by Eve Newton
“How does she seem?” Constantine asks.
“She was a bit strange. Softer, different, hesitant even. I am worried.”
“Don’t go for as long next time. I can’t have her going off the rails because you aren’t here,” he says sternly.
“I won’t. I already told my father that I wouldn’t. If he wants me at Court, it will just have to be for a couple of weeks at a time.”
“Was Drake there?”
“Unfortunately, yes. He wants her there. He isn’t going to wait much longer.”
“She doesn’t want to see him,” Constantine says shortly. “I don’t blame her.”
“Hm, like it or not she is the Dark Fae Princess. At some point, she is going to have to go to the Court and learn.”
“I know,” he sighs. “But I won’t push her.”
“How are things now with you two?” Sebastian asks casually and I prick my ears up.
“Not good. I really hurt her this time, but this morning she seemed better, warmer. She kissed me properly and told me she loved me. I have hope that she has forgiven me.”
“I am sure she has, but you know how she is. So ice cold and protective of herself. Never lets anyone in, not even you or me. I don’t know how you stand it sometimes.”
“I love her. You understand that,” he says, somewhat pointedly.
“That I do.”
“It’s going to be hard for me, ‘Bastian. You know that, don’t you?” he says softly.
“I do,” Sebastian says just as softly. “If there was any other way…” he sighs. “You had the bad luck of picking the two people in the world, spaced out over nearly two thousand years, who actually do belong together.”
“Bad luck? It’s the worst fucking luck. But I wouldn’t take it back. I just want you to know that while I accept it, I will struggle to see her that way, with you.”
“I know. Believe me, I do know.”
They both sigh and go silent. While this is quite informative about their feelings, I am not exactly getting much else from it. I could do with some crib notes. Ooo, her phone. She must have one knocking about here somewhere. If I can get my hands on it, maybe I will learn more about her.
“Speaking of…” Sebastian clears his throat. “How is Cassis?”
“Perfect,” Constantine says with pride. “The only dark cloud is this fight she is having with Aefre.”
Now this is more like it…do go on.
“I don’t understand it either. I don’t see what she has against Lance. He’s great and they are so perfect together.”
I draw in a sharp intake of breath, which I cover up with a slight shuffle on the bed as I want them to keep speaking. Lance? My daughter is hooking up with Lance? I feel like I am going to be sick. Why would Constantine let his daughter be with that monster? Unless he isn’t a monster here? They are talking about him like he is…normal. If I don’t like what I hear, if they carry on talking about it, I will go and kill him again myself, right now.
“I know. I couldn’t be happier, and I know Cassis is over the moon with the upcoming wedding, but…I just don’t understand it. He is the kindest, gentlest man I know. She must know that I would never have my daughter anywhere near anyone who could hurt her.”
Kind? Gentle? Oh, puh-leese. He must be fooling the lot of you. Except other me. Sounds like she is onto him. Good girl.
“Well, not that she can’t take care of herself. Last time I threw down with her, she kicked my ass from here to next week,” Sebastian laughs then.
“Well, you will insist on sparring with her,” Constantine says also with a laugh.
“Anything to spend time with my god daughter,” he says fondly.
Oh, this is getting weird again now, I think as I chew my lip. I want to go home. I don’t like it here in this world where Lance is the bee’s knees and I am apparently an ice-cold bitch. I miss Cole and I miss Devon and I can’t believe that they aren’t here. Now that I have time to process this, I am devastated. I try to get myself back home but nothing. If I am stuck here it is too late for Devon. He is long since gone and that wrenches at my heart. But Cole isn’t. He is still around, well in theory, in L.A. or Miami if he is on the movie. I can still get to him. We can still meet and fall in love and turn him and get married. Oh, wait…no. I am married to Constantine. Well, all the rest. We can still be together. But what about Devon…what if I never see him again? I can’t bear that. It is too much, and I start crying despite myself and Sebastian turns to me in surprise and Constantine is at my side instantly. “Aefre? What is it, my love?” he asks.
