Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7) (18 page)

“Sure.”

We circle around and see that three cars are parked up in a
haphazard manner, signifying the return of the errand runners and Cade and
Nico.

Lincoln disappears to get a drink, while I take the stairs
two at a time to my bedroom. I am desperate for a bath after the Shift and the
roll around the woodland floor. I find Cole waiting for me, bath already run
with a drink in his hand and a surly expression on his face. “Have fun?” he
asks nastily as he shoves the drink at me, slopping it all over my hand.

“Cole? What’s wrong? You told me to go to him,” I say
calmly, putting the drink down and wiping my hand on a towel.

“Yes, in private, while I was out. Not to be cavorting
around on the terrace with his mouth all over you while everyone watches.”

“Err, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that everyone was
watching. It was only a few kisses.”

“Only a few kisses?” he repeats. “Only a few kisses? Well
that makes it all right then, doesn’t it?”

“Cole,” I say, holding onto my patience at his attitude. “We
were in the woods. He had to get out and run. We walked back and he kissed me
in what we thought was still a private moment. I can’t help it if you all were
gawking at us from inside the house. What has got you really pissed? Errand not
go well?” I ask.

“That was fine. I just did not expect to find my wife on
display to all and sundry when I got home.”

“I have already apologized. I will take better care next
time. Make sure that there is no one watching,” I say, unable to keep the tinge
of sarcasm out of my voice.

“Get in the bath, clean yourself up, and then get
downstairs,” he orders me and I do a double take, as I am sure that was just CK
speaking to me through Cole. “Act dutiful and wifely and put that dress back
on. You look demure and pretty in it.” And he stomps off, leaving me gawking at
him in disbelief. Fuck me if I haven’t just been told. Had it not been for the
fact that I am his sire and his Queen and he should be beat down for his
insubordination, I would have gone over all mushy. I wonder what the real
problem is that bit him on the bum, as I know it can’t be the Lincoln thing.
Although, in fairness, I suppose it was a bit intimate, but not my fault
everyone was watching us. I climb into the fragrant bath--too fragrant
bath--and I choke on the overpowering fumes of lavender and something else he
seems to have thrown in that doesn’t go. Regardless, I sink under the water and
hover for a few minutes and then surface and run my hands through my hair.
Finding a couple of twigs and a leaf or two, I understand a bit better about
him snapping at me to clean up. I must have looked a fright. Losing a bit of my
temper at him, I climb out of the bath and sort myself into a decent state,
leaving my hair down and softly curled as he likes it and pull the dress back
on. I remain barefoot, and spritz myself with his favorite perfume, J’Adore by
Dior. Never hurts to be amenable.

I head back downstairs and find everyone in the billiards
room. There is a slight pause as I enter but at my narrowed eyes the conversation
returns, and avoiding catching Lincoln’s eye, I make my way to Cole and wrap my
arms around him and he bends down to kiss me, holding onto me tightly as he
resumes his conversation with Devon. Still in a strop, then. Great. I sigh and
untangle myself from him and get myself a drink as no one else is going to do
it and plop down on the sofa next to Jess.

“Hey,” she says.

“Hey.”

“You okay?”

“Fine. Tired. You?”

“Good.”

I nod and turn to her, “How are you really doing now?”

“I’m really good,” she says, her eyes sparkling. “It helps
to be able to feed on humans.”

“I’m sorry that we didn’t manage to spend any time together
this last week. As usual things went a little crazy.” I pull my face and she
laughs.

“Don’t worry about it. There is something I have been
meaning to tell you but can we go and speak in private?”

“Sure, what’s it about?”

“A work thing,” she says vaguely.

I stand and go back to Cole, murmuring that I am going to
speak to Jess in the other room. He nods and kisses me and watches me go, presumably
to make sure that I go with Jess and not someone else. So I was trying to be
understanding at first, but now I am getting pissed off.

We go into the library, close the door, and I say, “What’s
up?”

“I wanted to tell you on the jet but wasn’t sure who would
be listening. Jenn contacted me a few days ago.” At my quizzical look she adds,
“Scott’s new assistant. She said that there has been several phone calls and a
couple of visits to the offices by someone looking for you. He seems very
insistent and has been asking where he can contact you.”

