King Hall (24 page)

“I don’t know,” I stated honestly. “I think if he had tangible, unquestionable proof, he would have said so to stop the killings.” I shrugged, and hated saying the next part, but did. “I may be the proof he’s waiting to use.”

“You don’t believe that,” Pearl said, bringing me a glass of water from the bathroom. Juice was better, but it wasn’t handy. “He helped raise you. I know he loves you.”

I nodded, telling Jack what page and paragraph to read when he found it, then confessed the truth to them. About how Antonio and my mom had put me in Com schools to hide me and about Dominic and me having empathy as our second unheard of mate gift. Then I dropped the big one on them, saying, “King Venclaire’s my biological dad.”

Absolute stillness.

Pearl closed her mouth, clearing her throat. “Does he know?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“She’s got his eyes,” Ezra murmured.

“And hair,” Jack mumbled, holding the journal carefully. “Minus the black.”

Pearl bent toward me, her mien fascinated as she viewed me. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice the resemblance before.”

I shrugged, chugging the water with a steadier hand. “You never would have thought to look his way.”

Jack blinked and then went back to reading the passage. After a moment he said, “If this isn’t true, we’re in big trouble. Not only do they want us to be a part of the Awakenings after graduation, but we have the four trial Awakenings beforehand.”

I nodded. “I know, but if Antonio thinks it’s possible, I have to try, for all the babies that die from that Law.”

“What were you planning to do if it didn’t work?” Ezra asked, taking my empty glass from me and placing it on my nightstand. “Run for the rest of your life?” He gently helped me to sit on my own, making sure I was steady this time.

I nodded sheepishly, pointing down. “I’ve got a suitcase packed under the bed. It’s always ready. Just in case.”

All three scowled.

I didn’t blame them. I would have cut and run, leaving them without a second’s hesitation. If the situation was reversed, I would be upset too. “It’s what Antonio and my mom trained me to do. I’ve lived in constant fear my entire life. Try to,” I licked my suddenly dry lips, troubled I had upset my friends, “look at it from my point of view.” I paused, and added, “I’m sorry.”

Their faces softened incrementally, and they nodded one at a time.

Ezra murmured, “We’ll still have to come up with a plan to get her out if the trial Awakenings don’t work.”

“I don’t…” Jack cleared his throat. “I don’t want her to run.” His eyes met mine as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’d miss you too much.”

Ezra grunted. “That wasn’t what I said. I said we’ll have to come up with a plan to get her out. Not for her to run away from us.”

Pearl nodded firmly. “We’ll figure it out.”

I smiled, feeling a sense of bravery I had never felt before, knowing they were behind me. “I don’t want to run from you guys.”

Pearl said simply, “You won’t.”

Wiping sweat from my brow, I glowered at Felix. I had no clue where Ezra was right now, and apparently neither did Mr. Bertrand, so he had paired me with Felix. It was almost the end of class, thank God and, to my surprise, I wasn’t doing too badly. If you didn’t count the twenty or so times I had hit the mat.

But who’s counting, right?

“Your butt has hit the ground twenty-eight times,” Felix muttered, staring at said butt. Of course, he would count. “I can think of better uses for it.”

This was the first real time we had spoken since I had found out about his “elite” position. We hadn’t even spoken for the last hour. I still didn’t want to speak with him. “Don’t talk to me unless you need to.”

He slammed me against the mat and, as I tried to catch my breath, he lay over me, feeling all warm and big and very much male, reminding me why I had taken him as a regular lover in the first place. He grinned slowly. “I don’t need to talk to use my mouth, so I think I can follow that order.” He leaned down, his lips a breath away from mine as he whispered, “I’m only going to say this once. I did not have sex with you for my job. Not once.” His eyes lowered to my lips, and stayed there.
Truth to all.

“Hey!” Pearl whispered sharply, unexpectedly at our sides. Her face was at our level on the mat. Except, that was all there was of her. A head. Sort of. It was almost transparent, like an apparition.

Felix jerked.

Even I had to hold back a scream. I had no clue she could do that!

Her see-through, golden eyes darted to Felix on top of me, narrowed. “Why is he lying on you? I thought…” The floating head shook, eyes back on mine. “Never mind. We’ve got more important matters to handle. Meet me outside the girls’ locker room. Jack’s already here with me.” She turned her gaze back to Felix. Glared. “That means get off her, asshole.”

