Betrayal (The Forever Series) (7 page)

“Tia,” he says with a smile.

Tia? I blink at him in surprise. It’s pretty, but I would never have assumed anyone would shorten Her name. Much like Constantine, but there is me calling him CK. I guess everyone has a special someone.

“Drake,” She says and inclines
Her head regally. As expected, there is no big reunion hug. They stay on opposite sides of the room, but it is better than a fight I suppose. She turns to Cole and beams at him. She has never officially met him, in spite of his role in all of this. “Cole,” She says. “How lovely to finally meet you.”

He inches towards my side and I can tell he is nervous. Not only does he have the Empress in the same room with him, but also my father.
The dreaded Dark Fae King. It hits me then that this is the first time I have had both my mother and father with me together. Quite the momentous occasion.

“Tiamat,” he says. “Yes, it is quite the honor.”

Drake clears his throat loudly and we turn back to him. He looks pointedly at me and then at Cole.

“Daddy,” I say. “This is my husband, Cole.”

He sneers at me, as I knew he would. “Husband,” he scoffs and completely ignores Cole.

CK, having had quite enough of holding on to his announcement, states loudly, “Aefre and I would like you all to know that as of yesterday, we are now also man and wife.”

Silence follows that and there isn’t one out of the three of them that is happy about that news. Sebastian looks so hurt I want to go to him and offer him comfort, Tiamat looks like She could quite possibly commit murder, and Drake’s sneer increases and he says derisively, “Pah! You Vampires are far too free and easy with your love. It is a disgrace.”

“Daddy,” I warn him quietly with a look that he shrugs off.

“It makes no difference anyway,” he says grandly, “You can call them both your husbands, but the only one I will accept and acknowledge is Kalen.”

“Never,” Tiamat hisses at him and I have the presence of mind to move us out of the line of fire. And I do mean that literally. “My daughter will never unite in a Fae marriage.”

“Oh, she will,” Drake responds. “
My
daughter will be wed to Kalen by the end of the month. We have waited about long enough. That is why we are here. To bring her back with us.”

I look to Sebastian to confirm that and he shrugs slightly, still reeling from CK’s announcement.

“Over my dead body!” She shrieks at him, advancing forward, talons already extended. “She is not your daughter! She is mine!”

Oh crap, this is bad. I had thought the whole “playing nice” was just an act. This is far more in line with how I thought it would go.

The crackle of magick goes across Drake as he pulls on his power. Hopefully this is just them posturing and they won’t actually assault each other.

“Mother,” I say to
Her, but She ignores me, still yelling to Drake that he will never get his hands on me, blah, blah, blah. They look like they are about to attack so I pull on CK and Cole and nod my head to Sebastian and we all leave them to it. I scamper across the terrace wanting to be as far away from them as possible, in case one of them decides to grab me and run. I really hate this whole piggy-in-the-middle thing.

“Well, that was a disaster,” CK says, when we are safely out of reach. “It is any wonder you were conceived, Aefre, with all that hostility between them.”

I snicker in spite of myself, as I have to agree. It is hard to see them being in love after what we just witnessed. I turn to Sebastian and ask, “Why now? Are things getting better?”

He shakes his head.
“No, not really. Neither side will give in, but I am done, Livvie. I am going through with my plan as soon as I can, but I need you protected first.”

“Plan?”
CK asks. “What plan?”

“I never wanted this,” Sebastian says. “You know this has never been what I wanted. I did this for Liv, to keep her safe. But it isn’t enough. We need to be wed before I abdicate.”

“Abdicate? You are coming home?” CK sounds delighted with this news, as am I, but I am still wondering what he means about keeping me safe.

“Yes,” Sebastian sighs. “I am going to let Thrace take over, but if we aren’t married by then,” he looks to me, “you will belong to him. Drake will have no choice but to give you to him and Thrace will take you and do his duty. Over and over again until he gets the outcome he wants.”

Chapter 4

“What is exactly is that supposed to mean?” Cole asks in dread as CK goes all fierce.

