“Aefre, this is serious,” he says to me with pursed lips.
“I know,” I say, standing up. “Bye, Nico.” I give him a slight wave and he gives me one back to Lincoln’s displeasure and I stalk out of his office.
I bump into Devon and Remiel having returne
d from the feeding mission. I give Devon a withering look. His ashamed one back only gets to me a little bit. “You need to get yourself under control or you are no good to me,” I snap at him, crossing my arms above my bump.
“I know,” he says sheepishly. “I am trying. I didn’t think it would be this hard. I feel like a newbie and I am not happy about it.” His grim expression terrifies me. Is he having regrets?
“No,” he says, shaking his head at me and taking my hand. “Never,” he adds quietly.
I blink at him but see only honesty on his face.
“Well, until you are fully under control, I suggest you keep on top of your feeding,” I say gruffly to hide my fear. I couldn’t bear it if he didn’t want this anymore.
“Already taken care of,” he says hastily. I really don’t even want to know what that means. Willing or unwilling Feeder in my home? I guess time will tell.
“Fine,” I say grumpily, and he flinches, knowing I am super pissed at him despite my dread. I don’t even really know why I’m angry with him, my mood is just raw, and I am feeling very out of sorts.
“May I go and sit with Delinda?” Remiel interjects.
I turn my contemptuous stare onto him. “She is your daughter,” I say imperiously. “You do not need to ask permission.”
I watch as his face goes into shock for a second before he covers it up by clearing his throat. I can understand why he is confused. A few minutes ago, I would have raked him over the coals for not asking me, or at the very least telling me, what he was doing.
With that, I spin on my heel, my loose hair flicking and catching Lincoln in the face, who is standing about as close to me as is possible under the circumstances.
“Humph,” I mutter, clenching my fists at my sides as he splutters my hair out of his mouth. I continue my stern march back down the hallway to the library.
Pushing the door open with a rough shove, I don’t stop in my tracks as I make my way over to the, now disempowered, Cleric. I haul him to his feet by the front of his cloak. “Battle Mages?” I spit at him. “You bring Battle Mages to my home?” I add with a roar and a tightening of my fist in his cloak.
“Battle Mages?” Vito asks.
“Battle Mages,” I repeat through gritted teeth.
“Why would the Hunters use Battle Mages?” CK asks, peeling my fists off the Cleric and taking over the interrogation.
The Cleric presses his lips even tighter together, determined not to speak.
“Do not test me, boy,” CK says in the darkest, most menacing tone he has, which even has me quaking in my ballet flats.
“I’d start speaking,” Frederick drawls after a long pause. “Or he will torture you and probably end up killing you, even if it is by accident.”
The sweat starts to build up on the Cleric’s forehead and his eyes go back to me, the lesser of the two evils standing in front of him. “I don’t know much,” he says with a tremble.
“Speak,” CK says and throws him back into his chair roughly.
We all wait with bated breath as to what the Cleric is going to tell us.
“The Mages are used only on the special task force,” he stammers.
“So why have you brought a special task force here?” I ask, impatiently tapping my foot.
“We heard that the hybrid child was here. We were sent to retrieve it,” the Cleric says, giving my belly the stink-eye.
I give him a look back that would kill a house plant, but he doesn’t falter in his gaze. “She hasn’t even been born yet,” I hiss at him, stepping forward so that I can rip this arsehole to shreds with my bare hands. Lincoln stops me with a tight hand on my arm and I take in a deep breath. Killing him won’t get us information.
“We know,” the Cleric says contemptuously. “That is why we were sent for it.”