Secrets (The Forever series, Book 8) (17 page)

“Liv?” he calls softly in his head. He can see her, in this
really dark room, asleep in a big bed, thankfully alone. That makes him smile.
Of course she would be sleeping. That woman would sleep all day if she could.
“Livvie?” he says a bit louder.

Her eyes pop open and she asks, “Linc?”

“Yes, my love, it’s me.”

She sits up suddenly, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
Wait, her dark hair out of her purple eyes? How come he only just noticed that?
He must have just sensed her essence. “Is everything all right?” she asks him
quickly.

“Yes, just fine. I wanted to talk to you, make sure you were
all right.” He is quick to reassure her.

She flops back to the bed, relieved. “Yes, I am fine,
sweetie. Bloody hungry though,” she grouses.

“You’re hungry? Liv, you must remember to feed,” Lincoln
scolds her gently.

“I can’t. There are no humans here and even though I have a
little Fae feeder, it is forbidden and I can’t take too much anyway, it’s too
strong,” she complains.

“Oh, Liv. Why did you say you would stay then if you knew
you couldn’t feed?” He sighs.

“I didn’t think about it until afterwards,” she admits and
he has to say, that sounds like her.

“When are you coming home?” he asks.

“Tomorrow. I have the Coronation today and then I promise I
will be back tomorrow. Have you found out anything about that crazy Wolf-Demon
thingy?”

“Don’t worry about that, just save your strength to get you
through the next day. I like your look by the way,” he says as a way of
distraction, not wanting her worrying about anything but herself.

She crumples up her face and says, “You can see me?”

“Oh yes.” He chuckles. “Close your eyes.” She does. “Can you
see me?”

“Yes, you are lying on the grass outside the terrace,” she
says with delight,

“I am. Can I ask you something and you promise not to be
offended?” he asks her.

“Well the odds of that happening sound slim to none, but go
ahead,” she says warily and he smiles.

“When you come back home, I want to take you on a date, in
public, looking like that,” he says.

“A date?” she asks in surprise.

“Yes. I miss spending time with you. Now that we are no
longer in New York, it seems I hardly ever get to see you alone. I miss our
movie nights,” he says.

“I do too. But why looking like this?”

“Well, I can hardly take you out looking like yourself. I
wouldn’t be able to hold your hand or kiss you. That’s what I want to do, in
public, where people can see us, and you look beautiful,” he says.

“Okay,” she says, sounding excited. “That sounds like a lot
of fun.”

“Good,” he says, smug to have gotten her to agree. “By the
way, why do you look like that?”

“It’s good P.R.,” she says with a wry grin. “At least I look
like I belong.”

“Ah, I see. I miss you,” he says suddenly.

“I miss you too, sweetie. Is everyone playing nice?”

“By everyone do you mean your husband and your sire?” he
asks with a small smile.

“Well yes,” she says, clearing her throat.

“On the outside, yes. But you do know there is a seething
resentment on both sides underneath right?” He is a petty, petty man, but he
just couldn’t resist.

“What?” she asks, perplexed.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” he mumbles, now feeling
bad.

“Oh no, you don’t get to back out of a comment like that,”
she says, getting her mad on.

“Livvie, you must know that they don’t like each other,” he
says, putting it mildly. If either one of them thought they could get away with
it, it would be a fight to the death.

“Well, I know there is some jealousy but…really? They hate
each other?” She sounds upset and he could curse himself. He tries to backtrack
a little bit.

“No, I wouldn’t say that. Just as you say, jealousy,” he
says quickly.

She sighs and he knows she doesn’t believe him, but drops
it. He thought a bit of shit-stirring might make him feel better, but it
doesn’t.

“I will have more to tell you about the Wolf-Demon thingy
when you get back. Can I use Cade for a bit of legwork?” he asks now as a
complete distraction.

“Cade? Sure, as long as he doesn’t mind. He is quite hell
bent on doing things his way.”

“I will ask him nicely then,” he says with a smile.

“Well seeing as that smile has been known to make me weak at
the knees, I don’t think you will have a problem persuading him,” she says
sweetly, and his heart skips a beat.

“I love you,” he says softly.

“I love you too,” she replies.

“I’ll let you get some more sleep. You will need all your
energy.” He is reluctant to end their conversation, but she looks beat.

