King Tomb (Forever Evermore) (18 page)

I nodded once. No point in lying. “Of course I did, especially after how possessive you were last night about John before you even knew for sure we were married.”

His jaw clenched. “Was he a test?”

I shook my head. “No. I really had a meeting with him.”

His wide, supple lips pursed, his eyebrows snapping together. “Swear to me you’ve never had a sexual relationship with him.”

I blinked then sighed heavily. I knew he was watching me for any visible deception. “I swear I’ve never had a sexual relationship with him. If you would like, I’ll make you a list of all my previous partners, if you’ll do the same for me.”

He blinked this time, and he held up his finger to lift his cell from his pocket, pressing numbers then placing it to his ear. He was quiet a moment, then someone must have answered because he stated, “Release him. He’s free to move about camp.” He snapped his phone shut and placed it in his pocket.

My jaw clenched fiercely, and I stated through gritted teeth, “Did you hurt him?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “His jaw and eye will heal quickly enough.” He ignored the fact I was spitting mad that he had taken a Shifter in this camp without informing me and continued stating, “It could be an issue if you want a list of all my bed partners.”

A rough, humorless chuckle escaped. “Christ, you’re unbelievable.”

His head tilted as he placed his hands in his pant pockets. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.” His lips quirked when my scowl only intensified. “I would like that list, and I’ll provide you with one of all the names of the women I can remember.”

I threw my hands up and turned to pour a cup of coffee for myself, grabbing a new cup. “Fine, and I’ll somehow endeavor to remember all of the names…you can actually remember.”

“I take my coffee black,” Ezra stated directly behind me, his hands suddenly on my hips — I hadn’t even felt the brush of a breeze as he used his speed to move across the room so quickly — startling me so bad I almost dropped my cup. He bent, using his chin to brush back my hair, and placed a gentle kiss at my throat where his fangs had been earlier. He didn’t apologize, not that I expected him to, but I was kind of learning that his actions spoke for him, which if I was honest with myself, was more commendable than most people with their false request for forgiveness. As I poured the cups, he squeezed my hips, kissing my neck once more — how many times had he held his fangs there? — and murmured quietly, “Just so you know, in the future, I’m a hell of an ass in the mornings, like you are in the evenings, so you may want to give me a heads up if you think I’ll react badly to something in the early hours.”

He stepped back, putting the proper space between us as I turned and placed the cups on the bar. I bent, peering into the mini-fridge, trying to find the cream I had put back in there only an hour ago. “I’m still upset at you for taking a Shifter without my consent.”

He chuckled quietly. “I somehow doubt you would have consented to me harming him.”

I finally spotted the cream and grabbed it, straightening to pour some into my cup. “So that’s how this works between you and me in the future? You don’t tell me if you don’t think it’ll work out to your benefit?”

He sipped his coffee, leaning toward me on the bar, and sadly, I did notice how his biceps and pecs bulged under his t-shirt. “This situation was completely different than normal business matters and you know it.” When I only stared at him, he stated, “All right, I won’t jump to conclusions in the future and hurt a Shifter without speaking to you first.” A pause. “Unless I find him in your bed.” A sip of his coffee as he shrugged one shoulder. “That man will be dead, no questions asked.”

Unbidden, a chuckle escaped, and I shook my head. “Un-freaking-believable.”

His lips lifted cockily on one side as I stirred sugar in my cup, and he took another sip of his drink. “I’m going for brutal honesty here. Take it or leave it.”

I sighed, finally taking a sip of my own drink. “I’ll take the honesty.” I shrugged, realizing I really was parched thanks to our little bout a few minutes ago, and took another larger drink. “And really, I can’t say I would do any differently if I found someone in your bed.”

He toasted his coffee cup against mine. “We should celebrate. We each married a sadistic killer.” His head tilted toward Isa as we drank our coffee. “I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard she ends up with.”

My smile was just as feral as John’s had been earlier. “Imagine the poor schmuck’s face when he finds out not only who both her parents are, because she will eventually tell him, but who her grandparents are.”

Ezra almost spit his coffee out and slammed a fist against his chest, even as he chuckled hard. “Fuck, maybe I should feel sorry for…” He stopped abruptly then shook his head. “Nope, not happening.”