He growled, his panther voicing its annoyance. “She doesn’t answer to you.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Her eyes rolled before they met mine. “It’s Ezra. Come on.”

I nodded. “Coming.” The floating head disappeared. I slapped Felix’s shoulder. “Off. Now.” It was a command.

Again, his panther growled low hearing my tone but, nevertheless, he lifted off me. He had never defied me, which I was grateful for, but he was strong enough to cause problems if that was his intent. He grabbed my hand as I got to my feet, saying softly, “Seriously, Lily. Think about us. You have the wrong idea and we both want the same thing.”

I bit my lip, considering it, and eventually said, “I’ll think about it.” It had been really nice between us, and if he was telling the truth, then there wouldn’t be any reason for us not to be bed partners.

He grinned before I turned and walked away. I could feel his eyes. I glanced back, and yep, his heated gaze was on my butt. He hadn’t known I was going to look back, which proved that he thought me attractive. That was definitely a plus for him.

Slinging my book bag over my arm, I raced out of the locker room to where Jack and Pearl stood. They didn’t say anything, but Pearl put her cell away, which she’d had to her ear, and they turned and started running, so I followed. It had been three full months since Jack had found his sweet mate and, coincidentally, since I had told them about my hybrid nature. The time had flown by. Luckily, the Kings had stopped the babysitting gig a month ago for our study’s sake — our finals had been this week — and we had pretty much been together non-stop as, fortunately, our continual “grounding” didn’t restrict us from being with each other at the Kings’ houses.

We raced clear to the administrative building before we stopped, and Jack immediately filled me in. “Ezra’s in trouble. Big trouble. We aren’t sure why, but one of my classmates was gossiping about how they heard Mrs. Jonas yelling at him through her office door. Expulsion and jail time were mentioned.”

Pearl nodded, fixing her windblown hair. “Gideon just called and said he saw King Kincaid and King Venclaire’s cars stop in the parking lot from his classroom window.”

I took a steadying breath. This wasn’t good, whatever it was, if jail time was being threatened to a Prodigy. Pearl and Jack didn’t know anything else, so there was nothing really to ask, and we stalked into the receptionist’s area, giving
the look
to said receptionist, who shut her mouth real fast but, as soon as we were past her, we saw her get on the phone.

We picked up the pace.

The door to Mrs. Jonas’s office was locked, and we could definitely hear her yelling inside, so I — oopsy — vandalized school property by turning the knob and pushing so violently it broke the lock. And some of the doorframe. Everyone in the room turned to look at us as we continued to stalk inside.

Mrs. Jonas was there, red-faced. A Shifter named Rebecca was there. A Vampire named Viper — yeah, she thought she was hot stuff — was there. Ezra stood against a row of bookcases wearing a pair of silver-laced handcuffs on his wrists and his ankles, barely visible beneath his jeans.

We stopped dead in our tracks seeing that.

Spring green eyes on us, he showed no emotion, but those handcuffs had to hurt.

My wolf growled quietly.

Pearl’s skin started to glow.

“Why is he cuffed?” Jack asked, his voice very quiet. Not really a good sign.

King Kincaid and King Venclaire stormed into the room, almost slamming into us since we had stopped right inside the doorway, but managed to swing around us.

King Venclaire immediately went to Ezra, cupping his face, his blue eyes glowing as he stared at my silent best friend, then his Vampire growled as he swung around, appearing ready to rip Mrs. Jonas’s throat out.

I wouldn’t have stopped him, but King Kincaid stepped in front of my biological dad, asking what Jack had only a minute before, “Why is he cuffed?”

“They need to leave.” Mrs. Jonas jerked her head at us. “This is none of their affair.”

“The hell it’s not,” I said with a definite bite to my tone, thinking quick. “We know you’re threatening expulsion. If that happens, our vessel training will be shot to hell. Come Awakening time, not only will we, and the Kings, be embarrassed if we can’t pull it off, the school will also be for its mediocre training.” A direct hit. “We’re staying to see our fate.” And get Ezra the hell out of this.

Mrs. Jonas’s face had blanked and I knew I had her, so I slammed the door shut and twisted the knob so hard it made the wood groan as I embedded it back together. I smiled, halfway enjoying her face paling at my show of strength.

