by Eve Newton
We pose for a few photos, Cole’s hand in mine, and finally we are in the suite at the Fairmont Hotel. Cole immediately heads to the balcony overlooking the hairpin.
“This is fucking fantastic!” he says with a massive grin, his concerns about CK momentarily forgotten. Devon joins him outside. I want him here for damage control and moral support. He readily agreed, more interested to see how this plays out than anything else.
I start pacing in front of the door, restless. I check the clock for the millionth time, 2:15 PM; it glares at me. Cole and Devon have cracked open the champagne, but I can’t drink anything. Not yet.
“Relax, Liv,” Devon admonishes. “You’re driving me crazy with the pacing.”
I stop dead in my tracks at the familiar tingle up the back of my neck followed by a loud knock on the door.
Glancing quickly at Cole, I smooth down my dress and square my shoulders. I motion to Cole to wait where he is, and he nods. I reach for the handle and with a deep breath, I open the door.
My breath catches when I see my sire in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame in his ridiculously expensive suit. My face lights up as he smiles that killer smile and pushes himself upright.
“CK,” I say
“Liv, good to see you, my sweet.” He swoops his head down to kiss me full on the mouth, for longer than is strictly necessary. He pulls me into a hug, his hand ‘accidentally’ stroking my rear. I feel him smile against my mouth and he pulls away. “You look ravishing,” he compliments me, holding me at arm's length.
“As do you,” I compliment back. “Please come in.” I nod to CK’s ever-present head of security. “Nico. Nice to see you.”
“And you, Liv. You look lovely,” he says.
I nod gracefully. Nico is human. Six feet, four inches of Italian yum with his black hair and eyes to match, scarily good at his job and just plain scary if he wants to be. Super protective of his boss and as loyal as they come, he has worked for CK for about twenty years. Monetary gain aside, he would rather die than betray him. I admire that.
CK takes my right hand in a show of possessiveness. “Did you have a good flight?” he asks, ignoring Cole and Devon, for now.
“Yes, very. How was the commute?” I ask politely.
“Frustrating,” he says with a pointed look and leaves it at that.
His gaze goes hard as he flicks it to Devon, lounging on the sofa. He has to be thinking about our weird three-way. I know I am. “Devon,” he says coldly, nodding his head.
“Constantine,” Devon says just as coldly back, but gives me a look that tells me he is definitely thinking about what happened between the three of us.
And like a panther stalking his prey, CK’s gaze slowly lands on Cole, his face impassive. “And you must be Cole,” he says with even more chill to his tone.
Cole nods once, holding his gaze.
I pipe up, “Constantine, this is Cole O’Dell. Cole, my sire Constantine Kaius Anasetti D’Arcangelo.”
“Nice to meet you. Liv has told me quite a bit about you,” Cole says with a hint of amusement.
CK turns to me and says, “Really?” He turns back to Cole. “She’s told me nothing about you,” he says dismissively.
The look of faint amusement on Cole’s face grows a tiny fraction deeper and doesn’t go unnoticed by CK who narrows his eyes.
“I see you at least had the good sense to prep this one,” CK says to my relief, also now looking slightly amused, to which Devon snorts with mirth.
“Yes, well, I haven’t been trying to avoid you this time and so your presence is expected,” I say smartly, and he laughs.
“And for that I am grateful,” he says, kissing my hand. “So, what tales of me has my charge been telling you?” he asks back to Cole.
“We’ve covered the basics,” Cole says, sliding a hand into his pocket in a show of indifference.
“Hm,” CK says and nods. “Liv, my sweet, will you get me a drink?” he asks, letting go of my hand.
“Of course,” I say. I move quickly to the bar to pour out a Scotch, neat. No one says a word while I pour, and the silence is deafening. Picking the glass up, I move back to CK and hand him the glass. He accepts it with his left hand and brings his right up to stroke my face. His molten chocolate eyes lose all trace of their amber flecks as they darken. He traces a finger down my cheek, down my throat, to hook it into the gold chain around my neck. He pulls it out of my dress and his eyes turn black as he takes in the engagement ring.
I should have known, he’d know.
“Doesn’t match the rest of your jewelry, my sweet,” he says as he gives the chain a rough yank and it snaps free from my neck. He holds it up to peer at it and then clenches it in his tight fist.
My ring! I step forward to take it back, but then my stomach drops as he turns to Cole, his gaze like ice. The tension in the room goes up several notches.
Cole, to his credit, doesn’t flinch, but does shift his posture and adjusts his features to one of nonchalance.
At this point, even Devon is reacting to the atmosphere as he rises, and to my utmost surprise, stands just to the left of Cole, a little bit in front. Nico wisely steps back and my Louboutins now remain glued to the spot, but I’m ready to dive for Cole if CK makes a move on him.
CK cocks an eyebrow at Devon’s bold move and takes a long sip of his drink.
Nobody else moves.
The tension grows thicker as each silent minute passes.
After an eternity, CK speaks to Cole, “What gives you the right to ask my woman to marry you?” The menace in his tone chills me.
