King Cave (13 page)

Ugh.
At least he wouldn’t be hounding me to have sex with a Shifter anymore. His mind had been set on thinking Ezra and I were doing the deed, and he wanted our ‘affair’ to end. Sex between different Mys factions was a major taboo, especially in the light of the new information of Beasts coming from hybrids.

King Kincaid stopped next to Finn and me, his dark eyes darting inside the room.

Finn quickly shut the door behind him, thankfully being guarded since his bed was in full view. It still did nothing to help my growing embarrassment as I now saw, with the help of the ceiling’s sunlight, the healing bruises I had put on him…and maybe a few bite marks…which the entire group was now staring at, since Finn wore the towel only around his waist. I had a few of my own: a large bite on my neck, which by now probably appeared more like a hickey, and the rest covered by my clothing. To the Vampires, who were careful to keep a blank face, it probably seemed a bit harsh, but it was the way of a Shifter pair’s first mating.

My damn King was still grinning like it was his birthday, while holding out his hand in greeting. “I’m King Kincaid. And you are?”

Finn met King Kincaid’s eyes, showing his alpha, and shook hands. “Finn Galvani.”

King Kincaid did as I had done many times before: he didn’t look away from anyone’s dominant gaze, the battle of alpha wills on. “You’ve met Lily, then.” Not really a question, but stated as he took his hand back, letting them dangle relaxed at his sides, even as his nostrils flared. His grin was now brighter than the sun above us.

Finn’s lips tilted just a bit. “Yes.” He didn’t elaborate.

Feeling all kinds of uncomfortable, I rolled my shoulders, trying to ignore how my biological dad, Ezra’s dad, Ezra’s mom, and my real dad kept glancing between Finn and me. In a rush to end this, I interrupted Finn and King Kincaid’s staring match, asking, “Weren’t you going to the pools?” They both turned from one another, the perfect opportunity given to end the battle. I jerked my head down the ramp, giving Finn an out. “You said you were heading there.”

Finn grinned fully at my obvious antics. “I believe I was.” Taking the offer, he dipped his head respectfully to the Kings and Elders before moving down the walkway, saying over his shoulder to King Kincaid, “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Indeed.” King Kincaid nodded, his hands now on his hips. His gaze swung to me as I began creeping away in the opposite direction. “Lily, would you like to eat with us?”

I stopped, peering at him over my shoulder. “I was going to check on Pearl and Jack. See how they’re doing.”
Truth.

“Ah, very kind of you.” He started moving toward me up the incline, the rest of the group now following quietly. “I’ll walk with you until your exit.”

Barely withholding my sigh, I nodded, and then walked with them.

“Black bear, huh?” King Kincaid had made it a full minute before interrupting the beautiful silence. Still grinning. “He’s probably the strongest alpha I’ve seen yet, outside the Rulers.” He smacked my back. “Nice pick.”

Again, I barely withheld my sigh. He wasn’t exactly talking quietly, which meant anyone within earshot could hear him, not to mention the Vampires behind us, who were speaking quietly with Antonio even though I could feel their gazes hot on my back. “I do my best.”

King Kincaid chuckled. “Are you going to see him again?”

My lips pursed, frustration beginning to mount. “Yes.” A quick glance at him through narrowed eyes. “Would you also like to know how large his cock is?”

He waved a hand, and, in true King fashion, his retort was meant to gain the upper hand after my coarseness. “That’s not necessary, Prodigy. Black bears are notoriously large from what I understand.”

I cracked my neck, some of my sated high falling away with this conversation. Turning my face from him before he could ask me exactly what day I planned to see Finn again, I watched the Mysticals traveling round the circular living quarter’s walkway. We were mid-level currently, so we had quite a few more rounds to go before my exit. So I watched others, and eventually felt a semblance of peace return when King Kincaid kept quiet.

