The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (25 page)

“So I can make us
even more money if I put my mind to it?” he asks with a cheeky wink.

“I have no
doubt.”

He kisses me and
says, “How you deduced this I don’t know and I don’t know if you are right but
now I have a mission to go and see if you are.” He kisses me again and goes into
his bedroom, happy and relaxed, probably having forgotten all about Jess. I
sigh as I haven’t, much as I would like to. I open the door again and she wakes
up. “Devon?” she asks sitting up.

“No, just me,” I
say and her face falls.

“I’m hungry,” she
grouses.

“I know. Here.” I
pass her a handy glass of blood and she downs it in one gulp.

“Thanks,” she
says gratefully. “Uh, where did… where did Devon go?”

“Out,” I say and
she is upset that I don’t give her more. Not for me to tell her his business.
If he wants to fill her in when he gets back about what he has been up to then
fair enough. “Get showered and changed. Esther got you some things. You will be
unable to go outside but I will make sure that you are comfortable.”

She looks like
she is about to cry again as she remembers that she can’t go out in daylight.

“One day at a
time,” I tell her. “And make the most of your nights. It will get easier when
we get to Europe. The nights are long in winter.” I almost feel sorry for
her…almost. I will probably never forgive her for what she did but she is here
now and we have to move on. “Let Esther know if you need or want anything.” I
point to the phone on the bedside table. “Ring 9.” Kind of like a hotel, I
grimace as I realize this.

“I just want
Devon,” she says sadly.

“It will get
easier as time goes on.” I sit on the edge of the bed and decide to impart some
wisdom onto the next generation. “You need to readjust your priorities now. The
things that you wanted to do with your life before, may be not suitable for you
now. And look for outside interests, don’t focus your attentions entirely on
Devon.”

“What do you
mean?” she sniffles into a tissue.

What do I mean?
All sorts of things. “Anything Jess. Anything you want. Look at Cole. He didn’t
want to give up acting after I turned him. He loved the work and he didn’t need
to, as it was something that he could carry on doing. Your limitation will
prove an issue at first but the punishment won’t last forever. What did you
used to do?” I ask.

At this point I
am aware I know nothing about her. How old she is, what her last name is. Hell,
we haven’t even been properly introduced.

“I am a senior in
high school,” she says and I mentally shake my head at Devon.

“So you are
eighteen?”

“Seventeen.”

“Well you can’t
go back there. What of your parents? You know you can’t go home and you can’t
tell them,” I say sternly.

“I know, Devon
has told me. It was just my mom and me. And whatever drunk, abusive guy she
brought home. I’m not sad to never see her again.”

Well it explains
a lot. No wonder she wanted this. “What were your plans? After school?”

She shrugs, “I
was going to college. I want to be a lawyer.”

Impressive.
“College is out for now, I’m afraid. But one day you can go back and achieve
your goals. You have eternity now, Jess. The sky’s the limit. We just need to
see it through one day at a time at the moment. In the meantime…” I never get
to finish what I was going to say because she suddenly goes feral and launches
herself at me. Now this is more of what I was expecting. Up to a point Devon’s
presence, even from a distance, keeps her calm. I am guessing he has now left
the house and she can no longer keep a lid on her feelings of hunger and rage,
at me particularly for denying her fresh human blood and the sun. She claws at me,
snarling in a haze of pure rage as I hold her back by her throat. She slashes
at me with her claws but she is weak and young and it hardly affects me.
“Jess,” I say to her calmly. She ignores me in favor of ripping at me instead.
“Jess!” I snap. “Get yourself under control.”

All the noise she
is making has attracted the attention of, well, everybody, and they all rush
into the room to my aid. Not that I need it but it’s the thought that counts.
Lincoln goes behind her and grabs her arms, forcing them behind her. His grip
strong on her wrists and she struggles against him uselessly.

“You okay?” he
asks me.

“Just fine
sweetie. I think I can handle myself against a two-day-old newbie,” I say
rolling my eyes.

“I take it Devon
has left the building?” CK says sardonically and I nod.

