King Tomb (Forever Evermore) (13 page)

My gaze went back to the screen. “Now, why in hell would they take those memories from us?” I shook my head at the screen, but I watched how Pearl and Jack interacted. And it dawned on me. “Oh, well…” I chuckled quietly, shaking my head. “I’m betting we weren’t the only two to break that Law.” I flicked a finger at the screen, pointing at them. “They love each other, and they’re not hiding it well with how freaked out they are right there,” my head teetered back and forth in thought, evaluating them a bit more, “even if they weren’t exactly doing the deed at that point.”

King Zeller hummed, watching what I was, but abruptly cut off the noise as his onscreen persona appeared again, only to be bashed by King Venclaire, just in time too, because King Kincaid’s wolf almost bit a chunk out of him.

Elder Merrick whistled quietly, but King Zeller raised an absent hand, muttering, “Like I said before, shut it.”

“Aw,” Elder Merrick murmured. “You brought her a sandwich and almost died for it.”

I wasn’t really sure what Elder Zeller did, but Elder Merrick ended up on the floor groaning and growling a bit as we watched my onscreen self eat the kindly offered sandwich, and so help me if my face on screen didn’t color up a bit from the substance. I heard King Zeller grunt quietly next to me, apparently seeing what I had. I glanced at him, scowling when his green gaze met mine, appearing smug. Luckily, no one had caught on to the bitty fact that the other three Prodigies had acted defensively when I had gone down…as if they had been prepared for it. Like they had known there may be an issue, quite possibly because they knew I was a hybrid. When King Zeller’s eyes went back to the screen, my gaze caught Antonio’s and, like normal, his expression blanked, showing me nothing.

I blinked when I caught King Zeller, sneaky fucker, staring at me again. Watching me. Well…okay…shit, not good. Maybe not all of them had missed that fact, particularly the one I didn’t want to know. I held his gaze levelly, then I turned my attention back to the screen, acting utterly normal because even if the me before the mind rape might have trusted him with the information about my hybrid state, the me in the here and now sure as hell didn’t trust him with the information.

When the first tape was done, I put in the graduation tape. We all watched as Jack, Pearl, King Zeller, and I graduated on stage. There were a few clips of us talking with Mysticals on the school grounds, our expressions ones of pained, forced politeness, and then the footage showed the four of us on the dance floor, cheerful expressions on our faces this time. There was a fire Elemental dancing with Jack and another Mage dancing with Pearl, but the camera altered and zoomed in on King Zeller and me just as he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me in tight against his body.

I went utterly still as I watched us dancing. That…oh, holy shit. I knew my cheeks were flaming as I watched us move against each other. Our hands just kind of went wherever they wanted. Body parts rubbing sinuously together. I placed a hand over my mouth gently as I watched us…

“Jesus,” Elder Merrick muttered, sounding a bit breathless. “I think I bring sex to the dance floor, but fuck…” A pause. “Queen Ruckler, I know I’ve offered before…and it still stands.”

Elder Jacobs grunted. “Maybe I could get a copy of this—”

And yeah, he never finished that statement, also ending up on the floor from something Antonio did to him, groaning before he stood, cursing quietly. While I kept my eyes firmly on the screen, watching as King Zeller and I moved together like we most definitely knew what the hell we were doing, our bodies connecting like old, present, and new lovers. I watched as King Zeller eventually spun me so my back was to his chest, running his hands down my sides to grip my hips…and he was most definitely staring down at my cleavage, which I hadn’t even realized I could have.

More clothes…I definitely needed more clothes.

I flat out gaped as onscreen King Zeller stuck two fingers down my cleavage, and I didn’t disagree when he started cursing next to me. How the fuck had we thought we could get away with that move? I stared wide-eyed as he lifted a piece of paper from the depths of my cleavage, both of us reading it before he stared down at me and chucked the paper aside. And suddenly we stilled, then he spun me away to Jack and the fire Elemental, both of whom were grinning and opening their dance space to me.

