by Eve Newton
“Fuck me, Liv. I have to say I prefer you-you.”
“Thanks, sweetie. That’s good to know.”
“See what I have to put up with?” the other CK says to me from the doorway. “I think I would probably prefer you as well.”
I turn to him. “She is a terror. Get her under control,” I snap at him and he snickers at me.
“If only it were that simple. Perhaps you may be able to exert some control over her?”
“Doubtful. She seems too much for me to handle.”
He pushes off from the doorway where he was standing. “I don’t want to go back.”
“You have to. You don’t belong here.”
“Please, Aefre,” he says my name hesitantly. “The world we come from; it isn’t right. It isn’t how it should be. The Power has gone straight to her head, and now she is Empress. I fear for us.”
“I can’t help that. I don’t even understand it. Forwards and backwards is one thing but where you come from is parallel to here, but everything is different. I can’t get my head around that.”
We hear yelling coming from the cabin and I rush to the aid of my boys, but they seem to have it under control. CK specifically. “Touch me like that again, I don’t care who you look like, I will end you,” he growls.
“I don’t look like her, I am her, you idiot,” she snarls at him.
“Oh no, you are not. Not in the slightest.” He tackles her and spins her around to face me, saying, “That is the real Aefre. You are just some placeholder in an alternative universe.”
Her eyes narrow in hatred as she hears those words and she says, “I am Empress of the Dragon Realms and The Underworld. I am more powerful than all of you put together.”
“Then use your Power to take you home. You are not welcome here.”
“Seconded,” Devon says quickly.
“But, Dev, baby. If I stay, we would be married. Isn’t that what you want?” she says pseudo-sweetly.
“No,” he says shortly. “Not to you.”
Her CK takes her by the arm now. “Take us back, Liv,” he says quietly. “We don’t belong here.”
“Fine,” she huffs. “But don’t think you have seen the last of me. My world has become boring, I quite fancy taking a crack at yours.”
“Step foot here again and I will take you down myself,” I tell her and her eyes glint.
“I look forward to seeing you try,” she says and thankfully she blinks out of existence, taking a very sad-looking CK with her.
I flop down onto the sofa and everyone comes to sit with me, next to me, at my feet. “Don’t ever leave again,” Cole says, clinging on to me. “I thought I had lost you.”
“Same here,” I mutter.
“So where exactly did you go?” Devon asks. “In the first instance.”
“We already told you,” I say.
“No, you must have explained it to the other us.”
“Oh.” I am beyond weary now. “Xane, I need you,” I say instead. “I need your energy.”
“Of course,” he says, smug to be asked, and takes my hand in his. I just sit there, as I don’t even have the energy to pull on his energy.
“Liv?” he says.
“Hm, what?” I ask.
“Get her some blood,” CK snaps. “She doesn’t even have the energy to feed that way. It’s ridiculous.”
“I’ll get it,” Jess says. “My first duty as your assistant.”
“Thank you,” CK says shortly, avoiding her gaze. I find the energy in me somewhere to chuckle at him.
“I don’t think she is yours anymore, my love.”
“Yours?” Sebastian says in horror. “She was yours?”
“Seems so,” he says, thoroughly embarrassed. “You may let go of her hand now,” he says to Xane, who just shrugs but doesn’t let go.
“As soon as she has enough energy, she can feed from me.”
“I guess time travel uses up all your reserves,” Cole says. “Tell us where you went.”
CK fills them in as best that he can, while I drink the blood that Jess hands me rather ironically. Once fed, I feel a little better and try to add what I can to the story. “Somehow, when CK and I were arguing and I wished to be back in the past, the Power took me literally. I am still struggling to understand how it is possible, but it just worked the same way as Astralling. I thought it and it happened. Took me a few goes to get it right but then, the same can be said for anything I suppose. Practice makes perfect and all that. But past and future aside the fact that a whole other world exists parallel to here, is even more disconcerting.”
“You can say that again,” Lincoln mutters and everyone agrees.