“It means, that she will be used to produce this so-called blessed baby,” CK growls at him.

“Oh,” Cole gulps and then gets angry. “That is not going to happen. Liv, you promised me there would be no Faerie baby!”

So, he’s less annoyed about me being used and more about me doing what I promised I wouldn’t. Gee thanks.

“Calm yourself,” I snap at him, irate. “There isn’t going to be a baby. Seb, what exactly do you mean if we get married I will be safe from him?”

“Even if I abdicate, you will be mine,” he says, to much growling and hissing from my husbands. “The Faerie are quite traditional in their views on marriage and as long as I live, even if I am no longer King, you will be mine and not be given to anyone else. Even in this instance, the responsibility will fall on me.”

I put my hands on my hips, extremely pissed off all of a sudden. These creatures just cannot go around thinking that I am some sort of prize to be won and then passed along as and when they feel like it.

“You know what I mean.” Sebastian tries to placate me as he sees my rise in temper.

“Hm,” I say to him. “Are you absolutely sure? Even under these circumstances? I just want
all of this over with.”

“I know you do, but it will never be over with. They are all going to expect a baby, Livvie. You are going to have to face that,” Sebastian says, quite boldly I think, and CK has had enough of this and does something he has probably wanted to do since the day he threw me out of the tower at
Ponte
. He draws his fist back and punches Sebastian squarely in the face. He held back, of course, a lot! But man, that had to hurt. Sebastian’s nose is flattened, blood spurting out everywhere, both his eyes have gone black, and he is furious with his sire. I grab Cole a second before Sebastian retaliates, moving him away from the fight that is about to go down. I stand there gaping at them wrestling like two idiots, as Cole is trying his hardest not to laugh. I don’t blame him. I have no doubt he would have loved to be the one to hit Sebastian, not to mention having CK bent over double with a fist to the stomach. I have to wonder if Sebastian will pull out his magick, but then think probably not. He would rather kill himself than really hurt our sire. Not that CK would go down without a fight. I remember his own power and I have no doubt that Fae King or not, as his charge Sebastian would be affected by it. I huff at both of them, now grappling in the grass, exchanging blows that would punch holes through a weaker Vampire.

“Enough!” I shout at them. I have enough to worry about with my parents still arguing in the library. I march over as they ignore me and grab each of them by the collars, hauling them to their feet. “Enough,” I say again. “Look at you two, you are both nearly three thousand years old and you are acting like this is a schoolyard.”

They both glare at each other, but make no move as I have them held tightly in my grip. I feel them both lose their Vampire tension and I let them go. I take in their appearance with a look which does not hide my feelings over their adolescent behavior. They are both crushed and bloody and their clothes are torn and grass stained. They are a mess.

“There is no need for this,” I say to them.

“Yes there is!” CK shouts at Sebastian. “He is using this whole prophecy business to get you into his bed and pregnant with his child. I will not, NOT allow that to happen, Aefre. Do you hear me?” He turns his bellowing on to me and I just roll my eyes at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoff. “Sebastian doesn’t want this baby either.” I am fully confident in this declaration because he has told me that he doesn’t. I look to Sebastian for confirmation, but he is looking away almost guiltily and I prod him.
“Seb?” I snap at him. “Tell our sire that you don’t want this baby.” I say it almost as a warning, because if he has changed his mind about it, I will smack him around a bit myself. I wait as he remains silent, and I am just about to blast him with a punch of my own when he sighs.

“It’s not so much that I want it, but that they aren’t going to give up until we have it,” he says quietly.

“They can’t make you have it,” Cole says, stepping to my side. “They can’t force you two to have sex.” He looks at me then and adds, “Can they?” in fear.

“No, Cole,” I say, “they cannot.” I leave out the fact that Sebastian and I are already engaging in that act all on our own. No force necessary. Fortunately so does Sebastian and I am grateful he took the high road. I am even more grateful when Tiamat and Drake join us on the lawn.

