King Cave (41 page)

Antonio made an odd noise, then groused, “Well, why the hell not?” Ezra’s mien didn’t change at Antonio’s outburst into the tense silence. “Come on in, Ezra.” Antonio laughed, sounding frazzled. “Join the party.”

Instantly, I held up my hand. “Actually Ezra, why don’t you go?” I flicked my wrist. “I’ll see you later.” I was already in it neck-deep. He could still run. “At dinner.” Hopefully.

His response was to step inside the room, shut the door, and lock it behind him.

My chest heaved. The man seriously didn’t know how to run. “Remember that nifty trick Antonio did that one night before our trip to the zoo?” It was best to give him a heads up if he wasn’t smart enough to get out.

His feet didn’t even falter as he stalked through the room. “Yes.” And, dear God, was he ever stalking, not just walking, his strides showing his rigidity while nothing else about his expression, or even his heart rate, did.

“Well,” I nodded around, “this happens to be Antonio’s office. All four of them were in it earlier while we were.”

He hummed.

That was all he did, stepping beside me with his hands in his pockets, directly between me and his dad.

No lips thinning. No heart faltering. No fainting.

Just that hum as he trained his eyes directly on his dad.

And they stared at each other with utterly blank faces…for what seemed like forever.

And finally, as before, Cahal started speaking, going through the same questions he had asked me, only this time, to his son. “You lied to me.”

Ezra’s answer was short and simple, like mine. “Yes.”

“Ms Ruckler has confirmed you two share a bedroom.”

Ezra shrugged. “And a bed.”

Cahal’s eyebrows rose. “How long has this been going on?”

Ah, a little deviation.

Ezra’s head cocked. “The first time we shared a bed was in December.”

My head dropped, realizing he was talking about the camping trip last year.

Cahal glanced to me, then back to his son. “Was that when your sexual relations began?”

Ezra’s lips lifted. “That was the first night I kissed her,” he shrugged, “she ended up naked on top of me by morning.”

I stilled, realizing he was taking the fall. Exactly as he said he would do in that supply closet.

Cahal glanced at Elder Merrick, who shrugged, stating, “
Truth
.”

“We didn’t actually have sex that night as he’s implying.” I wasn’t about to let him do this.

Cahal ignored me, asking Ezra, who also ignored me, “You were the father of her twins?”

His lips did pinch. “Yes.”

“How did you know their genders?”

Ezra’s head tilted back and forth. “It’s only an assumption.” He also didn’t look at Elder Merrick at the
lie
.

Cahal placed his elbow on the arm of the chair, chin in hand, watching his son avidly. “Who knows of your relationship?”

“Other than the people in this room?”

“Yes.”

Ezra shrugged. “No one who will ever mention anything.”

Cahal’s lips lifted on one side. “Enlighten me.”

Ezra sighed heavily, stating, “King Venclaire.”

Goddamn, what a fucking duo of liars we were.

Cahal lifted one eyebrow. “Who else?”

Ezra’s eyebrows came together. “No one else.”

“And how did King Venclaire find out?”

Ezra’s lips twitched. “He asked for a cigarette.”

Cahal’s dark eyes moved back and forth between us. “Outstanding.” His eyes continued evaluating. “You’re both lying in there somewhere, but you both do it so damn well.” He tilted his head toward Elder Merrick. “Shall I ask him where you both lied?”

We both shrugged, heart rates normal. If Elder Merrick really wanted to rat us out, he would do so whenever he chose to. It was no longer in our hands.

Cahal grunted. “Simply incredible.”

Ezra also grunted. “Are you finished? We’ve done nothing illegal, so we can’t formally be charged with anything, and you can’t do anything other than question us.”

After an extended silence, Cahal stated, “Just a few more questions.”
Oh, goodie.
His gaze landed on his son. “Did anyone in this room other than you two know of this affair before today?”

Ezra shook his head. “No one in this room knew we were having sex.”

Cahal glanced at Merrick, who stated, “
Truth
.”

