Chosen Thief Page 16

  Queen Ruckler’s chin trembled the barest bit, but no one was paying attention to her, everyone pausing in their meal to glance at Leric.

  Staring across the table at me, Leric stayed mute for a beat too long, so I picked up the slack, stating, “You know. A kind gesture.” I pointed at myself with my spoon. “Anytime I go to someone’s house for a political dinner with King Collins, they always serve this dreadful food.” Well, sometimes they did. “And yet it’s terribly impolite to ask for something else or not eat it, so I always have to suffer through eating food I absolutely detest.” Well, again, that was sometimes. I opened my eyes wide. “Sometimes I wonder if they do it to…you know,” I waved my spoon in circles, whispering quietly, “to cut out all the political bullshit and plotting that inevitably ends up happening when too many powerful beings are under one roof. We’re way too busy keeping the food down to really participate in the political games.”

  I shrugged, tilting my head. “But, since I’m not a fan of food torture,” I pointed at his soup, “I thought I would show how hospitable we can be, and I told the kitchen staff what to cook for dinner.” I altered my pointing spoon to his salad, lifting a little on my chair to see down onto his plate better. “Yes, it appears they put the shredded pieces of shrimp on the salads.” I pointed at my mouth. “Honestly, I don’t know about you, but those tend to get stuck between my teeth, and I find only an hour of flossing can remove them, but our cook insisted on it once I phoned her. Apparently, it’s one of her specialty salads.”

  I put up a stopping hand, even though Leric didn’t appear like he would be talking for a while, sitting frozen as he was. “But don’t worry. I fought long and hard with the chef between her choice of seared salmon and my own personal favorite fish dish for our entree.” I smiled grandly. “Of course, I won.” I opened my eyes grandly with pseudo excitement. “So we’ll be having,” I held up the stopping hand again, waiting a few beats, the silence drawing out, “sushi.” I nodded grandly, watching as a tick started thumping at the corner of Leric’s left eye. “That’s right. We’re having raw fish, and fully aware of your love of it as I am, I requested the chef leave the wasabi off yours so you can receive the maximum flavor.”

  I leaned forward a moment later, tilting closer to him, very much enjoying myself. “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” No response came, and my sparkling eyes darted to each of the Rulers as I placed a hand over my smiling mouth. “Oh, he’s speechless. I knew he’d love it.” I waved a hand at Queen Ruckler. “You can thank me later for changing the meal.” I pointed at his soup with my spoon. “Now, come on,” I purred softly. “Don’t be shy. Take your first of many bites of tonight’s fine meal prepared especially with you in mind.”

  I held his steel gaze, his silver eyes now hard. And I was happy to do so, because either way, he was stuck eating the meal. Even if he called me a liar, it would still be vulgar — which he hadn’t blatantly been yet — to ask for something else to eat from the Rulers table. So now he was going to have to eat the food before him. It was a win-win for me since he had challenged me earlier in a battle of wits, and since it was so obvious he was subtly threatening the Rulers with something he had over them in his covert, polite conversation to make sure Reese was returned alive and well.

  Win-win for me, and this household…and we were going to be even when he ate it.

  I raised my eyebrows slightly in the extending silence, and I watched his jaw clench. Slowly he tipped his head to me, murmuring, “Thank you, Sprite. I’m positive you took great delight in arranging this meal, and I will finish every bite of it in likewise respect of your…gracious hospitality.” He slowly scooped a huge spoonful, eyes darting to it then back to me. “Fish is definitely a delicacy that requires a certain individualized appreciation.”

  Oh, bravo on your word choice.

  I lifted my drink in mock cheers in his direction before settling back on my chair to sip at it, as the whole table not so covertly watched as he opened his mouth and placed the spoon inside, closing his lush lips over it. My own lips trembled as I saw his mouth pinch for the briefest moment when the soup must have made contact with his tastebuds, but I tapped my wine glass against my lips to hide my reaction. He rotated the spoon, slowly pulling it out of his mouth as he licked it clean, face stoically pleasant, his silver hard eyes not leaving mine for one moment.

