King Hall Read online

  “Well,” King Kincaid adjusted his suit jacket, “that is true.”

  King Venclaire nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “I’m going home. I have business I need to attend to,” King Kincaid stated. “Lily, I’ll see you there, since you need another shirt.” He leaned in through the window and kissed my forehead, whispering against my skin, which was useless because they were Vampires, “Allowing him to drink from you will make you physically weak. Drink some juice when you get home.” He paused, and then added against my forehead, “You’re lucky it was us who found you.” One more peck on my forehead, a slow nod to King Venclaire, and he was marching away to where his car must have been, but I couldn’t see it from here.

  King Venclaire watched him go and, when King Kincaid was a good distance from us, he turned his attention back to Ezra and me, bending and placing his forearms on the windowsill, hands hanging inside my Hummer, and said quietly, “He’s purposefully ignoring a few key factors, giving him plausible deniability. Number one: Pearl was the only one who offered that day, and that’s not the case now with a whole school full of willing donors available not a hundred feet away. Number two: You’re in Lily’s car, instead of inside King Hall. And, not only that, but Lily’s car is parked in a different location than it was when we first arrived. Number three and the most important, in my humble opinion: Lily’s not dazed or dizzy, and Ezra, you were done when we arrived since your face is flushed, meaning you were not, indeed, thirsty.” He folded his hands together, and stared. Waiting.

  We sat silent. There was nothing safe to say.

  “Well? Have I done the impossible? Rendered the two of you mute?” His mouth opened wide in mock shock when we stayed quiet. “Oh, I do believe I deserve a cookie. I’ve made the impossible, miraculously, possible. This is assuredly a monumental day. Perhaps hell has frozen over. Or, maybe,” he glanced up at the blue sky, “pigs have taken flight.” He clapped his hands once, smiling at us. “This would be the perfect occasion to use my new camera phone and take your picture together.” His smile widened. “I’d title the photo: Up Shit Creek Without a Paddle.” His head cocked, grin gone. “Does that sound about right?”

  I swallowed hard. His brand of interrogation was a hell of a lot different than King Kincaid’s. Whereas King Kincaid was physically in your face, King Venclaire — my biological dad — was a cunning smartass chock-full of clichés to use when people were that stupid. It was actually a bit more frightening than the frontal assaults I was used to. My hands were clenched on my shirt, and Ezra had silently maneuvered an arm behind me. I think he was ready to chuck me out the other door, so I could make a run for it if needed.

  However, our worrying was for nothing because King Venclaire was on the wrong track. His face turned deathly serious, and he stated, “Now, as King I’m not supposed to say this, so I’m not. If you ever claim I had this conversation with either of you, I will deny it, and you’ll be named liars.” That implication was clear since we had dealt with that subject today. “Right now, I’m speaking with you both as a regular Mys, not a Ruler. Although, almost all Mysticals would, also, never say this to you, but since I’m just that special, I will.”

  He cleared his throat, and then spoke ever so softly, “If you two are going to partake in sexual acts together,” oh my God, “you need to be more circumspect. I mean, really, Ezra. The school parking lot? Even if Lily was Vampire, not Shifter, don’t you know better than this? You two are going to be King and Queen to your people, and you know the Mys communities don’t…mingle. If this keeps up, for any length of time, you need to keep it private. No one, including your guards, should ever know. It will undermine the way your subjects feel about you, even if it’s none of their damn business.”

  He opened his hands wide. “And this, young Prodigies, is not private or circumspect. You are out in the open with, more than likely, students spying out of their classroom windows, guards watching behind their tinted glass, and anyone walking by.”

  He stalled, eyebrows together, then pointed with both index fingers, one for each of us. “Also, I feel obligated to remind you that when you have sex, it needs to be protected. I know sometimes having a condom on hand can be forgotten, and in that circumstance, you need to abstain. Our Law is brutal for children born of mixed Mys breeding. I would never want you two to be placed in that situation.” He folded his hands together again, and went silent. Done.

  Uh.