“But how come everyone ended up switching places?” Devon asks a damn good question.
“It didn’t happen every time. When we went back to the past, we saw ourselves there,” CK says.
“I can only imagine that we aren’t supposed to be occupying each other’s spaces. Although why Past us remained in their time is a mystery.” I add.
“Perhaps because when you thought about going to the past it was for a specific purpose to change it,” Xane says. “When you tried to get back you were literally bouncing around with no sense of where you were going and as you were the one doing the time traveling, you ended up pushing the other’s out of their own existences. Once you all realized that the other’s existed, and in fact that time travel was an actuality, it made it possible for you to be in the same spaces.”
We all stare at him. Where did he pull that from?
He shrugs and says, “It’s just a theory.”
Well, can’t say as I have a better one and by the looks of everyone else, neither do they.
He holds his hand out to me. I take it and we disappear into the bedroom for a bigger feeding session. I pull on his energy, taking enough to make myself feel stronger again.
“I love that you take it from me. So, I can make you stronger.” He dips his head and kisses me and says, “I can make you so strong, Liv.”
“Oh, Xane,” I whisper. “I do want you. I do feel everything you are, but they won’t understand. The rest of them, they won’t understand.”
“I just care about us. Just let it be for us. You don’t need anybody else. I love you.” He kisses me again, but I pull away as I sense Cole at the door. I step back as he comes in. “Are you finished?” he asks. “We should get off this jet and to the hotel.”
“Yes, of course. What time is it, anyway? I feel like we have been gone for hours but probably haven’t really,” I say.
“It’s two in the morning. We should get you in bed. You look exhausted.”
“I’m not that exhausted,” I say to him with a smile and I sense Xane’s grimace.
“Aefre. We do need to talk about what our future selves said to us about that…thing,” CK says to me as we disembark.
“We will. I promise. I just need to forget about everything for a few hours. This has been one big mind-fuck.”
“Well, I won’t argue with that. Do come and find me as soon as you wake.”
“What did they say to you?” Cole asks. “They told us they couldn’t tell us anything. Except, well…” he trails off.
“What did they say to you?” CK and I ask.
Devon answers for him as he hesitates, “They said that their Liv wouldn’t have brought them back to this time and, I quote, ‘that they didn’t want to stay here and live out the next hundred years again. No fucking way.’” I notice Cole look gratefully at him.
“Hm,” I say.
“What do you know?” he asks.
“She said I need to get back to my rightful place, my family. That too much damage has been done. Something is coming. I can feel it.”
“You said that yesterday," Cole says. “Do you think this is the start of it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how much damage we did by jumping all over the time-space continuum.”
We are greeted by Grayson at this point, and Dawn
, who caught the commercial flight back and somehow made it here before us.
I snuggle up to Cole in the limo and fall asleep in his arms.
“Liv,” he says gently. “We’re here.”
I reluctantly open my eyes and stretch. “Already?” I complain.
“I can carry you up if you’d like?” he says.
“No, I think that will attract too much attention,” I reply with a small smile as he helps me out. I cling to him as he does me, both of us still feeling the loss of the other with all of this crazy time travel business.
Soon, we are upstairs in our hotel suite. Devon lingers, sending Jess packing with Grayson to her own room. She is distraught, but at least she hasn’t gone feral. Yet.
“I know you are tired,” Cole says to me, “but I need you Liv. I am desperate for you. I thought I had lost you.”
“You will never lose me,” I tell him with a big yawn. “Stay?” I add to Devon.
He nods eagerly and climbs on the bed.
“We will do all the work. You just lie there,” Cole chuckles. “Please, I need you.”
“Well, I’m not going to refuse an offer like that,” I say with a snort. “Go ahead.” I lie back and they dive on me, kissing me all over, sucking my nipples till they ache, nipping at me and gently clawing me into a state of the utmost desire. “Oh, yes,” I gasp. “Oh, The gods. I love you, both.”