“Okay, baby. I am going to dream about where you can take me
on our date, and what we might get up to during and after.”

“During?” he asks with a laugh.

“Oh yes, I want lots of kisses and hand holding and other
things.”

“Other things?” he murmurs huskily and she shivers.

“Mmm,” she says slowly and then he shivers.

“I had better let you go before I start to make a spectacle
of myself on your lawn,” he says, as he feels himself go hard.

She giggles and says, “Such a fun spoiler. You will have to
make it up to me.”

“Oh have no doubt that when I get you alone, I will do,” he
warns her.

“Bye, baby,” she whispers.

“Bye, my love.” He cuts her off. If he doesn’t, he is going
to engage in some of that very arousing sex telepathy and now is not the place.
But he is resolute in one thing. He stands up and heads back into the house,
calling for everyone to join him.

Five minutes later he has everyone’s attention, although he
can’t say that any of them are pleased to be summoned by him, but tough shit.

“I have just spoken to Liv…” he starts and then gets the
tirade he was half expecting, the outrage and accusations, but he just stands
there and lets them finish. “Yes, I have a telepathic connection with her and I
have just spoken to her. She is hungry. There are no humans where she is and
she says that even though she has a Faerie who is sneaking in to feed her, she
says it isn’t enough. We have to get that Remiel guy here now to take her
Ramon.” Lincoln says it determinedly and is surprised that no one argues with
him. Mind you the subject at hand is not really up for debate. They all want
what is best for her.

“Trust her to go off half-cocked as usual,” Constantine
mumbles under his breath. “She never thinks before she acts.”

“If I recall, this is all your fault that she is there,”
Cole snaps at him. “You can’t blame her for being stuck there with no food.”

Yep, no love lost between them.

“Look, there is no point in blaming anyone. The situation is
what it is and we need to get Remiel here now. So how do we, you know…summon
him?” Lincoln tries to bring the conversation back around to the matter at
hand.

No one answers him. “No one? No ideas?” he asks.

“He’s your ancestor,” Sebastian says to Xane. “Try and get
him here.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?” Xane asks. “I am
not a ghost whisperer.”

And then the arguments ensue with everyone shouting over
themselves. Lincoln stands back with his head in his hands.

“How long do you think until they notice I’m already here?”
a voice next to his ear asks.

He turns to the voice with a grimace and says, “Probably
awhile at this rate. How did you know to come?”

“I always know when someone utters my name,” Remiel says
mysteriously. “And I also know that she is stuck there with little to no food.
It is making her docile.”

“If you knew that, then why didn’t you take her someone
already?” he snaps at Remiel, who looks at him mildly.

“She didn’t ask,” he says nonchalantly.

“And it never occurred to you to just do it?”

“Well, no not really,” he says in surprise. “I suppose I
should have, really. I am still new to this trying-to-help-and-not-kill
business.”

“Fine, just go and take her, her Feeder. Please,” Lincoln
says to him.

“What’s in it for me?” he asks slyly.

“The feeling that you get when you help someone. What more
do you want?” Lincoln snaps at him.

“I rarely do something for nothing, Wolf,” he snarls into a
moment of silence that now has everyone finally noticing that he is here.

“Just do it!” Lincoln yells at him in desperation.

“Humph.” Remiel straightens his suit and looks less than
pleased with his outburst. “Mind your manners.”

“Okay, I’m sorry for yelling, but you are the only way to
get her what she needs. Please.” He tries to mollify him.

“Well, since you asked nicely now,” he says. “I will,
however, be expecting a payment of some kind. I am sure I can negotiate better
with Aefre. She seems to know how to do that very well.”

“Only because you leave her no choice,” Constantine says,
stepping forward with Ramon, who has appeared out of nowhere. “I will pay
whatever price you demand, just go to her.”

Remiel narrows his eyes at Constantine and they square off
for a second, but then he relaxes. “Maybe you do have something you can give
me,” Remiel says, but then grabs Ramon and disappears without another word.
Lincoln is quite glad that he was not on the receiving end of that comment. It
sounds ominous and, well, downright dangerous. He sits and focuses on Liv
again. She is awake, but still in bed staring at the ceiling. She jumps a mile
when Remiel appears by her side and Lincoln smiles.