Dark eyes found mine, Cahal watching me intently. “Same question, Ms Ruckler.”

I shook my head. “No one in this room knew we were having sex.”

Again, Cahal glanced at Merrick.

But this time, Merrick lowered his head, choking, “
Lie
.”

I quickly pulled my eyes from him, in complete disbelief he would contradict me. I was saving his ass, goddamn it. I felt Ezra stiffen next to me, not knowing this. Both of Cahal’s eyebrows rose as he stared at Merrick.

And, oh, so damn slowly, his face turned to me. “Who?”

My lips pinched shut, not knowing what the hell to do.

“I did,” Elder Merrick stated gruffly, again earning Cahal’s attention. “I knew Ezra was the father of her twins. I originally had my suspicions about their relationship, but when he reacted almost like a Shifter when King Kincaid began using his power on her when she became ill, I knew for sure.” He snorted. “I thought I was going to have to save the King’s life there for a few moments, and Ms Ruckler saw this.”

Cahal’s gaze roamed Elder Merrick’s face. “We’ll discuss this later.”

Elder Merrick’s lips tilted in a small smile at the obvious irritation in Cahal’s brusque tone. “It should be no surprise to you I keep my mouth shut.”

A grunt ensued from Cahal, his eyes returning to me. “Was Elder Merrick the only one?”

“Yes.” Assumptions were different than fact, and I couldn’t one hundred percent be sure Antonio had known about us.

Before Cahal’s head even turned completely to Elder Merrick, he stated, “
Truth
.”

Dark eyes on me. “Why would you choose to protect him?”

I shrugged. “He meant no harm to Ezra and me, so no harm should fall on him.”

His thumbs began that ticking motion, but this time it was in cadence to Ezra’s heartbeat. “What if I said, because of the new information about hybrids, a new Law has been passed, which states if any two individuals from different Mys factions are found guilty of sexual relations, the punishment would be five years jail time followed by a permanent spelled separation?”

Both Ezra and I stilled completely, our heart rates instantly galloping, no longer able to play it cool. Cahal’s thumbs stopped their drumming as he cocked his head, watching us closely. I turned to Antonio, searching his expression. He wouldn’t lie to me about this.

Antonio was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching the proceeding carefully, but he met my gaze evenly. “Some of the Elders are considering this.”

My mouth was open, but I quickly snapped it shut, not knowing exactly what to say that was safe.

Ezra growled at Antonio, “To help with war negotiations? Or out of fear?”

“Both, I believe,” he said softly, eyeing Ezra.

Ezra’s chest rose and fell heavily, his gaze turning toward Cahal. “Are you one of the Elders trying to pass this Law?”

“That isn’t the issue here, although I will state, not touching on the fact you two are from different Mystical factions, a romantic relationship between two Rulers can have horrendous outcomes, which I don’t believe you two are even considering.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Do you have any idea the disasters that could erupt if this continues and somewhere down the road one of you ends up hurting the other? The four Rulers have to keep the peace together for their subjects’ sake. Add in emotions, instead of rational thought, and you both could fuck up the balance.”

He snorted, like, as in an actual snort. “You two have already done that with your childish behavior.” He shook his head, his eyes closing. He fell back against the chair, actually showing emotion as he muttered a curse under his breath.

He ran a hand over his face, appearing worried as his eyes went to his Ezra. “Son, I wasn’t always mated to your mother. I understand true love without the magic. I’ve experienced profound jealousy. I know what it can do to a person when things don’t go your way.” Another shake of his head. “You need to listen to me when I say that sometimes you just need to walk away before you get in too deep.”

My head dropped to stare at my feet, when all I wanted to do was pounce on the damn man and beat the living shit out of him. Yes, he had a valid argument. All of those things could happen, but Lord help me if I was going to let my damn throne dictate who I did and did not want to be with privately. With someone worth the risk. It already took so much from me, I wasn’t about to let it take my soul, too.

