“About two days ago,” Devon replies.
My worried frown increases, and I look to Remiel for help. “Can you fix him?” I ask.
“No, but he is fine. He is young and weak, the effects will wear off soon enough,” Remiel answers with a benevolent smile.
I smile my thanks at him. “Take him home then, please,” I say sadly.
“What?” Devon asks.
“He has been through enough, Dev. He doesn’t need to wake up here to all of…this. He should be with his…family.” I choke on the word and Devon takes my hand. “You can go and see him when all of this is over.”
He nods and looks to Remiel, who picks Cole up roughly and disappears with a smile.
I watch them go with a sadness that consumes me, but I squash it quickly. Cole is lost to me now. He chose to leave and to do what is best for him. I must let him go and live his life the way he wants to.
With a straight back, I leave the library, heading for the kitchen. I am starving and now I really need blood. Everything else can wait until after I have fed.
I can only hope that there is some blood in here for some reason. CK will be the only Vampire now, apart from Vito–but I don’t know how long he has been back–and he doesn’t do blood bags.
I drag the fridge door open and discover nothing in the way of provisions. “Dammit,” I mutter.
“I will feed you,” Remiel says from behind me.
“No, I had better go and find human blood,” I say wearily, the toll of the last revelations taking it out of me. I am absolutely gutted to learn that my father killed my child and that a man that I trusted violated me in such an insidious way. I just wish I could forget, even for a few moments.
“You need blood from your sire,” he reprimands me, and I shiver. I had almost forgotten in all of the ensuing mess since I “woke up.”
“Yeah, maybe you are right,” I say, not in the mood to fight.
“Good,” he says. “Come.”
“Where are you taking her?” CK butts in with his typical bullying tactics.
“Well, unless you want to watch her feed from me,” Remiel says slyly. “I was going to take her somewhere more private, where she will still be safe.”
CK’s face goes apoplectic. He splutters but there is nothing that he can say. No way will he ever stand there and watch while I feed from Remiel. And he cannot in all honesty deny me this either. Not after everything I have apparently just been through, and also because he would look like a big, fat hypocrite if he suggested that a sire not look after their charge.
“Very well, then,” Remiel says and takes my hand.
“Lizzie, wait,” Devon says.
“It’s okay, Dev. I’ll be right back,” I say.
“No, it’s not that. I need to talk to you,” he says almost desperately.
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “When I get back, I will come and find you.”
CK takes me in his arm
s and holds me tightly. “I have missed you, my sweet. Both of you.” He runs his hand over my bump, and I smile up at him.
“I love you,” I murmur in his ear and it placates him for now. “I won’t be long.”
He lets go of me with a grim nod and then watches as Remiel takes my hand again and then zips us through his unbelievably strong wards to take us somewhere private and safe.
That turns out to be the room in which he re-turned me. I can only imagine the conversation that is going on right now, but I push that aside. I can’t think about anyone else right now. I have to think about me and how I am going to get over this shocking betrayal and try to move forward. Right now, all I can think about is my revenge and killing both of them in as painful a manner as possible.
“Aefre?” Remiel asks me gently.