“What are you doing here?” she hisses as he pushes Ramon
towards her. “Drake will go ballistic if he finds you both here.”

“Your entourage insisted that you feed.” He sits on the bed
and makes a “hurry up” gesture to her.

Entourage? Lincoln bursts out laughing, as he doesn’t take
offense to that, but he is fairly certain other members of this group would.

“Lincoln?” she snaps at him as she hears him. “What do you
think you are doing?”

“Helping you,” he says out loud, making everyone’s eyes zero
in on him.

“I didn’t ask for help,” she says, affronted.

“No, I know. You never do. Now just be a good girl and drink
up.”

She is stubborn enough to refuse and he thinks for a second
that she is going to, but then she looks hungrily at Ramon and dives onto him
with gusto. Crap. He hopes that either she pulls back or Remiel pulls her off.
“We should have sent two,” he mutters, but then sighs in relief when she pulls
back. “Feel better?” he asks smartly.

“Yes, thank you,” she says. “I just know how Drake feels
about this. He won’t be happy if he knows.”

“Well he can’t expect you to go hungry. Is he some kind of
monster?” he asks.

“Kind of. Not so much to me, yet. I will tell all when I get
home. Thank you, Linc, I am grateful.” She smiles sweetly.

“It’s no problem,” he says softly. “You may have to give him
something though,” he adds. “He is a huge pain in the ass.”

“Who, Remiel? Yeah tell me about it.” She glares at him
sitting there next to her. “What do you want?” she asks him.

“You already know,” he says as he stands up, grabbing hold
of Ramon. “I hope you get out of here soon, you owe me.” He disappears from
sight and Lincoln is left feeling disturbed by his parting comment.

“See you soon, my love,” he says to her and she smiles.

“Bye.”

He cuts her off and opens his eyes to find everyone leaning
in close to him as if they expect to hear what she was saying to him. He glares
at them to get back.

“Well?” Cole asks anxiously.

“She’s fed, but it’s not going to last her long. That place
is draining the energy off her. I can feel it,” he says worriedly.

“What do you mean, you can feel it?” Constantine asks with
derision.

“I mean I can feel it,” Lincoln snaps at him.

“But is she okay?” Cole asks desperately.

“Yes, she’s fine. For now,” he replies.

“Oh, no need to thank me,” Remiel says. “You all just go
about your business.”

“You should have mentioned this sooner,” he says, standing
up.

“Well, perhaps next time,” Remiel says dismissively. “You
are not wrong though in your assumptions about it draining her energy.”

“What do you mean?” Sebastian rounds on him with a bit more
force than he would expect from “just a friend.”

“The Dragon in her is fighting to come free. It is…how can I
put this delicately…unhappy to be in the Fae Kingdoms,” he says. “She knows if
she loses control of it, it will end one of two ways: her being slain or her
doing the slaying.”

“And you never thought to mention this before?” Constantine
roars at him and includes Sebastian in on his rage. Interesting. Does he know
more than he is letting on?

“It makes sense,” Xane steps up. “We already know that
Faerie hate Dragons. It is the whole reason they are separate from the
Underworld, and Dragons hate Faerie just as much. If
ValamAtrux
is being
held, effectively prisoner, She won’t be best pleased. We should have
anticipated that and factored it into the decision to rescue her.”

“She doesn’t need rescuing,” Remiel says and gets everybody
on edge. “She is under control and only there for another day. Let her see it
through.”

“What is it to you?” Cole says, joining in on the bellowing,
and Lincoln is getting a headache. “You have no say in this whatsoever. In
fact, we should be trying to figure out a way to kill you so you can never hurt
her again.”

“I will let that slide, boy, as I can see you are upset by
your wife’s absence. But threaten me again and there won’t be a single being in
the Realms that will be able to protect you from my wrath,” Remiel says
ominously, and everyone in the room feels his power and goes silent, stepping
back from him a fraction.

“Look,” Lincoln says, standing up, ready to diffuse this
situation. “Now that we know, we can keep an eye on her. Remiel, if you would
be so kind as to remain on hand to take her a Feeder should the need arise, it
would be most appreciated.” This is why he is the reasonable one. He has
diplomacy and tact and knows an ally when he sees one. These Vampires run on
pure instinct, and it doesn’t really matter to them who they offend in the
process to getting the outcome they want.