Choices (The Forever series, Book Four) (15 page)

”Cole!” I shout in panic. “Cole!”

He comes racing in, “What is it?”

“Oh thank god,” I say desperately as he hugs me. “You’re
okay,” I say over and over.

“I’m fine. You clearly aren’t though. Bad dream?”

“Yes.”

“It’s okay, it’s over. Everything is fine.”

I relax again and note that while I was sleeping Cole had
placed three lit candles on the bedside cabinet. I hug him tighter and whisper,
“Thank you,” as I point to the candles.

“No worries. I don’t understand it but I know it helps you,”
he says.

“Can you get me something to drink?” I ask and he jumps up
right away to comply. He comes back with a glass of blood and my phone.

“Lincoln and Scott have been calling, and Nico texted. I
answered it after a few times so it wouldn’t disturb you.”

I take it from him and say, “It’s fine. Thanks. What did
Nico say?”

“I didn’t read it,” he says.

I roll my eyes at him and his sweet gesture at trying
keeping my privacy and check. “She wanted a pay out,” I say shortly.

“Figured as much,” he sneers in disgust. “How much?”

“It doesn’t matter, baby. Let’s just forget about her now.”

“How much, Liv,” he demands.

“A million dollars,” I admit quietly. “CK paid it to make
her go away.”

“Tell him, I’ll pay him back,” he says shortly.

“There’s no need…”

“Tell him, I’ll pay him back,” he interrupts me forcefully
and I just nod to appease him.

I stare at him in silence for a few moments while he regains
his composure.

“It’s a, err… nice photo,” he says suddenly, avoiding my
gaze.

I tilt my head wondering which one he means and remember the
locked screen photo of CK and me.

“Oh. Yes. He sent it to me the other day. It’s from awhile
ago.”

“Oh. How long ago?” he asks casually but I know he is trying
to ascertain if I was with him at the time.

“A couple of years ago,” I say.

He nods. “It’s nice,” he says again, “but I prefer the other
one.”

My wallpaper is one of me and him out by the pool at home,
draped over each other like ivy. “Me too,” I say softly.

“Do you want to go out tonight?” he asks.

I shake my head, “No, I want to stay in. We can watch TV or
talk or something normal. No fans, no Hunters, no distractions.”

“I like that plan. Oh, and room service. Strangely I am in
the mood for food,” he says with a chuckle.

“I could eat,” I say with a laugh. “Just let me ring Linc
and Scott and we can settle down.”

“Okay, I’ll pour you a Scotch.”

“Wine, please,” I say before punching in Lincoln’s number.

“What’s up sweetie?” I say as he answers.

“Sebastian is what’s up,” he snaps. “He is driving me nuts
and Scott won’t even come out of his room now.”

“What? Why?”

“You know how he gets. Just tell Sebastian to go back
upstairs.”

I sigh as Cole comes back and I make a decision. Screw this
ban. It’s such a fucking inconvenience. I grab Cole’s hand and say to Lincoln,
“Hang on. I’m coming there,” and I hang up and Astral us back into the
apartment in New York.

“Shit, Liv! You shouldn’t be doing that,” Lincoln snaps at
me.

“Fuck that,” I say rudely. “My rule, and I’ll break it if I
want to. Now what is this issue?”

Lincoln sighs and crosses to me and kisses me chastely. “Hey
Cole,” he says.

“Hey,” he says, somewhat grimly. He pulls away from me and
has a look around. It occurs to me that he has never been here before. He looks
out of the window and says, “Wow, nice view.” And I smile at him.

“Livvie,” Sebastian says coming out of my room. “What are
you doing here?” He also gives me a kiss, which sets both Cole and Lincoln
bristling.

“Seb, what are you still doing here?” I ask him.

“I like it here. Smells like you,” he leers at me and I
glare at him.

“Go back up!”

“Why?”

“Lincoln doesn’t like strangers and you are freaking out my
assistant.”

“I don’t want to,” he sulks. “He is still in a mood.” His
face brightens suddenly as he says, “Although, now that you are here it might
cheer him up. I’ll go and tell him,” and he Teleports out to CK’s apartment
before I can yell “No!” at him.

“Fuck’s sake. Scott?” I call, marching to Devon’s room and
banging on the door, “He’s gone.”

“Thank god,” Scott says as he opens the door. “That man…he
has too many issues going on.”

