Secrets (The Forever series, Book 8) (25 page)

“No,” I grab his hand. “No, Seb, it wasn’t Thrace, it was…”

He waits for my answer, but I can’t say it.

“Who then? Anders?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, it was…Ael-Aelfric,” I stammer and
then cringe from the wave of power that radiates off him.

“My father did this to you?” he asks calmly, in deep
contrast to the tense set of his shoulders and jaw.

I nod. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I don’t know why. He said
something about an amendment. I don’t understand.”

His face falls and he runs his hand over his face. “Don’t be
sorry, Princess,” he says to me, crushing me to him in a protective embrace.
“This is not your fault. I should have told you. You could have been better
prepared.”

“Told me what?” I ask, my voice muffled in his shirtfront.

“My father’s Seer has added an amendment to the prophecy. It
is not necessarily me that is your Chosen one anymore, it is any in line for
King, or King,” he says with a sigh.

“What?” I ask in disbelief. “How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, little one. I asked the same question myself.
Apparently it is to do with my ‘status,’” he says bitterly.

I rest my head on his chest again, now it is all starting to
make sense what Aelfric said. I have to get out of here. I am not hanging
around here like some kind of ride they get to jump on and bang until I get
pregnant. No fucking way.

“I will have his head for this,” Sebastian says, stroking my
back.

I feel a crack go across my back and it makes my knees
buckle. It was like being whipped by someone with enormous strength and it
brings tears to my eyes.

“Princess?” Sebastian asks, as he catches me before I fall
to my knees. “What is it?”

“My back,” I choke out before I grip his hand tightly as the
wave of pain subsides.

He pulls my hair over my shoulder, only now noticing that I
look like Liv again, and stares at my back. Confusion followed by horror and
then fury. “He bound your Powers?” he yells. “I will fucking kill him for
this!” he roars, spinning and sending his fist flying into the mirror to
splinter everywhere. Geez, this Faerie temper is something else. Volatile is
not the word.

I step back and fold my arms across my stomach and it flips
a switch in him and he calms instantly. “Sorry,” he mumbles. He grabs my arms
and says, “I will go to Drake immediately. He will see to it that he doesn’t
get away this.”

“No,” I start to say, but then Drake interrupts us by making
a sudden appearance. Actually, it probably wasn’t that sudden seeing as all the
yelling and crashing that was going on, but whatever.

“That who doesn’t get away with what?” Drake asks
suspiciously and then his violet eyes go so dark they turn almost black as he
takes us in standing in the bathroom. Me naked and covered in burns and
Sebastian looking like he is about to rip someone’s head off.

“Kalen,” Drake growls. “I told you, you would be a dead man
if you stayed here and took advantage of her.”

“No, Father,” I say quickly. “He didn’t stay, he only just
came back.” I am entirely aware at this point, as his eyes shift to mine and he
looks mortified, that I am still standing here in the nude. I hastily grab for
the nearest towel, which is across the room, and wrap it around myself.

“What is the meaning of all of this?” he says once I am
covered up. “One of you start talking and, you,” he points to me, “are supposed
to look like me.”

I tug on my blonde hair and sigh. “I can’t Shift back,” I
mutter and he frowns at me and turns to Sebastian.

Sebastian looks at me and I look down. He is going to tell
and I just hope that Drake wasn’t aware of this plan or my heart will break
into a thousand pieces.

“Your daughter has been the victim of assault,” Sebastian
says, hands on hips. “If you know anything about this, so help me, I will end
you.”

I look up sharply at that, as does Drake. Fortunately he
hadn’t noticed what Sebastian has said as all he took in was the first part.

“Assault?” he snarls. “What do you mean? Aeval, what is he
talking about?”

I stay silent letting Sebastian talk for me. “Are you aware
of the amendment?” he asks.

Drake’s eyes narrow into two slits and says, “What
amendment?”

Sebastian sighs and fills him in. Drake is getting angrier
by the second and when Sebastian says, “My father bound her Powers and sexually
assaulted her,” I actually think he is going to hit the roof.

