The Power of One (The Forever series Book Two) (20 page)

Startled and baffled by his
threat I just nod. “Good,” he says and Teleports out.

“Well I guess that’s my cue
to beat it as well,” Devon says and cuddles me. “I am so proud of you my
beautiful Lizzie,” he whispers. “You have been through the shittest day and yet
you are still standing.” He kisses me on the forehead mindful of Cole and
whispers, “If you need me, I will be here.” And bidding Cole goodnight he
leaves us as well, albeit via the door.

“Come and sit,” Cole takes my
hand. “You look exhausted.”

“I am. Fuck, quite the day,
eh?” I say as he sits and I sit on his lap straddling him. He pushes my robe
apart and admires me. I bend to kiss him deeply and he tenses.

Pulling away he asks sadly,
“Are you sure you want to, after… what happened before?”

“Yes my love. I want to. I
should apologize for what you saw and heard. It wasn’t fair on you,” I say as I
stroke his face gently.

“You really loved him, didn’t
you?” he asks quietly.

“Enough to want to marry
him,” I say, simply rubbing my thumb over his bottom lip, eyes gazing intently
into his cloudy blue ones. His face relaxes as he gets my meaning and pulls me
to him in a bone crushing kiss, hands sliding up to push my robe off my
shoulders. My hands go up his chest, feeling him, his muscles rippling. He
pauses kissing me just long enough to take his t-shirt off and I drop my fangs
to feed from him, as my craving still hasn’t been fulfilled. He pulls my head
down and I bite hard and he moans in pleasure. I can feel him stirring against
me and it makes me bite him harder. Tearing myself away I snap my fangs back
before plunging my tongue into his mouth. He groans and pulls my backside
towards him, rubbing against him. He stands abruptly with me still in his arms
and carries me to the bedroom, dropping me not so gently to the bed. He gets
rid of the rest of his clothes and crawls over me. “Let me fuck you,” he pleads
as he trails kisses up the length of my body. “Please baby, let me fuck you.”
With only a slight reluctance I agree to his request and without further
hesitation he gets straight to the job at hand and shoves himself inside me
with a quick thrust. I cry out, “Harder!” needing a release. He pins me to the
bed by my hips and I wrap my legs around his waist pushing him further into me.
“Oh baby,” he moans into my mouth as he feels the rush of my desire coat him.
“Turn around,” he rasps. I quickly flip myself over and he kneels behind me and
pulls on my hips as he enters me. He hits the right spot first time and I gasp
in pleasure. “That’s it, baby. Right there,” I say, bunching my fingers into
the cover on the bed to stop myself from coming just yet. I want this to last
as long as possible.

“Baby, I’m close,” Cole
whispers but I don’t want to let him come, not yet. I pull away and he grunts
in frustration. I turn around and launch myself at him devouring his mouth with
mine. He pulls me to him, down onto him in a move I would normally object to,
grabbing my legs and wrapping them around him, he holds me in place. “You’re
not going to do that again,” he growls and I shiver at his assertiveness. He
knows I could take him if I wanted to but I let him have this one, knowing he
needs it after everything he witnessed with Fraser earlier. He needs to know he
is mine. He grabs my hips and pushes me further and further onto him and I
start to move. He grabs the back of my head in a handful of hair and forces my
mouth to his. “Mine,” he says after he kisses me roughly before dropping his
fangs and feeding from me viciously. I delight in his roughness and squirm on
his lap and he responds with a low feral growl deep in his throat. The
vibration goes through me, neck to toes and I come around him, slowly. It
builds up and goes on and on and then it happens again and I am in pure
ecstasy. Releasing me from his bite he whispers, “Mine,” again before he comes
in me. Pouring himself and his insecurities and doubts into me to accept and
cherish him forever.

XXXXX

We both crash
soon after. I have vivid dreams or Fraser, of Cole and disturbingly of Gregor.
I awake suddenly sweat dripping off me. The clock says 6 AM. I have only had an
hour’s sleep and I feel groggy. I know I am going to have to make this thing
with Gregor look authentic and it makes me shudder.

Despite my
reassurances to Devon earlier, I am concerned that he will be able to get away
from me. He is still quicker and stronger and I am certain that I will only get
one chance at this. I need him defenseless and unsuspecting of my true motives.
I am secretly glad that Constantine insists on being with me, at least if all
else fails he should be able to hold him down long enough for me to finish him.

XXXXX

I creep out of
bed and go in search of my robe that was discarded in the sitting room.
Thinking of CK’s penthouse I Astral out, boldly into his bedroom. He is
sleeping. Surprisingly he doesn’t wake as I move closer to him. Chest bare,
black silk sheets pulled low over his hips, I admire him. Christ, he is
beautiful. Even more so in his sleep as he is totally relaxed. It has been
centuries since I watched him sleep and I again feel that pang of what we used
to have. I sit gently on the bed itching to touch him.

