by Eve Newton
However, she inclines her head gracefully and accepts the condolences. She is completely composed. There is nothing whatsoever “Vampire” about her today and for that he is grateful. She is acting exactly as she should: like a Queen. Like his Demon goddess. Like everything except that god-awful creature. He is convinced now more than ever that when she is Xerxei, the Vampire is completely gone. He had his suspicions and he knows that she fusses over it when she is Xerxei, also saying she loses her Queenly abilities. He has seen no sign of that in recent months. Since Tiamat accelerated her Power, she is stronger than ever, even in this form. He wishes there was a way to get rid of the Vampire for good and keep Xerxei here. His mother said she thought there was a way, but as yet hasn’t been able to find one. She owes him big time and this time she will pay up. She will find a way.
“Xane?” Xerxei elbows him gently and he realizes he was away with the Faeries with his thoughts and missed what they were saying.
“Hmm?” he says, and she smiles at him, knowing he is distracted.
“Your father asked if he may have this dance?” she says.
He frowns at that. He doesn’t want anyone dancing with her except him. He doesn’t want any other male’s hands on her, not even his own father’s. “Sure,” he mutters, unable to say anything else. He watches as they disappear into the crowd and he doesn’t take his eyes off them as they twirl around the floor. He is about to cut in when he has decided this has gone on for long enough, but he is beaten to the punch by Lord Falcor. He steps back knowing that he can’t refuse the Head of the Council after the Trial. It seems that now she is on everyone’s dance card and he watches as his rage reaches boiling point as she gets handed off from the Head of each house to another until it’s Sven’s turn. He sees her hesitate, but only for a fraction of a second. If she refused him it would likely start a war, and she knows enough about their society now to understand that. She curtsies prettily for him and Sven beams at her, pulling her far closer than is necessary and placing his hand too low on her back to be appropriate. Xane knows he is doing it to get at him, but his jealousy knows no bounds and he marches over to them, determined to interrupt. Xerxes tries to intercept him, not wanting a fight in the middle of this party, but Xane is past caring. Sven now has his hand practically on her ass and she is smiling stiffly, taking it because she is a perfect host.
“Get your hand off my wife’s ass,” Xane growls at him and Sven just smiles back at him.
“But she isn’t your wife. I mean not really,” Sven goads him. “You haven’t bonded. We all know it was a farce.”
“Watch it,” Xane says to him quietly, holding his hand out for Xerxei. She reaches out for him, but Sven pulls her tighter to him.
“She is my wife in every way that counts, now get your hands off her before I slice your innards from your decapitated body and burn them,” Xane threatens. Actually, it’s not a threat. He is seconds away from reaching for his sword when Sven lets her go.
“You may have said your vows and fucked her, but I will never believe this is real between you,” Sven spits out. “I am going to find a way to re-open this Trial and when I do, prepare to have her ripped from your grasp and thrust into my bed. Mark my words, our consummation will last more than a few seconds.” He pauses with a look of pure lust directed at Xerxei and leans closer to add, “I have seen you in your real guise, you still want to tell me you belong to them?” He reaches for her and runs his finger in between her breasts. Xane grabs his finger and breaks it, snapping it in two just like he wants to do with his neck.
“There isn’t a Demon here who would blame me for killing you right now,” Xane whispers to him. “Even look at her again and I will pluck your eyes out with a spoon and feed them to you.”
He sees the sheen of sweat break out on Sven’s forehead. He may be a Head of House, but he is no match against Xane. They both know it and he backs off, but not before he says, “I will get Falcor to reconsider and when I do, you will be at the top of my list to watch me fuck her until she weeps.”
Xane reaches for him, his hands extended to beat the crap out of him, but Xerxei pulls him back.
“Don’t,” she murmurs. “People are already looking.”
“Xerxei,” he says to her in warning, pulling away from her and stepping towards Sven.
“Don’t make me pull my Faerie magick out,” she says, and he turns to her, angry that she would threaten him in public.
