I fell back as his power surrounded me, enveloping me unbelievably more, my back arching off the ground. “Hate…you.” My lids fell completely as he loomed over me, the last thing I saw was his teeth bared and navy blue iced glowing eyes filled with hatred staring me straight in the face. “Forever…hate you.” And, everything fell away to nothing.
“Get the fuck back!” King Collins shouting voice echoed inside my ears. “I told you not to hurt her. I knew I shouldn’t have let her near you.”
“Get the One,” Queen Ruckler stated instantly, and I tried to speak, or even open my eyes, but nothing was working, not even my limbs. It was like I was trapped inside my own head, a dream, but only a nightmare. “He’ll know what’s wrong.”
“I…I didn’t…” Elder Merrick’s voice was guttural, hesitant from above, and I could feel the sound vibrating on the back of my head, and I realized my backside was half lying on top of him.
“You don’t even know what you did?” King Collins bellowed, and I heard a shuffling sound.
“It was strong, alright?” Elder Merrick shouted loudly, the sound ringing my ears. “But, I didn’t fucking turn it deadly. She should have woken by now.”
“Jack, calm down,” King Zeller murmured in a soothing tone. “Lily’s right. Since Bindi doesn’t know what’s wrong, we need to get the One.”
“I’m sorry,” Elder Merrick whispered thickly, the feeling of his hot breaths against my ear. “I’m so sorry, Caro.” I felt a palm rest over the top of my head, and start petting in the gentlest of strokes. “Open your eyes and I’ll let you beat the shit out of me next time, huh? Sounds like a fair trade, right?”
I struggled to speak. To lash at him with words to the pits of hell. But, nothing happened. Fucking trapped…like I had trapped him inside the dirt…worse than a cell.
“Just get away from her,” King Collins snarled, his tone worried and anxious. “Saying you’re sorry now doesn’t fucking help the situation.”
“Bindi, go get the One,” Queen Ruckler demanded quietly, and a beat later I heard a door opening and closing, meaning I had been moved at some point.
“You can fuck the hell off,” Elder Merrick growled quietly, sounding violent, even as his hand continued to pet my hair in the gentlest of strokes, and I wished very much to take each one of his fingers and snap them, then rip them off and shove each digit down his throat. “When she wakes she’s going to want to kick my ass, and I’ll gladly give her that option,” lips back to my ear, “if you fucking open your eyes.”
More shuffling sounded, and then King Zeller’s voice was winded, but he said calmly, “Just let him stay, Jack. The damage is done. And he’s not hurting the situation right now. Let him be, and worry about the situation at hand.”
Puffed exhalations. “Christ. Whatever.” A pause. “Just don’t fucking harm her any more than you already have,” King Collins hissed, and I could imagine him pacing and running his hands through his hair as his voice traveled back and forth. “Do you think spirit Elementals can go into…like a damn…Com concussion, or something? She did hit her head hard on the ground when he shoved her.” A minute pause. “Anyone? Does anyone have any clue?”
“I’ve never seen her like this.” Elder Fergus’s voice sounded off to my far right.
A grunt by Elder Jacobs in the same direction. “Even back in the nineties when she was broken and bleeding, and damn near death, inside a jail cell, she was still conscious.”
There was a long silence.
King Collins shouted, “What? You didn’t fucking tell me that?”
Elder Jacobs cleared his throat. “She was defending Elder Kincaid and Elder Venclaire. She healed and recovered within three days. Elder Fergus terminated the individuals in Law enforcement responsible for her injuries.”
King Collins voice was closer as he growled, “I will want the whole story later.”
King Zeller interjected. “The One’s coming.”
Everyone was silent, even as I struggled to move again, but not even a blink or a damn peep emitted from me. Fingers, warm fingers I would know anywhere, started stroking behind my ear softly, my hair now down, lying softly against my face, so it felt like a hidden gesture from Elder Merrick in the silence.
A door opened, and then the One was demanding instantly, “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Elder Merrick immediately started speaking over King Collins, taking the lead, explaining in detail the previous fights, what I had done during each in extreme detail, my hunger afterward, my drunken-like happy state, my weariness before the last fight, and then, every detail in depth of our fight, not leaving out one brutal angle or enraged action he had committed, stating each factually, putting it all out there.
Extended silence wrapped around the room, then the One asked quietly, “Does anyone know how regularly, and hopefully recently, she’s used her powers at a high volume such as she did?”
“I don’t believe any of us have ever seen her use powers like that before,” King Collins stated instantly, hearing the worry in his tone. “She’s normally very wary of them.”
The One cursed quietly, and then I heard him moving forward. “Bindi, if you would, please close the door.” His voice was suddenly closer, much closer, like directly over me as I heard the door close and lock, and I felt a hand, his tender fingers, brushing my hair back, Elder Merrick’s fingers instantly disappearing from behind my ear, and he murmured softly, “That was too much, kitten. And now, we’re both going to have to pay. I had hoped you would find this out on your own, but now it’s too late.”
“What are you going to do?” King Collins asked instantly, his voice sounding above me to the left.
A heavy sigh. “I’m going to awaken her.”
“You said that before,” King Zeller stated instantly. “What does that mean?”
“It means…” he hummed quietly, “It means she’s my other half. I am the One. And she is the Chosen.”
I had no clue what that fucking meant, but it didn’t sound like I had a choice in the matter, and I struggled with all of my damn might, not about to give up any choices, even as I felt Elder Merrick stiffen completely under me.
“The Chosen?” King Collins asked slowly into the descending, damning silence.
“Yes.” The One’s voice was factual. “Why do you think Jacob Angel really targeted her? Why do you think she and I instantly had a connection those years ago? Why do you think Tristan instantly liked her? Why do you think her Vizoac instantly liked me?” Then, he growled quietly, again, a tiger menacing purr sounding. “And what I’d love to fucking know is who put the protection over her to keep her from me.”
“You’re mates.” Elder Merrick’s voice was toneless, gravelly. “You’re saying she’s your mate.”
“I did not say that,” the One explained, which honestly, didn’t make me feel a shit ton better as I continued to struggle. “I said she was my other half. I’m her One, and she’s my Chosen.”
“That explains so much,” Queen Ruckler murmured dryly.
“Yes…well,” a heavy sigh, “I can’t explain it any other way. And now, if you don’t want her permanently like this, I need to awaken her. Understand?”