Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7) (20 page)

“Remiel,” he says eventually.

I take a step back in surprise. “Remiel? As in…” I flap my
hands like wings, “…the Archangel?”

“Hardly, my dear,” he scoffs. “Although I do have a special
station. The seventh son of the seventh son,” he adds.

“Holy crap,” I exclaim, taking that in. “You are Dracul’s
grandson? You are my grandnephew?” I ask in horror and disbelief.

“As it were,” he says with a shudder, as he clearly finds
that as distasteful as I do.

“Then why? Why did Tiamat kill you? Her great grandchild,” I
ask without thinking and his face goes cold and menacing and I take another
step back as he steps forward.

“She turned on me. She was threatened by me. I was more
powerful than even Dracul. She gave me enough power to take over The
Underworld, but She didn’t want that, it was being saved…for you,” he snarls at
me, and it looks like playtime is over. What does he mean that She gave him
power? There seems to be more to this story than we first thought. A lot more.

“So you decided to wait for me to become Queen and try to do
me in?” I ask, showing no fear to his amusement.

“Precisely. Tit for tat. I don’t get to rule, neither will
you.”

“Not only is that highly juvenile, but why did you wait? Why
not just take me out at the start?” I ask him, but have no idea why these words
are coming out of my mouth.

“Nobody knew who you were until you ascended or I would
have,” he says sullenly.

“But I didn’t do anything to you. That’s hardly fair.”

“Fair? You want to talk about fair? I was hacked into
thirteen pieces by Her and that blasted sword so that I couldn’t rule. Do you
think that is fair?”

“No, of course I don’t,” I say truthfully and it stops him
dead in his tracks, having clearly expected a different answer. I clearly don’t
know the half of this story, but no one deserves a death the likes of which he
seems to have endured. “But what do you gain from destroying me?” I add.

“Revenge!” he screams at me. “And for Her to feel the pain
of defeat. She will never have another daughter. You are Her last chance at
passing down Her rule of the Dragon Realms. You cease to exist and Her whole
regime collapses, taking Her with it.”

“Wow, bitter much?” I say and he glares at me with those
beautiful blue eyes that I look into every time I look at Xane. “If you are as
powerful as I think you are, why can’t you just bring yourself back to life?”

I startle him with the random question, ignoring his
dramatic speech on my demise. “Death doesn’t work that way. Believe me, I have
tried. I want the life that was taken away from me. Even to just be a regular
Demon again with no amplified powers. That’s why I manipulate dreams. Because
that is all I have,” he says sadly.

He looks so forlorn, I almost buy it for a second but then I
remember everything he has done to me. “If I had said I wanted to stay in the
dreams, what would have happened?”

“You would have been mine for a time. We would have lived
out our lives in the dream and your body would have withered away as the energy
in you dissipated.”

“Don’t you get how icky that is?” I say, trying for a show
of indifference. “We are related.”

“Oh hardly, my dear,” he scoffs. “You may claim Tiamat as
your mother but we are not related by any means that count. Same as you and
Xane,” he adds idly and I blanch.

“So what you really want is not to kill me, but to be with
me?” I ask not out of arrogance, but trying to understand his warped
motivations.

“That is the preferred option. You are strong and your body
will last a lifetime,” he admits. “At least I get something out of it. You
immobilized and all but dead, but we can be happy together. Your actual death,
however, will suffice if you don’t accept the life I can give you.” He shimmers
again and Fraser is standing in front of me. I breathe in deeply as his moss
green eyes stare soulfully at me. Lance may no longer have an effect on me, but
Fraser still does and my heart aches.

“You don’t play fair,” I cross my arms defensively, not
falling for it. Not this time.

“You are still weak. You may have conquered your fear of
Lance, but this man will always haunt you. But I can be him for you.” He steps
closer to me and I stand my ground. I can still feel the force of the barrier
between us but he is so close to me I want to reach out and touch him.

“No, you will never be him.” I shake my head.

“But I can be, Emmie. I have all of his memories. The day we
met, I fell in love with you the second you scowled at me,” he says, switching
to the first person. “Our wedding day was the happiest day of my life.”

