The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (6 page)

I giggle at her tone and say, “Don’t be a stranger. I need
you. You know,” I clear my throat, “every now and again.”

She laughs a beautiful peel and says, “That is quite the
honor.” She lowers her voice again, “I will try and sneak out to see you again
very soon. It’s best if I go behind wards I have set.” And with that she blinks
out of existence and I make a mental note to find more wards she has set up for
more secret rendezvous. I also vow to ask her how she can Teleport. She is
still a few hundred years away from being able to have that ability. Must be a
Witchy-Vampire power boost combo.

“Dev. Are you okay?” I say to him, walking back into the
bedroom. “I feel this is all my fault.”

“Lizzie, it’s not your fault,” he sighs and I realize that
he has only called me Lizzie since all this went down. “It just is. Sorry,
Xane. I am sure this is the last thing you wanted,” he adds.

Xane looks surprised by the apology and says, “Well it’s not
ideal, but Liv told me what happened. Even I wouldn’t go so far as to just let
her die.”

Even I wouldn’t go so far? What an interesting choice of
words.

“Liv, I wonder if I could steal you away for a couple of
hours? There are things we should discuss that we didn’t get around to
yesterday.”

I look at Devon who shrugs. “Might as well while you can.
Who knows what hell is going to break loose when she wakes up,” he says it
lightly but I know he is still in terrible pain.

“Okay, baby. If you need me, get Linc to call me,” I say
softly and kiss him.

He looks sad that he doesn’t have that ability even with our
close bond but he nods nonetheless and says, “I like the suit by the way. Very
business kickass.” I knew he would know exactly what I was going for.

“I’ll be back soon.” I turn to Lincoln. “Call me if anything
changes,” I say, referring to our Alpha bond which allows us the ability to
call on each other no matter where we are.

“I will. Take care, V.A,” he whispers and kisses my
forehead. I wave to Scott and he waves back and Xane and I leave the suite. I
hesitate outside the door and look up. Xane follows my gaze to the ceiling and
inquires, “Problem?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure. Can you give me ten minutes? I’ll meet
you in your office.”

He looks disappointed but agrees, “Sure. I’ll see you in
ten.” He heads towards the elevator. I make for the stairs and run up two at a
time. I stop in front of the door to our suite and hesitantly open it. CK is
there, alone, I am pleased to say, staring into the empty fireplace, Scotch in
hand.

He turns as I enter. “There you are. I was loathe to come
and find you after the last time,” he says with a sad smile. He notices my
change of clothing and the necklace and his sad smile turns into one of pain
before hardening into a straight line. I step closer to him and inhale subtly
as he does to me. Both of us come up empty and stare at each other.

I am the first to speak as I say, “Eloise’s sister? She is
one of your…playthings?” I don’t use the word “pet” as I always assumed that
was for humans or weaker Vampires. Vivienne is clearly neither of those things.

“She was,” he says cautiously, knowing this is a minefield
of epic proportions.

“Oh. You didn’t think to mention that?”

“I saw no reason to. Your issue was with Eloise. Not her
sister.”

Same fucking difference.

I nod slowly. “I see. Well, I hope you had fun,” I say,
meaning anything but.

He peers at me, “I said she
was
.”

“I heard you.”

“Was, Aefre. Not anymore.”

I blink at him. “So you are saying that you didn’t…play with
her today?” I gulp, not really wanting to know.

“No,” he says and the relief floods through me until he
says, “But I wanted to. Christ, Aefre, I’m sorry, but I wanted to.”

He takes a step forward and I take a step back, hands up,
“What? Wait. What are you saying?”

He sighs, running his hand through his hair and says, “I
have tried, Aefre. Since we got back from Castle Black, I haven’t wanted to be
with anyone in that way. In fact, even before then, since we got close again. I
don’t want to be that monster. I want to be better for you. For us.” He pauses.
“She came here and she is strong. Strong enough to take it and I wanted to. She
wanted me to. She begged me. I was turned on still from the feed and you…I
kissed her. I wanted to fuck her and hurt her. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
he asks softly.

What can I say to that? Without sounding like the big fat
hypocrite I called myself just yesterday, there really isn’t anything I can say
to that. So I don’t. I just stare at him and I am sure he can see all the
emotions passing across my wretched face. He looks away in shame. “I’m sorry,”
he says again.

