Chosen One (Forever Evermore #6)(28)
My lips pinched, but I exhaled heavily, seeing no real way around this unless I wanted my throat slit, since I had no doubt one of them would do it in the dark of night if I didn’t pass this little test, stating, “I’m a spirit Elemental.”
All four stared at me for long moments, clear shock radiating on their faces, then three of their heads jerked to King Townsend, and he nodded once absently.
King White muttered a curse, running a hand over his face, peering at me with brown eyes as he held his hand over his mouth for, at least, a full minute. Not saying a word in the shocked silence before he dropped his hand, face blank, but he wasn’t a fool, not missing a damn thing, turning his attention to the Elders, asking them gruffly, “Did you know she’s a spirit?”
And, they both only stared at him calmly—no shock, their eyes both hooded. Apparently, they were going to let him run this little show, but they weren’t about to help.
“That would be a yes,” King Bridges murmured, actually appearing a bit amused—must have been listening to their heartbeats, his gaze coming back to me. “Why can’t we feel your powers? Is that a spirit thing?”
“No,” I stated calmly. “I don’t know how it happened, but I’m protected from others feeling my powers from a distance.”
A nod from the Shifter.
“Where are you from?” King White asked quietly, studying me closely, definitely a different light in his gaze now that he knew what I was.
“All over,” I slurred, blinking slowly to keep them in focus. “All over this fucking world.”
Instantly, King Samson’s head tilted oddly, and his eyes started glowing, and they all waited until he murmured in a dreamy tone, “World…Distance…Years…Dates…” My heart rate shot off like a cannon even with the drugs in my system, sweat beginning to trickle down my temples. King Bridges eyes flicked to me, then back to the Mage, whose head cocked the other way. “Lost…Scared…Alone,” his eyes glowed brighter, “Soul mates…Crossed…Love…Dates…Time,” he stuttered, voice airy, “Time…Time…Time…” He jerked, his entire body glowing dimly. “This isn’t her…time.” A wave of a hand as he stared off at only something he could see. “She’s from the…distance.” Another head cocking. “The future.”
I kept my face perfectly blank, scared to do anything else as he lurched, his glowing stopping, his gaze positively frantic as he asked me hurriedly, “You haven’t done anything to disrupt the future, have you?”
I stayed silent.
Somewhere I heard a door shut as the employees of the home worked in the hushed quiet.
“Answer me!” King Samson shouted at the top of his lungs, and started stomping toward me.
“Wait!” King White bellowed, slamming a hand on his chest stopping him in mid-motion, then stated more quietly, and slowly, at his furious expression, “You could be wrong.” He stared at him steadily. “And she is not yours to deal with.”
A finger jabbed in my direction. “I am not wrong, and only a Mage can travel through time, unless you know some secret about the elusive spirit Elementals I don’t.” He shook his head. “And even at that, no Mage can travel back in time. Something. Is. Wrong!”
Yes, something was very wrong if they kept up with this line of questioning, but I didn’t know what to do, unsure of what was safe to say.
“Are you from the future?” King Townsend asked bluntly, his wolf riding his tone, appearing confused as hell to even be asking the question.
My eyes tilted back to King Samson…staring at the man who had already done the damage…feeling a nice simmering anger for him in my belly, but I pulled my attention back to King Townsend, saying the only thing I could, “Yes.”
He muttered on a whisper, “Truth.”
“Jesus,” King Bridges mumbled in horrified wonder.
“I fucking told you!” King Samson barked, slapping King White’s hand away, pointing his finger at me again, ordering gruffly, “Keep your mouth shut. Don’t answer another damn question until we get this figured out.”
My lips pinched, and I stared at my lap, still unable to really move from whatever they had drugged me with as the Kings moved to the Elders, who joined the discussion this time, in a corner talking heatedly with one another. I couldn’t control my breathing anymore…my emotions anymore. Because, I honestly didn’t give a shit about any other ramifications, except for the obvious. My friends, the Prodigies, all of them sitting across from me, utterly mute, and still. And my lover, the man who I had learned his real smile, his real laugh, his serious mien, his brutal devotion for his people, the one man in my romantic life, the one who made my heart swell and my stomach turn at varying degrees. All of whom I had tried to keep this damning information from, it being something…one might definitely not look past.
Gut dropping to the bottom of hell, my chest heaved as slow tears began to trickle down my cheeks, joining the sweat on my face, while my chest burned in fear of losing the Prodigies or Elder Merrick, the few right things in my life, but more importantly, of having hurt them. Bit by bit, I lifted my teary gaze across the room. All four stared at me from under hooded gazes, expressions wiped clean of any emotion. I sucked in a shaky breath, mumbling on a sob, “I’m sorry. All of you, I’m so sorry!” I blinked through the tears, mumbling through a choke, “I’m so sorry to anyone here.” I couldn’t say his name aloud, and I hated it.