“Get your issues sorted?” I ask, more than a little sarcastically.

I see them both take in the destruction that is CK and Sebastian and my lawn filled with fist sized potholes, and mutter, “Don’t ask,” and neither of them do.

Tiamat smoothes down Her hair and adjusts Her gown and I see the flush on Her cheeks and Drake’s smug, self-satisfied look.

Oh god! My own cheeks flush with mortification as I realize what they were just up to, and it wasn’t fighting! I guess there is a thin line between love and hate.
Although I am pleased in a way that I am now not the only one in the garden who is being less than true to one. Hypocrites, I think with more glee than I should.

“No,” Tiamat says. “We will never agree on this. The only course of action is to see where your fate lies. Your true destiny, Aefre, is about to be revealed. I hope you are ready for it,” She says and with that She Astrals off, leaving me cold to my core. I did not like the sound of that one bit.

Drake looks at Sebastian and says, “Kalen, we should get back. Who knows what annihilation has been caused in our absence. Aeval, I assume Kalen has told you of your options?”

I nod with a loud gulp. Marry Sebastian or end up as Thrace’s brood mare.
Delightful.

“Then make your choice, Daughter. In the interest of not forcing you, I will leave you to think it over for a few days. I am sure you will come to the sensible decision and see this through as we have planned. Come to me when you have chosen.” And with that he leaves too with Sebastian hot on his heels.

Has everyone forgotten how to be courteous in the midst of all this fighting? A simple “see ya” wouldn’t have gone amiss.

“Go and get yourself cleaned up,” I mutter to CK who is still sulking and turn to Cole to say… something to him. I have no idea what though. Luckily I am saved by the prodigal charge that has turned up on the edge of the garden and is staring at the three of us silently.

“Cade,” I breathe and make a headlong run at him.

“Liv,” Cole calls to me, but I ignore him.

“You’re back!” I say as I rush towards Cade and stop in front of him. I want to give him a hug, but he is not all that pleased to see me. I sigh. So nothing has changed then. He is still deeply upset with me over what I did.

“For now,” he says and turns from me.

“Cade,” I say desperately, needing him to talk to me. But he ignores me and walks away. He is slow and sluggish and it rips at me knowing what he is doing to himself by being away from me. It is also clear from his sunken features he is not feeding properly. “Cade,” I say again, more forcefully, but I might as well be talking to myself.

“Liv,” Cole says as he joins me staring after Cade. “Don’t push him.”

“I have to do something, Cole. He is sliding badly,” I say as he takes me in his arms.

“I know, but you can’t force him. He will decide for himself if he wants to get better or worse.”

I choke back a sob as Cole spells it out in black and white for me. I am just glad that he is at least here. Close enough that I can start to make him stronger, just by being near enough to him.

I let Cole take me back inside, where suddenly the house is teeming with people. Devon and Jess are back and I couldn’t be happier to see him. I take him in my arms and I never want to let him go. I have missed him so much and tell him so. He looks somewhere between pleased and sad, but I don’t get much time to ponder on it because Lincoln, who is a day late, picks me up and twirls me around. He has been in L.A. with our Pack these last few weeks and I have missed him terribly too. I let him know exactly how much by dropping my blocks for a few moments, and we share a private moment as he holds me close. As if sensing the family reunion, Xane also Astraports in, much to Cole’s irritation.

“Xerxei,” he says to me as he gallantly takes my hand and kisses it. “We need to have a conversation, and soon,” he adds with a pointed look. I nod grimly. I think I know what he wants to discuss, but I just can’t give it to him. Cole would never accept it if I formally tied myself to Xane and renounced my Vampires and, well, now that CK also has a say over these matters it will happen over his dead body. Which, as he is all but indestructible, means never. I usher everyone into the billiards room, with a smile at Jess. She doesn’t look very happy to be home, but then I suppose she has had a nice vacation and now she has to get back to work. Lucky for me. These last few weeks with her gone has made me appreciate just what it is she actually does around here.