by Eve Newton
“Want to tell me what’s on your mind?” I ask, squinting at him as he stays silent. I call two cold beers to us from the bar fridge and hand him one, along with a pair of Ray-Bans. Impromptu-nude Astralling into the sunny garden comes with its issues.
“Thanks,” he mutters as he takes them from me. “I have been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days. Especially the last day, after your trip to the past and future, and the side…” He waves his hand about to indicate the alternate universe. “This other world you went to, it concerns me.”
“How so?” I ask, even though it concerns me too, but probably for different reasons. Namely all the kids that seem to be knocking about.
“We are married there,” he says. “We have been married there for five hundred and seven years. I don’t know what I am like there but if the other ‘you’ is any indication, I must be a bit of a prick.”
I stifle my laugh as he is being serious, so I say instead, “Well, you weren’t you. Not the ‘you’ I know and love. You were different. Harder, less patient, and definitely not fun.”
“Hm,” he says pensively. “Is that what us being married did to us? Turned me into an un-fun douche and you into a slutty power-hungry harpy?”
Harpy? I think, a bit offended, but then give in: other me is a complete cow. Note that I can’t argue with the ‘slutty power hungry’ part.
“Dev. They aren’t us. We don’t know how they started off.”
“Maybe. It has opened my eyes, though. If you asked me right now to marry you, I would go without a second thought for anyone else. I am in love with you, I always have been, Lizzie. What you said to me the other day…” he sighs. “Why did you never bring it up again? Why are we sitting here, in love with each other, and not married? I don’t understand it.”
I chew the inside of my lip. “I don’t know,” I say cautiously. “Is that what you want?” I add softly.
“Would’ve been nice to have the option. But I’m fucked now, aren’t I? You’re married to Cole, and apparently engaged to Constantine. Where the fuck do I fit into all of this?”
“Where you always have, right by my side,” I answer. “And if you mean when I’m with CK in the future, it has already been discussed, and is non-negotiable, that you will come to Ponte with me. Both of you.”
“Both of us?” He gives me a puzzled look.
“You and Cole,” I say.
He lets out a loud guffaw. “Oh, sure, just up sticks and move us all to Italy. I can only imagine the look on Constantine’s face when you told him that.”
I laugh too. “He wasn’t over the moon, but he will agree to it. He has no choice. The three of us are a package. Plain and simple.”
“You seriously think Cole will come too?”
I sigh. “I hope that in time he would. I wouldn’t expect him to straight away obviously.”
“You seem quite sure that he will leave you, though.”
“Charges always leave their sires. Even you, you stubborn fool.”
“Hm, well, we’ll see. I won’t be placing any bets anytime soon. I think Constantine is in for a long wait.”
I don’t respond to that, so he gives me a thoughtful look. “I know you’ve only made me do this so that Jess has an easier time of trying to find other interests than me.”
I shrug. He knows me so well.
“She isn’t a bad girl, just a bit misguided.”
I snicker into my hand and he frowns at me until he realizes what he just said. “Christ, now even I am starting to sound like him.”
“He is very affecting,” I point out.
“Indeed. She’s had it rough. It’s affected her and her attitude towards men, I think. She doesn’t want to be a victim, so she tries too hard to be something she isn’t. I’m starting to think that maybe I need to be a bit more…I don’t know…there for her.”
“Like it or not, she does need you,” I say with a sigh. “Just be careful, Dev. Don’t give her anything more than you are prepared to see through.”
“I guess Constantine’s pep talks are working,” he says with a nod.
I consider that. CK has been vocal about Devon stepping up. I suppose some of it had to sink in eventually.
“He can be persuasive,” I start carefully, feeling that there’s more to it. If Sebastian has anything to do with this…
“You can say that again,” Devon says, interrupting my thoughts as he flops back to the sun lounger, the serious mood from before gone now. “Now get over here and fuck me. You still owe me,” he orders me with a wicked smile.
