Chosen Thief (29 page)

All the testing magic quit the room at his words, but that wasn’t news to me. I already had a finger pointed at Leric, and my mouth was already opened, so I growled, “I. Did. Not. Give. Him. A. Lot.” My finger swung at the out-of-control Tristan. “He got into my stash himself!” My finger
waggled. “He stole from me!”

Leric threw his arms wide, his stalking steps becoming faster while he laughed cynically. “My Tristan is with you for one night and you’re already rubbing off on him.” Glowing silver eyes pierced through my black sunglasses as he slashed his hand through the air. “He is not to sleep in your room again!”

I lifted both hands in a stopping gesture since he was gaining
on my back-stepping. “You’re overreacting, Leric. Bindi can heal him if he gets sick.”

“That is not the point!” he shouted, now directly in front of me as we stopped to the side of the head of the table. He loomed over me like a tiger to a mouse. “I told you not to feed him chocolate, yet you still did, even if a little! He is my Tristan, not your fucking pet, and it was not your decision to
make!”

Gritting through my teeth, I growled, “A little chocolate wouldn’t have hurt him.”

His nostrils flared wide as his jaw clenched. He was clearly holding on to his last shreds of patience as he dipped down, placing his face directly in front of mine. He snuck up a quick hand and snatched my glasses off my face, making me squint bloodshot eyes at him in the morning light. He locked gazes
with me, hissing, “If I had your Isolde under my care, I would not purposely give her something I had been told repeatedly would make her ill, no matter my opinion on the matter.” I heard my glasses crack inside his fisting hand. “It’s about fucking respect, Sprite, and you goddamn obviously have none for me.”

I went quiet, my mouth shutting with an audible clicking noise as I stared into silver
eyes. I finally understood his real point, why he was so furious. Sure, he cared deeply for Tristan and his welfare, most definitely not wanting him ill, but the real point was much more complicated. This morning’s episode with Tristan was just a breeze to an already kindling fire, making sparks ignite into a flame. The fury driving his anger went back to my pulling a gun on him and the fact I
had been willing to pull the trigger.

He was still hurt by it.

Just as I was by him giving me the boot.

Which, if I was honest, was why I had given Tristan chocolate last night to begin with. I had adored every bit of vengeance with each tiny choc I had placed in Tristan’s open mouth, each one a tiny ‘fuck you’ to his owner.

As I saw another pan crash to the floor behind Leric, the only sound
in the room being Tristan’s destruction, Leric’s furious gaze flew across my face at my silence. Then gradually his eyes stopped glowing altogether, his brows unfurrowing. His shadowed lids instantly hooded his gaze, and he stood with a fist on his white cotton panted hip, my glasses crushed inside his grip. He was running his other hand over his mouth, then his chin, then to his stomach covered
in a billowy white silk shirt, his arrowhead diamond ring catching the sunlight. He finally rumbled quietly, “You shouldn’t have used him in this.”

My jaw clenched as I turned my face away from everyone, pissed off, hurt, and feeling damn guilty now. But that didn’t last long because I saw a flash of white fur in my peripheral coming too fast behind Leric. I jerked my head around with my mouth
opened to warn him, but Tristan slammed against Leric’s back. He almost appeared playful but, fuck, he was a huge-ass tiger on a relaxed, unsuspecting individual, all of Leric’s real threats at the table on his right.

Leric’s eyes flew wide in surprise, and my broken sunglasses soared from his hand as he flew right at me, grunting heavily, “
Shit, Tristan!
”

It wasn’t going to end well. I knew
that much as Leric’s enormous, rock-solid, heavy body crashed into me, knocking the air from my lungs on a shout as all footing was lost. His massive hard arms wrapped around me, squeezing me close as he muttered another curse, twisting us right before we hit the ground with me on top of him. Freaking Tristan lay over us diagonally — gratefully, not with all of his weight — directly against my back,
with his face turned toward us, tongue lolled out. I was pretty sure he was grinning.

My stomach rolled at all the hitting and twisting and pressure. I lifted my head, slapping a hand over my mouth, and I know my face turned a sickly shade…because I was about to be sick.