“Where is she now?” I croak.

He looks up, surprised at the question. “With Sebastian,” he
says.

Oh, spelled or willingly? I think nastily and he says,
“Willingly.” I roll my eyes.

“I am not so naïve, Constantine, that I expect your
faithfulness. I hold no demands on you, you are your own person to do as you
please,” I say.

I mean, God only knows I’m not being true to anyone.

He looks upset by my words. “I am not. I am yours. I made a
promise to myself that I wouldn’t be that again, especially after learning what
I did…” he trails off, looking at me in sorrow.

“Learning what?” I dare ask but dreading the answer.

“That everything Lance did to you, I taught him,” he says
quickly. “It nearly kills me to think of the things he did, that I have done to
others, being used on you but to torture you to the extent that he broke you,”
he chokes it out. “Aefre, forgive me. Forgive for being a monster, for creating
a monster. For being so much less than you deserve.” He is begging me now and I
mentally sigh. The slight uncertainty when he asked about how I talk to Lincoln
was sweet and I loved that he asked about it, but this completely vulnerable
side of him is just unnerving.

“Constantine,” I start and he flinches as I use his full
name, which I seem to be doing a lot of today, “there is nothing to forgive.
Please, don’t feel you have to keep apologizing for who you are. Who you were.”

“I told you that I wasn’t interested in being with anyone
else but today I was, I feel like I have betrayed you,” he presses and I am
getting irritated.

“You kissed her, so what. I kissed the Feeder. I kissed
Sebastian. Sebastian and I fucked, albeit that was nothing to do with me. Not
to mention Lincoln, Devon,
my husband
.” I emphasize the last two words.
“Constantine, really,” I say, using his own patronizing tone on him as I put my
hands on my hips and he smiles weakly.

“I really don’t want to think about you and Sebastian,” he
grouses. “Or you and anyone else for that matter. Especially the Wolf.”

I raise my eyebrow at that. “He pleases you. A lot,” he
elaborates.

I smile. “So do you,” I tell him softly.

“You are the only one I want,” he says just as softly and I
kiss him briefly.

“I have somewhere to be right now,” I say with a quick
glance at my phone. “But I will be back in a couple of hours.”

He looks at me sharply, “Where?”

“The Underworld. Xane and I have things to discuss that we
didn’t get around to yesterday. I have questions and so does he.”

He looks less than happy, “Why can’t you talk here?”

“Like that’s going to happen. I can’t go two minutes without
someone Astraporting in with some emergency or another. Two hours and I will be
back and then I am all yours. And besides, due to the whole Jess debacle, you
get me for another day,” I add as a bonus. Lincoln won’t be too happy, but as
long as I spend some more time with him, he won’t complain.

His face brightens as he registers that. “So I do. I shall
have to thank her for her attempted suicide when she wakes up.”

“Don’t push it, my love. That bitch is not getting away with
this. I will ensure it,” I say suddenly, forcefully.

He blinks at me. “How so?” he asks curiously.

I explain that I will be taking over her care and that Devon
just needs to hang around. “Furious” is probably the word I would use to
describe his features but I put my hand to his lips to stop his outburst.
“Don’t, my love. My mind is made up. Devon is her sire in name only. Everything
else is for me to take on. He doesn’t want this and I won’t force him to be
something he is not.”

He looks like he is about to argue with me again but I
silence him with a kiss. “Two hours,” I say and make my way to the door. Over
my shoulder I call back, “And make sure Sebastian is here with his apology.”

I debate with myself on my way back to Xane’s office whether
or not I should tell CK about my knowledge of Sebastian. Knowledge is power,
but then, do I really need another secret to hold on to? Look how well that has
turned out so far. I sigh as I mount the steps, but all my Vampire troubles go
away as Xane opens the door with a flourish, “My lady.” He beckons, “Shall we?”

I take his hand, “We shall,” and he Astraports us to his
family’s home.

“Are all the houses like this here?” I ask him.

“I will take you on a small tour in a moment. There is
something we need to do first,” he says. I take a moment to look around the
room we are in and turn back to him. “Xane,” I complain loudly, “why did you
bring me to your bedroom?”

“Who says it’s my bedroom?” he says slyly.

“I can’t imagine you would bring me to anyone else’s.”

