Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7) (2 page)

“Next time it may be in your best interests to insist on a
shorter period. Or better yet to just go with him,” he says as he goes into the
bathroom to shower.

Okay fine, whatever. But you will be having this
conversation again with your actual wife when I figure out a way to get her
back to you, I think.

A soft knock draws my attention away from my predicament.
“Yes,” I call out.

It’s Serena. The same Serena I met, well obviously not the
exact same one.

“How do you feel ma’am?” she asks me too politely.

Really not loving this whole ma’am business.

“Fine. Thank you,” I say.

She looks relieved that I am not about to go hysterical on
her and she sits in the chair at, I assume, my desk. Her desk. Oh fuck this…our
desk.

She launches into her schedule changes and I zone out.
Really nothing to do with me. I will be out of here as quickly as possible. If
I could only get myself to switch back. Maybe I will have to wait until I am
asleep again as that is when it first happened? It’s a working theory.

Constantine strolls out of the bathroom all freshly
showered. His damp hair sticking up somewhat, and a towel slung low over his
hips.

Serena clears her throat and flushes as she looks away while
I just start to drool. My actual sire or not, he is still the sexiest man
alive. A girl can most definitely get used to staring at that every day. Lucky
bitch.

It strikes me as odd that he doesn’t seem too bothered to be
wandering around practically naked in front of the help, but there again I
don’t know what their set-up is. Maybe they are sleeping together. I narrow my
eyes at her and she cringes and flushes an even deeper red.

Oh really? I wonder if other me knows about this.

He disappears back into the bathroom to get dressed, at
least he has the tact for that, and reappears moments later suited up for his
business whatever.

He smiles softly at Serena then and she smiles softly back
and then he leans down to kiss me goodbye. A quick peck on the lips. Oh no
buddy. If other me doesn’t know about this, I sure as hell am going to give
this Serena something to think about, and I pull his head back to mine plunging
my tongue into his mouth to his surprise, but then he kisses me back with a
longing I find again, odd. I am hoping that other me isn’t going around kissing
my sire, or my husband or any other of my boys (Yeah, yeah…we have already
established that I am a big, fat hypocrite that lives in a glass house) as I
let him go with a big slurp to his bottom lip that lights a fire in his eyes.
He reluctantly straightens himself up and adjusts his cuffs. Seems to be a CK
thing to do that.

“I will see you later,” he murmurs.

“I love you,” I say to him as he turns away, wondering why
he didn’t say it to me first.

He turns back to me with a curious look. “I love you,” he
says lightly and leaves.

I glare Serena out of the room shortly after that and she
hastily beats it only to let someone else in on the way out. I thought I was
supposed to resting and pining up in here? The more time I spend on my own the
better. Less chance to fuck this up, and more time to figure out a way to get
back home.

I am mildly surprised to see Sebastian rush in and drop to
his knees at the bedside.

“My Princess,” he says grabbing my hand, causing a jolt to
go through me. “I have missed you.”

Princess? I thought I, err, “we,” were Empress?

“I have been gone too long this time. I will never leave you
for this long again. I feel like I am dying not being close to you.”

Erm, say what? Sebastian is the pinecone?

He stands and leans down to kiss me, shuffling me up the bed
as he does so, and Oh Holy Crap. An electric current shoots through me, causing
me to tingle and fizz all over every inch of my body, inside and out.

“Uuhh,” he mutters as he deepens the kiss and I cling to him
not really wanting this feeling to end. Her body is responding to him and I
just go with it. It’s not like I haven’t kissed my Sebastian before.

He pulls away. “I love you. I have missed you so much,” he
says with his hands on my face and he kisses me again practically causing me to
orgasm right there on the spot, just from a few kisses. Bloody hell fire. This
is some connection they have got going. I wonder what is the cause of it? He
pulls away again and looks down into my eyes and I bring my own hands up to his
face. I see then that the swirly patterns on my arms and hands are actually now
swirling away in twirly, hypnotizing circles. Wait, I am remembering
something…I think. That weird ass dream I had of CK and Sebastian in the hotel
suite in Toronto. Sebastian got off the sofa and his back was covered in
markings. Just like these ones on her arms. Only I thought I remembered his
were connected by leaves and these are connected by thorns. He sighs and lets
go of my face and sits down, pulling me back to his chest as he kicks his shoes
off. That is a bit overly familiar for my liking.

