by Eve Newton
“So?” he asks. “Will you look at it?”
“Of course.” I take it from him again and turn towards the dining table to sit and peruse his findings.
“Perfect,” I say to him after a few minutes, even though I don’t really have much clue what I am looking at. They all seem decent. Good jobs, I even recognize one of the names, an investment banker, but never had a face to place with it until now.
“Do you even know what you are looking at?” he says with an amused chuckle at me, clearly reading my thoughts.
“Not really,” I admit, abashed. “But I trust you completely, so I assume you have only picked the best and brightest.”
“That I have. No losers for us.” He laughs out loud and I join in before CK sidles over to us and asks quietly, “Aefre, can we have that talk now, about that thing?”
I shiver as he calls me that, remembering Lance called me that in my dream, but I nod. “Yes. We’ll go in the bedroom.” I squeeze Lincoln’s hand as I lead CK away and close the bedroom door. I lift my hand to the door and run my palm down it. I am creating a version of the shadow cover that stops people from being able to see in, only twisting it to make it so that no one can hear us. A soft zing followed by a shimmer, bubbles up around us. “Don’t want eavesdroppers on this conversation,” I say and step back straight into his arms.
“Yes, I want this to just be ours,” he whispers as he closes his arms around me, trailing his hands lightly over my breasts and bringing them together over my, thankfully still very flat, stomach. He sighs and takes advantage of being so close to my neck and drops his fangs straight into me to feed. I start to tingle all over, and I need him. I need to erase whatever it was that Vivienne did to him. He pulls back and I turn in his arms, kissing him. Before I can say anything, he pulls away and says, “I need you, Aefre. I can’t bear it any longer that the last time we were together was in that elevator.”
“And I can’t bear it that the last time you were with someone it was Vivienne,” I say hypocritically but he chuckles anyway, saying, “I told we didn’t…”
“Fuck. I know. Still…” I pull him to me, and he picks me up, pushing me back against the wall, hands already up my dress. I struggle to get him out of his jacket as he is reluctant to tear his hands away from me, but he does eventually, and it drops to the ground followed quickly by his shirt that I rip off him. I run my hands up his chest as he rips my knickers off me, and I work to get him free of his pants. The second I do, he is inside me. It occurs to me that we hardly ever engage in foreplay. It’s a good thing I am always ready for him. I decide to ask him about that, if I remember, as a wave of pleasure washes over me from his vigorous thrusts that has me coming quickly and him following shortly thereafter.
He spins so his back is against the wall and he sinks to the floor with me now sitting on his lap. “Better?” I ask him.
“No, it’s exactly the same,” he complains. “I need you in my bed.”
I giggle at him. “Why do we hardly ever seem to go slowly? Even in bed?”
“Because I can’t keep my hands off you and when I touch you, all I want is to be inside you,” he says instantly.
Oh. “Well, I won’t argue with that,” I say shyly.
“Tomorrow, I propose we don’t leave the bed. Do that bubble thing you just did, and we can just stay in it until you have to be back on Thursday. I don’t care if the world ends while we are away, I just want to be with you and have you all to myself.”
“Now, I definitely won’t argue with that. Although…”
“What?”
“I told Cole we would go somewhere else. It’s just weird, if we stay here.”
“We will go to Ponte. It’s perfect.”
I nod. “That’s what he said.”
He looks at me in surprise. “He did?”
“Yes. He knows the score, CK, and he wants me to be happy. I just wish the two of you would get along.”
He gives me a searching look. “I’ll try harder,” he says eventually. “I want you to be happy too.”
“I know. Thank you for saying that,” I say, casually trailing my hands up and down his chest as he has been tracing small circles on my thighs. I can’t keep my hands off him, either.
“So, how do we do as we have been requested?”
“It’s easy enough, but, I’m a bit worried.” I chew my lip.
“Why? Is it dangerous?” he asks, concerned.
“No, no, that’s not why I am worried.”
