“Devon?” Sebastian spits out. “Why him?”
“Erm, because she loves him, you fool,” Lincoln says, defending her even though he wishes she were dreaming about him instead.
Sebastian pauses and licks his lips. “Go on,” he orders.
“They are dancing, in a night club in New York, I think. It’s Aefre, but in one of her Shifts. Lexie, I think?” Lincoln scrunches up his nose. “She is so happy and carefree. I’ve never seen her like that before.”
“How so?” Sebastian asks quietly.
“Like she doesn’t have the weight of her World on her shoulders,” Lincoln says just as quietly.
“Oh,” Sebastian says flatly. “Can I see?”
“That’s not how this works,” Lincoln says huffily. “We are connected.”
“Let me try,” Sebastian says and claps his hand down on Lincoln’s. He lets out a little gasp and closes his eyes tightly. “I can see her,” he says.
“Great,” Lincoln growls under his breath. He does not like the idea that people can piggy-back onto his connection with his Alpha. That is their thing. No one else’s.
“That smile,” Sebastian murmurs, completely enchanted. “It actually reaches her eyes.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln says glumly. He wishes he had known her then.
“What else?” Sebastian asks.
“What do you mean ‘what else’?” Lincoln snaps at him. “I am not digging through her mind just so you can have a look.”
Sebastian is about to respond when there is a loud rap at the door. They both sit there and stare at it and, with a huff, Sebastian finally gets up to answer it.
“What?” he says gruffly.
“Delinda wants her mother,” Tabetha says quietly.
“Not now,” Sebastian says gruffly.
“Go,” Lincoln says to him. “She is your daughter. You should go and tell her something.”
Sebastian gives him a withering glare but turns back to Tabetha. “One moment,” he says and shuts the door in her face.
“Go,” Lincoln says. “I’m not going anywhere with her…there’s nowhere I can go.”
“Damn straight,” Sebastian mutters and reluctantly leaves Lincoln alone with Aefre.
Of course, his first thought after Sebastian leaves is how can he get her away from here, but it is impossible. Aefre is out of it and not able to help herself and he cannot jump between Realms. He sighs and sinks back to the bed and squeezes her hand tighter. He closes his eyes and fixes on what she is dreaming about now.
It makes his blood run cold.
He sees her in the clearing, their clearing, with Remiel. Screwing him as if she is in love with him. It sickens him. That was their special place. They found it together and shared many a perfect moment with each other on the soft ground. He lets out a low growl and lets go of her. He doesn’t want to bear witness to that.
Several moments later, Sebastian reappears with a cautious Delinda.
Lincoln sits up immediately with a questioning gaze. Why is he bringing the girl in when her mother is like this?
“It might help,” Sebastian answers his unasked question.
Delinda crawls onto the bed with her mother, leaving no room for Lincoln, so he gets up and sits on the very edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving his beloved Alpha.
The Underworld, October 2014 - Vito