A Forever Series Box Set: A Paranormal Reverse Harem: Books 6-10

by Eve Newton

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or

  dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Author’s Note

  The first seven books of the Forever Series are seen through the perspective of Liv. However, books eight onwards now have the perspectives of all the other characters.

  Please note that the character changes are done by heading, so it is easy to follow whose perspective you are reading.

  Prologue

  Buckinghamshire, England, December 2013 – Other Liv & Other Devon

  “So, what exactly are we doing here?” Devon asked her and she glared at him to shut up. She peered out of the woods and at the house. It looked completely deserted. She hoped it was. After that bitch discovered her with her darling charge, she was flaming mad and that was what had brought Liv to this World. She needed to know what this Liv meant by saying that the magick she was wielding was from her father. She didn’t know who her father was. Her mother never told her before she died, and no one had come to claim her. Not that she was concerned. She’d never even really thought about it, thinking that if whoever it was couldn’t be bothered with her, then she wasn’t going to be bothered with them. It suited her just fine. But it seemed that Daddy was a powerful son-of-a-bitch and she needed to know who he was. She wanted the magick that this Liv had.

  “I want to know what she is,” Liv said to her husband.

  “How do you know she wasn’t lying?” Devon asked her. “Maybe she just found a way to combine her Dragon and Demon Powers together to form something new?”

  “Hm,” she said and pondered that for a moment, but then dismissed it. “No, it’s new. Something I haven’t felt before. I don’t know what it could be.”

  “And you expect to find answers in the house?” he asked.

  “Maybe,” she said and shrugged.

  “Why did you bring me?” he asked her suddenly.

  She looked at him in amazement. She didn’t understand why he was still so needy all the time. “Because you are my husband,” she said. Actually, she had an ulterior motive. If this Liv was hanging around, she was hoping her Devon would distract her for a few moments while she did some snooping. He’d told her of their conversation outside Fraser’s room and while she was beyond pissed that woman dared to tell her husband to find a little plaything, it was interesting how she seemed to care for him.

  She Astralled them to the terrace and she peered hesitantly inside. She felt foolish for being so cautious, but she did not want another ass-kicking like she’d got before and certainly not in front of one of her people. It was bad enough that all of this World had a front row seat.

  The library was empty, and not just of people, but of all of its furniture and books. Did they move?

  She turned the handle and the door opened so she entered with Devon hot on her heels.

  “Do they not live here anymore?” he asked, looking around.

  She shrugged as she wasn’t sure herself. “Let’s have a look,” she said. They had a slight wander around the library, but unfortunately there was nothing left in there, so they went upstairs. There was still some furniture about, but it was dusty. She pushed open the door to this Liv’s bedroom and walked inside. The bed was missing, but everything else was still there.

  Good. Now she could perhaps have a bit of a root around. She started pulling open drawers and cupboards and rifling through all the things she came across. Devon opened the closets, but they were empty.

  Liv huffed in frustration. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but there was nothing there that was useful.

  “What now?” Devon asked her as she hoisted herself up on the chest of drawers.

  “Where did they all go?” she asked instead.

  Devon came across to stand in front of her and she opened her legs for him. He stepped in between and she got a wicked glint in her eye.

  “Here?” he asked her in surprise.

  “Why not,” she replied, and, on a whim, she Shifted to Elizabeth.

  His eyes lit up as he took her in. She rarely Shifted for him anymore and it caused a reaction in him that he hadn’t felt for a long, long time.

  Passion.

  She saw it spark through him and it surprised her. One of the reasons she started screwing this World’s Devon was because he was so hot and passionate and everything, she wanted her own Devon to be again. Who knew all it would take was a little effort on her behalf?

  She wrapped her legs around him and his hand went up her leather skirt instantly, feeling for her. He let out a little moan when he found her wet and inviting and she fumbled with his pants to get him free. He cupped her ass and dragged her closer to him, impaling her on his stiff cock and she cried out. He was rock hard, and he hit the spot dead-on. Sex with her husband had turned into a bit of a chore over the last century or so, but this was something else. She felt what they once had as he beat into her, causing her to come in a sudden wave.

  “Oh, fuck yes,” he murmured as he took her face in his hands. He made her look him in the eye as he slammed her against the drawers, and she liked what she saw there: fire and life. Two things she never thought she would see again. A small, black worm started to crawl through her as something stirred inside of her. She didn’t recognize it at first, but then it became apparent. She hadn’t felt this in centuries. Long before she turned Devon and became Queen, long before she cut a swath across the continent with her first love, Lance, even before her sire turned her. The feeling grew as she watched her husband’s eyes go dark as he exploded inside of her and he clamped down on her neck to feed from her. He was still a ramrod inside her and she wiggled so she could come again all over him. He bit harder as he felt her and pulled back, her blood covering his mouth. He hadn’t bitten her in so long and suddenly she needed it. She needed him this way. She knew now it was her that ruined him. All the people from this World told her it was her that did it and they were right. But she couldn’t ever admit it. She pushed him away and Shifted back. His eyes closed briefly and when they opened, she saw the cold, dead look she had become used to. The feeling was rife in her now and it made her nauseous. She had to get away from him and this feeling. She swallowed as she thought of the word and it coated her insides like black oil. A word so foreign to her it would make her choke if she tried to say it out loud. But it was a word she knew she had to face if she was ever going to get her husband back.