“Why then?”
“I…I’m not ready…if it works sooner than they think,” I admit reluctantly.
“Oh, Aefre. It seemed clear to me that they had been trying for quite a while. They just need us to get the ball rolling. She wanted this, the Future you. You saw that. Who is to say that Future you isn’t you in a year's time?”
“I suppose. It was so strange seeing us like that, wasn’t it?”
“Happy and so much in love, completely in sync with one another and married? Yes, I must admit it was quite strange. But it was perfect. They are perfect. I cannot wait until that is us.” He kisses me softly and I want to ask him about Sebastian, but he won’t have any answers for his future self’s actions, and it will probably ruin the mood.
“Shall we then?” he asks, pulling away.
“Yes. We need to share blood and then I will say the ritual and you just need to repeat it. It’s in Latin so you won’t have trouble following it.”
“I should hope not, seeing as it is my native language,” he says sardonically, and I have the grace to look apologetic.
“Sorry, I just meant that it is one of the few spells in the Grimoire that is in Latin. Most of them are in a Demonic text that I don’t understand and I’m not sure that I can perform them correctly without instruction.”
“From Xane,” he snarls, and I brush his face with my hand.
“Shush,” I say quietly and take a few seconds to try and locate the undoing of the curse spell, which my brain finds, but again it’s in text I don’t understand. I quickly mutter it in my head, hoping that I have it right and hoping that Future me knows what she is talking about.
“You will have to slash my palm,” I tell him. “I don’t know how to get hold of that dagger that cuts me.”
“I’ll do yours if you do mine,” he says with a smile.
“Deal,” I say and hold my palm out. He smiles apologetically and slashes a deep, agonizing cut across my hand. I flinch and repeat the action on him but with none of the pain for him. Lucky fucker.
I place my palm to his and he grips my fingers tightly. “We should make love while we do it. It will increase the strength of the spell,” I whisper.
“I am ready when you are,” he says.
Oh yes, he sure is. I raise myself up over him and sink slowly onto him as he grips my hip with his other hand.
I start to mutter the words from the pages in my head as I move over him and my magickal wind starts to swirl around us. The candles scattered around the room flare up as I light them with my mind, the flames licking the air. The wind changes to a fiery vortex the same as when Xane and I performed this ritual and I hope against hope that CK never finds out about that. I carry on, muttering the chant as he picks up the words and says them after me.
“Do you feel it?” I whisper to him when the words are complete.
He nods, his eyes wide with wonder. “I feel your Power. Christ, Aefre.” He closes his eyes and I do as well and kiss him deeply as our blood flows through each other’s vein’s, the Power of the ritual keeping the wounds opens to allow the sharing of our blood, and we come together, crushing each other’s hands as our wounds heal completely.
“Fuck me,” he says, opening his eyes. “That was incredible.”
“I know.”
“You are more Powerful than you know, Aefre. Why don’t you use it?”
“I’m scared,” I say softly.
“What of?”
“Remember what Tiamat said that fi
rst time? About not letting it corrupt me? I’m scared that it will. And need I already remind you of alternate me? Other CK said the Power had gone to her head. I don’t want to end up like that.”
“You will never end up like that.”
“How do you know? Maybe your other self said that to her, five hundred years ago.”
“I won’t let it,” he says. “We will be together soon; a true couple and I will be your anchor.”
I smile at him as I stand up, adjusting my clothes. “One of these days we should really disrobe entirely. Might be slightly more romantic,” I say as I pick up his ripped shirt and hand it to him.
“I didn’t peg you as the romantic type. What do you expect me to do with this?” he asks, taking it.
“It might be nice, once in a while, to be swept off my feet. Put it on,” I say and shrug. “I thought you might like everyone to see how I ripped it off you to get my hands on you.” I wink at him and he laughs.
