by Eve Newton
“No thanks,” I say. “Not really feeling it today.” Now that is really odd, more odd than the eating thing. She looks almost disappointed as she replaces it carefully in the fridge.
“About the other day,” she says.
“Already forgotten,” I say with my mouth full. It’s not forgotten but keep your enemies closer and all that. Just as soon as I can, I will remove this girl from Devon’s life, Rogue or not. I am Queen. I can protect him.
“Thanks,” she says. “I was having a bad day.”
“I have those frequently,” I say, and she laughs. I will smile at her and play nice. Then she won’t see me strike. “In fact, this one is about to be a doozy,” I add as I sense CK way before he smashes his way into the kitchen.
And by smashes, I do mean that literally.
The door flies off its hinges as it splinters into a thousand pieces. He is followed closely by Cole and the only thing that could make these two look more menacing, is if they were brandishing weapons of mass destruction.
They are MAAAAAD!
I carefully replace my sandwich, no need for this to get that messy, and push the plate away. CK’s face goes even darker as he sees me eating actual food, on my own, for no apparent reason, but it is Cole who speaks first.
“Hello, Mrs. Draconis. I trust you had a pleasant wedding,” he snarls.
Oh, boy, they are fully up to speed here. “Cole, CK, it isn’t what you think.” I stand up quickly and Jess backs away. She looks surprised, as if she didn’t know. Well, she does now.
“Oh, I think it is exactly what I think,” Cole says. “I knew there was something going on. I knew it and you denied it!”
“Cole!” I snap at him. “Listen to me. It was a tactical move. Political. That’s it,” I say, hoping that those words never make it back to Lord Falcor’s ears.
“Why?” CK growls at me but having the presence of mind to at least let me explain.
Which I do, the abridged version of the Trial. I am quite happy to have the kitchen island in between us, as it doesn’t really go over as well as I had hoped. Cole is in front of me in flash, staring down at me. “How long has this been going on?” he asks.
“Six months,” I reply and get the shock of my life when he raises his hand to me and slaps me, hard across the face. Yeah it hurt, but the fact that he did it, hurts worse.
“And you only mention now that you have been forced to wed and fuck that Demon?” he yells at me, before CK sends him sprawling across the kitchen floor.
“Touch her like that again and I will have your head,” he says. Ironic, really, seeing as he has done far worse to me in the past. Perhaps that is why he got all defensive. I help Cole up as Jess cowers in the corner. She is trapped, all the exits are currently blocked by three very angry Vampires. He shakes me off and glares at me. “I thought we talked about everything,” he says quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily,” I say lamely.
“Bullshit,” CK suddenly shouts at me. “I know you too well, Aefre. You would only hide it if you actually had something you wanted to hide. Are you fucking him now that he is your husband?” The venom is dripping like Remiel’s fangs in his voice. “Or were you always fucking him? I told you months ago I would not tolerate that with him.” He advances on me and I brace myself for another slap, but he just stands so close to me, baring his fangs, forcing me to look up at him. An intimidation tactic if I ever saw one off him.
“Back off,” I snarl at him and push on his chest. He is no longer a threat to me, and I will not be treated in such a manner in my own home by my own husband.
“You are both way off base,” I lie. What else can I do? Admit to my Blood Magick tie with Xane and lose them both? Not a fucking chance. Not here, not today with Jess watching with far more curiosity and less fear now. “However,” I add and Cole Vamps out on me now as well, “We do have to move to the Underworld tomorrow and everyone has to play nice. If word gets out, I will be handed off to Sven to do with me as he chooses.”
That gives them pause, but then, being the clever arse that he is, CK says, “You are Queen, why can’t you just tell them the way it is going to be?”
“Don’t you think I tried that?” I ask in exasperation. “I am dealing with thousands upon thousands of Demons who all want a piece of me. Unless I kill all of the opposers and start a war, I have no choice but to bend to their traditions. Xane just made a way where we could do it without bloodshed and loss. It is legal and it is final.” As is this discussion. I cross my arms and they both fall back and retract their fangs, not happy in the least.
“You should have discussed this with us first, Aefre,” CK says. “Do you even care that you have just added a third husband here? Has that even registered with you, the effects that this is going to have on the three of us?”
“Yes, of course,” I say indignantly. Although, the third husband in question was supposed to be Devon. So…no, not really. Didn’t exactly have much time to process it. “This will not affect our relationship at all. I promise both of you that. This is just politics,” I say again.
At this point, Cade walks into the kitchen and rears back from the angry vibe that is still bouncing around. He glances at my husbands and then to me. “I’ll come back,” he says and turns to leave.
“No, wait,” I say. “What is it?” Anything to change the subject.
“Uh, that thing you asked me to look into,” he says.
I pounce on it. “You know?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says and looks really uncomfortable.
“Well?” I say to him.
He looks at the others and says, “Perhaps, show rather than tell? I know you like to kill the messenger and I’m just starting to accept what I am.”
While that warms my heart, he has me seriously worried. What on Earth could Devon be up to that would make me so mad as to want to kill?
“Show me,” I say shortly, and he gestures for me to follow.
