Betrayal (The Forever Series) (6 page)

They both look startled, but then CK chuckles at me. “Indeed,” he says. “This does raise the question.”

One he clearly has an answer for as he slides another blue folder across the table at me. I peek in it and find it is the “Terms & Conditions” for our marriage, only this is an amended version, for our current situation. How in Hell he manages to get things done so quickly is and always will be a complete mystery to me.

I read the first line and it still says I shall revert officially to Aefre, but with the double-barreled surname of Aquila-O’Dell. Somehow I knew he’d get his own name in there first.

I hand it off to Cole and say to CK, “
It’s official? You changed it?”

“Yes, when we discussed what our name would be,” he says.

Cole takes the file gingerly from me, almost as if he doesn’t want to read it and glances quickly at it. His eyebrows skyrocket as he reads the title of the document and then he frowns as he reads on.

“Why do you get yours in first?” he asks. “She married me first. My name should be first.”

Not an unreasonable request, but of course CK has an answer for everything.

“It’s alphabetical. It means nothing,” he says and dismisses it with a wave of his hand.

“Humph,” Cole says rudely. “Liv?” he asks me.

“Uh,” I say, again at a loss. To be honest, I very rarely use my last name anymore. Everyone just knows me as Liv, or Aefre, or Your Majesty, or the billion other names I have been given. In fact, once we move on, it will become all but redundant.

“Oh fine,” Cole throws the file back at me. “Just sign it.”

I smile at him and he throws me a half smile back, just barely.

I sign the document and hand it back to CK. He then hands another folder to Cole who looks surprised to be included in these transactions.

“I need you to sign that,” CK says.

Cole opens it and snorts in amusement. “I can assure you, I didn’t suggest this arrangement to get in on your money train,” he says with derision.

“I know that, but I have to take precautions. When you and Aefre divorce, you will not be entitled to a penny of the money I have shared with her today. It will be up to Aefre to offer you a settlement from her own funds that she had accrued when you got married.”

Cole takes great offense to that remark and I don’t blame him. “You use the word ‘when,’” he sneers at CK. “If you think for a second that now that you are also married to her you are going to push me out of this arrangement, you have another thing coming.”

“That is not my intention,” CK says mildly. “But I do know a thing or two about sire/charge relationships.”

Cole looks like he is about to commit murder, so I step in to placate him. “Cole,” I say to him. “I love you and I have no intention of divorcing you,” I add with a firm look at CK and he shrugs, unaffected by my words and slides a pen across to Cole anyway. Cole signs it and throws the folder back to CK, who looks pleased he is getting his own way all over the place this morning.

“Have a look at the ‘T & Cs,’ my sweet, and be sure to let me have a copy of your own,” CK says, now relaxing back in his chair with his coffee.

I nod briskly and take another peek. There was something in the old ones that now that I am CK’s wife I will protest against if it is still in here. I turn the page and halfway down I see it has been removed. I flick quickly through the rest and see that it isn’t there. I look up at him, slightly amused and he grins at me.

“To your satisfaction, I assume?” he asks.

“Definitely,” I say. “What changed your mind?” I always have to poke the ancient Vampire, but I want to know.

“The curse,” he says and I nod. Seems he is accepting of my relationship with Lincoln now that there is no chance of a child between us. I wonder where that leaves his opinion on Sebastian and
me? Of course, the thought must pass across my face and he frowns.

“Something we need to discuss,” he says quietly.

I nod and smile at Cole who is looking furiously lost as usual throughout our private exchange. He grimaces at me again and I take his hand.

Seeing as I wasn’t expecting this arrangement, I have no “T & Cs” to give CK. I am going to have to get on that. I wonder if Jess would help
me? I can hardly ask Cole to sit with me and help think of things that I want CK to do or not do as the case may be.

“I have something to say,” I declare then and get their full attention. “As you will be aware, the three-month deadline has come and gone for us to meet and decide what we plan on doing when we move on.”

By the blank stares it is quite clear to me that, no, they weren’t aware of that, so obviously no input of where and what to do from them then.

I shake my head at them and continue, “When everyone has returned later today, I plan on making an announcement, which I will share with you now as you are now both my husbands and deserve to know of my plans before the others.”

Two happy faces look back at me.

“I am going to suggest that we all move to the Underworld. It is the perfect place to go about our business as we
are, no need for Shifting or name changes or isolated mountain cabins. Plus, I get to exert my authority and rule from a place of power.” Oh and by “suggest” I mean agree or suffer my wrath, I add silently.

“Agreed,” CK says immediately. “It is perfect.”

I smile my thanks at his support and turn to Cole who is looking a bit less than impressed.

“You want to go and live closer to Xane?” he asks me.

That thought had apparently missed CK’s usually impeccable catch rate, and I sense now his disapproval.

“That is not what this is about,” I say, trying not to lose my temper. Over the last three months, Cole’s jealousy of Xane has been growing steadily more and more intense. I have given him no reason to be jealous or even suspicious of me and our secret on-and-off whatever it is we have, but he has a bee in his bonnet about it and he won’t let it buzz off.

“I have explained my reasons, quite clearly, and the fact that Xane happens to live in the Underworld anyway had nothing whatsoever to do with my decision.”

My change from the word “suggest” to “decision” doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them and they know the score.

“Fine,” they both say in unison with matching sulky faces.

I take it as a done deal and beam at them both happily. “Great!” I exclaim and neither one can be cross with me anymore. Until I open my mouth again, of course.

“I said on the jet that I needed you two to stop with the competition,” I say. “I cannot have you fighting over me, and CK, you can’t always go first.”

Cole snorts into his hand, spluttering coffee everywhere in the process. I am unsure whether he is appalled or amused by my words.

