Dressed and ready to re-enter the Main Cabin, we stroll in, loved up in our smug love bubble that we seem to have adopted. We buckle up and await landing. No one says much as we land at McCarran and I, as ever, am the first to get off the jet once we hit the tarmac, followed closely by CK and Lincoln.
My eyes land on the car in front of us.
“My Veyron,” I squeal excitedly, rushing towards it.
Stunned when Lincoln holds me back, I flinch when Devon climbs out. “He’s here to have your back, that’s it,” he says quietly.
I glance longingly at Devon, but he completely ignores me and throws the keys to Lincoln instead. He reaches down to drag a girl out of the passenger side by her elbow.
My blood runs cold as I realize this must be that Jess bitch. He drove her up here in my car. My pride and joy is now tainted by her presence. I thought she was nothing to him. Cole said she was nothing. Fuck him! Devon, that is. Not Cole. I’m furious with him and even though he hasn’t even looked at me yet, he knows it. I can feel his pain radiating off him in waves. All I want to do now is run to him, but Lincoln stops me before I can.
“Leave it,” he says and hands me the keys.
I glower at the pair of them as they make their way to the waiting limo. She fucking well looks like me! Or at least, she looks like Elizabeth. I could fucking kill her, and then him for substituting me. I step forward but it’s CK who pulls me back now. “Leave it,” he also says. “You know you can’t force him.”
I look at him with such sadness, but I feel his own pain at the memories of me leaving him and I do leave it. For now.
Feigning nonchalance, I say, “Can I drive you?”
“Sure.” We are both acutely aware that in the hundred plus years since cars were invented, I have never driven him anywhere. I am thrilled to have my Veyron back. Walking and being driven has its perks, but nothing beats the thrill of driving a machine like this one. I try my best to ignore Devon as I climb into the Bugatti. Lincoln gives me a quick kiss. “See you at the hotel.”
I nod and fire up the engine as CK climbs in. Phil and Ty jump into the massive black SUV behind us and I relax a tiny bit, glad that my car only has two seats.
“I like this,” I smirk at him and he chuckles.
“Considering the amount of years we’ve known each other, it’s surprising the little things we haven’t ever done together,” I comment.
His eyes flash. “Hm, indeed.” He smiles ‘my’ smile at me. He is happy and relaxed and now is as good a time as any to poke the bear.
“Erm,” I start. “After the whole Gustav situation, I have to say I am most unhappy with your threat against Cole,” I say as I slam the accelerator down and roar past the limo out of the airport, taking great delight in leaving the SUV in my dust.
He glances at me. “Yes, I can see why.” But that is all he says.
“Fine. Well, I want another revision. I think it is quite clear that I love you and I will carry on with our two days a week. But I want you to lift the threat off Cole. He is my charge and my husband and I love him. I think you know by now I will do anything to keep him safe, but in reality, you don’t need to threaten me into being with you. I will come to you because I want to. I don’t want you to think that you are somehow forcing me into this.”
Silence.
I wait for him to speak, which he doesn’t for a long time.
“I
see why you would think that. But I don’t see it that way.”
“No?”
“No. I would never intentionally force you into anything, Aefre. I want you and I will do anything to ensure that. Maybe my methods of late have been crass, but it is only so you know I am serious. So, you know that I want you and that I would do anything to be with you.”
“I get that,” I say quietly, “But there will be no more threats against Cole. I will not have you scaring him into thinking he is going to end up in a dungeon, separated from me for an eternity.” I am beyond forceful as I say that, and he has the grace to look abashed.
“I would never do that to you, Aefre.”
“No, but you would make me think you would and it’s not acceptable.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I realize after seeing you the other day…it was wrong of me; I won’t make the threat again. I have so many charges. I am not emotionally attached. It was a necessity, something we had to do to thrive as a race. I have sired so many Vampires, Aefre, I can’t even keep count. You wonder why it was so easy for me to dismiss Polly? It’s because I had no feelings for her, or any of them. You say you are jealous but there is no need.” He sighs and even though he’s trying to make me feel better, he really isn’t. “I see it’s different for you. I understand it. You do it out of love, or at least for the most part,” he adds with a sidelong glance at me. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“You don’t love your charges?” I ask somewhat hesitantly.
“You. I love you. I love Sebastian. He’s the first. I loved Lance. A long time ago, before he took you, I loved him. I hold a deep affection for Dmitri, for everything he did for you, but I don’t feel much for the others,” he says quietly.