Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7) (4 page)

2277. Now, that is bizarre as mine is 2233.  I wonder what
that means to her?

“I am fine. Just tired. Please sit.”

She does but stays silent as she glares at me to start
talking. Oh, she is her father’s daughter all right. She is the spitting image
of him and has his features and expressions and it makes me smile. CK would
adore her.

She smiles hesitantly back and I start, “Cassis. I know we
have had this argument over,” I gulp, “Lance. But I am just trying to look out
for you.”

She purses her lips. “You don’t have to, Mother. He is
wonderful. Perfect. We are in love and we are getting married. End of story.”

I go slightly nauseous at her words. This is all so…I
shudder. “Okay,” I say to her surprise. I will get on her good side as I want
to talk to her and get to know her. I will go and check Lance for myself. “I am
only trying to protect you, but if you think he is what you want then, fine.”

She takes this with suspicion but I can see a part of her
wants to believe it.

I know I am probably about to ruin this though with my next words
but I just have to know. “He treats you well?” I ask slowly. “He doesn’t make
you do anything…that you aren’t…erm, comfortable with…in the bedroom?”

She flushes and says, “Mother! That is none of your
concern.”

I press on though, “He doesn’t hurt you in any way?”

“He treats me like a Queen. We are perfectly compatible,”
she says. “I do not wish to discuss this further.”

Well I don’t blame her, can’t say that I am all that
comfortable with this, but I just have to know she is safe. I will go and find
Lance soon and make sure he knows that I am watching him. Well, for as long as
I am here at any rate.

“Very well,” I say then just as formally as she does. “We
are okay now?”

She sighs, “Yes, Mother, we are okay.” She smiles and stands
to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and I feel the bond she has with her.

Constantine then pops his head in and asks, “Everything
okay?”

He was clearly hovering, expecting a smack down or
something.

“Yes. Fine,” she says. “I should go. I have a lot of work to
do. Do rest up, Mother, I need you back on the job soon,” she adds with a smile
and leaves us alone.

“Take me for a walk,” I say to him.

“You want to go for a walk?” he asks, surprised.

I nod and he eagerly accepts, Teleporting us straight
outside and onto the castle grounds.

I cringe as we land in the sun, having forgotten that I am
not wearing any Faerie Silver protection and, expecting my arse to fry, I step
hastily back into the shadows. He peers at me curiously and takes my hand,
pulling me back onto the sunny path. Is he trying to kill me? But I don’t start
to burn. I was sure that the Faerie Silver wedding ring wasn’t one endowed with
the powers of protection because he said, in my time, it wasn’t; but maybe I’m
wrong? I squint and summon up a pair of Ray-Bans as it is bright out today and
my eyes relax behind the black lenses. As an afterthought I give him a pair
too, which he takes with a small smile of thanks.

“I want a proper holiday,” I say to him as he takes my arm
in his and we start walking.

“Aefre, I didn’t think you even knew what a proper holiday
was,” he says dryly. “You haven’t even had a day off in centuries never mind
gone anywhere to relax.”

Centuries? Yikes, woman, can you say workaholic?

“Well, maybe it is time. I want to go to Miami.” Makes sense
that Cole would be there if he got the same film role. I will have to Google
him now that I have internet access and check for certain.

“Miami?” he asks in horror. “Why ever there?”

“For a change, Constantine. Don’t you feel like we are in a
rut?” Christ, I’ve only been here two days and can see this is the biggest rut
anyone has ever been in. As in Grand Canyon-sized.

“Err, well I suppose so,” he frowns. “Things haven’t been
the best of late to be sure,” he adds hesitantly. “There is something I wish to
discuss with you though, now that you seem to be a bit more amenable to
adventure.”

Oh? Don’t like the sound of this.

He leads me to a stone bench and sits me down. He takes my
hand. “You need to think again about going to Court, my love,” he says. “Drake
is getting impatient and you know that isn’t going to bode well, for anyone.
Especially you.”

Well this is a subject I had hoped wouldn’t come up. “I will
think about it later. I don’t want to think about it now,” I say firmly, hoping
that will deter him. No such luck.

“You can’t put it off much longer. You and Sebastian have to
take your rightful places soon. It should have already happened by now.”

