King Cave (Forever Evermore, #2)(33)
The morning started out oddly.
Ezra and I were woken by Pearl and Jack…taking showers and getting ready…to actually leave our bedroom without being forced by their parents. Silently, we watched them while they — also silently — moved woodenly throughout our room. But they actually moved without the intent to throw or blow something up. Neither one of us wanting to disturb this new development, we didn’t move or speak, only watched, still wrapped in each other’s arms, keeping the other warm. Then…they left the room about three minutes apart from each other.
We stared at the door. Both still mute. Hopeful, but worried.
Ezra and I continued waiting.
Watching the door for them to storm back inside, unable to handle the populace.
Five minutes turned into ten.
Ten turned into twenty.
Once forty-five minutes rolled around, and Jack and Pearl didn’t show, it was pretty obvious they weren’t immediately running back here.
More than a bit of relief filled me with the thought.
Ezra was the first to break our mold, turning his face toward me.
Gently, he murmured, “Are you ready to talk about what happened last night?”
My lips pursed, and I shook my head.
He was quiet, his watchful eyes on me. His thumb brushed lightly over the curve of my jaw, making my jaw clench. He whispered, “Are you sure?” I couldn’t move or speak if my life depended on it right now. Sighing softly when I didn’t respond, he stated, “No matter what, I love you, sweetheart. Nothing will change that.”
My eyes darted between his, searching his open green gaze for the truth, since I didn’t dare breathe for fear I might start blabbering. Or worse yet, cry again. His gaze seemed to speak of honesty, but still my lids hooded instantly as I peered away. I wasn’t ready to speak about my issues. But it didn’t mean we couldn’t talk about his. “Why have you—”
Cutting me off, he placed a quick finger against my lips. “Don’t expect me to dish out the goods when you’re hoarding your own.” He pushed off the couch and stalked toward the bathroom, leaving me feeling cold and empty, and my stomach churning. “That’s not the way we work.” He disappeared around the corner, only to reappear a moment later, one of his black towels and his bathing suit in hands. Gruffly, he muttered, “I’m going to the pools.” The door slamming closed was his goodbye.
Like a girl, not like a Prodigy-almost-Queen, I lay on the couch and cried quietly.
Uncertain of what I wanted to say to Ezra, but knowing something needed to be said, I showered quickly, put on a black bikini courtesy of the enchanted mirror, grabbed my Snoopy towel from the linen closet, and set out for the pools. The cave’s floor was chilly under my feet, which meant it was pretty cold down here since Mysticals can handle cold climates better than Commoners. As I trekked toward Ezra, butterflies fluttered incessantly inside my stomach. I actually stopped three times, debating turning around, before setting my feet back into motion.
He had said he would love me no matter what my issues were. I trusted that. My hold up was that silence, or even aggression, was so much easier than speaking the truth when the stakes were high for wrecking perfection.
But our relationship wasn’t perfect anymore, and here I stood, scanning the inside of the foremost pool area. It was pretty packed. Mysticals had clambered to be here at King Cave once the Mages’ spelled messages had reached them, praying for safety when the world outside hadn’t become any kinder toward Mysticals, only worse. Ezra wasn’t in the main room, but I saw the Kings in one corner; apparently this was today’s meeting place for whatever they were discussing. Worse yet, when they took notice of me, I also knew they were speaking about me, their eyes startled, then blank.
Perfect. Not what I needed right now.
After moving past them quickly and skirting where the crystal blue water met the sloping black floor, dodging various Mysticals of different factions all laughing and enjoying themselves in our sanctuary, I took the right entrance to the back hallways, heading for the adult pools. There were three, varying in temperature.
He wasn’t in any of them.
Sighing, I turned around and headed toward the spa-like area, but had to again pass by the Kings at the massive opening to the main pool. Keeping my head down, I wove through the white plastic chairs and took the left entrance, the middle one leading only to the brat section. In this segment were a variety of small areas with spelled hot tubs including a few alcoves that housed many tubs, while others for privacy had only one, and sauna rooms, those areas having doors with tiny windows.
I checked those first and saw numerous Mysticals using the rooms to do — ahem — a selection of different activities, but I still didn’t see Ezra. Moving from opening to opening, I began checking the hot tubs, again seeing a variety of happenings occurring. At the last room, beginning to lose hope in finding him, I stepped into the entrance, squinting through the steam.
Stopped dead.
The room was tiny. It held just one hot tub. It had merely one gold spark of light, allowing for intimacy or relaxation. It also had only one occupant.
Ezra.
He wasn’t in the tub.
Nor did he have on a stitch of clothing.
I had never seen him naked before. Vampires were private. Even more so than me.
My heart rate instantly doubled as my eyes scanned everywhere they could at once, my gaze definitely not one of a best friend. His back was turned to me, so I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was him. He must have just exited the tub because water glistened all over his body. His black and red hair was wet, not spiked as usual and appearing darker in the dim lighting. His shoulder and back muscles worked under his gleaming mocha skin as he dried his left arm with his towel. His muscles were defined, running down either side of his spine, his waist tapering in with not an ounce of fat to be seen.