“Yes, sir,” I say, and he laughs in glee as I climb onto him and proceed to do exactly as he asked.
Chapter 20
Sometime later, after a proper day of giving him my undivided attention, swimming, talking, and making love, Devon leaves me alone to make a quick trip in Dragon form to The Underworld. I try to make a portal, but it doesn’t appear and that annoys me. Maybe my magick is more powerful in The Underworld? Well, that makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. I Astral there in human form, landing in the Draconis’s garden, much to Xanthe’s surprise.
“Your Majesty,” she says, her hand over her heart. “What an unexpected surprise.”
“Hello, Xanthe. I am sorry to barge into your gardens, but I didn’t really know where else to go,” I say apologetically.
“Is something amiss?” she asks in concern, coming closer to me.
“Oh no, no,” I reassure her. “I just wanted to Shift and do a fly over. You know, keep my presence alive down here.”
She laughs and says, “Oh, what a wonderful idea. I did see you the other day with To’Kah.”
“You did?” I ask and she nods.
“He will be a powerful ally of yours one day. It is nice that you have made his acquaintance.”
Really? I want to ask her how she knows that, but she is interrupted by one of the many children running around and I let her go with a wave. I make my way over to the big landing area that my mother used a few weeks ago, and Shift. It is a little easier this time, I suppose it will get easier the more I do it, and I take off. Finn was right, I do feel better when I do this. Less agitated and a lot calmer. I cause quite the stir as expected, and after a lengthy flight, I decide to test my theory and try to rip open a portal from this side. It works just like it did last time, and I fly through landing in my back garden swiftly, where I promptly Shift back. That has been informative, and it starts a whole bunch of ideas racing through my already overactive brain.
I go to find Devon, who is back in his bedroom, dressed and ready to head back to Toronto. He is gripping the box he acquired in a death grip and I wonder if he is nervous.
“Did you tell her?” I ask as I Astral us back into my suite.
“No,” he says grimly.
“Oh.” Then I ask curiously, “What was it like for you?”
“Harsh,” he says. “I don’t know what yours were like but fuck me. That is not something I ever intend to do again.”
“They are called trials for a reason. But I can’t say that I would be all that keen to do it again unless I had to. You should have asked for two…just in case.”
He glares at me. “No. Never again. Next time I leave them to die,” he says as he stalks off back to his suite with me gaping after him and his cold statement.
I call a meeting for 8 PM in our suite. Everyone needs to know about this Thirteen business and it’s just easier if everyone comes to me. I order food for the eaters of the bunch and drinks for the rest of us non-eaters and start to pace.
“You okay?” Cole asks me.
“Yes. Antsy. I need to be more proactive.”
“Well, you have your plans in place. As soon as everyone knows of your intentions, they will help you.”
“Huh. Confident, aren’t you?”
He smiles. “We all love you. We would all die for you, so yes, I am confident.”
Die for me. Christ, but I hope that doesn’t happen.
&
nbsp; Right at 8 PM everyone arrives, and I invite them all to make themselves at home. Jess is beaming at Devon and he is trying not to grimace at her.
“Thank you,” she says to me, hugging me fiercely. “I know I did wrong and I accept that but thank you.”
“No worries,” I say, patting her absently on the back. Future me was right, I am so reserved with those I am not close to.
“Care to share?” Sebastian asks, his eyes firmly on Jess and I frown. I’ve still got a niggling feeling…
“Devon went through the sire trials and Jess is now past her limitation,” I state to the surprise of most of the group.
A few seconds pass and then everyone is congratulating her. Her?
“Erm? Might I add it is Devon who did his duty by her. If congratulations are in order it is to him, if you please.”
He throws me an “oh, please” look and I blow him a kiss as everyone directs their attention to him now.
“Right.” I clap my hands to get everyone’s attention. “The Thirteen is the reason for this meeting and we have lots to share.”
