The stinging fact that Devon now has a bond to me again hangs in the air and it doesn’t go over v
ery well.
“Aefre, we need to talk,” CK says shortly.
“I know,” I say.
He steps into the room and takes my arm, ushering me further back in. In that moment, Remiel reappears with an unconscious human dangling from his fist.
“Dinner,” he announces with a smile.
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me as it is so caveman-like of him it is ridiculous. He looks so proud to have brought me “food” that he–by all appearances–has hunted and gathered. It warms my heart in a terrifying way.
“Thank you,” I say sincerely as he is waiting for some response other than me laughing at him. I am hungry and I need human blood. I hear Devon growl and I know he will be feeling the hunger claw at him as well.
“Not for you,” Remiel says to Devon with a frown as he stalks the lifeless prey. He pulls the human away from Devon and shoves him in my direction. “What happened here?” he asks icily.
“I re-turned Devon,” I say, glad that CK is standing by my side. If Remiel flips out, he will protect me, or at the very least, our baby, no matter what.
Remiel turns his frosty, enraged gaze onto Devon, who is more interested in blood now that it is in front of him, than the fact that he is about to get annihilated.
“Re-turned,” he says darkly, taking one step forward to take Devon by the front of his shirt with his other hand.
“Wait,” I interject with a speedy move of my own. I place my hand on Remiel’s and he glares down at me. “Remember what I said before,” I say urgently to him.
“This wasn’t part of that deal,” he says. “I worked very hard to break your ties, Aefre, and now you are just undoing all of that work.”
The tension in the air has gone beyond frigid. No one moves a muscle in case they scare Remiel into doing something stupid, like ripping Devon’s head off right in front of me.
“Remiel,” I say. “This was always going to happen again at some point. This was taken away from us, something that we didn’t choose, and we have a history together that will never go away. We love each other but it is about more than physical love. It runs so deep that we need to be this to each other. It’s the way things have always been.”
“No,” he growls. “I don’t accept it. I don’t accept you doing this.” He tightens his grip on Devon. He has gone pale and realizes the danger that he is currently in and it’s up to me to talk Remiel down from this.
“You must,” I say, tugging on his hand until he loosens it enough for me to take it in mine. “Look at me. This has absolutely no bearing on you and me, Remiel. None whatsoever. It is between me and Devon.”
His fierce eyes turn to me and bore into my own. He doesn’t understand. How can he? This is all brand new to him.
“I meant what I said earlier,” I say quietly, soothingly. “Don’t make me shut you out because of something you might do to Devon. He is off limits.”
“Tell me that you understand,” I say when he doesn’t say anything but instead just searches my eyes for a long time.
“It’s separate,” he says with a confused look.
“Yes, exactly. You and I are something else,” I say.
“Very well,” he says and turns away from Devon. “I will allow you your little pet. But keep him out of our way. I accept that I cannot do anything to change what you have done, Aefre, without hurting you, but know that you will be disciplined for your deed.”
“Lay one finger on her and I will kill you!” CK roars at him, dragging me away and pushing me behind him.
“I would never hurt her,” Remiel says with a look of disgust at the thought of it. “But my charge must know that she will not get away with this again.”
“Meaning?” CK asks, his calm exterior disappearing as his eyes flash red.
“That is between the two of us,” Remiel says and looks over CK’s shoulder at me. “Now eat, my dear. You are looking pale.”
Of course I am looking pale! He has threatened both me and my charge in the space of a few minutes. I don’t dare disobey him after this, so I say tentatively, “Can I have some privacy please?”
They are all too eager to leave, not surprisingly, with the exception of CK.