She is chewing her lip, trying not to laugh as she remembers the outrageous scene of her kicking his ass with that magick after their wedding. He loses his anger at her and laughs gently. She moves into his arms and kisses him so passionately that he grows hard and doesn’t care if the room full of Demons watch as he takes her right then.
Xerxes clears his throat and mutters, “Perhaps you two should take that elsewhere?”
Xerxei pulls away from him and looks at her dainty wristwatch. “I should get back,” she says.
“Not yet,” Xane says, reaching for her again. “I need you,” he whispers to her.
“I will come to you again soon,” she says. “I have to go now.” And with a quick nod goodbye to Xerxes, she flees the ballroom like Cinderella at midnight.
He stares after her, wondering why she left so abruptly. Mind you, as he feels the stares of Sven and his crew, it becomes apparent why she fled. It would have held more weight if she had stayed, but he can’t blame her. He sighs and turns to leave himself. He wants to go and see his mother and find out why she hasn’t come up with the Vampire-destroying goods yet. He pushes open the door to her bedroom and enters the gloom. The curtains are pulled back against the light and she is reclining on the bed.
“Mother,” he says to her stiffly.
She sits up and he sees the damage he did to her, but he doesn’t feel sorry about it. He asked her for her help in getting to Xerxei and she refused and handed her off to that beast instead. It is because of her that he has to endure this Sven nonsense.
“Xane,” she says hoarsely, as half her throat is still missing. She looks like she is healing up though. “How did the soiree go?”
“Perfectly until Sven threatened my wife,” Xane says sourly.
That gets Xanthe’s attention and she sits up straighter. “And?”
“And nothing. She stopped me from killing him,” he replies.
“Hm, maybe she has more brains than I thought,” she mutters and Xane takes offense on Xerxei’s behalf. She is as quick as a whip. Most of the time. “Where is she now? I thought she might want to see me in my current state and perhaps add to it,” she adds nastily.
“It’s not her style,” Xane says shortly. “And she’s gone. She had somewhere else to be.”
“Of course she did,” Xanthe says.
“Which brings me to my visit,” Xane says. “The reversal for her disease. What is it?”
Xanthe regards him with her one working eye. “I told you I haven’t found it yet,” she says.
“Did you even bother to try? It seems to me that you have lost all interest in helping me secure my future with her and would rather see her fucked and with child by the prodigal son,” Xane sneers at her.
“Yes, I tried. Tiamat wouldn’t hear of it. I fear She wants to keep Her daughter as she is so that she doesn’t interfere…”
“With what?” Xane snaps at her as she pauses.
“Her plans,” she replies shortly.
“What are you hiding?” he asks, coming up close to her.
“Nothing,” she says and then sits back against the pillows. All this talk has worn her out, but Xane isn’t finished with her yet.
“Do you even have a remote idea? Something that we could try and see?” he presses.
“Oh, I have my suspicions,” she says and closes her eyes.
Xane holds onto his temper at her reticence. “And they would be?” he asks through gritted teeth.
She opens her eye and says, “I’m not in a very giving mood, my son. Perhaps once the re
st of my body heals, I may share with you then.”
“If you want a body to heal at all, I suggest you tell me right now,” Xane says to her. He has been threatening people all over the place today and he is ready for some action. Even against her.
She takes him seriously and beckons him closer. She whispers her theory into his ear, and he blanches. It’s impossible. Even for him.
He straightens up. “That’s what you think?” he asks her quietly.
She nods sagely and he leaves her then. If he is going to pull this off, he has some serious planning to do. Not to mention finding a patsy to give it to her. If he does it, he might as well kiss her goodbye. No, it has to be someone dumb enough to take the fall and yet loyal enough not to betray him. He can’t think of a single creature that falls into both of those two categories. He looks back at the closed door of his mother’s bedroom. He is going to have to find a martyr for his cause and he knows precisely where to start.
