by Eve Newton
She flushes and says, “Mother! That is none of your concern.”
I press on though, “He doesn’t hurt you in any way?”
“He treats me like a Queen. We are perfectly compatible,” she says. “I do not wish to discuss this further.”
Well, I don’t blame her, can’t say that I am all that comfortable with this, but I just have to know she is safe. I will go and find Lance soon and make sure he knows that I am watching him. Well, for as long as I am here at any rate.
“Very well,” I say then just as formally as she does. “We are okay now?”
She sighs. “Yes, Mother, we are okay.” She smiles and stands to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and I feel the bond she has with her.
Constantine then pops his head in and asks, “Everything okay?”
He was clearly hovering, expecting a smack down or something.
“Yes. Fine,” she says. “I should go. I have a lot of work to do. Do rest up, Mother, I need you back on the job soon,” she adds with a smile and leaves us alone.
“Take me for a walk,” I say to him.
“You want to go for a walk?” he asks, surprised.
I nod and he eagerly accepts, Teleporting us straight outside and onto the castle grounds.
I cringe as we land in the sun, having forgotten that I am not wearing any Faerie Silver protection and, expecting my arse to fry, I step hastily back into the shadows. He peers at me curiously and takes my hand, pulling me back onto the sunny path. Is he trying to kill me? But I don’t start to burn. I was sure that the Faerie Silver wedding ring wasn’t one endowed with the powers of protection because he said, in my time, it wasn’t; but maybe I’m wrong? I squint and summon up a pair of Ray-Bans as it is bright out today and my eyes relax behind the black lenses. As an afterthought, I give him a pair too, which he takes with a small smile of thanks.
“I want a proper holiday,” I say to him as he takes my arm in his and we start walking.
“Aefre, I didn’t think you even knew what a proper holiday was,” he says dryly. “You haven’t even had a day off in centuries never mind gone anywhere to relax.”
Centuries? Yikes, woman, can you say workaholic?
“Well, maybe it is time. I want to go to Miami.” Makes sense that Cole would be there if he got the same film role. I will have to Google him now that I have internet access and check for certain.
“Miami?” he asks in horror. “Why ever there?”
“For a change, Constantine. Don’t you feel like we are in a rut?” Christ, I’ve only been here two days and can see this is the biggest rut anyone has ever been in. As in Grand Canyon-sized.
“Err, well I suppose so,” he frowns. “Things haven’t been the best of late to be sure,” he adds hesitantly. “There is something I wish to discuss with you though, now that you seem to be a bit more amenable to adventure.”
Oh? Don’t like the sound of this.
He leads me to a stone bench and sits me down. He takes my hand. “You need to think again about going to Court, my love,” he says. “Drake is getting impatient and you know that isn’t going to bode well, for anyone. Especially you.”
Well, this is a subject I had hoped wouldn’t come up. “I will think about it later. I don’t want to think about it now,” I say firmly, hoping that will deter him. No such luck.
“You can’t put it off much longer. You and Sebastian should take your rightful places soon. It should have already happened by now.”
Me and Sebastian. I sigh. This is all just too weird. And unfortunately, I can see that at some point this is exactly what is going to happen to me. The real me. If I ever get back home.
“I’m sorry, my love. I don’t mean to upset you. We will talk no more of this today,” he says.
I nod, pleased with that. We resume our walk in silence and I am getting more and more worried that the other me isn’t going to switch us back. There again, maybe she can get rid of The Thirteen for me while she is there. Not that it makes much difference to me if I never get to go home. Oh, Devon. What am I going to do without you? Tears prick my eyes and I am thankful I summoned up the Ray-Bans so Constantine can’t see my tears.
“There is something else we should discuss,” he clears his throat and I turn back to him, as he hands me a red rose from the garden.
“What is that?” I ask but never get to find out as Sebastian joins us and Constantine clams up. Sebastian takes my hand in his and we continue to walk. This is just plain old awkward. They all have this very intimate connection, but I am not a part of it.
