“Get in line,” Constantine drawls.
“Give it your best shot,” Remiel says. “I could do with a good fight. It seems like ages since we went a round of fisticuffs.” He directs his comment to Constantine and that just angers Xane further. He isn’t even deemed a threat enough.
“As much as Aefre hates you, I am sure she would be a little irked with me if I killed her sire,” Constantine replies. “On second thought,” he adds with an evil glint in his eye, “she probably wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Stop it, all of you,” Devon interjects. “This isn’t helping.”
“No, the only thing that will help is getting Xander here to give me back my mark,” Xane says. “Mother, go and get him.”
“Even if I could,” Xanthe says and points to the Dragons still camped outside. “I don’t know where your father took him.”
“Then get father here,” Xane says shortly.
“Xane,” Xanthe says gently.
“Don’t protect him,” Xane snarls. “He took what was mine and I want it back. Now!”
“I know you do,” she says. “But….”
Xane hisses at her, sick of her excuses.
“Err,” Devon says and Xane gives him a withering look for interrupting him. “Where did Remiel go?”
Xane looks around the library and, sure enough, he is gone. “Damn him,” Xane mutters and then they all glance over at the library door as a colossal noise is going on the outside of it.
“What is that?” Xane asks.
“Probably the rest of the household noticing the Dragons on the lawn,” Xanthe says. “I’ll go and sort it out.”
To all of their surprise, Xanthe breaks wards across the library door. “This is a private matter,” she says with a shrug and leaves them, warding it closed behind her.
Xane watches as Constantine sits himself behind Xerxei’s desk and starts rifling through it. “What are you looking for?” he asks.
“Anything that can get us to Aefre,” he says, absently fingering a cream-colored envelope and then tossing it aside to continue his rifling.
“I don’t know what you expect to find in there,” Devon mutters and goes to sit next to Cole. “Why is he not waking up?”
“The wards were strong,” Constantine says and then slams his lips shut.
“How do you know?” Devon asks suspiciously, standing up again and crossing over to the desk.
“Aefre had trouble with them,” he says shortly and then any further discussion is closed by the return of Xanthe through the library door and Remiel popping back into existence with a struggling Xander tight in his grip.
“No!” Xanthe yells and tries to get to her son, but Xane holds her back.
“Good, you found him,” Xane says. “Now give me back my mark,” he adds to his brother.
“Never,” Xander says, and in a flash, Xane is in front of him, tearing him from Remiel’s grip with a hand at his throat. He slams Xander back to the floor, choking him and clutching his left arm right above the Demon marking.
“It’s mine,” he growls. “I have run out of patience with you.” Xane glances up at Remiel. “Do what you must to get that mark off him. I don’t care if it breaks completely.”
“Xane, no,” Xanthe says.
“Xerxei and I can do another Blood Magick ritual. Everything will work out,” he says confidently, although he doesn’t really feel it. But surely, they don’t just get one shot at this? If this mark gets destroyed, then there is a possibility of creating another one. He hauls Xander to his feet by his neck and hands him over to Remiel.
“Very well,” Remiel says, taking Xander by the arm. He pulls out an athame and stands in front of Xander. Xane can see the fear in his eyes but he doesn’t give in. The stubborn little shit.
“Do it,” Xane says shortly.