Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5) (27 page)

“You’re welcome,” Elder Farrar stated studiously. As soon as she glanced away from him, he sat back on his chair, shaking his head slowly at the One. He mouthed, “
There’s not.”

King Collins sat forward. “So, we’ve gone over this. First you’ll seek out Jacob Angel but not directly. Next, you’ll do the same for Philip Masterson. Find out where they are and any intel on their plans.” He glanced at his watch. “After a half-hour, if you’re not back, we’ll send Elder Farrar after you to assist.” Barely a beat of silence. “Do you have any questions? Do you need to see Philip Masterson’s picture one last time?”

Instant reply from my left. “No.” The One lifted his right hand to his mouth.

And he was gone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

When Elder Farrar tilted his head and closed his eyes, appearing to be taking a nap, I did the same, deciding that nothing too horrendous was going to happen right now. I closed my eyes, even kicking my feet up on the table, and tried to work through the fucked-up issues zinging through my mind about a man I barely knew. I was not about to jump on the Leric Damon train again.

Even for the
real
Leric Damon.

God, my life was complicated.

Twenty minutes later, my issues not resolved in the least, I heard Elder Farrar’s chair across from me squeak through the quiet conversations happening around the room. I peeked open one eye, then both, watching as he stood. He folded his black shirt sleeves to his forearms and took off his watch—everyone staring at him by now—before proceeding to move to the corner where the One had left from.

He stood there silently, cracking his neck.

The One flashed in right next to him, jacketless, shirtless, black short hair all askew and red lipstick smeared along his jaw and chest. The biggest issue, though, was apparent as he fell forward, grunting in pain as Elder Farrar caught him. Elder Farrar ordered Mr Damon, “Get your wife out of here now, please.” Because the One had blood running down his chest from multiple gunshot wounds, most of them bleeding red blood, but there was also some silver blood.

Mrs Damon shrieked her son’s name, but her husband lifted her off her feet. He glowed white, and they were suddenly gone, doing as Elder Farrar had so steadily ordered.

I stared unblinkingly as Elder Merrick jumped over the table, easily helping to lift the One onto the cold marble table and lying him flat. A flurry of activity happened all around me in my instantaneously numb state while I walked steadily toward Elder Farrar. And…my boot crunched on something as I walked. I blinked down, moving my boot slowly.

And saw…my nose ring. The Primal Diamond.

Just lying on the floor.

I blinked and bent, squatting. I picked it up, numb to my movements and unhurried. I stared at it a long moment as around me people shouted orders to one another. It disappeared from my hand with the barest use of my power, gone into the collection of my secret treasure trove, which was the one place the One couldn’t find, and more importantly, that no one could find.

Elder Farrar glimmered golden, wiping away at the One’s blood to view the wounds better. Queen Cooper was on her cell phone calling the physician, Bindi. King Zeller was blurring in and out of the room, bringing in supplies. Roselle was on her cell phone, apparently giving a byplay to Mr Damon wherever he was with Mrs Damon now. Reese glowed and flashed out of the room.

Lifting to stand, I looked up. Queen Ruckler was directly in front of me holding an armful of towels. Blue eyes with years of deep knowledge gazed into mine. She said not a word, and I didn’t really care. I moved around her, lifting onto the table and getting a few glares in the process. I sat crossed-legged right above the One’s head and stared down at his bloody torso, which continued to bleed both red and silver as the Mages in the room worked on him.

“Ms Jules,” the One said in pants, his breathing labored. “You shouldn’t see—”

I slapped a hand over his mouth gently but firmly. “Save your breath.” He was lucky Elder Zeller was gifting him peace. Those wounds were deadly. I took my hand back, placing both hands calmly on my lap. “If you die, there’s going to be a lot of pissed off people.”

He actually chuckled, not feeling a thing thanks to the Vampire power. “True.” He went quiet, but I could feel his eyes roaming my face while I watched the others work, and I felt very cold inside, bizarrely detached as his chest labored for air. “You should leave.”

“And I said be quiet.” My eyes flicked down to his nose, then back to his bleeding wounds. “You should know, the Primal Diamond is now back in its rightful owner’s hands.” He went completely still for a long moment, and my gaze snapped to Elder Zeller, but his hand was still on the spirit Elemental. My gaze altered to Bindi as she raced into the room, already glowing and assessing the situation. “And you really won’t find it this time.”

