The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (32 page)

“No,” he says. “I know you told me that to make me feel
better but honestly while it did for a bit, the more I thought about it, it
really doesn’t.”

“Devon, I…”

“No, Lizzie. Don’t.” He rubs his face with his hand. “I am
such an idiot. I didn’t think it was what you wanted.”

“I always wanted it. It was our plan. I asked you to ask me
again after you woke up. When you didn’t I assumed it was because you didn’t
want to.”

“I really don’t want to talk about this,” he says and I
sigh. Typical Devon reaction, to just brush it under the carpet.

“Fine. If and when you ever want to, know that I will
discuss it with you. Like adults,” I huff and he chuckles at me.

“You sound more like your sire, every day.”

“I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not,”
I joke.

“I’m not sure if I mean it as one or not,” he jokes back.

We lie in silence for a few minutes and then both turn to
the door as we hear it open. I know it isn’t Cole as I would have sensed him,
so it comes as no surprise that it is Jess. She must have heard us at some
point being in the room next door.

“Devon?” she asks, desperate for him to explain why he is in
bed with me. “Who is this?” she asks boldly as he just glares at her. I realize
that she won’t recognize me as Elizabeth so I grab my long hair and pull it
over my shoulder to show her my ever present--even in my Shifts--Dragon tattoo.
Her eyes go wide as she realizes who I am.

“This is Elizabeth,” Devon says. “My sire. My
real
sire,” he adds and she looks like she might cry again.

I glance quickly at the clock: 5:45 AM. “I’m going to use
your shower. Leave you to talk,” I say. He grabs me before I climb out of bed
and kisses me. “Don’t think this lets you off the hook for a make-up session on
Friday,” he murmurs and I reply, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” I climb off the bed,
naked, much to Jess’s embarrassment and I Shift back to Liv. “Cade will be
along shortly to escort you back to the room. Be quick in here.” She just
stares back at me as I stalk past her to Devon’s bathroom and close the door. I
turn the taps on and step in the shower and decide to eavesdrop, you know, just
while I am in here.

“She… she looks like me,” Jess says, her voice cracking.

“No,” Devon growls. “
You
look like
her
. Don’t
ever forget that.”

Oh Devon, is there any need to be so hard on her I sigh, but
I know he is annoyed that our time together has ended. I would have preferred a
bit longer myself but seeing as I shouldn’t be in here in the first place I
have pushed my luck as far as it will go for today.

“I don’t want you to sleep with her anymore,” she says
bravely.

“You don’t get to decide who I sleep with and when. I like
you Jess and like I said yesterday I am happy to continue with our relationship
as it was before, but I am not tied to you. No one will ever come between
Elizabeth and me. Not ever. So don’t even try, it will be a waste of your time
and efforts.” He sighs and gets out of bed, presumably to offer up some form of
comfort to her. He isn’t completely heartless but he doesn’t have a bond with
her. It must be very difficult to deal with that. “You would do better to look
elsewhere yourself for attention,” he adds.

“I don’t want to. I told you yesterday I don’t want anybody
but you. Even before you turned me, I only wanted you,” she says desperately.

“Jess. It isn’t the way we do things,” he says in
exasperation. “You don’t hear her complaining that I am fucking you.”

Oh dear, that wasn’t a very nice thing to say and he knows
and says, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Look, Cade is going to be here
any second. Just go with him and think about what I said. I will come and see
you later. Just remember to drink.” And with that he dismisses her, leaving her
to her own devices. This isn’t going to end well. I get out of the shower and
dry off, changing quickly into sweats and a vest, pinning my hair up. I exit
the bathroom and shake my head at Devon. “You should go with her.”

“Not today. Too much to do before we leave tonight.
Remember, I had shitloads to do yesterday. If she is in the room she will be
fine.”

I wouldn’t say that, exactly. All it will do is contain her
while she goes on a rage-fuelled shitfit. Oh well. I suppose I will have to go
check on her later. I have shitloads to do myself today. I decide to start with
Dawn. I kiss Devon goodbye and go off in search of her. Cole will find me when
he wakes, so I’m not unduly worried about going to him first.

