by Eve Newton
Thinking about the sword, it annoys me that it isn't really mine. It seems to fall under the purview of Xane Draconis. I haven't had much chance to think about him since our encounter the other night. After Toronto, after Constantine, I am going to have to go to Vegas to see him next week. I don't particularly feel like angering him by ignoring him as he wields some pretty impressive power. That whole stopping time thing was beyond awesome and, well, Demon Overlord…kind of terrifying. Although, I have to say I didn't get that vibe from him. He seemed pretty regular, well, once he lost the cape and sword. I am itching to find out more about him and his kind. I have never come across any Demons before, at least not to my knowledge. If he is anything to go off, they look like regular people, as we all do before we Shift, but I wonder what lurks beneath the surface.
The onboard phone ringing interrupts my thoughts and I pick it up with a brusque, "Yes?"
"So, you really just fucked off on your jet and left him?" Sebastian says to me harshly.
"I beg your pardon? How did you even get this number?" I say in no mood to be talked down to.
"I thought our little chat the other night might have made you see sense by now."
"I thought our little chat the other night left you with no doubts about how I feel about my husband."
"Humph," he says rudely. "This is a mistake. You shouldn't have left."
"It's nothing to do with you!" Christ, I am so sick of everyone sticking their oar in.
"It does when my sire is left moping about because you aren't here."
"Moping about? I am pretty sure our sire doesn't know how to mope," I say with a snort.
"You would have thought, wouldn't you," he says. "But I know mope when I see it."
"Where is he?" I ask.
"Ponte. I am fairly certain he went to go sit in that shrine of yours he has over there."
"He Teleported to Tuscany? He’s breaking the rules. Oh, Sebastian, go and find him and bring him back."
"I'm not going. He was in a right foul mood when he left," he sulks, and I shake my head at the phone.
"Well, I'm not going. I am currently minutes away from my destination, which has my husband in it. My husband that I haven't seen in days," I sigh. "Sebastian, I'm sorry that this hurts him, but there isn't another way. Not under these circumstances."
"Fine," he says. "You go off and be married for the weekend. I will go and find him and bring him back, and then maybe I can find him a substitute for you, take his mind off it," he says wickedly and hangs up on me as I growl in anger and slam the phone down.
Fortunately, we land shortly thereafter, or I might have called him back to yell “no substitutes” at him. I clearly have an issue with that, especially since the Polly situation, and I’m not prepared to sit back and let that happen again, with any of the men in my life. He may go and fuck and feed if he needs to but not with a look alike.
I disembark, still a bit pissed off with Sebastian and his guilt trips. Grayson greets me on the tarmac, and I forget about everything else, as I get excited to see Cole.
Taking me straight to the studio, I am allowed access due to my position – well, my faux position. I am the head of this studio but only in name and funnel rather large investments into it. I have very little to do with the running of the show and leave that to my second in command, Edward.
I jump out as soon as we come to a stop and go off in search of Cole. I find him in his trailer. He grins at me as he sees me and pulls me into a tight hug that I return.
"Christ, it's good to see you," he says. "You look different. Your hair. I like it." I have left it in the soft curls from the other night, just for a change and it seems to be pleasing the men in my life so far. He kisses me soundly and pushes me up against the table. "I'm taking you now. I can't wait until later," he whispers.
I don't stop him. I want him desperately as I look into his blue-gray eyes. He lifts me onto the table and pulls my legs around him, pushing his hands up under my dress. He pulls my knickers off and strokes my pussy lightly, enjoying just touching me for a minute. Then plunges his fingers into me as I work frantically to undo his jeans and get his cock free. Within seconds, he has impaled me on his shaft and I cry out as he hits the spot. I pull on the neckline of his t-shirt and drop my fangs. I sink my fangs into him and suckling deeply on his neck, we both come together at the same time in an explosion of heat and desire. I release the bite and he clamps down on me taking his fill with soft little moans as he suckles slowly.
A loud knock on his door causes him to pull back and retract his fangs, as well as withdraw his cock. We arrange ourselves into a more decent state.
He clears his throat. "Yes?" he calls out.
Dawn enters and sees me still on the table and says, "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No, it's fine. Hello, Dawn," I say.
"Hi, Liv. It's good to see you again."
"You too." Dawn is on my payroll and is Cole's Feeder, but also his personal assistant. It worked out quite well, really. She is a petite, curvy blonde with bright blue eyes and looks nothing like me, which eases my Substitution issue.
"Cole, they need you now. Sorry, Liv, it's going to take a few hours."
"No worries," I say. "Baby, I'll head to the hotel and we'll catch up later. I still have work to do."
"Okay," he says and kisses me. "I don't want to leave you, now that you are here," he whispers.
"I know but go now. I will see you later. Not too much later though," I frown at him and he chuckles.
