King Cave Read online

  I watched in horror as a thing was dragged on screen by two other men in red hooded robes, who each held silver chains that wrapped around its neck like a collar, while silver shackles bound its wrists and ankles.

  The Elders and Kings around me gasped.

  Ezra did not.

  I glanced at him, and he nodded once, indicating this was what he had been talking about during the attack at King Hall. The things he had killed. My gaze swept back to the screen.

  “This, my fellow Commoners, is what happens when a Mystical hybrid mates with a Commoner,” the spokesman stated. “This particular breed is Mage and Shifter and Commoner.” He yanked up the head of the golden-haired thing so the world could see a hawk’s face on a supposed Commoner’s body: talons for hands, wings spouting from the shoulder blades, and the lower half with skin the color of bronze.

  “They have lied! They are creating these monsters to kill us. Believe me, my friends, this one may seem docile,” he tossed the head down, “but only after being injected constantly with silver did its attempts to kill stop.” He paused. “And there are more.” The camera turned to show a cage full of creatures lying on each other, all wearing silver shackles, before turning back to the spokesman. “This is only one of the Mystical strongholds we have captured, but there are others.” He pointed directly at the camera, to his audience. “They deceived us. They want to wipe us from this planet. Be prepared to fight.”

  The cube disappeared as the screen went blank.

  The room’s occupants launched into an uproar.

  I didn’t hear anything except for the resounding word ‘hybrid’ as it echoed in my head, pounding through my mind. My fear was uncontrollable. The spokesman had said hybrids created those creatures by mating with Commoners. Breeding with Commoners wasn’t supposed to be an actuality. It was supposed to be safe to have sex with them, our two kinds not compatible for conception, but…if hybrids should be dead at birth, weren’t supposed to exist, then what the Elders had taught the Mys community would have been the truth.

  No hybrids equaled no mindless monstrosities.

  Though if parents managed to hide their hybrid children, as my mother had with me, then more hybrids could exist. My brain felt as if it were imploding; there were so many implications for myself and for the Mystical people swimming through my thoughts. As the room began to darken, feeling myself start to slip into a dead faint, Ezra’s leg brushed against mine and rested there.

  Tranquillity instantly suffused my clenched muscles and inside my mind. Other voices entered my previously chaotic awareness. My attention snapped to Ezra and his eyes met mine for a brief moment, expressing he was using his power to aid me so I didn’t do anything stupid. For example: faint, when I should be spitting fire and trying to figure this out, like everyone else in the room.

  Swinging my gaze back to the table’s occupants, I didn’t dare move my leg from his. Ezra’s emotional gift was the only thing keeping everyone from turning their attention on me. I most certainly didn’t need trouble on this level, since everyone was only now figuring out that hybrids did, in fact, exist. And what they were capable of.

  Conceiving slaying beings with Commoners.

  “Wait!” Elder Talus barked an abrupt order. When the room quieted, he turned his attention to Elder Harcourt. “How do we know the video isn’t doctored? That a Commoner extremist group isn’t lying to start a war?”

  Everyone held their breath, staring at the older Mage.

  Elder Harcourt reclined on his seat, relaxed and cool. “The video wasn’t doctored.” He tilted his head toward the Elemental who had begun the meeting. “Elder Camden will explain.”

  Gazes snapped to the elderly Elemental as he cleared his throat. Placing his fingertips on the marble table, he peered out to each occupant inside the conference room, his eyes meeting everyone’s. “Any hybrids who have escaped the Executioner are capable of breeding with Commoners.” His yellow eyebrows furrowed. “Their offspring are as the Com stated. They are ravenous Beasts that usually kill the mother from inside the womb. The pregnancy rarely goes to full-term. Ages ago this wasn’t so much an issue, because the Beast normally died along with the mother, but,” a glance at Elder Harcourt, then he again spoke the words strangely, “with technological advances in prenatal care,” his eyes met everyone’s shocked ones, “the Beasts can be born, even if the mother dies.”

  I wondered if anyone else caught the words ‘usually’ and ‘normally’ he had used.

