by Eve Newton
“You know?” she asks.
I sense her fear, as I was quite explicit the last time I saw her about keeping her hands to herself. “Yes. He tells me everything,” I say haughtily. And yes, I am a big fat liar, but I am not giving this woman the satisfaction of catching me on the back foot.
“Oh. You are not angry?” she asks, wary of another Queen-like smack down.
“I wouldn’t say that, but I know he did what he did only because of Sebastian.” I make this point to her, so she knows it was nothing to do with her.
She searches furtively for a few minutes and I decide to help to speed this along. “What did you lose?” I ask.
“My Faerie Silver,” she says to my amazement. “I have lost that damn cuff more times than I care to think about. I have looked everywhere else. It has to be here.”
“Cuff?” I ask her with a frown.
She nods absently and gets on her knees to look under the bed. Okay, this is weird, but I help and go to the other side of the bed to look. I find it straight away. “Here.” I stand and hold it out to her.
“Thanks,” she says gratefully. She takes it from me and puts it on.
I am burning with curiosity and, well, screw the damn cat. “Eloise gave you a bracelet?” I ask her.
Her eyes meet mine. She debates whether to talk to me. “Yes.” She slips it off her wrist again with ease. “Easier to punish me,” she says and shrugs. “I sometimes don’t even notice it is gone I am that used to having it off. One of the many reasons I am not sorry you ended her,” she adds quietly.
Her own sister not only turned her but also punished her? Extensively, by the sounds of it as well. What a bitch.
“You don’t have to look so horrified on my behalf. You know what a cruel bitch she was.”
“Erm, yes. I am surprised she would do that to her own sister though,” I say.
“We stopped being sisters the minute she became my sire.” She sits heavily on the bed and I actually feel sorry for her. “He is so in love with you,” she says out of the blue. “I envy that.”
Well, so much for feeling sorry for her, I narrow my eyes at her. “I love him,” she continues. “I have loved him since the day he first looked at me.”
Yeah, I get that. I blink but remain silent, wanting to know more but at the same time slightly terrified of what she might say.
“She loved him too. She wanted him more than anything she ever wanted in her whole long, goddamn life. But he was mine.”
I drop my shoulders and pull myself upright. No lovey, not yours.
“He was mine centuries before you were even born,” she says boldly but at my intense, angry glare, she amends, “I mean, he was more mine than hers. But I know he only went after me to piss her off. I didn’t care, I just wanted to be with him.”
He did what now?
“That first time, when he hurt me, I was scared, but then I felt relief. Relief from the agony of being what I am. What she made me. Her bitch.” She continues her tale as I just stand there, mouth agape.
“I wanted more, because it felt better to feel that, than self-loathing and disgust.”
“You don’t like what you are?” I ask her cautiously. I really don’t understand this reaction from Vampires. I mean, we are awesome. Who wouldn’t want to be like us?
“I grew to accept it. It isn’t what I wanted. She wanted it. So, she wasn’t alone.”
“Oh.” I seem to be saying that a lot tonight.
She just looks at me forlornly and I can see how very different she is from Eloise.
“You are nothing like your sister,” I say. I feel I should tell her that. That she wants to hear it. “I apologize for tarring you with the same brush. You look so much like her and with the whole Constantine thing, I got overprotective.”
She chuckles. “I don’t blame you. I can only imagine how much you hated her, after everything she did to you. I was glad when you came along though, in a way. You took her focus off me. She had someone else to hate.”
“If you knew she hated you, why did you carry on with him?” I ask.
“You are seriously asking me that?” Sarcasm if I ever heard it.
I clear my throat. “Well, I suppose that was a dumb question.”
“He asked you to marry him?”
“Who told you that?” I ask instead, suspiciously, as that isn’t for public knowledge.
“Sebastian,” she replies.
Of course, he did. Arse.
“Well, yes. In the future.”
“I would imagine so, as you are already married now,” she says with what appears to be a wicked glint in her eye.
“What of it?” I snap.
“Nothing at all. Your husband is quite the prize though. I wouldn’t give him up.”
“Oh, not you as well. What is it with your family and the men in my life?”
She shrugs. “You have good taste.”
We are interrupted at this point, so I don’t get to respond, by a very cautious CK who pokes his head in the door. “You were taking too long. Everything okay?” he asks, eyes only on me.
“Yes. Just fine. We found what Vivienne lost.”
“Good.” He looks relieved we aren’t trying to tear each other’s heads off and steps further into the room. Dressed, curse the man, only in sweats. Does he not realize the effect he has on women? I growl as Vivienne casts her eyes over him and she drops her gaze to the floor. He comes to me and kisses me, wrapping his arms around me in a show of…? I have no idea.
“Well, I got what I came for. I will leave you two alone,” she says sadly.
“Wait, Vivienne.” I pull away from CK, even though he tries to hold me back. I grab her wrist and clamp my hand over the Faerie cuff. I focus and squeeze and bend it to my will with a flash of heat. Heh! It worked. I amaze even myself sometimes. “Should stay on a little better now.” I shrug as she stares at me with all kinds of overwhelming emotions. “Thank you, my Queen,” she says, bowing her head. “I am truly sorry for everything my sister did to you. You didn’t deserve any of it, especially that.”
