King Tomb (Forever Evermore, #3)(34)
I could not remember ever being that happy. Not as joyful as I appeared onscreen. Even when I was mated, I did not remember being that filled with pleasure. Eyebrows puckered, I glanced over to King Zeller, the man who had apparently made me that foolish in love. I analyzed his expression, his hard features. Nothing of that man on the screen was visible, nothing of that joy and love was there. Instead, he was like me, cold and hard.
Green eyes flicked to mine, and they held when he saw me staring.
We eyed one another, our gazes slowly wandering over each other’s faces before reconnecting, staring just as coldly as before.
Feeling my eyebrows pinch further, I was the first to glance away to the screen, to a couple that didn’t exist anymore, a strangers’ wedding. A couple who had been ignorant enough to get caught in their love for each other, and have all that goodness ripped away, every memory together that made them who they were…gone.
Left cold and alone.
My breath caught — maybe in a bit of jealousy or disbelief — as I stared at my onscreen self mouth to King Zeller, “I love you.” I watched as he mouthed, “I love you, too.” I had to keep my jaw from gaping as, onscreen, King Zeller lifted me straight off my feet at the end of the ceremony and placed his lips on mine. I stared without blinking as we embraced, kissing as if our lives depended on each other, like we were each other’s life force. Jesus, seriously, I had to blink, wondering how long it was going to last.
Elder Merrick glanced at his watch. “That would be two minutes.”
Still, I stared as our onscreen selves kept…going at it…King Zeller’s hand in my hair, holding my face close, both my hands fisted in his hair, doing the same.
Elder Merrick grunted, glancing at his watch again. “Three minutes.”
I damn near jumped when Judge started to take a step forward on the screen, his mouth opening to obviously break us up, but King Zeller’s hand blurred from my hair — my onscreen self completely oblivious to this — as he grabbed Judge’s throat, squeezed, then shoved him back, before his hand returned to me, placing it gently on my neck to tilt my head the other way, and I definitely saw tongues involved there as we altered our head positions.
Elder Merrick actually chuckled and muttered, “Fuck it. It’s over four minutes. Longest wedding kiss I’ve ever seen.”
Every single Elder in the room grunted in agreement, my cheeks flushing. I swear to f*cking God, I could have taken a decent nap during the damn embrace it was so long, and when we pulled apart onscreen I saw my face lit up, flushing brightly, that kiss not meant to be seen by anybody but the two of us.
Antonio cleared his throat. Squeezed my shoulder once. Patted it. Cleared his throat again, and growled at King Zeller, “If you ever do that to her in front of me, don’t expect to wake up for a damn week.” Then he was marching to the bar, muttering, “I need a real f*cking drink.”
“Bring the bottle,” King Zeller mumbled, and from the corner of my eye I saw him run a slow hand over his face, the first emotion-filled action I had seen him make since the videos began. “Fucking shit.” His head fell back on the chair. “I’m married.” A pause. “To the Queen Shifter, the woman I tortured only a week ago. And I have a daughter with her, a hybrid, a highly illegal being.” He made an odd noise in his throat. “Yes, please bring the whole f*cking bottle.”
I still did not move.
Not even when Elder Jacobs started to slip a hand down to one of the videos — I could guess which one — and King Zeller suddenly had a gun in hand, aiming it directly at Elder Jacobs — even though the Vampire still had his damn eyes closed, lost in his own thoughts. Smartly, Elder Jacobs moved away, going to the bar, and only then did the gun disappear back to wherever the f*ck he had blurred it from. I tilted my head on the couch and leaned heavily on it, eyes still glued to the screen…only to be utterly shocked when Elder Zeller snuck up next to me and bent to give me a hug, which encompassed my entire body since I was hugging my knees again. Eyes wide, I stared at him as he bent his head and ever so gently kissed my forehead.
When he pulled back, my gaze flew to his dark orbs. He tried to speak, but made that gurgling noise I was used to, and his Vampire growled softly, but I held still, completely shocked as he ran the back of his fingers lightly down the side of my face, affectionately, before turning and pounding his hand on King Zeller’s shoulder a few times, also kissing his son’s forehead before moving toward the bar and grabbing a bottle of whiskey. Eyes still wide, I turned my gaze to King Zeller.
He met it and shrugged, muttering, “Apparently, he’s happy for us.” He grunted, eyes closing again as he tilted his head back on the chair. “Too bad we aren’t.”
I snorted, letting my head fall back on the couch. “Understatement.” I stared at the Elders who were still wearing blank expressions where they stood at my bar, making themselves at home as they fixed overly large drinks — a few made two drinks. My head cocked as I watched them…and I could have sworn they had a bit more bounce to their actions. “They’re celebrating!” Bewildered, I gawked. “They’re f*cking celebrating this!”
Antonio lifted his drink to me in silent cheers, which was odd with his blank expression, but sure as f*ck, he then toasted with the other three Elders before they took large swigs of their drinks.
King Zeller had cracked one eye open, watching them, and he grunted. “I might be too if I were them.” His eyes closed as he groused, “Seriously, I need that f*cking bottle.”