  This was how the meal progressed for the next forty-five minutes, casual conversation floating around us. Leric was absolutely mute as he slowly, and yeah, manfully downed each and every bite of his soup, even scraping the bowl’s edges. Then he started on the salad, which I realized with great humor he truly did not enjoy by the way his eyes began to glisten, almost watering as he continued staring at me, eyes unwavering. And, Christ, I damn near lost it when he took his first bite of the sushi. His mouth stalled mid-chomp, his nostrils flared, and he actually silently gagged before he outright jerked his head back, probably swallowing it whole. Conversation around the table vanished for a moment, everyone still not so secretly watching him, but he kept on, doing exactly as he had stated and eating every last bite.

  When it appeared his plate was empty, I tapped the corner of my lip, and I watched as his dramatic, darkly shaded eyes narrowed and his pink tongue peeked out. I…well, I kind of zoned in on the action as he leisurely licked along his full bottom lip to the edge where he caught a piece of rice, pulling it back into his mouth, his lips closing slowly, the column of his tanned throat flexing as he swallowed it down.

  A slow blink later, keeping a tight leash on my hormones, I lifted my eyes to his, slowly dipping my head.

  We were now even.

  King Zeller drawled from my left, “Leric, would you care for dessert?”

  I bit my lip and glanced down at my plate, seeing Leric’s eyes widen the barest bit before he gained control. He turned his attention to King Zeller and stated, “Thank you, but no.” A pause as he stood, and I glanced up, seeing him stand utterly still for the barest heartbeat, a hand instantly going to his stomach. His face amazingly stayed utterly blank, then he lowered his hand, clearing his throat before swallowing hard. “I believe I’m going to retire for the evening.” He dipped his head at each of the Rulers. “I’ll see you all in the morning.” And with that, he turned and walked casually from the room.

  Roselle delicately wiped her mouth with her napkin before standing. “I think I’ll retire, too.” After dipping her head at the Rulers, her green gaze met mine. She said not a word for a few ticks, then a slow, small smile curved her lips, a smile just as malicious as any of the Rulers’, almost surprising on her beautiful face. “And thank you, Caro, for the alteration to our dinner selection. Fish is actually one of my favorite dishes, and your cook prepared them excellently.” A slow head-dip in my direction. “It was delicious.”

  I cocked my eyebrows, wondering at her truthfulness. “You’re welcome.”

  Her lips quirked more before she exited the room, and I instantly turned my head to Brann, my eyebrows rising in question. He nodded once in confirmation Roselle had, indeed, enjoyed the food. He stayed silent, his amber eyes moving to Queen Ruckler.

  When Roselle’s footfalls could no longer be heard, Queen Ruckler cleared her throat, wiping her mouth…and her wolf growled quietly. Furious blue eyes slammed directly into Brann’s as she asked his sister, “Brenna, do you know where his second in command is?”

  Instantly, Brenna stated, “No.”

  Queen Ruckler nodded once, eyes unwavering on Brann’s. “Then I want you and Caro to get the fuck out of here.”

  “Now,” Queen Cooper stated slowly when we stayed seated, her voice growling even as she grabbed London’s hand next to her, studying his nails. “The rest of you are staying.”

  I turned and kissed Sin’s cheek, scooting my chair out. “I do think this might be your formal initiation into the household.”

  Green eyes danced at me merrily. “Or when they kick me out when they find out where Reese is literally holed up.”


  “That bad?” I asked, even as Queen Ruckler’s wolf growled again, listening to us.

  “You could say that.”

  I patted his shoulder, walking behind him. “Well, at least he’s not dead.”

  Sin murmured cheerfully, “A possible small blessing.”

  Right before Brenna and I exited the room, King Collins stated loudly, “Caro, wait.” I turned my head in his direction and saw him flash a grin. “The dinner selection was excellent.”

  I grinned back him. Brenna grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the room when Queen Ruckler stood, her eyes beginning to glow blue on Brann’s face.

  Yep, I was thrilled I didn’t know shit.

  Chapter Twelve

  Damn it. I was pacing.

  I was nervous, like a damn school girl before the big dance.

  I had played with Isolde in our bedroom until she had whined to get onto the bed to sleep. I had then laid down next to her, tossing the ball for a bit on my bed, waiting for Sin to come back. He hadn’t, even two hours after dinner. And although the hour was late, and I probably wasn’t in my finest form with the remnants of the cold I still had, I was antsy.

