Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5) (11 page)

Chapter Eleven

“So…” I picked at a fingernail, studying it intensely. There was absolutely no way to get out of this. “I imagine you’re all wondering who ‘he’ is.” When no one answered, though I could feel their penetrating eyes on me, I continued working on my nail. I flicked my attention to Elder Farrar then back to my nail. “It would probably be easiest if you just take another memory from me.” I held up the finger I had been working on, lifting my eyes to his golden ones and stating very slowly, “Don’t you dare take one from when I was young.”

He blinked sluggishly. “You are young.”

I exhaled the laugh of the jaded, letting a bit of my true self show. “I was never young, but that’s not the point.” I waved my finger at him. “I’m telling you to extract one from age eighteen and up.” All I could hear was quiet breathing as everyone stared. I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face a few times. I let my head drop…only to have the troubled gaze I was trying to hide be seen in full view by the silver eyes steadily staring up at me from my lap. I grumbled in irritation, “Dammit, can’t you move?”

Calm words. “No.” His gaze traveled over my face unhurriedly, and in a tranquil voice he asked the question no one would. “Why not before age eighteen?”

I rubbed my face again, keeping my head down. I schooled my features behind my hands. When I lowered them, an utterly blank expression was firmly in place. I peered up to everyone and stated bluntly, “From what I’ve seen, everyone in this room cares about, if not adores, children. I’m sure the last thing you want to see is a child,” my lips pinched the barest bit before I could control the action, “not being…loved.”

I flicked my hard gaze to each of the Rulers. “And the last thing I want is for anyone pitying me, so I would much rather Elder Farrar pick something from when I was older and better able to…handle myself.” I ignored everyone else’s carefully neutral regard and turned my gaze to Elder Farrar. “So, if you want to see ‘him’, know ‘him’, that’s my deal. Only memories from age eighteen and above.”

Fluidly, Elder Farrar nodded before his lips actually twitched. He held up his still glowing hand and murmured, “I already pulled one.” His gaze fell to my lap—to Leric—then lifted to mine as I gaped at hearing him state blatantly he had stolen from me. He rolled his shoulders. “Reese already informed us what he saw, and you gave me access, so I took a recent memory of whoever ‘he’ is along with the one we just watched.”

Slow words from me. “You lied while Leric had his hand on you?”

A shoulder shrugged as he flicked his glowing hand, another screen appearing. “Yes.” A pause. “Ms Jules, Mr Damon doesn’t frighten me in the least.” He tapped his temple. “And I already knew you’d give me access for the memory.”

I couldn’t help but stare at the man. “You, Elder Farrar, are one interesting individual.”

“Thank you,” he stated, flipping the overhead lights off, his hand no longer glowing. “That is one of the better compliments I’ve received in regards to my eccentricity.”

I cleared my throat, stuttering, “What memory…did you pull?”

Elder Farrar shook his head, his gorgeous golden hair brushing his shoulders. “I have no clue. I only asked for and received it. I haven’t viewed it yet.”

“Well, let’s hope your version of ‘recent’ and my version of ‘recent’ are the same.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

As the screen showed an unmoving, moonlit bedroom, I felt Leric jolt on my lap. I stared unblinkingly at the enormous white bed onscreen, a slight breeze wafting in through the large windows on either side. The sheer white curtains were frozen in mid-billow. Leric’s face was smack in the middle of the screen, his eyes slightly glowing, his hair a few inches shorter. I sucked in a huge breath then squealed, “No, no, no, no!” I waved my hands at Elder Farrar, rambling too quickly, my voice high-pitched and most definitely girly. “Of all the fucking memories, you took that one?” More waving of my hands as everyone’s heads cocked, staring between the screen, myself, and Leric. “Really, please take another one!”

Elder Farrar’s eyebrows were raised, and he stated offhandedly, “I did request one with Leric, too, so this must have been a two-for-one deal.” His lips trembled as his head swung between the screen and me. He didn’t care that Leric was as still as stone on the bed; Leric apparently was also not liking this memory being stolen, nor the fact that Elder Farrar had tried to invade his privacy. “So, this is what we’ve got.” Elder Farrar flicked his wrist and the screen moved into motion.

“Oh my God,” I wheezed. I prepared to watch the mortifying events from my past unfold. With a bare blessing of luck, it started well after my more embarrassing ramblings of seduction, after I had…offered many carnal services.

