by Eve Newton
Devon’s eyes snapped to mine. “You know him?” he inquired, hearing my endearment.
I nodded and said, “Devon, this is my sire, Constantine.”
Devon’s eyes widened slightly and although he was now a bit wary, he shifted his unflinching gaze back to Constantine’s. I let out a small sigh of relief. Most of the menace had gone out of Constantine’s features, replaced with his usual smug arrogance, clearly pleased to be referred to as my sire.
At a loss for words, I moved to stand in between them, watching cautiously as they just stared at each other, sizing each other up. Putting my hand on Devon’s arm, I said, “Constantine, this is my charge, Devon.” I could think of nothing else to say. This was not how I had hoped this would go. All sires can be incredibly territorial of their charges, Constantine was no different, in fact probably more so than most when it came to me. Introducing your sire to your charge needed to be handled delicately, with care and finesse, which were all in short supply here.
Constantine looked at my hand on Devon’s arm before moving back up to my eyes. The look of menace returned, and I quickly pulled my hand away.
“Aefre,” he called me again, “tell your boy to leave before I rip his head off.” He enunciated each word of his earlier statement.
Devon shifted at the threat, preparing for a fight.
I reached out and pulled him to the side, my eyes on Constantine. Turning my gaze to my charge, I whispered, “Devon,” even though I knew Constantine could hear me. “Devon.” I reached up and pulled his face towards me, forcing his eyes on mine. “Do as he says, please.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with him,” he insisted.
“Devon, do as he says or he won’t hesitate to hurt you,” I pleaded.
“And what about you? Will he not hesitate to hurt you? You’ve been running from him for over a hundred and eighty years, my love. I won’t let you be hurt by him again.”
I turned to look at Constantine, who was watching our exchange with, what looked to be, amusement. I turned back to Devon. “No, he won’t hurt me. I need this now, my love. I need him. It’s been long enough.”
He sighed and nodded, reluctantly understanding my need for my sire. Instead of walking away though, he turned to Constantine and said to him, “If you hurt one hair on her head, I will hunt you down and kill you.” And with that he disappeared into the crowd.
“So, suffice it to say, it was a disaster,” I finish with a look at Devon, who appears to be ignoring me in favor of his phone.
Cole is silent for a moment, but then bursts out laughing. Startled, both Devon and I look at him.
“I’m sorry,” he manages in between sniggers. “I’m fairly certain our meeting will be better than that!”
Smiling at him, I assure him, with a conviction that I don’t feel, that it couldn’t be any worse.
Devon snorts, “No, I think I win that contest hands down.”
After a few moments, Cole settles back down and pulls me to him still smiling. “Oh, Liv. You have lived such an interesting life,” he says wistfully.
“Hm, it’s not all been good. There has been a lot of bad and a lot of boring, too,” I point out.
“I like hearing your stories. You’ve seen and done so much, both of you have. You will carry on seeing the World, forming history, long after we’ve all gone.”
I exchange a look with Devon as he picks up on it as well. Cole sounds so matter of fact about him dying and me carrying on. It clearly hasn’t occurred to him that I could turn him. Or maybe it has, but he doesn’t want me to. Again, I think of Fraser. I stay silent. As does he.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
C ole leaves my house soon after that awkward moment. He has a busy week of meetings to attend and my own work is piling up. He is reluctant to leave, and I don’t want him to go. We have a long, lingering goodbye that leaves me wanting so much more from him. I don’t want him to leave me, ever.
Lending him the keys to my Aston Martin DB9, he promises to return it, and himself, to my care the next night. I pull a face at the amount of time between now and then, but I know he has a life to get on with, as do I. Our happy bubble had to burst at some point. Waving him off from the door, I close it and sigh. I miss him already.
Devon appears as if by magick with a drink for me. He always knows what I need, when I need it. “Fancy a swim?” he asks.
“I’d love to, but I’ve got that meeting with Harlow tomorrow that I need to prep for. He’s bringing us loads of work at the mo. Need to keep him happy.”