“Noted. I didn’t think of it that way,” he admits and quickly puts it on, minus all the buttons and very clear claw mark slashes down the front. “Yes. I like this look,” he adds as he puts his jacket on. I am staring at the photo on the bedside cabinet of Cole and me, the one of us downstairs. CK sees me staring at it and comes across to me. “You will still be together,” he says softly. “You saw he was still there in the future.”
“Yes, but he was in pain. He didn’t leave me because he wanted to. Something happened and he gave up on me, on us.”
“And I will be eternally grateful,” he says but at my look he adds, “I won’t apologize for wanting to be with you, Aefre, so don’t expect me to not be happy.”
I just nod and we move over to the door where I undo the spell. Can’t say that I am all that surprised when I open it, and everyone is standing there with their ears pressed close. Eavesdropping toads.
“May we help you?” CK says, all smug.
“Err, we were worried, we couldn’t hear anything, and we couldn’t get in,” Devon says.
“That was the idea,” CK replies, sliding his arm around me and bringing the attention to his ripped shirt. “In fact, come tomorrow until Thursday, we wish to be completely undisturbed. We are going away, and no one is to follow us or try to find us.”
“But what if there is an emergency?” Cade asks.
“You will be coming with us,” I say with a hard look at CK who shrugs. He isn’t bothered about Cade as he knows he won’t be a distraction.
“Fine,” he says. “But find me something to do other than sit around and watch you two.”
“Only in your dreams would you be sitting around watching us,” I snort. “Where we are going, you will have plenty to keep you occupied and Nico will be there.”
“I can assure you, Mrs. O’Dell, that my dreams do not consist of you. In any manner. Especially after that witch-you arrived here earlier.” He shudders in distaste.
“Oh, tried it on with you, did she?”
“Lizzie, she tried it on with all of us,” Devon complains. “I am quite concerned she is going to make good on her threat and try to come back.”
“Agreed,” Lincoln says with a gulp. “I didn’t like her.”
“You didn’t seem to be complaining when I came to rescue you,” I say slyly to which everyone wolf whistles at him and he blushes profusely.
“I never said she wasn’t hot,” he says, thoroughly embarrassed. “Just that I didn’t like her.”
“Well, rest assured I will protect you from her if she comes back,” I say with a smile and he beams back at me.
“Now for that I don’t mind you swooping in to be the hero.”
“Good. Now if you all don’t mind, I need some time alone. It’s going to be a hectic next few days and I need a bit of peace after events yesterday,” I say.
“I don’t want to leave you on your own,” Devon says and frowns at me.
“I won’t be. Cade is staying.” There are grumbles all around until I say, “That is his job. How is he supposed to help me if he isn’t near me?”
Cade steps forward now and exerts some authority over my group. “Get out,” he says boldly.
They all glare at him but he stands his ground and affirms, “You heard the lady. She wants some peace. Give her some.”
I glow at him and his protection of me. Yes, he is definitely the man for the job, I think, as they all back out of the room, in bad grace, but they go nonetheless, wary of his Hunter magick.
“Thank you,” I say to him as he closes the door.
“No problem. Although, are you sure you want me around as well?”
“I’m just going to be in the bedroom getting a bit of space. You don’t need to come in there with me.”
“Glad to hear it,” he mutters. “Anyway, I have this contract to look over that Sebastian gave me earlier.”
“Sebastian?” I ask, confused. “What for?” I hold my hand out and see it is terms of agreement for being in my employ, no doubt courtesy of my overbearing, control-freak sire. “Well, don’t take anything in it personally. If there is anything you don’t like, be sure to mention it,” I say.
“Oh, have no worries, Queen Liv. I will. I already have a list of ‘won’t do’s’, I want you to look at.”
I burst out laughing. “Yes, I am sure you do. Erm, I am going to disappear for a short while in about half an hour. I won’t be gone long, but if anyone asks, just tell them I’m sleeping or something.”
“Very well. I have a feeling I don’t want to know, but you should tell me where.”
“Probably not,” I mumble, “but I will just be downstairs in another suite.”
