“Err,” Devon says with a flush and looks back over his shoulder.
“No one wants to tell you in case you kill the messenger,” CK says with a small smile.
“Just do it,” I say with a sigh. “Rip the Band-Aid off, as it were.”
Devon sits me down again and for the next half an hour proceeds to tell me all that they know about the last month.
“That bitch rescued me?” I shout out as it is the only thing that I can comment on. The rest makes me sick. How could a man who claims to love me do that to me? And more importantly, how in Hell did it even work? Maybe he is more powerful now that he is a King, but I am a Queen, goddammit.
“Yes, she was very helpful,” Remiel says.
I give him a scathing look. “Where is she? And Fraser? Where does he fit into this?” I ask, glaring at the silent Other Fraser as he gazes back at me with an adoring look that makes my stomach do a flip.
“She is probably staying out the way,” Devon says wryly.
“Fraser was a tactic to try and bring you back,” Remiel says. “And it appears to have worked.”
“Humph,” I say rudely. I am less than impressed that they have brought this monster here to try and shake me out of my coma, whether it worked or not. It was a risky, risky move that could have backfired. I am glad that I came out of my stupor knowing exactly who he was.
“There’s one more thing you have to know,” Xane pipes up with his arms crossed.
“No,” Devon says quietly, shaking his head. “Not now.”
“Yes, now,” he says defiantly. “Xerxei, your father and Sebastian were also the ones who cursed you to lose your child. Our child.”
There is a deathly silence as I take that in. “How do you know this?” I ask stiffly, closing off the heartbreaking wrench that is tearing through me.
“My mother found out,” he says.
“Oh,” I say faintly, standing up and turning my back so that they can’t see the agony on my face. “My father?”
The voice that answers me isn’t one I expect. “Yes,” Vito says. “I know it to be true because Maurelle has confirmed it.”
Fuck, that hurts more than anything else so far. “You’re back,” I say to him quietly.
“Yes,” he says gently. “I am sorry I had to go, there were things I needed to deal with on my own.”
I turn back around with a watery smile. “Yeah, I get that,” I say. “A goodbye would have been nice.”
“You were busy,” he says.
“Xerxei?” Xane asks sharply.
“What?” I ask.
“What do you intend to do about this?” he barks at me.
“I-I can’t deal with that right now. I’m sorry,” I stammer and run from the room. I want to go straight to Delinda, but I don’t want to disturb her. I can’t believe that I have lost yet another month with her. When will this end?
I push open the door to the room, where she is sleeping, anyway and peer inside. She is like a little angel and I can’t resist going to her and kissing her forehead. She smiles in her sleep and I back out, leaving her to rest. She needs that more than I need to hold her.
One thing I do need desperately is blood, but before that even, I need to see Cole. I close the door behind me and make my way to the library.
“Cole,” I whisper and rush to his side as I see him. I run my hand through his hair and stroke his face. “What happened to him?” I ask as everyone files slowly in behind me.
“He was knocked unconscious when Remiel brought him through the wards,” Devon answers.
“When was that?” I ask with a frown.