  My brain was numbed dumb as I stared. Neither I, nor Ezra, had moved a centimeter during his — my biological dad’s — gross sex talk. I was seriously struck stupid. I didn’t know what to say to that, since if we argued that we weren’t together, he would go back to the original issue of why we were in the back of my Hummer when there were a crap load of donors inside the school. We weren’t going anywhere near that one.

  “I really should take a picture of this,” King Venclaire mumbled under his breath, glancing back and forth between us. Then, he really went overboard, appearing thoughtful as he asked, “Are there any questions you two have about sex between Mys factions? There are many differences between Shifters and Vampires.”

  My cheeks flamed. My mind wasn’t cooperating with my mouth, so I just shook my head. Same as Ezra. That was, in some measure, a response, and I prayed it was enough to shut him up. This man was still my biological dad, even if he didn’t know it. Sex was not something I ever would have discussed with my mom, much less a dad that didn’t know I existed.

  “Well, then,” King Venclaire murmured, clapping his hands in finality. “I think I’m done speaking for myself and King Kincaid.” He paused, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “That was what that little look was about. He’s no fool, but since I’m somewhat more open, he elected me to have this conversation with the two of you.” A push away from the door and he stood straight, placing his hands in his pockets. “If you two ever do need to talk, my door is always open.”

  He turned, starting to walk away, but glanced over his shoulder, saying, “That silvering excuse was good, Lily. It might have worked — to some extent — if King Kincaid and I had never worn them before and known the effects they have.” His gaze swung to Ezra, eyebrows lowering. “Get to class.” Then his long legs were eating up the asphalt to wherever his car was.

  Staring after him, I just blinked. I was pretty sure Ezra did too, since he hadn’t moved a muscle. I wasn’t even sure he breathed for a little while. So, that’s what we did. Stared. Stunned senseless and mute.

  Not sure how long we sat like that, I barely noticed when Jack and Pearl got back in my Hummer, Pearl thrilled to be in the driver’s seat and Jack already fiddling with the radio. They didn’t even look back at us until we were out of the gates, jabbering away with each other about the party tonight. When Jack did glance back, saying something to us, his voice trailed off, and he blinked — much like us — and asked, “What’s wrong?” His brown eyes skimmed over where my fists were white knuckled on my top, and his eyebrows rose. “Lily, why’s your shirt ruined?”

  “What?” Pearl asked, her head darting back to us, then forward to the road. “What’s going on?”

  I tried to speak, but it came out a mumble so, after clearing my throat, I tried again, and managed to say with a hoarse throat, “King Kincaid and King Venclaire paid us a visit.” I licked my dry lips. “They came right after Ezra was done drinking. We were lying on the backseat so no one would see us.” My mouth flapped for a few seconds, but I eventually succeeded in continuing. “It didn’t look good to begin with, and my shirt’s buttons popped off sometime during the drinking, since it’s old, so when Ezra lifted off me, it looked like we’d been…” No need to finish that. They got the point.

  Pearl yanked the Hummer to the curb, both her and Jack looking freaked, and she asked, “Are they separating you two?”

  Ezra shook his head slowly. “No. King Kincaid left after we gave some bogus excuses for the drinking. He left King Venclaire to…” He trailed off, his voice ju
st as rough and quiet as mine, all of us vigilant of any Vampires nearby.

  “What? What did King Venclaire do?” Jack asked, eyes darting between our faces.

  “Did he hurt you?” Pearl hissed.

  We shook our heads. No, there hadn’t been any physical pain. Only mental anguish, but that wasn’t what she meant.

  “Well, then what?” Jack asked, throwing his hands up and accidently knocking Pearl in the head. Reflexively, she reached over and thumped him back. Both pairs of eyes glued on us.

  I cleared my throat. “They didn’t buy our story.” I paused, then choked out, “King Venclaire gave us a sex talk.”

  Ezra added, whispering, “Told us to keep it private.”

  “And circumspect,” I mumbled.

  “He mentioned condoms.”

  I nodded stupidly. “Said we needed to use condoms.”

  “Asked us if we had any questions about Shifter/Vampire sex.”

