King Kincaid sighed heavily, then glanced behind me over my head, staring, only to sigh deeply all over again before straightening to his full height and running his hands down his suit jacket, smoothing it down when it was already so.
At my back a few beats later, King Venclaire murmured, “Lily, how nice of you to finally join us.” A pause, and I could have sworn he chuckled. “I’d like you to meet Ezra’s parents.” He said, probably to them, “As you know, Lily Ruckler is King Kincaid’s Prodigy.”
As they murmured something or another to King Venclaire, I saw Ezra advancing from the side. It looked like he was coming from where a table full of breakfast foods had been set up in the corner because he had two croissants in hand. I really wanted one, but I refrained from going there now to turn and meet his parents. Again.
Both physically jerked when I faced them.
They stared.
His mom’s jaw flat out dropped while his dad’s jaw clenched.
“Mom. Dad.” Ezra stopped beside me. “This is Lily. I’ve mentioned her to you guys before.” He held a croissant out to me, biting into his own and grinning evilly at them. “It’s rude to stare. At least, that’s what you’ve always told me.”
Accepting the proffered croissant with one hand, I offered his dad what I had dug out of my pocket before coming in here with the other. “Here’s your ten-spot back.” I bit into my gifted croissant, and smiled sweetly as I chewed.
His dad sucked in a breath, making his enormous chest even more impressive, and gently took the money, his eyes hard on me.
Ezra groaned, “Do I want to know why they gave you money?”
“We thought she was the valet!” his mom confessed, appearing mortified.
I pointed around my croissant. “And a Com.”
Eyes closing, her face flushed prettily.
Ezra protested gently, “You two have seen her on television.”
Her hand fluttered about her head. “She had on a hat.”
I chuckled, extending my hand again. “Let’s do this right. I’m Lily Ruckler, soon-to-be badass Queen Shifter.” I cocked my head. “I’ve seen the picture of you guys, but I don’t know your names.” Hint, hint. I’m trying here. Take my damn hand.
His mom did take it after a hefty sigh, saying, “I’m Vivian Zeller. Please accept my apologies for being utterly uncouth earlier. It’s lovely to meet you.”
After reciprocating, I held my hand in his dad’s direction. In the picture, he had been happily smiling with his son and his mate but, right now, he was scrutinizing me pretty hard. By degrees, he raised his hand, and took mine in a crushing grip, so much so that if I weren’t a Shifter and able to squeeze back, it probably would have broken my fingers. Casually, he asked, “Badass?”
“That’s me.” I smiled, and crushed his hand just a smidge more.
He grunted, sounding a hell of a lot like his son. “I’m Cahal Zeller.” He smiled, same as me. I think it meant the same as what mine had subtly conveyed. “What picture were you referring to?”
I blinked, discerning that if I said, Oh, you know, the one in your son’s bedroom, that might not go over too well, so I stated, “One of the pictures on his cell.” My heart didn’t even stutter at the lie. Go me.
“You must have a good eye, noticing us as you did earlier,” he murmured, unrelenting on his punishing grip. Not only was he abnormally strong for a Vampire, like his son, he was also powerful. It kind of leaked off him, he had so much.
Cocking my head, I tried gauging his age. “Yes. I’m good with faces.” I had a bad feeling I should probably know who this man was. I thought back through my history books.
When it clicked a second later, I about dropped. Goddamn!
Faces, yes. Names, obviously, not so much.
Zeller.
And…my last name should be moron.
I had skimmed past that part on him, because I had thought it a fluke — surely, Ezra would have told me — and studied up on…ah, it never failed. He arrived. The object of my focus in that colossal section of coursework.
Antonio stopped behind Cahal, thumping a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Cahal, you trying prick, it’s good to see you!”
Cahal didn’t release my hand, watching me still, but his lips thinned, saying, “Hello to you, too, Antonio. I’m just meeting the soon-to-be badass Queen Shifter.”
Jesus, I had to have said that to him.
Ezra placed a hand on top of our joined ones — they were both turning purple — and I felt a spark of his power pulse from his palm as he said quietly, “You can let her go now, dad.”
I didn’t jerk at the feeling. I was too used to it by now, even if awkward.
But his dad’s eyebrows lowered at the action, and he peered directly at his son. One lowered brow rose, cocking. God, Ezra had gotten so much from him. Except for the eyes. Ezra’s eyes were all his mom. His dad’s dark brown orbs were staring hard into his son’s spring green gaze when I jerked, hearing a familiar voice to my right.
Well, why the hell not? Let’s just make it a real party.
Releasing his dad’s hand, I turned. I had no clue how the man had gotten in here, but King Kincaid’s wolf was already growling. Formally, I nodded, saying, “Uncle.”
“Hello, Lily,” he stated curtly. Eyes never leaving mine, he held up a piece of paper as King Kincaid started to maneuver around me. “This is Law.”
Still, King Kincaid’s wolf growled quietly, but he did stop advancing and grabbed the paper from my uncle’s hand, quickly skimming it.
Ezra had stepped directly behind me. I hadn’t told him anything about my uncle, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the man wasn’t wanted here. Especially when Antonio maneuvered directly behind him, aiming death’s own glare at the back of his head.
King Kincaid’s wolf abruptly quieted. “He has a letter from your deceased mother, which she ordered by Law for him to hand-deliver to you on your graduation day.”
My heart stopped, and then fluttered frantically. Immediately, I held my hand out. If my mom had willed a letter to me in the event she died before my graduation, I wanted the damn thing.
My uncle stepped closer, pulling a long, thin white envelope from his inner suit jacket pocket. He placed it on my waiting palm, not letting go of it as he lowered his mouth near my ear, whispering softly, “The best thing your mother ever did was die. She used to be my favorite when we were little, the way her bones broke…a pure masterpiece, but when she swallowed all that water and left you to me…let’s just say, you’ll always be my particular desire.” He sighed. “The way you screamed was a symphony to my ears. One day, ah, Lily, one day, I’ll hear it again.”