“I see,” he says, knowing exactly when. I can now see the process as the wheels turn and his eyes soften slightly as he continues to look at me. I
can see the relief pass across his face as he knows this was before I knew about Sebastian and his magickal persuasion and would therefore have no reason to make it up to protect myself. I must look absolutely terrified as he tries to smile reassuringly at me, letting me know he believes me, although it comes out more like a grimace.
He turns to face Sebastian, the expression disappearing instantly. “I told you that if you used your gift on her, I would finish you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t rip your head off right now,” he says.
Sebastian looks back at him in disbelief and says, “You believe her over me? You know what she is like, a wanton little whore with no more thought for anyone but getting what she wants. Has all her little fuck toys lined up nicely in a neat little row at her beck and call. I knew all I had to do was pay her a bit of attention and she would come begging for it.”
My mouth drops open shock. That’s what he thinks of me? He’s known me all of a week and I’m hurt that he thinks so little of me. He couldn’t know me less if he tried. And, hello? Talk about a big fat lie! Arsehole. I’m staring at him now with open hatred and I’m pretty sure he can feel it radiating off me as he shifts uncomfortably.
Constantine regards him for a brief moment after those awful comments and says, “If you knew her as well as I do, or at all even, for that matter, you would know that every emotion she feels, every thought she has, passes across her face momentarily before she tries to hide it. It is endearing and one of the things I love most about her. It also makes it almost impossible for her to lie to me. And lest you forget, my boy, I know you just as well, if not better. When you want something, you get it whether by your own charms or your ability. She denied you and that annoyed you, so you went after her.”
Sebastian is glaring at him for being called out. “She didn’t take much persuading,” he declares. He sulks, still trying to shift at least some of the blame, adding, “I hardly had to try.”
“Of that I have no doubt. She already expressed an interest but was honorable enough to not follow through even when I offered us to her. Even though it was something she really wanted, she still turned me down, as you don’t fall within the boundaries.” Constantine looks smug as he says it. I have to inwardly huff at him as he hardly offered, I just assumed he was going to, and he ran with it when it was clear I wasn’t going to follow through. The reason for his smug look is that Sebastian is now glaring at him, knowing that the reason we didn’t have a three-way (or four-way if you include the time with Devon) was not because of him, but because of me. “So, you see, whether you had to exert yourself or not, you still used your gift on her and that is not acceptable. Oh, and don’t think you will get away with the insults. The last person to call her a whore had his head chopped off by way of the flames of Hell,” Constantine adds.
I am pleased to see Sebastian looking slightly wary at that as I remember Lance’s final moments with a shudder.
“Although…” Constantine continues as he turns to look at me, “I am surprised it worked. I was under the impression you were now immune to such things.”
“That makes two of us,” I mumble, not happy to be back under the microscope.
“Interesting,” he says curiously. “Aefre. Would you excuse us, my dear? Sebastian and I need to talk in private.” He doesn’t wait for me to nod before he grips Sebastian’s arm and Teleports them – I assume – upstairs to our suite. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
I relax now that they’ve gone, and this is over.
“He used magick on you?” Lincoln bellows at me and I nearly jump a mile. I turn to face him with my hand over my heart.
“Christ, Linc. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that before? I wouldn’t have been so hard on you.”
I mentally chuckle that he thinks his words were harsh, bless him. He has obviously never been on the receiving end of a Constantine tirade before.
“I didn’t know when we spoke. I only found out about it a few hours ago. I knew something was off, but I just couldn’t figure out what,” I clarify.
“Liv. This is unacceptable. He raped you. Why aren’t you more pissed off about it?”
I stare at him and then at Devon and Scott who are staring back at me, not looking best pleased. “Raped? No, I don’t know about that. I mean, I have been raped before. That wasn’t exactly how it usually goes,” I muse, glancing at each of them in turn. Scott is looking like he wants to die, as he is once again caught up in the sex and scandal that is my life.
“Did you say no?” Lincoln roars at me.
“Yes, twice. But then I…I don’t really know. I was just…”
“Doing it?” Lincoln hisses at me and I glare at his repetition of my words earlier.
“Lizzie, I have to agree, it sounds like rape. You need to do something about it,” Devon says worriedly. “What are you going to tell Cole?”
My eyes snap to his. “Nothing. I am not going to tell him anything. None of you are. Do you hear me?”
“I don’t think that is such a good idea,” Lincoln says. “We all know. That’s a big secret to keep among so many people.”
“It gets kept,” I say in the most authoritative tone I can muster, and it must have been convincing as they fall in line. “We have a bigger issue to deal with now,” I add, and Devon looks crestfallen as I have just reminded him of his worst nightmare come true.
“I had better go and see what’s going on,” I say wearily and after hugs from Devon and Lincoln, I Astral back upstairs, conscious that I’m still dressed in my pajamas.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR
I land in on the two of them chatting like old pals. Well, I suppose they are, but I was thinking there would be more battering and less chatting going on. I am quite upset now that my honor clearly did not need defending quite as badly as I thought.