by Eve Newton
Oh, she did now, did she? Little bitch. And what on Earth was she doing talking to Other Liv in the first place, and when, exactly? I determine that now I am definitely installing cameras around my home. There is too much subterfuge going on and I am going to get to the bottom of it.
“I couldn’t say,” I tell him, but if I ever find out she has been here somehow and got with him she is a goner.
“I will take your advice,” he says, suddenly standing up straighter. “Liv won’t like it, but it’s tough shit.”
“There’s my boy,” I murmur, and he glows with the praise. He hugs me fiercely and I return it, feeling very odd. “I should get going,” I say as I pull away.
He nods and watches me Astral off. Other Liv will go nuts that I didn’t go back down to tell her what happened, but I don’t really care. If Fraser wants to tell her, then so be it.
I land back in my library to just CK.
“Hi,” I say a bit awkwardly.
“Hello,” he says coldly.
I roll my eyes at him and hug him. He returns it, just barely, sniffing at my neck where Fraser had grazed me. I don’t give him a chance to ask because he will go berserk on my arse, so I just say, “Can we talk now that we are alone?” I do wonder where Cole is. They seem to be attached at the hip at the moment.
“Yes, I have some things I want to say. Sit.” He leads me to the sofa and sits with me, taking my hand. “First things, do not let that woman interfere with your thoughts,” he says. “She knows what She wants, and She will go to any lengths to get it. However,” he adds sternly, “I am not happy about this, Aefre. It has gotten far too serious a matter for us to ignore any longer.”
I sigh, “I know. I have a decision to make.”
His eyes snap to mine and he frowns, “What do you mean?”
Oh, crap. Me and my big mouth. I thought we were on the same page, but apparently not.
“Aefre,” he says, “Are you seriously telling me you are considering giving Her what She wants?”
“I have to consider it, and what Drake wants,” I whine. “You saw what happened before. I won’t be responsible for an all-out war between them. It’s bad enough I caused the Faeries to fight...”
“You were not responsible for that,” he practically shouts at me, his eyes going black. “That fucking bastard created that problem.”
“Regardless,” I say, patting his hand to calm him. “I need to at least think about it, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. You stamped on your promise to me because you said you didn’t think you wanted a child. Now you are considering having two that are not mine? You said you would only consider it with me,” he says, getting upset.
“I know and I’m sorry. But try to see this from my point of view, please,” I beg him. He has to understand. But there is only one way he will, so I add, “I have reconsidered my promise to you. We will keep trying.”
His eyes light up before he closes them. “You swear?” he asks. “On your life that you mean it?”
“Yes, my love,” I say, and I do. If I’m doing this, then I might as well jump in with both feet.
He crushes me to him and says, “Then I will accept this, because I know you are special, and you were created to do special things. It has taken me a long time to get my head around it, but I do, my beautiful wife.”
I hug him back, loving him even more for saying exactly what I want to hear. But I know he has said it for precisely that reason. I don’t believe him, but I can only hope that he will see this through with me. Cole, on the other hand, is going to be a major problem. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
He gives me a squeeze and changes the topic rapidly as he does, “Also, seeing as you have decided to date outside of our marriage, I propose that we have our own.”
I snort in amusement. “You? You want to take me on a date?”
He regards me wryly. “Not exactly,” he says. “What I am proposing is certain days alone with you. Just the two of us. Cole, of course, will get to pick his days as well, but I need time with you alone.”
That’s what he wanted to ask me? And here I was worried about his demands. “Yes!” I say straight away.
He chuckles at my enthusiasm and says, “Good, because it is October next week and there is a certain anniversary that I want to celebrate with you.”
I stare at him in surprise. Vampires, by nature, aren’t sentimental creatures. Anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, they all fall by the wayside when you’ve been around as long as we have. “Really?” I ask him. “We have never once called it an anniversary or celebrated it.”
“Well, we should,” he says. “The day I turned you was the best day of my life.” He smiles his made-for-me smile and I kiss him.
“I love you,” I say. “Yes, I want to do that.”
“And I want you on our wedding anniversary, of course, and one other day of your choosing. You and Cole will pick your three days between you.”
I nod eagerly. What has gotten into him? Since when did he become so reasonable and generous?
“Now, there is something I have to tell you,” I say, and he turns his attention to me seriously at my tone.
“What?” he asks, almost in dread.
I stand up as this is weird. And I would rather have talked to Cole about it first, but as we are here discussing things, I might as well tell him.
As I pace, I say, “Do you remember the day after we got married, when Cole mentioned his bond to Devon?”
CK nods but remains silent, wondering where I am going with this.
“Err,” I pause, trying to say this tactfully. “Well, erm, Devon came to me the other day with a rather surprising statement. It seems that this bond of theirs, there is more to it than we thought.”
“Meaning?” he asks, but I am sure he knows what I am trying to say.
“Meaning, it seems he has feelings for Cole, that are different.” I use Devon’s word for it. Luckily for me, CK nods sagely as if he knew all along and no further explanation is required. “I see,” he says.
