“Why could Corinne not verify his authenticity?” I ask witheringly.
“She has disappeared. Again,” CK says with grimace.
“Great,” I mutter.
“So, I hear you had some f
un while you were supposed to be safe?” he suddenly growls at me, holding Thia even closer to him.
“Unfortunately, yes,” I reply. “Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Mama was awesome!” Delinda blurts out. “She was like, ‘grrrr’!” She holds her hands out, mimicking my gesture when I killed Laurentis. “And then he died,” she adds solemnly, nodding her head at Remiel.
He gapes at her as does CK.
I look abashed that my daughter had to witness my murderous act.
“You killed him?” CK asks, his voice going up.
“I did,” I say, sticking my chin out. “I will do anything to protect my daughters.”
I see a flash of pride, as well as desire, in his eyes before he hisses, “And where was my daughter during all of this?”
“I took her to New York,” Devon says, sidling up, wet, looking as sexy as fuck in just his swimming shorts.
“New York?” CK asks.
“It was a snap decision, first place I could think of,” he says.
“Humph,” CK mutters, but he is pleased nonetheless that his daughter, at least, was out of harm’s way.
“Where is he?” Remiel asks quietly.
“In there,” I say, indicating the den.
We all troop inside and Remiel gingerly lifts the sheet that Frederick had placed over him when he brought him downstairs.
“I see,” he says stiffly.
I look at him and wonder what the fuck I am supposed to say to him. “I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
He gives me a stern look. “Do not apologize for protecting yourself and our family. It is I who should apologize to you for not being the one to end him sooner.”
“It’s okay,” I start, defending him in that way that I used to do with CK. I blink and look at my ex-sire who is simmering in the corner at our exchange.
“I need to get Arathia back home where she is safe,” he says.
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “I’ll gather up her things.”
“Alone,” he chokes out and the hurt that wells up in me crushes me. “I’d like a little time on my own with her,” he says more gently when he sees the tears sprout up into my eyes.
I just nod once.
“You can come with me to deal with Laurentis’s body,” Remiel says smugly, happy to have me on my own.
“Okay,” I say sadly. “I’ll see you in a bit, I guess,” I add to CK.
He throws me a bone and bends down to kiss me. “I love you,” he murmurs, and it makes me feel slightly better about him taking my baby away from me, but I don’t say it back just to hurt him. He knows it and his eyes pinch, but then he is gone.