I frown at him, “What do you mean issues? Did you read him?”

“I couldn’t not. Although, I had to force myself to stop.
It’s the same with Mr. D’Arcangelo. It just happens.”

“Must be his age,” I mutter.

“How old is he?”

“Same as Constantine. He’s his first.”

“Ah, I see. Yes,” Scott says as if it makes sense now.

“Anything I should know about?”

“Probably, but you need to speak to him. Most of his
thoughts are in a language I don’t understand, although I did pick up something
about a book, a magickal book,” he says cryptically.

“A magickal book? What’s in it?” I remember Sebastian saying
something about a book that CK was looking at.

He shrugs, “That I don’t know.”

“Hm, thanks.” Looking at Cole I say, “I’m going up. Coming?”

“Yes,” he says without hesitation. I grab his hand. “Bye
Linc,” I say as I Astral us upstairs and he waves.

CK and Sebastian are huddled over the table when we pop in.

“Aefre,” CK stands and comes to kiss me. “Cole,” he says
coldly.

“Constantine,” Cole replies just as coldly.

CK looks from Sebastian to Cole. “We’ve already met on the
internet. Hello, Cole. Nice to see you again,” Sebastian says politely.

Cole just nods and pulls me back against him, draping his
arms over me in a possessive move which has me rolling my eyes and CK about to
blow a gasket.

“This is a pleasant surprise, my sweet. We are
‘Astraporting’ now?” he inquires, using the word I came up with to describe
Demon Xane’s transportation maneuver, but it also works quite nicely to combine
my Astralling and his Teleporting ability.

“Well everyone seems to be ignoring my rule anyway today,” I
say pointedly staring at the two who broke the rules. Neither looks overly
concerned by my reprimand, which annoys me. Where’s the fear?

“Sebastian. Stay away from Scott,” I warn.

“I didn’t go near him,” he says, affronted.

“Do you know what he is?” I ask him and he shakes his head.
“Then stay away from him.”

“What is he?” he asks, intrigued.

Ignoring his question I ask my own, “What’s this about a
book?”

Catching them both off guard they look guiltily at each
other before adjusting their features into matching innocent looks. If I
weren’t so mad by the secrecy I would have laughed at them.

“What book?” CK asks smoothly.

But he isn’t fooling me. “I’m guessing it’s why Sebastian is
here in the first place. What is it?” I ask again forcefully.

Silence.

“It isn’t rhetorical,” I yell and CK sighs.

“Aefre. You can never leave anything alone, can you?” CK
asks and Cole in spite of himself snickers in my ear.

“You got that right,” Cole adds.

I shake Cole off me – the Judas - and step forward. “Start
talking D’Arcangelo,” I growl and Sebastian’s eyebrows go up.

“She last-named you?” he asks incredulously. “I don’t think
anyone in the history of the world has ever done that before.”

“Yes, well don’t get any ideas,” CK says wryly. “The book is
nothing for you to worry about,” he says to me.

“Scott thinks otherwise.”

“Scott should mind his own business,” he says menacingly.

“If he thought it wasn’t important he wouldn’t have
mentioned it.”

“What is he?” Sebastian asks again. “Like some kind of mind
reader?”

“Exactly some kind of mind reader. He is an Empath, and your
thoughts about this book sent up a red flag,” I affirm.

“Fuck me. He really should mind his own damn business,”
Sebastian mutters, looking far too worried about having his thoughts read than
I am comfortable with.

“Well if you hadn’t gone down there in the first place, your
little secret would still be safe,” I say and he blanches before resuming
normal expressions as I add, “Lucky for you, he doesn’t understand French, or
Latin, or whatever language most of your thoughts are in.”

CK glowers at him. “We will discuss this in private,” he
says, effectively dismissing Cole, much to Cole’s annoyance.

“Cole stays,” I say and he looks smug as CK looks furious.

“Fine,” he snaps. “The book is a history, of our history.”

“What do you mean?” I ask curiously.

“The run-up of events that led to our creation and why and
by whom.”

“What? You didn’t already know?”

“No. It just…was.”

“Don’t you have all of that in your head?” Cole asks me.

“No. The records only start the exact moment that Ahmed was
created. There is nothing prior to that. And not much prior to any of the
Initial Vampires’ human lives. Why didn’t you want me to know?”

