King Cave (68 page)

“Makes sense,” Antonio murmured, even as I felt the bed dip. “Ezra, you’re going to have to let her go while I do this.” Ezra growled a little, the vibration in his throat tickling my nose. “It’s not up for discussion. I’ll do her back first, so place her on her stomach.”

“Ezra, let me go,” I whispered, my wolf riding my voice hard. “I feel trapped like this.”

I felt his chest heave against me, but he nodded, gently laying my limp body next to him and turning my face on the bed so I could see him, his face stoically blank, with the others in the room. “Your wolf’s going insane?” He knew enough to deduce the issue.

“Yes,” I growled, my wolf literally pushing at my mind to break free, my eyes glowing fiercely and my heartbeat no longer lazy, instead skyrocketing. “And honestly, it’s freaking me the hell out.”

“Alright, sweetheart.” Ezra brushed hair off my cheek, glancing over my head. “Do it, Antonio.”

The bed moved again as Antonio readjusted himself, and I sighed as magically healing hands began massaging my shoulders, making my muscles twitch as his power jolted them.

Ezra glanced at Elder Jacobs, demanding, “This will heal her?”

Elder Jacobs nodded slowly as Antonio’s hands started moving down my arms. “She’ll be sore, but her Core and body will be back to normal within the week.” He nodded to Elder Venclaire, who was passed out on the bed. “As will he.”

“Well, that’s better than fucking stasis, which would be the only other alternative to keep her animal from making her insane if she was paralyzed,” Elder Merrick muttered, glancing at Elder Jacobs. “Could you imagine us on the brink of war and having the Queen Shifter unconscious for six months?” He paused. Blinked. “Wait, what the hell am I saying? She can’t be our Queen!” His voice rose to a fever pitch. “She’s a damn hybrid, which Farrar here fucking knew all along!”

“She is your Queen,” Ezra expounded, Antonio’s hands not faltering at Elder Merrick’s pronouncement, massaging into my shoulder blades. “What makes you think she’s not?”

Elder Merrick sounded like he was restraining himself. “A hybrid should be Lawfully dead. A hybrid is what creates those fucking freaks of nature. But most importantly, a hybrid cannot do a fucking Awakening!” He cursed hard.

Ezra took a deep, shuddering breath, and with as much restraint as what Elder Merrick had sounded like having, he said softly, “Your Queen has had her tubes tied magically so she can’t have children. Your Queen has done an Awakening. Successfully. And I, and your Queen, believe that fucking Law to be archaic, and brutal to the extreme of murder.”

Silence.

Sounding mystified, Elder Merrick muttered, “
Truth
. All of it.” A pause, then a half-frenzied, gravelly chuckle sounded from him, which he tried to contain as he muttered quietly, “The no condom thing makes sense now.”

“The four Awakenings before graduation,” Cahal said softly, ignoring Elder Merrick. “That’s when she did it.”

“Yes,” Antonio spoke calmly, kneading his fingers into my back muscles. “I have it all on videotape in a secure location so that no one can claim otherwise.”

Elder Jacobs sputtered, “The Elders have been lying to us this whole time?”

Massaging the small of my back, Antonio answered quietly, “I don’t know. They may truly believe it, a fabrication made long ago to keep hybrids from being born, when they saw the offspring of a hybrid and a Com. Or maybe hybrids couldn’t do it in our earlier days.” A pause. “I don’t know their reasoning, but I’ve done the research and plenty of it — not even including Lily’s proof with my own eyes — has declared itself in journals. Hybrids can indeed do Awakenings.”

“So, I ask you again,” Ezra said softly. “What makes you believe she is not your Queen?”

There were a few beats of silence, and then Elder Merrick growled, “Nothing. She is the Queen Shifter.” He sounded pissed the fuck off, but no longer hysterical. “Although, there are now some Elders I would like to dig up to rip their fucking heads from their corpses.”

Antonio interrupted Elder Merrick’s rambling of shredding already dead Elders, mumbling quietly, “Lil, I have to touch your…behind. You have muscles there that are used for walking and fighting.”

I snorted. “You changed my diapers, Antonio.”

“Yes, but you were much smaller then.” He sighed. “It’s so hard when kids grow up.” He quickly zapped my ass, then went straight to my legs.

“Ow!” That had hurt.

