Betrayal (The Forever Series) (10 page)

“I’ve got it,” Devon says suddenly and Liv pulls away to turn back to him.

“What?” she asks eagerly. She seems far too interested in this little adventure and that has him worried as to the reasons.

“Don’t tell, just do,” Devon says and she frowns.

“What do you mean? Just abduct him?” she asks.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. Go to find him and tell him who you are--who she is, and then just take him to the present,” he says.

“I don’t know about that,” Liv says. “It seems kind of a sudden introduction.”

“Look, if it was me I would prefer it that way. If you start telling him you are from the future--not even
his own future--you will completely freak him out and he probably will refuse to go. If you just do it, he will have to accept it.”

Well, it’s Devon logic. It sort of makes sense, but there are big holes in his theory.

“Well, I suppose it’s as good a plan as any,” she says and pats his hand in thanks. He smiles at her and she stands up. “Make my excuses for me, I’m going to go now.”

“Wait,” Cole says. “You said you would go tomorrow.”

“I know, but the sooner I get it over with the better. I will try not to be too long,” she says and pulls him down for a lingering kiss. “Remember, this is our secret. I don’t want anyone else knowing about this.” She is adamant and it makes Cole even more suspicious, but as usual he keeps his opinions to himself rather than face her getting upset with him. He hates it when she gets upset or angry with him. It feels like his heart is breaking and he would rather just keep quiet and keep her happy. She has a vicious temper that flicks like a switch at the moment. He frowns as he remembers that the poolroom is still going through the process of repair after she lost her temper with Cade, when she tracked him back there after his turning. Who knew she could splinter glass with her eyes and throw fire from her hands?

“I love you,” he murmurs to her and she smiles and says it back. “Please don’t do anything stupid,” he adds and she laughs.

“When have you ever known me to do something stupid?” she asks and the three of them laugh at her sassy wink and then she is gone in a twirl of black fog, to the Other World and all the Other versions of themselves. He has a bad feeling about this. A very, very bad feeling. He continues to stare at the space that she occupied for a few seconds, as does Devon.

“What?” he finally asks. “Why don’t you want her doing this?”

Cole blinks at him. How can he tell him that he doesn’t trust her? He will pounce on it and use it to his advantage, he knows that without a shadow of a doubt after what Devon just said to him. He keeps having this recurring nightmare of her time in that Other World. He keeps dreaming of her having sex with the Constantine from there. She swore to him that she didn’t see anyone after they put her away to rest, but it sounds to him far too convenient. Surely they would want to know that she was all right and check on her?

“Cole?” Devon prompts him. “Do you want her to yourself in that World?”

“Devon, that is just the stupidest thing I have ever heard. It’s not me, it isn’t Liv and it certainly isn’t you either,” Cole snaps at him.

“Sure,” he says. “But it must have crossed your mind.”

“Whatever,” Cole grouses. He has far more important things to worry about than Devon’s paranoia.

Like his own.

He has to find out once and for all if something happened while she was over there. But, how? That he doesn’t know.

Devon checks his watch and stands abruptly. “I have to go,” he says. “Watch your back. The chess pieces are being moved into the endgame here. You need to see that.”

With that very cryptic remark, Devon leaves him alone and miserable to ponder his future. Has he made a mistake with this? He has thought of nothing but this scenario and all of its outcomes for months. Constantine wanted Liv all the time, but she didn’t want to leave him. She proved that to him in Vegas when he offered to let her go and she stayed. He needs her all of the time so he refuses to let her go. This seemed the most plausible option. He just didn’t count on Constantine asking to marry her. That brings its own set of problems, and now this Faerie baby. Christ. All he wanted when he saw her on that red carpet was to be with her. He had been dreaming of her for weeks. He knew he had never met her, and thought maybe he was dreaming about Carolyn. But deep down he knew she was someone different. Something different. Someone he was meant to love and be with. He thinks maybe he loved her before he even saw her. Complete destiny. She is his destiny and he has to be confident that destiny won’t screw this up for him. They belong together, forever. He is her Chosen One and the sooner everyone else realizes that, the happier he will be.

Chapter 6

Other World, June 2013 (1506) – Liv

I arrive at my intended destination, which is Claridges in London, but in the Other World. I open my eyes and see the astounded face of Cole. Not my Cole though, I can tell.

“Hi, Cole,” I say, but he just looks at me in awe.

“Liv!” he yells, backing away slightly.

Empress Aefre walks out of the bedroom and eyes me suspiciously. “I thought you said you would be here tomorrow,” she says.

“So I came a day early to get this over with. Deal with it,” I reply. “Are you ready to do this or not?”

“Yes,” she says instantly.

“Okay,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Do you have my second?”

“What do you mean?” she asks, looking at Cole in confusion.

“You know, the one I have to leave,” I say. I feel awful for this, but I will feel worse if she comes back over and blabs my secret to my husbands. Cole especially. At least I already know that CK would forgive me. Although, maybe not so much under the circumstances of the time shift and all the lying.

“Oh,” she says. “Yes, however, he is your third. I am coming with you.”

“Oh no,” I tell her. “You are staying here. I will do this.”

“No,” she says. “He is my Devon and I am going with you.” She crosses her arms and glares at me. I am sure that lesser creatures would wither under that steely gaze, but sadly for her I am no lesser.

I Shift, much to her amazement, and Cole stumbles back as they both clap eyes on Elizabeth. “Better Shift then,” I say to her with my hands on my hips. “You are not his type like that.”

“Excuse me?” she says haughtily and looks down at herself.

“You can do that?” Cole asks her.

“Well, yes,” she says and then looks at me in disgust. “I have never used it to get a man,” she adds.

