The Other Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7.5): The Forever series, Book 7.5 (6 page)

He sneers down at me. “I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I was waiting for you to wake.”

“You have been here all of two seconds, I would hardly call that waiting.” I let go of his hand and he stands up straight as I pull the sheet higher up over me.

“Your mother had a similar marking to that one of yours,” he says quietly. “It’s interesting the way it moves.”

“It’s nothing to do with you. What do you want?” I ask.

He sits on the bed casually, as if this wasn’t wildly inappropriate, and regards me curiously. I sense Sebastian move, but put a light hand on him to keep him down. Whatever Drake wants to say he probably won’t say it if he knows Sebastian is listening.

“I am interested to know why you showed up here in that guise,” he says and points to me.

“It seemed appropriate,” I say as I stare back at him. He is very attractive with his shock of black hair and his violet eyes and sallow skin. Combined with my mother’s looks, I wonder how I ended up as I did, blonde and green-eyed. My human parents must have had more to do with my creation than I thought.

“You were looking for approval,” he states and I curse my face that shows everything I am feeling. I stare impassively back at him and he sneers. “You will never have my approval. You are weak and an abomination. One that I am most displeased to be associated with.” I can see him watch for my reaction and I try to show I don’t care about his words, but I inadvertently draw in a breath and try to steady myself at his harsh words.

He looks almost disappointed in me as he continues, “Unfortunately, I am unable to deny that you are mine and that you are in fact a girl, but know this, I have only accepted you because I can’t deny you. If it were up to me, I would have nothing to do with you. I will open my home up to you and give you everything a Princess of this Court is worthy of, but I will never accept you as a daughter. Feel free to stay as long as you like, but do keep out of Maurelle’s way. Your presence here offends her. And keep your disgusting Vampire needs under lock and key. You will not feed in that manner while you are here. Do you understand me?” He makes his demands as he stands up, towering over me, causing me to tilt my head back to glare at him in the eyes. I will myself to say something smart back to him, but all I do is nod briskly with a look of hatred on my face that doesn’t go unnoticed. His mouth twists into a cruel smile. “Keep the look, it is fitting. You will, from now on, always look this way in my presence. It may be pretense, but at least it is better than the real thing.” He vanishes in a puff of smoke, and I let out the breath I was holding as the tears that were welling up spill over and fall silently down my cheeks. Sebastian pulls me to him, holding me tightly.

“Pay him no mind. He is an arsehole,” he consoles me.

“He hates me,” I sniffle. “I don’t want to care, but I do.”

“He doesn’t hate you. He is playing with you. Once our baby is born, he will come around. He cannot and will not deny the child. He knows that. He wouldn’t be so concerned about it if it didn’t matter to him. You will be the mother of his grandchild, the Destined One, he will have to accept that, and you.”

I don’t answer, but just continue to weep as Drake’s cruel words keep going around in my head.

Chapter 5

I awake early. Sebastian, true to his word, has woken me up in the most pleasing fashion by licking me softly and I sigh. I took me forever to get back to sleep last night after Drake’s midnight visit. I couldn’t help the tears as I kept going over what he said to me. He thinks I am weak.

“Don’t think about him,” Sebastian says as he crawls up me to kiss me. “Just think about me.”

I smile at him. “I like waking up with you,” I say as I caress his face.

“I do too. I wish it was like this always.” He sighs. “Aefre,” he says seriously. “Come away with me. You don’t need to be married to him. I know you love him, but what we have is so much more. You should be my wife.”

“Oh, Sebastian, don’t, my love. I will never leave him. Don’t ask me to.” I turn away from him and he makes a noise of frustration.

“He has hurt you more times than I can count. When have I ever hurt you? I will never, ever hurt you.” He turns me back to face him and says, “We belong together, you know that.”

“Stop it, Sebastian. Don’t spoil our time together,” I say and pout at him and he kisses me.

We are interrupted by a knock at the door. Sebastian gets up to answer it after we tried to ignore it for a few minutes, but to no avail.

“The Princess is requested to see His Highness,” a servant says as Sebastian glares at him.

“Later,” he says, closing the door.

The servant puts a hand up to stop him with an apologetic look. “His Highness was most insistent that the Princess attend now. I am to bring her to him,” he says as he waits.