He sighs as he catches on that I am sneaking about to be with someone. “Just make sure you are safe,” he says. “You know, because I don’t want to have got this six-figure gig just to have it taken away because you got killed or something,” he adds gruffly to show his detachment of any concern for me.
I hide my smile and say, “Sure. I wouldn’t dare destroy your dream job with my untimely death.”
His eyes snap to mine in a rare show of real amusement and I just smile serenely and say, “He is friend, not foe. Don’t worry about it.” I walk back into the bedroom, closing the door quietly.
Chapter 6
I take a long soak in the tub, enjoying just being by myself. I almost grudgingly get out when it is time to go and meet Sebastian. I Astral down, hoping he is alone, and I land in front of him, making him jump a mile.
“Christ. Don’t you knock?” he snaps at me good-naturedly.
“I didn’t come via the door,” I say back to him. I Shift into Xerxei, looking badass if I do say so myself, and change into a very sheer, lacy negligee. Well, he said he might want to touch, might as well give him something to look at first.
“Very funny, Queenie.” But then he really looks at me and his mouth almost drops open, “Look at you. Did you come down here looking for more than just our deal?”
“Nope. You said you might want to touch, I have no problem as long as you touch only this,” I say and move my hand around my Xerxei person. “As soon as I Shift back to Liv, it’s hands off. Got it. And make it quick, the longer I am like this, my Vampire ties will be disintegrating, and they will know.” I don’t ask, I demand, and he just nods. “I trust you aren’t expecting any visitors?” I venture, meaning our sire and he shakes his head, apparently speechless.
“Fine. Sit.” I order him to the sofa, and he does as bid. I climb onto his lap. His hands are then all over me, sending sparks all over as I run my hands into his short blonde hair. “Lean back,” he whispers, and I do. He takes my nipple in his mouth through the lace and swipes his tongue over it. It’s like an electric charge goes through me as he runs his hands up my thighs. “Oh, Liv,” he whispers as he feels it too. “Look at me,” he says.
I look into his bright green eyes and his gaze bores into mine. I feel completely taken over with desire for him as he murmurs to me. I kiss him abruptly, cutting off what he
was saying to me and he pulls me to him briefly before he pushes me away, shaking his head. “No. Not like this,” I hear him say to himself but forget it as he just kisses me. He pushes my own hand to where he wants it and I start to move my fingers over me. He bites down on me, slowly drawing out my blood as I slowly bring myself to a climax. He groans and pulls back. “Shift,” he says, and I do, wondering what the change in attitude is with him. He pulls himself out and starts to stroke himself as I kiss him. He hesitantly kisses me back and then says, “Now,” and I bite down on him as he comes. As soon as I pull back from the bite, he takes my chin in his hand and mutters to me again, words I don’t follow and then he kisses me.
“You should go,” he says, pushing me gently away from him.
“This arrangement not working for you anymore?” I ask a bit worried because without something to offer him, he has no reason to keep my secret about Xane and our bond.
“No, it is. Too much. I want you all the time and properly,” he says sadly. “I need to pull back a bit or I am going to lose control.”
I nod. “We’ll go at your pace, and next time I’ll come dressed as a nun,” I joke, but he looks at me with a pained expression.
“Liv, I am being serious. You need to go now.”
Realizing that he is being completely serious, I say, “Sure.” But this time I go. I Astral back to my bedroom and feel very tired suddenly. I have time for a quick nap, so I climb into bed and I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.
“So, you fucked her this time?” CK asks with just the barest hint of resentment.
“No,” Sebastian says. “I couldn’t.”
They are talking in Sebastian’s suite and I am seeing and overhearing this conversation but from where, I am not sure.
“Couldn’t?” CK scoffs. “Oh, Sebastian!” he snaps.
Sebastian sighs. “It’s not what you are thinking.”
“So, you aren’t falling in love with her? I am not an idiot, my boy. I can see the signs.”