Ezra gripped my back tight and, with Vampire speed, blurred, pushing with his other hand and rising onto his knees with me in his arms, the too-quick motion making my head spin. The other occupants of the bed were stirring from our predators’ growls, right as the golden bubble burst outward in a sparkling display of beauty, but with a force that had me screaming and Ezra rotating his back to take the brunt of the explosion, protecting me. He grunted, the blast hitting him full on, and his eyes instantly closed as we collapsed back to our original positions on the bed, me under him and getting the breath knocked from my lungs as we landed, the magic having touched everyone on the bed, but me.
I choked, trying to get air in, and, suddenly, saw King Venclaire, King Kincaid, and Antonio standing where the bubble had been, their scents flooding the room as I finally inhaled and caught my breath, my eyes wide in shock, my body stunned motionless.
Antonio shook his head in disappointment. “You should have paid attention to your instincts, Lil.”
King Kincaid tapped his nose, growling, “Always trust your senses.”
Antonio lifted a hand, and flicked a glowing finger in my direction.
My eyes widened even further as a tiny, gold spark flew right at me. Jolting, I tried to get out from under Ezra’s unconscious weight, but the gold spark hit me dead center on the forehead. I saw nothing else as darkness took me under.
Blinking my eyes open to the dark night, I instantly knew I wasn’t where I should be. The side of my face laid on cool sand, along with the rest of my body, a quiet breeze ruffling my hair. Scents flooded my awareness that weren’t standard to waking. Wild scents.
Also, there were the sounds behind me.
A lion’s roar.
A wolf’s growl.
A panther’s snarl.
A monkey’s screech.
A bear’s roar.
Slowly, very damn slowly, I turned my head just enough to peek behind me. Peering through my hair, I saw all of those beasts — a lot of freaking animals — heading my way in a slow stalk, their eyes shining as they reflected the lamplight illuminating the zoo’s walkways for the exhibit I was currently lying in, the area where I lay a replica of the Sahara with red sand and ugly, pale brush sticking up sporadically.
Oh, shit.
Even more slowly than before — no sudden movements — I turned my face back the way it had been. Jack, Pearl, and Ezra lay behind me in a pile of arms and limbs, sleeping, all of us still in our pajamas. And the worst part was we were trapped. There was a vast sand wall stretching up at least fifty feet to where a railing lined the top, normally where visitors could look down at the exhibit.
Instead of visitors, all four Kings stood there, beholding us.
King Fergus had a pebble raised, as if he had been in the process of throwing it at us, but lowered it seeing I was awake.
Oh, well thank you for waking me, so I could see death stalk me.
Antonio was there too, sitting on the railing and swinging his legs back and forth merrily, appearing entertained. They had trespassed in the damn zoo. Stuck us in this exhibit.
What the hell?
One day I would…I didn’t know, but I would get payback.
Ten, maybe a hundred, fold.
Over the animal’s threatening calls, King Kincaid decreed, “This is your challenge for funneling.” My jaw dropped, and he paused, his eyes on mine as he shrugged. “Stop them from killing you.”
My friends were starting to stir, their reactions the same as mine when they saw what was headed our way and, still not moving, my eyes on my King, I hissed stridently, “I’ve never controlled a wild animal. Only Shifters.”
Surprise showed on the Kings’ faces, their attention swinging to King Kincaid.
Chortling this time, he shrugged once more. “You better hope you’re a quick learner.”
“Oh. My. God,” Pearl whispered, fear straining her voice. “They can’t be serious.” She was beginning to back-pedal on her hands and knees, but she quickly hit the sand wall.
“Have you all lost your damn minds?” Ezra shouted, furious, his glowing eyes on the Kings and his fangs extending. Apparently, he didn’t know you weren’t supposed to make all that racket around wild animals. They roared or growled or hissed even louder. He didn’t seem to care. “She just said she doesn’t know how!”
Jack ignored all this, though his face was pale, and he asked, “Where are our mates?”
“Sleeping peacefully and safely back at King Venclaire’s home,” Antonio chirped, and pointed down to the left. “What’s in that shadowed area over there?”
“Gorillas,” King Nelson stated, cracking his back. “They were harder than the bears to get down there.”
“Hello!” Ezra yelled, jumping to his feet, but lowered to a crouch as the animals went wild. “Did you crazy f**ks hear me?”
“Oh, we heard you,” King Kincaid murmured, glaring, his voice dryer than the sand under us. “We’re choosing to ignore you.” His gaze leveled with mine. “I can’t believe you let some,” his wolf growled low, “Vampire dissuade you from your initial instinct. You’re a Shifter! You knew something was wrong, and you let him persuade you everything was fine.” He paused. “For that, I added,” he pointed down to the right, “them.”
Ezra’s attention snapped to me. His eyebrows lowered and his wide lips pinched. He didn’t say he was sorry, but I could tell by his gaze he felt — somewhat — apologetic.
I turned my head to where my King was pointing. Saw alligators coming out of a small body of water. Huge freaking alligators.
“They’re hard to control,” King Kincaid stated factually, then chuckled quietly. “Kind of like Vampires.” He clapped once. “Enjoy.”
Without warning, we were swiftly doused. In blood. Pig’s blood from the smell of it.
Pearl shrieked, her golden hair plastered to her face and shoulders, red rivulets running down into her cle**age, her golden pajamas not so golden anymore.
Jack gagged, wiping the blood from his eyes, and glared up at the Kings.
Ezra and I just scowled at King Nelson and King Fergus as they lowered the previously full buckets they had just dumped on us.
Not even bothering to wipe his face, Ezra asked through clenched teeth, “Why couldn’t I hear your heartbeats earlier? And what was that explosion?”
“What explosion?” Jack asked, choking as blood ran off his hair into his mouth.
Antonio waggled his fingers, sitting easily on the railing. “Just a little specialty of mine I learned a long time ago from one hell of a sneaky devil. It blocks every Mystical’s senses but a Shifter’s. To them,” his head teetered in thought, “it makes them anxious. Nervous. They can scent who’s inside the magic, but it’s dull and off base, a scent not right.” He paused, thoughtful. “Plainly, it freaks them out.”