Leric’s eyes, dazed by the fall, stared up at me, but they quickly widened in disgusted horror, and he barked hurriedly, “Don’t
you dare puke on me!” I swallowed heavily, trying to wiggle out from between them, but unfortunately — for many involved — Tristan only pressed down on me more firmly. Leric’s eyes flew to his, and he shouted, “This isn’t funny, Tristan. Get up, damn you!”

Two huffs were all we got in return, sounding kind of like a chuckle.

Hand firmly over my mouth, I snapped my free hand’s fingers frantically
up at Roselle and Reese where they — hell, where the whole table’s occupants — stared down at us in a mixture of shock, horror, and awe. They both shook their heads, and Roselle muttered, “He bites.”

“Tristan, move!” Leric bellowed, appalled, his fear-filled eyes on my face even as he started shoving him. It had no effect on Tristan, only me, making my stomach churn even worse with the movement.

“Sin,” I groaned low and heavily behind my hand. “Trash can.”

“Got it,” he murmured, sounding damn amused but trying to contain it.

He jumped from his chair, grabbing the trash can from the edge of the bar. He tilted it to shove its edge up on Leric’s shoulders directly next to Leric’s face…right on time as I lost it. I shoved Leric’s face the other way so he at least couldn’t see it, keeping
my hand firmly placed on the side of his face as I heaved long and hard, a full body racking motion on top of him and below Tristan. There were more than a few groans and grumbles from the people at the table — all of them having just eaten — but Sin grabbed my hair, holding it back as I continued to dispel every goddamn thing inside my stomach. That took a little while seeing as I had eaten a huge
meal at dinner last night, lots of chocolate afterward, and all of that vodka.

Leric was utterly still under me as the last shudder racked my frame and the dry heaves started. They lasted less than half a minute, and Sin murmured absently from above my head, “That was fucking inspiring. A whole new form of torture I have never even thought about.” A pause, then thoughtful words. “Caro, Leric
seriously looks like he’s going to need the trash can in a second, so hurry up.”

I felt Leric silently gag under me, his whole vast torso clenching — which made me heave once more — but he stated hoarsely, “I’ll be fine.” A hard clearing of his throat. “Just get the fucking trash can away.”

“Scary mother-fucker with an overly sensitive stomach,” Sin muttered, grabbing a napkin from the table
and handing it to me before pulling the trash can away. “Good to know.”

“Fuck off,” Leric muttered, even as my head thumped down on his chest while I held the napkin over my mouth. He inhaled heavily on clean air then turned his head, asking gruffly and irritably, “What the hell, Tristan?” A huff was returned at us. “Do you think you might be so kind as to,” he growled, “
move your goddamn furry
ass now?
”

Tristan yawned widely in our faces, then he lifted ever so slowly, the pressure releasing against my back as he moved away. I sucked in a huge breath before holding up a hand to Sin, who scooped me up carefully so I didn’t start puking again. I studiously stepped over Leric, wiping my mouth with my napkin and tossing it in the trash. I firmly kept my eyes off everyone as I tied the
trash bag, mumbling, “I’ll just take this outside.” I flicked a finger at Leric, not glancing at him as he stood slowly, while I moved through the room with my bag of shame to the closest exit. “Don’t worry about ruining my sunglasses. We’re even.”

What was a woman to do when she has utterly humiliated herself in front of the man she wouldn’t mind spending more time with, both in and out of bed, and he doesn’t want her near other than necessary?

Remind him exactly why he slept with her in the first place.

Then give him exactly what he wants: space.

Plan firmly in place, I glanced at myself one more time in the window’s
reflection, the sky pitch-black outside, and I nodded in approval at my cheek — it had been healed by Bindi — and my outfit. A black suede vest with a deep square neckline, the top of my hot pink push-up bra showing, and I actually had a decent amount of cleavage — for me, anyway. My tone, flat belly showed for about half a hand span, then my itty-bitty, pleated black schoolgirl skirt wrapped around
the flare of my hips, barely covering what needed to be. I wore my knee-high black boots, and designer label, ripped black thigh highs with hot pink garters showing quite a bit because my skirt was so short. I had added at the last minute a black suede choker to complete my ensemble.

I looked like a tiny piece of ‘fuck me’. At least, I hoped I did.

This was a normal outfit I would wear to a
club, but he hadn’t ever seen me in anything like this, so I was hoping it would at least remind him I wasn’t just ‘puke girl’. I seriously doubted he was going to want to have anything to do with me for a while, but having a sexy memory of me so soon after the distressing one would hopefully leave pleasant thoughts in his head.

