“I don’t know what to say,” he says quietly.
“Say yes,” I say. “She is going to go through, yet another upheaval and she needs someone she can rely on. It won’t be me as I am taking her away from her ‘daddy’,” I add bitterly.
“We will tell her the truth,” Devon says. “Or some of it, she doesn’t need the details, obviously.”
“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “I can’t do that to her again. Remiel?”
“Yes,” he says with a decisive nod. “Of course I will raise her with you, Aefre. I love her more than...” He chokes up to Devon’s astonished look.
“Good,” I say. “Now go and make sure she is okay.”
“She’s fine,” a voice that sounds exactly like mine says from over by the door.
I lift my head and glare at Liv. “You were with my daughter?” I fume at her.
“She likes me and trusts me,” Liv says with a shrug, coming further into the room. “Makes a nice change for this World, forgive me if I welcome it in this hostile set-up.”
“She doesn’t know you,” I state. “And if she did, she wouldn’t like you.”
“You don’t know me. Not really,” Liv points out, crossing her arms.
Well, she has a point. “I know enough,” I growl at her. “Stay away from Delinda.”
“I would never hurt her,” Liv says fiercely. “I find that extremely insulting.”
“Tough,” I say. “Why are you still here anyway?”
“Ask your boyfriend here,” she says, indicating Remiel. “I can’t get out from behind these wards and he won’t take me home. I really, really want to go home. My family, my sons, will wonder what the fuck has happened to me.”
“Take her home,” I order Remiel.
He gives me an imperious look and then with a sigh he says, “After I have been to check on Delinda.”
“Thank you,” I say and watch him go.
“Savvy move, that,” Liv says to me once he has left.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Putting Delinda in the care of Remiel. He is the only one who can protect her from being taken back to the Fae Kingdoms,” she says.
“Humph,” I say, annoyed that she can see straight through my ploy. I avoid Devon’s knowing look, hoping that he never blurts that out in, what will without doubt, come down to many heated exchanges between him and my sire.
She chuckles at me and then comes closer.
“Ouch, that looks baaaad,” she says.
“I know exactly how you feel. Drake doesn’t mess about, does he?” She rubs in between her own tiny breasts with a frown.
“It looks worse than it feels,” I lie.
“Sure, it does,” she replies. “How come you aren’t healing? I did straight away,” she adds with a boast.
I give her a withering glare. I am intrigued that not only has she met her father, but that he also gave her a hole in the chest. Must be his “move.”
“The baby is probably taking most of what I’ve got so there’s nothing left over just yet.” I take this statement from CK’s book and it seems to make sense as she nods.
“So, are we even?” she asks carefully, swinging casually to and fro on the wooden bedpost.