The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (17 page)

“Aefre,” CK warns me as he sees what I am about to do.

I ignore him as I climb onto Sebastian’s lap and lower my
fangs to his neck. He doesn’t protest so I sink them into him and he groans and
pulls me closer. I drink slowly from him, trying to gain as much from this experience
as is possible. He tastes like honey mixed with strawberries and cream and warm
apple pie. Christ on a bike, I just want to drink from him forever. I feel his
erection pushing against me and I grind myself down onto him and he grabs my
hips.

“Aefre. Mind yourself,” CK snaps at me and grabs the back of
my head and pulls me from Sebastian’s lap, ripping my fangs forcefully out of
his neck. He will heal but gee that had to hurt.

I retract my fangs and my sire lets go of my hair. “I see
now why you insisted on a fuck-and-feed. You knew that I never would fuck you,
willingly,” I add for extra benefit, “and you never really wanted me to feed
from you. You don’t let anyone feed from you.” It also explains CK’s words back
in New York, when he used the word “pretense”.

“Well just a smart cookie today, aren’t you?” he grouses.

“Never?” I ask.

“No,” but he looks at CK briefly.

“Oh, Sebastian,” I say, now wondering what I have done to
him. “I apologize. You should have said no. I wouldn’t have forced myself on you.”
I know how ridiculous that sounds but I don’t ever take blood now without
permission.

“I didn’t want to say no. It has been so long. I wanted to
feel it again. Willingly, with a woman,” he adds shyly.

I look at CK who I see now clearly does feed from him to
give the intimacy and feelings that it invokes in our kind. I have to wonder
now if his punishment to Sebastian for spelling me is by not feeding from him.
I look back to Sebastian at a loss. He shrugs. “I feel like I should thank
you,” he says with a sad chuckle.

“Anytime,” I croak out and his eyes light up as I say that.
I didn’t mean it that way, I just meant it as something you say instead of
“you’re welcome.” Aww shit.

I hear CK sigh behind me, “Aefre. Will you never learn to
think before you speak?”

Apparently not. I don’t mind the feeding and I’m sure that
even Cole wouldn’t be too put out by that, but feeding on our own kind usually
leads to fucking and that is something that is a no-no.

I clear my throat, making another decision off the top of my
head that has nothing to do with this situation. “I want to go home. To L.A.
Just for a few days. I miss my house. I miss the sun, I miss my swimming pool,
I miss driving and my cars and I want to get Scott settled. Are you coming or
going back to New York?” I direct the question to CK, unsure of what
Sebastian’s plans are.

“Of course. I go where you go,” he says.

“And I go where you go,” Sebastian says to CK.

“What about Jess? I thought you wanted her nowhere near L.A.
until she was under control.”

“I don’t. However, my desire to go home outweighs any
concern I have for her.”

“Home?” Xane says from behind me, having Astraported in
microseconds before.

“Do you mind?” CK says. “This is a private discussion, not
to mention the sheer lack of manners for just barging in.”

“Well, I do own the place,” he says. He dismisses CK and
turns back to me. “Home?” he prompts.

“Los Angeles.”

“Fine. I’m in,” he says casually.

“Erm, no you are not. You aren’t coming,” I say firmly.

“Yes, I am. I told you I would follow you,” Xane says just
as firmly.

I look at CK who looks like he is about to blow two gaskets.
“Please, can you give us a minute in private?” I say to him.

“No.”

“CK, please,” I say to him.

He narrows his eyes at me and comes closer to give me a kiss
and to whisper quietly in my ear, “He doesn’t come.”

I nod briefly and he and Sebastian leave us reluctantly,
knowing that I would just Astral out with him where they couldn’t follow if
they didn’t.

As soon as the door closes behind them Xane pulls me to him
and kisses me. I push him away.

“No, Xane. I told you, we aren’t doing this.”

“I love you,” he says. “I am not letting you leave me.”

“Xane,” I whine at him, “you can’t love me. I am not
available.”

“You will be. You will come around. I know it. You won’t be
able to stop yourself. As soon as you stop denying this, you will see how right
it is,” he whispers against my lips and I fight with everything I’ve got to
stop myself from kissing him.

