“Yes,” he says.
I take a big step back and see that CeeCee is looking mighty smug about this. Oh crap. What have I just done? I have blurted all of this out in front of her like some kind of idiot. “Get out,” I say to her. “Whatever it is you were trying to accomplish here is over.”
“You owe me,” she says stubbornly, sticking her chin up.
“GET OUT!” Xane roars at her as he spins to face her and Shifts in the process. He has also clearly realized our massive faux pas. If word were to get out that I am looking for the Dark Fae and why, I am putting my own life at risk. The fact that she knows as much as she does is a major worry. Hopefully one that Xane is about to beat into the ground.
I’ll admit that I stare at him in awe in his true form and Xerxei goes all mushy as she pops to the front and is
practically salivating, so eager is she to get her hands on him. CeeCee is clearly terrified of him in this form though and races out without another word. That wasn’t exactly how I had hoped this would go. She needs to be silenced. He turns back to me and I have no fear of him. He is magnificent. He Shifts back and then stops as he sees his wife standing before him with a look of adoration.
“Shift back,” I whisper. “I want to look at you.”
He looks vastly uncomfortable and shakes his head. “No, I might hurt you,” he says as he looks away.
“Xane,” I say, but he shakes his head again and crosses his arms like a sullen child.
“Do you want me to take you to them?” he asks.
“Yes, of course,” I say and Shift back to Aefre now that the mood has changed again. I remember how pissed off I am at him and this is making it worse. “Where are they?”
“Corinne’s,” he says. “I can’t get through the wards, but you probably will be able to.”
He grabs my hand and before I can protest, he Astraports us to the outside wall of Corinne’s castle. Well, “fortress” is probably a better description.
I pull my hand away with a frown at him and stare up at the huge wall. “How has she kept them here and no one has found out about it?”
“Because no one can get in,” he says.
“I can,” I say. I have broken through these wards several times. It turns my stomach to know that they were here the whole time and I didn’t know. I place my hand on the wall and close my eyes. The power is immense. It is making my arm vibrate with the intensity.
“Wait, Xerxei,” Xane says. “Are you sure you want to break them out?”
I open my eyes and look at him incredulously. “Of course I do. They are my father’s people, my people, being treated like this. It is unacceptable.”
“And the Vampires?” he asks. “How are you going to tell them you took away their only chance at walking in the day?”
“They will have to live with it,” I say, getting angry. “Besides, it’s not like the Silver that has already been created is going to lose its power. It’s only the newbies that won’t get it and there will be fewer and fewer who can even try anyway.” I am steadfast in my justification.
Xane, on the other hand, doesn’t look convinced. “How do you mean?” he asks.
“Well, there will be no new Master Vampires made so eventually the race will devolve into the lower classes,” I explain.
“Why will there be no new Master Vampires?” he asks.
“Because CK is the only one left who can create them and he isn’t going to sire anyone!” I snap at him. “He is the only Initial Vampire left, and he told me he is done with siring.”
“Okay,” Xane says, holding his hands up at my ire. “I was just making sure you know what you are doing.”
“I do,” I say and close my eyes again and break through the wards. I grab his hand and Astral us inside and to the dungeons. It is the logical place to go, after all. I find myself faced with two more sets of wards and as I break them, I hear the guards coming. I pop open the iron bars to the main set of prison gates and Xane says to me, “I will hold them back, just be quick about it.”
I nod as he coils a large amount of Demon magick into his palm. “Thank you,” I say, and I mean it. This will go a long way into forgiving him.
“Anything for you,” he says with a slight smile and then turns to face the horde of guards that are swarming down on him. I race quickly into the dark prison and without my Vampire night sight, I am fairly blind. I have no idea where I am going, until I see a pair of iridescent eyes staring at me from the darkness. I come to a screeching halt outside the cell and force the door open. The guards are pushing forward, and I can hear Corinne shouting at Xane to cease his fire and to let her past.
“Aefre!” she shouts at me as I disappear into the dark cell and grab the arm of the nearest person to me. I can feel a ripple, which tells me he is a kinsman and that’s all I need to know.
“How many?” I ask urgently.