“‘Fine’ is not the word I would use right now, Sister,” he says. “I need her safe. I need her there.”

I shout at him. “She is mine. You have no right to keep her from me.”

“I do when it protects her. She is my heir, Aefre. We have had this discussion.”

“She is MINE!” I bellow at him again, glaring at Remiel to do something. Why is he just standing there letting this happen?

“I understand your frustration,” Dracul says kindly. “But she is the most important thing to me. I will not put her in harm’s way.”

“I am her mother,” I say witheringly. “Do you really think I would put her in harm’s way?”

He once again glances around and gestures to my appearance. “I am afraid, I do not have faith in your ability to not attract trouble.” The words are harsh, but he tries to soften the blow with his soothing tone. “Delinda stays with me until I decide it is safe.”

“No! Remiel! Do something!” I yell.

“What would you have me do?” he asks. “Dracul is right, Aefre. It is dangerous here right now.”

I give him a death stare which he does not even flinch from. Lesser men have withered from my darkest look, but no, not my stupid, fearless sire. “It’s all right for you,” I say scathingly. “You can visit her anytime you like.”

He has the grace to look abashed at that at least. But it does nothing to sway his mind.

“I hate you both!” I roar as they both remain unyielding to my maternal need to see my daughter. I run from the room, not knowing what else to do. I am torn apart inside. Everything is just falling apart. Nothing is going right; it is all just wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I hear Remiel sigh and mutter that he will “talk to me”. Fat chance. He can go to Hell for all I care. What good is he when he can’t protect my family and won’t bring me my daughter back? Those are two of the reasons why I need him around for fuck’s sake.

I storm off outside, needing to be alone. This just isn’t going according to my plan. I meant to stay away in peace. Sort out my feelings. Try to find out who is the ‘real’ love the white-light woman accused me of not having. Mourn Fraser all over again, and maybe get a job to fill my time in between spending time with my girls. Now, I have none of that. I reflect briefly on going back to Cassis, but what would be the point of that? I need Arathia, she is the one person that I want, that I need, so isolating myself from her is pointless. I sit down heavily on the grass, staring out at the sight near the gates. CK is lighting a bonfire of dead Hunter bodies using all the magick he can muster to show them that we are just fine. Well, some of us. Poor Marguerite.

“May I?” Frederick asks, sitting down anyway.

“No, go away,” I mutter.

“Sorry, already sitting, not moving yet,” he replies.

“What do you want?” I ask, drawing my knees up and resting my chin on them.

“I want to make sure that we are okay,” he says candidly.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” I inquire sweetly. “You only seduced me and then told me what a broken little whore I am.”

“Ah, now that is where you are wrong,” he points out. “I didn’t seduce you. You wanted it, and secondly, you wanted to know how they saw you. I told you.” He gestures with his chin at Constantine, admiring his handiwork.

I scrunch up my nose at the stench of burning flesh.

“Whatever,” I say, for a lack of a proper response. “Do you…are you…” How do I ask him?

“Am I still scarred like Marguerite?” he asks for me. “Yes. Yet another one to add to the number.”

“You only had one,” I point out.

He shrugs.

“You never did tell me how you got it.” My hand is itching to touch him on the scar he has over his heart.

“Doesn’t matter now. It was a long time ago.” He has that faraway look in his eye, and I know he is gone.

“Aefre, we need to talk,” CK says, marching up to us. He sits down on my other side and gives Frederick a pointed look.

Tags: Eve Newton Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net