Not so lucky for me, I now have to tell him the next part, and then the part after that. “Devon has asked me if I will talk to Cole about it and see what he would accept in the way of the three of us together,” I say in a rush.
CK’s eyebrows skyrocket before they drop and hood his eyes ferociously as the mental picture he gets is not to his liking. “I wasn’t under the impression Cole would be open to that yet,” he says stiffly.
“Probably not,” I say as I sit and take his hand. “But a bite maybe? I don’t know, I have to talk to him. The reason I am telling you any of this at all, is that the three of us are going to need some alone time of our own.”
A long silence follows that comment and then he heaves his world-weary sigh at me. “Fine,” he grouses. “I suppose I had to be expecting you would want to carry on with your prior arrangement at some point.”
Great, I think, but this has been way too easy. I thought we would end up in a fight over the baby thing with this adding fuel to the fire, but we have discussed it like two rational adults…for once. Something will shit on this, and damn soon, I have no doubt. And I am pretty sure it will be what I have to say next.
But I chicken out. I don’t want to spoil this yet. I am a coward of the worst kind and I don’t deserve Devon.
“Thank you,” I mutter again and kiss him quickly. “I should go and find Cole.”
“He’s upstairs in our bedroom,” CK says.
He looks like he wants to say more but clams up. Curious.
“Come up soon, okay?” I say to him. “I want you next to me.”
“Of course,” he says and lets me go.
I head upstairs and find Cole in the shower. I still need one myself, so I make the decision to strip off and join him. If I can do this with Devon, I can do this with my husband. He looks startled as I step in and backs away, giving me room.
“It’s okay,” I say. “I think I am over it.” I take the soap fro
m him and lather it up in my hands. I hand it back to him and then start to wash him. There are so many things that I have to say to him, but right now I just want this. He stands stock still like he is afraid any sudden movement will make me bolt and lets me get on with it. His erection is standing to attention as I run my soapy hands over him, and he closes his eyes in bliss. Once he is completely clean, I stand up and say, “Your turn.”
He doesn’t hesitate to reach for me. Soap and everything else forgotten, he picks me up and pushes me against the cold tiles. When I don’t reject him, he grabs my backside and shoves himself inside me. “I missed this,” he mutters before he kisses me.
I have too. There is something very sexy about a wet, naked husband bringing you to a shattering orgasm while the water falls down around you. After his own release, he lets me go and washes me from head to toe. I relish his attentions and when he wraps me up in a towel and starts to dry me off, I let him. It annoyed me when I was weak and ill and couldn’t do it myself. Now it is erotic and turning me on in ways that I haven’t felt for a while. This will be the first time that Cole and I have made love properly, alone, in months. I need him desperately as he needs me. I will talk to him tomorrow about Devon and all of the problems we are going to face, but for now we need to do this. We fall on the bed in a tangle of towels and wet hair and see to each other, taking turns at dominating the other. We fall asleep together with him still deep inside of me and for the first time since I woke up from my coma, I feel almost peaceful and content.
Chapter 20
The Underworld, September 2013 – Xane
“Is everything prepared?” he asks Aster.
“Yes, sir,” Aster replies.
“Good,” he says, feeling more than a little nervous. Which is just ridiculous. He paces the bedroom of the Castle fretfully after Aster leaves and then bucks himself up. She will do this. He will leave her no choice but to. He Astraports off and lands boldly in her bedroom at her country manor. He really doesn’t care about boundaries. He doesn’t stop to think that he might find her in a compromising position. He checked the Orb a few minutes ago and she was up and alone. He hates spying on her. He tries not to do it often, but sometimes it just gets the better of him and he has to see her.
“Morning,” she smiles at him as if she was expecting him to land in her bedroom unannounced.
“Hi,” he says returning her smile. “You ready?”
“Almost,” she says. “I have to do three things. First,” she drags his mouth to hers and kisses him. He falls into it and starts to walk her back to her bed, but she stops him apologetically. “Not here,” she murmurs, and he is crushed, but doesn’t let her see it.
“You don’t play fair,” he accuses half-jokingly. “You can’t kiss me like that and expect me not to want you.”
“Oh, I want you to want me, just not here,” she says with a laugh. “My husbands are in enough of a temper this morning, I wouldn’t want to exacerbate the situation.”
He cocks his eyebrow at her and she elaborates, “They aren’t happy I am coming with you today. You know Cole is a mass of paranoia around you, seems to have rubbed off on CK as well.”
With good reason, he thinks smugly, but just nods understandingly. Just under the surface he wants to tell her to fuck that and let him take her in the bed that she shares with them. He wants to roll her round the red silk sheets, fucking her with everything that he has, marking his territory. Instead, he says, “And the second thing?”
She holds her finger up and says, “Follow me.”
He does, like a sheep trailing in her wake, and she opens the door of the room next to hers.
“Do you mind?” Cade yells at her as he pulls his shirt on. “Fucking privacy would be nice.”
She doesn’t look sorry as she shrugs. Xane watches the two of them. He always wondered if there was something more to their relationship. Even more so since she turned him. He could ask her, and he knows she would tell him the truth, but he would sound like a jealous fool and that is something he doesn’t wish.