  “His door’s always open…”

  Jack and Pearl gawked, jaws hanging wide.

  “Oh my God,” Pearl murmured. Hiccupped. Swallowed hard. Another hiccup. A choked gurgle and then, she busted up, laughing.

  Jack wasn’t too far behind her, his lips twitching fiercely, and he finally gave in, bellowing with a deep belly laugh. He pointed to us, laughing it up with Pearl. “And they couldn’t tell him they aren’t having sex,” a loud roar of laughter, but words still soft, “because he would have gone back to their original bogus answers.”

  Pearl nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. “Oh, that’s precious.” Her whole body was shaking with her hilarity.

  “It’s not funny,” Ezra grumbled, cracking his neck and digging his arm out from behind me. “It was horrible. We had to sit there and take it.”

  “I think I’m that much more stupid for having listened to it,” I groaned while Ezra rubbed his temples. “Both Kings think Ezra and I are getting our freak on.”

  Jack slapped his knee, bending over, choking on silent laughter. It had progressed to the point he was having trouble breathing.

  “Maybe I’ll bring someone home tonight after the party,” Ezra mumbled to himself, “Make sure King Venclaire sees her.”

  I nodded, thinking that was a good plan, and wondered who I could bring home myself, but Jack and Pearl found that even funnier.

  Pearl sputtered, “That’s never,” she snorted, laughter bubbling over, “gonna work.” More tears wiped away. “If they think you’re together, they’ll see that tactic for what it is.”

  “You’re lucky it was them that found you like that,” Jack sucked in a large breath, trying to get control of himself. “If it had been my King, or Pearl’s, you two would already be on planes flying in opposite directions.”

  I crossed my arms in agitation. “If that won’t work, what do you two propose we do?”

  Ezra leaned over the back of the seat, and then flopped back down, throwing on my lap a spare sweatshirt I had stored in here. “Cover those up. They’re what got us in trouble in the first place.”

  Pearl and Jack hooted.

  I glanced down to where Ezra was glaring. Crossing my arms had opened my shirt again and pushed my boobs up to full view. Bra, cleavage, and all. I sighed and ripped my shirt the rest of the way off since it was a goner anyway, and Ezra tossed it into the back with vigor. Once my sweatshirt was on, I asked again, “What should we do?”

  Pearl and Jack were calming themselves, and Jack shrugged, panting a little, saying, “Just give it time. You don’t want them coming back to the truth, so let them think what they want, and once they figure out on their own it’s not true, hopefully they’ll have forgotten your reasons for being in the Hummer in the first place.”

  Pearl nodded.

  Sluggishly, Ezra and I agreed.

  Jack added hesitantly, “This situation reminds me that I need to speak with you guys about something.” He rubbed his chin. “I think we need to discuss how much we touch each other in public.” We stared, and he simplified, “Nikki’s still new at school. They talk around her more, not realizing who they’re next to. She hears things.”

  Forehead wrinkling, Pearl asked, “What things?”

  Jack sucked in a breath. “Most of the students think it’s odd how much we touch each other. A few words Nikki overhears regularly are weird, twisted, and unnatural.”

  We sat in silence, letting that sink in.

  “It’s not any of those things,” Pearl whispered, clearing her throat. “We aren’t like everyone else. We’re,” her hand flittered as she thought, “on a different level. We need each other because we understand what the other’s going through.”

  Ezra nodded slowly. “Yes, but our subjects believe they own us. Which they do. They wouldn’t understand our reasoning since they’ve never lived a day in our lives.”

  “Mysticals stay separated,” I murmured. “That’s how it’s always been. And, possibly, for good reason.” I chewed on my lip. “This isn’t good.”

  Jack nodded. “Some are already saying we’re going to be terrible Rulers since we’re ignoring Mys ways.”

  “Jesus,” Ezra grumbled, sliding down on the seat, his arms crossing.

  Pearl tapped a fingernail on the headrest, staring out the back window. “I don’t think we should stop being seen together. That would give our subjects too much power over us.” She paused, a frown lining her perfect face. “But, maybe, we should stop touching each other. It may actually be our easiness with one another that’s truly bothering them. We don’t want them attacking our friendship. Give them this, and hope it’s enough to calm the masses.”