“I was going to tell you. I just wanted to read it through
first. Understand it myself before I tried to explain it.”

“But Sebastian knew about it,” I pout. “I would have thought
that not only as a Vampire but as Queen of the Vampires you would have told me
about it. And if not for that reason, because it’s me,” I add softly.

“Sebastian risked his life to get this, if he hadn’t gone
for it he wouldn’t know either. And I was going to tell you,” he adds just as
softly.

“Risked his life? Why, where was it? I could have gone for
it.”

“I started looking for it before I knew you were
invulnerable, but even then I wouldn’t have risked you, Aefre.”

“So what am I?” Sebastian asks, insulted. “Chopped liver?”

Ignoring him I say to CK, “What’s the story then?”

“It’s written in Babylonian so it’s taking me awhile to
translate, but by that alone I am going to assume you know who started all of
this?” he says and waves his hand at the four of us.

“Babylonian?” I say thoughtfully and the penny drops.
“Tiamat.”

“Got it in one, my clever girl,” CK says and I simper under
his praise. “That woman has been a thorn in my side,” he grumbles.

“What, you don’t like being a Vampire?” I ask, surprised.

“It’s not the life I would have chosen, my sweet,” he says
wryly, to my shock. “As it was, I had no choice.”

Hurt by his words I say, “No choice? You didn’t choose
this?”

“No. I was picked.”

“Picked?”

“Handpicked,” Sebastian pipes up and I focus on him for a
moment.

“Handpicked? By what means?”

CK speaks again, “Bloodline, mostly.” He shrugs evasively.

“Oh please, modest much?” Sebastian scoffs. “Bloodline and
being
Quam Optime
. Better than the best, the cream of the crop, the
crème de la…”

“I think they get the point, ‘Bastian,” CK snaps at him.

“The best at what?” Coles asks, forgetting his anger in the
sight of such intrigue.

CK frowns at him and says, “It doesn’t matter. It makes no
difference now who my father was or when my birthday was or how accomplished a
warrior I was. I was thrust into this.” I can see his lack of consent riles on
him, but I look at Sebastian as he looks at me and we both open our mouths to
be the first to ask the question, “When is your birthday?” We ask it in unison,
glaring at each other.

CK glowers at us, “I said it makes no difference now.”

“You just hate giving up information about yourself,” Cole
says suddenly. “What’s the big deal?”

Silence.

“You as well, Liv. I have no idea when your birthday is.”

“Well I don’t celebrate it, Cole. What am I going to do, put
a thousand and seventeen candles on a cake?” I ask wryly.

He chuckles, “No, I suppose not. Still, I’d like to know.”

“Seventeen? You were seventeen when Constantine turned you?”
Sebastian asks out of the blue.

Startled I turn to him, “No, I was sixteen.”

“Sixteen?” he repeats in disbelief. “You turned her when she
was sixteen?” he asks CK, who looks mildly embarrassed.

“So what?” I say, confused.

Ignoring me he says, “What happened to the over-eighteen
rule?”

“What over eighteen rule?” I ask, now even more confused.

Sebastian turns to me. “Our sire has a policy of only
turning people over the age of eighteen. Or at least he did,” he says
pointedly.

I look at CK, “Why over eighteen? It’s only recently that
became ‘adult’ age. We all grew up way quicker than that back then.”

CK straightens his suit jacket cuffs to show his discomfort.
“I didn’t want to be lumbered with a bunch of children. It was a personal
choice,” he says haughtily.

I am beyond hurt by his confession, asking, “Children? Is
that what you thought of me?”

“Christ, Aefre. Do you even have to ask me that?” he asks,
exasperated. “You had already been married for two years when I met you. Hardly
a child. Do you think I would have gone anywhere near you if I thought that?”
he adds, highly insulted that I appear to think so little of him that he would
defile a child.

I think about it for a moment, which angers him further.
“No,” I say eventually. “I don’t suppose you would.” He looks slightly
mollified. “But what was your plan?” I ask, having a massive sense of
déjà vu.
“Were you just going to
hang on until I became of age?” I continue, saying the last three words with a
showy hand movement to which Sebastian snickers.

“That is kind of a moot point, my dear, seeing as the
alternative was to leave you to bleed to death. And besides which, I know I
would have turned you sooner rather than later because of the…” he stops at my
horrified look.

“Because of the what?” Cole asks, annoyed.