“Going twice…” He backs up even further.
“If you refuse, I will still find a way and you won’t get anything. Two days.”
He narrows his eyes at me and says, “Done,” and claps his hands.
Err, what?
“I don’t like this,” Xane says. “Something isn’t right here.”
No kidding. That was too easy.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask suspiciously.
“Why nothing, my dear Aefre. Now shall we?” He holds his hand out to me and I hesitate. I change my clothes from that ridiculous gown into some nice comfy fighting gear, just in case I have to fight. I would rather be in loose pants and a vest top than a long, flowing gown getting in my way.
“Liv, no don’t do this,” Xane says, gripping my elbow. ?
?We can find another way.”
“This is the quickest way,” Sebastian says. “In and out.”
“Then why can’t he go alone?” Xane asks.
Remiel answers for himself, “I cannot go alone as I have no idea where I am going. I don’t have a connection with him. Aefre needs to come so that we can go straight to him.”
Makes sense to me.
“Liv,” he says, shaking his head. I turn to him fully and wrap my arms around him in reassurance.
“It will be fine. I’ll be back in two shakes.”
He leans down to kiss me, not caring if anyone sees us. “Please be safe.”
I nod and hold out my hand to Remiel. “If you get me behind that forcefield and try to kill me, I will have the sword in my hand so quickly you won’t know what hit you.”
He holds his hand up to his heart and says mockingly, “I am wounded that you don’t trust me.”
“Whatever!” I scoff. “The last time your hands were on me, you were throttling the life out of me.”
“Not true,” he says with a wicked smile. “The last time I had my hands on you, you were writhing naked on my lap, unable to keep your own off me.”
I hear the sharp intake of breath from Sebastian and Xane at that little bombshell and I cringe. Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about that. I had pushed it into the dark recesses of my mind as something to never think about again.
“Mention that ever again and I will do you in, truce be damned.”
“Is that what we have? A truce?” He sounds surprised as he sees it for what it is. “Well, in the interests of keeping our ceasefire, I will keep my hands and thoughts to myself. That is, until I get you in your dreams.” He drops the barrier and quickly grabs my hand, yanking me not so gently to his side before it pops back up again. “You two, I don’t trust,” he says, pointing to Sebastian and Xane, who have inched closer. “Ready?” he asks me, and I nod. We blink out of existence and, expecting to be at Constantine’s side immediately, I am surprised that it takes a bit longer. We are moving through what appears to be clouds or fog or something of that nature, until we aren’t, and we are standing in a poorly lit cell, deep underground. I blink to adjust my eyes and I see Constantine strapped down and being bled out, quickly enough that it is hurting him, and he isn’t healing.
He opens his eyes and smiles. “I knew you would come,” he murmurs before he closes them again. “I knew you would come so I could ask you for forgiveness and tell you I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said to you, Aefre. I didn’t want to hurt you. The monster…” he trails off.
“Constantine,” I shake him, as it appears, he has passed out. “Wake up.” I shake him again.
“Aefre, I knew you would come,” he says again. “I knew you would come so I could ask you for forgiveness and tell you I’m sorry.”
“Constantine,” I shake him again and his eyes flutter open. I don’t think he knows I am actually here. It seems that he only thinks he sees me, and that I am some sort of hallucination. It scares me. He is indestructible and yet this bleeding out is hurting him in a way I’ve never seen before. It makes me waiver in my hatred for him briefly, seeing him so vulnerable.
“Aefre,” he says. “I knew you would come.”
“Shut it,” I snap at him, remembering what he did, said, to me. “We haven’t got much time.” I yank the IV out of his arm, which looks like it hurt, but forget that. I am not here to coddle him. “Sit up,” I say, shaking him as he has closed his eyes again. His eyes fly open and he sits up. Now that he isn’t losing so much of his blood, it has woken him up out of his daze. “Aefre?” he asks me. “Are you really here?” He grabs me and I pull away from him.