“Sorry,” he rumbled, sounding embarrassed, which was funny in itself. He quickly changed the subject, speaking to the others while saying evenly, “This news is not to be leaked. In due course, the four current Rulers may present the change, but right now is not the time to advertise Lily’s hybrid nature.”

Elder Jacobs snorted. “Agreed.”

“No shit,” Elder Merrick muttered.

“Of course not,” Elder Zeller murmured.

“Good,” Antonio stated, then he muttered, “And I’ll see what I’ll have to do with Bindi. She is still in the apartment, isn’t she?”

Ezra and Cahal actually chuckled, glancing at each other, and then Ezra flicked a finger over my head, whispering, “She’s eavesdropping right outside the door.”

Softly, Antonio muttered, “Good, because if I have to wipe her memory I really don’t want to have to chase her down.”

Ezra’s lips pinched, his gaze meeting mine before moving back up to Antonio’s. “She’s a good physician and I don’t believe she’ll say anything. She knew the twins were hybrids, and she didn’t rat us out.” His finger flicked again. “She’s only curious.” A memory wipe was horrible in both of our minds. It was like mind rape, taking away knowledge you had gained.

Antonio grunted, patting my foot. “Roll over, Lil.” I rolled onto my back, biting my lip as my joints ached like an old piece of machinery that hadn’t been serviced recently. Antonio smiled, apparently pleased at seeing that I was able to move — as was I — even if like an old Com, but he glanced back at Ezra, stating loudly, “I’ll see just what secrets she can keep. A permanent memory wipe is only a last resort, but if it’s needed, I’ll do it.” He tilted his head at the door as he started working on the front of my legs, now going in reverse. “Just tell me if she runs.”

“Will do,” Cahal murmured when his son didn’t reply, leaning back against a wall, arms crossed.

Antonio’s gaze hit mine, and I could tell he was still upset with me, barely hiding it with his actions and words as his fingers dug into my stomach muscles, magic sizzling.

I met his eyes evenly. “I would do it again.”

“I know,” he stated gruffly. “That’s what scares me.”

“If she’s going to be ill for a week,” Elder Merrick began to pace, interjecting our exchange, “The Elder Shifters will need to be told something when our Queen suddenly disappears for a week with a war knocking at our door.”

Antonio shook his head. “No. No others can talk to her. How the hell does she explain it?” He shrugged a shoulder. “Oh yes, Elder such-and-such, I willingly broke into a Mage’s restricted space reserved for one of the largest Mys criminals, then made a deal with the devil.” He glanced at me. “And yes, none of us here are senseless enough to believe you didn’t make a deal with her of some sort,” my lips thinned, though I managed to control my heart rate, but he still snorted at my expression, “and God help us when that happens.”

His attention went back to Elder Merrick. “And then, Elder such-and-such, I had the King Elemental and Queen Mage perform an illegal act inside our only sanctuary, and then I broke into an Elder Vampire’s suite and willingly gave up my own damn life to the King Vampire, and the only way I could be brought back to life was to announce my hybrid nature and bring in my Vampire father to save the day.” Again, he shrugged. “Sounds about right to get everyone shot, hanged, and burned.”

The only person in the room who didn’t stare at me with a narrowed gaze was Ezra.

“It does sound kinda bad when you put it like that,” I muttered as Antonio massaged the front of my shoulders.

“It is that bad,” Cahal said dryly, glancing to Elder Merrick. “Antonio’s right. We should allow only you to answer any questions to the Elder Shifters. Come up with a story that will fly on everyone’s
truth
radar.” His gaze met mine. “You’ll just have to suck it up and not recover in your room the whole time, and make believable performances, so no one suspects you’re hurting.”

I gritted my teeth as Ezra helped me sit up, since Antonio was done with the massage. “I can handle that.” Hopefully.

Elder Merrick sighed, giving me a glare, knowing I wasn’t being completely honest, but he still turned his attention to his group, asking, “Then what’s the damn believable story?”

Everyone was silent, considering, until Antonio’s head teetered back and forth, murmuring, “If anyone notices she’s not up to par just tell them the arrow that pierced her thigh did more damage than expected, which caused a need for a blood transfusion, which she couldn’t have. Just don’t mention why she couldn’t have the transfusion. So, she’s drained of energy, which she actually is, and since she’s an anomaly to most anyway, they’ll believe this to be the cause.”