He pushes me back against the wall and pushes his hands up
my skirt, “I want you. I want to taste you.” He drops to his knees and places
his lips against the thin, filmy lace of my panties. Sucking on me, he pulls
the scrap of material to the side and plunges his tongue inside me. “Oh Xane,”
I say in spite of myself, pushing my hands into his hair. He takes that as
encouragement and licks and sucks me desperately, bringing the pleasure
straight to my clit and I don’t want him to stop. He lifts my leg over his
shoulder so he can push his tongue deeper inside me and, combined with his
thumb circling me, I come in a throbbing rush against his mouth and he groans.
He stands quickly and brings his mouth to mine, making me taste myself on his
lips. He brings my leg up around his waist and drops his head to my neck,
kissing me and nipping me. I feel a fizz go down my neck and for a second think
it is the pleasure I am feeling but my eyes snap open to stare directly into
the furious green eyes of my sibling. Shit.

I push Xane away and straighten my clothes but it is clearly
too late. I have no clue how long he has been standing there but obviously long
enough. Xane turns around smug and disheveled and adjusts his own clothing.

“Sebastian,” I say. “It isn’t what it looks like.”

“Oh, then what is it? Because it looks much like you getting
pleasure from someone outside the rules.”

I look back at Xane who still looks smug and I turn back to
Sebastian. “We are connected,” I say hesitantly, wondering how much to tell
him. He cocks his eyebrow at me and I continue, “The ritual we did was Blood Magick.
It linked us far beyond anything I ever would have wanted. Please Sebastian.
You can’t tell him.”

“Blood Magick? You tied yourself to him with Blood Magick?”
he asks in anger.

“Not intentionally,” I insist. “I will find a way to break
it. I just need you to keep this quiet,” I implore him. “I am trying to resist.
I am trying,” I say at a loss as I look back at Xane.

He looks devastated. “You cannot break this,” he says to me,
moving closer. “There is no way to break a Blood Magick bond except by death.”

“Xane, I have to try. I cannot do this with you,” I say
desperately.

“No, you cannot break this bond. We belong together. It is
what is expected,” he says, desperate himself now.

“I have to try,” I say again softly.

“No! I won’t let you,” he says, adamant.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper and look back at Sebastian. “Please
keep this between us.”

He looks at me with that impassive, unreadable expression I
know so well and make a decision to bargain with him. “Keep this secret and I
will give you what you want.”

He cocks his eyebrow at me again, “And what is that?”

“You know what you want,” I state simply and his eyes light
on fire.

“Every day?” he asks eagerly.

“Twice a week,” I offer back and he frowns.

“Xane, please, I need you to go,” I turn to him and he is
angry.

“I will follow you. Mark my words, Xerxei, you are not
getting out of this that easily,” he hisses at me and Astraports out.

Well can’t say I wasn’t expecting that, but at least he has
gone and I can focus on getting Sebastian to keep his trap shut.

“Three times a week or no deal,” Sebastian finally says and
I agree.

“Done. But no fucking.”

“No fucking? Now that hardly seems worth it,” he says slyly.
“You will have to offer up more than that.”

“I feed from you, you feed from me. Nothing else.”

He shakes his head, “No, I don’t think so.”

And we just stand there at an impasse, staring at each
other.

“You know he won’t understand,” he says mildly after several
long minutes of silence.

I cave slightly, “Fine. Kissing and feeding, but no
touching. He won’t understand that either.” I know I have him in place now as
he thinks it over and realizes I am right.

“Done. Although you say no touching…I amend that to no
touching each other.”

I look at him in question and he says softly, “I want to
taste the rush. If I can’t touch you to do it, you will have to do it
yourself.”

Oh. I look away from him, somewhat embarrassed.

“Very well.” I clear my throat but get taken by surprise as
he pushes me back into his bedroom.

“Now?” I ask.