“Need any help?” he offers.
I shake my head and say, “No, but thanks. It’s pretty standard, just a lot of it.”
“Well, nothing your super brain can’t retain,” he jokes.
I smile. I miss Cole already, but it’s nice just having the two of us alone again. “Come and sit with me though, while I work?”
He lights up at the invitation. “Of course. I’ve some shit that needs looking at too.”
A couple of hours later we are both still sitting in the office, heads bent over our files. My phone buzzes for a message.
It’s from Cole: “I miss you. Xx.”
I message him back straight away: “I miss you too, and I love you. Is it tomorrow night yet? Xx.”
He replies: “I love you. I wish it was xx.” Accompanied by a sad face.
The sad face makes me chuckle and I send one back.
Now that my concentration has been disturbed, I declare bedtime.
After our heart-to-heart the other day, Devon is clingy now that we are alone and in need of reassurance that all will be well with us. He spends the night in my bed and when I wake up at 6 AM, as usual, I feel very loved and very satisfied. He is still fast asleep, so I move quietly so as not to disturb him.
Jumping in the shower, I quickly go through the process and get out before Devon has even woken up. I disturb him, however, when I walk back into the bedroom.
“Come back to bed,” he mumbles into the pillow.
“Work, my darling. I’ve got Harlow first thing, remember?”
“Oh, the old bastard can wait,” he complains.
“Need I remind you the old bastard brings in lots of business? Get up lazy arse,” I reprimand him.
He squints at me and scowls while saying, “You’re just no fun.” But he gets up anyway and goes to shower.
T hirty minutes later we are on our way to the office. Grayson is driving us today as neither of us can be bothered fighting our way through the morning traffic. Devon spends the entire drive on his phone, and I’m thinking of my meeting with Mr. Louis Harlow. He is an obscenely rich Texan who comes from a long line of French Aristocracy before the overthrowing of the crown in 1792 during the French Revolution. What was left of the L’orleau family escaped to England and then eventually on to America to embark on the oil business down in Texas. The name eventually became Harlow and the head of the family now is the very Mr. Harlow I am going to meet. I find his history very interesting as I knew his ancestors, but also as he still has property in France that I’m trying to purchase from him, yet he refuses every offer I have made to date. Much to my frustration, and part of my need to keep him happy. I wonder if CK would be able to help. I must remember to ask him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
T he day has finally arrived for us to leave for Europe. Devon and I have worked overtime to get the time off work, while Cole has been negotiating a new movie contract.
The three of us pile into the limo that Grayson has pulled up.
“Excited?” I ask, snuggling up to Cole.
“Very,” he says with a big smile.
I grin at his enthusiasm.
Devon, on the other hand, looks less than impressed. I know the time is coming where I’m going to have to tell Cole about us. I don’t want to, not yet, but the niggling feeling that I have to is clawing at me.
“So where will Constantine be staying?” Cole asks, trying, but failing, for indifference. I know he is
nervous. I don’t blame him. I’m nervous, so I can imagine how he must feel.
I snort in amusement, as does Devon. “He won’t stay over,” I say. “He prefers his own company.”
“Ha! Understatement of the century,” Devon says.
I grimace at him but he’s not wrong. I shudder to think of my sire shacking up with me and Cole in a hotel room. Thankfully, my phone buzzes and I grab it like a lifeline. It’s CK. “Hello, my love.”
“My sweet,” he responds, and I go all warm and fuzzy inside. “Are you on the way to the airport?”
“Yes. We hope to be at the Fairmont by 1 PM.”
“By ‘we’, I hope you mean just you and Devon,” he growls.
“Uh, no. The three of us,” I say, biting the inside of my lip.
“I see,” he says, which usually means he doesn’t. “Very well then, I will see you at 2:30 PM then. I now have some business to sort out which will keep me here most of the morning. Message me when you land,” he demands.
