Chosen One (Forever Evermore #6)(27)

Oh, holy shit.

Just as Elder Merrick started growling low in his chest, his voice decidedly ticked off, his positioning protectively in front of Kincaid, Elder Jacobs in front of Fergus spoke in a very soft tone, which was scary in itself. “You four have exactly two seconds to start talking.”

King White instantly stated, “We managed to fingerprint Ms. Farrow while she was recovering in jail. Not only does she not have a background,” his head teetered back and forth, “she also doesn’t exist according to any database. So, we’re done fucking around. It’s time questions were answered, and the Prodigies are going to sit back and listen mutely.” He bent next to Fergus. “And learn something about trusting so damn easily.”

King White swiftly slapped the silver cuffs on Fergus, then a second pair on me, making me grit my teeth as the icy burn coated me from the inside out. Like a shot of pure dry ice shut down any chance of me using my powers, not positive I could have with the drug in my system like it was anyway, but I kept my gaze firmly away from Elder Merrick, since I would have been glaring at him when he and Elder Jacobs went mute, stepping back to stand at a wall quietly, letting the Kings do their thing.

“What. The. Hell?” Fergus slurred on a shout from the ground, sounding entirely pissed, the other Prodigies voicing their complaints loudly, too, as they were silvered.

“Calm down,” King White murmured, bending to lift Fergus to a sitting position, and then he shouted, his head flying back when Fergus swung his head back in a quick jerk, slamming the back of his head into King White’s face. “Shit!” He shook his head swiftly, blood running down his nose, but it quickly cut off, healing, his grip not loosening on a clearly furious Fergus. “I’m not going to hurt you, dammit!”

“Get her out of those cuffs!” Fergus growled before a slew of inventive curses aimed at the Kings starting flying out of his mouth on a slur.

King Bridges actually chuckled at the furious expression King Samson wore at one of the particularly artistic insults toward him as they started dragging their drugged and silvered Prodigies to lean against a wall next to each other.

“Shut up,” King White muttered under his breath, starting to drag Caleb next to the other Prodigies. “Before you piss one of them off too badly.”

Instant slurred order. “Get. Her. Out. Of. Those. Cuffs!”

“Not after we’ve gone through this much trouble to get her in them,” King White muttered, placing Fergus gently on the wall, then growled another curse when Fergus started shouting at all of them, many different variations of ways he would kill them if they hurt me…to the point where King White gagged him with one of his gloves and the curtain ties he grabbed. “Be quiet before they charge your ass.”

King Samson murmured very dryly, “It’s tempting.”

And, Fergus flipped him off.

“Fergus!” I barked loudly, shaking my head against the ringing in my ears that caused. “I like you living, so do as he says.” My forehead sweating from the silver, I turned my eyes to King White. “He’s only protecting you.”

“Very nicely deduced.” King White removed his other glove, straightening to stare at me directly across the intimate room we were in, the Prodigies about ten yards away from me. “And seeing as you’re extremely intelligent and smooth with your dialect,” he waved his arms wide, “here we are.”

“I didn’t lie,” I mumbled. “You asked. I answered.”

King Townsend waved a finger. “You still never answered a question directly.” A wave at the silent, glaring Prodigies. “And you, your powers unknown to us, a woman with no background or history, except for activity with a criminal stopping by your apartment late at night and trained fighting skills against Law enforcement—we saw a video of that, by the way, a woman who does not exist in this world, you’ve managed to worm your way into their lives to the point each one trusts you completely.”

I sighed heavily. “I have no malicious intent toward any of them or any of you.”

King Townsend murmured, “Truth.” He nodded once. “I think you understand where this conversation is going, Ms. Farrow, so why don’t you start at the beginning.”

I chuckled quietly, eyeing them as I slurred, “Peace Kings, my ass.”

All four of their lips lifted slightly, and King White stated simply, “We brought peace to a world terrified from war.” A shrugged shoulder. “How we did so, is moot at this point, everyone much better off than how things were.”

I grunted. “I’m not really up for giving my life story.” I blinked slowly. “It’s really a dreadful and depressing one to most.”

“We’ll ask, then, and you answer without the elaboration of warped prettiness.” King White inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Your parents. Who are they?”

“I don’t know. I was raised in foster homes, none of those people’s names worth remembering.”

King Townsend nodded once.

“What are you since we can’t feel your power?” King Bridges asked bluntly, his arms crossed, leaning back against the bar.

Keeping it simple. “I’m not a Com. I’m Elemental.”

Another nod from the Shifter.

King White ordered, “Elaborate.”