“I love you, Liv,” Cole whispers as he makes love to me so slowly, while Devon kisses me deeply. Neither ask for anything in return, just to please me and I let them, loving them even more.
I fall into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning. I am half awake, and that hasn’t happened to me since being held by Lance. I usually go flat out, especially since becoming Queen. I eventually feel myself dropping off.
I am standing in the main kitchen at Castle Black. I am looking through a cupboard for something and I feel different. Something feels very, very odd with me.
“There you are,” his voice says to me from the doorway and I turn with a smile.
“You’re back,” I say, moving towards him.
“I hurried back for you, and for this one.” He smiles back and places his hand gently on my very swollen belly. He drops his head and kisses me there and says, “Aefre, I am so happy. I have everything I ever wanted. You as my wife, making this baby with you, this miracle child. The first of its kind, and ours. I love you.”
I give him a coy look and pull him to me for a kiss, saying, “Yes, ours. Yours and mine. As it should be. I love you, Lance. I love you so much.”
I awake suddenly, my eyes popping open. In the dark, I think I see a shadow hovering over me, and I sit upright, but there’s no one there. I put my hand on my, thankfully, very flat stomach and sigh in relief. Just a dream. Well, a nightmare. I used to dream of Lance often during my time with him and after as well, but it was always the horror he inflicted upon me. To dream this about him is disturbing and unnatural. CK will throw a shitfit if I ever tell him about it. Shaking my head to clear away the nasty thoughts, I check on Cole. He is fast asleep. He’ll be getting up soon, so I leave him to sleep until his alarm goes off. Devon is also flat out, so I leave them both. I need to get up now, I am restless. Not bothering with a robe, I get out of bed and head out to the sitting room to get a drink. Cole keeps an emergency stash in a secret compartment of the fridge, and I need to feed. I get a bottle and jump a mile when I notice someone standing by the windows.
“Xane!” I whisper snap at him. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”
“You were anxious. I came to see if you were okay. You weren’t joking about the three,” he says, turning towards me, pointing to the candles, his eyes ablaze at my naked stature. I magick on a robe, out of a sense of decency for Cole. He would not be happy if he came out and saw me parading around naked in front of a man, I seemingly have no bond to. Crap on toast. He is going to freak when he inevitably finds out that I’m connected to Xane in a way that is undeniable. I should perhaps start paving the way for that bombshell.
“I’m fine. What do you mean I was anxious? Were you just in my bedroom?” I ask suspiciously.
“Don’t get dressed on my behalf,” he says instead, coming closer.
“I’m not. My husband won’t be happy, and he is due up soon.”
“Oh, so you want to stand naked in front of me?” He tilts his head.
“Just answer the question,” I snap at him again.
“No, I wasn’t just in your bedroom. I think you were dreaming, as it didn’t seem immediate. Did you have a bad dream, Liv?”
“Yes. It was most unpleasant,” I admit. “How do you know?”
“I know you. I am connected to you. I keep telling you, but you keep denying your feelings, so you don’t feel it as I do.” He steps even closer until he is right in front of me, gazing down at me from his foot-and-a-bit height advantage over me. “I do love you in just your bare feet,” he murmurs, curling my hair around my ear gently. “So, fragile.”
“Don’t forget that looks can be deceiving,” I murmur back, aware that only a few days ago, Cole had said the same thing to me in this very hotel suite.
He chuckles. “Oh yes. I have no doubt that you could kick my ass if you chose to.”
“Does that turn you on?” I ask wickedly.
“You turn me on,” he murmurs back and drops his mouth to mine. “I need you again, Liv. It’s been too long.”
His words bring me to my senses. I step back, my hand on his chest. “Not here. Not now,” I say, but that isn’t what I meant to say. I meant to say an outright “No”, but it didn’t come out that way.
He realizes this and smiles slowly. “Just say when and where and I will be there,” he whispers against my lips, crushing me to him for another kiss before he steps back swiftly and Astraports out just as Cole steps into the sitting room. I sigh. Well, at least he took the high road and left instead of letting Cole find him here.
