I laughed. “Fine, I will drop it… for now. I know, why my parents couldn’t have named me Mary or something, I don’t know.”
“Mary?” CK said from the doorway. “I really don’t think so, my sweet. You should keep your name, I like it.”
“You know how to pronounce it,” Devon pointed out, with a malicious glare.
“Ah, not really,” I said with a slight smile at my sire. “You always lapse into a Latin version. It’s sweet.”
“Do I?” he said, ignoring Devon in favor of giving me a quick kiss. “I didn’t know. So, you are Liv now?”
I nodded.
“When will I see you again? I don’t mind coming here, but I think next time you will come to me. That way we can be alone,” he added pointedly to Devon’s annoyance.
“Come with us,” I said suddenly. This isn’t the first time I have asked him that, so I know what the answer will be.
He shook his head. “No, my sweet. My life is in Milan. You move there.”
“And so, the argument continues,” Devon grumbled.
“Well, I guess this is it. The G5 is waiting. We should get going.” I held my arms out for CK and he took me in a warm embrace. I wanted to cling to him and beg him to come with me, but I knew better than that. He would never be truly mine again, no matter how much I wanted him to be.
“You haven’t Shifted,” he said as he stepped back with a critical eye, arms still loosely around me. “What will you be this time?”
I patted my bobbed black hair and say with a wide smile, “Oh, now, this you will be in favor of.” I turned in a circle for dramatic effect.
I looked to him for approval and I got it, in sp
ades. It made me feel wonderful, and happy.
“Beautiful,” he said. “Absolute perfection. There isn’t a better look for you than your natural form.” He kissed each of my hands in turn.
“Yes, there is, in my opinion,” Devon said with a case of the grumps. “Elizabeth is far better.”
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said sarcastically. “Just what a girl wants to hear.”
“You know I love you, Lizzie, in whatever form you take. I just have my preference.”
“Don’t we all,” I murmured as I peeked at my sire from lowered lashes. He was staring at me, his dark eyes with flecks of amber, narrowed slightly.
“It has been a long time,” he said. “I am glad you have chosen to be yourself.”
I bobbed my head. “I will call you when we land.”
“Do. I will worry about you until then,” he said with a slight smile. He Teleported out, still not having even acknowledged Devon’s presence. I did so wish they could find a way to get along.
Devon and I took a final look back and headed towards JFK and our new life in Los Angeles.
“I should get back downstairs, I suppose she might wake anytime now,” Devon says sadly. I know he is going to mourn the loss of his freedom, but I am going to make her pay.
He leaves, along with Scott, who is an eager beaver now he has a new job and recruitment issues to deal with. I hope he can find someone to replace Devon.
“I will do my best,” he says, reading my thoughts as he leaves. “And don’t worry about the New York offices. I have already hired an outside auditing company to complete the work you started. They said it should take them about eight to twelve weeks based on the work you have already done to get back to you with the results.”
“You mean, get back to you,” I say with a smile and he looks embarrassed.
“Yeah, I guess so. Thank you,” he says softly. “You have no idea what it means that you trust me with something that means so much to you.”
“You will be great,” I reassure him.