“True. You’ve got me there. Do you like it?” he concedes
easily.

I have another look around; I do like it. Whereas mine at
home is all medieval, Xane’s is exactly how I would have pictured it: gothic
and dark. There is a massive wrought iron, black, four-poster bed with spikes
on every corner with black silk covers, obviously. There is a huge iron
chandelier hanging from the ceiling with candles, not light bulbs, and again I
wonder if we are somehow back in time. A thick black carpet covers the floor
and heavy velvet drapes are half pulled across stained glass windows. “I love
it,” I say, meaning it. “It’s very you.” I am conscious that I said those exact
same words to Cole when he showed me his room. I fiddle with my rings
uncomfortably. I shouldn’t be here. “Can we go to your office?” I ask.

He points to a corner where there is a massive desk and
chairs. “This is my office. At least my informal one. The other one is too…” he
waves his hand around, “grand,” he says finally.

“I like grand. My own at home is very similar to yours.”

“But I bet you have an office space in your bedroom,” he
says. “No, wait, let me guess: in a sitting room that leads off your bedroom.”

I stare at him in surprise. “That’s very specific,” I say to
him.

He shrugs, “Your bedroom is a sanctuary for you. But you are
also too involved with your work to not have it close to hand.”

“Astute,” I say and turn around to hide the small smile
playing at my lips.

“I am. Especially about you,” he says from right behind me.

“Xane,” I say, turning back around and stepping back from
his nearness. “Can you please tell me what you meant yesterday about the ‘with
whom I am trying to procreate’ remark?”

“Exactly how it sounds.”

I frown at him and he elaborates, “You are not just a
Vampire anymore, your Dragon self is active, your Demon self is active. I
assume you have tried Shifting to a Wolf?” He doesn’t let me answer “no”--that
hadn’t even occurred to me yet--and continues, “All of these creatures procreate,
as you put it. Babies are born and they grow up being what they are. There is
no chance that you would have a baby Vampire--but baby Pups or baby Demons or
baby Dragons? Yes, there is a strong possibility. You are Queen now. You will
be expected at some point to reproduce.”

I am frozen to the spot and my face must show it as he says,
“Terrified, aren’t you?” and chuckles. “As it happens, there is a curse you can
use to prevent such occurrences. I have used it on myself with great success.
Page 152 of the Grimoire,” he says and taps a finger to my temple and it
unfreezes me. I just stare at him in my apparent terror as I mentally sift and
come up with page 152. I frown as I can’t read it.

“Just sound it out,” he says but doesn’t give me the chance to
do anything as he drops his mouth to mine and pulls me into his arms. I
struggle for a few moments with my hands on his chest to push him away but I
feel it again. The heat. The normal heat that is radiating off him and I can
feel it. It feels amazing. I want his arms wrapped around me, warming me.
“Don’t tell me you can’t feel it,” he whispers before resuming his kisses.

“Ooooo, Uncle Xane is kissing a girl,” comes a child’s voice
from the doorway and I jump away from him like a scalded cat. He sighs and
turns to the child. “Xaria. Mind your own business,” he chides the girl who
looks to be about eight in human years but who can say how old she really is?
“Where is your mother?”

“I’m here.” A woman who looks just like Xanthe rushes in
behind her daughter. “Xaria!” she snaps, “Don’t interrupt your uncle when he is
busy.” She stops dead when she sees me and flushes, “Oh, Your Majesty. I didn’t
realize you were here.” She curtsies to me and I hold my hand up and say, “No,
please, it's fine.” I don’t like all this formality business.

“Liv, this is my sister, Xandra, and my niece, Xaria,” Xane
introduces them. Again with the X’s. Does the whole family come with them?

“Nice to meet you,” Xandra says and I say it back.

The little girl is looking up at me wide-eyed and asks, “Are
you going to be Uncle Xane’s wife?”

I choke back a horrified response as Xane just chuckles into
his hand and Xandra admonishes her daughter for being rude. An awkward silence
ensues as she is clearly waiting for an answer as is her mother, although not
quite as obviously. I glare at Xane who just shrugs, leaving me to bat this
one. I bend down to Xaria and take her hand in mine. “No, sweetie. Your uncle
and I are just friends. I am already married. See?” I show her my black diamond
wedding rings and she stares at them. “They are pretty. Just like you,” she
says.