Something is tickling my nose. I brush my hand across my face and find that my hair is strewn about me. I open my eyes and after a quick scan, I find myself in my bedroom, in bed, tangled up in the sheets. I sit up and wince as I see the white cotton nightgown.
“CK,” I mutter and push the sheets off me. I climb off the bed and go slightly dizzy. “Rosalina,” I growl now, coming to the realization that she drugged me with a spell. I race to the window, wondering how long I was out, but I see nothing. No magick and no carnage. Interesting. What could have happened while I was knocked out?
I quickly replace my nightgown for a loose, black jersey dress and slip on some ballet pumps. Tottering around in six-inch heels is just a hazard for me in my front-heavy condition.
I check on Delinda, peeking quietly around the door to find her sound asleep and peaceful, and then I make my way downstairs, ignoring my clawing hunger.
I find everyone in the library, all silent and staring at Rosalina, who is by all accounts, killing a man in my home.
“Stop it!” I yell at her, but she ignores me and carries on sucking the life out of the man slumped in the armchair.
“Aefre, wait,” CK says, grabbing my arm to stop me from advancing on her.
“She is killing him!” I shout, struggling to get free.
“No, she isn’t, she is draining his power,” he explains quickly. “We cannot let him loose in here with it.”
“Oh,” I say with a huff and shake out my arms as he lets me go. “How did you capture him?”
CK fills me in and I frown at him, but don’t say anything about the two Hunters that made it as far as Devon and Lincoln and died for their efforts. My eyes find the two men, or at least Vampire and Wolf. Lincoln pads over to me and nuzzles my hand, reluctant to Shift back for some reason and Devon is looking like he is about to tear the castle to the ground.
“He needs to feed,” I say, indicating my charge with my chin so that I can ruffle Lincoln’s ears with my hands.
“I’m okay,” Devon says, running his hand through his hair in a sign of agitation.
“No, you aren’t,” I reply absently. “Remiel, take him out please. He is of no use like this.”
“Lizzie, I said I am fine,” he says sharply, but I’m not having any of it. Remiel takes him by his collar and Astrals them off, through the wards, to who knows where. I don’t really want to know, to be honest.
“So, what is the plan here?” I ask, leaving Lincoln to his own devices now and gesturing with my hand in a general direction.
“Holy shit!” CK yells and ducks as a stream of fire comes straight out of my hand to hit the window in a spectacular explosion of glass and flames. “What the Hell, Aefre?” He is looking at me like I have landed here from the moon.
“I–I,” I stammer, holding up my hand in shock. I have never been able to throw fire straight from my hand before like Remiel does. “Ah!” I cry out as it happens again with both of my hands this time, setting alight a bookcase and the sofa.
“Jesus!” CK cries and comes towards me, holding his hand up. In a flash of speed, he is in front of me, holding my hands behind my back as Vito tries to douse the fires.
“What is going on?” he asks, his voice full of concern.
“I wish I knew,” I say, feeling the beads of sweat start to form on my brow. That hadn’t come from me at all. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was the baby’s power and that just scares me that she is that powerful already. I back away from CK, tearing my hands from his strong grip. “Stay away from me,” I say, making it to the doorway.
“Aefre, let me help you,” he says.
“No, this is something unknown. I coul
d hurt you. Stay away,” I say urgently and then I run from the room.
Fortunately, everyone has the good sense not to follow me and I breathe in deeply, staring at my hands as I walk down the hallway, through the Entrance Hall and to the other side of the castle. Something is drawing me here and it is something that I intend to follow.
Shortly, I find myself standing in front of Nico’s office door. I squint at it, but I push open the door anyway to find him sitting at his desk, glasses perched on his nose as he scribbles something down in a large file.
“Hi,” I say awkwardly as he peers up at me, giving him a small wave before I hastily put my hand down and behind my back with the other one.
“Liv,” he says with a nod. “Or Aefre is it now?”
“Aefre,” I confirm, and he nods. “Been a while.”
“It has,” he says, putting his pen down, leaning back in his chair and scrutinizing me with those beautiful black eyes in a way that, a year ago, would have had me sidling up to him to seduce him. Now, I am the size of a beached whale and feeling about as sexy as a white cotton nightgown. Oh, how times have changed.