Leric gazed down at me, amusement in his eyes. Desire flashed in his glowing gaze as he purred quietly, “I’m not sure you could handle that.” He paused, his head cocking as his regard traveled over my face, his white hair glistening in the moonlight. “Since you won’t tell me your name, why don’t you tell me how old you are?”

“Old enough,” I muttered. I grabbed his opened white silk shirt, jerking it over his shoulders with slightly shaking hands. My gaze stalled on his tanned, muscled flesh as I finished awkwardly pulling his shirt from his arms and tossing it on the bed. My voice turned guttural while I eyed his body. “Definitely old enough.” I placed my hands on his hard chest, shoving him a step so the backs of his legs hit his bed. With my eyes caught on him, I quickly tore my own shirt over my head. I pulled my stare away from his steel-like abs and back to his striking face, meeting his gaze steadily.

His expression had altered, his amusement now barely observable and overridden with a growing desire that hardened his features. His gaze traveled down my body, then slowly journeyed back up—he was taking his time. Gradually, he lifted a hand and threaded his fingers through my hair, pulling strands of it forward into my line of sight and studying its vivid color. He asked on a hum, his tone quiet and intimate, “Why red?”

With a slightly breathless voice, I stated, “It works with my—”

A loud and insistent knock sounded at his door. My vision swung in that direction, across the large expanse of his Caribbean-style room—open and airy, the furniture decorated in white, silver, and teak—to the large, pine colored door. A golden light shone underneath, a shadow interrupting its glow.

“Whoever it is will go away,” Leric stated gruffly, tilting my face back to his with two fingers.

“Uh…” I murmured breathlessly, staring at his molten mercury, glowing gaze. “Maybe you…should answer it.”

His head cocked, his hair falling over one cheek as his gaze roamed my face. “No, I don’t think so.”

“No?” I sighed as he slowly started to bend, his lids hooding his gaze.

“No,” he growled, dipping to place his lips directly in front of mine, hovering there as he ran his hands through my hair and held me captive. “Definitely not.”

My lids closed when he started finishing the distance between our mouths.

But we froze, my eyes flying wide, our lips a breath apart when the person at the door pounded again.

Leric’s eyes flared a bit brighter, this time in irritation. When the knocking came again, he growled, “Dammit.” More pounding. “Just give me a second.” He pulled his hands away, straightening. His flowing silk pants rode low on his waist and rippled around his bare feet as he strode quickly to his door. My gaze roamed down his back, watching the play of his muscles, the flex of his ass, but I quickly glanced up when he tilted his head back toward me, meeting his gaze. He growled an order, “Don’t go anywhere.”

Mutely, I nodded and watched as he opened the door and quickly stepped outside, shutting it firmly behind him. A shuddering sigh escaped my lips, and I ran a shaking hand over my face. My attention swung from the door to his bed before landing on his silk shirt I had thrown there. Slowly, I lifted it, staring at it before I pulled the charmed diamond I had stashed in my back pocket from its depths with my free hand. My gaze altered between the two, with my decision unwavering.

But I stalled, my gaze snapping to his door when I heard a feminine voice outside.

A rush of air escaped my lungs, the breath I had been holding vulgar in the silence of the room. I placed the diamond back in my pocket, my feet moving me toward the door, a slow, soundless creep until I was turning the doorknob silently. Still clutching his silk shirt in one hand, I peeked out into the opulent Temple hallway of white sanded walls, silver accents on the tiling, and light fixtures.

And two occupants.

“You’re not answering my question!” a furious spirit Elemental asked on a rising shout. She was an absolute beauty, dressed in a flowing white gown, its slits baring a large amount of her flesh. Her ample chest was heaving in her fury, barely restrained in the silk covering. Her shoulderblade-length white hair with attractive spiral curls slightly swayed as she rested her hands on Leric’s stomach. “Why the hell do you smell like this? And who the fuck do you have in there?” She bared her teeth. “You asked me to meet you tonight after you were done with your damn work, but instead I catch you with another fucking woman?”

“Lissa, calm down,” Leric stated on a hushed voice, placing his hands over hers on his stomach, not removing them. “There’s no one in my room.”

Lissa paused, then she huffed, “Then why won’t you let me in there?”

