Lord King (The King)

Guess not all Ten Club members are complete idiots. Why hadn’t he said something?

“Because one of them is Victor Escorcia.”

“What?” My heart lit up with red-hot rage. I wasn’t a violent person, but if I were a god who could smite anyone on this earth with a flick of a pinky, I’d flick away at Victor Escorcia. The animal murdered my mother. “Do you know where to find him?”

“I do. But let’s get one thing straight, Jeni; no matter how much you hate the man, you are to leave the killing to me.”

Have you ever had a fist shoved up your ass?

King shrugged his dark silky brows. “Pardon me?”

“Just answer the question,” I growled.

“No,” he replied sternly.

“Would you like to?” I clenched my fist and shook it at him. “Because I just discovered my secret Seer power.”

King reached out and clasped my wrist. “Are you threatening me with a fist fuck? Are you insane, woman?”

“Try me.”

With a frustrated groan, King dropped my arm. “I do not have time for this, Seer.”

“Victor Escorcia took everything from my father. He took everything from me. I will kill him, and you have no right to stand in my way.” Especially because King had promised he’d take care of Victor. Now, the man was running around free again? The most evil, vile person ever to walk the earth?

“And,” King added, “he was your catalyst, your spark toward greatness.”

“Are you fucking insane?”

“You studied history, so you will comprehend when I say that every hero, every great man or woman—from the fictional god to the legendary historical figures who triumphed against all odds—had their moment of transformation. They faced the worst this world has to offer and rose like a phoenix.” He pressed his index finger over my heart. “To soar high, you must know hell. That knowledge will drive you to remain above it.”

I frowned. “You’re saying I need to suffer to know how much I want to avoid it?”

King nodded.

That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. “I don’t need to be skinned alive to understand how shitty that would feel. Same goes for having my hands chopped off or being forced to listen to you preach to me. I’m perfectly capable of imagining all the fucked-up things I can live without.”

“You think you’re funny, Seer?” King reached forward, wrapping his large hand around my neck. “This isn’t a game, Jeni. My eternity is on the line, and I will do this my way.”

I pushed his hands away. “That’s my point. You’re the one with everything on the line. Three thousand years of crap to repent for. So why pile on? Let me kill Victor.”

With a low growl he said, “Not that I am obligated to explain myself, but if you kill Victor Escorcia, it would merely be an act of revenge. Ending Ten Club is my penance.”

“Don’t care. I want to kill him.”

“You say that; however, until you have killed hundreds of times, it will haunt you. Ending Victor will be nothing for me. I’ve killed for power. I’ve killed to protect what’s mine. I’ve even killed for amusement. To me, death is a tool to get what I want. It’s like an old friend.”

I tried not to laugh. “A little ironic since death is the only thing in this world you can’t have for yourself.”

“I always get what I want. Eventually.” He smiled with a bitter twitch.

I froze, fixated on those full, sensual lips. I couldn’t ignore the underlying pull I constantly felt lurking beneath the surface. Memories of his mouth on mine flashed in my head.

“I am not a man to love, Jeni. What must I do to convince you? Should I slit your throat? Kill your father? Perhaps I should maim that lovely face of yours.”

“You think you scare me?”

He wrapped his hand around my throat again, slamming me back against the wall just opposite the elevators. Hard veins popped from his temples. “I could crush your neck, Jeni. Right here. Right now.”

King had tried to scare me into obedience before. Sadly for him, I knew this trick. “You’re nothing but a little dog, King. All bark. Tiny bite.”

He gripped my neck tighter, pulled me forward, and slammed me again to the wall. “Stop provoking me, Seer.”

It was my turn to flash a taunting smile. The problem was, I could hear his thoughts now. I could see inside his heart, just like he could see inside mine. I’d recently discovered that this was my gift: seeing through the walls around people’s hearts. It was why I’d shielded myself from the world up until the moment King washed ashore. I feared what was in people’s minds, so I blocked them out, kept my distance.

“I’m sorry, King,” I reached out, covering his heart with my hand, “but like it or not, you can’t hide from me. I see you. You see me. We. Are. Connected.”