by Eve Newton
"Now I would sack off any meeting if she were mine," he says to CK, who looks like he is going to stake him.
I glow under the praise as I stalk over to Constantine to placate him. "Don't pout, my love. I will be back soon, and you can dress me up however you like." His eyes fill with desire and he drops his mouth to mine, pulling me into him tightly.
"I will take you up on that," he murmurs.
"Come, la mia regina," Sebastian says. "I will go down with you."
I nod at him. "I have work to do but call me later when you are finished here," I say to CK quietly.
He watches as Sebastian and I exit the apartment the old-fashioned way and I punch the elevator button.
"So, the first, huh?" I say to him with a sidelong glance.
Taken a bit by surprise, he says, "Yes. He didn't tell you?"
"He tells me nothing," I say grimly. "Although, in all fairness, it is in my head but there is so much to sift through, it hurts."
"In your head?" he asks as we step into the elevator.
"Long story. I'll tell you sometime. So, you are as old as he is?" I ask, bringing the conversation back around.
He nods. “Two thousand, seven hundred and sixty next month. Are you impressed?" he asks slyly as the doors open for my floor.
I step out and turn back around as he holds the door open. "Mildly," I say with an air of nonchalance. "I hope you stay awhile. It would be nice to get to know you better."
He raises his eyebrows at my sincerity and inclines his head. "I would like that very much. I will stay as long you like." He grins at me, lets go of the elevator and the doors close. I turn on my heel and head into my apartment to shower and change.
CHAPTER NINETY-THREE
P ulling on my coat and doing up the buttons and belt, I leave the apartment with Scott for the New York Office, located a short walk away. I slip my phone into my pocket, while Scott takes my briefcase from me.
"Are you okay?" he asks hesitantly.
I glare at him, unfairly. "Just fine," I say.
He nods, not believing me for a second.
We stop for coffee at the cart on the corner, and I order a black coffee.
"I'll have the same. And she's buying," a serious monotone comes from behind me. For a split second I freeze, before I nonchalantly turn around and say, "You have some serious stalker issues."
His grey eyes twinkle momentarily but close off again as he stares at me flatly. "I could say the same for you. This is my city. Last time I saw you, you were headed for Los Angeles."
"Your city? Last I checked it was a free country," I reply. We take our beverages and step away from the cart. I glance at Scott, tilting my head. He nods and focuses his gaze on Cade.
Cade gives me a scathing look and says, "But clearly not your country."
I glare back at him. How dare he? I have been in America twice as long as he has been alive. Not being able to say that though, I try for the subtler, "That's some assumption coming from someone who doesn't even know my name."
"Well?" he says.
"Well, what?" I snap.
"What is your name?"
"My name, Mr. Cade, is Liv," I say haughtily, with every ounce of British I can muster into my accent.
"Just Cade," he says.
"Like just Cher?" I mock, catching him off guard. He smiles briefly. "As much as I would love to stand on this corner and chat all day, I have work to get to," I say.
"I'll walk with you,” he responds. “Which way are you going?"
Catching me by surprise now, I point and start walking, leaving Scott to follow in our wake.
"So, what are you doing in New York?" he asks casually.
"Working."
"So you said," he says dryly. "What do you work at?"
"Real Estate. Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"I have investments all over the place, but my actual job is in property. You?"
"Me?"
"What do you work at?" I ask impatiently.
"I’m in the business of finding things," he says mysteriously
I don't like his tone one bit. "That sounds…interesting."
"It can be."
I stop walking and point behind him, "This is my stop."
He turns around and takes in the massive skyscraper. "You work here?"
"I own here," I say proudly and take delight in surprising him.
"You own it? That's quite impressive for one so…young." He turns back around at his last word, his gaze burning intensely into mine.
I narrow my eyes at him. "Well, I should go. Busy afternoon."
"Of course. I won't keep you. Until we meet again, Liv."
