“Aefre,” I say, looking at CK.
He looks pleased and relieved until he remembers what he just walked in on.
“It appears,” I continue before he can start bellowing, “that when the Chosen mate to one of my selves touches me, that one comes to the front. It is why you walked in on me and Remiel kissing. It wasn’t me; it was ValamAtrux.”
The mood turns beyond sour as I reveal this information.
“But you are ValamAtrux,” CK insists. “She is not some separate being to you.”
“Sort of,” I say, chewing my lip.
“Human?” Sebastian suddenly blurts out again. “There is a part of you that is human?”
“Yes,” I say.
He nods in realization then. “Yes, I get it now. When I bit you, you reacted like a human.”
“You bit her?” CK roars at him as I stand there slightly embarrassed to be caught in my first ever human reaction to a Vampire bite.
“Never mind that,” I say, trying to distract them. “All of these creatures are in conflict, struggling to get to the front, it is giving me a migraine.”
CK turns to me and says, “Earlier, when you passed out, it was because of this?”
“Yes,” I say, thankful that he believes my wacky story. “There is an internal struggle going on…”
“Who are you now?” CK demands, rudely interrupting me.
I blink at him and with a
smile I say, “Aefre. She is the one holding the others back. That is, until…”
“You are touched by one of them,” he says, indicating generally to Sebastian.
“Yes,” I say again.
“But if you are just standing around over there, you are Aefre?” he presses.
“Yep,” I say.
“And Aefre is mine, yes?” he asks.
“She sure is,” I reply.
“Thank fuck for that,” he mutters while Sebastian scowls at him.
“You need to back up a minute, Aefre,” Sebastian says, and it is CK’s turn to scowl at him for using my real name. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“I know,” I say and proceed to tell him my tale of woe. When I get to the part about my ex-charges and Jess, he goes pale and gulps.
“She died?” he croaks out.
I nod and eye him suspiciously. CK had almost the exact same look on his face when we found her. What is with that girl that they are both so shocked by her passing?
He avoids his sire’s gaze and turns his back on me for a moment.
“How did Xanthe do it? How did she reverse your turning?” he asks.
“I don’t know what it was. All I know is that it was a noxious, vile, black liquid with little flames in it. It tasted like evil.” I shudder as I remember the taste.