Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(67)

“Aw, shit,” I muttered, a hand going to my mouth.

“Who wants to challenge the castrator next?” an air Elemental announcer shouted from the sidelines into a microphone, throwing an arm out to the woman in the middle of the mud wrestling ring. Mud was up to her knees, and her brown, muddy head tilted back as she took a long chug straight from the bottle of vodka she held. She appeared to be wearing nothing under the mud covering her entire body, except for the barely visible bra and panties that did little to hide her assets. “Come on, people! One more! She just needs one more to break the record!” He leaned over the rope, holding out the microphone, and asked, “Why do you call yourself the castrator?”

The woman grinned. “That should be obvious.”

King Collins cursed as my voice echoed inside the room. Because yes, the woman on the screen was me.

“Could I change it to lover?” The announcer asked.

“Maybe later,” I slurred drunkenly, leaning back on the ropes and grabbing the mike with my free hand. I hollered into it, “C’mon, bitches! I want to break the damn record.” My grin was sloppy. “But please, don’t get in the ring if you cry easily. I promise not to be gentle.”

More cursing from King Collins.

The announcer took the mike back, stating, “Well, there you go, straight from the castrator’s mouth,” a glance down at me, “whom I hope to be seeing later tonight.” He turned his eyes back to the audience. “One more woman is all we need.”

“I’ll do it,” a female’s voice shouted from the sidelines, “I’ll take the cocky bitch down!”

Onscreen, I pumped a fist into the air, shouting, “Fuck yes.” I took another swig of my vodka before I held it out to the announcer to take as a Shifter woman came to the sidelines, efficiently undressing to her underwear. I evaluated her before saying to the announcer, “Put all I’ve made on this last fight. Down in less than a minute.”

“You sure?” he asked, his voice muffled because he put the mike behind his back. “You’ve already fought nineteen others, and she looks pissed.”

“Her hands are shaking,” I muttered, wobbling a bit in the mud. “She’s going down.”

“As you wish,” he stated, leaning over the ropes to me even as the Shifter got into the mud. He flat out smacked my ass. “Good luck.”

“Luck is for pussies.” I rolled a finger. “Let’s get this started.”

Without warning, a bell rang, and the Shifter flew at me.

I watched my onscreen self drop, disappearing beneath the mud as the Shifter flew over where I had been and hit the slopping brown stuff hard on her side. Mud splattered onto the screaming spectators on the sidelines, the roars of the crowd loud. I hadn’t re-emerged from under the mud, but when she jumped to her feet growling, her eyes flew wide and she screamed bloody murder right before her hands flew out. She fell back, going under the mud.

I re-emerged, lying on her back, my legs wrapped around her waist and one of my arms tight around her throat. She took me on a death roll through the mud, trying to get me off…right before she went still, less than thirty seconds later. Her face pointed upward, her eyes closed and her mouth opened. I quickly shoved her aside, sitting up and rubbing the mud from my eyes. Like the kind Samaritan I was, I checked her pulse before standing and pumping a fist at the screaming crowd. Everyone chanted, “Castrator, castrator, castrator, castrator!”

“Yes, ladies and gentleman.” The funky Mage reporter came back onscreen, the mud wrestling video finished. “You’ve guessed correctly. The castrator would be none other than your next Queen Elemental.” His brows waggled. “And I have it on good authority for those of you who are wondering, she did, indeed, spend the night with my good friend the announcer.” He winked.

A commercial came on.

Ever so slowly, King Collins raised a hand and turned off the television.

The only noise in the room was his continually ringing phone. Until he put a hand into his pocket, turning it off. He was not looking at me.

Realizing my hand was still over my mouth, I quickly dropped it and cleared my throat.

I tried to meet this head-on by placing the blame directly on him. “They never would have known it was me if you hadn’t called this morning announcing who you were and who I was.” I flicked a finger at the black screen. “You couldn’t tell there, but my hair was spelled black, and I used a different name.”

“Yes.” King Zeller cleared his throat. “So we heard.”

I waved an irritated hand at him but kept my attention on my King. “Another name.”

King Collins began rubbing his forehead. Staring at the ground, he asked in a very soft voice, “Are there any other videos from last night I need to be aware of?”

I waved a pointed finger at the screen. “I didn’t even know that one was out there.”

Slow, quiet words. “Is. There. More?”

My lips pinched. “Not that I know of.”

More rubbing of his forehead. “I heard multiple voices this morning over the line.” Rubbing of forehead. “How many eyewitness accounts might there be of your time after the illegal contest?”

I blinked. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

Brown, cool eyes flicked to me for the first time, holding my gaze. “How many f*cking people am I going to have to shut up over this?”