But I watched, holding my breath as, onscreen, Elder Zeller came up behind me…then we started dancing, classically to the music. Amazingly, my face was carefully schooled to whatever he was saying — the recording unable to pick up the conversation — but slowly, I could see when I started to falter, my eyes frantically darting off to the side, then back to Elder Zeller, before I schooled my features again and answered whatever he had asked. Elder Zeller continued speaking to me, his expression intent as he evaluated me, and my face cracked as I glanced to the side before peering back to him. Suddenly, King Zeller was on the screen, dancing with a beautiful Vampire, saying something to his dad before the partners were switched, and King Zeller twirled me away from them. And apparently, I started chewing him out, my expression worried and irritated as I spoke quickly to him. King Zeller’s head tilted to the side before he spun me again, moving us directly next to a speaker, where it appeared he proceeded to chew me out, appearing irritated and exasperated.

I almost banged my head against the couch as the scene ended. But then I was watching us exit the dance floor, noticing we were careful not to touch each other…except for the tiny little detail that we were heading away from everyone, climbing a hill to the main building. Fuck, we didn’t even glance back as I tripped him, both of us appearing like we were laughing merrily, having the time of our lives as we raced each other to the building.

I blinked, mute, as the tape ended when we disappeared in the distance.

King Zeller didn’t make a noise either.

We stared at the blank screen, and I was sure he was just as dumbfounded at our stupidity.

Elder Jacobs murmured, “I still wouldn’t mind a copy—”

Again, he hit the ground…but this time because of King Zeller, startling me as his hand blurred backward and grabbed a handful of Elder Jacobs’s shirt, managing to keep Isa steady with his other hand as he tossed Elder Jacobs to the ground. His black army boot conveniently connected with the side of the Elder’s face. Within two seconds, Elder Jacobs was out cold on the floor.

I stared down at him. “That…was…illegal.” I blinked up at King Zeller, his attention back on the empty screen, his expression just as blank. “You do realize that, right?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not as if any of this conversation even happened.” Without a care in the world, he flicked a finger at the coffee table. “Would you put the other one in?”

Again, my attention swung to the Elder on the ground, no one moving to help him, and I eventually shrugged. “All right.” I lifted the DVD from the table, muttering, “Let’s just hope this is an actual wedding tape and not the damn honeymoon.”

Elder Merrick made a choking noise, and I paused, my attention swinging to him, eyes wide. I lifted the DVD in his direction. “Have you seen this video before? Do you already know what’s on it?”

He shook his head, actually grinning at me. If only his eyes weren’t glued to my breasts. When he spoke, his wolf was riding his voice. “No, I haven’t seen that video, but I have to say, if it is what you just said, I sure as hell wouldn’t mind watching—”

Yet again, he hit the ground, again by King Zeller, knocked out cold via the King’s knee this time, instead of his boot. I pointed with my free hand where he lay on top of Elder Jacobs’s body, shaking my head at King Zeller. “Was that really necessary?”

King Zeller grunted, rubbing Isa’s back when she stirred. “Yes.” A simple, blatant reply.

“And, you do understand they are both going to wake up soon, and they probably won’t be very happy with you?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll deal with that then.”

I shook my head and turned to the DVD player, muttering, “Your funeral.”

He only grunted behind me as I started up the video.

I had barely sat down when a handsome Mage’s face I didn’t recognize showed on the screen.

He whispered furiously,
“Ezra, my man…whoa…just whoa.”
He laughed, his eyes bloodshot. He took a drag off a joint, the camera bouncing around, and barked,
“Jury, hold the damn thing straight!”

I pointed at the screen quickly. “Who is that?”

King Zeller’s lips lifted in an actual resemblance of a grin. “Judge, a friend of mine from Vegas. And Jury’s his assistant.”

Judge whispered,
“Seriously? The Queen Shifter?”
He scowled.
“Do you know how many strippers I had to hide because you’re so damn pussy-whipped you wouldn’t let me give you a proper bachelor party?”
Suddenly, his scowl turned into a grin. “
All the more for me, my man.”
Then his eyes somehow turned severe as he stared at us through the screen.
“In all seriousness, I’ve never seen you look at someone like you look at her.”
His head tilted, bloodshot eyes glowing golden as he stared off at nothing, his voice going soft, almost whimsical.
“Your love for each other is something to witness…like honest-to-god true soul mates, the one person anyone with a mate hopes they never find, and those without a mate pray they do…”
His head cocked, and he blinked, his eyes no longer glowing as he turned his attention back to the camera, taking another drag off his joint.
“Congrats, man, since I won’t remember a damn bit of this after it’s said and done.”
A roll of his eyes.
“Thanks for that, prick.”