“I am feeling tired,” I say as the silence reaches uncomfortable. “Please can we return?” I ask Constantine.
“Of course,” he says and Teleports us straight back to the bedroom. I have a funny feeling he doesn’t want me roaming through the castle. Even with him by my side. He must think I am about to go rogue on him again and start throwing myself at the security team and shrieking about Devon and Cole.
“I just want a long bath and then to go back to bed,” I say as Constantine asks me what I want.
He looks overly concerned but does as I ask and soon, I am up to my ears in fragrant bubbles. Alone. Thankfully. I am going to have to knock all of this sexual activity on the head. These aren’t my people despite the bonds I feel with them. It’s gross really, now that I have space to think about it. I am quite disgusted with myself for letting this happen. I close my eyes and wish myself home, but I am unsurprised when I open my eyes and am still in her body. It’s up to you, Empress Aefre. Please switch us back. Please, please, please. I need to get home to my boys.
Constantine pulls me out of the bath some time later. I had fallen asleep, no surprise there – well to me at least. These two hovering beasts are quite concerned with my inability to stay awake any longer than a few hours at a time. Clearly E.A. (Empress Aefre) has a better handle on her exhaustion. Even more reason for her to want my life, my very chilled-out, relaxed – except for when The Thirteen decides to torment me – life.
Ramon is bid and I feed hungrily. This bit I could get used to: regular feeds that are at set times every day regardless. And by regardless, yes, I do mean that in the middle of the sex session yesterday, I was instructed to pause and feed. It would have been amusing if it hadn’t been so embarrassing caught as I was with my…err…well, we won’t go there…
Unfortunately, my resolution doesn’t last very long when once I am settled in bed, Sebastian kisses me, and I lose all reason especially when Constantine puts his hands on me as well. Oh, dear. This really isn’t good. Well, actually, it is really, really good but, you know what I mean. Just when I thought I couldn’t go another round; I am coaxed into it until I am absolutely spent. Christ, forget these two, E.A. must have the stamina of ten thousand women if they expect this of her every night.
Once again, I find us all sharing the bed as I snuggle into her sire with Sebastian at my back tracing small blazing circles on my thigh as I fall asleep in their arms.
Chapter 4
“Liv, sweetie. Wake up.” I hear Cole. Oh, I must be dreaming. Cole isn’t here in this world. Or at least not with me. “Liv. Please, baby. Wake up,” he says now a bit desperately.
I frown and open my eyes and stare straight into the worried, deep-blue eyes of my husband. My actual, thank-fuck-for-that, husband. She did it! She switched us back!
“Cole!” I sit up and pull him to me in a death grip, kissing him.
“Christ, Lizzie. You had us worried there for a minute,” Devon says.
I pull away from Cole and stare at him.
“Oh, Dev.” I launch myself at him, hovering near the end of the bed, tripping over the long satin nightgown I am wearing and falling into his arms, I crush him to me. “I never thought I would see you again,” I say, the tears flowing down my face as I kiss him on his startled self. “I thought I had lost you.”
“Erm, Lizzie. Are you okay? What are you talking about? You will never lose me,” he says softly, taking my fac
e in his hands and wiping my tears away.
“I…err…you didn’t know? She didn’t say?” I ask hesitantly.
“Who say what?” Devon asks.
“I knew,” Constantine says quietly. “I knew it wasn’t you.”
“What do you mean, wasn’t you?” Devon says and Cole repeats.
“Oh,” I say as I see the horror on their faces. “You didn’t know.” I sit back and feel incredibly sorry for myself even though I have been a terribly bad girl myself. “You didn’t know.”
“I knew,” CK says again loudly. “I knew it wasn’t you and confronted her. She was the ‘you’ from the Other world when I made…”
“… me Queen,” I say. "You knew?” I ask him.
“Of course,” he says smugly. “I know you, Aefre, and she definitely was not you.”
“Oh. You didn’t think to mention it to anyone else?” I say but then without waiting for an answer, I continue, “Seems you are the only one out of the whole lot who knew.”
“He didn’t know?” he asks with a frown.