“Stop,” I say. “Stop this.”

“You know you want me. All the others don’t mean as much to
you as I do. You would give them all up in a heartbeat to be with me. So do
it.”

I know by now that we have an audience, gaping at us from
over by the door. Fortunately they remain silent. I put my hand up to the force
field and he does the same. We are barely touching and most of me is yelling to
accept the lie, to forget this life and go and live the one I should have. But
the sane part of me…

“Liv,” Xane says to me from my side. “Don’t do this.”

I ignore him and he pulls me around to face him and
whispers, “It isn’t real.” He kisses me slowly, to the bristling of the crowd
behind us. I can hear scuffling and I assume it is Cole being held back by
Lincoln. “This is real,” he whispers.

Remiel makes a frustrated howl and I look back at him with regret.
“Next time, blondie,” he snarls at me. “You won’t get this choice again.” He
throws his hand out and it sends me flying across the library to bang my head
painfully on the bookcase behind me. Fuck’s sake. I wish that would stop
happening. How is he more powerful than me? I get to my feet instantly, before
anyone can reach me, but he has disappeared, taking the growing headache with
him as the magick drops as well.

“Liv, you mustn’t let him affect you like that,” Xane chides
me and I brush him off me.

“I wasn’t,” I snap at him, stepping back. “I can’t get
around that fucking barrier. I was trying to get him to drop it so I could kill
him.”

“Oh,” he says and looks sheepishly. “You looked so…” he
waves his hand about.

“Yes, so he would buy it,” I say, arms crossed again but now
in restraint of not punching something. I cast a glance at the others, who all
look relieved I wasn’t about to run off with him to some dreamland. “I’m not
stupid,” I sulk, now slightly offended even though I have given them every reason
to doubt me. “I know Fraser is dead.”

I feel a pop behind me and then a faint Scottish burr, “Oh
now, I beg to differ.”

Chapter 11

My heart drops like a stone as I turn to stare right at
Fraser. A real Fraser, not a fake one. He peers at me curiously as I gape at
him and then at her. Other Liv shrugs and says, “When he found out about you,
he wanted to come. Besides, you wanted to see him first. And I had to come to
return these.” She holds up my belongings that I lent her. “Nice digs, by the
way. Didn’t have to come very far at all.”

“You live here too?” I say dumbly and she nods.

I look back at Fraser and note that Cole and CK have come to
stand on either side of me, clearly not trusting me not to grab him and Astral
off somewhere, never to be seen again. He is silent as I take in his
appearance. He is
very
different from the man I remember. His face,
while still devastatingly handsome, is hard with a cruel edge to it. His eyes
are the same peat green, but evil lurks in them. His Hugo Boss black suit and
shirt are impeccable and he looks like a million bucks in it, but it just looks
wrong. All wrong.

“You came looking for me?” he asks as I just stare at him.
“I’m quite flattered.”

I have no idea what to say to him. I remain standing there
like a mute and think that might be preferable. At least I would have an excuse
not to be speaking. He steps closer to me and my breath hitches. I can feel
Cole and CK tense up and their anxiety makes me even more anxious and I
suppress the shiver that threatens to go down my spine.

He cocks his eyebrow at me and then takes in everyone else.
They are all staring at him in much the same manner as I, and he smirks.

“Seems my presence here has ruffled a few feathers. I take
it they know who I am?”

I force myself to speak, “You shouldn’t have come.” I turn
to other me. “You shouldn’t have brought him here.”

“You came looking for him first. I thought you wanted to see
him,” she says, confused.

I shake my head. “No, I changed my mind. He isn’t my
Fraser,” I state the obvious to his amusement.

“I am not anybody’s Fraser,” he says with a twisted smile
and I gulp. She was right, he really is mean and cruel. “Although, I might make
an exception for you.” He steps even closer so I have to tilt my head right
back to look him in the eye. “My victims aren’t usually as powerful as you, but
I would still have fun trying to break you.”

I reel back as his evil words resonate through my head.

“Fraser,” other me warns him.

