King Hall (37 page)

“Pearl!” King Fergus shouted behind, and above, me. “Stop this! Right now!”

“No!” Pearl retorted, her voice cracking.

“Jack, let us through!” King Nelson roared. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Screw off!” Jack shouted instantly, his voice strained.

King Kincaid’s wolf growled so loudly it hurt my ears.

Ezra’s Vampire hissed just as fiercely.

Sluggishly, I lifted my hand, unable to see anything except Ezra’s chest, and pulled lightly on his ear. “What’s going on?”

Silence.

All shouting and growling and hissing stopped dead.

Ezra gently drew my face away from his chest, his glowing gaze on my face.

I blinked hazy eyes across the room.

Jack had a ring of translucent, blue water surrounding King Nelson, who looked furious, and King Venclaire, who was merely standing in the middle of it with his arms crossed.

Pearl had King Fergus inside a golden bubble suspended about ten yards in the air, who didn’t appear too happy, either.

King Kincaid was in shifted wolf form about five yards from us with his teeth bared at Ezra and me…or, maybe, just Ezra, since his Vampire had been hissing.

“What’s going on?” I asked again, blinking, peering farther back in the gym, and saw Antonio sitting on the bleachers, appearing amused as hell, recording whatever had happened, but below him on the gym’s floor level were four freaked out Mys volunteers. One of them sporting fangs and glowing brown eyes. “Oh! Oh my God!” Memories bombarded me.

The Awakening! I had done it!

I peered up at Ezra, whose fangs were also showing, and grinned hugely. “I did it!”

His face was slowly turning from scary-furious to normal. “You were unconscious.” He might now look like he was fine, but his voice held a very real worry.

I blushed brightly, mumbling, “I just fainted.” I picked at his robe, embarrassed, pulling at it a few times. “I was…overwhelmed.” A quick thought to the Kings listening in, and I added, “The Awakening’s huge. I was nervous.”
Truth.

Jack’s hands lowered, and the ring of water disappeared. “You fainted? Like a girl?”

Pearl had already lowered King Fergus, and she was wiping tears off her face as she grumbled hotly, “She is a girl, you moron.” She stomped in my direction, and shoved my shoulder hard, blubbering, “You scared me.” Another shove of my shoulder, then she was hugging me around Ezra’s hold on me, bawling like a babe.

I patted her shoulder awkwardly, because of Ezra, but I hushed her, worrying a smidge about our “no touching” policy, and, ever so slowly, it dawned on me. My friends had thought my unconscious state had been because of my hybrid nature. From what had been happening, it appeared as if they had been protecting me. Keeping the Kings away from me. As Jack pulled Pearl away, comforting her, I muttered quickly, “I really did just faint. That’s all.”

Still in wolf form, King Kincaid took another lurking step forward, his teeth bared.

Ezra completely ignored him to shake me in his hold, all but shouting, “When was the last time you ate? You don’t just faint like that! I know you didn’t eat lunch, so when was your last meal?”

That stopped me, as I rubbed my ear closest to his mouth. I hadn’t eaten breakfast because my stomach had been in knots. Dinner last night…nope, too busy and too nervous, but I had drank from Jack. I had skipped lunch the day before, dealing with one of my touch-friendly subjects. “It’s been awhile.” No wonder every time I had puked today it had been…unpleasant.

His Vampire growled, but he sat me on my feet gently. He was unexpectedly gone. A second later the gym door banged open and closed.

Stunned, I gawked at his speed.

Swiftly, King Kincaid was rubbing against me, his furred body warm as he circled me, growling a little with the movement. Protective and pissed, he was marking his territory. I guess I should have been happy he wasn’t peeing on me. He was my King, and I was his subject. Not only that, his wolf considered me as part of his family. I really was surprised he hadn’t attacked Ezra.

King Nelson marched to Jack and Pearl. “Why did you stop us from helping her?”

“Yes, please explain,” King Fergus ordered through clenched teeth.

“Er…” Pearl, dear God, Pearl, the atrocious liar, began fumbling, “You see, we—”

Jack stepped in front of her and cut her off, stating factually, “We knew she wasn’t feeling well before. She was really nervous.” He shrugged. “She’s our friend. We wanted to help her. We were afraid you might be upset with her.” Not really great excuses, but he had kept it
truth to all
, not stupid enough to be dishonest with King Kincaid in his wolf form and able to scent deception easily.

