He sees Aster hovering in the doorway and beckons him in. “What is it?” he asks.
“You have a visitor in your office, sir,” he says.
Xane nods and dismisses his mother. He isn’t in the mood for another confrontation, so he hopes it is someone he wishes to see.
As it turns out, it is Lord Falcor and Xane isn’t very pleased to see him.
“My Lord,” Falcor says with a bow.
“Lord Falcor. What can I do for you?” Xane says shortly.
Falcor looks uncomfortable, but then he says, “I trust that once your Lady has returned, you will be starting a family of your own?”
“Who wants to know?” Xane growls.
“It is something to take under advisement,” Falcor says lightly. “We all accept that she had a duty to her people to produce the heir, but now it is done you must convince her of her other duties.”
Xane peers at him. Falcor is neutral. He isn’t supposed to be concerned one way or the other over this affair.
“Out of respect to your father, I offer you my advice,” he continues. “If anyone were to ask about my visit, I trust you will tell them I was accepting your mother’s invitation to the homecoming soiree?”
“Of course,” Xane says. He feels a slight sense of panic start to rise. There is no way that Falcor would risk coming to him to tell him that he needs to produce a child with Xerxei to keep her, unless it was the only way to quash the rumors. He is done for. He knows she won’t agree so soon, and unless he manages to impregnate her by accident, he is going to lose everything. Damn Sven and his bloody vendetta. Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone?
Constantine opens his eyes and finds that he has been asleep. And for quite some time it appears. It is dark out. He looks to his side and his charge has left him. He stretches and he feels better than he has in months. All the tension he has had pent up has been released, for now, and he has rested properly. He wonders how long it will last.
“Hi,” Sebastian says as he comes out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips.
Constantine just smiles at him and he smiles back.
“I should get back,” Sebastian says. “Who knows what horrors have occurred while I’ve been gone.”
Constantine nods at him, prepared to let him go, but in an instant Sebastian is next to him on the bed holding his hand.
“What now?” he asks quietly.
“What do you mean?” Constantine replies.
“This could work out for both of us,” Sebastian says. “If we could get rid of Cole, we could both have her, and each other.”
Constantine frowns at that idea. Once Cole is gone, and it won’t be long before he is, Aefre will be with just him. He isn’t sharing her anymore. “No, that isn’t going to happen,” he says.
“Why not?” Sebastian asks. “You share her now with that boy. Why not with me? The three of us would be incredible. You can’t deny that.”
“That isn’t my choice,” he says. “He is her charge and nothing to do with me.”
“Since when did that ever stop you?” Sebastian asks angrily. “You just want to keep her from me.”
“Yes, I do. I want to keep her from everybody,” he says, wondering why Sebastian doesn’t understand that by now. “But I have run out of chances with her, I have to let this one play out.”
“So where does that leave us?” Sebastian asks.
“Exactly where we were,” he says sadly. He doesn’t like being at odds, but he has no choice. “And before you even think about it, let alone say it out loud, if you spell either one of them you will have me to deal with. I am not having anything ruin my plans.”
“And what about this child she is having? You will just accept it?” Sebastian asks.
“Never,” Constantine says vehemently. “Just as I will never accept a child, she has with you.”
Sebastian lowers his eyes and looks sad at his harsh words. He wants to say he is sorry, but he can’t because he isn’t.