“No, I think he thought I had gone mad. How did you not know it wasn’t me?” I yell at Cole, who looks mortified.
“I knew something was different, but I felt our bond. I felt it as strong as it is now. How long have you not been you?”
“Since Monday,” I say, eyes going to Sebastian lounging in the doorway and his face drops as he listens and straightens up. Oh, crap. She did. She slept with him. That stupid, stupid, bitch.
“Since Monday?” he croaks and I nod, my heart full of sorrow for him.
“Monday?” Cole says. “Oh, no, no,” he says, shaking his head.
I sigh. “You slept with her,” I say in front of everyone and I don’t really give a damn.
“I…oh…I… Liv…” he stammers desperately.
“Forget it, I know she felt a bond with you like you did with her,” I say despondently. “I felt it over there. We switched essences but it seems our bodies are the source of our connections.” I curl my knees up to my chest. I was bad, bad, bad, but his betrayal hurts me anyway. Such a hypocrite, I know.
Everyone is deathly silent, and Sebastian is staring at me like he wants to throttle me.
“Please, can I have some time alone with Cole and Devon?” I ask. “I need my boys. You weren’t there,” I say desperately. “You weren’t there, and it nearly killed me.”
CK and Sebastian see my tears and back away, leaving me alone with Cole and Devon. I see CK take Sebastian forcefully by the arm and Teleport them, to wherever. Oh, I can only imagine how hurt he is. Stupid, stupid woman. At least I only engaged with those she was already doing. And that makes me feel even worse because I shouldn’t have done it anyway.
“Liv,” Cole starts carefully. “I am sorry, I didn’t know. I knew you weren’t acting yourself, but I thought with the whole dreams thing and The Thirteen…”
“It’s okay,” I say as Devon starts to say the same.
“Christ, I didn’t know,” he says. “How could I not know? Lizzie, I knew as well that something was off, but our bond was just as it should be. I didn’t even think for a second it wasn’t you.”
“Don’t apologize,” I say, feeling awful. Can I tell them that I was also gadding about? It is even worse because I knew what I was doing. They clearly didn’t.
“I need you,” I say to them. “Both of you. I thought I had lost you. You weren’t there. She never turned you.”
“What?” Devon says, now fully taking this information in. “We weren’t there? I wasn’t there?”
I shake my head, “No. She…I don’t think she had any charges. Her turning in 1012 must have prevented her from being in England in 1506.”
“You mean Constantine prevented you from being in England in 1506,” he says bitterly.
“Her,” I say forcefully, and he blinks at me.
“Of course. Sorry.”
“Speaking of Constantine, how could he not tell us if he knew?” Cole asks and then he has a ‘Eureka’ moment and answers his own question, “Because he knew you would find out that I slept with her.” He sits heavily on the bed next to me and takes my hand, “Liv…I…”
“Don’t. Just don’t, okay? Please, just hold me. I don’t want to go back to that place. It was… well, not as bad as the other place, but it was intense. Shit.”
“How do you mean?”
“Her life is crazy. She has a bat-shit crazy life. I don’t want that,” I say, snuggling into Cole as he crushes me to him.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Devon says, still despondent.
“No, don’t go,” I say. “Please.” I reach out and take his hand. He sits and the three of us get lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes.
“You still could have found Cole,” Devon says suddenly. “But it was too late for me. Fuck.” He drops his face into his hands. “I am finding this very difficult to accept.”
“You and me both,” I say quietly as I let go of Cole and wrap my arms around Devon.
“I am dead. In that world, I am dead,” he says to me, his face stricken. “I don’t even know how to process that.”
“Baby, that isn’t our world. This is. And you are here. I am here and Cole is here. This is what is real.”
“Don’t go back there. Please don’t go back there, ever. I don’t want you in a world where I am not,” he whispers to me.
“I won’t,” I say, hoping that I won’t ever go back there.
He kisses me and I kiss him back, needing to feel him. I pull away after a few moments and look at the clock. It is 11 PM. “How long was I asleep?” I ask suddenly as the time difference makes no sense.