I bob my head but CK is at my side in an instant. “What did she do?”
She looks at him in surprise. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” he yells at her, gripping her skinny arm in his vice-like grip.
She cowers from him and looks at me. “You don’t know?” she repeats, and I shake my head in dread wondering what she is talking about. I thought she was just talking about CK.
“She was the one who made Lance go after you,” she whispers as CK growls and shakes her. I just stand there in disbelief.
“You knew this?” he shouts in her face. “You knew this, and you didn’t tell me?”
“I thought you knew. I only found out a few years ago. I thought you already knew,” she says desperately.
“If I knew, do you think she would have lived as long as she did? Fuck the sword, I would have found a way to kill her long before Aefre did.”
“CK, let her go. It isn’t her fault,” I say, coming to her defense much to her relief. “She isn’t her sister. What’s done is done and they are both dead now anyway.” I cross to him and take his arm, pulling him away from her. “There’s nothing to be done now.”
He glowers at her then me. “I will find a way to avenge you, my sweet. If I must go to the Spirit Realm myself to destroy them both again, I will do it.”
Vivienne is looking quite distressed now, so I smile at her reassuringly and say, “Perhaps it would be best to go now. I am glad we got a chance to speak.”
“So am I. I hope we can talk again soon. We have a lot in common, you and I.”
“Indeed,” I mutter. “However, know this, my sire will no longer be giving you your kicks. He is off the market in that respect.”
“And every other respect,” he adds to my utmost delight. Could I love him any more right now? No, I don’t think so.
“Noted,” she murmurs and pops back out of existence.
&nbs
p; “Oh, Aefre.” He turns to me with that look and I sigh.
“Don’t. There has been enough drama for tonight. I am sick of it. Please, can we just have a few moments without a big heart-to-heart or a throwdown?”
He smiles his made-for-me smile. “Of course. Anything you ask. And as much as I would like to pick up where we left off,” he points outside to the growing dawn, “you should get some sleep.”
“No, I don’t want to.” I shake my head.
“I will watch you, my love. I will not leave your side. I promise you, you will be safe.”
I reluctantly let him lead me back to my bedroom and he tucks me up in bed. “Sleep now, my love. I will keep you from harm,” he whispers to me and I drop off soon after, because who am I kidding? I’m exhausted and can’t keep my eyes open.
Chapter 12
I wiggle in my dreamless sleep, I assume, sometime later as the sunlight is streaming into the bedroom now. I don’t want to open my eyes as I can’t tell if this is real or a dream. If it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake but if it’s real I want in. I chance a glance down and yes, my eyes are open and yes, my sire is licking me, thrusting his tongue into me. Oh, my.
“Isn’t this taking advantage?” I murmur, pushing my hands into his hair to keep him close anyway.
He chuckles and pulls away slightly. “Maybe, but oh, Christ, you are so beautiful, I couldn’t wait any longer.”
“Good thing I love you or I would have to kick your arse for being presumptuous.”
“I thank the old gods every day that you love me,” he says, and he resumes his task of bringing me pleasure with his perfect, perfect tongue.
There is a knock at the door, as I moan, “Yes!” and the door opens, much to my horror.
I wasn’t bidding you entrance, you moron!
CK looks up from his ministrations and asks, “May we help you?” in that deliciously dismissive tone that I adore him for.
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Cade snaps. “Why ask me to come in when you are like that?” He holds his papers up in front of his face to hide the naked sex scene in front of him.
“You weren’t bid,” I snap.
“I heard you say yes…oh, shit.” He ruffles the papers closer to his face, so he doesn’t have to see any more than he has to.
CK snickers. “I like him. You can keep him.”
“Glad you approve,” I mutter as I push him away, smiling inside as he knows fair few men wouldn’t not be looking at us. Well, me. Ahem…
I grab my discarded robe and throw it on, tying it tight and then throwing the covers over CK to his amusement.
“I assume you are still standing there because it is important?” I bark at him and he peeks out from behind his cover. Relieved to see us both covered up he lowers the pages and shoves them at me.
“Obviously. Here. The three of us have been working tirelessly all night while you two have been going at it. Everything we could find on your mystery nemesis.”
“We three?” I ask, taking the pages from him. There must be ten in total, all printed out neatly in a size ten font.
“Myself, Nico, and Serena,” he says.
I nod. “Very well. Thank you. I will read it immediately.”
He nods back and excuses himself with great relief. I frown and stare at the pages. CK is at my side in seconds grabbing it from me. He scans the pages – all ten of them – in less than a minute. Oh, did I mention Initial Vampires have the power to speed read?
“Well?” I ask, hands on hips.
“Nothing that can’t wait,” he says, flinging the document onto the bedside cabinet and dropping to his knees in front of me, undoing my robe in the process. I start to protest that it can’t wait, until he pushes his tongue against my clit, and I forget what I was going to say.
I lose my robe completely and push my hands into his hair. I clench my fists and pull him away, forcing him back and dropping straight down onto his huge cock.
“Oh, fuck, yes,” he murmurs as I move over him.
