by Eve Newton
They had an understanding: she let him do his job without interference. Not much interference, he snorts to himself.
He knew there was something special about her the first time he laid eyes on her in Milan. He had investigated her, not Vampirically, as there wasn’t a damn thing the Hunters could find on her, it was like her records had been expunged, but her fake human life. He had become obsessed with her, with the need to find out what exactly she was. He had never failed, and he had every intention of killing her, but when his magick didn’t work on her, he was thrown, and he had to find out why.
He was shocked when he heard about the restructure of the Underworld, they certainly had kept that quiet, but he was fearful as well. Fearful that such a powerful Vampire would not sit around waiting for the Hunters to pick off her subjects one by one but be the one doing the picking. He made the decision to switch sides. To be on the winning side. Other Hunters had defected in the past, the most famous being Nico Abazia, of course. Everyone in the society knew he worked for the creator of the Vampires. He was scorned and hated, but he was also feared. He knew too much, and he used it to send the Hunters even further underground.
Cade had wanted to be feared.
As his eyes scan the crowd again, gathered here to see Cole O’Dell, famous actor, he was glad he made the decision, but when Nico brought him into the fold, he was shocked and disturbed by the size of the operation going on to kill Hunters. He knew that Liv had nothing to do with it though. It was her sire and his secret team of über Vampires who were behind it. He wasn’t totally sure he was happy with his decision after that, but he stayed because he had sworn an oath and he also got to do what he was born to do and that is to kill Vampires.
He involved himself entirely in her protection and when he found out that the assassins sent to take out as many of Liv’s inner circle, himself included, were drained to death by the very people they were sent here to kill, he felt nothing. He was surer than ever that he had made the right choice. That he belonged on this side. Powerful, unstoppable, feared. And he knew he couldn’t leave her, not only after the blood oath she made him swear, but because he didn’t want to. Dealing with Jess had made things more complicated for him. The girl is sweet and funny, and he likes her, her appalling decision aside, of course, but there is something off about her he just can’t put his finger on. So, he keeps her close. Very close.
And then the shooting happened. Four bullets that ruined his life.
His eyes wander back over to Liv. She is smiling as her husband greets his fans, but it is forced. He knows she is tense and uncomfortable and dying to go and find her sire. He, like the rest of her crew, is mostly in the dark when it comes to whatever happened between the two of them. All Cade knows is they are taking three months apart. He is surprised that either one of them has stuck to it. Constantine especially. Talk about an obsessive son-of-a-bitch. Nico doesn’t like to share, but he has told a story or two that has made Cade’s hair stand on end. He is rather glad that Constantine isn’t around while he is going through this. He dreads to think what her sire will do to him when he finds out what she did.
She slips away and is at his side momentarily. “Hey,” she says softly. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah,” he says stiffly, moving a tiny bit away from her so that he doesn’t take her in his arms and kiss her.
“You didn’t have to come,” she says, looking away. “You could have stayed in Paris.”
No, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to come here. He wanted to stay in Paris and wait for their return, but his tie to her made it impossible. He shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. They stand in an awkward silence for a few minutes. He knows how much she hates those, so he isn’t surprised when she finally blurts out. “I’m not sorry for what I did! I won’t apologize to you again. You are here and that is all I care about.” Her cheeks are flushed and the Power rush coming off her hits him hard and he stumbles back an inch.
He ignores her, which infuriates her even more. She is struggling to keep her temper in check, and he takes a moment of satisfaction in watching her effort. “Don’t speak to me about this again,” he says finally. “You made a choice and now I have to live with it.”
“Exactly!” she says heatedly. “Live with it!” She stalks off and he watches her go. His hand reaches for her involuntarily and he snatches it back before he touches her. If he touches her, he won’t be able to let go. He watches her slide easily into Cole’s arms and he wants to kill him.
Or himself.
Or her.
Or all three of them.
He turns to the man who has abruptly appeared by his side.
“Well?” the man asks. “Are you ready to give her up yet?”
“I’ll get her to you,” Cade decides with a grimace. “You get one chance, don’t fuck it up.”
Remiel smiles sinisterly at him. “I won’t, Mr. Sinclair. I have waited a long time for this.”
Cade nods once. “It is a difficult task. I need some time.”
“Don’t take too long,” Remiel warns and disappears into the crowd.
Cade looks back at Liv with sorrow. He will betray her to break this bond. He has to. If she dies, he dies too...eventually.
That is what Remiel told him: because he is so new, he needs her to live.
And he doesn’t want to.
Chapter 1
Paris, France, June 2013 – Liv
“Don’t go to him,” Cole says to me as we look out at the Eiffel Tower lit up against the night sky. “You have proven you don’t need him, that you can live without him.”
“Oh, Cole,” I say and sigh. “Don’t ask me to give him up. Not now. These three months have been wonderful with you, but I miss him.”
“I know,” he says quietly. “But I had to ask.”
“I know,” I say.
“Have you truly forgiven him for what he did?” he ventures.