I incline my head and say, "Cade."
I watch him as he goes back the way we came and say to Scott, "Well? Is he who we think he is?"
He hesitates. When I mentioned that Scott is intuitive to the point of it being a supernatural thing, turns out he is a supernatural thing. He is an Empath. He reads people. Their feelings, emotions, thoughts. Always rumbling just underneath the surface, his true ability came about the first time he saw me after I was named Queen of the Underworld. Needless to say, it was quite the shock for all of us – most especially him – and he learned quite a bit about me and mine before I threw up some mental blocks. It's quite exhausting being around both him and Lincoln, who also has this annoying ability with regard to me. Being two different species of the Underworld, their Powers work on different frequencies, and different blocks are required to stop them from entering my head. However, Scott has focused his gift now so that he can use it when he wants to instead of all of the time. Not that I don't trust him, but I have too many secrets – for example, all of the Vampire records – that he is not privy to. So, I keep my blocks up around him.
"Is he the Hunter? Does he know what we are?" I press.
"I'm afraid I can't tell. He’s blocked," Scott says, highly annoyed.
Crap. That is not good news. That more or less confirms that Nico’s information is correct. Sighing, I turn and enter the building, suddenly ravenous. I haven't fed on human blood for two days now, as I keep missing my Feeder.
I must let my blocks slip a little as Scott says to me quietly as we step into the elevator, "I asked Simone to come again after work. I'll send her upstairs if you aren't at home."
I smile gratefully and say, "Thank you." As much as I love feeding from my sire, Vampire blood just doesn't sustain me for very long these days. Not even his. I long for the times when I could go months at a time without human blood, but since turning Cole last year and then this whole Queen malarkey, which saps my energy like a leech, I have to feed every day.
CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR
T he rest of the afternoon goes quickly. We decided when we came to New York that we would run a complete audit on the offices here. Having both me and Devon out in Los Angeles, the eye has been taken off the ball somewhat and it needed a good kick up the arse. It's tiring work though and I could really use Devon's financial wizardry right about now, but he has abandoned me, so I am left to do this on my own. Not that I'm not capable. I can do it with my eyes closed but he can do it with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back and at twice the speed.
Oh, Dev. Why did you leave me? Why couldn't you just stay, and we could have sorted it out? I drop my head onto my desk and contemplate calling him, but I know he won't pick up. I know this because I have already called him seven times without any joy.
"Liv?" Scott says from the doorway.
I sit upright. “Yes?"
"Time to go. You don't want to be late for…" he says and points up even though we are nowhere near the apartment. It's like pointing at God, I think ruefully, remembering Devon's quite astute ‘God complex’ comment to my sire last year. Being the creator of our kind, I suppose the precedent has been set.
I stand and slip my coat back on, sliding my phone into my pocket. I don't need a coat as I don't feel the cold, but it would look rather unusual to be wondering
around the streets of Manhattan in just a sleeveless dress at the end of January. It's all about blending in.
"It's started raining," Scott says and hands me an umbrella.
"Great," I mutter. I am not a fan of rain. Bad things always happen when it starts raining.
Exiting the building onto the dark sidewalk, I open my umbrella and step out into the downpour. Scott, helpful as ever, takes my briefcase from me again and I shove my other hand in my pocket.
"If you insist on walking to work in a New York winter, surely you should wear better shoes," Cade's voice comes from behind me. I turn to glare at him and then down at my already wet Louboutins.
"We have to stop meeting like this, or I am really going to consider getting a restraining order," I snap at him. Bad things, I tell you, damn rain.
He chuckles as he steps under my umbrella. I grimace at his cheek but start walking anyway, wondering what to do about him. "There is nothing wrong with my footwear," I grumble more to myself than him.
"Oh, I quite agree, in dry conditions."
"What do you want? I’m in kind of a rush."
Before he can answer, my phone buzzes in my pocket and being frightfully rude but not caring, I answer it.
