Revelation (The Forever Series Book Three) (4 page)

I capitulate as I am sure he knew I would. “Just you,” I
whimper in submission and he chuckles. He dismisses Ramon who leaves in relief
and again he pulls away from me.

“You can’t win that game with me, Aefre,” he murmurs. “I
know you too well.”

“Perhaps. If you go get Devon, this would go a whole lot
differently,” I challenge in delight which increases tenfold as I actually
manage to piss him off.

“Not a chance, my sweet,” he recovers quickly. “This is the
first night you will be in my bed all night for the first time in a long time,
I am not sharing.”

I take a small victory lap in my head for having managed to
distract him from my information slip-up, I move closer to him. “What do you
want me to do?” I murmur quietly as I kneel at his feet.

He gawks in surprise at me. I haven’t been so willing to
submit to him for a long time. He usually has to work a lot harder to gain this
kind of control over me. He steps back. “Stand up, Aefre,” he says gruffly.

“No.”

“Stand up before I make you,” he threatens.

I don’t move.

He grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls me to my feet. “I
said ‘stand,’” he hisses at me. I avoid his intense gaze on purpose and he
pulls my head up to lift my eyes to his. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you what you want, Master,” I mumble.

He closes his eyes in pain. “No. Don’t do this. Not today,”
he forces himself to say as he steps back. I step forward staying in his space.

“Let me be this for you.”

“No. Don’t push me. You might regret it.”

“Not likely.”

“Aefre,” he enunciates my name in the strong Old English ‘
Ah-vuh
’
instead of his native Latin, which he usually lapses into causing him to
pronounce it ‘
Ai-vuh
.’ This tiny thing that would mostly go unnoticed by
everyone else, shows me how focused he is on this conversation. 

“Constantine. I am a thousand years old. Stronger now with
this new Power. You will find it difficult to hurt me. But try your best.”

“It’s not about the physical pain. I know you can handle
anything I throw at you. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to hurt you and I
don’t want you to see that side of me.”

“Do it. Or I walk,” I say, an empty threat but it has its
desired effect as he leans forward to sink his claws into my throat as he Shifts.

“Do you really want this?” he whispers to me.

I nod painfully but try not to show the pain he is
inflicting on me already. An Initial Vampires claws can subdue a human into
paralysis. Made for easy prey. On other Vampires they don’t paralyze but fuck,
it stings like a mother. He knows that he is hurting me but no way will I let
him see. He sinks to his knees bringing me with him, my blood dripping down my
throat has him mesmerized. “Stay,” he says as he gets to his feet, releasing me
and I breathe in deeply as I heal slowly. I want this. I know he wants this,
regardless of all his words of not wanting me to see him like this. I want to.
We have played in the past but it has all been in fun. This is serious. I want
to see his depraved side in all its glory. He thinks I can’t handle it, that I
won’t want him anymore. I am going to push him until he can’t do anything but
show me, show me his inner monster that he reviles but cannot get away from. I
am strong and not afraid of what he will dish out. God knows it won’t be any
worse than what Lance inflicted on me.

I wait for a while. Time ticks away and I can hear my phone
buzzing away on the bedside cabinet. I know it will be either Cole or Devon,
but I ignore it.

“Answer it godammit,” CK snarls at me from across the room.

I don’t move.

“Christ, Liv. Just stand up and answer it.”

As I don’t move he stalks over and answers it himself with a
very brusque, “Yes?”

After a pause he says to me, “It’s Devon. He senses your…
whatever it is you charges feel for your sires.”

Gritting my teeth at his dismissal of our feelings I say, “I
will call him back. Tell him I am fine and I will call him back.”

“Speak to him.”

“No.”

Into the phone he says, “Your sire is a stubborn fool. But
she is fine. I will make her call you back when we are done.” And he hangs up.
I can only imagine Devon’s face after those words and it makes me smile.

“Something amuses you?” CK asks, catching my mirth. I
straighten my face, “No, sir.”

He moves to stand behind me and I want him to touch me. I can
feel his energy vibrating just off the surface of my skin and it is driving me
wild.