His woman? What the fuck is this, the Victorian times? Fuck’s sake. I completely ignore the meaning behind it. If I don’t, I will cry. “Constantine,” I say, but he interrupts me.
“I’ll deal with you later,” he says, pointing at me, but never taking his eyes off Cole.
I shut my mouth and snap my gaze to Cole. He’s glaring back at Constantine.
“I love her,” he says simply.
I’m so glad he decided not to make an issue out of Constantine’s words.
Constantine takes a step forward and again the tension goes up a notch. My breath hitches. I know how CK’s mind works and right now, I know he is processing and deducing and coming up with the correct conclusion. “She said she’d turn you, didn’t she.” A statement. “The ultimate prize.”
Cole remains silent. CK nods at the obvious confirmation.
“Aefre, on the balcony. Now,” he snarls at me.
Uh-oh, he first-named me. I’m in so much trouble.
I force myself to move and stiffly walk out onto the terrace, hoping he doesn’t chuck me over the railing. He follows me closely and closes the door.
“So, you are going to do it anyway? Even after I specifically told you not to?” he says quietly.
“I don’t need your permission to turn him, CK.” I turn my fiery gaze to him. “And I certainly don’t need your permission to marry him either, especially because of some dumb prophecy that a) probably isn’t even about me and b) won’t come true even if it is. It won’t be a Holy union.”
“When did you decide to turn him? Before or after he offered you a ring?” he sneers nastily, and I flinch inwardly at his tone.
Snapping, I growl, “At least he offered me one.”
His eyes narrow in anger at my words and my tone. I know I have hit a nerve and think ‘Good’, before I regret saying it. Drawing a deep breath, I then say, “After he asked me to, which was after he asked me to marry him. He knows we can’t be together if he stays human.” I pause as the anger at having to explain myself to him grows stronger. Shooting an icy glare back at me, he softens slightly when I don’t look away.
“I am surprised you feel this way, though. After Fraser died, I never thought you would marry again,” he says with a searching look.
His words hit the desired pain button he was looking for, and I feel sick, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he
has hurt me.
“I knew I loved him the second I laid eyes on him. It’s the next natural step for us. Prophecy or not,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, as my eyes go blurry.
“Yes, I suppose it is, but I am not happy about this, Liv. In fact, I forbid it,” he states.
“Forbid it?” I shriek at him. “How dare you! How dare you dictate to me! This has nothing, nothing, the fuck to do with you! I told you it won’t be a Holy union. Because of you and your precious Council, I lose out once again with the ritual, but I can promise you one thing, Constantine, I will not lose out entirely. And I am not your woman. Not anymore!” My anger has gotten the better of me and I start to shudder as I think back to what I have just said to him. I don’t think I have ever raised my voice to him in such a manner before. I doubt very much if anyone has…and lived to tell about it.
His face goes cold and unreadable, and his voice is deathly quiet when he says, “It has everything to do with me because you are mine, Aefre, my destiny.” He slams his fist on the glass-topped table, cracking it.
I jump.
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “What?” I ask, shocked.
He glowers at me from across the terrace. I realize he has said something he either shouldn’t have or didn’t want to. My outrage provoked him and that alone is enough to shock me to my core. His words? Well, I have no words.
He turns his back to me and drums his fingers on the railing, an oddly nervous gesture coming from him.
I suddenly have a strong need to seek absolution from him for my outburst. I need to know he hasn’t held it against me, so I move forward slowly. He turns around and to my surprise, he folds me in his arms, and I cling to him like a vine. I need this and I can tell he needs this too, although he would never admit it.
“You know this is a mistake. Prophecies find a way of coming true, Aefre. If you do this, there will be consequences,” he warns me, but his words have reassured me that his ‘forbid it’ comment has been forgotten.
I can feel his phone buzzing in his pocket and with that he pulls away, leaving me devoid, and stalks back into the suite. I glance at the table where he had slammed his fist down and scoop up the ring that he had left there. Still reeling from his words of warning, I follow him.
Cole and Devon leap up off the sofa with matching looks of concern. “Liv,” Devon says, “everything okay?” He must have heard everything we said.
I nod dumbly and he tilts his head in question. CK is now talking into his phone in rapid Italian. He ends the call and focuses on me.
“I have to go back to Milan,” he says curtly.
“Will you be back tomorrow?” I ask quietly.
“Unclear. It’s Council business,” he replies shortly.
My heart wrenches at his words. He knows he’s hurting me with his tone. He closes his eyes for a split second and then opens them again with a softer look.
He walks over to stand in front of me and tilts my chin up to look him in the eyes. “I have to fix this,” he whispers. “You have no idea what you have done. I will try to come back.” He bends down to kiss me sweetly on the mouth as if no one else is in the room but us. I want to fall at his feet and beg him to stay, but then he pulls away and I crash back to reality. “Goodbye, my love,” he says softly, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip.
He snaps his gaze to Cole, who is watching us with a murderous look on his face. CK has his usual smug-arrogant features in place and I inwardly cringe.
