He shakes his head. “No, it shouldn’t be possible.”
“Why not?”
“The wards. This office is the only place where magick can be conducted. The wards are especially strong and are up all over the building to prevent magick from being used to cheat.”
“But siring isn’t magick,” I say, confused.
“It is in its own little way. It should have failed. Are you sure she isn’t just dead?” he asks again.
“Of course, I’m sure. She isn’t dead. She healed. She’s in transition.”
He frowns again. “Come.” He takes my hand and leads me out of his office.
“Where are we going?”
“I want to see this for myself,” he says curtly.
Okay, don’t believe me then, I think, a bit annoyed.
“By the way,” he adds casually, “you look amazing in that suit.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking the compliment. “So, do you,” I murmur at his seemingly standard black suit and black shirt. It definitely suits his persona.
“Thanks,” he says, pleased.
I practically have to jog to keep up with his long, quick strides across the casino and hotel and once in the elevator, I start to get anxious. What if it did fail somehow? What if she never wakes up? I’ve never heard of a ‘failed turning’ before but maybe it has happened?
We go up in silence and as the doors ding open, he takes my hand again and leads us to the suite, where he just barges in like he owns the place. Oh, well I suppose he does, actually.
“Where is she?” he asks a startled Lincoln as Scott leaps back. Devon is awake at this point as well and points to t
he bedroom. Xane marches us across to the bedroom where he stops and peers down at Jess. The other three are standing behind us, not very pleased that Xane is still holding onto me.
“Corinne!” he suddenly bellows, making me jump, and he turns around as she Teleports into view.
Erm, how the fuck did he do that? Calls her name and she just turns up? I have tried for months to contact her with no joy. I gape at him and vow to get him to tell me how he did that.
“Yes, Xane?” she snaps before she sees me. “Oh, hello, Aefre. So, nice to see you,” she says as she curtsies.
“Corinne,” I say and look from her to Xane and frown. If there are strong wards, how come she can Teleport? In fact, how can any of us? I mention this to him, and he stares at me in surprise. “You can Teleport?”
“Well, no, I don’t Teleport as the older Vampires do, exactly. I call it Astralling. But so far, I’ve done it, Constantine has done it, and so has Sebastian. And I have been able to do everything I normally do.” I am getting more confused by the second here.
“Aefre. You are Queen. The wards don’t affect you. They don’t affect me, as I am the ward setter. As for the rest, I don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible. And this…” she looks down at Jess, “this should have failed. Unless…” she turns to me, “Did you?”
“No, no. It wasn’t me. It was Devon.”
She turns to Devon and he shifts uncomfortably under her scrutiny. “Did you have anything to do with it?” she asks, turning back to me.
“Like what? Only one can sire,” I say, glad that CK isn’t here to hear me say that.
“Did you tell Devon that he had to do it?”
“No, I told him the opposite. I didn’t want him to do it. I offered to do it myself but CK stopped me due to my… unknown status.” All eyes land on me then at that nugget of information.
“I see,” Corinne says. She is silent for a long time and we all just stare at her.
“You sire, your sibling, and your charge? Yes?”