Chapter 11
The Underworld, March 2014 - Liv
I am hugely creeped out by Sven’s threat. If he does drag this Trial up again, it is going to be a disaster. Xane and I will be put under a microscope and I can’t see my two actual husbands being on board with me moving into his bed. I was feeling a bit claustrophobic after that and I had to get out of there. I know I should have stayed but leaving seemed like a much better option. Besides, I have to go and see Lincoln and find out why he’s acting so weird. I leave the guest bedroom after a quick shower and change of persona and costume, and head downstairs. I have no idea if I should wait for him to come and get me or just turn up. I don’t have to worry about it for much longer as I go downstairs and see that he is waiting for me in the foyer, pacing fretfully.
“Hi,” I say, and he stops and turns to me.
“Hey,” he says. “You ready?”
I nod and hold my hand out for him. He hesitates but takes it. “Can we walk over?” I ask. It will give me a bit of time to work out his problem. If it was just me leaving, he would be more eager to be with me on my return. As it is, he seems reluctant.
He nods and we head outside. It’s very weird being inside the house with all my things from home and then stepping outside into a completely different setup. The orange sky and black clouds cast an eerie light and we walk on in silence. He knows how much I hate silences.
“Linc,” I start. “Is everything okay?”
He stops walking and turns to face me. His serious look makes my heart ache. “No, it isn’t,” he says.
“Tell me how to fix it,” I say desperately.
“You can’t,” he says. “I don’t think we can recover from this.”
My heart starts to thud. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“I lost you, Liv. Again. So close to losing you to the coma. I started to mourn for you. The Wolf lost his mate and he needed to grieve. I needed to grieve,” he says quietly, not looking at me. “I am lost and alone and even you being back isn’t fixing it.”
I gape at him as he turns to carry on walking. He’s mourning me? Like a Wolf would do when he loses his mate. “Linc, we can fix this. I will fix this,” I say determinedly.
“I don’t know how you can,” he says sorrowfully. We walk on, each lost to our thoughts. Me, trying furiously to think of something I can say or do to help him. I don’t really understand it and that’s half my problem. I’m not one of them.
We enter the house and I feel uncomfortable like I don’t belong here. I suppose I don’t really, especially now. He takes my hand and leads me through to the sitting room. We sit together and then he curls up with his head on my lap. He sighs and I feel his breathing getting heavier. He has fallen into an exhausted sleep and even though I need to talk to him about what he has said, I leave him. I have never seen him look so beaten down before and I feel awful. This is all my fault. I stroke his hair and try to give him comfort and reassurance in my touch that we will be fine. Time passes and I am soon feeling sleepy myself. I am startled out of my half doze by someone leaning over the back of the sofa to stare at me.
“You’ve lost him, you know,” Chrissy says.
“I’ll get him back,” I say quietly, not wanting to disturb him.
“Don’t think you can. He’s mourned you. As far as he is concerned you are dead to him,” she says nastily, and I flinch. That was really harsh.
“I will find a way. We will. He chose me. We belong together,” I say.
“Not anymore,” she says.
“How about you just fuck off and mind your own business,” I snap at her.
“This is my business. This Pack is my family. He is my family and you destroyed him. You should have stayed away,” she hisses at me.
I am itching to kick her arse again, but I don’t want to wake Lincoln by moving him to get up.
“He needs a Wolf,” she says, standing up straight and flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. “He needs someone who can give him what he needs, and you don’t. You won’t even mate with him as a Wolf.”
My mouth drops open. How does she know that?
“Oh, we all know, sweetheart,” she drawls. “It’s obvious. To us. You can fuck him all you like in human form, but he needs to take you in his natural form.”
This bitch is really starting to piss me off now. “And I suppose you think you can do better?” I ask.
“I know I can,” she says, hands on her hips. “I can be everything for him. I can be his true Alpha and he will thrive. We all will.”
She stalks off, leaving me cold. Is everything she said true? Can she be better for him than I am? I don’t give him my full attention, I barely see the Pack, I do shy away from mating as a Wolf as it just isn’t natural to me.