  All right, I was damn needing.

  Leric had a way of crawling under my skin. I no longer had to control my emotions in front of everyone, and he was an Elemental — not a certain problematic, off limits Shifter — so, well, I wanted him. Badly. Or more bluntly, I was already fucking aroused just thinking about him. He just…had that effect on me. Pathetically, it was no different to when I was eighteen.

  I wanted him.

  Hell, I wanted him enough I had eavesdropped on the damn staff to figure out what room he was in. And now I paced. Right down the hall from his doorway. Peering at it as I squeezed the green stress ball I had brought with me. Stomach tight, muscles clenched, I stared at the damn door, muttering a curse…and turned and started pacing again.

  I really shouldn’t be nervous. At least, if I thought of him only as a man and not exactly who he was within the Mystical world, then I shouldn’t be nervous. Just another experience to put under my belt. A notch in the bedpost. And it would definitely be a one-off. Just something to clear the system.

  He wouldn’t want more.

  Fuck, I wouldn’t want more.

  I shook my head and turned, staring back at the door. Nope, nothing to be nervous about, not when just thinking about him already had my pulse racing and my sedate breaths coming in pants. My body was already warming at the thought of touching him and being touched in return. I cracked my neck and made my legs move farther than the small section of carpet I had been wearing thin. Before I could stop myself, I rapped my knuckles sharply on the door…and sucked in a deep breath. And waited.

  For the briefest moment, when I heard the door start to unlock, I actually thought about racing away down the hallway. But I planted my feet, thrust my chin up, and blinked when the door opened. “Shit,” I mumbled, staring wide-eyed at not the person I expected. Roselle stood in the doorway wearing a white silk robe tied tightly at her waist, appearing elegant and alluring at the same time. My jaw flapped for a moment, and I pointed a quick finger behind me — probably at nothing, but I was flustered, so I worked with what brain function I had. “I…I think…” I nodded swiftly, silently cursing the damn staff for their incorrect gossip. “Yeah, I’m sorry to disturb you. I’ve got the wrong room…” I trailed off, eyes going as large as saucers as a tan hand appeared on the door, opening it wider and revealing Leric standing behind her…in nothing but a pair of white satin pajama bottoms.

  I gulped. Blinked. A sound that was incredibly embarrassing and not at all intelligible emitted from my throat. My startled, stunned gaze flew back to Roselle as I took in her appearance again.

  Fuck, I was a damn moron. Of course they were sleeping together. I mean, really, they made a beautiful couple. I pointed my finger over my shoulder again and managed a breathless mutter, “Yep. Definitely the wrong room.” I squeezed the stress ball in my other hand and quickly turned around. “Sorry about that.”

  “Jesus,” Leric muttered behind me and slammed a large, warm palm on my shoulder before I even took a step, jerking my wooden body back around to face them. It was saying something for the amount of shock coursing through my system that I didn’t even try to stop him from manhandling me. Unblinkingly I stared where he stood sideways in the doorway next to Roselle as he took his hand from my shoulder, rings glistening in the light as he flicked a finger between the two of them. “We are not together.”

  I lifted my hands instantly, shaking my head. “And that is none of my business.” Not to mention, it appears to be a big fat lie.

  His nostrils flared, and he actually appeared irritated. “She’s married to Reese.”

  My eyebrows rose almost to my hairline, and I waved my hands. I took a step back from them, hoping Reese didn’t show up with me here. “Then…I really didn’t see a damn thing.” I waved a hand. “Goodnight.”

  “Caro, stop.” Roselle held up a hand in my direction, her shoulders beginning to tremble. “This is actually painful to watch.” She lowered her hand when I stopped backing up, and she jerked her head at Leric as she stated extremely slowly, “He and I are not together. Never have been. The love of my life is my husband, Reese. Leric and I were only discussing things in his room. Nothing new between the One and his first in command.”

  I blinked slowly. “Dressed like that?” And yeah, my disbelief was blatant.

  Her white eyebrows rose. “Yes, dressed like this. When you’ve been in someone’s command as long as I’ve been to the One,” a beautiful shoulder shrugged, “well, he’s seen me at my worst and at my best. This is nothing.” She stared pointedly at me. “And what are you doing here?”

