“I don’t know,” I say. “He came to Rome with us and back to Paris and then he disappeared. I haven’t seen him in about a month.” Thirty-two days to be precise.
“You were in Rome?” CK asks, his fingers squeezing mine.
“Yes, last month,” I say quietly with lowered eyes. I wanted so desperately to go to him, but I forced myself to stay away.
“Oh,” he says miserably. His eyes suddenly snap up to mine and he says, “A month?”
I nod, also miserable now. “He knows he is damaging himself, but he doesn’t seem to care.”
This statement further cements in CK’s mind that Cade is in fact no threat to his newfound happiness and he relaxes somewhat, clearly not concerned as to my newest charge’s well-being, or the fact that a possible Rogue is on the loose. It makes me slightly pissed off that he had Devon spelled to prevent this exact thing happening. Will he get to Cade as well now, I wonder? Or leave him to his fate?
“And everyone else?” he inquires, politely.
Cole answers for me, as he knows I am still struggling to regain my composure. “Devon and Jess will be back tomorrow. Lincoln should already be there, and I have no idea as to Xane’s whereabouts. Liv?” he asks with more than a bit of snark, his concern over my internal struggle all but forgotten.
“He will join us tomorrow,” I say shortly.
“And Sebastian?” CK asks, casually.
I frown at him. “You don’t know?” I ask. “Have you not seen him?”
He shakes his head. “No, I haven’t seen anyone since I left you in March,” he admits cautiously.
“Oh,” I say, somewhat taken aback. I had assumed that Sebastian would go to him. “He is still in the Fae Kingdoms. I haven’t seen him for several weeks.”
“Is he okay?” CK asks. I can see it takes a great effort for him to ask me about his own charge.
“As well as he can be, I guess,” I say. It isn’t very reassuring, I know, but the last time I saw Sebastian he was a mess. Granted, a well-held together mess, but he wasn’t fooling me. He hates being King, he hates his brothers, he hates this civil war, he hates being away home, he hates being away from me, basically he is just hating on everything and everyone at the moment.
“May I inquire as to the girl’s well-being?” he asks, his eyes everywhere except on mine.
“You may,” I state just as formally. “Devon is being more attentive to her. It’s the best he can do, so you will not go near him or say anything else about this to him. Are we clear?”
He nods once, his eyes on Cole in an inquisitive stare that makes me also look at my husband. What I see there surprises me. I see guilt written all over his face, before he tries to adjust his features to CK’s impassive face. I see that I am not the only one who hasn’t mastered it.
“Cole?” I ask him. “Do you know something?”
“No,” he lies to me blatantly.
“Cole?” I snap at him.
“Devon will speak to you when he wants to. It’s not for me to say anything,” he says firmly.
I am about to blast him from all sides, but at CK’s slight shake of his head, I don’t. “Listen to him, Aefre. Let the boy come to you when he wants to.”
I sigh and with a glare at Cole, I drop it. I don’t like that he has a secret from me about my own fucking charge.
And he knows it.
We arrive back at the country manor in record time and we all pile out, glad to be back in a home setting and with each other. Grayson unloads the luggage we had to haul around with us as we enter. I call for Lincoln, but there is no answer so he must not be here yet. That leaves me, Cole, and CK to stand in the Entrance Hall, only just a little bit awkwardly. I am dying to ask how this is going to work now, but I chicken out much to my own annoyance. As far as I am concerned, it is up to CK now. He is the eldest and most composed of the three of us and I wait for his lead on what to do. So does Cole, which only surprises me a little bit. He must be feeling very out of sorts with this and I make a mental note to ensure that he is happy and well taken care of when the time comes.
I don’t have to wait much longer as CK takes my hand and leads me upstairs. I hold my hand out for Cole’s and he grabs it like a lifeline. We trail upstairs, in silence, and CK pushes open the door to mine and Cole’s bedroom. Only now it is mine, Cole’s, and CK’s bedroom. I have thought of this particular moment many times over the last year. However, the reality is somewhat different to how I had fantasized. I always pictured myself firmly in control, the sexy Vampire Queen, taking her two lovers with great confidence and abandon. But right here, right now I am like a deer in headlights. It is absurdly nerve-wracking because we are now going to be together as a true ménage à trois. If this goes badly, it sets the precedent for a lifetime of bad sexual encounters and I am not so sure I can handle that.
CK smiles at me. His made-just-for-me smile and I relax then. We have never had bad sex before and we aren’t about to start now.
“You are nervous?” he asks me with a slight smirk. “I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
I giggle and look at Cole, who is looking slightly nervous himself. “Come,” I say and pull him closer to the bed. He hesitates and I can see his indecision and his doubts as to whether he has made a mistake with his offer. He follows me, as does CK, and then I turn and start to undress myself. He won’t be able to resist me, and he will relax. I slowly undo all of the buttons on my shirt and reveal my naked breasts to him as I slide it off my shoulders. CK is on me in an instant as I knew he would be, to help speed this along. The sooner we get on the bed, the sooner we can all just get into it. Cole’s eyes go straight to CK’s hands on my breasts and that gets him moving. He strips off his clothes as he watches me closely, trying his bes