Ever so slowly he wraps a silk tie around my throat. “You
catch me off guard, my sweet. None of my usual toys are here to hand.”

“Take me to the dungeons,” I manage to get out before he
pulls so hard on the tie that I choke out loud, much to my own disgust. Bearing
in mind the lack of air won’t kill me, the reality of being strangled is most
unpleasant. Bringing my hands up to my throat in an automatic response I make myself
relax. I am fine. It’s all good.

“Do you really want me to take you down there?”  he asks in
disbelief.

Well, I said I was going to push him, so I nod.

Shock registers on his handsome face as he realizes I am
serious about this. He shakes his head to himself. “No. No! I won’t. Don’t push
me, Aefre,” he says again.

He releases his hold on the tie and I stand up. Oh, am I so
going to push him, he won’t know what hit him.

“Do you think I will compare you to him, to Lance? How
sadistic you can be compared to him? Is that what you are worried about?” I
ask.

His face closes off entirely as he registers my words. “Will
you?” he asks quietly.

“No.”

“
He
is just like
me
, Aefre. Not the other way
around. Don’t you see?”

“No. I don’t see. Constantine. Do you love me?”

“Yes,” he doesn’t hesitate.

I smile, “That makes you different. You can love. You love
me. I love you. We have had a really hard day, the whole Gregor thing
notwithstanding. Just do this. Make us both feel better.” He doesn’t need
telling twice after this as he launches himself at me pinning me to the ground
with a dagger in each palm that he pulled from who knows where.

Yes, I am in pain, but it’s not unbearable. In fact I
actually know I could get myself out of this if I so choose. The Power is surging
up, indignant to be treated in such a fashion but I ignore it. At least I know
it is there should I need it. But I don’t. Not yet at least.

Hands attached to the floor with ancient Vampire strength, I
am seemingly pinned in place. I wriggle in discomfort, because, yes it hurts
like a bitch, but I won’t let him know.

A feral grin tearing his handsome face apart he extends his
claws and rakes them down me, neck to toes in slow searing gashes that would
make a lesser Vampire wither. They are slow to heal and painfully so which
makes it worse when he pours the rest of the bottle of Scotch onto each slash.
Burning like acid I still won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
Christ knows I’ve had enough practice with the methods of torture, both giving
and receiving. Mostly receiving, I think ruefully as he trails his tongue up my
gashes in a slow steady movement, which makes me want him in spite of the pain
he is inflicting on me.

Pulling the daggers out of my hands he flips me over quickly
to my front and reinserts them with two vicious thrusts before they have
healed, making me buckle.

“Had enough?” he whispers gently, almost as if he wants me
to say yes.

Never.

At my silence he rakes his claws down my back, “You are so
stubborn, my sweet. You know you are no match for me.”

Hm, I think you have no idea.

Another dagger appears in his hand as he slashes at my back
in little flicks drawing blood and lapping it away. My She Power is getting
pretty pissed off now and is ready for action but I push it down.

“Why are you letting me do this?” he says suddenly in
anguish.

Heaving a sigh of frustration I pull my hands up from their
pins to his utmost surprise. “Why can’t you ever just accept a gift in the way
it was intended?” I snap, rubbing my hands as they heal instantly.

“I don’t want to hurt you. This is killing me. Don’t make me
carry on,” he says and drops his head into my lap, making me falter. 

“Make you? Since when could I make you do anything?” I ask
in bewilderment.

“Always,” he replies honestly and we are back to vulnerable
sire time and I don’t like it.

“Fine. If you can’t do it to me then take me downstairs and
let me watch you do it to someone else.”

“Excuse me?” he asks warily.

“Your Pets in the dungeons,” I snarl at him in frustration.

“Aefre, there is no one in the dungeons.”

“Oh really? I have a Power of One sense that tells me
otherwise.”

He looks a bit alarmed at my faux admission, but whatever.

“Liv, there is no one in the dungeons,” he uses my current
name to impress his earnest.

Getting fed up of this game now I pull his mouth to mine and
kiss him. He responds, pulling me up onto his lap. “Don’t ever ask me to hurt
you, not again. Please,” he murmurs. “Just fuck me,” I whisper back now, all
other thoughts abandoned under his kiss.

