“Liz,” he says turning me around. “Are you okay?”
I nod dumbly at him because it would just hurt his feelings if I told him to leave me alone in here. He pulls me to him and holds me close and I hear his steady heartbeat and I relax. I can do this. With him. He has never, ever hurt me and he never will. I trust him above all others to keep my heart safe. He soothes me, muttering to me that everything will be okay, and I believe him. However, the sexy mood has been ruined and I ask to speed this up a bit. He washes me head to toe and then himself and we hastily get out. I can’t say for sure if he connected the dots as I have never told him in detail, only Cole, about Aelfric’s attack on me, but somehow, he gets I want out and he doesn’t push or ask about it. Once dried, I realize he ripped most of my clothes off me so, pulling on a robe, we head hand in hand to my bedroom giggling. I pause outside Cade’s door and say, “I’ll just be a minute.” He looks at me quizzically as I open the door and step inside. He follows me closely and then growls as he sees Cade lying unconscious on the bed.
“What is he doing here?” he asks and looks closer. “What happened to him?”
“This is his home, he belongs here. And Lincoln, CK, and Cole is what happened to him,” I say, still not very happy with the three of them.
“Huh,” he says, looking quite pleased.
I ignore it and go to sit next to him. He is flat out and doesn’t wake up, but he does turn towards me and it makes me smile. He can fight it all he likes while he is awake, but in slumber he is mine. I reach out and touch his cheek, shushing Devon’s protest. His face relaxes a bit. I get that this is kind of creepy, stalking him and touching him while he is sleeping, but if this is the only time I can do it then so be it. I will have to feed him again before I leave, but I decide to wait a bit longer. Give him more time to rest and less time to wait in between. I stand and pull Devon out of the room.
“So, do I get my turn when he wakes up?” Devon says slyly.
“You fucking touch him and I will beat you myself,” I warn him.
He grins wickedly and pushes me back up against the wood paneling, his lips barely touching mine, and he says, “This is the only time you will not be able to beat me; I should take full advantage.”
“You take advantage of my wife while she is in this condition and I will have your head,” CK says and we pull apart. He is standing next to us, arms crossed and looking pissed off. Mostly at me when I remember I haven’t Shifted back from Elizabeth.
“Seeing as you had the strength to Shift, I assume you can get back?” he asks.
I nod and do so. “Better,” he says smugly. I hold Devon back who is about to go berserk, I don’t need the drama.
“Library, five minutes,” I say. “Everyone,” I add and disappear into my bedroom to get changed. As I close the door, I hear Devon say, “She isn’t as weak as you think she is. She was perfectly able to keep up.”
I fling the door back open and hope that CK isn’t standing there with Devon’s head in his hand. The hallway is empty, I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not. I sigh and close the door again. I start to get dressed the old-fashioned way. It is really starting to stink. I will never take that Power for granted again. I grab two blood bottles out of the mini fridge and chug one on my way back downstairs. When I reach the bottom, I open the other one and decide I have had enough. It’s Feeder time. I text Edward and tell him to come immediately. He messages back almost straight away that he is on his way. Yay for me, but he seems a bit eager, not so “yay” for him.
I find my four boys assembled in the library and smile at them. There is a very apparent hostility and it seems everyone has been apprised of my activities over the last hour.
“We need to talk,” CK says shortly.
“Me first,” I say, and he nods, wrongly assuming I am going to start explaining myself. I look away from them and with a flush that starts at my toes and ends on the top of my head, I tell them what Tiamat told me. There is silence when I finish, and I look back at them. They are all avoiding my gaze, not unexpectedly, as “lady issues” are not exactly something any of them have ever had to deal with.
Lincoln speaks first. “So that’s how it works with you?” he asks. “Interesting.”
Interesting? Odd choice of word. I’d use “embarrassing.”
“So, tomorrow Tiamat will come for me and take me away for a bit,” I say and get interrupted by CK.
He stands up suddenly and barks at me, “Away? Where to? For how long?”
“The Underworld, and only for about a day,” I reply.
“Why can’t you stay here?” he asks.
“She has to take me away because apparently, I will let off pheromones that will drive you all wild. And while I wouldn’t say no to a mass orgy, I’m afraid I will also be highly fertile and sorry, but no babies here,” I say lightly, trying to make a joke out it.
“So, She is taking you to the Underworld? Closer to that bastard while you let off all of these…” Cole waves his hand about “… sex signals. Over my dead body!” he finishes.
I huff at him. “Exactly how small do you think the Underworld is?” I ask him. He stares back at me blankly. “Do you think it is just the size of Xane’s house? I can assure you it is a vast place. Bigger than Earth and consists of many different layers. There is even a whole section built just for Dragons to fly and walk around in. Big!” I say to him, holding my hands out to make my point. “Tiamat is taking me to Her cave there. I will be well guarded. No one will be allowed to see me. She doesn’t want this either. This time.”
“This time?” Lincoln asks, ignoring my outburst. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means that I need to be strong to carry a magickal child and I am not. She doesn’t want it,” I explain.
“This time,” Devon sneers. “Who, pray tell, is supposed to get the job done? Obviously not Sebastian as he is Drake’s father-to-be of choice.”
Ooo, snark coming from my darling boy. I may have to beat him after all.