“I will. Be safe,” I say to the dial tone as he has hung up on me again. I sigh and the pang of nerves I get, makes Devon’s eyes narrow in suspicion at me.
Fortunately, he doesn’t ask, so we ride the rest of the way in a companionable silence while Devon sorts out last-minute instructions with his assistant.
A rriving at the airport, we make our way out to the private aircraft that will take us over the Atlantic.
“You, okay?” I ask Cole, as he has been silent for a while now.
He nods and says, “Yeah, I guess the more I think about it, the more nervous I get.”
“It’ll be okay,” I try to reassure him.
He gives me that slow, sexy smile of his and kisses me quickly.
We climb on board the jet. It is split into two sections. The left side houses two seats facing another two seats separated by a table and the right side houses a long bench seat, with another two on opposite sides behind this arrangement. All the chairs are decked out in cream, Italian leather.
“Let me show you the bedroom,” I whisper to Cole as I pull him along the aisle. I push open the bedroom door as Cole snickers. “Nice,” he comments.
A small circular bed takes up most of the space against the far-right wall with a dresser and vanity opposite.
“So, this is yours?”
I nod. “Technically Saxon Enterprises owns it, but yes, it’s mine.”
“Interesting,” he mutters.
I’m not too keen on this tone and want to question what he finds so interesting about it we are interrupted by the onboard staff – another special human aware of our nature – Jenna.
“Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Nelson. Captain Evans is ready for take-off,” she says.
“Thank you, Jenna.” I pull Cole back to the Main Cabin and sit opposite Devon in one of the four facing chairs. Cole sits next to me. We buckle up. Devon finally ends his phone call and does the same.
“All good?” I ask.
He nods curtly. “They have the onboard phone number if there are any problems.”
“Good. Now relax. It’s fun time,” I smile sweetly, and he softens.
“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes and then extends his hand for the drink Jenna has brought him. She looks expectantly at me. “Champagne,” I say, and Cole orders the same.
Soon, we are zooming through the skies to New York. As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, Devon pulls out his iPad and plugs in his earphones. I know he is suffering and my heart breaks. He catches me looking at him and he smiles in reassurance, so I smile back.
Cole leans over and whispers, “Can we try out that bed now?” A shiver goes down my spine and I nod. Devon ignores us as we rise, but I feel his eyes on us as we enter the bedroom.
I pull Cole to me on the bed, and never taking my eyes off his, I bare my fangs and tilt my head in question. He nods briskly and I duck my head to his neck. I inhale deeply and sink my fangs into his neck. He hisses sharply, then moans with pleasure. It’s been too long since I’ve drunk from him and I feel his blood making me stronger and the intense craving subsides. Knowing I’ve taken way too much, I quickly retract my fangs and swipe my tongue over the wounds.
“Oh, baby, you taste delicious,” I murmur.
He looks startled. “I love you,” he murmurs.
“I love you,” I murmur back before he kisses me.
He pushes his hand through his hair, making it stick up in a really adorable way. I snuggle into him and he pulls me close.
“Cole,” I start, meaning to do some fishing about the elephant in the room, that is the possibility of me turning him. He doesn’t respond. I notice his breathing has deepened and he’s fallen asleep.
Rolling my eyes at the great timing, I climb off the bed, careful not to disturb him. I pull the coverlet over him and quietly sneak out of the bedroom back into the Main Cabin. Still with his earphones in, Devon raises his eyes from his iPad as he senses me. He pulls them out and smiles. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” I plonk myself next to him and pluck his iPad out of his hands. “What you doing?”
He plucks it back and replies, “Watching a film.”
“Well, at least it’s not work,” I say dryly.
He grimaces and says, “Well, it’s a good enough distraction from all the fun you’re having. Sleeping?” He cocks his head to the bedroom.
“Yep. I may have gotten carried away and drunk too much. It’s been a while,” I admit sheepishly.