“Hey,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “What are you doing up? It’s still early for you.”
“I know. Just hungry.” I hold up the bottle.
“Did you sleep okay? You seemed to be moving around a bit, it’s not like you. Devon was close to putting you on the sofa so that he could get some sleep.”
“Oh, nice,” I say sarcastically. “But no, I had a bit of a bad dream but it’s fine. Just a dream.”
“What about?” he asks, concerned.
“Oh, just all this time travel has played havoc with my mind. It’s nothing.”
He accepts that and comes to kiss me. “I have time, if you would be so inclined, to take a shower with me.”
“Well, no way am I turning down the opportunity to see you wet and naked,” I say. “Although, it would be rude to leave Devon out seeing as he is in our bed.” I wink at him and he laughs.
“Very rude,” he says. “Go get him up and I’ll bring you some more blood.”
I give him a grateful smile and disappear back into the bedroom to wake up my gorgeous charge by sucking on his cock so hard, he comes within seconds of waking. Then everything and everyone else is forgotten as they lead me to the bathroom.
Chapter 5
After Cole leaves for work, I am suddenly inundated with everyone coming up to see me and spend time with me. I think the time traveling events have shaken everybody. Devon refuses to leave my side, and I am happy with that arrangement. Dawn went with Cole, to her delight, and Jess is locked up in her bedroom with the formidable Grayson watching her every move, so it’s just me and the boys.
I sit serenely while everyone does my bidding, but my mind is only thinking about that awful dream. I mean, I can understand the whole baby part, although I do dread the idea of gaining weight like that. Future me had better be right in saying it will be her and not me, but the Lance bit? I shiver in horror. I was happy in the dream, like it was everything I wanted. Somehow CK got replaced by his evil charge and I don’t like that, at all. Even in just a dream it seems s
o wrong and a massive betrayal, but thank the old gods, Lance is dead. Deader than dead by my own hand, I saw him go and that is a great comfort to me.
“What’s on your mind, little one?” Sebastian says to me, as Devon is called over by CK, probably to be berated about his lack of sire responsibility by the most responsible Vampire on the planet. Poor boy. But it had to be done. I do not need a rogue teenage Vampire on the loose to deal with. “You seem a thousand miles away,” he adds as I stay quiet.
“I am,” I say, remembering then being kissed and touched by him in the future. “Nowhere you want to be though.” And that’s another thing bothering me, this whole notion that future CK has with Sebastian and me “taking care of him.” I mean, what is all that about?
“I want to be wherever you are,” he murmurs to me. “I am calling on my third.”
“Already?” I snap at him, causing CK to look at us sharply but then he turns away, carrying on his conversation with Devon, and Cade who has now joined them. Interesting. “You know you have to wait until Friday again, right?”
“Let me worry about that. Meet me in my suite in about two hours. Make your excuses. And remember what you promised me,” he whispers to me and leaves me again.
I sigh as Lincoln shoves his iPad under my nose. “Here,” he says.
“What is it?” I ask as I take it from him.
“A list of six Wolf Shifters who have already asked.”
“Oh, sweetie. I don’t need to approve anyone. Just include them.”
“No, this is our Pack, our decision,” he says forcefully, to which everyone stops conversing among themselves and stares at us.
“Your Pack?” CK croaks out, looking upset.
I hand the iPad back to Lincoln and stand next to him. “Yes. Our Pack.”
“When did you decide this?” he asks softly.
Lincoln answers for me and says, “Dragon clarity is something else,” before he lowers his head to kiss me on the mouth. He would never disrespect Cole in that way but seeing that he is not around, he is exerting his authority as my Alpha in front of the others and it makes me warm and fuzzy inside. Can’t say that everyone else feels the same, though, as I pull away to mutinous glares, even from Sebastian, and he holds no claim over me, whatsoever. Strange.