It was silent in the room as Bindi began running her hands over him, so everyone in the room heard him bark, “That is my goddamn diamond. I want it back. You will give it—”

I snapped a hand back over his mouth. “Bindi’s trying to work and you’re not helping, so shut up.” I pointed out, “You shouldn’t have dropped it for anyone to pick up.”

His voice was muffled behind my hand but not any less mad. “Excuse me for fucking being shot by goddamn automatic machine guns.”

“You should have moved faster,” I muttered absently and waved my other hand at Bindi. I snapped at her, “Do you think you might put a rush on healing him before he bleeds out or too much silver enters his damn bloodstream?”

Golden eyes flicked to mine as she worked. “Maybe you could take your hand off his mouth so he can breathe while I save his life?”

“He’s got a nose for that,” I stated clearly, in case she had forgotten. “And his mouth will only make my head pound.” I snapped my fingers at the wound on the right side of his body. “He’ll breathe easier if you fix this one first.”

“A doctor now, are you?” she muttered, but she did start healing it first.

“No, I’ve just been stabbed and shot and beaten enough to know what helps and what doesn’t for certain issues.” I leaned to stare at one wound on his chest, pointing at it. “And I’m thinking this one next. The bullet could move and nick his heart.”

His voice was a strong growl beneath my hand. “I. Want. My. Diamond. Back.”

“Are we back to this again?” I glanced down to his nose, back to the wound I was waggling my finger at, and then to his nose again. “It’s not that hard to understand. You dropped it. I took it. It’s mine. Has been for the last five years.”

I yelped—he had bitten my damned hand. “That was uncalled for!” I held my stinging hand in a fist against my chest, glaring down at his nose. “I didn’t physically hurt you.”

“I barely bit you,” he muttered. He bared his teeth. “But I will bite your fucking ass if you don’t give me my damn diamond back.”

I scratched my chin with my middle finger. Glancing back to his injuries I saw that at least half of them had been healed now with Bindi’s experienced hands.

He snorted, watching me, then he stated very calmly in a cool rumble, “I will have it back.”

I hummed, rubbing at my abused hand and watching Bindi’s work. “So…did you get any useful information or did you just go there for the prostitutes and bullets?”

King Collins muttered in a sharp reprimand, “Caro…”

“What?” My voice still void of emotion, I jerked my head at Elder Zeller. “He’s not feeling anything right now, and Bindi’s doing a fine job.” I glanced to her. “Although, she could fix that one down by his waistline next.” My eyes returned to King Collins. “So he’s fine to question.”

King Collins glared, but the One’s voice stopped everyone in the room but Bindi. He quietly cleared his throat, stating cautiously, “I didn’t go near any prostitutes.”

Elder Farrar made a gurgling noise, putting a bloody fist near his mouth.

He wasn’t the only one in the room making some type of noise. Others were grunting or choking as they tried not to laugh outright at the bold-faced, horrible lie.

I peered back to his nose. “And you said I was a bad liar?”

His lips thinned. “Fine, there was one I used to gain access to the back rooms.” Another clearing of his throat. “She wasn’t very pretty.” Then he spoke words that were more confident. “I didn’t touch her, though. And I managed to keep her fucking slippery hands out of my pants the whole time before I was able to sneak away.”

I blinked at him, not needing to hear the muffled laughter inside the room to know he wasn’t telling the truth. “You really suck at lying, you know that?”

His eyes narrowed directly. “It must be the blood loss. Because it can be an art form of mine.”

I only stared.

He sighed heavily. “Fine, she was decent looking.” He shrugged a shoulder from his prone position. “And I managed to find out where they are.”

My brows rose. “And that would be?”

His lips curved slightly. “I said I would get my diamond back.”

“I’m done,” Bindi stated efficiently. My head snapped up to his body, seeing no more gaping holes in his torso. “He’ll need to rest for the remainder of the day before his body fully recovers.”

“Thank you,” Elder Farrar stated steadily.

I continued to stare at his well body, Bindi’s words repeating inside my mind he was going to be fine.

“You’re sure he’s all right?” I questioned coolly. “You didn’t miss anything?”

Irritated words from Bindi. “Of course I didn’t.”