Until two more rounds up where a sight caught my eye. I knew it was Ezra, even if all I saw was his back. He was stepping backward outside a door. He had on only a pair of jeans, and what appeared to be his t-shirt dangled from one of his hands as a red- and black-haired beauty of a Vampire followed him outside the room, wrapping her arms around his neck. I couldn’t hear her from here, but her head tilted back as she laughed from something Ezra must have said. His own arms slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him, his biceps bulging with the action.

My feet faltered, but Antonio accidently bumped into me from behind at my abrupt stop, shoving my thoughts into gear. I quickly pedaled into motion, glancing at King Kincaid to see if he had caught me watching Ezra. He was still grinning, his gaze forward, so I peeked back over, a bit of anger beginning to flare inside my gut. Ezra was supposed to be with Jack and Pearl. Not…I blinked…sticking his tongue down a Vampire floozy’s throat.

My fists clenched, and I quickly stuck them into my pockets and began regulating my breathing and heartbeat so none of the Vampires talking behind me would notice. Especially since, as we rounded the area and grew nearer to where they were, Ezra’s lips were still glued to the beauty’s. He was obviously leaving her place, done having his fun, so it seemed he was giving her one hell of a goodbye kiss, the woman appearing damn near ready to faint.

I checked my anger, since I didn’t want the Vamps scenting it, and rolled my shoulders just as Vivian mumbled from behind me, “Isn’t that…” She was quiet for an extended moment, and then she stated heatedly, “Dear, you are going to have a talk with your son about circumspection.”

It sounded like Cahal chuckled quietly.

“Cahal,” Vivian grumbled in a warning tone.

“Let him have his fun,” Cahal murmured softly. “He’s only young once.”

Vivian sniffed, but didn’t argue that point.

I, on the other hand, stopped eavesdropping and plastered a blank expression on my face when King Kincaid glanced my way. His damn grin was still in place. He stated, “It looks like King Cave is treating our Prodigies well.”

Respectfully, I managed a decent nod.

Almost as before, except that this time it was with Ezra and his King, King Venclaire stepped forward, brushing passed King Kincaid and me, and called loudly, “Ezra!”

Ezra’s head snapped back from the woman, who blinked open slow lids, as his attention swung in our direction. His lips were swollen, his cheeks flushed, and his spikes mussed. He even had a few red marks on his arms and back where she had obviously dug her nails in. His gaze probably appeared much as mine had earlier as he caught sight of King Venclaire: his eyes widening marginally, and a look of barely masked frustration beginning to harden his jaw. It was only then that he seemed to notice everyone else behind his King, his spring green gaze swinging to each person.

Ezra wasn’t doing a fabulous job hiding his emotions. King Kincaid got contempt mixed with respect. Antonio received watchfulness. His mom, embarrassment. His dad, acquiescence. A passer-by moved directly in front of me a second later, and Ezra didn’t notice me.

“King Venclaire,” I heard him murmur evenly as I moved from behind another individual walking in front of me. That’s when Ezra saw me. His gaze stilled for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between mine and his nostrils flaring, before he turned his attention back to his King. “Is there something you need?”

King Venclaire rocked back on his heels, placing his hand in his pant pockets. “Since we’re heading to lunch, and you appear to be almost free, we thought you might join us.”

I watched, my anger slowly building again — which I could hardly keep banked
and
appear peaceful at the same time — as Ezra extracted himself from the woman with the remarkable dark eyes. He yanked his shirt over his head when the woman appeared steady on her feet, then…
good God
…began zipping his fucking jeans and fixing his belt. Nostrils flaring, I glanced away and stared across the cave’s abyss, more than pissed. He had let me down. Even if he needed to let off sexual tension, he could have fucking waited until I came back to watch over Jack and Pearl.

Not to mention, the damn woman. My nose crinkled. Her scent was cloying, and it was mixed with
him
. The two scents didn’t mingle together well. I wiggled my nose, then rubbed it as my wrath bubbled. Pretty sure I was interrupting them — and not giving a shit — I stated, “I’ve got to go.” I glanced at Ezra from under my lids as everyone went mute. “Jack and Pearl might need something.”

Ezra’s lips only lifted at my covert, cross glance. “Their parents hijacked them.”