Of course, CK, Cole, and Jess follow suit, eager to be a part of what’s going on, our fight already forgotten under the intrigue. Cade marches through the house and outside, across the terrace, down the steps and heads towards the woods at the back. I follow with a feeling of dread. The other three hang back as they pick up on my anxiety over this and want to give me some space, just in case I do decide to go homicidal. I run after Cade in my heels. His long strides slow down as we enter the woods. I am so not dressed for this, but I am too nervous to change. What is Devon doing in these woods, and with whom?
Silently Cade leads me to the clearing, and I stop dead. I see Devon at the exact moment he senses me. He is kissing a dark-haired woman who is clinging to him. No, not kissing, they are fucking up against a tree. Devon’s head spins and he stumbles back as he sees me, quickly adjusting his clothing. His face goes deathly pale and he looks from me to her. I look at her now and my jaw drops as does my stomach.
She looks identical to me, to Elizabeth.
“Livvie, please. This isn’t what you think,” Devon pleads with me, his hand outstretched.
Livvie? He called me Livvie. My brain tries to make sense of this, but it is exactly how it looks.
“Oh, now,” the skank drawls and I turn to ice. “It is exactly how it looks.”
My heart turns to stone as I recognize her New York accent. “YOU!” I bellow at Other Liv and fire a blast of Faerie magick at her so hard, she goes careening off into the woods, hitting several trees on the way before falling into a heap on the floor. I ignore Devon’s pleas for the moment as I just can’t look at him. I march off after her and find her just getting to her feet.
“What the fuck?” she yells at me. “What the fuck was that?”
I blast her again, wanting to set her on fire for daring to go anywhere near what’s mine. She yelps as the agony rips through her. She’s not so tough after all. Seems I can beat her and so help me god, I am going to beat her, to death, preferably. I fire
a stream of lightning at her and she spasms as it hits her, but she recovers quickly and draws on her own magick. She is pissed, but she has no right to be.
“I have every right to take what is yours,” she says to me, seeing my thoughts on my cursed face. “You are taking mine from me, so I am taking what is most precious from you, you bitch.” She sends a stream of Dragon fire my way, but I dodge it and douse the burning trees with a nice little Dark Fae weather system. I dodge another blast and roll out of its way through the bracken, coming up in a crouch, and firing her again with the ice-cold lightning I saw Drake use and that I used on Xane. She screams and I straighten up. Definitely should have opted for fighting gear, I think as I check to see if my shoes are still in one piece.
Fortunately for her, my Louboutins remain intact and I stride up to her, my fist ready.
“What the Hell are you?” she chatters to me.
I peer at her curiously and all of a sudden it strikes me. All this time and I never even noticed. She doesn’t have the Fae markings!
“Just a little something courtesy of my father,” I say to her and enjoy her shock.
“You know who our father is?” she says, stunned.
“I know who my father is!” I shout in her face. I want some physical contact with her, my knuckles are itching to bruise her. I punch her square in the face, flattening her and scream, “You are nothing to do with me. Leave this place and don’t ever return.”
She Astrals off in shock, bleeding and shaking, and I take in a deep breath as I turn back and see everyone watching me. I storm past them all and slam Devon up against a tree. “How could you?” I spit out at him. “With her? After everything you came to me about the other night. What you asked me? You fucking Substituted me with another World version, it is disgusting.” I let him go and the adrenaline rush from the fight disappears as quickly as it came. I feel nauseous. My stomach is churning as I say to him, “You disgust me. I change my answer to ‘no’, not ever, you fucking prick! I never want to see you again.”
“No!” he grabs my arms. “Livvie no, don’t say that.” He has tears in his eyes, but I feel nothing. This betrayal reaches down into my very essence and rips it into a million pieces. “I can explain,” he says in desperation. “I never meant to…”
“Save it,” I say and shake him off. “We all saw what you were doing. It couldn’t have been spelled out more clearly.”
“Lizzie, please.” He reverts to his name for me and it furthers my resolve.
“Is that what you called her?” I ask in absolute revulsion and walk away. “I will never forgive you for this, Devon. Never!”
I start to run and as I pass Jess, I see her looking on calmly. She knew about this. It’s obvious. The bile rises in my throat and I really regret eating that sandwich before. I clamp my hand to my mouth as I run, or I am going to lose it all over my Louboutins. I hear everyone following me and I make it to the terrace, but no further. I grab hold of a nearby rose bush, the thorns digging into my palm as I lean into it and throw up the entire contents of my stomach. I am devastated and furious. No wonder he couldn’t look me in the eye, he would have been thinking about hers. Oh gods, please don’t let him have been with her before I threw myself at him as Elizabeth. But I know that he was. All his actions now scream at me, making sense. I bend over again and retch until my stomach hurts. How could he ask me to marry him when he was screwing that whore behind my back? Or maybe that’s what this was. Guilt.
I can feel everyone hovering and I feel so foolish. He has made me look like the biggest fool on the planet. I am glad now that I didn’t say anything to anyone about his proposal. This is worse than CK’s Substitutes. He never found an actual Other me to fuck. I stand up straight and wipe my mouth. I pluck my palm from the thorns and walk up the stairs with what remaining dignity I have left, which is almost nothing.