I think about that for a moment. Cole doesn’t know the whole story. I have given him a mostly fabricated story with enough truth to make it believable. It would hurt him too much if he knew the whole truth. I have forgiven Constantine’s actions in the tower. I knew the monster was unleashed and I know that he did try to pull it back. My defiance in the face of his anger pushed him too far. That is my fault. I should have left him alone as he asked. His words took me longer to forgive. He told me that he didn’t mean it. That he said it just to hurt me, and boy did he hurt me. Branding me the same as the Substitutes that he made, telling me I was no better than them, hurt more than the wounds he inflicted upon me. But yes, I forgive him for that too. If I hadn’t gone to him, he never would have said it. I don’t blame myself for this, but I have to take some of the responsibility for that too. The Initial Vampire sire-powers that he used on me, that I never even knew he had, took some time to process. But I believe him when he said that he has never used them on me before. He has had every opportunity to get me to submit my will to him, but I never have so that is inconsequential. I have Powers that he has yet to learn about so I can’t fault him for wanting to keep them a secret. The whole Sebastian spelling me and Devon, though - that is the kick in the guts. The one thing it has taken me all these weeks to forgive him for. I wanted to hate Sebastian for doing it, to cut him out of my life even though we are Faerie soul mates, but in the end, I didn’t blame him. He was only doing what his sire asked him to do, because he believed it was the right thing to do. Or maybe he had no choice because CK bent him to do it? Either way, that responsibility falls completely and utterly onto Constantine.
“Liv?” Cole prompt me as I just gaze over at the illuminations. “Do you forgive him?”
I nod. “Yes,” I say, meaning it. “I have forgiven him. And I will go to him tomorrow to get him back.”
Cole turns from me with a nod. The last three months he has had me mostly to himself. Except for a few days here and there with Lincoln and on the full moon, and a few secret meetings with Xane and Sebastian, I have been
back in his bed, by his side every night. He knows now that we will go back to me being away two nights a week and I know he isn’t happy about it. I think about Devon. I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks. He took Jess back to L.A. to deal with her mother and her boyfriend. I don’t know what that means. I didn’t ask. I had to tell him what Sebastian was doing to him, and why. He was furious, with good reason, and will likely try to kick Sebastian’s ass about it the next time he sees him, but he eventually had to concede that he preferred to be alive and not executed for making a Rogue. It changed him. A lot. He has been even more serious and moody these last few months. I know it is weighing on his mind. He doesn’t want this responsibility, but he knows now that he can’t just leave her to her own devices either. I feel that there is something else going on with him. Since the assault, he has been distant from me. I’ve tried to tell him that he can touch me, be with me, but he has treated me like a china doll since he found out. I hate it. I miss him terribly and it brings tears to my eyes. But they are due back tomorrow at the country manor in Buckinghamshire, as are we. I know everyone is wondering whether we will show up with my sire or not.
“Cole,” I say, touching his shoulder. “I have loved these last three months with you. I love you. But I am aching for him,” I say softly. “I’m sorry, but I need him.”
He huffs out a breath. “I know you do. If I didn’t see you for three months, I would feel like I wanted to die. Go to him tomorrow and bring him home.” He looks resolved, like he has come to his own decision and it looks like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He’s probably just glad that a decision has been made, instead of living with the future undecided. I smile at him and pull him to me.
“One last night in our little bubble and then back to the real world,” I say.
“One last night,” he repeats. “I can’t believe that the film is finished, and we are going home. No more traveling, no more hotels.”
“No more films,” I say sternly, interrupting him. “I meant what I said about you retiring after this.”
“I will. All I want to do is spend every second that I can with you.”
“Good boy,” I murmur up at him and he throws me back his delicious half smile before he swoops down to kiss me.
I awake, anxious and covered in sweat. I am nervous about going to see Constantine. It is ridiculous really. I have no idea why I am nervous. Perhaps because after all this time I am worried that he won’t want me anymore, that he has decided he can live without me in his life. Even though I told him not to contact me, that I wanted nothing to do with him, I expected that he would, even half hoped that he would. But he hasn’t. Not one word, to anyone, and I am worried. What if he has forgotten that today is the day, we agreed I would either turn up at Ponte if I wanted him back, or not if I didn’t. What if he is there with someone else? Or just not at all? A mild panic sets in and it triggers Cole’s senses and he wakes suddenly.
“You okay?” he mumbles.
“Yes fine, baby. Go back to sleep,” I tell him as I climb out of bed. A shower and then off I go. It’s still early, only 6 AM, but the sooner I get this over with the better.
I stand under the jets and Cole joins me in the bathroom. “I’m not going to ask you not to go,” he says, as I turn from him expecting exactly that. “I just want to tell you that I love you, and I will be waiting on the jet in Florence for you to take you home.”
I look up at him in surprise and ask, “You are going to come with and wait for me?”
“Yes,” he says. “Don’t sound so surprised. You are my wife, and I told you last night that I want to spend every second I can with you. I am not sitting around here waiting for you to fly back when I can go with you and we can leave from there.”