I climb out of bed and pull on a gown similar to that I wore yesterday, but in black with an open back. I don’t care about provoking him now and think briefly if I should Shift back, but decide against it in a fit of cowardice, disgusted at myself for letting him get to me.

“Aefre, you don’t need to go as soon as he calls. You are Empress of the Dragon Realms and Underworld, you do not get beckoned,” Sebastian says with an air of authority that has the servant cringing as he remembers who he is dealing with. But his fear of his King outweighs anything he might feel about us.

“I will go,” I say with a placatory hand on him. I can sense his anger and strong emotions tend to make him volatile and unpredictable. His temper far outdoes my own and mine is legendary and very hard to forget. “If, for no other reason than to save this poor man from getting into trouble,” I say with a small smile to the servant who looks relieved and grateful.

“Then I will come with you. I don’t want you alone with him,” he says as he sees my resolve.

“The Princess is to come alone,” the servant ventures quietly.

I was expecting it. Separating me from Sebastian, the only ally I have here, is a savvy move and one I would probably do myself in his position.

“It’s fine, Sebastian. I will see you shortly,” I reassure him.

He bends down to kiss me. “I will be waiting right outside,” he whispers and turns to get dressed to follow us.

I swish out of the room behind the servant, who leads me downstairs and to what I can only assume is Drake’s office, as he knocks and opens the door when bid. He ushers me in and then leaves hastily. Drake is standing in the center of the room, which turns out to be an office-library type affair.

“I trust you slept well,” he says sarcastically as he stares at me with those cold, violet eyes.

“Fine, thank you,” I reply and he sneers, knowing I am lying.

He sweeps his gaze over me. “Your marriage to Kalen must take place at the next full moon. You will be in a Holy union with him, as is fitting, before you share a room with him here again.”

I had wondered what that was about yesterday. It was a test. One I clearly failed by not insisting on two rooms. It annoys me though. “So it is okay to have sex with him, but not share a room with him?” I ask bravely.

My daring words anger him and his eyes flash. “There is nothing more important than the child you will bear, but you are Princess of this Court and you will act accordingly. You will be here at the next full moon, three weeks from now, to wed.”

“I am already wed,” I say, getting angry as I turn my back to him, mostly in an effort to anger him, but also a little bit so that he won’t see my terrified expression.

“That union is not recognized here,” he scoffs. “It is meaningless.”

I keep my back turned as the hurt of his words pierce my heart, but then I remember who I am and turn to back to face him stiffly and say, “Very well. We shall return three weeks from now.”

He looks momentarily pleased that I have acquiesced so easily. He probably thought he would have more of a fight on his hands. But then his usual cruel expression returns and he sits at the big round table in the middle of the room. I assume I am dismissed and step towards the door, but then he says, “Maurelle will arrange everything, all you need to do is turn up and do your duty by me. It won’t be a big affair, the embarrassment is bad enough without having it celebrated.”

I know he has said it to goad me and I should just ignore him and leave, but I can’t. I have to know why he hates me, so, cursing myself, I round on him and ask, “Why do you hate me so much? Why did you come to find me if I am such a great disappointment? Why not just leave me be?”

“I don’t hate you, Aeval,” he says, drumming his fingers on the table. “I don’t feel anything for you one way or the other. You are merely an incubator for the destined child. Once you have done your job, you will become redundant.”

I try to hide the shock on my face that he could be so malicious, but it doesn’t go unnoticed and he smiles, showing me his sharp teeth. He pushes on, “Once you start to show, you will reside here until the birth. Afterwards, you may leave and you don’t have to return. Maurelle and I will raise the child as a true Fae worthy of this Kingdom. Your presence won’t be required.”

I gape at him openly now. He thinks he is going to take my child from me and push me out of its life? There is no way in Hell, I am letting that happen.

“Over my dead body,” I snarl at him. “If you think that I am going to let you and that witch wife of yours raise my child, you are sorely mistaken.”

He looks surprised that I have dared to defy him and he stands again. “You don’t have a choice. If you think that I am going to allow you to return to the Earth Realm to raise the child to be accepting of creatures such as yourself, you are the one who is sorely mistaken.”

I make a decision on the spot. A hasty one I’ll admit, but there is no way he is taking my baby from me.