“So it would
seem.”

He sighs as she
is howling at Lincoln to let her go. He looks mildly amused as he keeps hold of
her struggling form, no match for his superior strength.

“Work your mojo
on her,” I complain to CK as I am in no mood for toddler tantrums.

“Mojo? What on
earth are you talking about, Aefre?” he looks at me perplexed.

“You know, that
thing you do…” I gesture at him. “That thing… that calms.”

“Calms?” he now
looks a bit amused.

“Well it works on
me,” I huff at him.

“Because you are
my charge, my sweet, and a special one at that. I do not have the capabilities
to sort this mess out.”

“Too bad,” I
mumble. “Where the bloody hell are Cade and Nico? They should have been back by
now.” As if by magick they appear in the doorway having rushed up the stairs
following the not-so-dulcet sounds of Jess The Mess.

“Allow me,” Cade
says and twirls his orb at her and she slumps in Lincoln’s arms, completely
under control.

“About bloody
time. What kept you? Is my car all right?” I ask in suspicion.

“Your car is
fine,” Cade says, miffed that I didn’t trust them with it. “There was something
we needed to take care of.”

We? “Humph. Well,
next time be sure to call and let me know.”

“Yes ma’am,” he
salutes sarcastically and I pull my face at him.

“Get this under
control,” I order him.

“Me? Isn’t it
your job to deal with her?”

“Unfortunately,
yes. But short of knocking her unconscious… I need your help, clearly,” I admit
with a shrug. I don’t mind asking for help, sometimes. Although, judging by the
shocked faces in front of me, I apparently don’t do it very often.

“CK, my love,” I
say sweetly and his eyebrows skyrocket at my tone as Cole’s face goes
thunderous. “May we please use your room to house her until we leave again
tomorrow night?”

Happy to be asked
but not so happy as to the question he scowls at me. “Really? You are asking me
to take this responsibility on?”

“No, not on, just
under.” I smile my most charming smile at him and twirl my hair in a very
teen-girl move, but then again, I am still just a teenager, albeit a thousand
and seventeen year old one.

He isn’t stupid
though and he knows my game. He will do as I ask but there will be a price to
pay and I bet it won’t be cheap. “Fine. You may use my room. How will you get
her there? The wards won’t let you into my house with her spelled. You will
have to unspell her and tackle her, or can you take both Lincoln and Cade with
you and her?”

Three passengers?
I have never tried. I suppose now isn’t the time to find out but it doesn’t
matter anyway as there is another way. One that the boys will go ga-ga over.

“What room are
you talking about?” Lincoln asks.

“Wait and see,” I
say mysteriously and turn back to CK. “Not interested in learning by doing
today but I do know a thing or two about living in castles, remember?”

He chuckles in
delight, “You connected your house to mine.”

“Of course.”

“Connected?” Cole
asks, not thrilled. “How so?”

“Follow me.” I take his hand and say to Cade, “Just make
sure you stick to the shadows, otherwise…”

“Yes, I am aware. Although…” he says slyly, “are you sure I
am the best person to escort her into a potentially fatal situation?”

“Kill her and I kill you. Simple,” I state and it’s his turn
to pull his face at me.

“Understood,” he says reluctantly.

“Don’t worry. I am sure that on our travels you will have
the opportunity to ease your bloodlust,” I say sarcastically and his face
brightens until he realizes that I am not being altogether serious.

“Come now. We need to get her moved.” I lead us down the
corridor, down the stairs and across the foyer to the kitchens, all the while
sticking to the shadows myself as a reminder to Cade.

The kitchens in my house are quite dark anyway but I pull
the blinds shut just in case. I lead the inquisitive bunch through the main
kitchen to the smaller one at the back and head to the pantry. Opening the
door, I step in and bend down and open the trap door built there disguised as
part of the floor boards. “God. Devon is going to be so pissed he missed this,”
I mutter to myself.

“Missed what?” he says, peering around everybody to see why
we are all looking in the pantry.

