Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5) (37 page)

“No.” I lifted my brows. “I prefer the soft and the hard.”

His lips curved. “I believe you’re
almost
trustworthy.” He patted my steady hand on the table, his touch lingering a moment longer than necessary. “Your name will be on the list at any of my establishments, although, I frequent this one more often than others…if you’re interested.” He stood and motioned at someone across the room before peering back down to me. “And please, if you’re not planning to use one of my waitresses tonight, let them know since I believe they’re holding off on other offers.” His lips tilted. “That was nicely played, by the way.”

I blinked up at him innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He chuckled again, waving a hand at the Shifter behind me giving him a signal. “God man, I don’t need to know that.” Eyes back to me, he spoke in a serious tone. “Just give them an answer so they can make their money.” A head tilt to Elder Fergus. “I believe he’s waiting on Sarah.” He walked backward a few steps and grinned. “Or Raven, as she informed him.”

He winked, turning, and headed toward the back room.

I folded my hand absently when the call was raised, and bucked up. I peered to Elder Fergus and stated candidly, “I’ll tell her she’s all yours.”

His curls were a bit shorter, stopping just under his ears. The look was good on him, showing his combined rough and refined features more clearly. Or perhaps his face wasn’t as filled out as his older counterpart. Either way, he still looked remarkably the same. His words were quiet and shocked the hell out of me. “I believe I’d prefer someone else tonight.” Amber eyes met mine straight on. “A fire Elemental, I think.” As I stared unblinkingly at him, his lips curved on one side. “Perhaps you know of one who would be interested, Ms Farrow?”

It was too damn quiet. I jerked my gaze away from him. I was
so
not about to go there with this man in the past…my present…whatever. It wasn’t happening. I quickly stood, unable to recover from that offer to play any damn role. It was too much. I pointed at my chips, my eyes on the dealer. “I’m up a little over a hundred. Keep a marker under my name.”

When the dealer nodded, I turned from the table and sauntered at a decent clip through the room, only slowing my pace when I was outside. The line to enter the establishment was still long even though it was close to one o’clock in the morning. I hurried to my car two blocks away.

Breathless, I inhaled heavily when I stopped in front of it and reached for the doorhandle.

I froze.

In my haste to leave I had left my purse behind, my keys inside it.

“Shit!” I shouted in frustration. Frustration at the damn life I had been living. I banged my fists on the window, the sounds of city traffic loud around me. “Goddammit!”

I ran my hands through my hair and tugged at the strands, holding them there as I stared at my car door. My chest heaved. In defeat, I muttered, “Well, fuck.”

There was nothing else I could do. My purse had cash in it and my ID. I had to go back for it. Dropping my arms, I jumped a few times in place and rolled my head on my shoulders, preparing, getting my game face on.

I turned to go back to the club.

And stopped dead in my tracks.

I stared, barely managing to keep a straight expression. “Been there long?”

All four Elders nodded once, their own expressions blank.

It was Elder Fergus—
God fucking help me
—who stepped forward. “We followed you. The game was going to be much more boring without you there.” He lifted the small black clutch in his hand. “Plus, you forgot your purse.”

I cleared my throat, staring at his black silk shirt, the style somewhat similar to the clothing trend of my time. “Right.” I moved forward two steps, holding my hand out. “Thank you.”

He took two steps forward, his glide extremely careful as he countered my move slowly. “Actually, Ms Farrow…” His legs bent, and he tilted lower until his amber eyes were staring directly into mine, not letting me stare at his chest. “I was thinking,” he jiggled my clutch, “I would hold this for ransom.”

I blinked at him. “What?” I waggled my extended hand, staring into his eyes even as he began to straighten. “That’s mine. Give it back.”

He flipped my clutch casually into the air and caught it absently as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s mine for the next,” a glance at his shiny, expensive watch, “two hours, at least.” My teeth gritted as amber eyes lifted back to my gaze, shimmering in the lamp lights around us. He flipped my clutch again. “Aren’t you going to ask what my demand is?”

I inhaled heavily through my nose. “What do you want from me for the next two hours?” My head tilted in the direction of the club. “You want me to go back in there and earn more money for you four? Even though you were doing just fine on your own, pulling the wool over Mr Stellar’s eyes?”

