King Hall (Forever Evermore, #1)(49)

“Here.” Ezra pulled an orange juice out of the mini-fridge and handed it to her. “I didn’t take too much, but this’ll help with the dizziness.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, drinking it as recommended.

Ten minutes later, we pulled up to the White House.

Pearl had finished the orange juice, appearing perky fresh.

Ezra’s mocha skin was slightly flushed, a healthy glow.

Jack was half asleep again.

King Nelson kept glaring at King Venclaire.

King Venclaire only rolled his eyes.

King Kincaid and King Fergus prattled on non-stop, trying to keep the peace.

I, on the other hand, stared out the window in fascination. I had always thought the White House was so cool. I was, embarrassingly, in Com awe right now. It wasn’t just that the house was so impressive, but also what it meant to the Coms in America. It was where the most powerful Com in the world lived, and many before him. That was just extraordinary.

“Close your mouth, honey,” King Kincaid said quietly, and my mouth snapped shut. “Try not to look too impressed.” I nodded, still gaping out a window, and he mumbled softly to someone, “Keep her in the back.”

The driver opened our door, and yes, the Kings ushered me toward the back when we got out, placing me between Ezra and Jack, hiding me, since I was still failing to hide my reaction to the “wow” factor. There were Mys and Coms alike outside the gate, protesting about what had happened to us. They stopped their chant and started cheering and hollering when they saw us.

Without warning, a powered fireball arced through the air, catching a tree on fire.

“Put that out,” King Fergus ordered Jack instantly.

Jack nodded, eyes glowing, and lifted a hand. Blue water streamed from the center of his palm, the water arcing through the air. Jack’s magic always impressed me, and I watched in fascination beside him. Only to catch him right before he hit the ground when he slumped into a dead faint as the water doused the flames. We were instantly swarmed.

Laying him safely on the ground, I screamed his name, breathing heavily, not understanding what was going on. I shook him hard — too hard — in full-fledged distress.

Ezra yanked my hands from him, lifting me to my feet, and held me close.

On his knees, worry stamped across his face, King Fergus tried waking him.

Pearl appeared like she was going to cry, or scream, so I quickly yanked her into Ezra’s and my embrace, and the three of us waited to see what the hell had just happened.

Too long, moments later, Jack groaned, and instant relief flooded me as his eyes opened. Blinking sluggishly, he stammered, “Find who…sent the fire.” Gasping a deep breath he, bizarrely, became frantic, struggling to stand up as he shouted, “Find who sent the damn fire!” His eyes were glowing, and his features were like when we had been about to fight the Commoners on the beach. Scary-fierce determination.

King Fergus watched Jack wobble as they both stood to their feet, and a quiet expression passed over his face. He snapped his fingers at the guards, ordering sternly, “Search the crowd for a fire Elemental in the same state as Jack.”

Jack stumbled, his direction right at us. Ezra and I each grabbed one of his hands, keeping him steadily tucked between the three of us. I didn’t understand the situation right then, but I knew it was deathly important to him, so I kept his hand in mine, holding it just as tightly as he did mine. His eyes were trained on the crowd, his lips thin as he watched the guards moving through the masses.

“What’s going on?” I whispered to Pearl behind him.

With her steadying hands on Jack’s back and her jaw clenched, Pearl didn’t respond, also watching the crowd intently over my head.

It was like a jolt went through Jack as the guards stormed back through the entrance, carrying a fire Elemental, who looked barely coherent. Jack’s harsh inhale was audible and he dropped our hands, racing to them.

Again, I asked, “What’s going on?” I was so damn confused.

“Watch,” Pearl murmured quietly, pointing to them.

Jack reached the woman, and lifted his hand. His palm was glowing blue. The woman jolted in the guard’s arms, and raised one of her own hands, which was glowing red. Like magnets, their palms slammed together. A shower of blue and red sparkles burst from their connected hands, covering them in a circle.

“Oh, shit,” I mumbled stupidly, realizing what this was. “He’s found his mate.”


Jack spoke to his mate softly where he had carried her to our limo.

She sat inside it now, her brown eyes as big as saucers, regarding him in shock and wonder as he knelt outside the limo. She was twenty-one years old, had deep ebony skin, neon red ringlet hair, was just under six feet tall, and was all kinds of curvy. Her name was Nikki Williams, from the Washington, DC area, here to kick some Com ass. I could smell alcohol on her, which probably explained the ignorant act of throwing a fireball at the President’s tree. That was all I had gotten from her since she talked so softly…but, a mile a minute.

“Well,” I whispered where the three of us had stood back to give them some privacy. “Guess the Elementals of the world are out of luck.”

Ezra nodded, then cocked his head. “I’ve never actually seen an Elemental find their mate before. That was pretty remarkable.”

I nodded. “First time here, too.”