“Yes. Right now. You have no idea how much I want it,” he
growls and kisses me, spinning to sit on the bed and pulling me down onto him.
“Me first,” he says and he drops his fangs and moves my hand in between us,
placing it where he wants it. I hesitate, still unsure of this course of
action. Is it betrayal? It’s a gray area and I don’t really know. But I do know
he wants this to keep the secret I am so desperate to hold onto. In its own
little way it is erotic and far beyond arousing. I have never done this before
with anyone. Sex is completely off the table but this…this isn’t sex, not
really. This is me pleasing myself and him pleasing himself. We just happen to
be in the same room and feeding off each other. His eyes are on mine in
complete wonder as I continue to pleasure myself, squirming on his lap. I
whimper quietly, letting him know I am close and he pulls my head to the side
and sinks his fangs into me. I feel him getting himself free as he drinks from
me and he strokes himself groaning as he tastes me, the rush of my orgasm
pouring into his mouth. He pulls away and murmurs, “Your turn.” As he kisses me
and continues to masturbate, I pull away and drop my fangs and descend slowly
to his neck. The power rush is amazing as I bite down on him. That mix of sweet
tastes is incredible. I could get used to this I think, but know that is one of
many reasons why he keeps this a secret. I take my fill of him and reluctantly
pull back and plunge my mouth to his as he moans and comes by his own hand.

“Fuck,” he whispers to me. “Fuck.”

“I know,” I murmur back.

“That was better than before. I was inside you but you
weren’t willing. This was better than that,” he says as if he can’t quite
believe it.

I close my eyes and lean my forehead against his and wonder
what the hell I am supposed to do now. He senses my hesitation and says, “We
didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t touch you and you didn’t touch me.”

“I know,” I say again but unable to open my eyes to stare
into his, so like my own. I kiss him chastely on the mouth and get off him,
adjusting my clothing.

“I was going to make you do it before. I stopped myself,” he
says quietly as I reach the door.

I turn back around, “What?”

“I spelled you because I wanted a fuck and feed. I needed it
from you. I stopped you from feeding. I didn’t want it that way,” he admits.

I just stare at him. What he is saying is not what my sire
told me his reasons were. Although he didn’t know I knew about him then. Did CK
make it up or was it actually all just part of a grand plan?

He stares back at me as I don’t say anything and shrugs, “I
just wanted you to know why I did it.”

“Is that the only reason?” I ask.

He nods.

Well, okay. One of these two beasts is a big fat liar but I
wonder which one? I nod back and stalk out of the bedroom and head to the
bathroom attached to my and CK’s bedroom. Although is it now my, CK’s, and
Cole’s bedroom? I stare at myself in the mirror. What the fuck am I doing here?
This is getting ridiculous. I wash my hands just for something to do and sense
CK behind me.

“Everything all right?” he asks warily.

“Yes,” I sigh.

“Did you sort out the Demon problem?”

“He is coming to L.A. There are issues to deal with. I need
him close,” I say, irate.

“Aefre, I told you not to get involved with him. I won’t be
subject to another bond,” he snaps.

“It isn’t like that,” I lie. “Please just accept he is now
part of our group, I need him as much as I need any of you right now.” I must
look and sound as weary as I feel as he doesn’t protest further. He comes
behind me and wraps his arms around me. He stares at me in the mirror as I sink
back against him, relaxing into his embrace. “I need to get back to my
husband,” I state eventually, pulling myself away from him. He pulls me back
and whispers to me, “I can’t wait until you call
me
that.” He runs his
hand over my stomach, stroking his thumb over me.

“Get your hands off my wife, if you don’t mind,” Cole says
from behind us.

CK spins us around, his hand still on my belly. “I will if
she wants me to,” he murmurs. Cole’s eyes are full of rage as he watches him
stroke his hand over my stomach, his ring flashing in the light. I straighten
and pull away and he looks hurt.

Cole looks smug as I move away from CK who says to me
without a care in the world, “I thought you gave this day to me?”

“Yes, before Cole showed up. My husband takes precedence,” I
mumble and he looks livid.

“I see. Well. I shall leave you to it then.” He pushes past
us and we are left alone, me feeling awful about Sebastian and about hurting CK
and Cole is still looking furious.

“You gave him a ring?” his voice is like a whip and I cringe
slightly.

“I did. It was something I wanted to do,” I say honestly as
there is no point in lying. Well, any more than I have to.

“Something you wanted to do,” he repeats slowly. “It seems
to me that you always get to do what you want.”

I blink at him. That is quite harsh coming from him but I
suppose I have hurt him, unintentionally.