“You are perfect,” I say to him with a smile.
“I know,” he says, returning my smile. “Now, let’s do this. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get home.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I say.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I say. He steps into the shower and reaches for me, but I turn my back and he snatches his hands back quickly with a curse.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, and I freeze for a moment.
I force myself to relax and say, “It’s okay, baby. I want you…just not in here, okay?”
“Of course,” he says quietly and takes the soap from me that I am digging my nails into. He turns off the jets and carries me out of the shower and to the bedroom. He looks to me for the go ahead and I kiss him, letting him know he can take me now. Which he does, gently and insistently.
Ever since the incident with Aelfric, shower sex has been off the menu. It used to be one of my favorite places to be with the man I loved, but now I can’t bear it. I am overcome with mild panic attacks and it is somewhat of a mood killer. I couldn’t say for sure why it still affects me so badly. It’s not like I have never been abused before, but this last time just keeps rearing its ugly head. Maybe because I am supposed to be all Powerful, and with the flick of his wrist he had bound my Dragon Powers and rendered me all but useless against him. Still, with all the bad, some good did come out of it. Tiamat accelerated my Power growth and I am now officially the most Powerful creature in all the Realms (except for Her, of course). Even Remiel seems to have retreated. He appears to be off sulking somewhere and I haven’t seen him for weeks. Not that I am complaining after his little Vampire bombshell.
After Cole has made love to me, I jump back in the shower and quickly clean up before getting dressed. It is a pain that we have to fly to Italy, but in order to get back into England officially it must be this way.
Landing in Florence, I kiss Cole goodbye and make my way into the airport. I had half expected Nico to be there to pick me up, but he isn’t. Now, I am very worried. CK keeps an apartment here in Florence, which I make my way to so that I can Astral to the castle. My palms are sweating as I unlock the door and step inside. Closing the door quickly, I don’t think about it as I close my eyes and picture where I want to be. I open them again and find myself in the Entrance Hall of Ponte.
It is deathly quiet.
I wince as my heels clack on the old stone floor as I make my way over to the stairs. In a flash, Marguerite is standing in front of me, blocking my way.
“Ma’am,” she says coldly, and I raise my eyebrow at her. “You are not to go up there.”
“Get out of my way, Marguerite. He is expecting me.” Never mind that this is still also my castle - unless he somehow managed to get my name removed from the deeds. I wouldn’t put it past him. Stubborn fool.
“He doesn’t want to see you,” she says, arms crossed over her chest defensively, but I can see the quivering of her lip.
I admire her boldness in defense of her Master. She knows I could knock her on her arse with a flick of my fingers (oh yeah, I am badass now) but still she stands there.
“I won’t ask again,” I warn her and after a moment, she slinks to the side.
“I can’t stop you, but I ask that you don’t go up there,” she says quietly.
“Why?” I ask suspiciously. “Is he with someone?”
She shakes her head but doesn’t say anything else. Well, screw this. I ungracefully take the stairs two at a time and head straight for his bedroom. Our bedroom. Empty, and it doesn’t look like it has been used either. I gulp and know exactly where he is as I turn and make my way down the corridor to my old bedroom.
I pause outside the door.
He will know I am here, hovering on the other side, so I might as well just push it open. I do and step into the gloom. He is on the bed and he groans and turns away from the light coming in through the door. I close it quickly and step forward.
“Constantine,” I say to his back, as he doesn’t turn around to greet me.
Silence.
I narrow my eyes at him and then take in the room. Oh, dear. No wonder Marguerite didn’t want me coming up here. It is a disaster. He is a d
isaster. There are empty bottles of Scotch strewn all over the room, my candles that I kept in here have long since burned right down into molten puddles of wax all over the ancient bedside cabinet, ruining it. The bed covers are all in dusty disarray and he is lying in the middle of the bed, on his side, in a crumpled shirt and suit pants, with no socks on. He doesn’t look like he has changed since he got here. I am shocked at his appearance. He is one of the vainest people I know, even more so than me, and that is saying something.
I cross over to the side of the bed. “Constantine,” I say again.
“Why are you here?” he asks, still turned away from me. “You should have stayed away.”
“Why?” I ask him, confused. “We agreed to this day. Did you doubt that I would come? Did you... not want me to come for you?”
He sits up and then grabs another bottle of Scotch from the floor beside the bed. He turns to face me, and I draw in my breath. “You shouldn’t have come. I don’t deserve you. I am not worthy of you.”
I stare at him. His eyes are black, his cheeks are hollow, his skin is a sickly yellow color, and he looks like he hasn’t shaved since I last saw him. He is scruffy and that is not something that I have ever seen on him. He prefers clean-cut, always has, regardless of fashion.
“What on Earth?” I ask him, sitting down heavily as my knees give out.
“Just go, Aefre,” he says and takes a long drink of the Scotch.
I snatch it off him and he doesn’t even fight me as he sways slightly, his eyes going unfocused.