“Who is it?” I ask, less worried, more intrigued.

“Some guy called Finn. Do you know him?”

“Ah, yes. Sort of. A new acquaintance.”

“Acquaintance?” she asks with a raised brow and I purse my
lips at her.

“I have met him once, in The Underworld. A few hundred feet
off the ground.”

She stares at me as she takes that in. She flaps her hands
like wings and says loudly, “Another Dragon?”

“Hush,” I say to her. “I don’t want the others to know just
yet. They will get all freaky and possessive and there is enough of that going
around lately.”

She nods her agreement. “Yes, I see your point. Another
Dragon sniffing around will most definitely send them all into a tizz.”

“Thank you. I will tell eventually, but until then, this stays
between us.”

“Of course,” she says. “So what does he look like?”

“As a person, I have no idea. As a Dragon he is a Blue
Dragon, bigger than me, and very pretty.”

“Blue Dragon. Where is that on the hierarchical scale?”

My turn to raise my brows and she shrugs, “Devon has been
coaching me on all things Paranormal.”

“Good. Well he is the next tier down from me.”

“Interesting.” She nods, taking that in. “Oh, speaking of
Devon, here. He has asked that you look at and sign these.” She pushes some
papers towards me.

“What are they?”

“This is my contract, and these are the signatory forms.”

“Oh, well these I can sign now,” which I do and hand them
back to her. “The contract I want to look at.”

“Sure,” she says. “Oh and also,” she adds excitedly now, “by
the time we get to Paris next week,
Château Cassis
will be all yours.”

I grin at her and jump up and down as CK chuckles from the
doorway. “Glad to see you are so excited. I can’t wait to see the old place
myself,” he says.

“You are going with her to see it?” Cole asks not so
pleasantly from behind him.

He turns and says, “Of course. It was our first home
together.” He has a wicked air about him tonight, and although he seems more
relaxed, he is playful. I love playful CK, but why the sudden change?

“You said you didn’t think of it as your home,” Cole snaps
at him, still in a mood.

“Only when Aefre was there. She made it a home,” he answers
as he sidles closer to me.

“Shall we go back to the others?” I ask brightly, trying to
prevent yet another fight, as I take Cole’s hand in mine and lead him out. He
is pleased that I have chosen him, and his good nature returns as we sit on the
sofa and pick up my discarded drink. He pulls me onto his lap to make room for
Devon and Jess and I cuddle him, putting my head on his shoulder. He leans his
cheek against my forehead and we are happy again.

The rest of the night goes by in a happy, relaxed bubble.
There is no more tension between anybody and we are all chilled and relaxed.
That has to be a first, I think as I stifle a yawn.

“Tired, my love?” Cole whispers to me.

I nod. “I’m going to go to bed. You can stay up a bit longer
if you like. It’s still early,” I say, it being only midnight.

“I will come up with you. Just give me ten minutes, you go
on ahead.”

I wish everyone good night and Astral upstairs, not being
bothered to walk up. I pull the dress over my head and put on a long satin navy
nightgown for modesty’s sake and walk over to leave the door open. Lincoln may
have had some Alpha time earlier but he is still going to need to be close. I
climb into bed and I am asleep before Cole comes up. I hear him sigh briefly
before I drift back off.

Chapter 10

I awake around 4 AM to dead silence. Seems the whole house
has crashed now and I am wide awake. Sounds about right.

I take this opportunity to sneak off to see CK. It is bad of
me, especially after the way Cole reacted to the terrace thing yesterday, but a
girl needs her sire and it feels like years since I was in his bed.

I creep out of bed and down the corridor to the room that CK
said he was going to occupy. I wonder briefly if he did end up staying or going
back home, but I sense him as I open the door and close it quietly, locking it,
which is kind of useless, but still.

I climb onto the bed and watch him sleep. The sheet barely
covering his naked body, I am itching to touch him. He truly is the finest
specimen the gods ever created. I trail a long, ebony nail down his pale chest
and he smiles. “I wondered how long it would take for you to touch me. That was
too long,” he says.