Me and Sebastian. I sigh. This is all just too weird. And
unfortunately I can see that at some point this is exactly what is going to
happen to me. The real me. If I ever get back home.

“I’m sorry, my love. I don’t mean to upset you. We will talk
no more of this today,” he says.

I nod, pleased with that. We resume our walk in silence and
I am getting more and more worried that the other me isn’t going to switch us
back. There again, maybe she can get rid of The Thirteen for me while she is
there. Not that it makes much difference to me if I never get to go home. Oh
Devon. What am I going to do without you? Tears prick my eyes and I am thankful
I summoned up the Ray-Bans so he can’t see my tears.

“There is something else we should discuss,” he clears his
throat and I turn back to him, as he hands me a red rose from the garden.

“What is that?” I ask but never get to find out as Sebastian
joins us and Constantine clams up. Sebastian takes my hand in his and we
continue to walk. This is just plain old awkward. They all have this very
intimate connection, but I am not a part of it.

“I am feeling tired,” I say as the silence reaches
uncomfortable. “Please can we return?” I ask Constantine.

“Of course,” he says and Teleports us straight back to the
bedroom. I have a funny feeling he doesn’t want me roaming through the castle.
Even with him by my side. He must think I am about to go rogue on him again and
start throwing myself at the security team and shrieking about Devon and Cole.

“I just want a long bath and then to go back to bed,” I say
as Constantine asks me what I want.

He looks overly concerned but does as I ask and soon I am up
to my ears in fragrant bubbles. Alone. Thankfully. I am going to have to knock
all this sexual activity on the head. These aren’t my people in spite of the
bonds I feel with them. I close my eyes and wish myself home but I am
unsurprised when I open my eyes and am still in her body. It’s up to you,
Empress Aefre. Please switch us back. Please, please, please. I need to get
home to my boys.

Constantine pulls me out of the bath some time later. I had
fallen asleep, no surprise there – well to me at least. These two hovering
beasts are quite concerned with my inability to stay awake any longer than a
few hours at a time. Clearly E.A. (Empress Aefre) has a better handle on her
exhaustion. Even more reason for her to want my life, my very chilled-out, relaxed
– except for when The Thirteen decides to torment me – life.

Ramon is bid and I feed hungrily. This bit I could get used
to: regular feeds that are at set times every day regardless. And by
regardless, yes, I do mean that in the middle of the sex session yesterday I
was instructed to pause and feed. It would have been amusing if it hadn’t been
so embarrassing caught as I was with my…err…well, we won’t go there…

Unfortunately my resolution doesn’t last very long when once
I am settled in bed, Sebastian kisses me and I lose all reason especially when
Constantine puts his hands on me as well. Oh dear. This really isn’t good. Well
actually it is really, really good but, you know what I mean. Just when I
thought I couldn’t go another round, I am coaxed into it until I am absolutely
spent. Christ, forget these two, E.A. must have the stamina of ten thousand
women if they expect this of her every night.

Once again, I find us all sharing the bed as I snuggle into
her sire with Sebastian at my back tracing small blazing circles on my thigh as
I fall asleep in their arms.

Chapter 3

“Liv, sweetie. Wake up.” I hear Cole. Oh, I must be
dreaming. Cole isn’t here in this world. Or at least not with me. “Liv. Please,
baby. Wake up,” he says now a bit desperately.

I frown and open my eyes and stare straight into the worried
deep blue eyes of my husband. My actual thank-fuck-for-that husband. She did
it! She switched us back!

“Cole!” I sit up and pull him to me in a death grip, kissing
him.

“Christ, Lizzie. You had us worried there for a minute,”
Devon says and I pull away from Cole and stare at him.

“Oh Dev.” I launch myself at him hovering near the end of
the bed, tripping over the long satin nightgown I am wearing and falling into
his arms, I crush him to me. “I never thought I would see you again,” I say,
the tears flowing down my face as I kiss him on his startled self. “I thought I
had lost you.”

“Erm, Lizzie. Are you okay? What are you talking about? You
will never lose me,” he says softly, taking my face in his hands and wiping my
tears away.

“I…err…you didn’t know? She didn’t say?” I ask hesitantly.

“Who say, what?” Devon asks.

“I knew,” Constantine says quietly. “I knew it wasn’t you.”