Green eyebrows rose. “Caught on to that, did you?”

I crossed my arms. “Yes.”

He tapped my purse against his other hand. “I don’t want you to go back to earn more money for us.” His head tilted. “And not just because you have your own game going and I would hate to intrude.” He pointed my clutch at my face “But be careful, he is a dangerous man.” He went back to tapping my purse on his other palm. “My main reason I don’t want you to go back is because for the next two hours I wish to enjoy your company while we eat.”

I blinked very slowly at hearing how he so sweetly interjected that he knew I was also playing Mr Stellar. “You want me to eat with you.” Another blink with slow words. “As ransom for my purse.”

“Yes.” He waved my purse down by his chest where my eyes had traveled, and slowly he dipped again. Amber eyes stared into my eyes, his lips curving up on one side. His smile invited me to join in with his humor. “I’d like to eat. With you.” A casual shrug of his shoulder as he unhurriedly began to straighten, my brows puckering as my gaze followed his. He shrugged his shoulders again. “It’s just a meal.” He tilted his head toward the silent Elders. “They’ll be there, too. We always go for pancakes after we stay out late gambling.”

Both sides of his lips curved. “And the person who won the least that night always has to pay.” Green brows bounced. “Which tonight would technically be you, since the four of us each earned over three hundred.”

My brows straightened, raising high. I pointed at myself. “I’m not paying.”

Instant reply. “So that’s a yes? You’ll come?”

My jaw started to gape as I realized I had been duped, though it had been in a sweet way, really. “Just for the record, this is seriously a bad idea.”

“It’s just a meal.” He took two steps back, my clutch still in his hand.

I crossed my arms, moving two small steps toward him. “When is a meal ever just a meal with Royals?” I glared as I continued moving forward, my steps still small. I could not believe I had been roped into this. Not to mention, I was actually doing it.

“Had much experience with Royals?”

“A bit,” I murmured vaguely. I was really going to have to watch what I said, so I went with a safe topic. “Where is this pancake place?” I couldn’t deny I was hungry.

“Just a few short blocks away.” He grinned.

“And least I’ve got flats on,” I muttered, quickly peering away from him and picking up my pace, deciding I was definitely hungry. “Okay, let’s go.” I stared straight ahead, wrapping my arms around myself against the chilly air as I moved in line with them. I stood between Elder Kincaid and Elder Fergus, their bodies blocking the worst of the chill. “Do they have oatmeal?”

“I believe so,” Elder Fergus walked easily next to me. He slowed, his longer legs making his steps smaller, when he glanced down at me. “Are you cold?”

“A bit,” I murmured vaguely. It took a second for me to understand that none of them were cold, and the fact I was probably had something to do with me not using my powers as I should be. “I won’t freeze, though.” A pause before I amended, “Actually, I would gladly freeze if I could find a decent bowl of oatmeal around here.”

“It’s good,” Elder Nelson stated from the far side of our group. “I’ve had it before.”

My pace quickened. “
Good
is definitely better than I’ve had so far.” My head cocked. I asked the group, “Have any of you ever made oatmeal yourselves before?”

Elder Fergus cleared his throat. “I have. Why do you ask?”

I scowled at the street ahead, dodging lots of Coms and a few Mysticals, most of them staring covertly at the men around me. Each passer-by knew these Royals’ status, even if I wasn’t entirely sure yet. “I tried making it when I couldn’t find any place around here that didn’t serve a sludge they called oatmeal.” I shrugged. “It came out tasting like all the crap I’d been served.” My lips pinched. “Possibly a little worse.”

He cleared his throat again. “The directions are on the tub.”

I waved an irritated hand before quickly tucking it close to my body. “Never mind. I’m just the world’s worst cook.” I huffed, my breath a white puff on the breeze. “I never fail to ruin something I try to make, hence I am willing to freeze for something decent.”

Elder Venclaire’s head tilted around Elder Fergus, his brows scrunched. “Why don’t you use your powers if you’re truly cold?”

I blinked straight ahead, seeing my small fumble way too late. I stated the truth, “I try not to use my powers too much.”

“Why?”

