Deliberately slowly, Ezra leaned forward, flicking the folders forward with a single finger so he could rest his elbows on the table, and steepled his hands in front of his mouth. And he continued his silence as he stared at me, while I pretended to ignore him and re-read my file.
I heard him inhale heavily before murmuring softly, “In the future, Queen Ruckler, I would appreciate more advance notice than a few hours when new Shifters, Commanders or not, are being brought in to King Shadow.” A pause, and he stated steadily, evenly, but with a touch of bite to his tone, “And you can take your folders of possible new Elemental and Mage Commanders…and shove them up your devious, perfect ass.”
Well…that hadn’t been so bad.
A single finger landed on the second folder I had pointed to, my almost sexual partner. “And even though I don’t have the right to stop you from hiring Shifters into the commanding ranks,” he toyed with the folder, brushing it along with the first folder, the one I had been sexually active with, aside into their own little pile, “I sure as f**k can fire them if I find them doing anything they shouldn’t, minor or not…and it goes without saying that if they are caught in the act of anything I deem illegal, I will eliminate them.”
Never mind.
I blinked slowly up at him. “You stated you wouldn’t assume anymore and speak with me before harming a Shifter again.”
Cold eyes stared back at me. “If I only have assumptions, I will.” A pause as he leaned back onto his chair. “The rest is fair game.”
Lovely.
My jaw clenched, but I flipped the sheet on file on my lap, peering back down to it. “If you kill any Shifter without a Lawful excuse you won’t have only Elder Merrick to deal with.”
Ezra hummed softly. “I do so enjoy a challenge.”
Me, too…me, too.
Chapter Nine
The scent of black bear attacked me right before I froze, muscled arms enveloping me from behind and warm lips landing on the side of my throat, followed by a deep rumble. “Hello, Lily.”
Yep…Finn, my previous lover, was here, live and in person.
I sucked in a harsh breath and quickly broke his hold, spinning to face him. “Hello, Finn,” I countered, stepping back when he took a step forward, a sexy grin gracing his rugged, handsome features. I held out a stopping hand, but I had to quickly jerk it back when he went to grab it. “Finn, I didn’t ask you to King Shadow to resume our intimate relationship.”
His grin only increased. “I know why you brought me here.” He took another step toward me, and I started to step back again, but I stopped myself, holding my ground against him. “But, Commander position aside, I sure as hell wouldn’t mind that sweet little mouth of yours around my—”
I slapped a hand over his own mouth before he got himself killed. We were inside the red tent in the buffet line, and not too far away in the crowd were Antonio and his crew, plus Ezra, sitting at the table we had sat at before, having arrived before me. And I was fairly positive Ezra could hear this conversation. “Finn, I don’t need a walk down memory lane. And I’m sorry if you were wanting something more, but I’m not interested in anything other than having a powerful and skilled group of Shifter Commanders here.” I lowered my hand, seeing his expression had carefully blanked. “And you’ll need to address me as Queen Ruckler in the future…not Lily.”
His bear growled softly as he glanced to the side, clearly irritated to be turned down. I felt my lips pinch, and I was seriously hoping he wasn’t planning to refuse my offer here at King Shadow because of this. A few moments hung in silence as other Mysticals passed us in line, seeing we weren’t moving even as they politely ignored our private discussion. Finn ran his hand through his black hair, brown eyes coming back to mine. “I have to admit this is a bit of a surprise.”
My cold persona melted some at his honesty, and I brushed my hand across his cheek. “We had fun together, but things have changed. I’m not that woman you knew at King Cave.” I smiled at him softly. “Besides, we were a bit on-again, off-again when we were together. You can find someone to treat you better than that here.”
He brushed my hair back from my face, reading me. “You’re taken, aren’t you?” He was always a quick study.
My lips pursed, and I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Yes.” And that was the answer.
Finn’s lips lifted and he bent, laying a gentle kiss on my forehead, murmuring, “If it ends, since that doesn’t appear to be happiness on your face, my door’s still open.” He pulled back, putting space between us. “Felix sent me in here to tell you the other Shifters have also arrived. He’s showing everyone to their tents.”
I nodded once, letting the iciness enter my veins again with the work discussion. “I’ll meet everyone on the training field in an hour. Tell them to bring their Cizanos and guns and be prepared to shift.”
Finn started walking backward as a grin etched his features. “A little friendly competition?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I gotta see what you five are made of.”
His lips twitched. “Queen Ruckler…don’t leave yourself open like that if you’re taken.”
I opened my mouth…then snapped it shut, giving a nod. “Right.”
He winked at me then turned on his heel, heading toward the exit. I stared at his retreating back, remembering some of the few memories I had of us at King Cave: that he was not only excellent in the sack, he was also a laid-back, good man…so unlike the King Vampire I had married, which I couldn’t remember doing. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed and turned to resume waiting in line, even further confused after seeing Finn with his easygoing personality, knowing I had chosen Ezra over him and locked myself into a situation I saw no end to.
After filling my plate, I debated heading back to my tent to eat and spend time with Isa, but after this morning’s event with John and Ezra, and add in the fact I was bringing in new alpha Shifters…well, I didn’t want the factions here to think Ezra and I were fighting. That could cause even more headaches later on, so I strode to their table, taking a seat next to Antonio.
Grinning happily, Antonio leaned over and kissed my temple. “Thank you for eating with us.”
Realizing this was one of the first meals I had deliberately eaten with him in a very long time, I squeezed his hand gently, murmuring, “You’re welcome.” I didn’t mention that the choice had been business related, not wanting to hurt his feelings after the hell I had put him through.