I nodded once, finishing my coffee. “Damn straight.”

Isa was with Bindi, her normal babysitter, and I hadn’t bothered buttoning my black, fur coat against the chill in the morning air, just enjoying being able to
feel
it. The whiteness of the mist hovering around me fit with my soul after last night’s revelations — a bit of light in my dark with the knowledge of the truth.

Now, two hours later after my morning ‘meeting’ with Ezra, I walked through the black tent’s flap of headquarters, and I headed to the left to make myself coffee, their headquarters — probably all headquarters — fashioned the same way. Actually tasting the liquid’s warmth, I moved through the information and computer center to the conference room in the far back. Everyone was already there except for King Zeller, and after hanging up my coat, I sat down, placing my duffle on the table without a word. I took a file handed to me by Elder Merrick, who was watching me closely. I was used to the expression from many others, and I had constructed my cold wall beautifully the past year, keeping everyone out. I realized hiding behind it was second nature to me and I was doing it now. Not really bothered by this, and seeing no reason to alter the person I had become, I rested my boots on the table, reclined on the leather seat, placed the file on my lap, and opened it to begin reading about King Shadow’s itinerary — our game plan here for the war.

Elder Merrick resituated himself next to me, turning so he was facing me. “I heard some interesting news this morning regarding a Shifter…Mr John Smith.”

Ah. “Yes, I was aware of the situation.” I had spent the previous fifteen minutes diffusing a slight uprising from a few Shifters who had seen King Zeller…well, ‘brutally bashing John’s head in’ and ‘unfairly slapping him in silver cuffs’ by their accounts. And I had called John to make sure he was okay, which he was, if slightly confused and irate at being ambushed and held as he had been. I wasn’t positive he had believed the bogus ‘mistaken identity’ excuse I had given him, but he hadn’t pushed for any further explanation. “It’s been handled.”

Elder Merrick’s eyebrows quirked. “You may want to talk with King Zeller about his lack of control and discretion.”

“Like I said, it’s been handled,” I stated bluntly, not appreciating his input.

“What’s been handled?” King Zeller’s voice rumbled behind us as he moved past the tent flap of the conference room no longer dressed in workout clothes, but in — yeah, I stared — his dark silver robe, a silk, sapphire blue billowy shirt, and…
oh, God
…black leather pants. Year-long iced control kept me from ogling him, but I did peek over when he turned to take his robe off, hanging it next to the other coats.

My mind…just…went blank.

Well, not exactly blank. More like a zillion naughty ideas flew through my mind in rapid fire, like a reel going so fast I just kind of zoned out as my peek turned into a flat out stare of his ass. I had never checked it out before, but the me of the present most definitely agreed with the me of the past.

His ass in leather was absolutely God’s finest work.

Fucking hell, that was just…yummy.

“Um…” I tried to speak, unsuccessful in remembering what he had asked as he hooked his robe on the old-fashioned claw. “What did you ask?”

His ass flexed under that soft leather, and I blinked, hardly noticing the file in my lap fall to the ground as my fingers went numb. I sucked in a harsh breath as heat swamped me, and squeezed my eyes shut. Gave my head a decent shake. This was really not the time.

Yeah…didn’t stop me from opening my eyes again to the ass I wanted to sink my teeth in to.

King Zeller’s voice skimmed across my nerve endings like heated silk. “Queen Ruckler?”

“Present.” And his ass was like a present, all gift-wrapped in buttery leather.

He chuckled quietly, all rumbly and cocky as hell, but I didn’t care about his tone when his action caused his ass to visibly flex again.

A hard thump on my forehead had me snapping my attention to Elder Merrick. “What the hell?” I rubbed my forehead, since he hadn’t hit me softly.

He thumped me again, eliciting a growl from me. “Control and discretion goes for you, too, Queen Ruckler.”

My lips pursed when I exercised my normally well-honed self-control to not gaze at the first-rate ass of God’s across the room, since I could see from the corner of my eye he hadn’t moved, his perfectly spiked red and black head of hair turned, green eyes peering over his shoulder at us. “Fuck off, Merrick.” And I firmly ignored how my cheeks flushed in mortification, having been caught acting like a…
girl
…drooling over a hot man.

