He sits on the bed and flops back, staring at the old ceiling. He cannot believe that Jess is still alive, not to mention a fucking magickal creature. And a powerful one at that, if she managed to get through the wards. It makes his stomach churn as he remembers the way she looked at him. She still wants him, and it makes him sick. He just hopes and prays that Rosalina keeps her promise and keeps that bitch out of this Realm and away from him.
“Guess you’d be in here,” Constantine’s voice says after Devon hears the door open.
“What do you want?” Devon asks him, pissed off that he has to see the satisfaction on the man’s face after his time with Lizzie.
“A word,” Constantine replies smugly, knowing that he has gotten under Devon’s skin. He closes the door quietly and says, “I need you to go with Aefre and Delinda tomorrow. I know that you want to be at the meeting, but your time will be better served protecting your sire.”
It pleases Devon to hear the jealousy in his voice over the word “sire.” “And just what are your thoughts on Lizzie turning me again?” he asks, ignoring the request.
Constantine gives him a narrow-eyed look and purses his lips. “It was inevitable,” he says with a shrug. “I would rather you had just got it over with instead of messing about, perhaps then Sebastian would never have gotten to Aefre.”
Devon jumps off the bed, his fists clenched. “Do not put that on me. I had my reasons for hesitating.”
“Which in itself is a worry. What changed your mind?” Constantine asks, genuinely interested.
“None of your business,” Devon growls.
“You think she is suddenly going to decide to choose you?” he asks. “She isn’t going to be choosing anyone anytime soon after what happened.”
“I know,” Devon grates out, pissed off that Constantine thinks he knows her better than he does. “It doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
“Hmm,” Constantine says, clearly not believing him.
“Why don’t you trust Frederick?” Devon asks, wishing the topic to be changed now. “Lizzie seems to.”
“All the more reason why I need them monitored. Her judgments of late have been skewed,” Constantine replies.
“I’ll admit that she has been handing out the trust to a number of creatures over the last few years in a very atypical way for her. But so far there haven’t been many repercussions, Sebastian aside, of course.” Devon gives Constantine a pointed look, letting him know that he holds the ancient Vampire wholly responsible for that fiasco. “In fact, it has brought with it powerful allies.”
Constantine’s eyebrows go up. “You find Remiel an ally?” he asks incredulously.
“Actually, yes I do,” Devon says, crossing his arms and giving him a challenging stare.
“You are a fool,” Constantine spits out. “You always were.”
“And you are jealous,” Devon retorts. “You always were.”
Constantine gives him an evil smile. “How droll,” he says. “So, how was it seeing your ex-charge back from the dead?”
The viciousness with which it was said makes Devon take a small step back with his eyebrows raised. The bastard always knows right where to aim.
“Funny how that never came up in conversation before today,” he replies. “Lizzie is going to be pissed with you later.”
“Not after the time we just spent. It’s already forgotten,” Constantine replies breezily, of course, managing to throw their sex in Devon’s face.
“Don’t be so sure,” Devon says mutinously. He will prod at this with her until she gives her husband a beating for lying to them.
“So, will you go and protect your sire or not?” Constantine asks with an irritated air.
“Of course,” Devon says, as if he is dense for even asking.
Constantine nods at him stiffly. “Very well,” he says and turns towards the door. He pauses and looks back over his shoulder. “I am worried about her,” he says quietly.
Devon sighs and also lays down his proverbial sword. “She will be fine. There isn’t a man here who wouldn’t die protecting her.”
“It’s not that,” Constantine says with a worried frown. “She has been through so much recently with the spelling and Sebastian’s death and now all of these new threats. I am concerned it will be too much for her.”
“She is strong,” Devon says reassuringly, but also feeling a pang of worry go over him now. “She won’t let this affect her.”