  Guilt.

  Chapter 1

  The Underworld, January 2014 – Cole

  He stares out of the window of this familiar house onto the strange landscape before him. They have been here in the Underworld for a few weeks now, but it still seems strange to him. Constantine insisted they move here after Liv had declared this was where she wanted to be, even though she still isn’t with them. He hates being here without her. Everything is quiet and tense and he is feeling weaker by the day. He is trying not to show it, but he thinks Devon can see it.

  “Hey,” he says quietly as Devon stands next to him.

  “It’s like a fucking mausoleum around here,” Devon grumbles.

  “It feels like she’s died,” Cole says miserably. “For all we know, she is dead.”

  “Doubtful. I’d know,” Devon says cockily, and Cole has a flare of resentment for his arrogance. “You should get some rest,” he adds.

  “No. I want to be here when she returns,” Cole replies, even knowing as he says it, she won’t be coming back today. It’s late and he just knows it somehow. “How did this happen?” he whispers for the millionth time and Devon shrugs.

  “I wish I knew,” he says. “It doesn’t seem like her to go off and sleep with him. She hates him.”

  “Or so we thought,” Cole says bitterly. “Clearly her feelings for him aren’t what we thought.”

  “We don’t know that,” De
von says, biting his lip.

  “No,” Cole says, shaking his head. “Please don’t say what you are thinking. I don’t think I could bear it if that had happened to her again, and I couldn’t protect her…again.”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Devon says.

  “What makes sense?” Constantine asks as he lifts his head from his plotting, long enough to overhear what they are saying.

  “Nothing,” Cole chokes out.

  “That he took her by force. It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Devon states.

  “Enough!” Constantine snaps. “We don’t know what happened and right now it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is getting her home. Where is Xane? Has anyone seen him? He was supposed to be back here by now.”

  Cole and Devon both shake their heads. Cole is getting weary and he sidles across to the sofa to sit down heavily. Devon watches him with pity, and it infuriates him. He hates being so young and weak while Devon is so strong. It is just another reminder that he has known their sire so much longer.

  “You should feed,” Devon says.

  “I’m fine,” Cole growls at him, wishing that his sire was here for him to feed from.

  Devon sits next to him and holds his wrist out. “Take what you need,” he says.

  Cole looks up at him hesitantly. He has never fed from another Vampire before, except for Liv. “How will that help?” he asks.

  “What? Not good enough for you?” Devon asks him with a slight smirk.

  “No, I mean Vampire blood is weaker than human blood. If that isn’t helping, then…” Cole trails off, embarrassed.

  “You need something close to your sire’s blood. Our sire’s blood, and short of Constantine offering…” He, too, trails off with a pointed look at Constantine, who just sneers at him and goes back to his plotting. “Try it,” he says.

  Cole takes his wrist and with his eyes closed, he drops his fangs and takes a bite out of his sibling. He hears Devon breathe in deeply and clench his fist and the blood gushes into his mouth. Oh God, but he tastes just like his sire does. Like cherries. He remembers that from the taste of Devon he got in Liv’s mouth at Lance’s Castle. To his sheer mortification, he lets out a little moan and then hurriedly snaps his fangs back before Devon gets the wrong idea and punches his lights out. He opens his eyes to find Devon watching him with a strange look on his face and he blurts out, “Sorry, you taste like her.”

  “So, I’ve been told,” Devon murmurs and takes his arm back. “How do you feel?”

  Cole takes a moment to assess himself. He still feels lonely and he has this void inside of him that he can’t fill, but he feels a little bit stronger. Not much, but it is noticeable. He wonders how long it will last. He isn’t so sure Devon will offer again based on today’s performance. “Better,” he says. “Thanks.”

  “No worries,” Devon says, quickly standing up and moving to the other side of the room.

  Cole looks back to ask Constantine a question and he is surprised to find him watching them. He looks like he wants to ask something about what just happened, but “the gods” forbid he should admit to not knowing something about the race he created. Instead, he clears his throat and Xane chooses that moment to pop back in.

  “About bloody time,” Constantine grumbles. “Where have you been?”

  “With my mother,” Xane says, as if it is obvious.

  “Does she know anything?” Cole asks, quickly standing up and then, feeling lightheaded, he sits back down. Xane turns to him to regard him closely. Cole finds it very unnerving to have those bright blue eyes focused solely on him. He thinks it is the first time that Xane has ever really looked at him. God knows since Liv left it is the first time, he has even spoken to any of them directly. He finds it very odd that everyone seems to be getting along in Liv’s absence. He half expected the opposite and that they all would have tried to kill each other by now, especially seeing as one of the last things they found out before Liv left was about her marriage to the Demon Overlord. Cole is still struggling with that, even though he knew deep down they were more involved than she said.

  “She is in the Dragon Realms,” Xane says eventually.