I get everyone’s undivided attention and I start my tale of the findings of Cade, Nico, and Serena.
I have them all riveted as I speak. I am quite clear on what needs to be said after rereading the pages a couple of thousand times.
“So, let me get this straight,” Devon says when I finish. “It was a Demon and Tiamat went up against it when it became too powerful and basically hacked it into thirteen pieces with the Hellfire sword. The real Hellfire sword. Thus, sending it to its fate in the Spirit Realm.”
“Yes,” I nod.
Lincoln picks up the story. “And the corporeal pieces were scattered to the ends of the earth, but it still managed to find a way to gain power.”
“Yes,” I say again.
Xane pipes up now, “I bloody knew it! It sat there in the Spirit Realm and fed off everything that made its way through, gaining more and more power for itself.”
“Yes,” I say, even now sounding annoying to myself. “Three thousand years’ worth of dead beings to feed from has made it a very powerful creature. It has been waiting for a chance at retribution and as it can’t defeat Tiamat, it is coming after me.”
“But what about the sword?” Devon asks.
“As far as we can tell, it managed to get a hold of it somewhere around two thousand years ago. As Xane said, it separated the real essence and left just a shell of the real thing, knowing it is the only thing that can destroy it.”
“So, go get it and kick its ass,” Devon says.
“It’s not as easy as that. I don’t know where it is, and I don’t know how to defeat it.”
“Oh, I intend for it to stay that way,” says Lance’s voice, making me spin to the corner where he is lurking.
He throws up a forcefield as we all step towards him and he shakes his head, “You can’t best me. You aren’t strong enough.”
I step forward, trying to embrace the Powers I have been told I have. “I will end you,” I snarl at it, but he smiles at me.
“You can try. By the way, on your travels to the other Earth, did you happen to run into Fraser?” he asks innocently.
“What?” I ask, very taken aback, and he laughs.
“I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. What a pity, I am sure he would have loved to have seen you.”
“What are you taking about?” I ask, hating myself for sounding so desperate.
“Oh, you don’t know? He is still alive in the other timeline,” Lance goads me but I don’t believe him. It’s not possible. Is it?
“What do you mean still alive?” I croak as everyone else just stares at me silently.
“Oh, the other you turned him. Against his wishes mind you, but he is still alive,” he says offhandedly, and I feel the bile start to rise.
“No,” I say. “No. No.”
“Oh, yes,” Fake Lance says now. “Oh, I do love unnerving you. Such fun.”
I feel like I want to die, it’s not possible. It can’t be. I step closer to the forcefield and glare at him, “Don’t bring him into this. You want revenge for what my mother did to you, fine. But leave him out of this.”
He shrugs. “Suit yourself, you can believe me or not. And make no mistake that I am out for more than revenge. You will go through trials the likes that you never seen before.” He steps closer to his side of the forcefield. He laughs suddenly. “Oh, I can see your thoughts plain as day. You want to go to him and bring him back here to be with you. I don’t blame you. He is the love of your life, after all,” he says with an evil laugh. “But know this. One goes, one comes back.”
I narrow my eyes at him as I don’t know what he means. He sees my confusion and elaborates, “You can go, but you can’t bring him back unless you take someone and leave them there in his place.” He casts his eyes around the room. He taps his chin as he takes in everyone, one by one. “Who will you discard?”
My mouth drops open at his audacity.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked,” he says. “I know you are already thinking up a plan.” He brings his hand up to his side of the forcefield. “Too bad I don’t intend for you to live long enough to execute it.” He drops the barrier and grabs me by the throat, pulling me towards him as he throws the field up again behind me. I can hear my boys shouting to get to me, but I am helpless, just like in my dream. He is squeezing tightly and though he can’t choke me he can probably rip my head off. We haven’t tested that theory for obvious reasons. But as his hand tightens, I can feel him start to suck the energy out of me. I panic for a few seconds before I find my resolve. No way am I dying here, if Fraser is still alive in the alternate universe. He continues to suck the life out of me as I gather my strength.