  Slowly, we nodded in agreement, all of us wearing scowls or frowns because it was awful that we were owned this severely by our people. But we were. We were going to be their protectors, leaders, and punishers in a few years’ time. Sadly, as King Venclaire had said, we couldn’t have them undermining us. If we began our ruling with subjects who had no faith in us, that wasn’t acceptable. The weight was always heavy on our shoulders but, sitting here now, seeing one more freedom slip away, it made that barrier between us and our subjects that much wider. And they wondered why we were so close.

  Jack murmured, “The Kings won’t be fighting with each other so much, anymore.”

  We nodded again. The Kings had been at each other’s throats a few weeks ago with another argument, which they hadn’t even bothered to hide from us.

  “Thank God that argument hadn’t happened today,” I said quietly. “King Kincaid would have probably agreed with King Nelson and King Fergus.” King Venclaire had never attempted to separate us, so I didn’t worry about him so much.

  We sat in depressed and stressful silence.

  Quietly, Jack asked, “What kind of touching is acceptable? I need clarification. It just comes so naturally now. I don’t even realize I’m doing it.”

  My shoulders slumped, and my voice was weak, Shifters needing touch. “No nose pinching.”

  “No holding hands at any time,” Pearl gritted between her teeth.

  “No hugging,” Ezra stated gruffly. “Or kissing.” We did that a lot when we greeted or left each other. Simple kisses on the cheek or forehead, but now, it seemed like a biggie.

  “No sleeping on each other,” Pearl added, rubbing her forehead. “Or massages.”

  “No drinking,” Ezra grunted.

  “This is all in public, right?” Jack asked, his forehead lined in worry. “We are still free to be ourselves behind closed doors?”

  All at once, Pearl, Ezra, and I said, “Yes.”

  Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We only touch when it’s publicly acceptable,” I said slowly. “Like if one of us is hurt,” a thought, and I grinned, “or dancing.”

  They stilled, and slow smiles crept over their faces.

  We nodded.

  It was the party of the year. It was always planned for right before the students had to start cramming for year-end finals, when there was only a month left of schoo
l. For the four of us, though, since we had already finished our finals, it was more of a celebration of the hard school year gone by, with our last month of classes to be spent purposely with the Kings teaching us to use our powers together. I had passed my finals — all three years’ worth — and so had my best friends. We were dressed in our finest and ready to party.

  This year it was held at an abandoned house on the outskirts of Choep. Every year the party changed locations, but this house had been foreclosed on and mentioned as a possibility and, bang, it was a done deal. A Mage had magically turned the power and plumbing back on for the night and it was a good thing there wasn’t any furniture, because the place was packed.

  I ran a hand through my hair since it was a little windblown. I’d had to sneak out tonight — as had my friends — since we were still “grounded”, dodging all bodyguards. Our elite guards were here, so we didn’t feel too guilty leaving the others behind.

  Nikki poured tequila shots where we stood at the counter. Her expressive brown eyes were wide with excitement as the almost-too-loud music pumped through the air. She held up her shot, asking, “What should we drink to?”

  Instant. Pearl held up her shot. “To no more homework. Ever.”

  “That doesn’t really work for me since I’ve got one more year left, but whatever.” Nikki grinned at us happily. “I’m the minority here, so I cave.”

  Jack picked up his shot, murmuring something against Nikki’s ear that made her laugh, before he said loudly, “To never having a number two pencil again.”

  I held my shot up. “To no more detentions because I fell asleep in class.”

  Gideon held up his shot. “To hoping I pass my finals.” He shrugged at our expressions. “It’s relevant to me.” His drink sloshed as Pearl swatted his lips with a kiss.

  “To no more five-thousand count essays.” Ezra held up his shot.

  “I’ve got one,” Nikki murmured quickly, blushing. “To new friends.”

  We grinned at that and knocked glasses, downing the shots, carefully standing with a good foot between each other.