Elder Merrick’s jaw clenched. “They’ll suspect something’s askew.”

Elder Jacobs retorted, “Suspecting is better than knowing.”

I sighed, sluggishly rubbing my forehead. “Once I drink again, I’m sure I’ll feel better. Elder Venclaire wasn’t incorrect. I’m parched, and it’s not helping the situation.” When Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs only stared at me blankly, I stated, “Blood, gentlemen. I need more blood.”

They physically jolted at the reminder of my hybrid nature.

Cahal asked quietly, “Who are your donors? Because Ezra can’t be the only one supplying you.”

Instant. “I can do bagged.” I wouldn’t mention Pearl and Jack. The less they knew the better.

Even though his face scrunched up in disgust, he stated, “That wasn’t what I asked.”

“Are you offering, Dad?” Ezra interrupted, getting the focus off me.

I was pretty sure his dad didn’t quite know what to say as his jaw slacked a bit.

Antonio sighed heavily. “Since you’ve obviously had more practice with live, Lil, go ahead. I’ll donate. My blood’s powerful and it should help you recover faster.”

It was like a switch flipped inside my head, I was so damn thirsty. I seriously blacked out for a moment, pretty sure I showed the tiny bit of Vampire speed I had, because a moment later my fangs were in his neck, the bubbly, almost tart, taste of Mage blood pouring into my mouth. I sighed, wrapping an arm around him as I pulled, instantly sending him peace. His body went slack in my arms as I pulled again…and I shuddered, tasting just how powerful he was…as I gently lay him on the bed, my hair fanning over his face and mine in a semblance of privacy as I drank.

“Well…shit,” I heard Elder Jacobs rumble quietly. He cleared his throat. “Did you see that? She’s too fucking fast for a Shifter.”

Ezra grunted, and I felt his hand running over my back softly. Up and down. Warmth trailing its repetitive wake. “Imagine the control she’s always had to use.” His lips brushed my neck, saying quietly, “She’s amazing.”

“Huh.” Elder Merrick’s wolf growled quietly in his throat. “I need to think of something different for her training now that I know this.”

“Or,” Ezra stated, his grip on me tightening, his own Vampire growling quietly, “I can join your training sessions with her, so she gets both Shifter and Vampire training.”

Antonio’s pulse started to slow against my tongue, and I sighed in frustration, still thirsty, but I pulled back, licking over the wounds and hearing Elder Jacobs state, “That’s actually a really good idea, if it can be done privately.”

I listened to Antonio’s heart, resting my hand gently against his cheek and watching as his lids slowly fluttered open. I smiled down at him. With Elder Venclaire’s blood already coursing through me, and now Antonio’s, I felt a hell of a lot better. I kissed his forehead, murmuring, “Your blood rocks. Thank you.”

His chuckle sounded groggy. “Glad to help.” He blinked. “I didn’t expect you to go for the neck. I almost zapped you.” He chuckled again. “But your mind hold isn’t so bad.”

It was my turn to blink. “Yeah, um, sorry about that. It’s what I’m used to and I’m so thirsty I just kind of lost it there for a second.” Slowly, I helped him sit up, resting him against the headboard. My eyebrows puckered in confusion when a bottle of orange juice was dangled in front of my face. I glanced up, seeing Cahal holding it out while he listened to Ezra and Elder Merrick argue about my ‘new and improved’ training schedule they were concocting all by themselves without my input. Since there was time to argue about that later, I took the juice, mumbling, “Thank you.”

He ignored me. Same ol’ Cahal.

Opening the juice, I put it to Antonio’s lips. He opened his eyes when the liquid hit his mouth, and took the bottle from me, chugging it. I had taken enough to make him groggy, so I wasn’t worried about his sluggishness, plus his heart rate was within normal parameters. Although, he did mutter incoherently, “I need…spell.”

“What do you need?” I asked, taking the empty from him and placing it on the nightstand.

He shook his head hard, and I bit my lip when he reached out a hand and yanked on Cahal’s shirt, startling him. Cahal glanced down, eyebrows furrowed. Antonio waved his hand, the action wobbly, mumbling, “Come here, Cahal. Need to do something.” He sounded a little drunk. Everyone glanced at Antonio, and I tried not to laugh at Cahal’s wide-eyed expression to the demand in Antonio’s tone, even if slurred.