King Cave (14 page)

King Venclaire smacked the back of Ezra’s head. “I told you to shut up, too.”

I grinned, even as the passing black wall spun.

It had been one week since our first meltdown. We’d had many since then, some of them pretty damn epic and probably going down in a King Cave book somewhere, but tonight’s had… “Okay! Let me down,” I slurred. “We went too far. I’m sorry.”

King Venclaire snorted, dragging Ezra, who had stopped and wavered, and then started moving again. “Too far? Yes, I would say so. You two started a damn brawl in the only bar inside King Cave. Everything is smashed and broken.”

Ezra lifted a finger while I blinked blurry eyes, having to tilt my head to see him. “Not the far pool table.” His sloppy grin was unrepentant. “It may be a little off-tilt. Two women were dancing on it for me, but it’s not broken.”

I snorted. “You mean the two sluts you fucked earlier in the bar’s bathroom?”

Ezra growled. It was Vampire. “Better than you fucking Finn in the bar’s supply closet.”

Pointing an instant, furious finger, I hissed, “No one went in there! It had a lock on the door, unlike the bathroom where everyone went in and out to use the only other stall! The whole bar was telling stories of what they could hear going on!”

“
Shut up!
” Antonio yelled at the top of his lungs. He shook me on his shoulder so fiercely I had to slap a hand over my mouth to keep the alcohol down, which was trying to reappear. “I lied, Lil! Children fucking suck.”

“You know,” Ezra murmured as if he hadn’t heard Antonio, his blinking eyes turning toward King Venclaire. “We didn’t technically start the fight. Lily and I never once touched each other with harmful intent.” Innocent eyes. “Everyone else started throwing punches.” He smiled and patted the back of my head. “I even saved her from being impaled by a flying bar stool.”

“I ducked,” I muttered.

Instant. “With my assistance.”

“You tripped into me,” I stated heatedly. “I saved your ass by pulling you down.”

“That was the second bar stool,” Ezra griped, trying to bend to peer into my eyes, but was yanked up by King Venclaire. “I was talking about the first one.”

“There was only one bar stool, you idiot,” I muttered. “Now you’re imagining things.”

“No, you just don’t remember because you didn’t actually see it.” His resulting grin was ridiculously smug. “I’m that good.”

I peered at King Venclaire. “Will you smack him again, please?”

“Only if he speaks.” King Venclaire’s features were of mixed amusement and irritation.

Alright.
I glanced at Ezra. “Man-whore.”

“Bitch,” Ezra grumbled.

King Venclaire slapped Ezra upside his head.

I grinned lazily. “Thank you.” I patted Antonio’s back. “I want a different room.”

“No,” Antonio stated promptly. “Work out your issues. Quit running from them.”

“We’re not running from them,” I slurred, letting my head hang in defeat. “We’re yelling and drinking them away.” In the past week I had figured out what my issue was, and I didn’t want to confront it.

“Lots of yelling,” King Venclaire muttered. “Lots of drinking.”

Ezra chuckled, and I saw his feet wobble from side-to-side before moving straight. “We fight pretty well together.”

“Yes, you’ve entertained many this week,” Antonio grumbled dryly. “You should be proud of the fact your future subjects have gotten a firsthand look at the Prodigies losing it.”

Shame filled me knowing I was behaving like a child. Frustration ran through me like toxic waste because I didn’t know what to do. Add in my alcohol consumption tonight and, well, I started bawling. Giant, hot tears blinded me and sobs started racking my frame. I hated fighting with Ezra. I detested feeling this way, everything jumbled and screwed up. I was so confused it was becoming debilitating.

“Hey!” Ezra roared. “She’s crying!”

I heard a grunt, and then a thud, while I let out all my emotions flowing through my wretched tears. Only a beat later, strong hands were ripping me away from Antonio in a blur, even as I heard another thud. Then Ezra’s bloodshot eyes were staring down at me, his protective warm arms wrapped around me tight, holding me close. Worry etched his tone, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “Did he hurt you?”