“You have caused quite the stir this morning,” he says with
a chuckle. “Are you feeling okay, Princess?”

“Yes, fine,” I say turning my head away from him. I don’t
particularly want to be snuggled up to him in this way. “Are you?” I ask
politely and he laughs.

“I am better now, my love. I told Aelfric that next time I
go, he doesn’t get to keep me as long. A month is too much to bear.”

Aelfric?

“Good,” I say as it is clearly something I am supposed to
say.

“Drake was at Court,” he carries on conversationally, like I
am supposed to know who that is.

“Oh?” I murmur. Drake…? Oh! As in King of the Dark Fae
Drake, as in my supposed father?

“Yes, he was there to ensure I got back here before noon. He
is not keen on waiting much longer,” he says. “Your father is the most
impatient man I think I have ever met. Next to my own, of course.”

So he
is
my father. Well this is actually turning out
to be quite interesting. At least educational if a little unnerving.

“Hm,” I say noncommittally.

Sebastian pulls me up and turns me to face him. “You don’t
seem to be very happy that I have returned this day. I thought you wanted this
as much as I do?” he asks, worried.

“I do,” I say as he clearly thinks that she does. “I’m
sorry, I am just tired.” This always works where I come from. Not so much here
though as he frowns at me.

“Aefre, we need to make love now, today. We cannot miss this
opportunity and then have to wait another six months. Our Kingdoms are waiting.
They are expecting this baby. It is of the utmost importance. You know that.”

Baby? Oh motherfucker…

Chapter 2

“Baby?” I croak and get a worried look in return.

“Aefre. You haven’t changed your mind have you?” he asks
desperately.

“Baby” keeps rattling around in my head and is bouncing off
“Aefre”. How come he calls me that here? Oh this is bad, so bad.

I shake my head as he looks terrified. “I am just a bit
disconcerted this morning,” I say by way of an explanation.

“Disconcerted?” he asks, relieved. “I don’t think I have
ever seen you anything but strong.” He tenderly brushes my hair away from my
face. “I like you this way,” he whispers before he kisses me again.

Oh, crap. I can’t be changing the way people look at her.
This is no good. I either have to come clean or act this out as she would. This
is still her body so any baby making will be her problem, not mine, after I get
back to my world. Besides, she is probably having it off with any one of my
boys right now in my body. Tit for tat, I think irrationally as I obviously
don’t know for sure what she is doing or if she is even there. I am just trying
to justify having sex with Sebastian, as holy cow he is doing things to me that
I have never felt before. His hands are leaving blazing trails all over me and
that cold, dark space in my soul that is being ripped at by this Thirteen
monster is finally getting warm and light again.

“Oh Sebastian,” I murmur as he pulls away to take his
clothes off. Wait, we are still on the bed she shares with her husband. This is
kind of weird but I forget all that when he kisses me again and pushes my robe
apart. He sucks on my nipples and I feel myself get wet in response to him.
Shit, I need to stop this. Right now. It is going to be hard to resist him when
I get home at this rate. He wasn’t kidding when he said how he could make me
feel. Oh no…what if she goes off and has sex with him in my body? What if I get
up the duff with the future Empress because of her? Shit, shit, shit. I hope
she stays away from him. But I know that she won’t because how can she? Not
when she has this with him.

Oh just stop thinking for five minutes and enjoy this, I
scold myself. And I do. Oh but I do enjoy it immensely. This fizzy, fiery Fae
connection thing aside, (as that has to be what it is) he is incredibly
skilled. His bite is sharp and sweet and makes me come as soon as his fangs
pierce my flesh and when I bite him as I move over him it sends him over the
edge and the taste of him is pure and delicious. His hands splayed on my back
are burning and I feel alive, perfect, and complete.

Fuck.

I push us back to the bed and kiss his chest and rest my
head there as our breathing slows.

