“You’re back,” CK announces as he walks down the stairs, Arathia in his arms as usual. He gives me a scathing once-over, still dressed in my day-old outfit and messy hair, but bends to give me a kiss anyway. He stiffens and I know that he can smell Vito all over me. I am hoping he will just assume we spent time in close quarters together.
“What a fucking nightmare,” I exclaim in order to put this idea in his head. “We were ambushed, confined, insulted and very nearly arrested, or worse, killed.” I give Vito a look that portrays both my need for him to agree to our state of affairs and to not mention the state of our affair.
“Oh,” CK says in concern now, all trace of suspicion gone from his face. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I breathe out in relief. “And look, we got Cade.”
“Send me back!” Cade demands. “I want to go back to Pyleah.”
I roll my eyes at him. Yep, definitely spelled. “Not happening,” I say to him with a pat on the shoulder.
“Your father?” CK asks quietly.
“I’ll tell you later,” I mutter. “Right now, I want a shower, my baby, and my bed.” I give Thia a loving look and jiggle her little gloved hand.
“Pyleah!” Cade demands. “Send me back to my perfect goddess. Now! I need her! I can’t live without her!”
“Oh, the gods,” I tut. “Please, someone tell me I wasn’t like this when I was spelled?” I ask rhetorically and as a joke, but it falls as flat as a piece of paper.
“I love her,” Cade whimpers.
I shake my head and march over to him just as Nico strides down the corridor towards us.
“Want me to take care of it?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.
“Nah, I got this,” I say with a smile and draw my left arm back, bunching my hand into a fist and then punching Cade in the face as hard as I can. He sails back several feet to hit the wall and slump down it, unconscious and, thank the gods, quiet.
“Now you can deal with him,” I say to Nico. “Find him a room and make him comfortable…and secure.”
“Done,” he says with a nod and scoops Cade up and slings him over his shoulder fireman-style. I don’t expect to keep him locked up, but this place is massive, and it might take us a while to find him if he decides to wander off looking for his golden goddess or whatever. Ergh! Nico just needs to keep him under his ever-watchful eye.
“Now,” I say with a smile at CK and hold my arms out for Thia. He reluctantly hands her over and I cuddle her close, breathing in her sweet baby smell.
“Well, well, well. The Aefre I remember had no maternal bone in her body,” a voice so saccharine and grating, says from behind me.
I pause as it can’t possibly be.
I turn around with a death stare already on my face. Oh, yes, it can be.
“You!” I spit at Carlotta, who is dressed up as Scarlett O’Hara, complete with twirling parasol. “You are not welcome here. Get out!”
“Aefre,” CK says to me in that placating voice of his. “Carlotta seeks refuge here.”
I turn my death stare onto him and to my delight he flinches. Good. If I can scare him, I can sure as fuck terrify this old whore.
“I said, get out!” I repeat, advancing on her, baby still snuggled up against my chest, oblivious to my temper.
“Constantine has given me permission to stay,” she says sweetly, batting her eyes at him.
I growl at her, popping my claws out and clutching her face in one hand, drawing her eyes back to me. “Look at him like that again and I will end you.”
“Still so jealous,” Carlotta says with a tut. “Last time we spoke you were infatuated with another. How times have changed.”
“Last time we spoke, you were throwing me under the wagon for your own ends, you venomous harlot,” I snarl at her.
The look she gives me says it all. She knows he’s here. She’s seen him. Probably fucked him.
She bats her lashes again. “How was I to know your liaison with Frederick was a secret? You sure carried on like everyone knew.”