“I’m sure Devon has told you what I will do to you if any harm comes her way,” he says mildly.
Cole nods, his mouth grim.
“Remember that is a promise, not a threat.” He nods at Devon who nods back.
“Always a pleasure, Constantine,” he says sarcastically.
CK sneers at him with intense dislike and turns his back on Cole and Devon. He heads to the door. Nico is already there, holding it open, and CK sweeps through without a backward glance.
“Bye, Liv,” Nico whispers.
I wave vaguely at him and he disappears too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Holy motherfucker!” Devon exclaims after I close the door. “That was…”
“A disaster?” I offer up.
“I was going to say intense, but yeah, I’ll take disaster and run with it,” he says with a nervous laugh.
I focus on Cole. “You okay?” I ask.
“Just dandy. I have a two thousand, seven hundred-and-fifty-nine-year-old Vampire, who enjoys ripping people’s heads off, pissed at me, because I am in love with his woman,” he retorts. “What the fuck, Liv?”
“Oh, baby,” I say, moving to him. “Ignore that comment. He was being an arse. I know this didn’t go very well, but he did accept you. That’s a win…sort of.” I shrug.
“That was acceptance?” he asks incredulously. “I would hate to see what rejection is like.”
At my look, he gulps and makes a slashing motion at his neck in question.
“What was all that about outside?” Devon asks.
Speaking directly to Cole, I say, “I told him that I didn’t need his permission to either marry you or turn you.”
“And?” Devon presses. “There was something about a...”
I glare at him to shut it and to my relief he does. “Nothing,” he mumbles.
“So how much does he hate me?” Cole asks, more worried about CK than what Devon had almost said.
I smile gently at him. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just being territorial and possessive. Unfortunately, that comes tenfold when it’s CK.”
“Yeah, when it’s Constantine and you,” Devon chips in. “More like jealousy, I say.”
I glare at him again and he holds his hands up. “Liv, sweetie, I’ve known other sires with their charges, apart from me and you. Territorial and possessive on occasion, yes. Never jealous. And take it from me, he is one hundred percent a jealous bastard. I’ve watched you two back and forth for over five hundred years. If he can’t have you, then no one can.”
“Devon!” I admonish. “Watch it. You have no idea what you are saying. He had me, for a long time and on several different occasions and even though each time it got screwed up somehow or another, if he wanted me before all this, all he had to do was ask,” I say, my British accent very pronounced in my indignation.
Cole watches us warily and I realize my words were perhaps not the most subtle.
“Should I be worried?” he asks coldly.
“No, definitely not,” I assure him.
He looks slightly mollified and says, “Thank fuck for that. He is not someone I want mad at me. I quite like my head, not ripped off.”
“Mm, me too,” I say and pull him close for a kiss on his head and try desperately to forget about CK’s warning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I ’m lounging against Cole in the bathtub, fiddling with the ring that I have now firmly on my finger. No way am I giving CK another chance to take it from me.
“I think Devon might be right, you know,” Cole says slyly.
I turn my head over my shoulder to look at him. “About what?”
“Constantine.”
“What about him?” I ask, perplexed.
“That he’s jealous. That kiss goodbye earlier, was less marking his territory and more making his claim,” he says.
Having just taken a sip of champagne, I end up spitting it out into the bath water as I snort in amusement. “He’s not jealous. He doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. Trust me on that,” I say, but even I can hear the tinge of bitterness in my tone. “The kiss was just something to annoy you, forget about it.” Although, I’m not completely sure about that myself now after what he said outside.
“I think you’re wrong. Clearly, Devon does too,” he responds matter-of-factly.
Getting a bit irritated now, I sit forward and turn around to face him. “You two are both wrong,” I state clearly. “And don’t side with Devon. It’s creepy,” I add.
“Creepy?” he asks. “I thought you’d be pleased we are getting along.”
I smile now, mollified by his humor. “Yes, creepy,” I repeat. “Don’t get me wrong, of course I’m pleased you are getting along, but it’s weird to see. It was really strange for me to see him flank you,” I add, frowning.
“Flank me?” he asks puzzled.
Lost in the earlier memory, I drag my attention back to Cole. “When he sensed the threat to you, he rose and stood in front of you, just to your left, his strongest side. He flanked you, to protect you,” I explain. “It was a rare sight to say the least.”
Cole looks mildly surprised. “Oh. I guess I didn’t realize that’s what he was doing. He must like me,” he adds with a small smile.
I return his smile. “Consider yourself honored. He’s very self-serving and doesn’t like to share.”
“Share?” Cole asks after a beat.
Oh, crap, I didn’t think before I spoke.
“My attention, Cole. He can be just as territorial as CK. Worse, if he’s trying to protect me. That’s why I am so surprised by his actions today,” I add, trying to draw the conversation away from my slip.
“I’ll take your word for it,” he shrugs, but looks contemplative which makes me think he will be okay with things. “This isn’t going to be as easy as all that, is it?” he asks sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not just going to be a case of you turning me and we live happily ever after. There are all these complications, complexities and politics. Things I know nothing about,” he says, angry now.