King Cave (Forever Evermore, #2)(30)
Barely withholding my sigh, I nodded, and then walked with them.
“Black bear, huh?” King Kincaid had made it a full minute before interrupting the beautiful silence. Still grinning. “He’s probably the strongest alpha I’ve seen yet, outside the Rulers.” He smacked my back. “Nice pick.”
Again, I barely withheld my sigh. He wasn’t exactly talking quietly, which meant anyone within earshot could hear him, not to mention the Vampires behind us, who were speaking quietly with Antonio even though I could feel their gazes hot on my back. “I do my best.”
King Kincaid chuckled. “Are you going to see him again?”
My lips pursed, frustration beginning to mount. “Yes.” A quick glance at him through narrowed eyes. “Would you also like to know how large his cock is?”
He waved a hand, and, in true King fashion, his retort was meant to gain the upper hand after my coarseness. “That’s not necessary, Prodigy. Black bears are notoriously large from what I understand.”
I cracked my neck, some of my sated high falling away with this conversation. Turning my face from him before he could ask me exactly what day I planned to see Finn again, I watched the Mysticals traveling round the circular living quarter’s walkway. We were mid-level currently, so we had quite a few more rounds to go before my exit. So I watched others, and eventually felt a semblance of peace return when King Kincaid kept quiet.
Until two more rounds up where a sight caught my eye. I knew it was Ezra, even if all I saw was his back. He was stepping backward outside a door. He had on only a pair of jeans, and what appeared to be his t-shirt dangled from one of his hands as a red-and black-haired beauty of a Vampire followed him outside the room, wrapping her arms around his neck. I couldn’t hear her from here, but her head tilted back as she laughed from something Ezra must have said. His own arms slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him, his biceps bulging with the action.
My feet faltered, but Antonio accidently bumped into me from behind at my abrupt stop, shoving my thoughts into gear. I quickly pedaled into motion, glancing at King Kincaid to see if he had caught me watching Ezra. He was still grinning, his gaze forward, so I peeked back over, a bit of anger beginning to flare inside my gut. Ezra was supposed to be with Jack and Pearl. Not…I blinked…sticking his tongue down a Vampire floozy’s throat.
My fists clenched, and I quickly stuck them into my pockets and began regulating my breathing and heartbeat so none of the Vampires talking behind me would notice. Especially since, as we rounded the area and grew nearer to where they were, Ezra’s lips were still glued to the beauty’s. He was obviously leaving her place, done having his fun, so it seemed he was giving her one hell of a goodbye kiss, the woman appearing damn near ready to faint.
I checked my anger, since I didn’t want the Vamps scenting it, and rolled my shoulders just as Vivian mumbled from behind me, “Isn’t that…” She was quiet for an extended moment, and then she stated heatedly, “Dear, you are going to have a talk with your son about circumspection.”
It sounded like Cahal chuckled quietly.
“Cahal,” Vivian grumbled in a warning tone.
“Let him have his fun,” Cahal murmured softly. “He’s only young once.”
Vivian sniffed, but didn’t argue that point.
I, on the other hand, stopped eavesdropping and plastered a blank expression on my face when King Kincaid glanced my way. His damn grin was still in place. He stated, “It looks like King Cave is treating our Prodigies well.”
Respectfully, I managed a decent nod.
Almost as before, except that this time it was with Ezra and his King, King Venclaire stepped forward, brushing passed King Kincaid and me, and called loudly, “Ezra!”
Ezra’s head snapped back from the woman, who blinked open slow lids, as his attention swung in our direction. His lips were swollen, his cheeks flushed, and his spikes mussed. He even had a few red marks on his arms and back where she had obviously dug her nails in. His gaze probably appeared much as mine had earlier as he caught sight of King Venclaire: his eyes widening marginally, and a look of barely masked frustration beginning to harden his jaw. It was only then that he seemed to notice everyone else behind his King, his spring green gaze swinging to each person.
Ezra wasn’t doing a fabulous job hiding his emotions. King Kincaid got contempt mixed with respect. Antonio received watchfulness. His mom, embarrassment. His dad, acquiescence. A passer-by moved directly in front of me a second later, and Ezra didn’t notice me.
“King Venclaire,” I heard him murmur evenly as I moved from behind another individual walking in front of me. That’s when Ezra saw me. His gaze stilled for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between mine and his nostrils flaring, before he turned his attention back to his King. “Is there something you need?”
King Venclaire rocked back on his heels, placing his hand in his pant pockets. “Since we’re heading to lunch, and you appear to be almost free, we thought you might join us.”
I watched, my anger slowly building again — which I could hardly keep banked and appear peaceful at the same time — as Ezra extracted himself from the woman with the remarkable dark eyes. He yanked his shirt over his head when the woman appeared steady on her feet, then…good God…began zipping his f*cking jeans and fixing his belt. Nostrils flaring, I glanced away and stared across the cave’s abyss, more than pissed. He had let me down. Even if he needed to let off sexual tension, he could have f*cking waited until I came back to watch over Jack and Pearl.