He nods his thanks and heads off downstairs. I turn to Cole. He is a bit uncertain after recent discussions when I get a phone call. It’s Scott already, needing to use the phone as he can’t get through to me with my blocks up. “Get down here,” he says as I answer. “She’s up.”
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO
I Astral downstairs leaving everyone to follow however they can. I find Devon hovering in a corner glaring at her as she has a complete meltdown.
“Dev,” I snap at him.
He turns his fierce blue eyes to me, but then they soften. With a sigh, he gives her the water and she drinks it quickly. He glances up at me and has no idea what to do, so I do it for him. My anger at this girl is dying to come out so I grab her by the throat and force her up against the wall.
Devon says nothing.
Jess looks terrified now and I know she is starving but she is going to listen to me first. “What you did was despicable,” I hiss at her as everyone else joins us, having apparently come via the stairs. Guess my power boost has worn off for them. “It is not how we do things. You should have more self-respect than to attempt to kill yourself so that you can be one of us.” I shake her, even though I have her undivided attention, saying, “Don’t think for a second this is happy-ever-after for you and Devon. He doesn’t want this, so you are stuck with me.” I let her go as that sinks in. It’s cruel but the truth and I am beyond pissed. I click my fingers and a glass of blood appears. I give it to her, and she downs it in one gulp. I take the glass back from her as she casts a glance at Devon, who just stares impassively back at her.
He’s been spending too much time around CK to have perfected that look. I am surprised, though. I thought he might change his mind once she woke and he felt the bond, but clearly not.
I grab her by the arm and march her past everyone into the sitting room and place her on the coffee table. I sit in front of her on the sofa and Devon sits to my left. Everyone else stands behind me. We must look like an intimidating bunch, so it’s no wonder she cowers underneath my baleful glare.
“I will never forgive you for what you have done. You have forced your way into this group, and I don’t take kindly to that. You have hurt my boy and for that I will make you pay.”
I give her another glass of blood as I am losing her, and I need her focused. I can sense the question in this, why am I giving her glasses instead of placing a Feeder in front of her? But no one questions me out loud and for that, at least, I am grateful; they realize a method to my madness and accept my authority.
“You will be punished,” I say when she finishes that glass up. “This behavior is not fitting for our kind and I will not tolerate it.” I pause again so she has time to take all this in. “Until such a time as I see fit to allow it, you will be denied the privilege to walk in the sun.” She looks horrified as that sinks in and looks to Devon for help. This is when I swoop in and give him the chance to assert his own authority over her. “Devon, as her sire, do you feel this punishment is acceptable?”
“Yes,” he says without hesitation. Jess looks like she is about to cry, and I don’t blame her. It is a harsh punishment to be denied sunlight, but it is a harsher punishment to be denied any leniency from your sire.
“Very well. You will be confined to the shadows until you have remembered your manners.” I take this approach from my own sire and I may hear a very soft snickering coming from Sebastian behind me.
I soften the blow with another glass of blood, which she accepts gratefully.
“As this whole situation has been very poorly handled, you are likely to feel hungry all of the time for several weeks and may feel the urge to go on a rampage. I won’t allow it. Until you get yourself under control, fully under control, you will not be allowed to feed straight from humans.” I look at Devon, who is still impassive, and I offer her something, “If he allows it, you may drink from your sire, but only at his request.”
Devon raises his brow slightly at that as Jess looks hungrily at him.
“Do you understand everything that I have told you?” I ask her. She looks back at me. She is losing focus again, sinking into the bloodlust and I hand her another glass which she drinks. “Do you understand everything that I have told you?” I ask her again.
She nods.
“Speak!” I snap at her.
“Yes,” she croaks.
“Yes, what?” Devon asks.
She looks back at him and then back at me. “Yes ma’am,” she says.
I nod back at her and turn to Devon. “I think there are a lot of things you need to tell her, about everything.”
He nods grimly.
“Then go.” I dismiss them both and stand as he hauls her off the table and takes her into a corner, I note with interest, not back to the bedroom.
“Wow, Queen Liv. Remind me never to piss you off. You were harsh,” Lincoln chuckles.
“No, she was not harsh. She was just,” CK comes to my defense, unnecessarily I might add as I don’t take offense to Lincoln’s words. “To force a turning is unacceptable.”
I glare at him. If that’s what he thinks now, why did he force Devon to do it? He frowns at me. “You know he would have hated himself if she had died,” he says quietly.
Well, this is true, I suppose. So, I concede ungracefully. I watch them from across the room, talking in hushed tones and she is weeping now but he offers her no solace. It is quite disturbing that he feels so little for her. Even his previous emotions for her, whatever they were, seem to have been switched off.