King Venclaire was staring at the door Ezra had disappeared through, but he murmured calmly, “We wouldn’t have yelled at her for fainting.” A quick glance to me, then back to the door. “Although, you really need to take better care of yourself. I know the Awakening can be nerve-racking the first time, but not eating beforehand was inadvisable and foolish.”

King Nelson still looked furious, and he pointed directly at Jack’s face. “Don’t ever try that on me again.” His finger swung to Pearl. “And don’t you ever use your powers against a King, or Elder, if they’ve done nothing wrong.” He frowned. “You know better than that.”

King Fergus stretched, popping his back. “She didn’t hurt me. She just stopped my progress.” He shot Pearl a swift, cross glance. “Be grateful I didn’t retaliate.” Quickly, she nodded, and he turned his glare on Jack. “Do that again, and I’ll have you digging wells with only a shovel, and magically filling them, for the next month.”

Jack nodded promptly.

King Kincaid had positioned himself right in front of me, growling at anyone who happened to take a step in our direction. I scratched behind his ears absently, and he leaned against me further, almost resulting in me falling he was so gigantic, so when the gym door banged open and closed again, and Ezra was abruptly at my side, it startled King Kincaid enough that he lunged at Ezra when he appeared.

Luckily, King Venclaire was on the ball and had already disappeared from where he stood and, suddenly, smashed into Ezra, knocking him back and out of the way from King Kincaid’s sharp teeth, which only missed Ezra’s side by less than an inch. The room silent, King Kincaid crouched, growling, while King Venclaire whispered softly to the furious wolf, slowly taking the sandwich Ezra had in his hand, holding it out.

The growling stopped, and King Kincaid sniffed. Gradually, he leaned forward and gently bit into the sandwich, bringing it to me. I removed it from his mouth, careful not to hit any of his sharp teeth, and he plunked down in front of me, baring his teeth at Ezra, who stood still with a carefully blank face.

However, Ezra being Ezra, he muttered harshly, “Eat that, because if you faint from stupidity again, I won’t catch your ass next time.” He glared.

I bit into my gifted sandwich with vigor.

The Kings gave us a fifteen-minute break. I didn’t think it was because I had fainted. The break was for the volunteers, who were really freaked from what they had seen in the first Awakening, and then, afterward. Also, King Kincaid needed time to compose himself.

No one wanted to go near him. That much was obvious, since they were giving me — him — a wide berth. Ten minutes into our break, after I stood motionless, allowing him to know I was fine, he lifted a smidge — he didn’t have to go far — on his back legs and gave my face a big lick. As I was wiping drool off my cheek, he trotted to where Ezra, Pearl, and Jack were talking quietly. Stopped. Turned his head toward Ezra, silently bared his teeth — Pearl’s and Jack’s mouths twitched — and then, finished trotting to where his robe was and shifted.

Turning away from seeing him butt naked, I strolled to my friends and mumbled another simple apology, not embellishing, with the Kings in the gym, on why I had fainted. The sandwich had already made me feel better, but I knew it had also been bottled anxiety and overwhelming relief that had made me faint. Plus, they already knew I had been a bundle of nerves earlier.

Now, I was fairly bouncing on the balls of my feet as they grumbled complaints in my direction. All complaints geared toward the fact I had worried them. If we hadn’t been in front of everyone I would have hugged them, but we were, so, instead, I nodded, failing miserably to keep the grin off my face.

I did it! I did it!

In fact, I broke down and did a little happy dance. Couldn’t be helped.

My friends stopped complaining. Stared. It was like it dawned on them that…I had done it! Then, they were chuckling, and properly vibrating with energy, too. I had done the impossible! I had broken the barriers! No babies needed to be offed because of some stupid, old ass Law, which held no basis whatsoever.

Hybrids could, in fact, do an Awakening. Therefore, the Mys race could continue with them. I wanted to shout to the rafters in delight and excitement! Maybe, it was evolution that had changed hybrids since thousands of years ago or, perhaps, it was just fear our ancestors had experienced that made them create the Law, but hybrids were not what ancient Mysticals had claimed. A hybrid was here to stay — not a plight on the Mys community — when I finally had my say, or demand, and I most definitely would when my dictate held as much value as it was loud.