  One of the four men who had been speaking with the Kings earlier growled low — a wolf Shifter. “You never thought to tell us this when we were working on the peace treaty?”

  Huh. Those four must be the Kings who had come after Antonio and Cahal’s four, the politically sound ones who had worked so hard for peace between Commoners and Mysticals.

  “This shouldn’t have been an issue. The information was kept secret and only passed down to the next senior Elders,” which meant he, and possibly Elder Harcourt, were the oldest Mystical Elders remaining, “specifically so the Beasts weren’t created.” Elder Camden shook his head. “It should have been enough that hybrids can’t do an Awakening.” Quickly, I scented the air, and found he spoke truth. He believed what he was saying. Thumping his aged fist onto the table, he expounded, “Plus, the goddamn Executioner should have taken care of any hybrids.”

  “Obviously, he didn’t,” King Nelson muttered under his breath, his eyes flashing gold while staring at the ceiling.

  Into the quiet, Antonio asked, “Elder Harcourt, what else do you know?”

  Elder Harcourt’s lips tilted, the smile of the devil himself, making me do a double-take at the wrinkle-faced Mage. “Antonio, please be more specific.”

  A heavy sigh from Antonio. “About the Beasts.”

  “Ah.” Elder Harcourt drummed his fingers on the table and stared at his thumping digits, humming quietly. “As they are, they age faster than Mysticals but slower than Commoners due to their mixed heritage. They pledge no allegiance to Mystical or Commoner because they are insane from the day they are born. As they are absolute killing machines, only thoughts of hunger — all kinds — hold their attention.” He paused, his gaze snapping directly to Antonio. “They aren’t easy to control with our powers, due in part to their mixed blood, which creates a sort of immunity. Only silver fully moderates their behavior, making what the Com said that much more truthful.”

  Cahal’s chest expanded and slowly lowered. “What do you two know of hybrids? If they exist, we need to know everything you do since that’s where the original problem lies.”

  I pressed my leg harder against Ezra’s, thanking God that Ezra was here to give me the support I needed to keep my heart rate lowered and common sense flowing.

  Elder Harcourt continued tapping his fingers on the table. “Hybrids live as long as any Mystical, so it wouldn’t take many banding together to create an army of Beasts and control them with silver.” His head cocked. “A hybrid’s duel bloodline causes a reaction to occur biologically. They may have two different faction’s powers, yes, but it is the extra power within their Core that causes a slight breakdown of their reproductive system — something has to give when they’re born with more than what a Mystical’s biological make-up allows — thus allowing them to breed with a Commoner.”

  “But…why would hybrids do it? Create Beasts such as that?” an Elder Elemental, another one of the four who had been speaking with the Kings earlier, whom I was guessing had also aided in the peace treaty, asked into the tense silence. “It makes no sense.”

  No one spoke.

  To me, the answer was obvious, so I spoke quietly, “Their nature itself would give them the perfect motive to wage war against the Mystical community, since the Executioner kills their kind just for being born. They use the Commoners’ fear to fuel their motives because the Beasts may be killing machines, but they’re not controllable and not the perfect soldier to create the destruction they want. Not like the Commoners would
be.” An absent nod of my head. “The Beasts are only the pebble thrown into the center of the lake. The ripples, what disturbs the entire surface of our world, are the Commoners.” I rolled my shoulders. “Really, it’s fucking genius retribution.”

  Every single man…stared.

  Elder Harcourt chuckled softly. “Fierce, beautiful, and intelligent.” He bowed his head to me. “You’re going to make one miraculous Queen.”

  The Elder Shifter who had spoken before stated, “No Commoner, especially any in power, will want to believe they’re being manipulated. Their pride won’t allow it. Plus, we didn’t tell them the truth when the treaty was signed. Now that we’ve lied to them, even if unknowingly, their trust in us is diminished.” He sighed, his head of dark hair falling back onto the leather chair. “What the hell do we tell them to stop a full-fledged war?”

  No one had an answer for that, myself included.

  Elder Camden’s lips pinched, and he finally sat, turning his attention to Antonio and Cahal. “In light of our current situation, it would be best for your four to be whole.” Everyone understood that for what it was: the definite possibility of the coming of a second world war between the Commoners and Mysticals. “Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs need to be here.”

