“Humph,” I mutter under my breath. “What do you know?”
“About as much as you do, so don’t even try to play that card,” he replies sardonically.
Well, he has me there.
I tear my gaze from the clouds and look down at Thia. She is awake in her pram, shaking her little fists up at the sky. She is frustrated because I have had to tape fire-resistant mittens to her little hands, after several not-so-safe mishaps with her own special brand of Dragon fire. We are still attempting to rebuild the nursery after it was set on fire the other week when Thia decided it wasn’t nap time. I should go and ask Xane for that reconstruction spell that he used on his house, but I have refrained out of a sense of…well, I’m not sure really, but I can tell you that I really don’t want to go.
I bury myself further into the coat as the time has come to reveal my plan. Devon will be the most supportive out of a bunch of men that will be so not supportive. But that isn’t saying much.
He sighs loudly and hunches his own shoulders. “You’re going now, aren’t you?” he asks perceptively. I should have known that I couldn’t keep it from him.
“Yep,” I say nonchalantly. “It’s time. Thia is two months old and settled in her routine. CK is more than capable for taking care of her until I get back.”
Devon shakes his head at me. “And what if you don’t come back?”
I scoff at him. “Such little faith.”
“In them, not you,” he growls.
“You aren’t going,” CK’s voice comes from behind me, making me jump. Ever since I lost him as my sire, it is getting harder to sense him. I have a sneaky feeling he is also cloaking himself so that he can skulk around, spying on everyone that has invaded his home and, by all appearances, have no intention of leaving.
“I am going,” I say firmly, standing up to face him. “I have left it long enough. Cade needs to be rescued and apart from that, I need closure on this whole ‘father’ business.” It still strikes me as odd that Drake hasn’t come to me, to either kill me, turn me into the Light Fae, or even just to talk to me. It proves one thing, though: he really just doesn’t give a shit. But I need to confront him one last time before I cut myself off from the Fae for good.
“Cade is none of your concern,” CK persists. “He has long since stopped being your responsibility.”
“Maybe so, but I know what it’s like to be there helpless and spelled. I have left him there too long as it is. If you had left me any longer, knowing what I was going through, to get on with your lives, I would never have forgiven you,” I say heatedly. I can feel the two red spots on my cheeks. Yes, I feel passionately about this and I am also very ashamed of myself for not having gone sooner, but my baby took precedence. Now, I owe it to Cade–my Vampire sibling, let us not forget–to get him out of that Hell.
Both CK and Devon have nothing to say to that, so I smile reassuringly. “I will be fine, I promise.” My confidence shines through, but underneath I am a little less certain.
“You do not go alone,” CK growls at me after a pause.
“Baby, you know that none of you can go with me. You will all be executed on sight. I, at least, will get a trial,” I joke, but it falls as flat as a pancake.
“Vito will also be allowed a trial,” CK snarls, but he isn’t angry with me. He is pissed that he must allow Vito to accompany me as my chaperone and that we will be alone in a place where, not only are we from, but also where we conceived our child.
Oh, yeah, Constantine knows about that now. Vito blurted it out soon after the Vampires left, and Constantine and I returned from our very satisfying rendezvous in the gardens. Needless to say, I was incensed. But I did say that he could tell on the day that Thia was born, so technically, he was right to and he thought I should give him props for waiting the extra day.
Also, needless to say, my husband was furious that we lied to him, but also that it had happened in the first place. Not to mention, the fear that I saw on his face for that fleeting moment was precisely why I never wanted him to know.
“True,” I say carefully, watching for his reaction.
“Then go,” he says shortly. “But hurry back. Your daughter needs you.” CK takes the pram and storms off with it, his own little dark cloud hovering just above his head.
I sit back down with a sigh. I noticed that he excluded himself from that statement.
“Still pissed about that?” Devon asks.
“Oh, yeah,” I say. “I am surprised that Vito still lives.”
“He wouldn’t dare do anything to him while you are here,” Devon reassures me.
“Exactly why he is still here,” I say darkly. If I don’t keep him close, I don’t know what CK will do to him. On the surface, all has been forgiven, but I know my husband better than anyone. He will never forget this as long as he lives, which in this case is unfortunate because that will be forever.
“I suppose I had better go and find Vito. The sooner this is over with the better for everyone,” I say, standing up again.
Devon joins me and loops his arm through mine. “Be safe, Lizzie,” he murmurs. “And when you get back, it’s time. I’m done waiting for you.”
I give him a wide smile and a nod. “Okay, and I’ll try,” I murmur back. He gives me a sweet kiss before he disappears back into the castle and I make my way around the back. Since Frederick announced he worked for me now and decided to stay–uninvited, I might add–he and Vito spend most of their time outside. I don’t blame them for steering clear. CK’s happy mood extends only as far as Arathia and me. Everyone else is an invader of his home. But no one is going anywhere on my watch.