“Oh Aefre,” he whispers. “You are amazing. I love you so
much. I wish that we could be together properly. I wish I could take you from
him. I would never hurt you like he does.”

Hm, interesting. Constantine said something before about her
being upset with him. I wonder what he did? It can’t be the Serena thing, not
when he knows about and approves of this thing she has with Sebastian. She
can’t be that petty, surely.

I have no response for him because I daren’t say the wrong
thing, and well, now that we have just done that, I can’t really tell him I am
not who he thinks I am. This is a disaster, so I just smile at him serenely and
kiss him to distract him. It works like a charm and soon he has me on my back,
pounding into me as if there is no tomorrow. He flops forward and kisses me and
then settles back into the pillows, pulling me to him, my back to his chest. We
lie in silence for a while and then he kisses me and makes love to me again and
I know that I should stop him but I just can’t. It is too late now anyway. I
must fall asleep eventually as I wake to the sound of voices. I stay where I am
though, pretending to still be sleeping as I may learn some things while they
talk. They being Constantine and Sebastian. Sebastian is still in the bed with
me, which I find unbelievably awkward and I surreptitiously pull the sheet a
bit higher over me to cover my naked breasts.

“How does she seem?” Constantine asks.

“She was a bit strange. Softer, different, hesitant even. I
am worried.”

“Don’t go for as long next time. I can’t have her going off
the rails because you aren’t here,” he says sternly.

“I won’t. I already told my father that I wouldn’t. If he
wants me at Court, it will just have to be for a couple of weeks at a time.”

“Was Drake there?”

“Unfortunately yes. He wants her there. He isn’t going to
wait much longer.”

“She doesn’t want to see him,” Constantine says shortly. “I
don’t blame her.”

“Hm, like it or not she is the Dark Fae Princess. At some
point she is going to have to go to the Court and learn.”

“I know,” he sighs. “But I won’t push her.”

“How are things now with you two?” Sebastian asks casually
and I prick my ears up.

“Not good. I really hurt her this time, but this morning she
seemed better, warmer. She kissed me properly and told me she loved me. I have
hope that she has forgiven me.”

“I am sure she has, but you know how she is. So ice cold and
protective of herself. Never lets anyone in, not even you or me. I don’t know
how you stand it sometimes.”

“I love her. You understand that,” he says somewhat
pointedly.

“That I do.”

“It’s going to be hard for me ‘Bastian. You know that don’t
you?” he says softly.

“I do,” Sebastian says just as softly. “If there was any
other way…” he sighs. “You had the bad luck of picking the two people in the
world, spaced out over nearly two thousand years, who actually do belong
together.”

“Bad luck? It’s the worst fucking luck. But I wouldn’t take
it back. I just want you to know that while I accept it, I will struggle to see
her that way, with you.”

“I know. Believe me, I do know.”

They both sigh and go silent. While this is quite
informative about their feelings, I am not exactly getting much else from it. I
could do with some crib notes. Oo, her phone. She must have one knocking about
here somewhere. If I can get my hands on it, maybe I will learn more about her.

“Speaking of…” Sebastian clears his throat. “How is Cassis?”

“Perfect,” Constantine says with pride. “The only dark cloud
is this fight she is having with Aefre.”

Now this is more like it…do go on.

“I don’t understand it either. I don’t see what she has against
Lance. He’s great and they are so perfect together.”

I draw in a sharp intake of breath, which I cover up with a
slight shuffle on the bed as I want them to keep speaking. Lance? My daughter
is hooking up with Lance? I feel like I am going to be sick. Why would
Constantine let his daughter be with that monster? Unless he isn’t a monster
here? They are talking about him like he is…normal. If I don’t like what I
hear, if they carry on talking about it, I will go and kill him again myself,
right now.

“I know. I couldn’t be happier, and I know Cassis is over
the moon with the upcoming wedding, but…I just don’t understand it. He is the
kindest, gentlest man I know. She must know that I would never have my daughter
anywhere near anyone who could hurt her.”

Kind? Gentle? Oh puh-leese. He must be fooling the lot of
you. Except other me. Sounds like she is onto him. Good girl.