“What do you mean, wasn’t you?” Devon says and Cole repeats.

“Oh,” I say as I see the horror on their faces. “You didn’t
know.” I sit back and feel incredibly sorry for myself even though I have been
a terribly bad girl myself. “You didn’t know.”

“I knew,” CK says again loudly. “I knew it wasn’t you and
confronted her. She was the ‘you’ from the Other world when I made…”

“… me Queen,” I say. ”You knew?” I ask him.

“Of course,” he says smugly. “I know you, Aefre, and she
definitely was not you.”

“Oh. You didn’t think to mention it to anyone else?” I say
but then without waiting for an answer I continue, “Seems you are the only one
out of the whole lot who knew.”

“He didn’t know?” he asks with a frown.

“No, I think he thought I had gone mad. How did you not know
it wasn’t me?” I yell at Cole who looks mortified.

“I knew something was different, but I felt our bond. I felt
it as strong as it is now. How long have you not been you?”

“Since Monday,” I say, eyes going to Sebastian lounging in
the doorway and his face drops as he listens and straightens up. Oh crap. She
did. She slept with him. The stupid, stupid, bitch.

“Since Monday?” he croaks and I nod, my heart full of sorrow
for him.

“Monday?” Cole says. “Oh, no, no,” he says, shaking his
head.

I sigh. “You slept with her,” I say in front of everyone and
I don’t really give a damn.

“I…oh…I… Liv…” he stammers desperately.

“Forget it, I know she felt a bond with you like you did
with her,” I say despondently. “I felt it over there. We switched bodies but it
seems our bodies are the source of our connections.” I curl my knees up to my
chest. I was bad, bad, bad, but his betrayal hurts me anyway. Such a hypocrite,
I know.

Everyone is deathly silent and Sebastian is staring at me
like he wants to throttle me.

“Please, can I have some time alone with Cole and Devon?” I
ask. “I need my boys. You weren’t there,” I say desperately. “You weren’t there
and it nearly killed me.”

CK and Sebastian see my tears and back away, leaving me
alone with Cole and Devon. I see CK take Sebastian forcefully by the arm and
Teleport them, to wherever. Oh, I can only imagine how hurt he is. Stupid,
stupid woman. At least I only engaged with those she was already doing. And
that makes me feel even worse because I shouldn’t have done it anyway.

“Liv,” Cole starts carefully. “I am sorry, I didn’t know. I
knew you weren’t acting yourself but I thought with the whole dreams thing and
The Thirteen…”

“It’s okay,” I say as Devon starts to say the same.

“Christ, I didn’t know,” he says. “How could I not know?
Lizzie, I knew as well something was off but our bond was just as it should be.
I didn’t even think for a second it wasn’t you.”

“Don’t apologize,” I say, feeling awful. Can I tell them
that I was also gadding about? It is even worse because I knew what I was
doing. They clearly didn’t.

“I need you,” I say to them. “Both of you. I thought I had
lost you. You weren’t there. She never turned you.”

“What?” Devon says, now fully taking this information in.
“We weren’t there? I wasn’t there?”

I shake my head, “No. She…I don’t think she had any charges.
Her turning in 1012 must have prevented her from being in England in 1506.”

“You mean Constantine prevented you from being in England in
1506,” he says bitterly.

“
Her
,” I say forcefully and he blinks at me.

“Of course. Sorry.”

“Speaking of Constantine, how could he not tell us if he
knew?” Cole asks and then he has a Eureka moment and answers his own question,
“Because he knew you would find out that I slept with her.” He sits heavily on
the bed next to me and takes my hand, “Liv…I…”

“Don’t. Just don’t, okay? Please just hold me. I don’t want
to go back to that place. It was… well, not as bad as the other place, but it
was intense. Shit.”

“How do you mean?”

“Her life is crazy. She has a bat-shit crazy life. I don’t
want that,” I say, snuggling into Cole as he crushes me to him.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Devon says, still despondent.

“No, don’t go,” I say. “Please.” I reach out and take his
hand. He sits and the three of us get lost in our own thoughts for a few
minutes.

“You still could have found Cole,” Devon says. “But it was
too late for me. Fuck.” He drops his face into his hands. “I am finding this
very difficult to accept.”