And really, it was my first time seeing his ass, so ogling couldn’t be helped.

When Elder Merrick only continued staring at me, all alpha, I mumbled, “Won’t happen again.”

His lips pursed before he sighed. “I’d like to believe that, but—” He gurgled. Stopped. Waved a hand and muttered, “Never mind. Just watch yourself.” His attention turned to Ezra. “And you,” his eyes narrowed, voice turning growly, “don’t ever pull that shit with a Shifter again or you’ll have me to deal with.”

Still from the corner of my eye, I saw Ezra pivot and pull a file off a shelf. He sat at the conference table opposite me, stating, “If this is what you two were discussing before I arrived, Queen Ruckler’s correct. It’s been handled.” A pause, his voice flat. “And don’t threaten me.”

Ignoring their little battle of alpha dominance, I lowered my legs to pick up the file on the ground. And almost dropped it when my hand started shaking again. Quickly, I altered the file to my other hand, fisting the involuntarily trembling one before shaking it out, my muscles tight. And paused before sitting back up, seeing Elder Jacobs, who was sitting on the chair on the other side of me, watching the action. Slowly, his eyes rose to meet mine, and one yellow eyebrow cocked.

Lips pursed, I sat up, kicked my boots back onto the table, and ignored him. “King Zeller, I wanted to talk with you about how heavy your ranks are with Vampires.”

Ezra grunted.

Nice.

“I’m going to want to change that.” No point in beating around the bush.

His green eyes lifted from his file, meeting mine. “We haven’t lost a battle or mission yet.”

True. “But your casualties could have been less with a more unified structure of multiple factions leading the forces.”

He further relaxed onto his chair. “Are you telling me your previous camp didn’t have more Shifter Commanders than any other faction?”

I could tell by the challenge in his eyes he knew the answer already. “My camp had about forty percent Shifter Commanders, which is only fifteen percent off where it should be ideally for a unified four way split between factions, whereas yours has close to sixty percent Vamp Commanders.” I shook my head, eyebrows rising. “You’re limiting yourself, and this camp, by not using the talents of the other factions.”

Green eyes held mine unblinkingly for a long minute. “I’ll think about it.”

I snorted, peering back down to my file. “All right…and while you’re thinking about it…I’ll take care of the details for camp to be made for the five new alpha Shifter Commanders I sent for, all of which will be arriving here around lunchtime.”

A silent minute ensued until I heard Ezra’s Vampire growl quietly, and he asked harshly, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Well, that answer was easy. “No.” I placed the file I was reading on the table and unzipped my duffle, pulling out the five black files I had inside. “I don’t need your permission to bring Shifters in to the current ranks since we’re to be running this camp together.” I tossed the files over to him and they landed on the table, spreading wide directly in front of him. “But, I thought it prudent to at least inform you of them and give you their data.”

I lifted my eyes to the furious green ones staring at me, speaking steadily, “And I also have concerns about the Elementals and Mages you currently have placed as Commanders. There are two of each I wouldn’t mind transferring and bringing in stronger ones. I’ve found replacements for them in Virginia Beach and Dallas, and the two Elders that run those camps have already agreed to swap them.” I dug out the two gold folders, one green folder, and one blue folder, also tossing those across the table, which were also ignored by the Vampire across from me who was quickly becoming enraged. I pointed at them. “Of course, the Mages and Elementals transfers would also need your approval.”

Ezra’s jaw clenched and his nostrils flared wide.

He stared, fairly vibrating.

Stared a bit more in the growing, tense silence.

I cleared my throat and decided to throw the big bomb at him, which I hadn’t originally thought would be an issue, but now…

Another clearing of my throat. Scratched at my bicep. Tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I want you to know I picked each of these individuals based purely on power level, experience, and availability a few days ago while my group was staying at the hotel…before I knew of our…relationship.” I cracked my knuckles then flicked a finger at the farthest file. “That one I’ve had a sexual relationship with.” My lips pursed as I flicked my finger at the next black file. “And that one I offered to have a sexual relationship with, but he turned me down for another partner.”