  “Can Xanthe get to her?” Constantine asks.

  Xane turns his piercing gaze away from Cole and he relaxes again. “No, unfortunately not. The Realm has been locked down. In fact, all Dragons have been recalled and no one gets in or out without the express wish of Tiamat Herself.”

  “So, we’re screwed,” Cole says, slumping further into the sofa.

  No one answers him and it seems that yes, they are, indeed, screwed.

  “Maybe not,” Devon ventures cautiously after several moments. All eyes go to him and he swallows. “We do know someone else who might be able to get there.”

  Cole blinks. He hasn’t got a clue who Devon means and neither do Xane or Constantine by the looks of it.

  Devon chews his lip and says, “Now just hear me out. If we could somehow contact Other Liv, she is Empress of her own Realm. Surely that means she could bypass any rule Tiamat has in place?”

  Silence.

  A stony silence that only gets more awkward as the minutes pass.

  Constantine finally says, “You want to try and contact your Substitute bitch and ask her to travel to the Dragon Realms here to fetch Aefre and bring her back?”

  “Do you have another idea?” Devon snaps irritated to be reminded of his dirty affair. “Because I don’t hear any coming from any of you!”

  It’s true. Cole ran out of ideas weeks ago. And he is damn sure that if Constantine knew anything, he wouldn’t be sitting around on his ass leaving his wife, their wife, to who knows what over there.

  “Okay, let’s say we found a way to contact her, which in itself will be a major feat for us, unless you already know how? Or does she just turn up when she wants a fuck?” Constantine doesn’t wait for an answer as he continues, “Do you really think she would agree to such a request in light of the beating Aefre gave her last year? And, furthermore, if she did turn up to rescue Aefre, I highly doubt my wife would go with her.” He sits back in his chair with an inquiring stare.

  “Agreed,” Xane says. “She hates that bitch. She wouldn’t trust her, and I don’t either. She is vile.”

  “Well, then I am fresh out of ideas and someone had better come up with something fucking soon. This is beyond…” Devon struggles for a word to describe how awful this situation is. “Just beyond,” he finishes up lamely, and everyone agrees silently.

  They all turn to the French doors as they hear the long, plaintive howl of Lincoln. He has been roaming the grounds in Wolf form for weeks now mourning the loss of his Alpha mate. They all take on sorrowful looks and lower their eyes to stew in their own misery. Cole suddenly wishes he could turn into a Wolf and howl into the darkness, anything to make himself feel better.

  Eventually, he finds his eyes closing. He just can’t keep them open for a minute longer and soon the exhaustion of long days, longer nights, worry, anger, and having no sire to look after him, takes its toll and pulls him under.

  “Cole. Cole.”

  He hears his name being called gently and he opens his eyes with a start. Devon is peering at him worriedly and looks relieved when he opens his eyes.

  “What?” he asks groggily.

  “Just checking,” Devon murmurs to his alarm and sits down next to him. He is still on the sofa in the library and he can see it is daylight outside. The smell of cigarette smoke is in the air and he finds the source. Xane is sitting in an armchair with his legs dangling over the side and his head resting on the other arm, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He draws deeply and the entire cigarette turns to ash as he takes the stub out of his mouth and exhales slowly. Cole watches the swirl of the smoke and for the first time he wishes it was a habit he had picked up. At least it would be something to do with his hands and his mouth. Xane flicks the stub to the wastepaper basket and lights another one. He flicks it to
Constantine, who catches it without looking up, and inserts it into his mouth. Since when did they all get so in sync with one another?

  “I suppose someone should go and check on the other one,” Devon says in a tone that means someone other than him. Cole knows how angry he still is that, not only did Liv turn Cade, but he betrayed her to the very creature that has her captive now. And to top it off, they all know it was Cade who told Liv about Devon’s affair with Other Liv. Cole thinks that will be the hardest thing for Devon to forgive. He knows that Devon asked Liv to marry him and that she said ‘yes’, but she needed time to sort stuff out, namely Constantine. He is also very aware that she screeched a definitive ‘no’ at him after she found him with Other Elizabeth. It destroyed him, but Cole knows he shouldn’t have gone there. It was the absolute worst thing he could have done to her and she won’t forgive him.

  “I’ll go,” Cole says. He is also still furious with his new sibling, but Cade is suffering worse than he is and only he can know how awful and empty he feels. “I need to get some blood anyway,” he adds and stands only to sit back down again in surprise when Corinne pops into view.

  “Corinne!” Constantine yells, standing up so quickly, his desk chair goes flying backwards to hit the French doors. “Do you know anything?”

  She shakes her head in sorrow. “I am afraid we are shut out,” she says. “There is nothing we can do.”

  Constantine makes a noise of frustration and slams his fist on the desk, making everything on it jump. “She is being held captive there! Who knows what tortures she is enduring at the hands of that…that…beast!” he cries, showing a rare flash of emotion.

  Again, Corinne shakes her head. “She isn’t being held captive or being tortured. So far as we can tell, she is being treated well enough and the lockdown of the Realm is for her safety and the safety of the child.”