He grabs me and rolls us over, pushing me into the carpet as he pounds into me. While he may not have updated this room as much as the rest of the castle, I am at least grateful that he once carpeted the place. Those old stone floors were merciless in situations like these.
I roll us back over as I want control. He chuckles and lets me take him momentarily before he pushes us over again. Enjoying this game of dominance tag immensely, I again roll us over, so I am straddling him. He shakes his head at me and pushes us back over. “Mine,” he says before he clamps down on my lower lip. We are by now in a patch of sunlight over by the far window and as we realize this, he pulls back and picks me up in his arms and carries me to the bed. Throwing me down and flinging himself on me, he finishes us both off.
Panting, I stroke his head that is resting on my chest. “I love you, my darling,” I whisper.
He looks up at me then serious. “You haven’t called me that in centuries. You said it the other day in the bath.”
I blink at him, not knowing why I haven’t said it, not even realizing I hadn’t said it.
“Because of Devon,” he says. “I know you call him your Darling Boy. I heard you call him that last year.”
Really? I stopped using it because I made it a pet name for Dev? Ergh, pet. Let’s not use that term. Rather, an endearment then.
“Jealous?” I murmur, knowing I am likely signing my own death warrant.
“Very,” he says back with a quick nip to my nipple, which leads to him dropping his fangs and well…
After an intense orgasm, he laughs at me. “So easy,” he says again.
“Only for you,” I say again.
He trails little kisses down in between my breasts and down to my stomach. He pauses after he delves his tongue into my belly button.
“How is this going to work?” he asks then, uncertain and almost confused as he runs his fingers lightly over my stomach.
“How is what going to work?”
“The baby? When we have one, how is it going to work? I mean Vampires don’t grow or change or age? How is it going to work?”
I snort at him much to his annoyance and say, “Oh, my love, it won’t be a Vampire. It will be a Dragon.”
He looks thoroughly put out by that. “You mean it won’t be any part of me?”
“Of course, it will, you idiot. I won’t be making it by myself.”
“Explain,” he snaps at me, but I don’t take offense to his tone.
“As you said, Vampires don’t grow or change or age. A Vampire cannot be born. He or she will be a human-born Dragon. Like me.”
“Like you? What about me?” he sounds so sad; I almost want to laugh at him but don’t.
“You will be his or her father,” I say.
“But she won’t be like me. Not any part of me.”
“That is where your original plan comes into play,” I say, playing with his hair. I do love this uncertain side of him. Not the wholly vulnerable side. That unnerves me but this, oh this is very, very sexy.
“No. I have changed my mind about that. I don’t want that for her,” he says forcefully.
“What?” I say, now confused myself.
“When it was just a child that we raised together that was very much my wish, to turn her. Together. Not now.”
“Why not?”
“She will be ours. Ours, Aefre. Our flesh and blood. I want us to be her parents not her sires.”
Yes, I understand that. I don’t want that either. “We will have to find someone close then to do it.”
“Pfffft. Not likely. You think I am letting any boy near her, to do what we just did? You are sorely mistaken if that is your plan.” I do laugh out loud at him now, for a very, very long time. Hypocrite!
He takes my laughter with good grace and is pleased when I say, “It’s hilarious to hear you say that but, I have to agree. I will stake any Vampire myself who dares come near her, or him, with their fangs or any other parts.”
�
��Oh, to hear you say that warms my heart, my sweet. So, what do we do?”
“Raise her as a Dragon,” I say simply, knowing I have used just “her” for the first time.
“I don’t like that either,” he grumps.
“Well, we don’t really have much choice.”
“We always have a choice, my love. I say we hold off on any decisions and see first what she comes out as.”
“What she comes out as?” I choke back my indignation. “She isn’t a fucking recipe that we will throw together and chuck in the oven.”
“You know what I mean,” he says, abashed. “We can’t say for certain.”
I glare at him and he smiles winningly at me. “I love talking about this with you.”
He wins me over as, I must admit, I am getting quite excited about it myself. Although, I will never admit to him, or Cole, or anyone else for that matter.
I disappoint him though as I crawl out from under him and pull on my robe. “I need to read these now,” I say, picking up the papers Cade left. “I’m going to get a coffee and sit in the library for a bit.”
“I’ll come with you,” he says instantly.
“No, baby. Please. I need a few minutes to myself to concentrate.” At his upset look, I add quietly, “You know I can’t when you are around me.” He brightens considerably as I kiss him and make my way barefoot downstairs to the kitchens for a cup of badly needed coffee.
Chapter 13
I enter the kitchens and my heart stops as I see the door to the dungeon. I walk over slowly, placing the papers down on the big wooden table as I pass. I reach the door and hesitantly place my hand on it. No wards this time as there is no reason. Tears spring to my eyes and I can’t believe that only a couple of short weeks have gone since I killed him.
“Morning, Mrs. O’Dell,” Marguerite says, making me jump.
I turn and clear my throat. “Hello, Marguerite. Call me Liv, remember. It’s nice to see you again.”
“And you. It has been a while. I’m glad you are back.”
I smile at her and, casting one last glance at the door, I move away.