Ezra cleared his throat. “We aren’t foolish enough to believe it would be easy if we chose to have a real relationship.” His voice was soft, and I could tell he was startled by his dad’s honest words, probably shocked that his dad had a life before his mom, but he didn’t give in. “And on the legal aspect, no Law has been passed yet to try to stop us. Ultimately, it’s still our choice. If we did choose to do this, I’m sure we would try to make better decisions in the future in regards to arguments or,” he cleared his throat, “other things.”

“God,” Cahal growled, rubbing his hands over his face in agitation, “I’ve taught you so much, but you’re still so fucking
young
.” He sighed heavily before turning a glare on me.

I went utterly still, my gaze glued to him. Along with all that anger on his face — and there was plenty — there was a deep hurt riding it. A profound one. That was a life experience staring me in the face.

His nostrils flared, and he muttered, “At least your damn mate’s dead.”

“Dad!” Ezra barked, taking a step in front of me, partially blocking my view. “What the
fuck
?”

My jaw was clenched at the callous remark, but I quickly placed a hand on Ezra’s bicep. “Don’t.” Cahal’s comment hadn’t been geared to hurt me. It had been his past talking. I could see that. “I’m not offended.” Ezra’s wide gaze met mine in disbelief. I shook my head, giving his arm a tug and placing him back where he was originally standing. “It’s okay. Really.”

Ezra’s gaze flew to Elder Merrick.

Elder Merrick’s arms were crossed, a fist in front of his mouth, intelligent eyes watching. Mute. But he met Ezra’s silent question. “
Truth
.” His navy blue gaze turned to me. “It’s amazing how much you see.” A pause. “And don’t.”

Well, that could mean a million things.

I cleared my throat, trying to get back on track. “When is this new Law supposed to be decided?” My gaze flew to each Elder in the room. “And do you plan to tell them about us?”

Elder Jacobs chuckled softly where he had been sitting quietly. “You have some balls, girl.”

I shrugged. “It’s best to be prepared.” I left it at that. Their responses would dictate whether I would be asking a favor of Antonio. If they planned to blab, I would have their memories permanently erased. There were survival instincts on many different levels.

“I’m not sure I want to know what’s going through your mind right now,” Elder Merrick murmured softly, eyes scanning my face. “You get this certain look about you sometimes that scares even me.”

“I raised her. What else would you expect?” Antonio stated quietly, intervening graciously as a small smile played at his lips. He winked at me. He knew what I would ask of him.

Ezra’s hand landed on the small of my back, surprising me — he was apparently no longer afraid to touch me in front of them and pulled me against his side. “I don’t believe the answers are written on her breasts, Elder Merrick.” My gaze flew to the Elder, and I caught his eyes lifting from my chest. “Just answer her questions.”

Elder Merrick shrugged, waving a hand. “Forgive me. I was just daydreaming about attractive bunnies.” I bit my lips as the man still managed to antagonize Ezra, but watched as he shook his head. “I believe they plan to decide this Law quickly. And, baby Zeller, I’ve known many secrets in my life, and I’m the very soul of discretion.”

Ezra growled quietly, but his gaze went to Elder Jacobs. “And you?”

But Elder Jacobs was staring at Elder Merrick. “Bunnies? I thought they were lambs.”

My eyes closed as I rubbed my forehead. “Can everyone please stop talking about my bra?”

“They were bunnies. Get your fucking eyesight checked,” Elder Merrick griped. “I’m not going to save your ass on the field just because you’re too afraid to see a doctor.”

Elder Jacobs’s face scrunched up. “Where the hell does a grown woman even buy lingerie like that?” His gaze went to my chest. “She’s not small enough for the children’s section.”

Face flaming brightly, I didn’t even mind when Ezra shoved me behind him and rumbled, “No, she’s not a fucking child, as you all,” his predator growled low, “saw. And I would appreciate it if everyone would quit staring at her damn breasts.” I rested my forehead against his back at the reminder of how much they had seen. And I couldn’t help the fact I was a smidge pleased at seeing him act possessive. That was a good sign for what I had asked of him. “Now, Elder Jacobs, would you mind answering her question?”