His menace is palpable and seems to take up the entire room.
It is stifling in this bathroom and I am feeling suffocated. Although, at least
I am fully confident that Drake did not know of this plan and that he
definitely does not approve. He is grilling Sebastian about what exactly
happened, even though Sebastian only knows what I have told him. I hope he
doesn’t turn the interrogation onto me as I am in no mood to answer questions
about this. My ears perk as I hear Sebastian say something pertinent.

“The spell is a five bind. One has already gone. She will
Shift to her Dragon as soon as the last bind breaks.
She
will be flaming
mad and by flaming, I mean that in the literal sense. She needs to get home.”

Five binds? I am guessing that is the five bands that had
held Her tightly. I am feeling a bit itchy now like I need to Shift.

Drake is pacing like a caged animal. His enormous size is
taking up most of the bathroom and then he stalks off back into the bedroom to
resume his pacing. I breathe out slightly and Sebastian says to me, “Are you
doing okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Itchy. I need to go.” I breathe in sharply
as another band snaps across my back and Sebastian marches over to Drake and
says, “Please, you need to let her go now.”

“I will,” he says calmly. “I will take you myself, it is the
quickest way. Are you sure she will Shift as soon as the spell breaks?”

Sebastian nods. “Pretty sure. The Dragon is going to be
pissed when She gets released. The spell is designed to bind quickly, but
unravel slowly to reduce the damage.”

Drake nods and says, “Yes, we have something similar on this
side. Get her dressed, but first I must ask, have you and she…” He looks vastly
uncomfortable as he shuffles his feet and finishes, “…been together?”

Sebastian flushes a bright red and I slink back into the
bathroom, not wanting to be asked that question by my father.

“Yes,” Sebastian answers quietly.

“If she Shifts it will, uh, destroy a pregnancy?” Drake
croaks.

“Yes,” Sebastian croaks back and I listen on with interest
from the safety of my bathroom.

“I see. I suppose under the circumstances that is for the
best. Mark my words, Kalen, I will not let Aelfric get away with this. He does
not come into my house and rape my daughter. I will see him dead. You know what
that means for you?” Drake asks ominously.

I peek out the bathroom and see Sebastian nod grimly. Does
that mean he will be King?

“You will be back here to have your Holy Union with Aeval at
the full moon and then you must consummate the union.” He looks pained as he
says that.

Sebastian nods again and I recoil. That is definitely not
happening.

He brings me a dress in the bathroom and hastily gets me
dressed. I am shaking from head to toe and he places some calming hands on me.
“We’ll be home soon.”

I smile weakly at him and go over to where Drake is pacing
again. He looks at me forlornly and I smile and say, “I’m okay.”

He closes his eyes and pulls me to him. “This should never
have happened. I don’t know how to be a father to a daughter. I should have
known to protect you properly. Please forgive me, my Princess.” His arms crush
me and I struggle to breathe, but I have never felt more loved in all my life.
Not in the non-romantic sense anyway. I have never had a parent who showed me
affection and who cared for my well-being.

“There is nothing to forgive, Father. I love you,” I whisper
and he chokes back what I think is a sob, but it can’t be.

“You love too easily,” he says gruffly, but I can tell he is
pleased with my words even though he won’t say it back. But the man has a
point, I fall hard and I fall fast and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I
step back and a sweat breaks out on me and my breathing gets ragged. Sebastian
is at my side instantly, taking my hand. “We need to go now,” he says.

Drake nods and grabs us both in his tight grip and
transports us in a puff of smoke into the woods at my home. He points to a
small round patch of grass, a darker green than the surrounding grass. “A
Faerie ring,” he says. “You will be able to pass through, both of you. Ensure
you are back by the full moon.” He leans down to hug me. “Take care, Princess.
I-I’m glad that I found you.”

“Me too,” I say back, knowing that it is the most I will get
out of him. “I have to admit, it has been a harrowing experience, but I am glad
that I met you.”

“I will be better prepared for your visit, next time,” he
says and catches me as my knees give way as another band breaks.

I nod and he disappears, leaving Sebastian and me. He grabs
my hand and ushers me out of the woods. “What can I do?” he asks, as we reach
the gardens and I drop like a stone to my knees.

