She nods briskly.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Her, wondering why I look nothing like Her, and also wondering why She chooses to adopt my look when I see Her.
“You have kept me waiting,” She says in a reprimand.
“Sorry, I was dealing with something,” I answer, and She sighs.
“No, Aefre, you were supposed to come and see me in the Dragon Realms. You didn’t come.”
“Oh, I know. I am so sorry. Something came up that needs my attention.”
&nbs
p; “Oh?” She raises Her brow in query. “Anything I should know about?”
I look quickly at the others and say, “No,” at the same time Xane stands, the only one–apart from CK–being bold enough to speak and says, “Yes.”
“No, Xane,” I say as She turns to him.
“Speak, Young Draconis,” She orders him, and he grimaces at the name.
“No, Mother. It is nothing you need concern yourself with. I have it under control,” I say before Xane can say anything.
“Liv, She can help,” Xane says, coming to stand next to me, taking my hand.
“One of you start talking,” She says, stepping closer and we, as one, inadvertently step back, with me, standing on CK’s toes, as I didn’t register that he had stepped up behind me at the same time.
“Sorry,” I murmur as he pushes me gently away from him and moves to my other side.
She flicks Her eyes to him and smiles prettily. He smiles back. “Well?”
“It’s The Thirteen,” he says. “It has come back to torment Aefre.”
“Oh, him,” She says in disdain, waving Her hand dismissively. “You are more than capable of getting him to go away again.”
Him? Definitely a ‘he’ then. Gee, that was helpful as ever. Honestly, you’d think She wants me to fail.
“There is a more pressing issue to deal with,” She states then, sweeping Her gaze over the group and landing on Cade who, to his credit, doesn’t flinch. “Your presence here is unprecedented,” She says to him. “You have switched sides?”
“I have,” he says, and She nods at him in approval.
“Good. You will be a positive influence on my wayward daughter,” She says, sweeping her gaze back the way it came and landing on me. I gulp. Uh-oh, not this again…and in front of everybody else no less.
CK clears his throat, probably in an attempt to either not laugh or not yell at Her for telling me to stop being such a Vampire.
“Your behavior aside,” She says, narrowing Her eyes at me, “there has been a terrible, terrible mistake that needs rectifying immediately.”
“What?” I ask.
“Where is your husband?” She barks at me suddenly and I flinch.
“He left me.”
“That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Yeah, no kidding.
“It needs to be fixed. This switch that occurred has messed up everything.”