“Very well,” I sigh. I have one more question and this is the best chance that I am going to get a proper answer. “Who exactly is Remiel?”
She narrows Her eyes at me. “You do not need to know the answer to that to defeat him.”
“I don’t want to defeat him. I want to know who he is and why you killed him?”
“If you do not defeat him, he will use you for his own end,” She says.
“What is his own end?” I press.
She deliberates for a long moment. “You are the key to his survival. More so now.”
“How so and why did you kill him?” I want an answer and I’m not going anywhere until She tells me.
“I killed him because I made a mistake. He is a failed experiment, Aefre,” She admits in desperation.
What? I stare at Her in shock. A failed experiment? “What do you mean?”
“Enough questions,” She barks at me. “Know that if you don’t defeat him, he will become a foe that you will not want.”
“If he is such a threat, why don’t you take him out?” I ask.
She glowers at me as I had ignored Her order and asked another question. “I loved him,” She says softly. “He was my flesh and blood and he was special, but I ruined him. I have slain him once; I will not do it again. It is your responsibility now. He is not your ally, Aefre, no matter what you might think. He has a way of swaying one’s opinions.”
Well, that I can believe. I have gone from wanting to kill him to wanting to save him. Shame on me, I suppose. I drop it, as I am too tired to think about anything except getting home now.
“I must go back to the Dragon Realms now,” Tiamat says to me and I nod. “I will send To’Kah once he is ready to be your Guardian. If you need someone in the meantime, you can use Lo’kar again.” She looks slightly pained as She says that, and I can see it causes Her grief to have to share him. But She needn’t worry, even if I fall into a twitching, drooling heap on the floor, I am not using Lo’kar that way again. It was way too intimate, and I am not sure that I will be fully comfortable doing this with Finn. I don’t know him, and I have been violated one too many times in my life. I dread to think what Cole will say when I tell him Finn has to be naked. Well, I assume he does. Maybe he can be clothed, that would be preferable.
“Be safe, my daughter,” Tiamat says and Astrals off.
Finn says to me, “You look beat. I’ll take you back.”
I smile gratefully at him. “Thanks. I wish you had given me a bit of warning. That Power boost was not something I wish to go through again.”
He smiles back. “I had no idea what it was going to be like. Sorry. I would have told you if I had known it would be like that.”
He takes my arm and Astrals us back to England. We land in the garden and he squeezes my arm before he lets me go. “I will be back soon. Try to keep calm until then. I…” He flushes and looks down.
“What?” I ask.
“I have been assigned as your Guardian since you first got your Powers. I did not like to see my father take you in like that. Guardians are not to be shared in normal circumstances, and neither are their charges.”
“Oh,” I say, somewhat embarrassed. I also look down and scuff my feet. We are like two teenagers after we have told each other we like each other.
“Right, then,” he clears his throat. “I guess I will leave you to your…” He points behind me and I sigh.
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon.”
He nods and Astrals out. I put on my game face and turn around, just as Cole crashes into me, crushing me in a hug so fierce, I feel he might have broken a few ribs, but I hug him back just as hard. I have missed him, and I just want him. I don’t want to see anyone else right now. Without a word, I Astral us to our bedroom. I know a few noses will be pushed out of joint by that move, but I don’t care. I don’t have the strength to deal with all of them, most especially CK. I am dreading having to face him again. I am surprised that he is still here, I had hoped he would have slunk off back to Ponte and that I didn’t have to see him again for a while. A long, long while.
“Tell me everything,” Cole says as he lets me go. I pull him to the bed and sit down.
“Blood,” I say, and he jumps up to get me a bottle out of the mini fridge. “More,” I say as he hands it to me. As I chug it back, he brings me three more with a questioning look and I shake my head. He goes back for two more and I nod, slowly and steadily gulping it back. Replete, I lie back and hold my hands up to him. He lies next to me and I start at the beginning, with what Corinne said about Drake and ending with me returning here via Finn’s Astral. I leave out three major points: the fight with CK, Sebastian, and the rape. I will tell all when I have had a bit more time to process it all.
Cole is silent as I finish my tale. “Say something,” I say, twisting his t-shirt in my hands.
“I don’t really know what to say. I mean, shit. Where do I start?” He runs his hands through his hair with a bewildered look.
I shrug and he sees how tired I am.