“Take her somewhere where she can rest tomorrow. Somewhere she can have fun with Delinda and not worry about how the meeting will go. Can you do that?” Constantine asks.
“Consider it done,” Devon says. “Just don’t be an ass and keep me out of the loop. I need to know so I know how far I have to go to keep her away from whatever goes down.”
“Of course,” Constantine says and then disappears through the door quickly.
Devon kicks off his shoes and flops down onto the bed, laying down with his hands behind his head. “Where can I take you?” he asks out loud as he ponders the best place to take his sire and her daughter.
It suddenly hits him, and he smiles, which is followed closely by a grimace. He vowed to himself that he would never go back there after what Other Liv did to him, but this isn’t about him. This is about his sire. The house in L.A. will be perfect for a relaxing day. They can swim and sit in the sun by the pool. Delinda can run about and be safe. It’s the right choice.
With that first decision made, he makes another decision, and that is to go and curl up next to his sire to get the love and comfort he desperately needs from her. He pads down the hallway to her bedroom and pulls a face when he sees Lincoln curled up in Wolf form outside her door. But it doesn’t stop him from turning the handle and stepping over him to enter the room. Lincoln snaps at his ankles, but with a triumphant smile Devon shuts the door in the Wolf’s face and turns towards his sire and then lets out a hiss before he prepares to attack the intruder.
Chapter 8
Ponte, Italy, October 2014 - Devon
“Get away from her,” Devon whisper-snaps at his ex-charge as Jess rises from the bed where she had been sitting.
“No need to whisper, she is out for the count,” Jess answers in a normal tone.
“What have you done to her?” Devon seethes as he approaches her.
“Just a simple sleeping spell. No harm done,” Jess says and then sashays her way over to him. “Hello, my love,” she says, pressing her body up against his as he backs into the door to get away from her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Devon says, shaking his head at her. “Get out before I throw you out.” He grabs her by the throat, extending his arm out so that she is no longer so close to him.
“That won’t be so easy,” Jess says and reaches up to peel his hand away from her neck.
Devon stifles his gasp at her unnatural strength as she succeeds in removing his hand from her.
“I am strong now. Powerful,” she says, dropping his hand. “And you will return to me.”
“You are deluded,” Devon spits out. “I will never be with you again, you deceitful whore.”
“Oo,” she coos. “Such nasty words for your charge.”
“Ex,” he says forcefully. “Now get out of here before I call for Constantine to kick you out. You will find him far more of a challenge.”
“Not so fast,” Jess says, wagging her finger at him. “I am here to give you an ultimatum.” She peers down at Lizzie and brushes a strand of hair out of her face before she looks back up at him.
“Not interested,” Devon says, crossing his arms.
“You haven’t even heard my offer yet,” Jess says with a giggle.
“Here goes. You come back to me and I won’t kill her,” she says, jabbing a finger at his sire.
Devon snorts with amusement. “You may have discovered some new powers, but you aren’t strong enough to defeat her. No one is. She is invincible, remember?”
“Is she?” Jess asks with a shrug.
“I tested it myself,” Devon says roughly.
“Hm, not with the Dragon-slayers sword,” Jess says.
Devon glares at her in the silence and then says, “That is now in a Realm that you don’t have access to, guarded by an Emperor who would kill even his own mother to keep his sister safe.” At least Devon hopes that Dracul would. His position is still largely unclear and unknowingly terrifying.
Jess sits back on the bed and crosses her legs at the knee, her diaphanous dress sliding apart to show off a long, shapely leg that had once swayed him but now repulses him.
“I am talking about its twin,” Jess says casually, examining her fingernails.