Cole’s face hardens then. “Is that why you are here? She sent you to make sure I don’t blab?”
“What? No, of course not. She doesn’t even know I’m here,” Devon replies.
“Oh,” Cole says. “Well, I told Carolyn the truth. Sort of.”
Devon pales slightly at that. “How so?”
“I told her that I was kidnapped by Liv’s mother. Fortunately, I didn’t have to go any further as she doesn’t want to hear anything about Liv or her family members. She just shut down,” Cole answers with a worried frown.
“Huh. Well you had better come up with the next part to that story because she will ask at some point and probably try to involve the cops,” Devon says. Although, he is sure at this point, that Remiel somehow spelled the poor woman into not caring what happened.
“Yeah,” Cole answers. After a short pause he looks away and asks, “How is she?”
Devon hesitates, wondering if he should tell Cole all about it. “She’s not good. There has been a lot of shit happening lately.”
“What a surprise,” Cole mutters sarcastically. He turns to the fridge to pull out two beers and hands one to Devon. He accepts it and twists the top off, taking a large gulp.
“No, this is some serious, whacked-out shit,” Devon says, ready to defend his sire. “It has pretty much ruined any chance anyone had.”
“Oh,” Cole says and if Devon didn’t know better, he could have sworn Cole hid a smile behind his bottle of beer.
It annoys Devon so he says, “She is a Vampire again. Remiel re-turned her and then she re-turned me. We are bound again.”
Cole splutters on his beer and that makes Devon hide a smile. “What?” Cole asks. “You are both Vampires again?”
“Yep,” Devon says.
“Shit,” Cole says, placing his bottle heavily on the counter. “I thought it couldn’t be done?”
“Lizzie exceeded expectations once again,” Devon says steadily.
“That woman,” Cole says, his eyes sparkling.
“What? You gonna ask her to turn you again?” Devon asks sharply, seeing the excitement on Cole’s face.
“No,” Cole replies too quickly. “I don’t want that again. It’s too damn difficult.” He fiddles with the label on his bottle. What isn’t he saying?
“But you want her,” Devon says astutely.
“I never stopped wanting her,” Cole says quietly with a quick look at the doorway. “I just didn’t want her life. It is too complicated.”
Again, Devon hesitates. Should he come completely clean or will that just make things worse for himself? “Things will get easier,” he says slowly.
It peaks Cole’s interest and now Devon wishes he hadn’t said anything. “How so?” Cole asks just as slowly.
“This Queen thing has run its course,” Devon says eventually. “Tiamat is dead and as far as Lizzie is concerned; the Faeries are dead to her. We are moving back to Earth.”
“L.A.?” Cole asks instantly, taking in the rest of what Devon has said but ignoring it for now.
“No, Italy,” Devon replies and watches Cole’s face fall.
“Of course,” he mutters.
“Don’t be so sure she will end up with him,” Devon says forcefully. “The players have changed.”
“What does that mean?” Cole asks edgily.
“Did you not hear the part about her new sire?” Devon replies, his eyes flashing.