“We’re ready to begin,” King Venclaire interrupted our unsaid mini-celebration, “If you four would be so kind?”

Moseying across the gym to the Kings, I grinned at Antonio sitting on the bleachers.

Still filming, he peered around the video camera and smiled, giving me a proud nod.

I did it!

King Venclaire startled me from behind, placing his hands on my shoulders and turning me to the left, murmuring, “Pay attention. It’s your turn.” A squeeze of my shoulders, then he moved away as King Kincaid brought over the Shifter volunteer.

My friends stood behind me as King Kincaid glared directly over my head at Ezra, whom I heard growl a little in his throat, obviously getting irritated. Hell, I was, too, since King Kincaid had no true basis for the real frustration riding him, but nothing could bring my mood down. Not even after the Shifter was hidden under his robe on the floor, and I knelt, my friends quickly touching me and giving me that god-awful jolt.

Warmth came directly after when we made our link. As they
pushed
their power into me, my own rose with theirs. I jerked, but quickly steadied myself. It felt like I could run across the entire United States of America and not even be winded. Our combined power was hard to control it was so potent. It built inside me like a ticking time bomb, and I knew I was shaking slightly when I whispered hoarsely, “You guys there?”

All three squeezed where they touched me in answer.

Careful not to put any of this god-fearing power into my hand yet, I reached through the hole of the volunteer’s hooded robe. Touching the Shifter’s head, I made it a point to take a firm grip on his hair. The Vampire had thrashed around, and this guy, more than likely, would do the same. Feeling Ezra bend over my back, I paused, listening to him whisper, “They didn’t tell us this, but don’t
pull
hard. That’s what I did wrong. It’s difficult, because you’ll want to, but
pull
gently, like taking a tiny spark and making it grow larger, just faster than normal. If you
pull
all at once his power will fight yours.” That was seriously going to be damn near impossible with the amount of power flowing in me wanting to strike.

Nodding jerkily, I
pushed
my amped Shifter power through my palm. I choked for a heartbeat as the power unleashed, but quickly stifled when I felt the Shifter volunteer’s wild animal magic slam against my own, automatically attracted and attaching to my point power.

I
pulled
.

Too hard, damn it.

The guy screamed as my rocketing power was unleashed on his.

Ezra had been right. I literally felt his magic try to
pull
away from mine, instinctively protecting itself from the greater
pull
. Breathing calmly, I
pushed
back instead of
pulling
, and he quieted again, trembling under my hand.

I tried again, learning from my mistakes. Struggling with the method, because it was new, I fumbled more than a bit but, eventually, I only let a pinpoint of my power from the center of our connection
pull
back, like mine was tricking his with an allure that it couldn’t deny, since his power was attracted to my magic. His followed. As I
pulled
and widened the pinpoint in fast increments, it was like a tornado, but upside down, the pinpoint traveling up my arm with the larger opening at my palm.

He did scream, but I moved the magic quickly, memorizing the approach for future use. Our attached magics moved past my shoulder, and aimed straight for my Core. When it hit, just that tiny little point, directly against my Core, it was similar to the warmth that occurred when the four of us were merely linked. But, with the extra power
push
floating inside me, the sensation was that much more amplified. Sublime serenity.

Against my body’s tranquil objection, I quickly broke the connection, yanking my power back, feeling the awesome power of the four of us blow through my frame once more.

His scream mutated to a whinny, and my hand slid off his head as he rapidly shifted.

His robe lifting high above where we squatted, Pearl, Jack, and Ezra gently, but quickly, tamped their power down, mine going with it, and the three of them released me.

Seeing the hooves in plain view, since shifted he was freaking huge, his robe only covering his head and back, I blinked and cocked my head, smiling, already knowing exactly what he was with the extensive white feathering on his legs. Rising from my squat, I yanked the robe off him. Remembering at the last minute not to show any emotion, I stated factually, “You’re a Clydesdale horse.”

Thanks to Ezra’s advice, mine had only taken forty-five seconds.

I grinned at him.

To which he lifted a sardonic eyebrow, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.