“Oh.” I seem to be saying that a lot tonight.
She just looks at me forlornly and I can see how very different she is from Eloise.
“You are nothing like your sister,” I say. I feel I should tell her that. That she wants to hear it. “I apologize for tarring you with the same brush. You look so much like her and with the whole Constantine thing, I got overprotective.”
She chuckles. “I don’t blame you. I can only imagine how much you hated her, after everything she did to you. I was glad when you came along though, in a way. You took her focus off me. She had someone else to hate.”
“If you knew she hated you, why did you carry on with him?” I ask.
“You are seriously asking me that?” Sarcasm if I ever heard it.
I clear my throat. “Well, I suppose that was a dumb question.”
“He asked you to marry him?”
“Who told you that?” I ask instead, suspiciously, as that isn’t for public knowledge.
“Sebastian,” she replies.
Of course, he did. Arse.
“Well, yes. In the future.”
“I would imagine so, as you are already married now,” she says with what appears to be a wicked glint in her eye.
“What of it?” I snap.
“Nothing at all. Your husband is quite the prize though. I wouldn’t give him up.”
“Oh, not you as well. What is it with your family and the men in my life?”
She shrugs. “You have good taste.”
We are interrupted at this point, so I don’t get to respond, by a very cautious CK who pokes his head in the door. “You were taking too long. Everything okay?” he asks, eyes only on me.
“Yes. Just fine. We found what Vivienne lost.”
“Good.” He looks relieved we aren’t trying to tear each other’s heads off and steps further into the room. Dressed, curse the man, only in sweats. Does he not realize the effect he has on women? I growl as Vivienne casts her eyes over him and she drops her gaze to the floor. He comes to me and kisses me, wrapping his arms around me in a show of…? I have no idea.
“Well, I got what I came for. I will leave you two alone,” she says sadly.
“Wait, Vivienne.” I pull away from CK, even though he tries to hold me back. I grab her wrist and clamp my hand over the Faerie cuff. I focus and squeeze and bend it to my will with a flash of heat. Heh! It worked. I amaze even myself sometimes. “Should stay on a little better now.” I shrug as she stares at me with all kinds of overwhelming emotions. “Thank you, my Queen,” she says, bowing her head. “I am truly sorry for everything my sister did to you. You didn’t deserve any of it, especially that.”
I bob my head but CK is at my side in an instant. “What did she do?”
She looks at him in surprise. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” he yells at her, gripping her skinny arm in his vice-like grip.
She cowers from him and looks at me. “You don’t know?” she repeats, and I shake my head in dread wondering what she is talking about. I thought she was just talking about CK.
“She was the one who made Lance go after you,” she whispers as CK growls and shakes her. I just stand there in disbelief.
“You knew this?” he shouts in her face. “You knew this, and you didn’t tell me?”
“I thought you knew. I only found out a few years ago. I thought you already knew,” she says desperately.
“If I knew, do you think she would have lived as long as she did? Fuck the sword, I would have found a way to kill her long before Aefre did.”