He stands, with me still in his arms, and carries me to his
bed. Stripping off his own clothes now he watches me watch him.

“I love you,” he says again. “Don’t ever ask me to do this
again. Please. I can’t bear to hurt you.”

He sounds so sincere I nod and feel bad that I asked him to
in the first place, even though he needed to know I am not the same innocent
wallflower he was reluctant to tell his secret to. That he can trust me to love
him no matter what.

He rises above me, pinning my hands either side of my head
and impales me with such force I cry out. Oh god, I want him so much. We have
fooled around all day wasting time with secrets and games. I just want this.
Always and forever. He brings me to a mind-shattering orgasm quickly and I take
over. Straddling him, forcefully riding him until he can’t bear it anymore, he
pours himself inside me and I am happy. She is happy. I feel myself back in the
massive canyon from my dream for a split second before it’s gone.

“I love you,” I murmur against his perfect lips.

He grips my hand and murmurs the same with the added, “I
can’t wait to make you mine.”

The rest of the night goes by in wonderful slow lovemaking,
the kind that makes me forget about everything. I forget to ring Devon back and
I don’t answer when Cole rings me. After the day we have had with Gregor and
the revelations and confessions and history, it has been exhausting. I fall
asleep around 5 AM in a dead-to-the-world sleep knowing I will still wake at 6
AM probably shattered.

I do wake at 6 but oddly feeling okay. CK is asleep next to
me. My beautiful sire. So vicious, but so loving. I lose several minutes just
staring at him, until my phone goes off again. I cringe when I look at how many
missed calls and messages I have from both Cole and Devon. Answering quietly, I
creep out of bed and not bothering with a robe I go and sit in the alcove from
yesterday.

“Hey,” I say quietly.

“Hey,” Cole answers just as quietly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ring you back yesterday. It was a
difficult day,” I say by way of explanation.

“Are you okay?” is all he asks.

I smile gently, “Yes I’m fine. CK and I got into it
yesterday. It was… trying.”

“You fought?”

“Not exactly. It’s complicated.”

“You are okay, though?”

“Yes, my love, I am. Even better now for talking to you.”

He chuckles. “Always know the right thing to say to a guy.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I miss you already.”

“Are you okay?” I ask then, suddenly concerned as I am so
far away from him.

“Yes, I suppose so. I do feel overly lonely. Is that
normal?”

“Yes, my love. I am sorry. I should be there with you.”

He sighs, “I’ll do. You need your own sire time.”

“Are you getting on with Devon?” I ask with a smile.

He laughs. “Yes, don’t worry about us. There is a slight
problem though,” he says hesitantly.

“What?” I ask, alarmed, and I feel my face do that overly
concerned thing that CK’s does and I straighten it with an inward huff.

“It’s my mother,” he sighs. “She’s contacted me.”

Having told me that he doesn’t know his father and he hasn’t
spoken to his mother since he left home at seventeen I know this must be a bolt
out of the blue for him. I also know that his circumstances are one of the
reasons that he made this decision, for me to turn him. No family means no
explanations.

“She rang you or came to visit?” I ask.

“She rang my agent. Who then passed the message on.”

“Do you know why? Why now?”

“I have a pretty good idea,” he snarls and I flinch at his
hostility. I stay quiet wanting him to carry on as I haven’t connected the dots
as he has.

“Peter, my agent, said that she wanted to get in touch with
me as she saw that I was newly married and wanted to reconnect now that I was
making a family of my own. Personally I think all she saw were the billions of
dollar signs above your head,” he sneers in disgust.

“Oh, baby. This isn’t the best news but it isn’t the worst.
Just ignore her. I don’t need to remind you that our secret doesn’t sit well
with outsiders. It’ll all blow over if you don’t respond.”

“I hope you’re right. It’s a problem I could do without.”

“Indeed. But no problem doesn’t have a solution. We’ll face
it together.” I sense CK before I see him. He sits down opposite me in the
alcove as I did with him yesterday, placing his bare toes on mine. I smile as
he watches me impassively.

“I should go now. We have to get this thing with Gregor
rolling as quickly as possible.”