“You know he has the urge. We all do. He has done remarkably well to control it all these months,” he adds.
I shrug, still not wanting to talk about it.
“I will take him,” he squeezes my hand again.
“Thank you, but it isn’t your responsibility. It is mine.”
“My responsibility is to you. To help you.”
“I always forget how much younger he is than me,” I say sadly.
“As I did with you,” he says just as sadly.
“Do you still…go out?” I ask hesitantly.
He ponders whether to answer that and it tells me everything I need to know.
“Oh,” I say and turn from him. He pulls me back.
“My love. You are probably the only one who doesn’t. Even your boy goes out.” He uses my words to sugar coat it.
“Devon? How do you know?” What about the things he said about not killing Jess’s mother and that guy? “Are you saying he still…kills?” I gulp.
“You would have to ask him that. All I know is that he doesn’t want you to know. He thinks you will be disappointed in him.”
Oh, crap on toast. When did I, suddenly, become so pious and judgy, after all the things I have done in the past?
Fortunately, Ahmed and Corinne enter the room then with epic timing, so I don’t have to continue this conversation.
“Aefre, Constantine. How wonderful to see you both,” Ahmed says in his usual polite way as Corinne bobs her head at us.
“Nice to see you too,” I say. “I hope that you have something for me.” I really hope they do, as I am loathed to go back to that woman and take her up on her deal.
“Ahmed, perhaps we can leave the two ladies to talk while we have a catch up,” CK says. “It has been too long, my friend.”
Ahmed chuckles. “Yes, I suppose it has. Come then. Ladies.” He bows at us and they leave us alone.
“Did you learn anything?” I ask.
“Perhaps,” she says vaguely.
Gee, so forthcoming.
“Aefre,” she says. “Ahmed told me you were asking about your father the other day.”
“Yes. Do you know anything about that?” I ask, surprised that this takes precedence over my Thirteen issue.
“No. I wondered as to your reasons for asking?”
“Erm, because I would like to know obviously. I mean who is he? Is he still around? Does he know about me? That kind of thing.”
“Your mother is…um…don’t go asking Her. Just try to forget about it,” she stammers.
Oh, she knows something and like hell am I going to forget it. Especially now. I will ask Tiamat the next time I see Her.
I shrug noncommittally and she grimaces, knowing I am not going to drop it. Why the big secret? Unless it is someone I know? Would have to be someone older than me but that is a lot of possibilities.
“As for The Thirteen, all we have managed to dig up is that he was born under a cursed moon, according to the lore. He was a powerful Demon, that wanted to take over The Underworld, but your mother wouldn’t allow that and that is why she killed him. We also found out that in order to get to the real sword there will be some sort of trial,” she says hastily. “And we can tell you that the rest of the sword is in the Spirit Realms.” A frown appears on her pretty face and she wrinkles her nose and adds, “For some reason there is very little on this creature. Almost like the record was wiped clean after his demise.”