The Power of One (The Forever series Book Two) (10 page)

A fleeting look of fear goes across her face as she realizes
it’s now two against one, she backs down. “It can wait,” she mutters as she
stands. “I will come and find you later,” she says coquettishly and swishes out
of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“I really hate her, you know,” I say tellingly.

CK glances at me in puzzlement before he says, “I don’t
think anyone actually
likes
her. Except James.” He says the name with a
sneer.

I raise my eyebrow at his lack of a response. One day I’m
just going to have to spell it out for him that I know.

“Enough about her. More about you,” he says with a wicked
glint in his eye.

Mm, playful CK is my favorite.

“Now that I finally have you to myself, what am I going to
do with you?” he asks seductively.

My heart races and my lips part as I lick them. “I believe
you owe me a new and creative form of punishment,” I breathe, referring to my
impudence in Monte Carlo over the phone calls.

His eyes narrow as he remembers. “I have not forgotten that,
my sweet, but that is for another time, when we have more of it,” he whispers
and I catch my breath.

“Right now, all I can think of is getting you into my bed
and fucking you senseless.”

Holy Crap! My heart thuds.

“Let’s go then,” I murmur.

Pulling me up, he leads me to the elevator, cursing the
Teleporting ban. Once back in the reception I throw my visitor's badge to
Giulia with a quick wave as CK blinks us out of there in a flash.

Half expecting to be in his bedroom at the castle after our
conversation a few weeks ago, I am disappointed to find myself in the
penthouse. He doesn’t give me much time to dwell on it though as he swoops in,
devouring me. All other thoughts are lost as I kiss him back, my hands working
to remove his jacket, tie, and shirt, and his work to unzip my dress and push
it down.

“Too long,” he mutters to me in between kisses. “I have
waited too long for this.” He reprimands me, but I have to agree. I have seen
him more over the last couple of weeks than I have in a really, really long
time. Yet we haven’t been together like this since the incident in my office at
home.

Dropping his fangs he nips at me, teasing me until he clamps
down on my jugular with a vicious snap. He growls in pleasure as I grab him,
pushing him to bite harder. Taking his fill he releases me, “You taste
different,” he mumbles, “Stronger, sweeter.” I start in surprise but think no
more of it as he thrusts his tongue into my mouth, his hand moving to my
breasts. Walking us back to his bed, he turns me around, squeezing my nipples
roughly. He then pushes me forward so my hands are on the edge of the bed. A
couple of seconds later he is naked behind me, hands leaving blazing trails as
he moves his fingers ever closer to my aching clit. Pushing down at the same
time he enters me from behind I gasp and my fingers bunch into the throw on his
bed.

“I love that you are ready for me, with no work,” he rasps,
pulling on my hip with one hand while his other entices a clitoral orgasm from
me. I cry out as he pounds into me, feeling me throbbing against him.

“Oh Aefre,” he groans. Pulling out of me he turns me and
kisses me roughly. I am itching to dominate, being so used to the role, but
here with him, I do as he tells me. Sinking us to the bed he scoots us up to
the middle, never breaking our kiss. Pinning my hands to the bed on either side
of my head, my sire self squirms in protest but my charge side wins out at his
look, and I still. He tenses suddenly as his fingers brush over my rings on my
left hand. His eyes flick to them and harden, having clearly forgotten they
were there and why.

Not wanting him to stop, I lift my head up and kiss him
squarely on the mouth, drawing his attention back to my face. “Show me how much
you want me,” I whisper and he growls at my intentional use of assertive words.

“It is you who should show me how much you want me.”

A feral smile crosses my face, “Gladly, my lord.” He relaxes
as I roll us over and proceed to show him exactly how much I want him. Kissing
him, licking him, nipping at him, trailing my hands and tongue all over his
perfect body. I am in heaven. Pleasing him is my only mission and I do it. I do
it well.

