The four of us unfroze, leaning closer to the open crack of the door.
Antonio’s response was soft. “Because I must.” Well, didn’t that explain a lot? He loved using that phrase whenever he deemed it useful.
King Fergus muttered, “Kincaid. Venclaire. Both of you are awfully quiet. What’s your opinion on their bond? Should we separate them before it becomes a real problem?”
There was a stretched silence.
Finally, King Kincaid murmured, “I do agree with you two, but I also agree with Elder Farrar. Jack needs to be able to lead his subjects alone, just the same as Lily needs to be able to lead hers, and so on and so forth, but their ideas together today…it just goes to show what their time together has done. Those ideas were genius, and I could tell by the look on Lily’s face she has one too, but she was too worried about marrying that weasel to voice it. If they can do that together, think of what they could accomplish once they’re Kings and Queens.” A quiet pause. “Yes, I agree with Elder Farrar. Let them make their strong bond. I believe each Prodigy is intelligent enough to make decisions for their people when the time comes.”
King Nelson huffed, and then queried, “What about you, Venclaire?”
A long silence, then King Venclaire stated steadily, “I believe we should let them stick together. There’s nothing wrong with their bond. I’m actually a little jealous. If we’d been half as in sync as they are, we may have been better Rulers for it.”
King Nelson sighed, muttering, “I should have known you’d say that. You’ve always been the most liberal of us.” It didn’t sound like a compliment.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” King Venclaire retorted.
King Nelson snorted. “You’ve always been the most open with your views. Don’t even think we don’t know about that Shifter you fell in love with.” My heart stopped, and then started again with a crazy-frantic rhythm, my friends around me gaping. I ignored them, and tried to calm down, especially when, even though stunned, Ezra glanced to me with raised brows, but King Nelson wasn’t through, saying harshly, “You still loved her after she was gone, when you became the f**king King, Venclaire! You may have tried to hide it, but we all knew. So, yes, you’re most definitely the liberal of our group. And, I think it all started with her, because ever since then you’ve been too free with your decisions and your people.”
“I have always been a great King to my people. Ask any of them if they are dissatisfied. No one will tell you they are, I can guarantee you that,” King Venclaire growled, sounding infuriated. “And don’t you ever bring up Angela. You have no right to say anything about her.”
My friends were dumbfounded, their eyes wide, but my heart broke hearing his tone.
King Nelson laughed. “God, you’re still in love with her! A Shifter! And it’s been how long since she ran away from you?”
I jumped, hearing flesh hit flesh, then a deep curse from King Nelson.
The four of us stood in stunned silence.
My biological dad had just pummeled King Nelson.
“You went too far,” King Fergus said softly. “Apologize to him.”
“To hell with that,” King Nelson thundered. “I f**king bled!”
“You will apologize,” King Kincaid murmured quietly, but with steel in his tone. “Not only because she was someone he loved, but because you’ve just disrespected my Prodigy’s mother. I will not have you belittling her name in my house. By all accounts, she was a wonderful woman and mother.”
I stood frozen, not glancing at my friends, whose heads had snapped my way. I hadn’t told them that little tidbit, nor had I wanted them finding out. And now, they had. Quickly, I pursed my lips to keep from babbling and put my hands in my pockets, no fidgeting.
“I didn’t know Angela Springs was Lily’s mother,” King Fergus muttered incredulously. “I only knew Elder Farrar helped raise her.” He paused. “Oh Jesus, Venclaire. How the hell can you stand to be in the same room as the man if you loved her so much?”
“He wasn’t with her that way,” King Venclaire muttered harshly. “Right?” He sounded like he wanted clarification…and didn’t want it at the same time.
I closed my eyes, praying Antonio didn’t say he had been more than friends with my mom. I didn’t think so, but still, it wasn’t something I really wanted to know if they had been.
Antonio cleared his throat and asked softly, “Would it really matter if we had been together? She had already left you.”
My head fell. Not really the answer I wanted to hear. It wasn’t a yes or a no.
“I helped a good friend raise her daughter. That’s all that matters in the end. She’s passed on, and now, her daughter’s here, alive and strong,” Antonio stated into the silence.
“Christ, I had no clue this was so f**king complicated,” King Nelson muttered. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Venclaire. But, if you ever touch me again, I’ll blast you to the middle of the damn ocean.”
My friends were still staring at me.
I kept my focus on the slightly ajar door.
“Back to the matter at hand,” King Fergus murmured quickly. “Do we separate them?”
“I’ll be the deciding vote since I’m an Elder, and you know what I’ll say,” Antonio’s voice was underlined with coolness. “This means you don’t need to vote, since both King Kincaid and King Venclaire have said they want them to stay together.”
King Fergus and King Nelson grumbled a bit, but the decision was clear.
We weren’t going to be pulled apart.
With the way my best friends were looking at me right now, I wished we were.
Pearl grabbed my hand out of my pocket and yanked me down the hallway, then up the stairs, Jack and Ezra following directly on our heels, where she continued hauling me — silently — all the way to my bedroom, where she unceremoniously pushed me on my bed.
Jack slammed the door, rubbing at his palm, antsy again with his shuffling feet, but his expression told me he wasn’t going anywhere.
I didn’t even bother glancing at Ezra, knowing he would be scowling.
They stood directly in front of me, arms crossed, a solid wall of ticked off besties.
Pearl broke the silence, asking, “You knew, didn’t you?”
My lips thinned, but there was no point in lying about this part. “Yes. The first day of school, he thought I looked familiar.” I smiled weakly. “Only a few hours later, it must have clicked. He said I looked just like her. Said they were,” I used finger quotes, “friends.”