"Yes, my love?"
"Who is that man you are walking with?" CK snaps down the phone.
I stop dead in my tracks, causing Cade to walk out from under the umbrella into the rain before he realizes that I have stopped. I turn and look over my shoulder in suspicion but see no one spying on me. Well, I suppose I shouldn't really expect to see someone overtly spying on me. That would kind of defeat the purpose.
"A friend," I snap back as I start walking again, to which Cade's eyebrows go skyward. "Call off your guard dog, I will see you in a minute," I say and hang up on him. I pocket my phone quickly.
"Two things strike me as odd about that phone call," he says conversationally.
"Nothing should strike you as odd, as eavesdropping is incredibly rude."
He ignores my remark and continues, "One, that your husband has someone covertly watching you and two, that you called me a ‘friend.'"
"He's not my husband. He is an overbearing control freak," I mutter, livid beyond belief that CK has someone watching me. How long has that been going on? "And trust me, you don't want me telling him you are a stalker," I add with a pointed look.
He grins at my comment. He seems a lot more relaxed now, more forthcoming. I wonder if it is because he knows about me and his glee is in response to him plotting my demise.
"Not your husband? He is awfully jealous then for just your lover. But there again, I suppose if I dropped millions of dollars on a ring like that, I would want to make sure my investment was well taken care of," he says slyly.
I gape at him. “Excuse me?" I say, furious now at him for being so presumptuous. "How dare you make comments about my life and the people in it."
"I don't make presumptions. I state facts," he says mildly and just to piss him off, I close the umbrella in a fit of temper, leaving us both to get soaking wet. I don't mind getting wet. I don't like rain because of its bad mojo, but he will now be wet, cold, and uncomfortable until he gets home. And hopefully he will also catch a cold. Seeing as we are now almost outside my apartment building, I will be inside and dry in a matter of minutes.
He scowls at me as he pulls the collar of his coat up and hunches his shoulders. "Your little display of temper has confirmed my statements as accurate," he says.
"What is it to you who I spend my time with and why?" I say, unable to outright deny that he has in fact pretty much nailed it. With a few minor adjustments, of course.
"I like to know about the people I get involved with," he glowers at me.
"Involved? We are not involved in any way whatsoever and neither shall we be."
"Don't be so sure. You haven't seen the last of me," he says as he turns, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Oh, and by the way, Mrs. O’Dell,” he adds over his shoulder, “I counted three guard dogs,” and with that he turns again and heads off into the rain.
Mrs. O'Dell? I never told him my last name. Sure, it probably wouldn't be hard to connect the dots with a spot of Internet searching but something in the way he said it makes me think he knew all along and has sought me out from the beginning.
"Still nothing?" I ask Scott, who is standing smugly underneath his own umbrella nice and dry. Okay, he isn't smug, I am just projecting.
"Nope. Sorry," he shrugs.
I stomp off into the apartment building with a swift nod to Jerry, the doorman.
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
F laming mad, I barge into CK's penthouse. "Hello, Nico," I say before anyone has even looked up at me.
"Liv," he says warily. Yes, I knew he had to be hovering around here somewhere. Constantine wouldn't trust anyone else but Nico’s men to watch me.
I must look an absolute mess, soaking wet and dripping onto the probably madly expensive rug, but I don't care. I am mad as a snake and I want both of them to know it. Well, all three of them, as Sebastian is also staring at me with caution.
"Aefre," CK sidles over to kiss me, which I let him, as I know he is trying to placate me. "You are dripping on my very expensive rug. Go and get yourself dry." I glare at him and taking my phone out of my wet pocket, I throw it at him, then I spin in a circle and in seconds I’m dry, changed into sweats and a vest with my hair neatly pinned up. He hands me my phone back and I slip it into my back pocket.
"Who wants to start?" I bark at them as Sebastian stares at me in wonder.
"Christ. That's a neat trick," he says. "What a time saver."