My foot literally stopped in midair as I froze. “Oh.” Said foot lowered to the ground, but bizarrely my temper didn’t lower any. Turning to everyone who was staring, I tried to push the attention from myself, asking Ezra, “Who’s your friend?” Honestly, I was a little curious. I had never seen him kiss a woman like he had been doing her. Normally, he immediately left them after fucking them, not lingering as he had been doing.

Adjusting his belt so it was straight, he stated absently, “This is Jessica.”

I blinked, my attention swinging to the woman, her own natural scent bugging the hell out of me. My gaze roamed over her, taking in her disheveled appearance, which did nothing to distract from how gorgeous she was: her large dark eyes, her skin tone close to Ezra’s, her plump lips swollen like his, her cheeks still flushed, the fitted navy silk robe she wore that accentuated her large, full breasts and perfectly shaped hips. One of her long, shapely legs was showing through the slit of her robe while she rested against her doorframe. My gaze went beyond her into her room, where candles were lit and her bed, like Finn’s, in perfect view, the red satin sheets rumpled, not torn to bits as ours had been. Unlike Finn, she didn’t shut the door to hide the evidence of their time together. My gaze met hers, and I already knew what I would see there: confidence that she had screwed him and screwed him well.

I wasn’t wrong.

I sniffed, turning my attention to Ezra’s green gaze, keeping my voice cool. “Same woman as yesterday.” My eyes flitted to the healing marks I could still see on his arms that peeked out from beneath his shirt’s sleeves. “Impressive.”

I felt satisfaction seeing Jessica bristle next to him.

“Yes, it was,” Ezra murmured, cocking his head.

Scenting the air without making a production of it told me he was telling
truth
. “Good for you.” I couldn’t have meant it less at that moment. Rolling my shoulders, I turned and brushed past King Venclaire. “I’m going for a run if Jack and Pearl are fine.”

“What?” Ezra drawled lazily from behind me. “Finn didn’t wear you out?”

I flipped him off over my shoulder, not even bothering to glance back.

“Really fucking mature, sweetheart,” Ezra called loudly after me, his voice rising the farther I moved away. “Maybe one day you’ll learn to count past one on your hands.”

I pivoted, walking backward. “Look at that,” I yelled, throwing up both middle fingers, staring at them in mock shock, and then glaring at him. “I can count to two.”

His cheeks flushed in irritation, just as I knew they would. “I didn’t realize you turned into a bitch after a bad lay!”

I snorted and shouted, “That’s fucking priceless coming from the man who puts gigolos to shame and wouldn’t know a bad lay if his cock was buried balls deep in it.” Getting a great view of his infuriated expression, I turned on my heel and continued to march away.

“Lily!” he bellowed. “Get back here, goddamn it!”

By now, everyone was mute and watching the scene unfold.

I continued marching at a fast clip, perverse righteous anger making my eyes glow.

“We are not done with this conversation!” Ezra roared, sounding like he was about ready to pop a blood vessel, he was so livid. “Lily, I know you can hear me!”

“All I hear is the gibbering of a pompous asshole,” I screamed over my shoulder.

We had definitely caught not only this level’s attention, but also the few floors above and below, everyone peering over the railings to see who was making the racket.

Wonderful.

My eyes still glowed as my gaze shot to him across the expanse, keeping my pace forward, now having rapidly made it across from him. His eyes were glowing too, and he appeared so pissed he wanted to pummel me. I grinned, more of a baring of teeth, and waggled my fingers in goodbye when I saw his own teeth bare, before taking off at a light jog, more than ready to strip down and race through the forested area. I wasn’t really surprised when everyone moved out of my way, even those on the upper floors, who hadn’t heard our argument.

“Let me down!” I punched on Antonio’s back, my head spinning.

Antonio slapped my rear end. Hard
.
I jerked at the contact where I lay like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. He shouted, “Shut up! Or I swear, I’m going to bend you over my leg and properly spank your ass like you deserve!”

Ezra wobbled drunkenly behind us. “God, I would,” a large hiccup, “love to see that.”