Devon freezes next to me and I glance at him. His face is hard as he registers what I’ve just said, and I could stake myself. I haven’t told him about the biting. Things have just been so busy it was nearly lost.
“I see,” he says eventually. “I didn’t realize. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised,” he adds bitterly.
“Oh, Devon. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I normally tell you everything as it happens, I guess this was lost somewhere along the way and I forgot you didn’t know.”
He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I told you he would ask.”
Full disclosure? I suppose I better had lest it come back to, ah-hem, bite me on the arse.
“He didn’t. I asked him if he wanted me to,” I sigh.
“I see,” he says again. “He obviously said ‘yes’ then.”
I nod, unsure of what to say. I take his hand in silence and entwine our fingers. He lets me, as I knew he would, and he sighs. “Don’t ever be Elizabeth with him,” he says softly. “Please promise me, you won’t even show him. That’s all that is bothering me. I swear.” Taken aback by the plea, I turn to face him. He’s looking out of the window, so I pull his head around to face me. Sorrow fills his big, blue eyes, but he smiles at me knowing that I’ll ask about his mood.
“Baby, I wouldn’t do that. You know I wouldn’t,” I say.
“Promise me,” he whispers.
“I promise you. No matter what happens: Elizabeth will be yours and yours alone,” I promise him.
He closes his eyes and on impulse I lean over and kiss him. His eyes pop open and he deepens the kiss. “I miss you,” he murmurs against my mouth.
“I miss you too,” I whisper back.
He pulls away, fangs already descended and roughly bites me, enjoying the thrill that runs through me. Releasing me, he offers me his own neck and I feed hungrily, my craving at an all-time high. I pull back as he motions his finger from his ear and towards the back of the jet. Hastily retracting my fangs, I sink back into my seat. As much as I need to come clean, Cole isn’t ready to hear that I still feed from Devon (among other things) let alone see it. He shrugs with a smug smile, pleased to have had some sort of sire time, especially with Cole in the next room. I huff at him and go in search of Jenna to organize some food.
C ole and Devon are chatting amiably when I return.
I watch them with a massive dose of desire churning through me. If only I could take them both to bed right now. Devon looks up at me as he senses the sexual atmosphere and he grins. He kno
ws where my thoughts are, and I know he would agree in a heartbeat. Cole, on the other hand, is still an unknown.
“Dinner is on its way,” I state, sitting down next to Cole. It’s better to eat now than after New York. “We should be landing in about an hour and a half, Jim said.”
I look at Devon, so much happier and relaxed now and I smile. “Going duty free shopping?” I inquire.
“Yep,” he replies. “Think I want a new watch.”
I nod my approval. “What about you?” I turn to Cole. “Anything you want?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing I can think of. You?”
“I have to pick up a bottle of Talisker Scotch and possibly some new Ray-Bans,” I declare.
“You could have bought those in L.A.,” Cole points out.
Devon and I exchange an amused glance. “Not duty free though!” I exclaim in delight.
“Are you serious? You’re a multi-millionaire and you wait to buy duty free?” Cole laughs.
“Firstly,” Devon says, “Multi-billionaire and second, didn’t get that way without being a bit frugal.”
Cole gapes at us. “Billionaire? Holy shit. I guess it kinda figures, though,” he says, gesturing to the jet.
I giggle at his incredulity. “You are no stranger to money yourself, I believe,” I point out.
He shrugs. “I know, but mine has a shelf life. Yours…not so much.”
And there it was again. I grimace as I feel Devon’s eyes on me. He also picked up on it again.
Ignoring it, he says to Cole, “I could help you with some investments if you want?”
Cole nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, that would be great. Liv tells me you are a finance wizard.”
Devon preens at the compliment. “Did she? Well, someone has to be the brains of this operation.”
Insulted, I chuck the first thing I can get my hands on, directly at his stupid head. He deftly catches my phone with his Vampire reflexes. “Hey, that’s a bit shitty,” I scowl while the chuckle brothers laugh it up.