“Jack had it right the first time,” Ezra grumbled, basically lying on top of me. “It’s hell.”
“With brooms,” I muttered, brushing hair out of my face and staring at what King Kincaid held, firmly ignoring some of the looks we were receiving waking like this.
“And dustpans,” he mumbled, eyes on what Elder Jacobs held, even as I felt him carefully removing his other hand from under my shirt, where he had been gripping my breast. One of his favorite sleeping positions. Just not exactly appropriate for our current audience. Again, thankfully, the blanket partially covered us.
I nodded toward King Fergus’s hand. Stalling. Giving Ezra just a bit more time. “Pearl can Windex.”
“Revenge?”
“I stank of it for weeks afterward. It was like it soaked into my pores.”
“Are you two done yet?” King Nelson griped.
Ezra actually chuckled, his hand slowly creeping down my stomach. “Just about.”
I snorted hard, and my voice choked as I glanced at Cahal’s hand. “Jack gets the Dirt Devil.”
King Venclaire appeared pretty damn amused. “For the hell reference?”
“Exactly,” Ezra murmured while his fingers gently pulled the hem of my shirt down. “Well, that about does it.”
My head lolled back against Ezra’s chest as I began to laugh my ass off.
“Ignore her.” Ezra patted the back of my head. “I think she smoked something herbal.”
King Venclaire snorted, but coughed over it, then took the broom King Kincaid held next to him. I blinked as he whacked Jack and Pearl, whose snores turned to shouts, up on top of the couch. The broom was suddenly back in King Kincaid’s hand, and King Venclaire pointed at him, saying, “I believe he did it.”
“What?” Jack muttered loudly. A pause. “Hey! Where the hell are Ezra and Lily?”
“Down here!” I called, my chin quivering as I waggled my fingers. “Somehow.”
“That happened during the…” Elder Merrick paused, looking at King Kincaid. “What? During the second movie?”
King Kincaid’s head tilted. “Well, it all started during the first when Pearl fell asleep.”
King Venclaire nodded. “Ezra and Lily were already out, and then Pearl fell asleep.”
“What did I do?” Pearl asked slowly.
King Venclaire blinked. “You fell over on them.”
Cahal pointed the Dirt Devil at me. “Ms Ruckler started growling in her sleep, muttering something every once in a while about ‘too hot’.”
Elder Jacobs nodded. “Then Jack fell asleep.” He made a down motion. “And he fell over, too.”
King Nelson pulled at his ear. “Then Lily really started hollering.”
King Fergus shook his head, a look of absolute disbelief on his face. “How you four slept through her racket is seriously a miracle.”
“Ezra started growling when she got louder,” King Venclaire chuckled. “We didn’t see anything, but suddenly, we heard a thump.”
Elder Merrick’s eyebrows rose at the Kings and Elders, prompting, “During the middle of the second movie.”
They all nodded.
“I jumped up to check on you guys,” Antonio stated. “Apparently, Ezra had used his Vampire speed in knocking Lily to the floor, leaving Jack and Pearl to have the couch to themselves.”
King Nelson sighed. “It was blissfully silent after that.”
They stared, eyes darting back and forth between the four of us.
Jack muttered, “They’re putting us on.”
“Maybe drugged us, too,” Pearl griped.
“Lily?” Ezra asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
I chuckled, extremely embarrassed. “Truth. All of it.”
Elder Merrick’s nostrils were flared, ignoring me as his eyes darted over us. “That’s one hell of a blanket.” He pointed, eyebrows puckering. “Huge, in fact.” He sniffed long and hard.
Ezra and I both stilled. Oh, hell. Had we washed it recently? Not only were all four of our scents on it, which wasn’t a huge deal since we were currently all using it, but there was the tiny fact that Ezra and my combined sexual scents might remain. Just as my own nostrils flared to test the scent, a flash of golden light shone from above us. Ezra and I both grunted as we fell a few inches onto the cold floor, the blanket suddenly gone.
“I have a very large bed,” Pearl murmured, her legs swinging over the couch, barely missing stepping on Ezra and me as she stood. “Do you have an issue with that, Elder Merrick?” Her hands were on her hips as she glared at him.
His lips slowly curved. “No, Ms Cooper.” His eyes met mine. “My own bed is large.”
Pearl snorted, then nudged us with her foot, having saved our asses. “Lily, you get the Windex.”
Sighing in defeat, I muttered, “Fine.”
And so, we cleaned.
I reeked of Windex for several days afterward.
Chapter Fourteen
After meeting with King Kincaid, where he had given me a cell phone so he could contact me at all times, I roamed the halls of King Cave searching for Ezra, since over the past few days we had been too busy for extracurricular activities, and I was beginning to get a little itchy for some horizontal time. Pearl and Jack hadn’t been in our room, so I didn’t know where the hell anyone was at. The King had stated that all the Prodigies were receiving phones today, but I didn’t know yet their numbers to call them. It was actually pretty handy to be given these…if only I had their numbers.
Turning a corner, I stopped in my tracks, seeing the object of my carnal musings sauntering in my direction. His hooded black robe billowed out behind him, while his long legs, encased in perfectly worn denim, ate up the distance between us. Dangling from one of his hands was a black towel and his gaze was on the pool’s entrance. Watching him move, I knew why so many feared him. He was a predator by every stretch of the imagination.
And to me he looked like sex walking.
I watched as his nostrils flared. Feet faltering, his gaze immediately swung in my direction, green eyes finding me in the intimate golden lighting. He stopped moving, and his eyes flashed bright for the barest moment before he rested a shoulder against the cold, black wall. One eyebrow crooked as he cocked his head, and his eyes began to blaze with desire as they roved over me. His head straightened, and he reached out a hand, opening the door directly next to his shoulder.
Oh God, yes.
I nodded, and quickly hurried after him as he entered the room. Shutting and locking the door behind me, I saw the room was a softly lit office of sorts. Definitely a Mage’s, by the amount of gold decoration. And beautifully empty except for the sensual Vampire who was lighting the golden candles lining one wall of the small square room. There was a gold marble desk to my direct left, a row of bookshelves lining the wall to my right, and a sitting area at the end of the room with two gold and cream couches, a cream lounge couch, a golden leather chair, and a coffee table in front of the lit fireplace.