“All right,” I murmured, my voice suddenly breathless. I couldn’t breathe, and my eyes blinked quickly. “Thank you.” The world skewed as my facade shattered. I was hyperventilating, my heart thumping painfully against my chest. I tilted, unfortunately falling off the table, the room spinning in a feverish blur. Through the whirl, Elder Merrick lunged in my direction, his strong arms surrounding me just as my eyes rolled back into my head, consumed.

“I. Am. Fine.” We stood in the formal Elemental living room, and my eyes burned in irritation as my arms crossed. “Quit asking that damn question.” You would think after seven hours of ordered rest, when I had felt perfectly fine after waking from the
sleep
I had fallen into, would be enough for my King. “You’re becoming a damn worrywart.”

King Collins sighed heavily, his own eyes narrowing. “Excuse me for caring about my Prodigy when she can’t tell me shit about her physical or mental limits.”

I waved a hand, then I quickly recrossed my arms. “I really am fine.”

Brown eyes appraised me, like, for the millionth time. “I’ll trust you for now.” A finger pointed at me. “But if you faint again—”

“Sleep,” I interrupted. “I didn’t faint, I just slept.”

He glowered. “If you
faint
again, then you’re going back up to your room and Bindi will examine you.” He muttered a curse under his breath. “What you’ve been through in the past month would put most people under for a year.”

I pointed at myself and with dry words stated, “Clearly, I’m not most people.”

He sat on a green chair. “Yes, well, either way, my ruling still stands.”

“I’ll endeavor to stay vertical,” I muttered, which earned an incredulous grunt from King Collins. I rolled my eyes and flopped onto a love seat next to Reese, sharing it comfortably with him. “Mind, come back from the gutter.”

King Collins gestured to the room with only Elementals. The One sat on a blue chair, appearing well, his color returned. Roselle stood close behind him. Elder Jacobs sat on a white chair. One of my King’s blue eyebrows rose. “I’ve called you downstairs to discuss what the One has offered in exchange for the return of the Primal Diamond.”

I stretched my feet in front of me, crossing my booted ankles, and stared at them. “He wants my Primal Diamond in exchange for the information he discovered today. But since he didn’t divulge the information instantly, Philip Masterson and Jacob Angel have probably already switched locations. And since he was obviously caught, they’ll try to alter their plans because they know someone infiltrated their hiding spot—which doubtlessly contains cameras, so they’ll figure out who he is. They’ll also increase their security, pretty much guaranteeing that if anyone tried to use the Primal Diamond again, it would be a one-man suicide mission.” I tapped my toes together. “So, pretty much, to sum it up, his information is shit and he wants to trade nothing for something.” My eyes went to my King’s brown ones. “Correct?”

The King’s lips pinched. “Your assessment of the situation is correct, except for what he’s offered in exchange for the diamond.”

My gaze returned to my boots. I was not really surprised the One was a few steps ahead of me, though it was slightly irritating. “And that would be?”

The One spoke bluntly, “I will offer the services of a few of my more powerful Guardians—giving them the choice, of course, to come here—so each of the Prodigies have greater protection in exchange for my Primal Diamond.”

“Hmm.” I again tapped the toes of my boots together. “I have a counteroffer.”

There was a small pause, then he drawled lazily, “I’m listening.”

There was more tapping of my boots as I quickly thought through my offer. “You do as you offered with your Guardians, and we’ll allow you to stay here with your people until this issue with Philip Masterson and Jacob Angel is resolved. I do believe you want them dead for what’s been done to you.” For the first time, I lifted my gaze from my boots and slowly leveled it on—
Christ
—silver eyes. I faltered for the barest moment, my breath hiccupping in my throat, before I inhaled heavily and bore down, staring calmly into his gaze. “From a purely political standpoint, I barely know you, so therefore I don’t trust you one hundred percent. I shouldn’t have handed the diamond over to you in the first place even under my King’s order. Giving you a possible weapon of mass destruction in exchange for,” I gestured air quotes, “‘protection of each of the Prodigies’ by men under your ruling and your orders, is utterly foolish.” I paused, staring into his now hardened, but intensely intelligent gaze. “I won’t do it.”

My attention moved to King Collins. “I’m truly sorry if this contradicts anything you may have already promised the One, but I don’t believe it to currently be the best course of action.” A shake of my head. “I won’t blindly follow along anymore. The Primal Diamond stays with me. If anyone is worried that I’ll be caught with it, just know it’s safe. I can’t be broken, because God knows that would have happened a long time ago if it were possible.”