“Dev? Thought you had shit to do.”

“Funniest thing. I got halfway down the road and felt the
need to come back. Because of…” he points to Jess, “What happened?”

“She attacked Liv,” Lincoln says. “Unbridled fury and all
that.”

“You keep her calm. Or at least calmer,” CK says to him.
“You may not feel it but she does.”

“Oh,” he says, a bit abashed. “Sorry, Livvie. I guess trying
to ignore this isn’t going to work is it?”

I shake my head sadly. “No, sweetie. I will still take the
burden for you, but you need to stick around.”

He nods grimly. “So where are we going? Narnia?”

I snort, “Hardly. We are going to CK’s house via secret
passageway.” I step back and hold my hands out in showroom style.

“Any particular reason for the cloak and dagger?”

“Oh. I suppose not now that you are here. Cade can probably
let the spell go.”

“Does he have to?” he mutters to himself. “Why don’t we see
this through, you know, while we are already here and everything.”

I smile and glance at Cole who looks excited to be going on
a secret mission. “Sure. Why not.”

“After you, then,” he says and I descend the steps to the
tunnel below. I flick the switch and low level lighting comes on intermittently
down the dark tunnel. “Oh bummer. I thought we would have fire torches and
booby traps like in the old days,” Devon complains as we move forward and CK
snickers.

“That would be more fun,” he says, getting right involved
with our little adventure. Boys, honestly! I knew they would love this idea but
seriously no matter how old they are, they just all still want to be Indiana
Jones.

“How about a dodgy rope bridge hanging perilously over a
roaring river?” I say, the sarcasm evident.

“Ooo, could you do that?” Cole asks. “I bet you could if you
tried.”

“Yeah, yeah, and an Amazonian tribe shooting poisonous darts
at us as we try to cross,” Devon adds.

I laugh at them and their enthusiasm, “Well thanks for the
vote of confidence that I can create such an elaborate scene just so you all
can fill out some weird-ass adventure fantasy, but I really don’t think it is
appropriate. I can, however, comply with your first request.” I click my
fingers and in my hand I hold a fire torch and pass it to Devon. I turn off the
electric lighting and hand another torch to Cole, one to CK, and one to
Lincoln, Cade needing both his hands free to deal with Jess. “Happy?”

“Very!” comes the unanimous reply.

“Now this feels more like it,” Devon says. “Reminds me of
Bavaria when we went to get that Fabergé egg back.”

“Oh god! Yes. What a fucking trip that was.”

“Ah, yes. During the war. I do believe Katherine and Devon,
spies extraordinaire, were something else,” CK says dryly.

“We sure were,” Devon says fondly. “And even I have to say,
Katherine was a knock-out.”

I turn to him, “Oh really?”

“Who is Katherine?” Lincoln and Cade ask.

“Me.”

“Ah, another of your Shifts I presume then,” Lincoln says
knowing that Devon has never had anything overly complimentary to say about my
natural form.

“Indeed.”

“What did you look like?” Cole asks, still not comfortable
with me and my various Shifts.

“Hot,” CK and Devon say in unison.

I stop walking and turn around to face them. “Excuse me?” I
say, somewhat affronted that CK has turned on my natural form now as well.

He shrugs, “I have eyes. How did Sebastian put it the other
day? Oh yes, I would have to be ‘blind and a eunuch not to stare.’”

Yes, I remember his declaration after I changed into Xerxei.
I frown slightly. There is something that is niggling me about that. I shake it
off and deal with the conversation at hand.

“Well I didn’t know you had a thing for tall, hazel-eyed
strawberry blondes,” I remark smartly.

“I don’t really. I just have a thing for you,” he says a
small smile tugging at his mouth.

I narrow my eyes at him as Cole is very unhappy with this
conversation. “Moving on,” I say quickly.

“Wait,” Lincoln says. “I want to hear the story of the
Fabergé egg.”

“It’s a good story,” Devon says. “Tell them, Livvie.”

I look at Cole who in spite of his anger over CK’s comment
looks interested too.