He turns to smile at her. “Oh don’t worry, my love. You know
that I will always love you but she is something special, so sweet,” he turns
back to me and CK growls at him. Fraser reaches down to take my face in his
hand and CK grabs his wrist before he can touch me.

“Lay one finger on her and I will end you, whether you belong
to another world or not,” he threatens.

Fraser turns back to other me and says, “Yes, I can see why
you want what she has. He is so protective. Clearly in love.” He sighs. “Too
bad, sweetheart,” he says to me. “But I know which battles to pick. Maybe when
you have thought about my offer you might reconsider. You know how to find me.
It would be better for you to come to me anyway, less interruptions,” he says
with a mild look at CK, ignoring Cole completely. “And if you are a really good
girl, I might even pretend to be the one you love.” The evil smile only grows
wider as I breathe in sharply. CK twists his arm behind his back and shoves him
back to other me. “Get him out of here and don’t bring him back. If I kill him
here, you won’t be going home again.”

She nods and with a quizzical look at me pulls her charge
towards her. “Just when I thought I was starting to understand you, you throw a
surprise at me again. I thought you would be happy to see him.”

“No, not him. He is nothing like the man I knew,” I croak.

“Well, I did tell you that. Maybe it’s best you see for
yourself.” She grabs his arm and with a wicked grin at me, he turns to his
sire, enveloping her in his arms and they pop back out of existence.

“What the fuck was that?” I yell at no one in particular.
“Why did he come here? Why did she bring him here to me?”

No one can answer me and I am feeling exhausted and ragged.
I Astral off, leaving them all staring at me and go to the clearing in the
woods that Lincoln and I found yesterday. I kick my shoes off and feel the damp
grass under my feet. It feels cool and that to me is strange.

“Go away,” I say as I sense CK’s presence behind me. “I am
really not in any mood to speak to any of you.”

I rub my shoulder as I get that strange prickling sensation
again and he sighs. “Aefre, don’t sulk with me, my love. It is not an
attractive quality.”

I spin to face him. “Sulking? That’s what you think I am
doing?”

“Well isn’t it? Sulking at me for allowing a Hunt, at your
charge for killing, at your boy for standing up to you? Fake Fraser offering
himself to you? At her for bringing him to see you?”

“None of that is even hitting my radar at the moment,” I
snarl at him. “I have some thinking to do. Please leave.”

“Thinking about what? I know you know that the Fraser that
turned up here is not a man you could love. If you had any thoughts that it
was, you would have kept him here,” he says so matter-of-factly, I want to
punch him.

“Of course I know that,” I say quietly and he has the grace
to look apologetic for brushing it off so easily.

“I’m sorry, Aefre. For everything. I wish that I could make
it up to you somehow.”

“Just leave me for a while. And tell everyone else the
same.” I turn from him again, still rubbing agitatedly at my shoulder.

He doesn’t say another word as he Teleports off and I
breathe out. I know his callous attitude is only in response to his jealousy,
but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

I sit in the middle of the clearing and meditate. I couldn’t
say for sure for how long but a good few hours. I feel mighty better about
things when I rise to my feet, picking up my shoes in the process. Remiel (it
seems strange that he has a name now) was right about one thing. This whole
shying away from my Power is tragic. I am tragic. Every time I grab the bull by
the horns and take control, something comes along and knocks me on my arse and
I end up back at square one. Well, not this time. I stalk out the woods to a
brewing storm. It has gone quite dark but only from the clouds and a wind has
picked up. I make my way over to the wall at the side of the steps up to the
terrace and sit. I enjoy seeing Mother Nature at work. Maybe this is a sign. A
sign that I can be just as Powerful, just as foreboding. I feel it rise up in
me and I know I am not letting go of this feeling. Not ever again. Almost as if
it was waiting for my resolve, the wind dies down and I sense Devon hovering.

“Come to yell at me some more?” I ask him.

He comes to sit next to me on the wall. “No,” he says
defiantly. “I was worried about you, you’ve been gone awhile. I’m sorry for the
things I said.”

“No you aren’t,” I say. “Everything you said, you have been
dying to say for years.”

“Well, maybe. I could have been a bit more tactful,” he
admits and I smile.

“Since when did we need tact?”