  Both Antonio and Cahal nodded.

  “I’m assuming we’re the ones who will be speaking with the Com politicians of the world, since we collaborated the peace treaty, correct?” the Elder Shifter asked.

  Elder Harcourt confirmed, “Yes, Elder Townsend. You,” he nodded to the Elemental, “Elder White,” a head tilt to a Mage, “Elder Samson,” eyes to a Vampire, “and Elder Bridges will be conducting the current political aspects and discussions with the Commoner politicians worldwide, as before. You four will keep us updated with your progress. We trust you to push for peace any way you can,” he paused, “legally.”

  The Vampire, Elder Bridges, cursed quietly under his breath.

  Elder Harcourt’s wicked grin reappeared. “Peace needs to be lasting, not temporary, Elder Bridges, which is all it would be if you used your power on this group of Com leaders, since the next in line will be ready for war, like the current ones are.”

  Elder Bridges merely narrowed his eyes at Elder Harcourt.

  “We have other information you may wish to know,” Ezra stated gradually, breaking the strained hush. Everyone turned their attention in our direction. Ezra tilted his head and rested further on his chair, comfortable in speaking in front of a portion of the most powerful Mysticals in the world without any added emotional powers helping him. “Yesterday, during our escape on the beach, we saw Elly Belford, a lion Shifter, arguing with one of the assassins who was wearing a red robe and appeared to be their leader. During their argument, he kissed her. She didn’t pull away.” He paused, letting this sink in. “From what we understand, her father is a high-ranking official in the MIA.”

  A spew of oaths erupted from King Kincaid — not a surprising reaction with the fact she had been under his roof multiple times — until he calmed enough to confirm with the group that Mr Belford was, indeed, a high-ranking official within the MIA.

  Ezra shrugged a jaded shoulder. “If the Com hacked our agency’s database from Mr Belford’s home system, it would explain how MIA missed this.”

  As predicted, pretty much everyone wanted a piece not only of Elly but also of her father for being so careless. After a quick phone call, it was established that Elly and her parents weren’t residing inside King Cave, which didn’t lighten the mood any, since the Rulers’ anger wouldn’t have an outlet as they had hoped. But I could have told them she wasn’t here. She had to have seen us when their group charged us yesterday. She had known we had seen her. Elly wouldn’t walk into her own death willingly.

  Elder Camden and Elder Harcourt informed all of us that we would have duties inside King Cave, apparently just as the Rulers had last time when the war had erupted. He also added that we would be phoned later of our responsibilities — once they had been figured out — before we were formally dismissed from the meeting.

  I didn’t want to remove my leg from beside Ezra’s, but it would seem odd if we continued sitting as everyone stood. Sighing, I took a fortifying breath and slowly lifted from my chair. I was pleased to find I was alright, the earlier shock and fear gone as I had hoped. Those were only initial emotions, and now I was on to determination.

  Ezra watched me for a moment, his nostrils flaring. His lips lifted into a small smile.

  Exiting the room, I jerked Antonio’s arm, pulling him along with us.

  Ezra’s eyebrows rose, but he stayed silent.

  Thankfully, Antonio did too, allowing me to herd him.

  Finally out of earshot of anyone — and probably lost again since I was leading us — my determined gaze met curious golden eyes, and I whispered, “I want my tubes tied.” It would have to be performed magically, otherwise I would heal.

  Neither men walking with me said a word, but Antonio did take the lead on where we were headed. After a few more twisting turns, Antonio probed quietly, “You sure, Lil?”

  I snorted. A fucking stupid question. This one was a no-brainer. If a Com ever did accomplish raping me…well, I didn’t want to risk it.

  Antonio sighed. “Children are a blessing, no matter what you think of them right now.” He tilted my chin up as he stopped our forward movement. “I was blessed with the privilege to help raise you.”

  My heart softened only a smidge because my mind was set. “I don’t want children.”

  “You say that now, but time changes all.”

  I shook my head, pulling my chin from his grip. “Will you make it happen, or not?”

