“How many have you sired?” he asks hesitantly.
“Fifty-seven,” I say to his shock.
“And you only have two left?” he asks in disbelief. “How is that possible?”
“I killed most of them,” I admit, only somewhat ashamed. “During my evil years.”
“Oh.”
“As it turns out, CK also had some hand in getting rid of a few. A few that I sired out of lust, because they wanted me to.”
“As it turns out? You didn’t know?” he asks. He is interested now.
“No, I obviously knew they were gone but it was only when the records were downloaded to my brain that I knew the truth.” Having had the chance to go back into my record and peruse it at my leisure after Gustav, I was somewhat shocked to see “CKA” next to a few of my later murdered charges. Although, it shouldn’t have surprised me really, as I already knew about one he had staked out of jealousy.
“Why would he do that?” he asks but then says, “No, you don’t need to answer that. It’s obvious. I guess it’s more surprising that Devon has lasted as long as he has.”
“He would never hurt Devon, or you. He knows that I would never speak to him again.”
“Humph, I disagree, judging by the two attacks to my person over the last day,” he says rudely.
“Your person? I think one of them was to my person,” I joke but he isn’t amused. “He and Devon have gotten into a few scraps as well, you know. In fact, I seem to recall a pistols-at-dawn moment once.” I chuckle at the memory. “But by hurt, I meant…”
“Kill,” he states.
“Yes.”
He pulls me back down to him. “I’m not taking this turnaround at face value,” he says. “He doesn’t seem the type to just roll over.”
“He isn’t.”
“What, the type or not rolling over?”
“Both.”
“Liv? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I have had to promise him something.”
“What?”
“Just something he wants. Further down the road. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Okay, now I am worried,” he sighs.
“Don’t be. Forget about it. I am with you and I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Agreed,” he says genially.
C ole and I spend the rest of the day together talking and just enjoying being in each other’s company, undisturbed. Dusk is getting close, so I tell him I must go and see CK about our travel plans and then have my chat with Jess.
“Can’t I come with you?” he asks, forlorn.
“I need to see Jess on my own. She won’t open up if you are there. I need to guide her on a certain path,” I insist.
“What path?”
“A path away from Devon,” I mutter more to myself and he grabs my wrist.