I smile prettily at him. I'm not mad with him, just these two silent creatures standing in front of me.
"Liv," Nico says, unsurprisingly speaking on behalf of his Master. "We are just watching out for you."
"Aww, that's sweet hunny," I smarm at him and his eyebrows skyrocket as I have never spoken to him in quite that way before. "But you do know that I can take care of myself, yes?"
CK narrows his eyes at me as I continue, "In fact, I could kick the arse off anyone who tried to hurt me."
"Yes, we are aware of your arse kicking capabilities, my dear," CK interjects. "However, with Cade still unaccounted for, we can't be too careful."
"He is no longer unaccounted for," I say. "In fact, he is very much accounted for, the jerk that he is," I say to three stunned faces.
"What?" CK snaps at me. "You've seen him again?"
"Twice. Once on my way to work and once on my way back."
"That was Cade you were walking with?" He is thunderous as he bellows at me. "For fuck's sake, Liv, have you lost your senses?"
"No, my senses are quite intact, Constantine," I say, emphasizing his name to show that I’m annoyed he called me Liv. "I didn't seek him out, he just turned up. Again."
"If he is the Hunter, he is dangerous, Aefre," he says darkly. "I don't want him anywhere near you."
"I am pretty sure he is, and I am too, if you remember rightly. Unfortunately, he seems quite taken with me so we will have to play this out."
"What do you mean taken with you?" he asks suspiciously, and jealously, I note with humor.
"He made it quite clear that I was going to see him again and that we were going to get involved."
"Involved?" he growls. "How so?"
"I don't know. Probably in an I-want-to-kill-you way," I say offhand, much to the un-amusement of my sire. "Oh, calm yourself," I say to him as he opens his mouth to yell at me some more.
Sebastian snickers, clearly enjoying this. Apart from himself, he has probably never witnessed anyone else tell our sire to “calm himself.”
“He has so far been quite unthreatening. A bit creepy in a stalkery kind of way but not a threat," I add.
"You think he has been stalking you?" Nico asks, suddenly rejoining the conversation.
"Not literally, no. More a fact-finding mission it seems. He has your number," I add and point to CK with a chuckl
e. "Called you a jealous lover." I grin now as Sebastian lets out a loud guffaw, unable to help himself. He silences quickly at a murderous look from CK, though the smile still tugs at his mouth.
"It doesn't seem to bother you that this Hunter is learning about your life, Aefre. That concerns me," he says, choosing to ignore my comment. "You know nothing about him or his methods. You are too cocky, and it might get you hurt."
"Whatever his methods are, I’m pretty sure he can't hurt me," I say, glaring at his ‘cocky’ remark.
"Pretty sure is not acceptable," he insists. “And it seems that I have to point out to you that not all of your subjects are as invulnerable as you are.”
"CK, really. You worry too much. We tested this, no weapon can hurt me and magick doesn't work on me either. With regard to everyone else, if he so much as touches a hair on any of my subjects, he’s toast."
"I can never worry about you too much," he says quietly, coming closer. "If anything happened to you…" he trails off. "You have your vulnerabilities as well, my sweet," he says carefully, warning me not to mention my fang and claw weakness in front of the other two. “You should get rid of the threat before it comes to that,” he adds with a frown, which I return. I’m not comfortable with just offing him for no good reason.
But I lose my anger at CK. He is being so sweet and caring in contrast to how these arguments usually go. "I'm sorry, my love. I will be more careful. But in the interest of full disclosure, Scott tried to read him and got nothing. He is magickly blocked. And even though I never gave him my last name he called me Mrs. O'Dell when we parted before. Plus, he is unbelievably observant," I say. CK grunts at the use of my married name but I ignore him and continue, "I mean a lot of it he could have gotten from a quick Internet search, but he clocked your three bodyguards and there just seems to be more he isn't saying. However, I am not going to just kill him without good cause."