“What do you mean?”
“Cole is meant to be by your side, as your husband. There is an important role for him in all of this and it is at your side,” She says.
“Well, that is just unfortunate because your daughter now belongs to me,” CK says boldly and I purse my lips at him. I do not belong to anybody.
“No, she does not,” Tiamat says. “Not yet. Cole is her destiny and he needs to come back and forget about what happened.”
“That isn’t going to happen,” CK says, stepping closer to Her. “He left her and now she is mine.”
“Wait, I don’t understand. What are you saying? You can make him forget what I did and come home?” I ask hopefully, to the baleful glare of my sire.
“Not exactly,” She says. “You have to go back in time and undo the mistake.”
“How? I can go to the past, but I can’t relive it. I don’t have that kind of Power.”
“I do,” She says and we all gape at Her.
“Aefre,” CK says quietly. “It is our turn now. He gave you up. You are mine.”
I shift my gaze from my mother to him.
He shakes his head as he must see what is written all over my face. “No, don’t do this. Do not choose him over me again. I thought it was what you wanted? To be my wife.”
“It is, but as I told you in Vegas, I am not ready to give him up yet. I can’t. If there is a chance, I can get him back…I have to take it.”
“You have no choice,” Tiamat interrupts. “The path to the future has been badly pushed off course and it needs to be fixed. All of this jumping from one world to another is unnatural and is not supposed to happen. You cannot allow it to happen again, Aefre. I get one chance at this and you cannot mess it up again.”
“If you have the Power to take us back to the past, why have you not used it before?” I ask suddenly. “All of this time, there has been one screw up after another. Why have you not used it before?”
“I told you there is one chance. I will suffer the consequences and will have debts to repay. I have let nature take its course in the past, waiting for the last minute, and it all worked out in the end. I have been prepared on many occasions to use it, but I have never needed to as things always came right. But not this time. He won’t forgive you and he won’t come back,” She says quietly. “Not even because he has to.”
“What? How do you know that?” I say, the tears welling up as the hurt from Her words stabs my heart.
“I just do. This is the only way, my daughter. You cannot make the same mistake again. Do you hear me?”
I nod and ask, “But how will I know not to tell him again?”
“Only you will remember what has happened before. Everyone else will be none the wiser,” She says this with a quick glance at Sebastian before She shifts Her gaze back to me.
“Only me,” I repeat. “What about the rest of the world? Won’t they be affected by it?”
She sneers. “Humans are predictable, they will go about things exactly as they did yesterday. One, maybe two, will make a different decision, but they aren’t my concern. You are.”
I gulp at that. What if this messes with some innocent’s life? All so I can get Cole back? Is it worth that kind of risk?
“Do not let that bother you, ValamAtrux,” She says sternly. “They are not your concern either.”
“Only I will remember?” I ask again.
“Yes,” She confirms.
“So, hang on a minute,” Devon interjects. “Are you saying that you are going to make us all forget what happened, so that Liv is going to end up lying to all of us?”
She focuses Her intense gaze on him, and he looks like he wishes he hadn’t opened his mouth.
“Time will go back, you will not remember anything,” She says. “It is the only way.”
“The only way?” CK asks. “No, whatever role you say Cole has to play in all of this, he can do as her charge. She is not going back in time to get him back. I won’t allow it.”