“About four hours,” Cole says.
“Why were you trying to wake me?”
“You were screaming and writhing about like you were in pain,” he says.
I was? I guess that explains Devon and CK’s presence. They must have sensed it.
“Do you remember what you were dreaming?” he asks hesitantly.
“No, I don’t think I was. It was her. She didn’t want to go back,” I say as I stand up.
“Where are you going?” he asks, standing with me.
“I need a drink.”
“I’ll get it,” Devon says and jumps up. “You stay here. Get back in bed, and then you can explain that last comment.”
Cole tucks me in after I get rid of this annoying nightgown, and I settle back as Devon brings me a glass of wine. I smile my thanks and he sits next to me on one side as Cole sits on the other. Ah, now this three in a bed is more like it, I think with a happy sigh to be home with my charges.
“What do you mean she didn’t want to go back?” Devon asks.
“I told you, her life was insane. She was Empress. Had been for some time, I think. Being here must have been like a vacation for her. One she apparently hasn’t taken in centuries,” I add.
“Centuries? Wow. No wonder she was so…” he trails off and clears his throat.
“So what?” I snap at him to finish his sentence.
“Anxious,” he says shortly.
“Humph,” I say rudely.
“You know,” Cole says, drumming his fingers nervously. “Since we are all here, we could, you know?”
I turn to stare at him. “Now?”
“It’s as good a time as any.”
Well, not one to turn down an offer like that, I must admit I am a little worn out. Mentally. However, that isn’t something I can ever mention, so I smile and look at Devon and he grins back. “Oh, you don’t even have to ask,” he says as reaches for my wrist but pauses. “It is really you though, right?”
I chuckle. “Yes, and to prove I have memories of us, our first time was in a brothel in Helsby in front of several people,” and turning to Cole I add, “and you didn’t want our first time to be a quick fuck in the back of a limo.”
Devon splutters on that as he tries not to laugh, but Cole takes it in good grace. “The longest ride home, ever,” he says. “
If I knew you lived in Malibu, our first time might have gone a lot differently.” To which I laugh and relax, happy to be where I am and with whom I belong. Both boys then drop their fangs and proceed to make me feel very loved and satisfied.
I think briefly about taking them both as she did with Constantine and Sebastian, but I don’t think we are ready for that yet. It is an intimate violation and one that needs a stronger group connection, like between Devon and Cole. I am pretty sure Devon would go for it, but I am just as sure Cole wouldn’t.
I am in heaven now with both of them feeding from me and pleasing me and despite the powerfully intense Fae connection with her Sebastian and the strong bond with her sire, this is better. This is mine. And I take back what is mine. I slide into Cole’s lap, kissing him fiercely, putting every ounce of passion into it that I can, to show him how much I missed him. He kisses me back with abandon and inserts himself into me, as I knew he would. He can’t resist and no foreplay was necessary to get me ready for him. I ride my husband, feeling him hard inside me, when Devon places his lips on my back and his hands on my breasts, tweaking my nipples into two pebbles that need to be sucked. Cole does the honors, sucking me around Devon’s fingers. Seeing Cole’s tongue flicking out and catching Devon’s skin in the process, causes a reaction in me so blinding, I come in an intense wave of pleasure. I hear Devon’s breathing get heavier. I know he needs more from me, so I sit up, letting Cole slip out of me and turn around to let Devon shove himself into me from behind with a loud growl.
“Fuck, Lizzie,” he murmurs as I take Cole’s enormous cock in my mouth. “You are fucking perfect.” If I didn’t have a mouthful of cock, I would have beamed in ecstasy, seeing as I am au natural and therefore not to Devon’s taste. I cast a glance at Cole, and he nods, knowing what I want to do. I wiggle out from in between the two of them and Shift to Elizabeth. Devon groans and slams me back to the bed, driving into me with such force, I nearly get thrown from the bed. Cole catches me, his cock millimeters from my mouth. I take him in again as Devon, watching us, comes loudly and for a long time, his eyes never leaving where Cole and I are joined.