CK is quite clear about his feelings on the matter though and says, “I don’t play second fiddle, you know that.”

“Well, you are going to have to learn,” I say. “I really don’t understand this thing with you men, it’s silly.” I refer to the territorial thing, which makes me always have to go via the shower. I can be territorial as much as the next girl, as are all Vampires both male and female, but not when it comes to this.

Cole is looking at me in amazement. “You don’t know?” he asks me. “You don’t feel it?”

I frown at him. “Feel what?
Jealousy?” I ask.

Cole shakes his head at me and CK gets in on that. “My sweet, it is so much more than that for us men,” he says. “Male Vampires have a strong urge to protect what
is theirs and even the whiff of another male being around sets off a very primal response in us.” He says this quite seriously or I would have burst out laughing. What a load of crap, I think. He is just trying to justify his actions.

Cole can see I don’t believe and he takes my hand. “Liv, it’s true,” he says to my surprise. “The feeling is…overwhelming.
The urge to kill to keep others away.”

“What?” I squeak. “How is that possible? I have been around male Vampires for a thousand years! I haven’t seen that reaction in any of them, except…” I indicate CK and then I look back at Cole and remember that I saw it in him too the first time the three of us were together.
That look of pure instinct in his eyes. Is it because we are especially bound to one another? “But, with Devon?” I say at a loss. “You never…”

He sighs and says, “Because I have a special, uh, something with Devon. Not a bond really, but after the whole Power of One thing, we are connected in a way that I can’t really explain to you.”

“But why did you never mention it before?” I ask, slightly upset that he thought he couldn’t share that with me.

“Because it is between me and Devon,” he replies. “I don’t ask you to try to explain what you have with him to me, do I?”

Oh, no I guess not. I look back at CK who is just sitting there listening with interest. He finds us “lesser” Vampires an odd bunch. He doesn’t have the ties that we have to one another, except maybe in a way with Sebastian and me, and he is intrigued with Cole’s explanation. Not enough to ask more about it though, of course. That won’t do to show an interest in someone other than himself.

“Then it is simple,” I say after a beat. “You two have to bond somehow.”

I have stopped a lot of conversations in my years on this planet, but never in quite the same way as I have right now. I smirk at their complete and utter shock and horror at my suggestion.

“Bond?” CK croaks out like I had asked him to kill himself. Cole looks like he wants to die right now, but I nod my head.

“Yes, bond. It can’t be too hard. If what you say is true, then this is the only solution. We cannot keep going on the way we are. It won’t work,” I say determinedly.

“I suppose,” CK ventures with a quick look at Cole who avoids his gaze. “How?” he asks. “As I understand it, your bonds are formed at the time of turning. How are we just supposed to make one?”

“In much the same way Cole just described his bond to Devon. Through me,” I state, having figured out a great idea.

“You?”
Cole asks, rejoining the conversation.

“Yes, me.
We will do a ritual where we all share blood and the Power of me should,” I bring my palms together tightly, “bond you!” I finish up, elated with my plan. Not only will this be an interesting experiment to see if it works--and if it does, bond CK and Cole together--but it will be a pretty amazing experience for me as well.

“Yes, well. We’ll see,” CK says and shifts uncomfortably, still staring at my joined hands.

“No, we’ll do,” I say firmly. “Tonight, in the clearing.”

Cole nods reluctantly, knowing that there is no getting away from it. He is going to become inextricably tied to my sire and he is not happy about it. Neither is CK, but it is just tough shit. My decision has been made.

I feel an intense rush of power behind me and look over my shoulder with a big smile. I know exactly who just popped into my library and I couldn’t be more excited to see him. Them. I get to my feet and rush inside, followed closely by Cole and CK, and run straight into the waiting arms of my father.

“Daddy!”
I say to him, hugging him fiercely. “I am so glad to see you again, finally.”

“My Princess,” Drake says, hugging me back just as tightly.
“I know, I apologize. It has been a busy time.”

I nod in understanding. There has been a civil war going on in the Fae Kingdoms between Dark and Light since Aelfric assaulted me and Drake killed him over it. “I wanted to come and see you, but I thought under the circumstances…” I say and shrug as he lets me go.

“We don’t blame you,” he says crossly. “It was Aelfric who caused this. He deserved what he got for daring to hurt you.”

I lower my eyes and feel guilty anyway that a nation is fighting over something that I, however inadvertently, caused.

I turn my attention then to Sebastian, who is fiercely hugging Constantine. I look away as they are sharing something quite intimate. CK said that he hasn’t seen him in months and they clearly missed each other. CK lets him go and I step forward to hug him. I have missed him too, only I can’t tell anyone that, as I am not supposed to be involved with him. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t been together since I was last in the Fae Kingdoms with him several months ago, it just means it is still a secret. A big one. For all the secrets that came flooding out, this one is just ours to keep. I am still worried about the Faerie baby that is supposed to be conceived between us so we have a strict policy of going anywhere but
there
. He grumbles, but it’s that or nothing. We embrace and he ruffles my hair in a familiar gesture, which has me batting his hand away.

“Nice to see you, little one,” he says with a grin. “You look good.”

“So do you,” I say and then get pulled away from him and into CK’s arms possessively. I can tell he is eager to share our recent news and he is about to do so when another rush of power floods the room and we all turn to the source.

“Mother,” I say with a smile. “What an unexpected surprise.” We don’t go in for hugging, or touching at all. She is a very aloof creature.

“Aefre,” She says, inclining Her head. Her eyes flick behind me and I gulp, remembering that my father is also in this very room. I have no idea if they have seen each other since they ended their doomed relationship, and I get my Power ready to do damage control, should the need arise. As it turns out, there is no need as Drake smiles at Her and She at him.