I pull on the sword, remembering what Xane said about banishing it. I feel it my hand and Lance's eyes go colder as his grip tightens. I can feel the energy leaving me and entering him, leaving me weak. I grip the sword and with great effort pull on everything I have in me which, on a scale of one to ten, one being human and ten being Dragon, I come in around about a six, he has drained that much out of me already. I thrust the sword into his gut and twist it for good measure. His mouth drops open in shock and his grip loosens on my neck. I step back, hand still on the hilt of the sword and I feel the forcefield drop. I pull on the energy of everyone in the room, knowing even as I do it, it is an intimate violation that I should need permission for. But I don’t care right now. I want rid of this thing by any means possible. I can feel their energy flow through me, but I can also feel that I am killing the weaker ones, namely Cole and Jess. I quickly let go and focus solely on the most powerful being in the room apart from myself. My hand goes up to hover between Xane, CK and Sebastian and is inexplicably drawn towards Sebastian. I cover my surprise as I finish off my banishment and the Lance creature vanishes in a flaming vortex snarling at me like a rabid dog.
The sword drops as do I, the sweat pouring off me as I breathe in deeply. I can sense everyone’s eyes on Sebastian and I quickly stand up straight.
“I apologize, Sebastian,” I say, letting go of the sword. “I needed the strongest being in the room and it was between Xane, being Demon Overlord and you and CK, being the oldest two. I was loathed to hurt our sire, so I chose you. I’m sorry.”
He stares at me, his features going from anger to something else entirely as he sees me protect him and his secret from the rest. CK breathes out a sigh of relief, as he too knows I am protecting his charge. I cringe as I see the look in Sebastian’s eyes. I have affirmed that I can be trusted with his secret and now he knows without a doubt he can trust me.
“Yes, I understand that. It’s fine,” he says smoothly. “I am just glad you managed to get rid of him.”
“For now,” I say with a sigh. “This leads me to the rest of the discussion I wanted to have tonight.”
Cole stands then, a bit shaky after my power pull but he is by my side knowing that what is to come isn’t going to be received light
ly.
I will process what I have learned about Sebastian and his power, after I have broken this news. I see now why it is such a big secret. He has some serious boot. It’s strange though how he kept a hold of it after being turned.
“How many?” I ask Xane who is staring at me in wonder.
“Huh?”
“How many was that? You said four or five before. That was definitely more.”
“About eight, I would say.”
I nod grimly. “That leaves another five to come at me again until they heal or whatever it is, they do.”
“Are we just going to ignore what he said?” Devon asks in his usual blunt fashion.
“Liv needs to say something to all of you,” Cole says, ignoring Devon’s question and gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He shifts uncomfortably under the steely gaze of my sire and clears his throat. “Liv?” he prompts me.
Well, here goes.
“We are off to Miami in a few days. Miami means vacation and that is what I intend to have. A vacation. From all of you,” I say wearily, and I sound like a complete bitch. “Sorry,” I mumble as I hear the gasps of surprise. “That sounds worse than it is. I didn’t mean it in a horrible way. Let me start again. I need to focus, and I can’t do that when I am turning from person to person giving you each my undivided attention. I told you back in L.A. that this is my show and I will run it my way. Cade and I have spoken about me training and Xane, you need to help me learn more about the Grimoire and how to use it,” I tell him, and he nods quickly. “The rest of you, I will catch up with at dinner times or whatever, but I need a break to focus on myself.” I stop speaking as I sense the tension going up a few notches. Mainly from CK, who is staring at me like he is going to blow every gasket he has.
“Aefre,” he says quietly. “We have a deal.”
“I know, my love. I do. But you must understand that I am not ready to face this thing in my current state. Ahmed says I should be able to defeat it, but I don’t think that I can.”