“Not a real big fan of them sometimes,” I mumbled, then I squinted ahead of us. I hopped as I walked to see over the heads of the taller people. “Are we getting close?”

“Not really,” Elder Fergus stated, then he grabbed my right arm and pulled me to an abrupt stop. He placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly at a cab driving by. The monstrous, old—
new—
cab came to a screeching halt. Elder Fergus grinned at me. “You’ll be warm when we all fit in there.”

And…he wasn’t kidding.

Elder Venclaire was at least kind enough to say he’d run—and he’d probably make it there faster than us. But the rest of us—all four of us—piled into the back seat. The cab felt much less monstrous when you were crammed into the back with three powerful men, their magic leaking and making it stuffy inside. Not to mention, I was sitting on Elder Fergus’s lap, sitting as far on the edge of his knees and as far from any private areas as I could get, pressing myself against the bench seat in front of us. I mean, dammit, he had said just a meal.

He grabbed my hips when we took a turn.

I slammed one hand against the door, hanging on, and slapped at his hands with the other. I glanced back at him, peering down my nose. “None of that.”

I swear his lips trembled, but it could have been a shadow from a street light playing against his face. “I was only trying to keep you from falling.”

“Mmm-hmm.” I sniffed in his direction covertly, scenting spiced earth and herbs. The scent only grew stronger in the small, confined area. “I don’t believe you, so keep your paws to yourself.”

He deadpanned, “If you start to fall, I’ll make sure to keep my paws to myself.”

I glared down my nose. “I’m glad we understand each other.” I rubbed at my sniffer as the smell was sharpening, and I asked the cabbie, “Can you please hurry?”

The Com’s eyes flashed back. His driving was too fucking careful. His hands were at ten and two, and he was driving at least five miles under the speed limit. He whispered harshly, “Don’t you know who they are?”

I ran a hand over my face, exhaling a heavy sigh, then leaned forward further and waved a finger in front of his face. “Open the damn window then!” I rubbed at my nose again, the smell stuck inside this vehicle. The cabbie griped at me, slapping at my hand and cursing in what was possibly Russian, so I did what any woman would do when stuck with people from the past. I lunged over the seat, grabbing the wheel when the cabbie shrieked and jerked it the wrong way. I quickly righted our course then snaked a fast hand to the crank to roll the window down, bumping his chest hard with each round. I barked gruffly, “When I tell you to do something, you fucking do it. Got it, asshole?”

“Yes, yes,” he mumbled in shock.

I glanced up, seeing the red light he couldn’t. I shouted, “Brake! Brake!”

Like a good little pissant, he slammed on the brakes and stopped just in time. The pedestrians crossed the street in front of us in a huge mass. The small problem was that my body landed on the steering wheel—or more like, the horn—the thing blaring loudly at the mass crossing the road. Still half hanging over the seat, I waved at the shouting crowd. I yelled out the window, “Sorry! But fuck those damn cabbies, right?”

I pushed myself to the back of the cab, ignoring the round of curses still being shouted at us. Not everyone liked almost being run over. I sat primly on the edge of Elder Fergus’s knees, brushing my hair out of my face as I murmured casually, “Friendly crowd.”

All three of them started choking.

I patted the driver’s shoulder softly. “It really would have gone much better if you did what I asked the first time.”

“Yes, ma’am.” A hurried nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

Elder Fergus, a fist over his mouth, gave up the fight and dropped it to burst out laughing contagiously, the other two following right behind him.

I found myself laughing too, a real laugh.

This was camaraderie I hadn’t felt in three months. And I liked it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

All four of us were still chuckling and wiping our eyes when we exited the cab, the cabbie not taking any fare from us whatsoever. I stretched my back while standing on the sidewalk, rubbing at my stomach which was aching from laughing so hard.

Elder Venclaire opened the door for us to a small, all-night breakfast eatery. Eyeing the four of us, he asked, “What did I miss?”

Elder Nelson wore a huge smile on his face. “She almost killed us.”

Elder Fergus snorted. “Correction: she almost killed twenty innocents.”

Elder Kincaid shrugged, snorting. “Close enough to the same thing.”

Elder Venclaire’s eyebrows were lifted high on his forehead, glancing at each of us, then he nodded his head toward me. “Next time, I’m riding.”