I enter my bathroom and rinse my mouth out. I am never eating food again. Even as I think that my stomach growls and CK hands me a bottle of blood. He looks more than cautious and so he should. This has dredged up everything I have tried to forget about him. “Aefre,” he says softly, but I shake my head. “I can’t think about it, or speak about it,” I say.
“Okay,” he says and pats my shoulder. It starts my tears and I fall weeping into his arms. Cole consoles me as well, stroking his hand down my back to soothe V.A.
“Liv,” he says. “Hear him out…”
“Do not defend him to me, Cole. He has pissed on everything that we meant to each other by doing this. It’s, it’s unforgivable.” I step back from them both and dry my eyes. This has been the day from Hell and I just want a bath to soak away the disgust and despair of this betrayal. I take the cap off the blood bottle. Holding it to my lips, I tilt it back. I find myself gulping back a mouthful of air as it has suddenly vanished from my hand.
“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you,” Remiel says as he tips it down the drain.
“What? Why? Grrrrr, you!” I forget about his lethal claws and lunge towards him with my own extended. He grabs my hands and holds me effortlessly away from him.
“Calm yourself, my dear. I just saved you from drinking poison,” he says.
I stop struggling as I take in his words. “What?” I ask again as CK and Cole advance on him. He holds his hand out and it has them slamming back against the wall, completely immobile.
“You two, stay out of this,” he says and wags his finger at them and then runs his hand over my stomach lovingly. “I need you healthy and strong for our baby,” he adds, and his all-too familiar piercing blue eyes find mine and I look down in dread at his hand stroking me. It wasn’t a dream; it wasn’t a Heat-induced delusion. It was him! He Astrals us off, leaving my two husbands alone in the bathroom.
Epilogue
Buckinghamshire, England, October 2013 – Constantine and Cole
Constantine enters the library and sees Cole staring out of the windows. Cole looks as bereft as he feels. This is the second time they have lost their wife this year and it is taking its toll on both of them. Even in some strange way they are growing closer with their grief. It had shocked them both to the core to learn that Aefre was carrying the original Vampire’s child, on top of his kidnapping her to the old gods know where, they were united in their sorrow and worry.
Cole turns to look at Constantine. He isn’t ashamed to admit that he has been crying. He should be, but he doesn’t care anymore. All he cares about is getting his wife home. He doesn’t even care if she brings that child back with her for the three of them to raise. All he wants is his wife and sire, by his side once more.
“I know how you feel,” Constantine says to him, taking in his wet eyes and feeling like he could cry himself. “But we have to stay strong.”
“How? We don’t even know where she is or if she is ever coming back. She has been gone for three weeks without a trace. I just can’t do this after the coma. It’s just too fucking hard!” Cole sweeps his hand over the desk and knocks everything to the floor. This isn’t the first time that either one of them has done it, but it disrupts a pile of mail that Cole, in his frustration, kicks away from his feet.
“My best guess is that she is in the Dragon Realms,” Constantine says, his eyes firmly on the mail on the floor. There is a letter in there that Cole needs to read. He has kept it aside for a few weeks, but the time has come.
“Great,” Cole says. “Nice and safe where we can’t get to her. Ever. Fuck!”
Constantine lets him vent and bends to scoop up the letters. He rifles through them until he finds the one he wants. There has been no one to sort through anything since the girl left with Devon. He hasn’t been seen since the incident in the woods, no one even knows if he is aware his sire is missing. He places the rest on the desk to be dealt with later and holds out the one in his hand to Cole.
“You need to read this,” he says.
“What is it?” Cole replies and takes it absently. “Unless it tells me how to get to my wife, I don’
t want it.” He throws it back on the desk and Constantine picks it up again to his annoyance.
“Read it,” he says quietly.
Cole takes it and looks at the envelope. He gulps loudly and searches Constantine’s eyes. “Do you know what’s in it?” he asks in dread.
“No,” Constantine lies. Of course, he knows what’s in it. He knows everything. Except how to get to his wife and return her safely to his side.
Cole nods and his heart clenches. Inside is the DNA result that Nico had ordered for Carolyn’s child. Her son. In this envelope is the news and he will find out once and for all if he is a father. He opens it slowly as Constantine watches him. He turns away and reads it carefully. He then re-reads it and stuffs it back into the envelope. He strides to the fireplace and scrunches the envelope up in his fist and throws it onto the roaring fire. He had lit it earlier in case Liv came home tonight. She will be cold if there is no fire. Constantine comes to stand beside him, and Cole knows that he already knew what it read.
Constantine places his hand on Cole’s shoulder and they both watch the letter set alight. Constantine has mixed feelings over this. He wants to be happy, but it just isn’t reaching him. Cole watches the letter burn and go black and turn to ash. Just as he is going to when his wife finds out about this.
The End
Read on with: Sacrifice: The Forever Series, Book 10
Sacrifice
The Forever Series, Book 10
By Eve Newton
Copyright © Eve Newton, 2014
Copyright © Eve Newton, 2017
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