“I can’t let you do this,” I say to him. “You had nothing to do with this.” And how does he even know about this? Spy much?
Dracul gives CK a look that screams, talk to your damn wife, would you?
“He’s right,” CK says instantly. “He can protect himself, Aefre. You cannot.”
“Yes, I can,” I say with a sniff.
“Now is not the time for heroics,” he says with a slight reprimand.
“Remiel can protect himself,” I say.
“And take yet another father away from Delinda again?” CK asks quietly.
“Bastard,” I mutter, knowing how much that pained him to say, and yet, he said it anyway to make his point. He has me in a corner. All of us have something to lose here. Dracul, well, I look up at him again. A towering, solid, fierce Dragon Emperor, and I make my mind up.
“Okay,” I say with a slight nod. “But I swear, Dracul, if you get hurt in any way whatsoever over this, I will kill you myself,” I growl at him.
He chuckles at me and ruffles my hair. “You are sweet,” he says. “But I can take care of myself. Besides, after everything that our mother has put you through, you deserve a break. This is my olive branch, ValamAtrux. I want you to feel that you can always come to the Dragon Realms, that I am your family and that it is your home.”
“Thank you,” I whisper and throw my arms around him, weeping openly into his midriff. He wraps his tree trunk arms around me, and I feel safe, if only for a moment.
“Drop the shield and go now,” he says. “Go and be with your loved ones.”
I nod again and take CK’s hand. He grips it tightly and looks for the first time at the charge he murdered for me. I squeeze his hand and he looks at me with a flicker of sorrow.
“It’s okay to be upset,” I say to him quietly. “He was still your charge and I know you loved him.”
CK just nods in response and then turns his eyes back to me. “Do it,” he says, and I drop the shield that was protecting Sebastian’s body from being discovered. And, with a final look back at Dracul, who has planted his feet wide apart and crossed his arms, CK Teleports us out of the Underworld and back to Italy to start our new life.
Chapter 2
Ponte, Italy, October 2014 - Aefre
“This isn’t right,” I say, changing my mind as soon as we land in the library where everyone has gathered.
“I know,” CK says, avoiding my gaze for a moment before he meets it again. “I am not happy about letting him take the blame for this, but our child needs us, Aefre. It’s as simp
le as that.”
“Who’s taking the blame for what?” Devon asks, crossing his arms.
“Dracul is taking the blame for…” CK starts to say but pauses and looks around.
“Delinda is with Marguerite,” Remiel says. “If this is about the Sebastian situation.”
“It’s not a situation,” I snap hotly, rounding on him. “You murdered him!”
“With good reason,” Remiel says, completely unconcerned by my temper. “So, you say that Dracul is taking the blame for this?” He wrinkles his brow and tilts his head to the side.
“Yes, he said he could handle whatever the Light Fae throw at him and, basically, that we can’t.” I sulk, sticking my bottom lip out like a sullen child.
“That isn’t exactly what he said,” CK says, tutting at me. “He merely pointed out that he can handle it and that we needed to be here for our family.”
“He is right,” Remiel says. “Although, I resent the accusation that I am in any way incapable of protecting my family.” He fumes silently in the corner while I roll my eyes at him.
“He said you were needed here to protect Delinda. You can’t exactly do that while trying to stay alive in the Fae Kingdoms,” I say.
“Humph,” he mutters but looks pleased nonetheless to have been included in the discussion of protecting Delinda.