“Excuse me? Demon marking? You have a Demon marking?” He is livid.
“It appears so, yes.”
“Aefre!” he barks. “Start talking.”
“I met my Demon self today. She is quite kick-ass,” I say, waiting for the shitstorm.
“Your Demon self?” Sebastian asks.
CK is looking at me with unbridled fury.
“Yes. I am Xerxei, of the House of Dracul and apparently, Mistress of the Domain,” I say, thoroughly embarrassed. “That would be what the ‘X’ and the ‘D’ stand for.”
“Oh, you are, are you?” Constantine sneers at me. “You have been branded with those initials for eternity now? What a fucking coincidence you share his name. ‘Fucking’ being the operative word here, I’m sure.”
I growl at him and he glares at me. “Nothing to say, Aefre? Or should I call you Xerxei? I’m sure he does.”
“Constantine, don’t be an arse. It isn’t like that,” I lie through my teeth, but no way am I admitting to what we did. “Yes, it would seem that they are a permanent addition. But it’s no surprise that I have a Demon part. I have every other part.”
“The only part you need is your Vampire part,” he snarls at me.
“Not according to my mother,” I say and then wish I didn’t.
“You saw Tiamat?” he snaps. “When?”
“In the Underworld. She paid a visit after Xerxei made her appearance,” I say, which is true.
“What did She want?” he asks suspiciously.
“To speak to me. About being a better Dragon. I am letting the side down with my unruly Vampire behavior,” I say with just a tiny bit of resentment.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“She wants you to be a better Dragon?” Sebastian asks. “What the Hell does that mean?”
“It means, Sebastian, that I am no longer allowed to let my Vampire side rule, to the point where I stop being one altogether.” So, that is a bit of an overstatement, but I’m getting my mad on now.
“What? You are a Vampire!” CK roars at me. “You don’t just get to stop being one. Especially you. Does she know of your voracious appetite?”
“Yes. She knows. She wants me to use my Dragon to feed. Well, sustain. Feed is not the right word.”
“And how, pray tell, do you do that?”
“Sebastian, come here,” I say, quite glad of the demonstration as I’m starving again now. He obeys without comment. “Hold your hands out palms down,” I order. He does as he is told, and I show them my rudimentary Dragon energy-sucking ability. I feel a crazy rush and I relax again now, happy. Must be that Faerie blood, I think as I narrow my eyes at him to his astonishment. “Wow. That’s impressive. Although, I do prefer the Vampire way. Far more intimate,” he leers at me but without malice.
Constantine is watching in disbelief. “No. This is not right. You are a Vampire. You are my Vampire. I made you.” He is most put out and I feel sorry for him.
“It’s okay, my love. I am still yours and will always still be a Vampire. Tiamat just wants me to…” I try to say it delicately, “embrace my true nature.” I lace my fingers through his and twirl the ring I gave him. He brightens up a very small bit. “I need you to help me,” I say quietly, knowing that he won’t be able to resist coming to my aid.
He nods. “Very well. I don’t suppose you managed to find out anything about the book?” he asks, dismissing the topic at hand for one he finds more appealing.
“Sort of. She knew you were looking for it and asked if you had found it and translated it. I told Her yes, and a bit. I said that I would see Her next week as I have no clue what it is you are really after. I’m to take you with me.”
He looks surprised. “I thought I couldn’t go.”
“Well, lucky for you, She is smitten with you, you handsome, clever young man,” I say with a slight smile and he snorts.