I snivel, wiping my tears on the silk sheets. It’s not like she can’t afford to buy more. Should I tell them? Should I tell them I am not who they think I am? But after what I have just spent the day doing with Sebastian, he probably won’t take too kindly to the deceit. So, I decide to stick with the lie.
“I am so tired and hungry,” I say. “Constantine, I don’t know what is wrong with me.” I grab his hand and try to look ill. Although, I probably do anyway judging by the concerned look on his face.
“Aefre. Are you saying you feel unwell?”
It’s as good a ploy as any to explain away my behavior. And maybe if I am left alone to convalesce, I can get to Cole and try to get a bit of my life back. I will just have to try not to think too hard about Devon.
“Yes. I feel awful,” I say mournfully. I do, so it’s not a lie. They exchange a look over my head that I am not sure I like very much.
“I will get you a Feeder. Take as much as you need, don’t worry about the consequences. You need to be well, my love,” Constantine says.
Huh? Don’t worry about the consequences? I am not bloody killing someone. I’m not that hungry. Christ.
Stern Lincoln comes up with a Feeder soon after that and stands there glowering at me as I feed. Man, he really does not like her for whatever reason. Some bustling about later, I am fed and tucked up back in bed, having thankfully not killed the hapless Feeder.
“Sleep now,” Constantine says to me as he strokes my hair. I get lulled into a doze as he continues to sit with me until well after dark. I don’t want to sleep, really, as I am enjoying this. It is relaxing me, and I am thinking more positively. I will get back to my world. I will see Devon and Cole and Lincoln (my Lincoln, this one is pretty grim) and my sire and everyone else.
“I love looking after you,” he murmurs to me. “It has been so long since you let me take care of you. I love you. I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I murmur back in automatic response to him and he stills, having expected me to be asleep. He resumes his task as I say no more, and I close my eyes. I hear Sebastian come back into the room and climb back in the bed with me.
“Everything dealt with?” Constantine asks quietly.
“Yes. Cassis is on it. Do you think it is? She was like this last time,” he asks even quieter.
“I don’t know. It wouldn’t surprise me, as she never takes a break. I guess we will find out soon enough.”
Last time what? I wonder before I do finally drop off with my head in our sire’s lap, him still stroking me, with thoughts of getting back home.
Chapter 3
I awake the following morning, well before 5 AM according to the clock, staring into the sleeping face of Sebastian. My hand is on his naked chest and his is over mine to keep it there. I have never seen him sleep before. He is very peaceful. I pull my hand out of his carefully so as not to wake him and turn to my other side where Constantine is sleeping. This is a weird set-up. We all share a bed? Not that I have never dreamed of that myself of course, with Devon and Cole, but never actually managed it what with one thing or another. I stroke his face gently, missing my own so much, and he smiles as he opens his eyes.
I smile back gently.
“How do you feel this morning?” he asks quietly. “Did it help to have Sebastian stay the night with us?”
I shrug, as how do I answer that? “I am still feeling out of
sorts,” I say. A nice general vagueness.
“Aefre,” he says seriously. “Are things okay between us? I know I hurt you, but you know I will never do it again. I lost control…” He closes his eyes and breathes in. “I promise you; I will never do it again.”
Aw shit. I wish I knew what it was he did. I try fishing. “How can you promise me that?” I ask carefully.
“You know how hard I have worked at this, Aefre,” he says. “You know I have tried so hard to be the man you need me to be. It gets the better of me sometimes. But after this last time, when I saw the look on your face. It broke my heart to see you look at me like I am a monster. I can promise you that I will never do it again because I never, ever want to feel like that again. I couldn’t bear it to hurt you like that again.”
Oh. I think I know what he did. Begins with “s” and ends with “ubstitutes.”
“I believe you,” I say because I do. Doesn’t mean that she will but I am telling him that I do. His look of relief breaks my own heart and I want to soothe him, so I lean forward to kiss him. He pulls me to him, and I feel his desire for me. I want him. Well I want my own sire; this is so confusing. My mind and her body are two different entities right now, fighting with each other. I give in to her body as I kiss him, forgetting momentarily about Sebastian. That is, until he puts his hands on me and ignites the fire that has been simmering under the surface due to his closeness.