“Nothing,” I say. I am on all fours, panting and sweating,
and I realize that I also now have an audience. Someone must have seen or
sensed us from the house and everyone came running. I grimace, as does
Sebastian. We share a look and he knows he is so busted. “Don’t say anything
until I get back,” I whisper. “Just say you found me in the woods.”

He looks stricken, but nods. It is futile though. We will
have to come clean, as I know my boys and they are neither stupid, nor the type
to give up on a suspicion.

“Liv?” Cole says as he reaches my side and kneels next to
me, brushing my damp hair back, and running his hands down my Faerie-marked
arms with a frown. “What’s happening?”

“Shift,” I get out before the fourth one snaps. They are
going quicker now and I can feel V.A. simmering under the surface, ready to
burst out and cause some damage. “Get out of here, all of you.”

Sebastian grabs Cole and pulls him away protesting. “Her
Dragon is coming out and isn’t happy about being in the Fae Kingdoms,” he
murmurs. “We would be wise to evacuate.”

“Wait, Liv, are you going to be okay?” Cole calls to me as
he struggles against Sebastian.

I don’t answer as I am incapable, but also because everyone
looks up at the sky as a massive tear rips it open and a portal appears about a
hundred feet across. Even I gape at it, as it is well above the shadow cover,
and I know what’s going to happen next. As soon as I set eyes on my mother, in
Dragon form, the final band breaks and I Shift in an instant with a thunderous
roar and a stream of fire. It hurt like Hell as I changed shape so quickly, but
as soon as I flap my wings, the pain is gone and I’m off, flying towards my
mother and her two Blue companions, leaving everyone else behind staring into
space. The portal closes behind me and I fall in next to my mother. “Go with
To’kah,” She says to me telepathically and veers off in the opposite direction,
with the bigger Blue behind her.

I look at To’kah. “Follow me,” he says and nothing else
until I see a massive landing pad. We are in the Underworld, that I know, but
in a section it seems made for Dragons. There are cliffs and caves and canyons
and every so often, one of these big flat, open spaces to land on. To’kah lands
and Shifts to his human form and I do the same. I stare at him as he is
something else to look at. Standing in just a pair of black jeans, he is around
six-foot-five, with long black hair to his waist. He has stacked abs to die
for, markings over most of his chest and arms, his skin in swarthy, he looks
Asian, and his dark eyes are gazing at me in my jeans and long-sleeved top, as
brazenly as I am gazing at him.

“Pretty,” he says with a smile. “Not at all like your
mother, though. Curious.”

“Indeed,” I remark. “Not so bad yourself there, Finn.”

He chuckles and steps closer. “I have been trying to contact
you. No one would tell me where you were.”

“I know, I found out a few days ago, but then everything
went to Hell and back. Why were you looking for me?” I ask.

“Your mother wished it,” he says, as if it is obvious. “Want
to tell me what happened back there?”

Uh, no. I blink at him and remain silent.

“I know your Powers were bound and by whom, as does your
mother. She will deal with you in a moment. I would like to listen if you want
to talk.”

“What do you mean, She will deal with me? It wasn’t my fault
what happened. I will not be punished for something that was out of my
control,” I say vehemently, stepping closer to him in my anger.

He puts his hands up and says, “Calm down, that isn’t what I
meant. You will see shortly. We are going to be quite close soon. I want you to
be able to trust me.”

“In what sense?” I ask carefully, as I have no intention of
getting “close” with anyone, let alone him.

“I am to be your Guardian,” he says.

“My what now?” I ask, my confusion stepping on my caution.

“Your Guardian,” he says again, but it still offers up no
explanation as to what a Guardian is. “I will be your balance,” he adds, as he
sees I have no idea what he is talking about.

“My balance for what?” I ask.

“Your Powers,” Finn says. “Come, we should go to Tiamat, She
will be ready for you now.”

I really don’t like the sound of this, but let him take my
hand and Astral us into a gigantic cave that is lit only by the massive fire
pit in the center. The shadows flicker ominously and I feel a slight sense of
dread.

Tiamat steps out of the shadows, dressed in Her usual
attire, Her long hair curled up on top of Her head. “
ValamAtrux
,” She
says, with a regal nod.