  Again, I blinked real slowly as Leric straightened, gracefully moving from where he was squashed between her and the doorframe to rest his back against the outside wall. He crossed his enormous muscled arms over his bare torso and stared at me, his face carefully blank.

  I pointed a finger stupidly at Leric, eyes going back to Roselle, and muttered the first thing that came to mind. “I felt a little guilty about dinner. I came by to make sure he wasn’t too ill.”

  Her eyebrows didn’t lower. “Does he appear fine to you?”

  I didn’t look his way. Too much pant-worthy flesh on display. “Yes, he does.” I ran a hand through my hair, glancing over my shoulder the way I had come, then back to Roselle. “I should probably be getting back now.” She was like a damn guard dog, standing there in his doorway, even if a gorgeous one.

  “To your bedroom?” she asked, head cocking. “The one Sin and you share?”

  I couldn’t help my lips curling. “You’ve done your homework in the short amount of time you’ve been here.”

  A graceful shrug, her arms crossing. “I like information.”

  “Right.” I chewed absently on the side of my mouth, not really having much else to say to the attractive guard dog. “It’s getting late, so I’ll just go.”

  “Roselle, I wish to discuss an issue with Caro alone,” Leric stated evenly, and I saw from the corner of my eye that he gestured across the hallway where another door was. “Leave us, please.”

  “Yes, sire.” Roselle dipped her head as she moved from his doorway, not questioning him but following his orders instantly as any high-ranking soldier should. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Roselle,” he stated as she entered what was apparently her room, softly shutting and locking the door behind her. I stared at the shut door for a few moments, a vibrating silence surrounding us, deafening in its quiet, until his deep baritone tickled my senses as he asked on a quiet purr, “Are you offering, Sprite?”

  “It’s Caro, not Sprite,” I mumbled as I inhaled heavily. I jerked my head around, walking briskly past him into his previously guarded room. “And yes, I’m offering.”

  Walking to the center of his retiring room, I scanned my surroundings quickly – it appeared just like Sin’
s and my bedroom, except it was done in white with accents of silver here and there. I turned gradually when I heard the door shut and lock behind me. Pushing any nerves away, I deliberately met the silver eyes piercing me with their intensity, and I stated, “I have a few rules before we do this.”

  One white eyebrow cocked on tanned skin as he started — fuck me — prowling toward me. His movements were graceful and fluid but still menacing, not only from his large size, but also from his confidence. He cut right into what I was about to say, growling, “Take your clothes off. I’ve wanted to see you naked since you first interrupted our meeting earlier today.” His jaw clenched, his nostrils flared as he continued stalking me. “I lost track of how many times that cute ass of yours was up in the air.”

  My nostrils flared as my breath caught; just the sound of his voice made my insides heat, let alone the view that was making me fucking dizzy with lust. His pecs and abs were flexing as he moved, and when I found I had taken two steps back, I planted my feet. I said through gritted teeth, sounding unbelievably breathless already, “Rule one: no powers while we’re doing this.”

  He shrugged a muscled shoulder as he stopped an inch in front of me, staring down at me as I stared at his chest. “Done.”

  I nodded once. “Rule two: this is only sex kept private, nothing more.”

  “Done,” he rumbled.

  I paused, blinking and panting at his chest. “That’s all I’ve got.”

  “Works for me,” he muttered, and I watched as he instantly lifted his hands…but they stalled, almost touching the hem of my shirt. I fairly trembled where I stood, his body heat pulsing against my body, wanting his touch, but he cleared his throat before stating brusquely, “I’m won’t pretend to be a gentle lover, because I’m not. And I’ve never been with someone as tiny as you. If it’s too much, or I hurt you, you’ll have to tell me.”

  “Not exactly a shocker, Leric,” I muttered. I took the plunge, brushing his hands away to pull my shirt over my head. I wasn’t backing down from this, or him. I wanted him. No maybes, or second-guessing. I had known from the first time I saw him I wanted to be pressed against this man. And I was going to be. I tilted my head back as I dropped my shirt on the ground, and I reached up and placed my hand gently on the side of his fiercely intimidating face. His silver eyes instantly darkened as they roamed over the tops of my breasts my black bra revealed. “I want you to fuck me, so if you could please get on with it, I would greatly appreciate it.”