The Underworld, October 2014 - Vito
He looks at her while she watches everyone leave. She is anxious all of a sudden, but it has nothing to do with him. She only has eyes for Constantine but that has never changed over the centuries.
“The Wolf as well,” Vito says to her, indicating Lincoln still lounging on the bed.
She frowns at him but lifts her feet up gently, getting him to move. Lincoln bares his teeth at him but leaves. Vito closes the door behind him.
“What is this about?” she asks straight away.
“There are some things you need to know, Aefre,” he says, going over to sit on the bed next to her and taking her hand. He purses his lips at the wound on her chest, but Constantine was right: it is starting to heal now.
“About what?” she asks. He can hear the curiosity in her voice.
“Firstly, Maurelle went into labor while you were still in the Fae Kingdoms. She had a daughter,” he says carefully, watching for her reaction.
“Oh,” she says with a blink. “That’s nice,” she adds flatly, clearly not grasping the gravity of this situation.
“Aefre, she and Drake had a daughter,” Vito tries again. “A Dark Fae Princess.”
“Mm hm,” she says with a sniff. “I don’t really care.”
He isn’t sure if she knows what he is trying to say and doesn’t care, or if she doesn’t realize that she has a new half-sister that is going to take everything away from her.
“Do you know what this means for you?” he asks.
Her eyes find his with a searching look. He is sure now that she doesn’t know.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“The new baby is of true Dark Fae lineage, Aefre. This is the child that they have been waiting for. Not you,” Vito says gently.
“What?” Aefre asks. “You mean, I’m not the one to give them the bl
essed child? Delinda isn’t the one?”
“That’s right,” Vito says. “This is why I suspect they haven’t really come for her or you. Why they only wanted to talk to you, to explain this, perhaps. They don’t need you anymore.”
“Oh,” she says and turns away from him. He can see her blink back her tears but then she faces him again with anger. “But they did come,” she spits out. “And no one came and told me they wanted to talk to me. I deserve to know this.”
“I know, but you are in no position to be dealing with them right now. But, amongst other things, I am also guessing that Kalen still wants you to be his wife and Queen,” Vito ventures.
“Pah,” she says in disgust. “That will never happen. Not ever again.”
Vito just stares at her while she fumes silently. He is about to come up with some platitude or another when she asks, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Vito says. “You are not the Dark Fae Princess.”
“Shit,” she breathes out and then flinches as her wound hurts her. “Jesus, fuck! Everything has been taken away from me today!” she cries but not in a sad way. “I have lost out on being Empress of the Dragon Realms and being the mother of the blessed Faerie child. I am just me! Oh, Vito, you don’t know how relieved I feel. Thank you, thank you for telling me this.”
He stares at her in shock. He thought she would crumble, knowing that her identity has been taken away from her, but it’s the opposite. She is elated.
“I thought you might–,” he says.
“Be sad?” she asks with a laugh. “No, gods, no! I am thrilled. I can put it all behind me now and go back to my normal, happy Vampire life. I can even go back to Earth!” That thought makes her grin and clap her hands in delight.
“Well, I am glad that you are happy,” Vito says, patting her hand. “But there is one more thing we need to discuss.”
“Your serious face tells me I’m not going to like it as much,” Aefre says with a twist to her beautiful lips. “Just tell me so I can deal with it and move on.”