“You need to feed,” Liv says firmly to Cade, holding out her wrist.
Xane is really interested now. She feeds him herself? Why? He is burning with curiosity as she approaches Cade with her arm outstretched.
Cade takes it roughly and says, “Why do you always bring someone with you? It’s like feeding time at the fucking zoo around here. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know,” she says calmly and sits on the bed next to him. Cade looks over at him and makes a swirling motion with his finger, asking him to turn around. Xane looks back at him, amused, but does as he asks and turns his back warily, just in case Cade does try to hurt her. He knows that Cade betrayed her, he knows far more about that situation than he is comfortable with, but she has clearly come to terms with it and him, so Xane will leave her business to her. This time. Next time, he is dead.
“You have healed up nicely,” she says quietly.
Cade grunts in response and then says, “The Power that is you.”
She chuckles and Xane turns back around in time to see her stroke Cade’s face and his uncomfortable reaction to it. Even more interesting.
“I will get on with that request,” Cade says to her as he stands. She follows and nods.
“Thank you, remember it’s…”
“Yeah I know,” Cade says and Xane wants to kill him that he now has a major secret that he is sharing with her. Liv catches his eye and he tries to look less ferocious than he knows he does. She smiles at him and takes his hand, letting him know they share secrets of their own and he feels better.
“You do the honors,” she says, “to the kitchen please.” And he Astraports them downstairs.
“Feeding time for the Queen?” he remarks wryly, and she laughs.
“Yes, but not in the way you think,” she says mysteriously, and he watches her in surprise as she sets about making herself a pastrami on rye with extra pastrami. She wolfs it down in several bites and he just stares at her.
“Xerxei?” he asks hopefully, but she shakes her head.
“Just me. It’s the strangest thing.” She shrugs it off, so he does too and takes her hand.
“Go time?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says and he Astraports them to the Castle without another word. He can tell she is a bit nervous as she strides over to the windows to look out. She looks back at him in awe. “Where the Hell are we?” she jokes.
He laughs and says, “The Castle. The Overlord’s supposed place of residence.”
“Supposed? You don’t like it here?” she asks, looking around.
“Do you?” he asks, and she shakes her head.
“Way too dungeon-style for my taste,” she says and turns back to the windows.
He completely disagrees. This bedroom is so dark, everything is black. The stone walls are black, the stone floor is black, the bed is black, the candles are black, the chains screwed into the wall are black. He likes black, but he can see why she would be a bit gun-shy. It is a very dark room, and he doesn’t mean that in a color sense. He joins her at the window. She is looking out at the Hellfire moat that surrounds the Castle and out towards barren landscape, too scorching to breed life, and up to the roiling black clouds against the burnt orange sky.
“The deepest you can get into our Domain, my Lady,” he says to her.
“I don’t like it,” she declares and turns away. “So, what is your game plan?”
Down to business. He loves that about her. She can be so entirely focused sometimes, but other times she is away with the pixies. Or Faeries, in her case. “Just follow my lead,” he says.
“That’s it? Seems too easy,” she says.
He hates lying to her, but he can’t tell her he is leading her into a trap of his own making. She will bolt from here so quickly his head will spin.
“Easy? No,” he says. “But you will see what I mean when we get there.”
“Okay,” she accepts, but still looks worri
ed.
“It will be fine,” he reassures her.
“I hope so. It didn’t go so well last time,” she says. “I don’t understand why they can’t just see I am a Dracul.”
“It is because of your Shifter nature. They assume that I am coercing you into looking like Xerxei,” he says, getting angry.
“Coercing me?” she snickers. “I’d like to see you try.”
“So would I,” he says darkly, and he sees her shiver. He would like nothing more than to show her his dark side, but until she truly accepts him as her other half, he won’t do it. “Speaking of Xerxei,” he says and indicates her person.
She Shifts and he gets hard as he sees his true love as she should be. He clicks his fingers and changes his clothes into his Overlord attire, and she follows with something equally suitable for a Queen at a Demon Trial: a black flowing gown that barely contains her magnificent breasts, and shows off her Dragon in all its glory, but covers up her Fae markings.
“Perfect,” he says to her.
She inclines her head in thanks and holds her hand out to him. He Astraports them down to the hall and hesitates just outside the heavy black doors.
“Just whatever happens, don’t waver,” he says before he pushes the doors open.
The meeting hall is packed to the gills, everyone eager to hear the outcome. The six Houses each have at least a hundred representatives and he can see the clear divide between the Houses of Dracul and Septimus. It doesn’t surprise him in the least that the Aldric’s have backed Septimus. He ignores them all as he leads his Queen down the aisle to the raised platform at the front of the hall. He feels her quiver and can only imagine how she must feel being paraded in front of this many Demons. He sits her in the throne next to his and she straightens her back and glares regally out over the whispering crowd. Yes, this was a tactical move on his behalf. He seated her where his wife should be, where no one has sat since his mother sat next to his father.
The Head of the Demon Council, Lord Falcor, stands and bangs his gavel. He is from the House of Toshack. Every single Council Head has come from this notoriously neutral House, for good reason.