King Tomb (Forever Evermore, #3)(78)

I crossed my arms. “You can’t distract me. I’m better than that.”

Spring green eyes roamed my body…his gaze landing on my hand where I fisted the vials.

My words were steady. “Drink it.”

His lips pursed, but he didn’t say no this time.

I uncrossed my arms and held out a single vial. I didn’t say anything else.

A full minute passed before a Vampire’s hiss sounded. Cahal was apparently running out of patience. He griped harshly, “Son, are you really going to be a goddamn * about this?”

Antonio whispered, “Tick-tock.”

With a nonchalant hand, Ezra flipped his father off, but his gaze lifted to mine. His question, when it came, sounded honest. “Is it hard?”

I knew what he was asking. “No, all I have to do is envision an elusive Mage. After that, I’m as cool as a cucumber.” I shrugged a shoulder. “If I ever see Elder Harcourt again, I’ll kill him.”

Ezra’s lips twitched. “I’ll drink the dammed thing.”

My words were quiet. “I know.”

Cracking his neck all over again, he lifted his hand and took the vial. My husband stared directly into my eyes as he uncorked it. Knocked it back like it was a shot. He didn’t jerk as I had; instead he went predatory still while his eyes rapidly scanned back and forth, like he was reading a book. I knew he couldn’t see me, but his gaze never wandered too far from mine.

I stifled a squeal when his power erupted like a hurricane wind, the blister of it deadly.

Just as abruptly, the power was hammered back inside himself, his head lowering. He stared at the ground with his glowing gaze, crushing the vial inside his palm, the glass sprinkling to the ground and the smell of Mystical blood wafting to my nostrils.

I wanted to grab his frozen hand and pluck each sliver of glass out of his flesh.

But I stayed still.

Five seconds of silence ticked by before he raised his head, rolling it on his shoulders. When his gaze roamed my features, his eyes were just as frigid as mine. Gradually, his lips quirked on one side and he took a step forward, aligning our bodies. He stared down at me while his heat penetrated through my clothes, warming me bone deep. He raised a black brow and his tone was a sexy-as-hell purr. “Our dads will ride with Elder Merrick and Elder Jacobs. And you’ll drive our car. I want my hands…and lips…free to travel as I wish.”

My resulting grin was private. “I missed you.”

He chuckled softly. “You can show me how much later tonight. I get the first round.”

We stared, no other words spoken. This was a test for us. To see the new individuals we had become around each other. Ezra and I were pressed against one another, a coldness to anyone else’s senses radiating from us, because our protective love was pushing it. We would never be taken from each other again. We were that much better now at hiding our affection.

A soft whistling reached my ears, a merry tune. Ever so slightly, Antonio was rocking back and forth on his heels, his hands in his pockets and an entirely content expression on his features while he lit the night with melody. Even though he whispered once more, “Tick-tock.”

Ezra scowled, then he turned, his shoulder brushing mine as he faced Antonio. “Enough with the Mage shit. What’s happening?”

Antonio sighed heavily, sending me a cross expression before peering back to Ezra. “You and my daughter are about to take a trip. Since I can’t follow to watch over you two, it’s a trip that I do not approve of.” He waggled glowing fingers in the air. “It’s not in my blood to do so.”

I cocked my head. “Your blood?”

Antonio now appeared sullen as hell, his nostrils flared. “I’m not yet powerful enough to see into your future of where you’re going, by touching you.” That was all. With a scowl.

“Uh…” I rubbed my lips together. “Why would you have to touch me to see my future? You’ve been able to see it without touching me before.”

He snorted, then he mumbled a curse under his breath. “I just can’t. Not yet. Give me a few years, and I’ll be able to then. It’s all about age now. Or the time.”

I blinked. “I don’t understand.”

He sighed heavily, waving an aggravated arm through the air, toward the trees. “Never mind. There’s no time to explain. Your visitor is here.”

My attention swiftly honed to the trees.

Ezra muttered quietly, “There’s no…” His head cocked. “Wait, someone is there now.”

The six of us stood silent as a Shifter man, smelling heavily of wolf, stepped out of the tree line. He wore a hooded black cloak almost identical to our other guest’s minutes ago, though he held two more black cloaks over one of his forearms. He appeared mid-thirty in Com years, handsome as sin, with roughish black hair that fell in messy clumps to his cheekbones. His eyes were golden, shining dimly to light his way through the dark. The oddest part about his appearance was the bow he had over one shoulder, along with a lot of silver arrows in a leather tube, their spikes sticking up next to his head and gleaming a lethal invitation.

He stopped three feet away from our group, his eyes directly on Ezra and me.

Elder Merrick instantly took a step forward, assessing the Shifter. “What’s your name?”

The man smirked, making him appear even more dashing. “The name’s Tipkin. I’ve come to collect King Zeller and Queen Ruckler. They’ll be traveling with me tonight.”