"I'll try to be as quick as I can.” He kisses me again and with a last longing look back at me, he follows Dawn out of the trailer.
Alone again, I sigh. I go off to find Grayson and he takes me back to the hotel. I wanted to buy Cole an apartment here to stay in but with the hours he keeps, he prefers the hotel and all of the services it provides. He has a point, but I would have preferred total privacy. Still, he is the one who has to live here so it's up to him.
I check in and ask for a few things to be brought up, knowing that he won't have thought about certain things.
Thanking Grayson for helping me with my bags, I dismiss him, and I pull out my laptop to get down to work. I only get up to let the housekeeper in with the bits I asked for.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOUR
A s it starts to get dark, I sit back and close the laptop down, done with work for today. I get a message from Sebastian telling me our missing sire has returned and has declined to be entertained by the sexy blonde – Sebastian’s words, not mine – that he’d picked out for him. I’m relieved to say the least and relax somewhat knowing that CK is at least accounted for.
Picking up the pillar candles I asked to be brought up, I set about arranging them, always in threes: one at the top, two underneath. I painstakingly set out four arrangements, as is my custom, and then light them with a click of my fingers. They roar to life and my essence eases. I don't have to click my fingers, as it is my mind that lights them, but I like doing it. It's like a magician's act, voilà.
A click at the door signifies Cole's return and I turn as he steps in.
"Hey," I say softly.
"Hey," he says just as softly, eyes taking in the candle arrangements. "Sorry, I forgot," he mumbles.
"It's okay. I don't expect you to remember."
He crosses to me and hugs me after a quick kiss. He has a weird look on his face and says, "Can I ask you something?"
Oh, geez, there's been a lot of that going around lately.
"Sure," I say a bit warily. No one ever says that unless they are about to follow through with a question, they think you won't answer.
"Why in threes?"
I blink at him but remain silent.
"I mean, I know it's a thing for you. I've seen you do it hundreds of times and even Devon does it. And I've heard Constantine mention it. I don't understand it," he says, faltering slightly as I still don't say anything.
"It's the way I like it," I say eventually. "It has to be t
hree," I add, my voice rising slightly as the panic starts to set in. "It has to be three."
"Okay, okay, baby," he says, pulling me to him. "It's okay. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."
I relax slightly as he lets me off the hook, but I know sooner or later he will ask again.
"Come and sit." He leads me to the sofa, and I sit down gratefully. He sits next to me and I snuggle into him.
"I love you," he says. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with you."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I got to see you this morning and that is good, and we are here together now. As we should be."
“Did you ever hear back from Nico about my mother?” he asks cautiously.
I sit up, alert. “No. I asked him to take care of it. I just assumed he had paid her off.”
“Oh,” he says and looks away, upset that was the only reason she had contacted him.
“I’ll ask him. Don’t worry about it. He is very good at his job,” I reassure him and hope that paying her off is all he did. In all honesty, with everything else that happened, I had forgotten all about it.
"What do you want to do tonight?" he asks me.
"Mm, all sorts of things," I murmur with a sultry look and he laughs.
"I mean, can I take you out somewhere?"
"Oh," I say, disappointed. "Sure, I guess. Where do you want to go?"
"Somewhere very, very public," he says casually.
I giggle at him. "Oh, I see. Damage control. Well, in that case, by all means."
He frowns at me then. “You're very much in love with him, aren't you?"
I say nothing. What can I say? He knows that I’m love Constantine and Devon; I’ve never hidden that fact. Well, since he found out about us, of course.
He nods. "It was plain as day in that picture," he says. “I mean I know you do, obviously, but you’ve always tried to hide it from me, haven’t you?”
"Oh, Cole. I suppose I have in a way. I don’t know why. But yes, I do love him, and I was happy last night. Happy that we had sorted through our issues, that he forgave me, and we moved on. The happier he is with me, the better it is for us. For you and me. You know that," I whisper in earnest.
He looks grim as he says, "I suppose so. I really hate that he has so much control over our relationship. It should have nothing to do with him."
"I know. I wish it was different, but I don't want to talk about him. I’m here with you and I have missed you." I kiss him to bring his attention back to the present and back to me. Thankfully, he responds, wanting that as well.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIVE
Sometime later, we pull ourselves away from the bedroom and I step into the shower. Cole joins me a minute later with a frown.
“Who is Seb?" he asks suspiciously. I turn to him with a surprised look. “Your phone was ringing, caller ID said “Seb”,” he explains as I remain quiet.
"Sebastian would be my sibling," I say cautiously, wishing that I had been able to tell Cole about him in my own time and my own words.
"Oh. And where did you meet him?"
"He's staying with CK for a while. He's nice. You'll like him."
"Humph,” he mutters unconvinced. “Old or new?"
"Old. Oldest, in fact, the first."
"First?"
"His first change. It's quite strange that I never even thought about it before."