And there it is.
I’m not a Wolf.
I am a Demonic-Faerie-Dragon-Vampire that can Shift. That’s it. He should never have picked me to Pair with. I am bad for him. He deserves someone who can be with him full time and that person isn’t me. As much as I love him, I can’t choose him. With tears in my eyes, I Astral us upstairs to his bedroom. I bend over him and kiss him on his sweet sleeping mouth and his eyes pop open. I can see his pain and my tears drop onto his cheeks.
“Liv,” he says, sitting up. “Don’t cry, please, baby. We’ll try and sort this. I promise. Just give me time with you.”
I shake my head and tell him to wait there. I get up and go to find what I am looking for. When I lead Chrissy back into the room, he stands up with a cautious look on his face.
“Liv,” he says.
“Don’t,” I say, my throat tight with my pain. “I can’t be what you need, Linc. But she can,” I say and indicate Chrissy with my chin. “I can’t give you what you are asking of me, I’m sorry.”
“No!” he says, striding forward. “You can, you do. This is a setback. We will be fine.” He grabs my hand, but I pull away from him, my heart breaking.
“I love you,” I whisper to him and before he can say another word, I Astral out of there and back home to England. I want my clearing in the woods.
I get halfway there and remember that Lincoln and I discovered it. We have made love there and talked and just been with each other. And then I remember seeing Devon with that whore there. I can’t go there. Not now. I turn and head back to the Underworld. I walk the unfamiliar garden, my sorrow weighing heavily on my shoulders. I find a secluded bench in a topiary garden and I sit down and let my tears flow. I pull my knees up to my chin and rest my head, my sobs wracking my body in my grief. It’s for the best. If being with me makes him less than his best, then that can only be wrong. I don’t want to harm him in any way. He has already mourned for me. It’s up to Chrissy now to get him to forget me.
“Hey,” Cole says softly and sits next to me. He takes my hand as I turn away from him. I don’t want to see him, or anyone, right now. “Liv, it’s okay. You don’t have to pretend it’s not. You lost a baby. That’s huge. You have every right to feel sad. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
<
br /> He has his soothing counselor voice on him, and it makes me cry harder. In between sobs, I manage to say, “It’s not that. Lincoln and I broke up.”
He stays silent as I knew he would. What can he say? Yay? Boo? The former will hurt me, and the latter will be a lie, so he’s better off staying quiet.
“I’m sorry,” he says eventually, once my tears have stopped. I am all cried out now. Just as with the baby, I won’t cry over this again. “Do you want to talk about it?” he ventures after another moment.
I glare at him. Do I fucking look like I want to talk about it? “No,” I say defiantly, and he bobs his head and looks away. We sit in an awkward silence and I can’t bear it. I sigh and he pulls me onto his lap. I cuddle him and just having his arms around me makes me feel better.
“I know this is epically bad timing,” he starts as he feels me relax, “but there will be no right time. I have to tell you something.”
My ears perk up. Is this about the conversation I eavesdropped on? He’s ahead of schedule. He asked CK to give him two days and that was only yesterday. “Okay,” I say.
“Erm.” There is a long pause and I wait, giving him time. I know it’s bad when he looks away from me and pushes me off his lap. I stand up and glare down at him.
“Liv,” he says. “I have a child. A human child. A son.”
I wait for the punch line. This has to be a joke, right?
When I don’t say anything, he clears his throat and continues. “Before you turned me, I was with a woman. For a long time. We were in a pretty serious relationship, but then I started dreaming about you and then I met you on that red carpet and I knew you. I knew I had to be with you. After our first real date, when you said you felt the same, I broke it off with her as soon as I could. But, as it turns out, she was pregnant.” He stops speaking and I am listening to him. I hear words, formed into concise sentences, but in my heart, I don’t believe it. My ears have to be deceiving me. I shake my head, waiting for him to tell me he’s kidding, that this is a bad joke. He wouldn’t be so cruel as to kick me when I am down with something like this. He just wouldn’t.