  His lips thinned, but slowly he nodded. “I’ll come for you at midnight.” As quickly as he had given me what I wanted, he turned and walked away, an irritated clip to his step.

  Ezra was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, watching me.

  “What?” It was a bit snippy.

  He shrugged. “Nothing.” He pushed off the wall and began strolling in the direction that hopefully our room was in. “I’d do the same thing if I were in your position.” His chuckle was slow and deep. “Plus, I hate brats as much as you do.”

  I sighed, grateful he wasn’t pulling a ‘youth’ speech. “Thank you for earlier.”

  He nodded once, obviously not going to tease me about my weakness before, and switched topics. “Thirsty?” He glanced at me, letting me know what he meant.

  I nodded, famished for blood. “Very.”

  He jerked his head toward one hallway as he stopped walking. “I think that’s the way if you want to head on.” He glanced back the way we had come. “I’ll,” his lips lifted in a roughish grin, “pick up enough drinks for the both of us.” Meaning, he would drink twice what he needed so I could drink from him.

  My gaze flew to his neck. His pulse beat strongly, a steady rise and fall, just under his mocha skin. I licked my lips. Just the idea of his spicy blood touching my tongue had my fangs extending. My breath caught, and I snapped my mouth shut, glancing left, then right, but luckily the area was still deserted.

  Ezra’s soft chuckle had my gaze slating to his, and he murmured, “I’ll hurry.” He started ambling the other way. “Jessica, the Vampire I met earlier this morning — who was so kind as to assist in my search for a TV — offered already, so it shouldn’t take long.”

  I shook my head, snickering. “I’m sure that’s all she offered.”

  Ezra glanced over his shoulder, still wearing a cocky grin. “No more than Finn did you.”

  My eyebrows puckered. “How are you going to find her again?”

  A deep chuckle reverberated inside his chest. “I got the TV from her room.”

  My blink was sluggish. Sometimes I was a complete idiot. I should have seen that one coming. “Now who’s jumping into whose bed?”

  He laughed outright, his back muscles flexing as he continued sauntering away.

  “Ezra! Don’t take t
oo long!” I hollered when he didn’t comment. I was thirsty, dammit.

  He continued chortling as he turned the corner, and then he was no longer in view.

  “Damn man,” I muttered under my breath, seriously hoping he didn’t decide for a round — possibly his second — with this Jessica woman. Pivoting, I squeaked and jumped straight into the air, thanking God my fangs had retracted during our bout. Landing hard, I stumbled and slammed my shoulder against the unforgiving black wall, utterly startled by the man who had snuck behind me.

  Dark brown eyes stared down at me, his mien just as peacefully beautiful as his skin, which was the color of melted chocolate mixed with cream due to his Native American ancestry. Ezra’s fucking dad. Watching me make a fool of myself, he placed his hands in the pocket of his black dress pants, only staring, not a word said.

  Swallowing hard, I pushed off the wall. Damn if I didn’t start babbling. “I’m going to check on Pearl and Jack, since their mates died yesterday.” I edged around him when he only cocked his head. “Ezra’s going to pick us all up some drinks. We need them after the day we had yesterday.” He had heard something like that anyway, spying on us as he must have been. I pointed in the direction Ezra went as I started walking backward. “He went that way, if you’re looking for him.” Still…he said nothing, so I mumbled, “Well, see ya later.” Hopefully not. I turned a corner, getting the hell away from his too intuitive line of sight.

  Chapter Five

  Standing stunned inside the doorway to our bedroom, I whispered, “Pearl?” Gently shutting the door so I didn’t startle her, I crept forward, hands out in the worldwide gesture of I mean you no harm. “Pearl?”

  “Hmm?” She stared at the shard of glass in her hand, sitting in the middle of our living room. The furniture had been blown to bits once again during our absence. Apparently she had wanted to fix everything earlier so it would be pretty when she destroyed it again. Not only that, but lying around her cross-legged position on the rug were large chunks of her golden hair, which she had obviously cut off with the sharp piece of glass she now fisted. There was no scent of blood in the air; she was fortunate not to have cut herself. Yet.