"So, he's as old as him?" he asks, still refusing to call Constantine by name. We are stuck with a bunch of confusing pronouns, but I leave the grammar lesson and let him deal with it in his own way. He is clearly still angry about the way CK has been treating me and his threats. I need to talk to him about forgiving, but now isn’t the time.
"Yes."
"And you like him?"
"Yes. He's fun, and we have a shared interest in poking fun at our sire. It's all quite amusing," I say lightly but he is still not impressed.
"Are you sleeping with him?" he asks, as I knew he would. He accepts my bonds but is fiercely against anyone who isn’t tied to me.
"No. It's not like that," I say patiently. "Please, Cole. Don't read any more into it than is there. Trust me, please. Trust me to keep in the boundaries you have set."
"Christ, Liv. Don’t sound so resentful, it’s not an unreasonable request.”
“I know it’s not. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound that way. You accept the way things are and I love you for it. But you need to trust me.”
He sighs. "I do. It's everyone else I don't trust."
"Well, forget about them. Concentrate on me," I say and pull him to me for a kiss. He lifts me up against the wall and takes me again under the pounding water.
We forget about everyone and everything else, including my nightly feed, as we head off downstairs to mingle in the hotel’s bar.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX
We settle comfortably together in a big chair. Cole is happy to be with me, next to me, and touching me, as I am with him. These times apart are not good for him and I do get worried that he will slip. He has been the model charge so far, but I don't think that has much to do with me but more him and his moral standings.
My phone goes off in an actual ringtone which surprises me, as I have it set only to vibrate. I frown as it is Falco's “Rock Me Amadeus”. I grimace as I see it is Sebastian video calling me. Fuckhead. Well, it would look odd now if I ignored him, so I accept the call with an apologetic smile to Cole.
"Livvie!" Sebastian shouts into the phone with a quick wave. He is in a very loud place with a group of people behind him.
"Sebastian. Nice ringtone, you arse. How did you manage that?" I say.
He grins. "Anyone ever tell you, you sleep like the dead? Wasn’t difficult to swipe it for a few minutes and play with it for my own amusement. Can't wait to see his face when he hears it!" he snickers.
"Seb, don't wind him up about it. It's a dodgy subject. Where are you?" I ask.
"I don't know, some bar near the apartment. I had to get out of that mausoleum,” he replies.
“What mausoleum?”
“You know, away from our unhappy sire. Christ, he knows how to get himself into a mood. I had forgotten after all this time. Just sat there brooding over the book."
It is now my turn to snicker, since I am fully aware of his moods. "Hm, that he does. Who are all your friends? Wait? What do you mean ‘the book?’ What book?"
"Oh, just some book, never mind," he says with a bit of a grimace. "These are just some people who wanted to see if I really knew you," he says slyly and holds the phone up so they can all wave at me.
I wave back. I really don’t like this whole celebrity thing. I mean, working in real estate is not exactly like being a rock star. Although in all fairness, while I was recognized before, being the wife of a famous movie star has plastered my face across the press in a big way.
"Christ, woman, be a bit nicer to your fans," he grouses at me.
"Hi, fans!" I say with sarcastic enthusiasm. They all say “Hi” in return while Sebastian nods his approval.
He comes back onto the screen. "So, are you having fun with your actual husband?" he asks snidely.
I glare at him as I pull the phone away to now include Cole on screen who gives Sebastian a death stare.
"Sebastian. This is my husband, Cole."
"Oh," Sebastian says, clearing his throat. "Hello."
"Hi," Cole says grimly but then turns on the charm as Sebastian’s new friends all clamor to have some FaceTime with a famous movie star. He deals with it all far better than I, and I beam at him with pride.
Eventually standing up and walking away in a huff, Sebastian comes back on the screen.
"Well, you are popular, aren't you?" he asks. "I look forward to making your acquaintance in person at some point."
"Likewise," Cole says with ease but I know he isn't best pleased with this phone call.
"Livvie, do come back soon, my dear. In the meanwhile, I will be staying at your place.
"
"Erm, I don't think so, Seb. Lincoln is very territorial, and Scott isn't exactly comfortable around ancient Vampires he doesn't know. Mind you, he isn't comfortable around ancient Vampires he does know," I add more to myself.
"I can handle the Wolf. Who is Scott? I thought you lived with someone called Devon?"
"Devon is my charge. But he is back in L.A. Scott is here for work. He is my assistant."
"Well, I shall behave myself. Take care and hurry back," he repeats again with force and hangs up. I sigh. That is definitely a very annoying trait of the older Vampires.
"He calls you Livvie?" Cole asks coldly.
"Oh, ignore him, he's an arse, just trying to get to you."
"But you call him Seb. Clearly there is something there."
"Baby, don't project. Please. I have enough guilt trips to last me the next thousand years without you adding to it."