King Kincaid gave me a covert glance, but spoke to Mrs. Jonas, “They’re staying. Now, what is the issue that caused you to silver him?”

King Venclaire’s Vampire hadn’t stopped its quiet, menacing growl, which would scare just about anyone.

It didn’t appear Mrs. Jonas was any different. She tried for posturing, but failed miserably as the sweat beaded on her forehead. Her voice croaked until she cleared it, saying, “Mr. Zeller was caught drinking illegally.”

My friends and I didn’t even bother glancing at Ezra. The charge was serious. It was expulsion worthy, not to mention that it would include jail time, but we didn’t believe it. He had so many donors more than willing at King Hall that the charge was ludicrous. Nevertheless, even if he had done it, we wouldn’t give a flying monkey’s ass.

King Venclaire appeared cross-eyed for a moment, the charge was so stupid.

King Kincaid had to clear his throat, covering a chuckle.

Everyone in the room knew it was bogus. So, why didn’t Mrs. Jonas?

Into the silence, Pearl asked, “Why do you believe this?”

Mrs. Jonas sputtered, “He was drinking from Rebecca and Viper at the same time, working back and forth between their necks. A witness came upon the act, and said that after Mr. Zeller was through with his mind hold, Rebecca started screaming for help.” She paused. “Viper says she, herself, was willing, but doesn’t remember,” she scowled at Viper, “what happened because she was too light-headed afterward.”

My lips thinned.

I wasn’t stupid enough to not understand this, nor had I missed the covert glances Ezra had been aiming at my throat for the past two weeks. The one, and only, time he had drank off me he had called my blood
unique
. Ezra never drank off Shifters if he could help it, always Vampires, but what did mixing a Shifter and Vampire’s blood make? Me. He hadn’t wanted to ask me for some reason, and had gone and bit a damn Shifter who was all about appearances.

My wolf growling low, I stalked forward, peering at King Kincaid. “Mind if I handle this?” With him here, he had precedence, but I wanted to show Rebecca what she had to look forward to if she lied again under my rule.

King Kincaid placed his hands in the pockets of his dress slacks, rocking back on his heels. “Go right ahead. I’d like to see how you would handle this.”

I muttered, “A simple tactic really, for what she’s accusing a future King of.” I stood directly in front of her, glaring down to her eyes where she sat. “Get up.”

She was a wolf Shifter. Strong. It ticked me off even more that Ezra had picked her. Hell, her hair was even auburn. Glaring, her wolf growled, but she stood, towering over me.

Focusing, I let her have it, my power hitting her brutally. Probably, too violently, really. I didn’t hold much back, I was so furious.

She choked, immediately falling to the ground at my feet. Hard.

The room’s occupants jerked and then stilled, feeling the aftershocks.

Quickly tamping my power down to a simmer, I squatted. I knew my eyes were glowing fierce blue as I lay my hand on her auburn head of hair. When I spoke, my wolf vibrated through my voice, demanding quietly, “The
truth
.” None too gently, I thrust the command directly into my palm on her head, and she jerked. “Now.”

Instantly, she started rambling, “I consented. I lied to Mrs. Jonas. I saw my friends coming and didn’t want them to know.”
Truth.

Debating my choices, it wasn’t too hard to pick.

I slammed her face against the ground.

Shifters are different than any of the other Mys groups in our forms of punishment since we’re animalistic in nature. I could have turned the charges around on her and sent her lying butt to prison, which would do me no good since I wanted her to tell the tale of how powerful I was, a little fear never hurting anyone. Or, I had the option to physically punish her, which relieved a bit of my tension. Only a bit.

The force of the blow busted her nose and her lying mouth. Decent trade, I thought.

Ignoring how Mrs. Jonas and Viper jumped at the crunch of bone, I grabbed a handful of auburn hair and yanked her face up, letting the violence of my power cut off, but kept my eyes glowing as I growled in her bloody face, “You lie to harm a King or Queen again, or our Mys community as a whole, and I’ll personally rip out your throat. Do you understand me?”

That, I was allowed to do, too. I would do it if she tried to harm my friends again. The death penalty was an option as a punishment for lying to damage a King or a Queen. She was really getting off easy, but she was still young, and I really wanted her out there shaking in fear as she spoke of me. Plus, the fact that I had offered her kindness. She was still breathing, after all, and not behind bars.