I sobbed and shook my head, the action making his face waver for a moment.

Ezra’s nostrils flared and his eyebrows slanted together until his attention slammed over my head. His predator growled. “Stay the fuck back.” He wobbled and blinked, still holding me close, and then slipped his hand away from my waist to bend and tuck it under my legs. He lifted me in a blur.

We were flying.

It truly felt as such while Ezra used his Vampire speed, running so fast I wouldn’t be able to track him. Less than ten seconds later, he thumped against the wall directly next to his door, having evaded Antonio and King Venclaire, wherever they were now. Although, getting inside our room took longer than the trek there did. He couldn’t easily get the key out of his pocket while holding me, and since I was still clinging to him while I wept, he wasn’t putting me down.

When we finally got inside, I cried as quietly as I could, since Jack and Pearl were asleep. Earlier, Ezra and I had left them after making sure they were out. Tucking them into bed had become part of our normal nightly activities — recently alongside drinking and arguing — after taking care of them.

Ezra didn’t take us to the bed, instead placing me on the black couch and smashing me against the back of it when he lay down, too. It felt right, him keeping me warm and safe as I wrecked his shirt with my tears and grasping fists. He didn’t say anything — he was never one for words when I cried — only running his fingers through my hair, keeping me close. We fell asleep that way, curled around one another as we had done before everything had shifted.

The morning started out oddly.

Ezra and I were woken by Pearl and Jack…taking showers and getting ready…to
actually
leave our bedroom without being forced by their parents. Silently, we watched them while they — also silently — moved woodenly throughout our room. But they actually
moved
without the intent to throw or blow something up. Neither one of us wanting to disturb this new development, we didn’t move or speak, only watched, still wrapped in each other’s arms, keeping the other warm. Then…they
left the room
about three minutes apart from each other.

We stared at the door. Both still mute. Hopeful, but worried.

Ezra and I continued waiting.

Watching the door for them to storm back inside, unable to handle the populace.

Five minutes turned into ten.

Ten turned into twenty.

Once forty-five minutes rolled around, and Jack and Pearl didn’t show, it was pretty obvious they weren’t immediately running back here.

More than a bit of relief filled me with the thought.

Ezra was the first to break our mold, turning his face toward me.

Gently, he murmured, “Are you ready to talk about what happened last night?”

My lips pursed, and I shook my head.

He was quiet, his watchful eyes on me. His thumb brushed lightly over the curve of my jaw, making my jaw clench. He whispered, “Are you sure?” I couldn’t move or speak if my life depended on it right now. Sighing softly when I didn’t respond, he stated, “No matter what, I love you, sweetheart. Nothing will change that.”

My eyes darted between his, searching his open green gaze for the truth, since I didn’t dare breathe for fear I might start blabbering. Or worse yet, cry again. His gaze seemed to speak of honesty, but still my lids hooded instantly as I peered away. I wasn’t ready to speak about my issues. But it didn’t mean we couldn’t talk about his. “Why have you—”

Cutting me off, he placed a quick finger against my lips. “Don’t expect me to dish out the goods when you’re hoarding your own.” He pushed off the couch and stalked toward the bathroom, leaving me feeling cold and empty, and my stomach churning. “That’s not the way we work.” He disappeared around the corner, only to reappear a moment later, one of his black towels and his bathing suit in hands. Gruffly, he muttered, “I’m going to the pools.” The door slamming closed was his goodbye.

Like a girl, not like a Prodigy-almost-Queen, I lay on the couch and cried quietly.

Uncertain of what I wanted to say to Ezra, but knowing something needed to be said, I showered quickly, put on a black bikini courtesy of the enchanted mirror, grabbed my Snoopy towel from the linen closet, and set out for the pools. The cave’s floor was chilly under my feet, which meant it was pretty cold down here since Mysticals can handle cold climates better than Commoners. As I trekked toward Ezra, butterflies fluttered incessantly inside my stomach. I actually stopped three times, debating turning around, before setting my feet back into motion.