A woman off-screen muttered,
“They’re coming.”

Judge straightened, grinding out his joint, and the camera swung in the direction of a golden door — the entire room was golden and resembled an office of sorts. King Zeller and I entered through it, both of us wearing white robes, our hair brown, King Zeller with the dark beard of the pictures earlier, but neither of us was wearing the fake glasses.

I curled up on the couch as I watched myself get married onscreen, unable to access this memory, only view it as if it was someone else’s life.

Onscreen, King Zeller and I wore identical expressions of complete and absolute love and happiness as we stared at each other, King Zeller every so often whispering softly, instructing me on what to do, since even now, in the present, I didn’t know the Mystical way of marriage ceremonies, the events just a bit different than a Com wedding. I barely noticed when Elder Jacobs and Elder Merrick woke from their short ‘naps’, both only moaning quietly before standing to glare at King Zeller then stare at the screen. Sometime during watching the ceremony, Antonio moved behind me to rest his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently, keeping it there as we watched my past, which still felt unknown, like it was an out-of-body experience.

I could not remember ever being that happy. Not as joyful as I appeared onscreen. Even when I was mated, I did not remember being that filled with pleasure. Eyebrows puckered, I glanced over to King Zeller, the man who had apparently made me that foolish in love. I analyzed his expression, his hard features. Nothing of that man on the screen was visible, nothing of that joy and love was there. Instead, he was like me, cold and hard.

Green eyes flicked to mine, and they held when he saw me staring.

We eyed one another, our gazes slowly wandering over each other’s faces before reconnecting, staring just as coldly as before.

Feeling my eyebrows pinch further, I was the first to glance away to the screen, to a couple that didn’t exist anymore, a strangers’ wedding. A couple who had been ignorant enough to get caught in their love for each other, and have all that goodness ripped away, every memory together that made them who they were…gone.

Left cold and alone.

My breath caught — maybe in a bit of jealousy or disbelief — as I stared at my onscreen self mouth to King Zeller, “
I love you.
” I watched as he mouthed, “
I love you, too.”
I had to keep my jaw from gaping as, onscreen, King Zeller lifted me straight off my feet at the end of the ceremony and placed his lips on mine. I stared without blinking as we embraced, kissing as if our lives depended on each other, like we were each other’s life force. Jesus, seriously, I had to blink, wondering how long it was going to last.

Elder Merrick glanced at his watch. “That would be two minutes.”

Still, I stared as our onscreen selves kept…going at it…King Zeller’s hand in my hair, holding my face close, both my hands fisted in his hair, doing the same.

Elder Merrick grunted, glancing at his watch again. “Three minutes.”

I damn near jumped when Judge started to take a step forward on the screen, his mouth opening to obviously break us up, but King Zeller’s hand blurred from my hair — my onscreen self completely oblivious to this — as he grabbed Judge’s throat, squeezed, then shoved him back, before his hand returned to me, placing it gently on my neck to tilt my head the other way, and I definitely saw tongues involved there as we altered our head positions.

Elder Merrick actually chuckled and muttered, “Fuck it. It’s over four minutes. Longest wedding kiss I’ve ever seen.”

Every single Elder in the room grunted in agreement, my cheeks flushing. I swear to fucking God, I could have taken a decent nap during the damn embrace it was so long, and when we pulled apart onscreen I saw my face lit up, flushing brightly, that kiss not meant to be seen by anybody but the two of us.

Antonio cleared his throat. Squeezed my shoulder once. Patted it. Cleared his throat again, and growled at King Zeller, “If you ever do that to her in front of me, don’t expect to wake up for a damn week.” Then he was marching to the bar, muttering, “I need a real fucking drink.”

“Bring the bottle,” King Zeller mumbled, and from the corner of my eye I saw him run a slow hand over his face, the first emotion-filled action I had seen him make since the videos began. “Fucking shit.” His head fell back on the chair. “I’m married.” A pause. “To the Queen Shifter, the woman I tortured only a week ago. And I have a daughter with her, a hybrid, a highly illegal being.” He made an odd noise in his throat. “Yes, please bring the whole fucking bottle.”