“Just not tonight, Lissa,” Leric crooned softly, pulling her in close to his body, wrapping his arms—

I shut the door quickly, my breathing labored as I stared at it. I was still able to hear the tone of Leric’s soothing voice, but not his words. I quickly walked backward, away from the sound. I was unable to take my gaze from the door until the backs of my legs thumped against the bed, a tiny whimper exiting my lips as I stared for long moments. I gripped the silk shirt, raising it to stare at it before murmuring quietly, “Never fool me once…”

I let my hand open wide, the silk shirt sliding over my palm until it floated to the ground. I stared at it a moment before grabbing my shirt from the floor next to it, pulling it over my head quickly. I tugged the charmed diamond out of my pocket again. I didn’t glance at the door, my focus steady on the diamond. Cupping it with both hands and bringing it to my lips, I whispered,
“Take me to Sin.”

A flash of blinding white light erupted.

When I blinked, I was in a back card room in one of the many hotels Bossman owned. I ducked, rolling toward the door as I stuffed the diamond into my back pocket, when I heard Dell, Bruno, Jasper, and many other goons behind me. I wasn’t fast enough, a brush of wind fluttering my hair across my face. I shouted, the sound frantic, as I was jerked up by a handful of my hair, instantly pulled to my feet as my head was yanked back…to stare into Dell’s surprised face.

He grinned slowly. “Well, gentlemen, look who just…flashed somehow…back into our lives.”

Fumbling behind me, I grabbed a bottle from a table and swiftly smashed it against the side of his head. I dipped and twisted away from his off-centered hold, then swiftly slammed an elbow into the back of his head. I kicked over a table onto the other men, who were just starting to stand, their shouts of surprise echoing. I turned and raced toward the door, but it slammed closed in my face, glowing golden. I hit it hard, muttering a curse before I quickly turned, my gaze swinging for another exit.

But I stopped moving.

My eyes were caught on the other side of the room…on Sin. His muscular body was clad only in bloody boxer briefs, his head hanging. He was pinned to the fucking wall, his arms raised high and spread, with his hands staked…and a spear stuck through his stomach.

Already racing toward him, I grunted, choking, when a meaty fist suddenly grabbed my throat, stopping my progress. It lifted me high into the air as I scrambled. Bruno chuckled quietly up at me, holding me easily, before he slammed his fist into my stomach. My vision dimmed as a choked grunt flew past my lips. My body curled right before he tossed me across the room, the tables whizzing by in a blur until I hit the far wall, the crack of the plaster loud. I tumbled to the ground to land on my front, bits of the wall’s debris falling on top of me.

I blinked and sucked in oxygen, wheezing as I stared at my broken hand on the carpet next to my face. There were many black boots and shiny dress shoes walking toward me. Coughing hard, I raised myself, but I shouted breathlessly as I instantly fell back down, grabbing at my twisted leg.

Dell said from too close behind me, “Can’t move too well with a broken leg and hand, can you, bitch?” I choked on a scream when he slammed a foot down on my leg. He sneered down at me as he applied more pressure so I couldn’t move away. “God, I fucking hate you.” But he removed his foot and…smiled. “I say we string her up like Sin.”

“Not sure if Boss would like that,” Jasper drawled, stepping up beside Dell. He opened his arms wide when Dell scowled at him. “I’m just saying that he usually likes doing it to her himself.”

“She’s trying to run,” Dell taunted in fake shock. He waved his arms where I lay sucking in air, smiling down at me with sick delight. “Isn’t that right, bitch? You’re trying to run?”

“Fuck you,” I whispered.

“Mm, please tell me that’s an offer,” Dell purred. He bent near me even as he told Bruno, “Get the other stakes and spear before Boss gets here.” As Bruno walked away to a closet, Dell’s attention swung back to me. He crouched over my form, his handsome face altering to sadistic lust as he stared at me. “What are you wearing, Caro?” He picked at my white shirt. I tried jerking away from him, but he quickly slammed me onto my back, making me shout when my broken leg twisted. He merely continued, ripping my shirt off over my head. “Since we all know you hate white clothes, I’ll help you out of them.”

“Get your fucking hands off me!” I screamed, using my one good hand to fight him as he tried to lift me to remove my bra. “Stop it!”