shouts of sexual demands. Our bodies connecting, becoming one, the most intimate of acts I had ever lived.
And it had all been a lie, a ruse.
I swallowed hard, my throat burning fiercely, constricting as excruciating tears filled my eyes, and I choked, “I hate you to the bottom pits of hell.”
His gaze flicked over my face before returning to my eyes, unflinching and cold, but his own tone was guttural. “The feeling is completely mutual.” We glared at one another, both of our chests heaving a bit in our conviction as I prayed no tears fell, wanting nothing more than to rip his damn heart out…or maybe even mine…until his wolf growled quietly in his chest, and his gaze flicked up…to King Collins who stood still as a statue off to the side where I had completely forgotten about him. Elder Merrick ran a hand over his face, then shoved out of his chair, his shoulder ramming into King Collins as he swiftly moved past him, muttering, “I’m done here.”