As I pull him up and wrap my legs around him he obligingly
tilts his head in invitation. Fangs dropping I bite him roughly, feeling the
immense power of his blood. He tastes so delicious. I release him as he pushes
himself inside me, unable to wait any longer. I ride him, revelling in the feel
of him inside me, under me, his arms wrapped around me. His tongue working
against my own, his lips crushed to mine. I can’t hold on and I come suddenly
and ferociously. Draining away all of my tension, all of my concern, all the
raging. An inky black vortex spirals up around us and my back flashes in a
white-hot pain. A vision of Corinne flitters through my mind. Standing next to
her is a very tall man of Middle Eastern descent. “Aefre,” he says clearly in
the deep gravelly voice from my dreams. I jolt back to reality when I hear CK’s
voice saying my name as he comes inside me. “Oh Aefre. Christ I have missed you
in my bed,” he whispers.

“I have missed you too,” I whisper back.

“That was… different. You have such power now, my love. I
have never felt anything like it,” he murmurs in amazement.

Astonished to have amazed my 2759-year-old sire, I stare at
him, speechless. He smiles softly, “What did you see?”

Perceptive as usual.

“Err, it was odd. A cave, I think. Corinne was there with a
man. He said my name and I recognized his voice from my dreams.”

“But you didn’t recognize him?”

“No. I've never seen him before. I got the feeling though it
was a vision of the future. An event that is going to happen. Soon.”

He is looking at me with interest. “How do you feel?” he
asks.

“Better,” I smile lasciviously and he chuckles.

“I mean…”

I interrupt him, “I know what you mean. The Surge is calmer.
The Power was waiting for us to…” I wave my hand between us. He raises his
eyebrow.

“Oh really?”

“Yes, for whatever reason this vision was only going to come
while I was with you. Like somehow you are connected to it. It was getting impatient,”
I chuckle.

“Yes well it wasn’t the only one,” he says and I flush. “It
has been torture seeing you so much these past weeks but not being able to
touch you,” he says, voicing my thought from earlier.

“I know. Things are… difficult to navigate now.”

He snorts at my choice of words and I continue, “I won’t
wait next time. These last couple of weeks have made me realize I need to take
better care of my relationships. With both you and Devon. Especially as I have
Cole’s blessing.” He grunts at the mention of my two charges.

“And that’s another thing,” I add. “You need to start being
nicer to my boys.” I poke him on the shoulder for emphasis.

“Oh, do I now?” he says in a mock sarcastic tone, staring
pointedly at my finger poking him.

“Yes,” I say resolutely.

Bringing his beautiful amber-flecked dark eyes back to mine,
he says, “Anything for you, my sweet,” and kisses me soundly before I can
respond.

XXXXX

A short while later we are lying in a comfortable silence. I
am stretched out on top of him, perfectly happy, my head on his chest listening
to his heartbeat, while he smokes a cigarette. I didn’t realize that he still
smoked. Devon and I gave up about five years ago. It’s not an addiction as
Vampires don’t have addictions, well unless you count the blood of course, but
it is a habit we found hard to break but as it got harder to smoke in public we
eventually just knocked it on the head.

“Are you happy?” he asks with that knack for reading my
mind.

“Mm, very,” I murmur, tracing my finger down his side.

“I mean are you really happy Aefre? In general?”

Curious now, I ponder his question as I raise my head and
place my chin on my folded hands on his chest.

“Yes. Are you?” I answer.

He looks mildly bewildered that I would ask of his happiness
almost as if no one ever has. As always though, the shift is brief and his
usual features are back in place, making me wonder if I imagined it. I take the
cigarette from him and take a deep draw on it.  Fuck it. It’s not like it’s
going to kill me. He stares at me with a half-amused expression. “Thought you
quit,” he says nicely side-stepping my question.

I shrug. “Wasn’t aware you still indulged.”

“Every now and again,” he takes it back from me and stubs it
out. “Stay?”

“I can’t my love. I ‘smoked out’ of my work office. I need
to get back.”

He laughs, “’Smoked out’? I think we need to come up with a
better name than that.”

“Yes, well, you work on that and let me know what you come
up with,” I say sarcastically.

He grins, a happy sire now that he has had his wicked way
with me. I am happy too that I’ve spent some time with him alone. Guilt-free.
The Power is no longer a raging ball which is also an immense relief.

“Fine. Go. But one of these days I am going to want you in
my bed all night,” he orders and a thrill goes through me at the thought.