“Sorry to wake you,” I whisper.

“Don’t be. I was dreaming of you and now here you are.”

“What were you dreaming?” I ask, lowering my hand under the
thin sheet and stroking his silky smooth shaft that stirs under my hand
instantly.

“This,” he says, eyes still closed. “You must have read my
mind.”

“That is your trick, my love. Maybe I was dreaming of this
and you read my mind.”

He chuckles, then gasps as I take his balls in my hand and
move my mouth over him. “Oh Aefre, I want you to see to me, like you haven’t
done in a while.”

“You want me to do all the work?” I ask, coming up for air.
“I thought you wanted me completely at your mercy?”

“I do, next time. This time, I want to be at yours.”

Oh my, I do like to hear those words. I start my arduous
torture of him bringing him to a quick climax in my mouth as he cries out
softly.

“Fuck, yes,” he says as I come up to kiss him. “More,” he
rasps as I run my tongue around his lips and all the way down his neck, pausing
briefly to nip him with my regular teeth, which sends him wild with lust.

“Do you want me to fuck you?” I ask as I kiss him all the
way down his chest.

“Yes,” he breathes. “Right now. I need to feel you tight and
wet, sliding over me.”

I crawl onto him, pulling the nightgown up over my hips. He
slides it the rest of the way up my body and throws it on the floor. “I want to
see you, all of you,” he says before he dives onto my nipples, sucking each in
turn before I push him back to the bed and slip him inside me.

He groans as he feels how much I want him and I move up and
down slowly, the only sound the slurping of our desire. I steady myself with my
hands on his chest and he puts his over mine and closes his eyes in bliss. “I
love you,” he murmurs, a faint smile touching his blood red lips. His blood red
lips that have me mesmerized. A darker red than of late and it feels like a
bucket of cold water has been thrown on me. I stop dead and his eyes fly open
at the sudden brakes on his pleasure.

“He is a killer,” is the only thought that flashes through
my mind, followed shortly by: “We all are.”

My brain scrambles, and every single piece locks into place
like a super-glued jigsaw. His unnatural calm, especially after his edginess of
the last few weeks. His languorous attitude, letting me take control of him and
his playfulness last night. My mind flicks to Devon. The argument on the
driveway yesterday and then his return to top form last night. My witty,
clever, smart arse boy that has been so serious and introvert of late. Cole…his
excitement over the “errand” he had to run, his request that I go to Lincoln,
now a clear tactic for distraction and his unusually terse attitude when he
came home, which was layering a thin film of anxiety and tension, and finally
Sebastian…fun-loving, easy to please, relaxed and content instead of brooding
and serious since the last week’s events, it all makes sense: they went
Hunting. The four of them cut me out of the decision to take Cole out Hunting.
They all fed and killed. The horror fills me up and CK can see it in my eyes
now and shakes his head, gripping my hips to stop me from climbing off him.
“Aefre,” he says. “Don’t blow this out of proportion.”

I remove his hands from me and scrabble off the bed, holding
a hand up to stop him from following me. I grab my nightgown and hold it up to
me like some sort of defense against him.

“Don’t be like that,” he says to me, his voice dark and low.
“You know it was the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do? It couldn’t have been the more wrong
thing to do.” My voice wavers as I hold back the tears. I turn my back and pull
the nightgown over my head, edging towards the door.

“Aefre,” he says. “Don’t overreact.” He stealthily climbs
out of bed and pulls on a pair of sweats, approaching me cautiously as he would
a dangerous predator. Only I am not the dangerous one. He is. “We can explain.
Just let us explain,” he says, holding his hand up.

“I will be in the library,” I say with as much strength as I
can muster. “Get your band of brothers and meet me in there in five minutes.” I
turn from him to open the door and then look back. “And you had damn well
better have a fucking good reason,” I add and march out of the room and
downstairs, quickly changing into something a little less revealing. I can’t
very well have a confrontation with four well-fed Vampires in a satin nightie.

Exactly five minutes later, they all troop in, in various
states of undress and I am glad to be the only one with the ability to change
with the click of my fingers.