He had said he would love me no matter what my issues were. I trusted that. My hold up was that silence, or even aggression, was so much easier than speaking the truth when the stakes were high for wrecking perfection.

But our relationship wasn’t perfect anymore, and here I stood, scanning the inside of the foremost pool area. It was pretty packed. Mysticals had clambered to be here at King Cave once the Mages’ spelled messages had reached them, praying for safety when the world outside hadn’t become any kinder toward Mysticals, only worse. Ezra wasn’t in the main room, but I saw the Kings in one corner; apparently this was today’s meeting place for whatever they were discussing. Worse yet, when they took notice of me, I also knew they were speaking about me, their eyes startled, then blank.

Perfect.
Not what I needed right now.

After moving past them quickly and skirting where the crystal blue water met the sloping black floor, dodging various Mysticals of different factions all laughing and enjoying themselves in our sanctuary, I took the right entrance to the back hallways, heading for the adult pools. There were three, varying in temperature.

He wasn’t in any of them.

Sighing, I turned around and headed toward the spa-like area, but had to again pass by the Kings at the massive opening to the main pool. Keeping my head down, I wove through the white plastic chairs and took the left entrance, the middle one leading only to the brat section. In this segment were a variety of small areas with spelled hot tubs including a few alcoves that housed many tubs, while others for privacy had only one, and sauna rooms, those areas having doors with tiny windows.

I checked those first and saw numerous Mysticals using the rooms to do — ahem — a selection of different activities, but I still didn’t see Ezra. Moving from opening to opening, I began checking the hot tubs, again seeing a variety of happenings occurring. At the last room, beginning to lose hope in finding him, I stepped into the entrance, squinting through the steam.

Stopped dead.

The room was tiny. It held just one hot tub. It had merely one gold spark of light, allowing for intimacy or relaxation. It also had only one occupant.

Ezra.

He wasn’t in the tub.

Nor did he have on a stitch of clothing.

I had never seen him naked before. Vampires were private. Even more so than me.

My heart rate instantly doubled as my eyes scanned everywhere they could at once, my gaze definitely not one of a best friend. His back was turned to me, so I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was him. He must have just exited the tub because water glistened all over his body. His black and red hair was wet, not spiked as usual and appearing darker in the dim lighting. His shoulder and back muscles worked under his gleaming mocha skin as he dried his left arm with his towel. His muscles were defined, running down either side of his spine, his waist tapering in with not an ounce of fat to be seen.

And then there was his ass.

I know my jaw slacked as I stared at what had to be the most perfect backside.

My goodness, God has truly blessed this Vampire.

All I wanted to do was take each of those mocha globes — with plenty of muscle definition, but not flat like some men’s — and squeeze hard before sinking my teeth into each one. Then repeat. A couple of times. His legs were built well, too, long with toned muscles, but…yeah, my eyes weren’t moving from his ass. Time kind of lost meaning for a while until Ezra began drying his stomach.

Not even glancing back, he muttered, “If you’re done staring, I would appreciate it if you would get the fuck out.”

My whole body jolted and my hammering heart actually stuttered, then thumped back into the wild gallop. The lust that had consumed me was still very much alive within my scattered wits, but there was also plenty of room for panic. Breath hitching, my muddled thoughts screaming
run
, I lurched out of the entrance before he could see me, quickly putting my feet into motion. Away from temptation, away from him knowing that I wanted him so badly that it had caused me to act out against him to hide my true feelings.

My eyes instantly glowed, providing better illumination to get the hell out of there as fast as I could. Speeding past rooms with steam billowing out into the hallway, swirls of vapor my dust, I flew into the main pool area. My gaze darting for the fastest possible exit, I heard Antonio’s voice to my left. “Lily, come here for a moment.”