King Hall (Forever Evermore 1)

Pearl jerked my chin around. “They’ll catch you if they think you’re just trying to skip out on being Queen.”

I blinked, my feet stumbling forward with their insistent hauling. “Are you saying they won’t catch me if they think I’m running because of something else?”

“There’s a real possibility of that.” She nodded. “They’ve gotten to know you. You’re someone to them now, not just a type.”

Ezra rumbled, “They’d at least give her a head start before they let the hounds loose.”

I whimpered, attempting to plant my feet again.

Ezra was done with this. He sighed heavily and moved too fast. The next second, I was over his shoulder with my stomach firmly planted against his shoulder, my head and arms dangling over his back.

Jack and Pearl were both left blinking as he marched down the hallway.

He swatted my butt when I started squirming. “You’re going. Hold still and try not to puke on me.” The puking thing was a real possibility upside down like this. He smacked my butt again. Harder. “That’s for being a pu**y.”

Jack and Pearl caught up with us as he stalked toward the gym, where the Kings waited.

With four Mys, one of each faction, ready to be Awakened.

The first four days of the week had mainly been used to train us…to keep a blank face.

Seriously.

The Kings had pretty much done everything possible, magically, or not so magically, to get us to crack and show emotion. It was very important not to show any type of reaction to someone’s power level — no hurt feelings — after their Awakening, which was damn ironic with the way they had reacted at mine.

But, I was “unique”. How special.

Also, I had been given a book to study in my off time. It was a book on Earth’s animals worldwide. A Shifter’s Awakening could result in any animal that was a bird or mammal as long as its primary habitat was land based, so I was required to know what they were in case there was ever any question.

We had also been educated on the reasons why an Awakening wouldn’t work. Mainly, pregnancy for a Shifter woman. The reason for the overabundance of abstinence talks in my sex education class last year, even though Mrs. Fowler had still harped about it this year.

A possible pregnancy was a perfect example of the necessity for a blank face as a Shifter male tested a Shifter woman for pregnancy. I would never forget the stories the Kings had told us about multiple males — only the father of the baby knows by scent — being called for one female when the Shifter had been a smidge too promiscuous. In other words, forget blood tests. It takes too much of our precious time, so instead, we do it by good ol’ fashioned scent if the pregnancy wasn’t apparent, with no compunction for the embarrassed woman and man or men. In my opinion, Shifters got the bum end of the deal for Awakenings compared to any other Mys faction.

There was one other reason a Mys might not be able to go through an Awakening: if they were just too weak. I had never heard of this, and the Kings emphasized that in their entire reign they had only come across it three times. Ostensibly, there was no rhyme or reason for it. The explanation they had given was a comparison to the Com’s infant mortality rate. Sometimes, nature just grabs hold and takes innocents.

This was the only valid reason I saw for embarrassing a Shifter to test for pregnancy immediately. I wouldn’t want to assume the woman is in one category, but she is actually in another, and allow her to leave. It would only leave Mysticals who weren’t as powerful as us to attempt the Awakening later for the weak Mystical who was standing on the precipice of living or dying.

King Fergus had glanced at me during that spiel. He had said he thought I was going to be their fourth for this sad circumstance. The three times they’d had to bring in added power to pull someone through an Awakening, it hadn’t ended well. They had tried for almost three days straight — I couldn’t even imagine the pain those Mysticals had suffered — to pull the Mys through, all to no avail. Those three had died within the year, falling into a coma and passing away in their sleep.

I had kept silent during the King’s confessed prior concern. They knew I hadn’t been weak when I had finally shifted, my powers going online at that time. I hoped they never revisited why it had been hard for me to shift, happy that they had chalked it up to an anomaly. Again, I was “unique”.

Before we had entered the gym, Ezra had dumped me back on my feet — no Ceremony Arena this time for these four Awakenings. He had brushed my hair onto my face, ordering me not to look the Kings directly in the eye, since I looked so dreadful. He had also reminded me to stay far away from King Venclaire and King Kincaid because I stunk of fear. I had done exactly that, then Pearl and I had gone into the girls locker room — Jack had ordered Pearl to keep an eye on me to make sure I didn’t run — to change into our black ceremonial robes.

Now, we were back in the gym. The Kings were already changed into their robes and the four guinea pigs were in their white robes and lined up next to each other. Truly, they were test subjects. They had volunteered to be our first. Our practice round, per se, and were fully aware it was, more than likely, going to hurt. A lot. Nonetheless, someone had to do it, and they had been brave enough to donate themselves to the cause.

Shifter male, Vampire male, air Elemental female, and Mage male. It wasn’t the same for every Mystical. Elementals had to wait until they were nineteen or twenty, normally the last day of their sophomore year. Mages and Shifters had to be eighteen or nineteen and Vampires had to be sixteen to seventeen, their lower age due to their need for blood.

The only one I really knew was the Elemental. Had I stayed in the grade I had started the year at, I would have graduated with her in a few years, instead of graduating this year. Honestly, I really did like the girl. She wasn’t the bad sort, so that made this even worse, knowing I might put her through agony without a real outcome — her Awakening.

“Prodigies, listen up,” King Nelson stated calmly. All the Kings were abnormally solemn today. No jokes. No money being exchanged. Just somber faces, knowing what these four Mysticals were going to have to endure — even if I could be used as a vessel. “We went through this before. Each of these individuals’ powers are beginning to peak, so when you push your Shifter, Vampire, Elemental, or Mage power into them, it will immediately attach itself to their power. And then, you pull. Pull their power so it physically touches your Core, then let go as soon as you feel it.” Or you will put them through needless pain. He didn’t say it now, but the Kings had said that just yesterday.