I was running a hand through my white and hot pink hair, my nose-ring
sparkling in the lamplight, when I heard their group coming my way for cocktails after their private dinner. I turned and bent over, digging through my gigantic black purse on a bench next to my black leather jacket, quickly discarding some of the items inside it onto the wooden bench. And I kept rummaging through it, muttering curse words not so quietly.

About fifteen seconds later, I heard
their group stop about twenty yards behind me — at the room I knew they were going to be in courtesy of eavesdropping on the housekeeping staff — and King Collins asked loudly, sounding muddled as he cut through my curses, “Caro, is that you?”

I waved an absent hand in the air, calling loudly, “In the flesh.” Hopefully not too much flesh since I could feel quite a breeze. “Hey, have you seen
my license? I can’t find it anywhere.” And that was
truth
. The damn thing was lost about the house somewhere, and it was semi-new with my real name on it, not an alias, since I was a damn Prodigy.

“No, I haven’t.” He paused, and I nodded but continued digging through my purse. “Are you going out tonight?”

“Yeah, Sin and I are going dancing at some club Aria told us about.” Also
truth
. Everything
I said had to be
truth
otherwise this would seem odd to Queen Ruckler. “He’s supposed to meet me down here.”

Another beat of silence, then he cleared his throat. “Can you come here for a second? Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs arrived before dinner and I’d like to introduce you to them.”

Oh, wonderful. I was practically flashing my ass at Elders I hadn’t even met yet. “I’ll be there in just a
second.” I started throwing items back in my purse as I heard conversation slowly start again and people moving into the cocktail room. Throwing the purse over my shoulder, I grabbed my jacket and took a calming breath before moving into the room.

King Collins was waiting at the door, and he instantly steered me to the left as he casually took in my appearance, unlike the air Elemental’s gaze
running up and down my body in a deliberate, interested fashion when we stood in front of him and a Shifter, the two new individuals to the group. King Collins gestured first to the Shifter, apparently giving the air Elemental time to look his fill, stating, “Caro, this is Elder Merrick. Merrick, this is Caro Jules, the Elemental Prodigy.”

I stared up.

Way up.

Christ.

He was as giant as Brann,
if not a smidge bigger. He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties in Com years, and even while initially noticing his quiet, serious mien, I immediately noticed his lips were full and pouty, red against his natural olive-colored complexion. They were partially parted, revealing teeth blindingly white and straight. Next was his strong jaw bone, roughly harsh, yet smooth in its lines. His
nose was straight and perfectly sloped to show off his prominent cheekbones. Perfect black curls cut at chin level framed his face, and his black eyebrows were thin, impeccable slashes above his thickly lashed wide eyes. I peered at those last, our gazes meeting simultaneously as I stared into the yawning depths of unflinching navy eyes.

Tongue-tied for the first time in my life — I had an unwanted
immediate attraction to this frightening man — I muttered a few incoherent sounds, barely above a whisper. I felt like I was swimming in the abyss of his utterly flawless features, unsure where to let my eyes finally land because I sure as hell couldn’t let them rest on his eyes. That would be to risk drowning in their unfathomable complexities. Blinking slowly, feeling a tiny, unfathomable
blush stealing across my cheeks, I tried for coherent speech. “I…ugh.”

With that fail, I attempted again. I sucked in a deep breath, licking my suddenly dry lips. I unexpectedly felt dizzy seeing his lids dip, hooding a gaze that was heating with something dangerous — odd, that — as I held my hand out to him “I…er.” Fuck, it was like I couldn’t get the information from point A to point B. “Elder
Merrick.”

I was always careful with my word choice around Shifters in greeting. You never knew if they were scenting for the
truth
and would be offended if it wasn’t actually a “pleasure to meet them”. My reaction to him was confusing, and I realized I probably shouldn’t have been examining him before I did the new Elemental of the room. But there was something
primal
about him I couldn’t put
my finger on as he stared at me under his hooded lids.

Unexpectedly, his jaw clenched; he was furious for an unknown reason. It was impossible to tell why with his gaze half-hidden, but I did track his eyes when they evaluated my hand for an extended moment. He eventually dipped his head in address…before he placed his hands behind his back. “Hello, Ms Jules.”