“That is because you have never had to,” I say patiently. “Constantine and Sebastian both love your natural look. And Cole of course,” I add with an apologetic look to him. “Devon, however, likes this.” I sweep my hands down over my body and Cole’s eyes follow my hands appreciatively.

“I can see why,” he mumbles and ends up on the receiving end of his sire’s most menacing look.

I preen with the compliment and then stop myself. That is just weird. “Come on then, if you want to come with me, you need to do this my way. He won’t come with me unless I look like this and he won’t come back with you if you look like that.”

“Very well,” she says and Shifts to look just like me. It unnerves me more than I care to admit and a slight shiver goes down my spine.

“Will I have to stay this way for him? He seemed to like it just fine when I was you,” she says.

“Because he loves me,” I say through gritted teeth, really not wanting to picture the two of them together. It is definitely something best forgotten. “We have been together for over five hundred years. He accepts me as I am now, but he fell in love with Elizabeth.”

Cole sits down heavily on the sofa. He looks like he is about to pass out. I don’t really blame him. This is very complicated and to be frank, I have no idea how it is going to turn out. But, she wants this in return for her silence so here I am.

“Where is the third, then?” I ask to get this show on the road.

“Wait here.” She Astrals off and returns shortly after with an unconscious human man. Oh dear. Ice slides down my spine as I think I know what she is going to do with him. “Let’s go,” she says. She pauses to give Cole a lingering kiss, which grosses me out, and then grabs my arm and nods determinedly.

I close my eyes and picture where I want to be: Helsby, Cheshire, 1506, this World.

Please let me land in this World and not let me fuck up my own past.

I open my eyes and we find ourselves in a barn on the outskirts of the village. I peek out and we are definitely in the right era, that much is all I can tell though. I change into something sixteenth century appropriate and Aefre does the same. “You will wait here,” I say to her. “We cannot both go to get him.”

“Why don’t you wait here and I will go and get him,” she remarks.

“For starters, you have no idea where to find him, and secondly, no idea how to get him to come with you. You cannot just take him from the middle of the street.”

She frowns at me, but must conclude that I have a point. She slumps the man in the corner and sits on a hay bale. “Be quick,” she snaps at me and presses something into my hand. I find myself rushing off. I want to be out of here as soon as possible as well.

I experience a moment of nostalgia as I see the village as it was so long ago. I picture my own Devon and me here and we are happy. Such a simpler time, I think with a sigh. Then I get a move on. I make my way to the brothel where Devon and I met. I hoped to land myself on the same day, and if I managed that, he should be here.

The men leer at me as I push open the door to the brothel and get accosted shortly after that. I push one away from me as he grabs my arse and gives it a quick squeeze. Of course they are going to assume I work here so I don’t take too much offense, but I don’t hold back much, and he stumbles away. I quickly find the madam and pull out the bag of coins that Aefre had pressed into my hand before I left.

“Devon Sawyer,” I say to her. “Is he here?”

“Who wants to know?” she replies. “Are you his wife?”

“Uh, no,” I say.
“Just someone looking for him.”

“Humph,” she grunts. “Mayhap he is, mayhap he isn’t,” she adds, crossing her arms over her ample bosom. And this is what the coins are for. I take a few out and place them into her outstretched palm. “Is he here?” I ask again.

“Upstairs, third door on the left,” she states as she tucks her booty away safely.

I head towards the stairs and she calls back to me, “If you are joining in, it’s extra.”

“I’m not,” I assure her with a shudder.

I make my way up the steep stairs and go through my game plan. My Devon was first attracted to my fangs, so flash those and I shouldn’t have to flash much more…hopefully.

At the third door on the left I brace myself for what I am about to barge in on and knock once before I open it. I don’t have time to stand around and debate my entry. Fortunately for me, Devon and his chosen girl hadn’t gotten very far. She is half naked, but he is still clothed.

The whore looks me over and cocks her hip. “It’s extra.”

“I’m not joining in,” I say again and stride towards Devon. His eyes roam over my body and when he gets to my face I flash him my fangs and his face goes from shock to awe. Thankfully. If I had to wrestle him out of here, that would not have been good.

“What are you?” he asks as I grab his hand.

“Wait,” the whore says. “We were just getting started.”

I toss her a coin and she grabs it and clothes herself. The easiest money she’s made in a long time, she takes it with glee.

“Follow me,” I whisper to Devon who trails after me like a lap dog. We descend the stairs, with his hand on my arse, which I slap away gently, and take it in my firm grasp.

“Where are we going?” he asks as I lead him out of the brothel. So far, this has been pretty easy. The worst part is still in front of me.

“Somewhere very special,” I say to him with a seductive smile, which practically has him drooling.

“You are something special,” he murmurs to me and I duck my head. I really don’t want much interaction with him, as it isn’t me he is going to be with. I lead him silently to the barn where Aefre and the unconscious fellow await and close the door softly behind us. Aefre stands up as we enter and she smiles, a cat-that-got-the-cream smile and advances on him. Christ, is she going to turn him first and then go home?

Devon looks from me to her, both looking exactly the same, in delight and I hate to burst his happy bubble, that he thinks he gets to take both of us--in his dreams--and I Shift back to Liv much to his shock and disappointment.

“What is going on here?” he asks, getting angry, but Aefre shushes him.

“Do not worry, Devon. I am going to take you away with me, far away from here. Would you like that?” she asks him soothingly.

He seems to fall under whatever spell she is holding over him and that concerns me, but she strokes his face and he agrees to her request. It sort of reminds me of the power that CK holds over me when I am distressed, he can calm me in an instant.

“Yes,” he breathes. “Take me away with you.”