His nostrils flared, and his lips lifted, more of a baring of teeth, and he flicked a finger, hitting a clump of dirt on my sleeve and knocking it to the ground.
Confused, I gazed at him. He stared back, eyes narrowed under his hood. Suddenly, what Ezra thought hit me. That King Fergus and I were getting it on. We had been going outdoors for the entire week. Coming back in great moods. And now, Ezra had purposely maneuvered me to a different chair…away from King Fergus.
My laugh was quiet, full of scorn and bitterness, and I whispered, “You’re wrong.” My eyes flicked down to his new robe as he stilled. The one he had gotten from a woman he had f**ked. An ‘experience’ of a f**k. Pure anger radiating through me, my now narrowed gaze met his now carefully blank one, his hand over his mouth, his elbow resting on the table. I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t, not with my emotions like rapid fire inside me.
Plus, we both knew this day would come.
There was nothing to say.
I held his gaze a moment longer before turning my chair back around, blocking him out completely, and lifted my muddy shoes to cross my legs on the oversized chair, letting my head fall back against it and closing my eyes. I tried to rein in my emotions. He was my damn best friend. I shouldn’t feel as if I wanted to strangle him right now. I had jumped into having a sexual relationship with him just as much as he had me. It was similarly my fault for any fluctuating emotions. Time to grow the f**k up.
“King Venclaire, are you alright?” I heard Elder Harcourt ask.
I peeked and saw my biological dad lift his carefully blank face to him. “It’s a day full of revelations.”
“I remember those days,” Elder Harcourt murmured softly. “I envy you them.” He shut the door once Pearl and Jack had hustled inside and had seated themselves at the opposite end of the table. They were both out of breath and in workout attire, obviously just getting the news, as I had.
I closed my eyes as Elder Harcourt and Elder Camden began speaking of the Elders’ — our peace-making Elders — progress with the Commoners. Which was shit. They weren’t getting anywhere with the leaders, in fact, their talks with them apparently only creating more of a ruckus since they were confirming that any living hybrids could, indeed, create those Beasts, done in an effort to be honest with them for new peace. Elder Harcourt also began playing more videos produced by the men in red robes, which I did open my eyes to watch. When the third one began, I went rigid, recognizing the robe with the black and gold trimming the edges.
“He’s possibly the same man,” I couldn’t confirm because his hood was up as it had been on the beach, “we saw outside King Hall with Elly Belford.” I pointed. “Same robe.”
“We believe he’s the leader,” Elder Camden stated, all the Elders and Kings around the table leaning forward to get a better look.
And everyone went quiet, listening to him blather on about how we had lied to the Commoners, creating Beasts to destroy them — yada yada, it was all the same — but what interested me was his voice. Closing my eyes, I listened as he ranted and raved, his tone getting louder and more forceful, and a second later, I cocked my head.
My whole body jolted. “Pause it.” My eyes slammed open to Elder Harcourt. “Rewind it, and magnify the sound, please.”
He stopped the film, eyes on me. “What did you hear?”
“I’m not positive.” I shook my head, not wanting to say if I was wrong. “Just rewind it, please.” I glanced at King Kincaid, Elder Merrick, and Elder Talus — the King Shifter, and the Elder Shifters I knew — while Elder Harcourt did as I asked him. I said, “Listen close. Tell me what you hear.”
Slowly, they nodded.
The video on the golden cube started again, and I closed my eyes, listening to the magnified sound. Once more, my head cocked as the leader got to his particularly loud rant. I heard it for a second time and threw up a hand. “Elder Harcourt, stop.” The sound turned off, the video pausing again, as my eyes flew open to the Elders I had spoken with. “Did you hear it?”
As one, all three of them shook their heads.
“Shit,” I muttered, pushing up from my seat and staring at the image. I felt incredibly stupid that three more powerful men hadn’t heard it, but I knew I had. “I think…” I stalled, clearing my throat, jaw clenching as everyone stared at me expectantly. “Okay, I think I know two things about the man in question.” I stared at the image and not the intimidating Elders and Kings around me. “One, I believe the man is Philip Masterson.”
I saw everyone become still around the table, and I quickly explained for those who weren’t in the know. “He’s a Congressman in the United States. I know him personally, since he tried to rape me a few months ago. I recognize his voice.” My gaze went to King Kincaid’s wide eyes. “It’s him. I know it is. And it also explains the timing of his disappearance.”
“Goddamn mother-fucker,” King Nelson muttered, eyes solid on the screen. A pause. “Elder Farrar, you followed him. Did you see any signs that it could be him?”
Antonio’s gaze was glowing a bit as he stared at the screen. “I saw nothing out of the ordinary at the time, but Lil’s right. It’s his voice, now that she mentioned it.” Golden eyes swung to me, his grin feral. “I believe you have something else to say.”
I snapped my attention away from his scary-as-hell face, and just blurted it out there, “I heard him growl.” I fluttered a hand at the screen when everyone gazed at me blankly. “As in, a wolf’s growl.”
Pretty much the entire room stared at me, hard.
“Let me get this straight,” Elder Talus murmured quietly. “For those of us who are a bit slow.” He pointed at the screen. “You and Elder Farrar have actually been around this man, Philip Masterson—”
I cut him off. “Ezra, Pearl, and Jack have also met him.”
His eyebrows only rose. “Alright, so you five have physically met him, and none of you thought he wasn’t a Commoner?”
“No, sir,” I murmured quietly. I blinked. “But he could have been masking.”
He snorted. “No one masks so well that you can’t feel their power at all.”
I snorted this time. “Wanna bet?” In response to his startled expression at my insubordination, I held up a finger, stating slowly, “Give me a second.”