The door to her bedroom is slightly ajar and I knock and
push it open. “Dawn?” I call out. “Oh shit!” I put my hand up over my eyes,
“Sorry, sorry. The door was open. Please carry on.” I back out of the room
closing the door with a loud bang as I try to forget what I just saw. Seems her
infatuation with my husband hasn’t stopped her from pursuing Scott. I clear my
throat and suppress the smile that is tugging at my lips and go off to find
Cole now that Dawn is being seen to. I push open the door to our bedroom and
come to a halt. Cole is straddling Jess in the middle of our bedroom floor, his
hand at her throat. “Try that again and I will try my hand at this whole
ripping people’s-heads-off thing,” he growls at her.

“Cole, sweetie? What are you doing?” I ask in bewilderment.

“She climbed in bed with me and tried to fuck me,” he says.

I almost laugh. Tit for tat. Stupid girl. I step closer and
put my hand on his back, “Let her go, baby.” He releases her and she glares at
him then me.

“Isn’t that what we do around here? Share?” she snarls, bold
now in the face of her murderous rage.

“Need some help?” Cade queries from the doorway.

“Please,” I say as I drag her roughly to her feet. “Try that
again and I will make good on my husband’s threat,” I say to her quietly. “Go
now with Cade. I will come and discuss this behavior with you later,” I all but
throw her to Cade who then takes over.

“How much longer is she going to be like this? I didn’t sign
on to be a babysitter,” he complains.

“I know, I’m sorry but you are good with the whole magick
thing. A few more weeks unless Devon sorts his act out,” I say, annoyed. “I am
going to have to pull out the big guns here. He isn’t listening to me, so CK
will just have to have words with him.”

“Well, that would get me in line,” Cade says with a loud
laugh. “I will see you later.” I wave him off and turn to Cole who is looking
not very pleased.

“I can only assume that was in revenge of witnessing you and
Devon going at it?” he says unpleasantly.

“No,” I say. Not technically a lie as all she saw was us
lying in bed together.

“Humph. Where were you then?”

“I was with Devon, but we were talking and then I went off
in search of Dawn and found her…” I smile at the memory.

“Found her what?”

“In bed with Scott!” I say.

He looks scandalized, “Scott? And Dawn?”

I nod. “I am glad that he finally noticed she was
interested. I might have had to have words. For an Empath, he can be pretty
clueless,” I snort in amusement.

“You knew she was interested?”

“You didn’t? She couldn’t keep her eyes off him yesterday.
Well, until she saw you of course.”

“Me?” he asks, confused.

“Oh Cole. Really? You didn’t know she has a thing for you?”

He shakes his head, “No, don’t be ridiculous. She doesn’t
have a thing for me.”

“Baby,” I say taking his hand and sitting on the bed with
him. “Every woman on the planet that can see, has a thing for you.”

“Doubtful. But only I care about you,” he says pulling me
onto his lap.

“Oh I definitely have a thing for you,” I say with a slow
smile, running my hands up his chest to the back of his neck. I pull him to me
but we are interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Go away,” Cole yells.

“Liv,” Lincoln says through the door, “You really need to
come downstairs.”

“Why?” I ask, irritated.

“Just come down,” Lincoln says pushing the door open
regardless of not being bid. “Trouble is brewing.”

“What kind of trouble?” I climb off Cole and even he looks
concerned.

“You are going to have to pick a side to beat down, either
your sire or your Demon friend.”

“Oh for fuck's sake,” I grouse as I follow Lincoln out of
the room with Cole, who hastily pulls on some sweats, hot on my heels.

“What the fuck is going on?” I thunder at them as I find
them dueling in the foyer. “This is not the 18
^th
century and this
floor cost a small fortune. If either of you fucking nicks it I will kill you
myself,” I yell at them.

A clash of swords is the only response I get. Well
apparently my little demonstration last night has been forgotten already so I
step in between them, hoping that both of these swords are weapons created that
my armory recognizes. I put my hands up before they connect and grip them
tightly. I get noticed now as I am standing holding the business end of two
swords sharp enough to cleave a man’s head from his shoulders.

