King of Me (The King Trilogy #3)(48)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

I remember King bartering with members of the 10 Club once, using Cleopatra’s blood as his leverage. It was supposedly some sort of crazy youth serum.

I stood from the bed, holding the sheet to my body. “I don’t believe it.” I slowly reached for his cheek and touched it, expecting him to dissolve.

“Believe it.”

“But you don’t look like you.” Except for his eyes. They were the same vibrant blue.

I covered my mouth in shock and studied him. It all made so much sense now, his lack of judgment and blind loyalty toward King. It was the sort of love only a brother would have for his own.

Mack shrugged. “I was reincarnated—that’s what the necklace does—or did. It could only bring back one person. I’m pretty sure Cleopatra had intended to use it for herself.”

“So King brought you back and not himself?” Because I had seen Mack’s light. He was alive. Very alive.

Mack smiled and bobbed his head. “Yes. About five hundred years ago—a long story. But it was one of his finer moments.”

I threw one arm around him and squeezed; the tears trickled from my face. “Thank you, Callias—Mack,” I squeezed tighter, “whatever.”

“I go by Mack now, short for Macarias, my middle name.” He patted me on the back, pulled away slowly, and looked into my eyes, like he wanted to say something.

But there I was, typical Mia, with all the questions running through my head. “How did you find me?”

Mack’s eyes flashed to the bracelet on my wrist. “I used it to track you. I knew my brother wasn’t right in the head.”

“But I thought the bracelet took me back…” I sat down on the edge of the bed and covered my face. “It was all a dream.”

Mack sat next to me. “No. You really did save my life that night you cursed the Spiros.”

“But how did I get there, then?”

He smiled and rubbed his chin. “You, my dear Mia, are a Seer. A very powerful one.”

I stared at him. I really hadn’t a clue what he meant.

“You used your gift to travel there.”

I blinked. I was really there. I was really there. I looked at my feet and then at Mack—shit—I mean, Callias. “Seriously?”

He nodded.

“I can’t believe it,” I said under my breath.

He added, “But I supposed that’s the true definition of a Seer; they have the gift of seeing. And you, apparently, wanted to see King for yourself.”

Oh my God. He was right; I had wanted to see King as he once was, free from the curse. Alive and happy. And then, when I’d been sitting on that beach, I had wanted to know what had triggered the violent side of King. I’d learned about his tattoo.

“Does this mean I can go back at any time?” I asked. “How do I control it?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“Because you seem to know everything.”

“Not everything,” he said.

“You knew this,” I swept my hand at the room, “was going to happen.” Of course, I had told King about it. Sort of.

Mack looked ashamed. “This was never the plan. Ever. King promised he’d never let that part of history repeat, that he’d stay in control and find some other way to get you to go back in time.”

“But he didn’t stay in control.” Obviously, King lost his Egyptian collar tattoo despite my warning, and the events played out anyway. It made my head literally spin. “You could’ve told me this was coming,” I said.

“I tried, Mia. But if I’d told you everything, he would’ve heard your thoughts and then God only knows what he might’ve done. My only chance was surprising him—you have no idea how powerful, truly powerful my brother is.”

I understood his point, but that didn’t make reality any less painful. “Thank you, Mack. I really mean that. Thank you for saving me.” I’d be dead by now.

He shrugged. “I’m tired of this bullshit. It needs to end.”

I couldn’t agree more. There had been too much suffering and loss.

I looked at King lying on the floor, still wearing his jeans. “So he didn’t…I mean,” I couldn’t say it. “You stopped your brother before he…”

“Yes. Had I arrived a second later, though…” Mack’s face hardened. “Never mind.” He stood and offered his hand. “We need to get you both back to the house. It’s time to break the curse.”

Mack made it sound so good: freedom from all this horror. But then the truth hit me, and I froze. Oh no. We were back to square one. And my mind was in absolutely no shape to deal with all this. Justin, my parents’ happiness, King’s life slash existence ending.

“What’s the matter?” Mack asked.

“Justin is still dead, right?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

I hoped by some miracle, that had changed. It hadn’t.

I looked down at the man with the jeweled dagger sticking from his neck. There was no blood, and he certainly didn’t look to be in pain. Quite the opposite, actually. It was the most peaceful I’d ever seen King aside from the day we’d made love on the beach.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Despite all of the crap I’d been through, I still wasn’t ready to let him go. And, yet, I wasn’t ready to trade in my family’s happiness either.

Mack reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re back.”

I tilted my head.

“The Mia with a conscience,” he clarified. “The cutthroat assassin Mia isn’t nearly as fun.”

It was true; I felt absolutely no anger or resentment any longer.

Well, that’s because you gave it all to poor King when you cursed the guy.

I almost had to laugh, really, at the sick irony of it all. It was like one giant, supernatural, vicious circle. Justin getting mixed up with the 10 Club, me getting mixed up with King…Then I’d taken all of those dark emotions and retriggered the events with my curse. I could spend the rest of my life trying to untie the elaborate knots that formed this situation, and I could spend an eternity pointing fingers at everyone—why my life had fallen apart, my brother’s death, the pain and suffering I’d gone through—but that wouldn’t change the facts: we all made choices along the way. We all played a part.

As for me? I’d made a pretty big mess of things.

I released a heavy sigh. It was time to set things right. But what was “right”?