“Fraser,” other me warns him.
He turns to smile at her. “Oh, don’t worry, my love. You know that I will always love you, but she is something special, so sweet,” he turns back to me and CK growls at him. Fraser reaches down to take my face in his hand.
CK grabs his wrist before he can touch me. “Lay one finger on her and I will end you, whether you belong to another world or not,” he threatens.
Fraser turns back to other me and says, “Yes, I can see why you want what she has. He is so protective. Clearly in love.” He sighs. “Too bad, sweetheart,” he says to me. “But I know which battles to pick. Maybe when you have thought about my offer you might reconsider. You know how to find me. It would be better for you to come to me anyway, less interruptions,” he says with a mild look at CK, ignoring Cole completely. “And if you are a really good girl, I might even pretend to be the one you love.” The evil smile only grows wider as I breathe in sharply. CK twists his arm behind his back and shoves him back to other me. “Get him out of here and don’t bring him back. If I kill him here, you won’t be going home again.”
She nods and with a quizzical look at me, pulls her charge towards her. “Just when I thought I was starting to understand you; you throw a surprise at me again. I thought you would be happy to see him.”
“No, not him. He is nothing like the man I knew,” I croak.
“Well, I did tell you that. Maybe it’s best you see for yourself.” She grabs his arm and with a wicked grin at me, he turns to his sire, enveloping her in his arms and they pop back out of existence.
“What the fuck was that?” I yell at no one in particular. “Why did he come here? Why did she bring him here to me?”
No one can answer me, and I am feeling exhausted and ragged. I Astral off, leaving them all staring at me and go to the clearing in the woods that Lincoln and I found yesterday. I kick my shoes off and feel the damp grass under my feet. It feels cool and that to me is strange.
“Go away,” I say as I sense CK’s presence behind me. “I am really not in any mood to speak to any of you.”
I rub my shoulder as I get that strange prickling sensation again and he sighs. “Aefre, don’t sulk with me, my love. It is not an attractive quality.”
I spin to face him. “Sulking? That’s what you think I am doing?”
“Well, isn’t it? Sulking at me for allowing a Hunt, at your charge for killing, at your boy for standing up to you? Fake Fraser offering himself to you? At her for bringing him to see you?”
“None of that is even hitting my radar at the moment,” I snarl at him. “I have some thinking to do. Please leave.”
“Thinking about what? I know you know that the Fraser that turned up here is not a man you could love. If you had any thoughts that it was, you would have kept him here,” he says so matter-of-factly, I want to punch him.
“Of course, I know that,” I say quietly, and he has the grace to look apologetic for brushing it off so easily.
“I’m sorry, Aefre. For everything. I wish that I could make it up to you somehow.”
“Just leave me for a while. And tell everyone else the same.” I turn from him again, still rubbing agitatedly at my shoulder.
He doesn’t say another word as he Teleports off and I breathe out. I know his callous attitude is only in response to his jealousy, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.
I sit in the middle of the clearing and meditate. I couldn’t say for sure for how long but a good few hours. I feel mighty better about things when I rise to my feet, picking up my shoes in the process. Remiel (it seems strange that he has a name now) was right about one thing. This whole shying away from my Power is tragic. I am tragic. Every time I grab the bull by the horns and take control, something comes along and knocks me on my arse, and I end up back at square one. Well, not this time. I stalk out the woods to a brewing storm. It has gone quite dark but only from the clouds and a wind has picked up. I make my way over to the wall at the side of the steps up to the terrace and sit. I enjoy seeing Mother Nature at work. Maybe this is a sign. A sign that I can be just as Powerful, just as foreboding. I feel it rise in me and I know I am not letting go of this feeling. Not ever again. Almost as if it was waiting for my resolve, the wind dies down and I sense Devon hovering.
“Come to yell at me some more?” I ask him.
He comes to sit next to me on the wall. “No,” he says defian
tly. “I was worried about you; you’ve been gone awhile. I’m sorry for the things I said.”
“No, you aren’t,” I say. “Everything you said, you have been dying to say for years.”
“Well, maybe. I could have been a bit more tactful,” he admits, and takes my hand.
I smile. “Since when did we need tact?”
“So, you aren’t mad at me?” he asks hopefully.
“Oh, I’m mad all right. But not about what you said. You had no right to leave me out of the plan. I know I left it to you to handle and I was wrong to do that. It is not your responsibility. It is mine. Cole is mine and I apologize for leaving it to you. But don’t ever blindside me again like that. Not about something so important. Okay?”
“Done,” he says easily and grateful that I am not about to issue a sire-like smackdown. “Things are changing so much, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, you can say that again,” I say.