“Get out of the way, Aefre,” CK says to me.

“Not likely. What is the meaning of this?”

Silence.

“Do not ignore me!” I all but roar at the two of them and
pull the swords clean from their hands, twirling them skillfully so that the
hilts are now in mine.

Xane looks startled at my actions but CK just looks smug as
he knows my skill for swordsmanship.

“Your sire wasn’t happy that I made you feed,
the Dragon
way
, last night,” Xane says, emphasizing the Dragon bit. “He wanted to
teach me a thing or two about interfering,” he says sarcastically. “I, however,
did not become the Ruler of Hades by being a pushover,” he adds, straightening
up to his full height of six feet four inches and brushing off his jeans.

I turn to CK, “Was this really necessary?”

He shrugs. “I won’t let you lose yourself to the Demon,” he
says and I frown at the sense of
déjà
vu. Why do I feel like I’ve heard that before? “You are a Vampire. You will
feed like one.”

Oh will I? I
raise my eyebrows at his commanding tone. A strange sense of calm comes over
me. I am not going to choose a side and I am not going to fight or argue about
this. “Both of you, follow me.” I hand the swords to Lincoln and walk over to
my office. I usher them both inside and close the door quietly.

Expecting anger,
CK looks at me warily as I serenely make my way over to my chair and sit.
“Sit,” I gesture at them.

I have them both
unnerved now as my temper has a reputation all of its own and here I am all
calm and composed.

“Xane. I am a
Vampire,” I start and CK looks smug. “Constantine, I am also a Dragon,” I say
and he looks less amused now that I have called him by his full name. “I meant
what I said last night about my own well-being coming before everyone else. I
cannot do this, I cannot be everything I need to be if I am getting weak and
hungry because I forget to drink human blood. So, if I remember to feed the
Vampire way then all is good, if not I will feed the Dragon way. Simple as
that. If I see you even look at each other funny again I will cut you both off.
I don’t have the time or the room for discord. Do I make myself clear?”

They both nod at
me so I say, “Very well. You may go now.” They both stand I have a feeling of
empowerment that I could get used to.

After they leave
I spend time with Dawn and I ask her about Scott. She doesn’t say much, just
blushes and I find it quite sweet. I then spend some time with Scott and ask
him about Dawn. He doesn’t say much either, just blushes and now I am getting
fed up. Just speak, people! I tell him to stay here at the house and to use the
cars as his own. He is insistent that he doesn’t need to stay here, but I still
have this feeling of dread and I would prefer him here when he isn’t at work.

So after several
hours of French lessons with Dawn and last minute instructions to Scott, where
he hands me the deeds to
Cassis,
which I sign with a flourish, I head
off to speak to Jess. I Astral into CK’s house, not bothered about being rude,
since he does it to me all the time. I open the door to the room.

I duck just in
time, as a vase comes flying at my head and I let it smash into the wall as it
will cause her more satisfaction than if I just caught it. Nothing that can’t
be replaced. Much like the rest of the room, I note the destruction.

“Stop fucking
him!” she yells at me. “He is mine, he isn’t yours!” Another vase comes flying
at my head. I step aside and let that one crash against the wall as well.

“Jess. Sit down
and shut up before I lose my temper.”

“Stop fucking
him!” she yells at me again and flies at me, claws and fangs drawn.

“Jess!” I say to
her, striving for patience, as I grab her arm and twist it behind her back.

She struggles and
tries to elbow me but I push her across the room, losing my temper with her.
She hits the wall and drops in a daze to the floor and I am on her in a flash
of Vampire speed, pinning her arms to the ground as I straddle her.

“Everything all
right in here?” CK asks from the doorway.

“Nothing a little
bitch slap won’t fix,” I growl.

“Want me to talk
to her?”

“No, but you can
speak to Devon. He isn’t listening to me.”

“I thought you
got through to him?” he asks, coming closer and sitting on the arm of the sofa,
casually watching as Jess struggles helplessly underneath me.

“So did I. But he gives and then he takes away. She needs
consistency.”