Oh, my. This is it. This is my chance! I have a sire and a sibling in bed with me. Not exactly mine but close enough. I am sandwiched between the two as Constantine kisses me and Sebastian rubs his hands over me. Over my aching nipples, down my stomach and towards my wet pussy. I come almost as soon as he rubs his fingers over my clit. Holy fuck, but this is awesome. I moan into Constantine’s mouth as I throb under Sebastian’s fingers, bringing my hands up to pull him closer to me.
“Wait,” he murmurs, and I wail in disappointment in my head. “Do you feel well enough?”
I nod. Oh, hell yeah. I haven’t felt this good, ever. This other me is a really lucky cow. I hope she appreciates what she has. But then I feel a pang as I realize what I have. What I am betraying by being here like this. I can’t do this. I try to push him away then, but it is too late as he thrusts into me and Sebastian trails kisses all down my back. He pushes me over so that I am straddling our sire and moves behind me to play with me.
“Oh, yes,” I moan as his fingers flutter over my clit before he pushes down, and I explode as he rubs me. His touch is vibrating now and all he has to do is flit his fingers across me and it is sensational. I lean forward to kiss our sire and he grips my hips, pulling me to him briefly and then lifting me slightly up. I feel Sebastian move closer and it suddenly strikes me what he is going to do. Oh, Christ on a bike. They are going to take me together, as in TOGETHER. Fuck me. I gasp as he enters me and then moan at the feeling. In all my thousand years, I have never done this. Three-ways, four-ways, five-ways even, two-at-a-time, but never, ever two-at-a-time like this. It’s blush worthy. If it weren’t that I feel like I could die a happy Vampire right now, I would be so embarrassed, I would blend in with the red color of the sheets.
All three of us groan as they take me, and I come again and then again before they both let go. I kiss my sire again, panting heavily. Sebastian pulls out of me and drags me up to kiss me himself and I want to do it all over again as I cling to him.
“Hm, eager today, aren’t you?” he murmurs as I start to move my hips over our sire as he is ready and wanting again and Sebastian drops his mouth to my nipple to…ah! Bite me, fangs down. No, no, no. That isn’t for him. That is only for CK, I think blindly as I orgasm intensely. It then dawns on me and I am grateful for small mercies: this isn’t my body. It is hers. They aren’t doing this to me but to her, and not for the first time, I’d wager. Very, very flimsy excuse but I cling to it as they proceed to give me the fucking of my (her) life in every position imaginable that you can get into with three people.
I awake feeling very relaxed and loved. No wonder, I think, as I blink and remember with a blush everything we got up to.
Constantine is watching me, and I smile at him. “Hi,” I say.
He smiles back. “How do you feel?” he asks me.
I leer at him to his delight as I say, “Fucking wonderful.” I stretch and he starts at my words.
“You feel better?” he asks, eyes fixed firmly on my breasts.
“Mm, hm,” I murmur as I deliberately tease him by running my fingers lightly over my nipples. I don’t know how to explain it, but he feels like my sire, and I want him.
He pulls his eyes away and gazes into my eyes. “I think you should still rest today,” he says, and I feel disappointed that he isn’t going to take me.
Oh, well, if he is going to be like that then I need two things: her phone and a face-to-face with her daughter. I want to find out more about Lance-the-Wonderful before I chop his head off. I turn my back to him, and he sighs. I sigh as well as he was the one who rejected me first. Stupid, stubborn man. He will be the same in every universe, I have no doubt. Well, I hope that this is the last one. What if there are more? One where the prophecy came true in 1745 with Fraser? Or not at all and I lived and died a human at the hands of Radulf? I gulp at that. At least that me would be long since dead and buried. Or worse, one that never came to pass because I never turned Cole. Oh, my head is hurting. I rub my forehead and say to him, “I want to see Cassis. And could you hand me my phone, please?”