“In that case, I renounce you,” I say, pulling myself up and mustering all of my Empress authority that usually has people quaking in their boots. Not him though, no, he just looks amused. “I no longer wish to be a part of your Court, I won’t marry Kalen and we won’t be having a baby. You are just going to have to keep trying to have another daughter to fulfill this prophecy. I am done with you.” I turn on my heel and head for the door. As I open it, he grabs me by the arm and spins me back around. The look on his face terrifies me, but I stand my ground. Mentally speaking that is, as when he places his other hand on my stomach, I back up into the corridor, catching sight of Sebastian who is leaning casually against the wall. He jumps up when he sees us, striding forward with anger on his face.

“Too late, my dear,” Drake says as he increases the pressure on my stomach, his sharp black nails digging into me. “You are already with child.”

I stare at him in shock. How can he possibly know that after only a couple of days?

“Oh the essence is slight, Aeval, but it is there,” he says, reading my thoughts. Or, more likely, my face. “Return to Earth and get your affairs in order and return in two days,” he snarls at me as he moves his hand from my stomach, to my throat. “If anything befalls this child in the meantime, I will have your head.” He lets me go and I step back, my hand over my heart that is beating rapidly. He glances at Sebastian, who is staring at me, also in shock, and he adds, “You had better pray to whatever gods you worship that the child is a girl.” He stalks off, leaving me shaky, horrified, and afraid.

“Aefre,” Sebastian says, taking my hand. “Is he right? Are you with child?”

I shake my head stupidly. “I have no idea. It has only been a couple of days,” I say and gulp, thinking that I wasn’t even there at the conception. “Sebastian, we cannot have this baby,” I say.

He looks at me in confusion. “What do you mean? It is our destiny.”

“No,” I say forcefully, grabbing his hand. “You don’t understand, Drake is going to take the child and raise it Dark. He is going to cut us out of its life.”

“No, we won’t let that happen,” Sebastian says. “He cannot take the child, my father will never allow it.”

“He will find a way,” I say desperately. “We cannot let him take our child.”

“We won’t,” he says again. “He can’t. The child is neutral. He cannot influence it either way. It is against the rules. Besides which, the baby has the full force of the Light blood behind it. No offense, my love, but you are only half Fae. If anything, the child will be more my side than yours.”

I stare at him. No offense? “I see,” I say to him stiffly. “You are already staking a claim for it for your side.”

“What?” he asks and looks askance. “No, Aefre, of course I’m not. This is our child, ours, and we are going to go home and raise it as we see fit. No one else. When the time is right, he or she will take their rightful place here.”

I unfreeze slightly, but then I think back to everything that Drake said and shake my head. “No. This child is going to be nothing but the cause of war. I will not allow it. I need to get outside and Shift.” Meaning to my Dragon form, that is.

“No!” Sebastian says as he grabs my arm in a death grip. “If you do that, you will kill it.”

“I know,” I say sadly.

“Aefre!” he says, shocked to his core. “You cannot do this. The child is destined to prevent war, not cause it, and…and it is ours.”

“And already we are fighting over it. Don’t you see, if even we cannot agree, how is everyone else supposed to?” I ask desperately.

“There is nothing to fight about, Aefre. This isn’t about choosing sides. This is about a new life, one that we created.” He caresses my stomach gently. “Destiny aside, I want this with you more than anything. More than a marriage, as this is ours. Something that you and I made together. Just us. You cannot take it away from us,” he says quietly, taking my face in his hands.

“But if I don’t, then Drake will. This was his plan all along. This is why it is so important to him. He knows how powerful it will be and wants it firmly on his side.”

“No. We will go to see my father at once. Aelfric will ensure that never happens. I promise you, Aefre, no one will take this baby from us.”

I snuffle into his chest as he pulls me close. “Please, promise me that you won’t do anything foolish,” he begs me. “Please, promise me.”

I nod. “Protect it, Sebastian, at the birth. I will be incapable and I need you to promise me that you will keep it safe. Don’t let him take it,” I murmur to him.

“I promise you, Aefre, with my last dying breath I will keep our baby safe.”

I nod again and he kisses me. “Come, we must go to the Light. Aelfric will want to know of Drake’s plans.”