“Yes, sir,” I murmur before I kiss him.

Tearing myself away from him eventually, I stand to get
dressed.

“Oh before you go, I have something for you.” He leans over
to his bedside drawer and pulls out a black monogrammed ticket holder and hands
it to me.

Opening it I take in the contents and my eyes flick back to
his.

“They are here, at La Scala next week. I thought you might
be interested.”

I stare at him speechless, for once. He frowns at me and I
snap my thoughts back into gear.

“Fuck's sake, CK. This is… Thank you,” I say and fall on him
again, kissing him intently.

“There are four seats,” he says when I let him up for air.
“In my private box. That would be right, yes?”

I nod, “It’s perfect,” and he smiles, pleased at my
gratitude.

Standing again, I grip the tickets tight and grin at him.
“Goodbye, my love. I will see you in a few days.” He nods and I “smoke out”
back to my office, which was rather good of me considering I only had a place
and not a person to go on. Pleased as punch with my afternoon, I unlock the
door and sit down at my desk, gently placing down the precious cargo that
thankfully also made it there in one piece.

Lost in my thoughts I jump a mile when Devon walks in.
“Geez. Jumpy, much?” he asks.

I scowl at him, “What do you want?”

He raises an eyebrow at my tone. “I’ve been ringing you for
the past hour with no response,” he scowls back at me.

My phone! I left it on the desk when I decided to flit
across the pond.

Checking my brand new iPhone, I see fifteen missed calls and
ten text messages. Most from Devon, the rest from Cole. Wow, stalk much?

“I’m sorry Dev. I forgot to take it with me in the moment.”

He looks confused and says, “You always take your phone.
It’s like your ‘thing’. What moment?”

“I went to Milan to see CK,” I say and twirl my hand around
in the universal gesture of whatever it is I do and he gets my meaning.

“Oh, why?”

“Because you were right the other night. I do need to be
with him. Or did, at least. It’s good now. Everything is good.”

At my use of “good” and not “fine” Devon looks less worried.
“I see. How so?”

I tell him about the vision I had, leaving out the part
about how I came across it but telling him about the cave and the tall man
saying my name. I also tell him about my connection to The Council.

He’s listening with interest as he perches on my desk in
front of me. “So you’ve no idea who the man is?”

“No clue. Guess I will find out soon enough.” I drum my
fingers impatiently drawing Devon’s attention to what I am drumming on. Sensing
his look, I flatten my hand over the ticket holder.

“Hm…” he says, plucking it out from under my hand and
opening it.

“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” I say, pre-empting his
strike.

He holds his hands up, “I didn’t say anything. I am
surprised though. I thought you’d avoid it like the plague.”

“CK gave me the tickets. For the four of us next week at La
Scala.”

“Well, good. You need to go, it will be good for you.” At my
silence he carries on, “You could always go back to it at some point you know.”

I shake my head, “Life goes on. I’ve other things to
concentrate on now.”

He accepts that and places the tickets back on my desk.

“Ready to go home?”

“Yes, very much so. Let’s go,” I say, picking up my
briefcase and placing the tickets inside. I grab my phone and ring Cole to let
him know I’m okay and we’re on our way home.

XXXXX

I fill Cole in on the vision quest when we get home, again
leaving out the “how” part, but by the thunderous look on his face I think he
knows anyway.

“So I think I will learn more after the ceremony on
Wednesday,” I finish up, ignoring his look.

“Are we invited to watch this shindig or is it all secret
rituals and stuff?” Devon asks.

“Yes, you are invited. We’ll go straight from The Council to
La Scala,” I reply.

“La Scala?” Cole asks.

“Yes, we have tickets to see a performance there on
Wednesday night,” I say vaguely.

“Performance of what?” he asks curiously.

I sigh, “The Kirov Ballet is in town for one night. A
special performance of Swan Lake.”

Trusting Devon to help out and he points to me and says,
“Liv used to dance for the Kirov. Her final performance for the Imperial
Russian Ballet, was the 1895 production of Swan Lake.” He holds out his iPad to
Cole to show him the billing of me from the 1895 production of Swan Lake at the
Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.