“Cassis has your phone and I don’t think it is a good idea you see her. You will only argue again, and you should be resting,” he says wearily.
“I want my phone and I want to see my daughter,” I say, turning back to him with an authority which I hope she has. I see his face drop slightly and now I see I am acting like her. The cold-hearted bitch. “Please,” I say, as I can’t bear to hurt him, and for good measure lean forward to give him a lingering kiss. He deepens the kiss and pushes me over so that I am now pinned under him. “Aefre, please, my love. Just rest today,” he says quietly.
I frown at him. “Why do you keep calling me ‘my love’?” I ask suddenly. “Not once in the last two days have you called me ‘my sweet.’ Why is that?”
He looks taken aback and frowns down at me. “What are you talking about? I don’t think I have ever called you that?”
He hasn’t? I wonder why that is? And, well, that is a bit of faux pas on my behalf as he is looking at me now like I belong in the loony bin. I kiss him to distract him and it works up to a point.
“Are you sure you are feeling okay?” he asks as he pulls away.
I sigh, this is getting to the point of annoying now. “I’m fine,” I snap. “Now either fuck me or go and get my phone and our daughter.”
His mouth drops open and he chides me, “Aefre, language, my love. It is not fitting for you to be cussing so blatantly.”
Cussing so blatantly? I am in bed with my husband for fuck’s sake. I would hardly call that shouting it from the rooftops.
“Well, if you aren’t going to see to me then you know what to do,” I remark with a pointed look and he thinks it over for a few seconds. Gee, insulting much?
“You are acting so differently. I just can’t keep up with your mood swings,” he says. “I will go and get Sebastian. Maybe he can bring you back to yourself,” he adds so sadly I want to cry.
“No,” I say, pulling him back. “I want you.”
Clearly that was the right thing to say as he then needs no further persuading, and after a very satisfactory fucking (or whatever she would call it, as she isn’t allowed to use that word), he then goes off happily to find my daughter and my phone. Err, her daughter and her phone.
I take this opportunity to shower and change into something suitable. She has zero casual clothes, so I go for a plain black pair of pants and a white shirt. Boring, boring, boring. But I am thrilled to find a whole separate closet full of Louboutins. Ah, something we finally have in common. I s
lip into a pair of plain black patents and sit on the bed once again, trying to get back home. I wonder why I can’t do it. Is it because I am in her body, so she is the one who wields the power to switch us back? It must be, I think with a sinking feeling that my life compared to hers must be like a holiday for her. Spring Break in Miami. She probably doesn’t want to come back here. Even if she realizes that she is the one to switch us back, but that probably hasn’t even occurred to her. I sigh as the door opens and Cassis walks in warily.
“Father said you wanted to see me and to give you this.” She holds out the phone and I take it with a smile. Locked of course, dammit. I frown and say, “What’s the code?” not caring if it makes me sound like a nutjob.
She frowns back and says, “2277. Are you sure you should be up and about, Mother? You are clearly not in your right frame of mind.”
2277. Now, that is bizarre as mine is 2233. I wonder what that means to her?
“I am fine. Just tired. Please sit.”
She does but stays silent as she glares at me to start talking. Oh, she is her father’s daughter, all right. She is the spitting image of him and has his features and expressions and it makes me smile. CK would adore her.
She smiles hesitantly back, and I start, “Cassis. I know we have had this argument over,” I gulp, “Lance. But I am just trying to look out for you.”
She purses her lips. “You don’t have to, Mother. He is wonderful. Perfect. We are in love and we are getting married. End of story.”
I go slightly nauseous at her words. This is all so…I shudder. “Okay,” I say to her surprise. I will get on her good side as I want to talk to her and get to know her. I will go and check Lance out for myself. “I am only trying to protect you, but if you think he is what you want then, fine.”
She takes this with suspicion, but I can see a part of her wants to believe it.
I know I am probably about to ruin this though with my next words, but I just have to know. “He treats you well?” I ask slowly. “He doesn’t make you do anything…that you aren’t…erm, comfortable with…in the bedroom?”