“Like what you
see?” he murmurs, not opening his eyes.

I breathe in, in
surprise and giggle, “You know I do.”

“What are you
doing here, Aefre? You should still be in bed.”

“I am in bed,” I
point out and he chuckles.

“Come here,” he
says gruffly and pulls me to him.

I place my head
on his shoulder and trace light circles on his pale chest in stark contrast to
my black lacquered nails.

“I can’t remember
the last time I saw you sleep,” I comment.

“It’s been a
while, my love. Did you come to tell me you will be here next week? Alone.”

“I will be here.
Somehow I will be here,” I tell him and he smiles a smug grin. “Wasn’t sure if
I would find you in bed alone,” I add, innocently fishing.

His eyes pop open
then in surprise. “And what would you have done had you found me
in
flagrante
?” he asks curiously.

“Joined in,” I
say much to his delight. “Seriously, though. You know everything about me and
mine. I know nothing of yours.”

He looks at me
with interest, “You want to know?”

“Not really but
it’s a morbid kind of curiosity.”

“Can you not just
delve into that magick mind of yours to find out?” he queries.

I huff, “It
doesn’t work in that way.”

“What do you want
to know?” he asks, curious himself now where I am going with this.

I shrug. “Doesn’t matter,” I
say, losing my nerve and he lets it drop much to my disappointment. Needing to
know this one thing, though, I take a deep breath, “Why have you never asked
Devon into our bed?”

He looks surprised by the
question and ponders it awhile. “Did you want me to?” he finally says in
somewhat of an anticlimax.

“Yes, of course,” I say at
once.

“Hm, I suppose it’s different
seeing you with someone you aren’t connected to. I can handle that,” he says,
sounding unsure of himself and I am rattled by his tone. Even though my
suspicions are confirmed, I am not sure I want to pursue this line of
questioning after all so I remain silent.

“It would make you happy
wouldn’t it, Aefre, to have all of us in your bed,” he states, pushing it
further. “I saw it on your face in the bathroom last night.”

Of course he did. He can read
every micro expression on my face never mind the glaring obvious ones.

“It’s a moot point anyway,” I
shrug.

“Oh?”

“One of the rules,” I sigh
and he chuckles.

“Well no one said Cole had to
join in if Devon were to come to us one night,” he says.

I sit up suddenly. “What?” I
blurt out.

Enjoying the fact he caught
me off guard he grins salaciously. “Just a thought for you to ponder, my
sweet,” and he kisses me gently. “So what are you doing here? Not that I mind
of course.”

“I just wanted you to hold
me. Ahmed was right yesterday, I do need your strength to get me through this.
I need you.”

“I need you too, my love.”

I blink at him slowly, “I
should get back to Cole before he notices I’m gone.”

He sighs, “Okay, my sweet. I
will see you in a couple of hours.”

I climb off the bed and
prepare to leave but say one last thing for him to think about before I go, “I
will make sure I’m here next week, alone, if you take me where I want to go.”
And seeing the confused look on his face, I Astral back to the room I share
with my husband.

Cole is still sleeping when I
return, as I knew he would be. The man sleeps like the dead. I quickly shower and
dress and go in search of my other boy. Finding him not alone to my
un-amusement – yes I know, hypocrite – he still hastily gets rid of his
companion as I stand at his door observing with interest.

“That was quick work,” I say
innocently as I step into his room.

He shrugs. “What do you want
from me Liv?”

I tilt my head at his tone
and squint at him. “I think the question is, what do you want from me?”

“You know what I want. But I
won’t get it so let’s just drop it, okay. Why are you here?”

Upset by his sorrow I try not to be too mad by his tone. “I
wanted some alone time with you. It's been a while,” I say quietly.

His manner changes instantly and he pulls me to him kissing
me, hands exploring every inch of me, so much more in need than Constantine’s
restraint. “You sure?” he mumbles around my lips.

“Since when did you have to ask?” I reply.

Just what he wants to hear. He pulls me to him even tighter
gripping my hair in his fist. “I’m taking you my way,” he declares forcefully.

In no mood to argue I let him take me as he sees fit, bent
over the back of the sofa, skirt up my hips as he pounds into me from behind
bringing me to a climax quickly and with great abandon. He finishes soon after
me and pulls me up by my hair to feed, fangs sinking into me. Partly delighted
with his aggressiveness and part sire-indignation at his boldness I turn on him
and force him to submit, claws in his throat, I push him to the floor and
straddle him. Taking him as I now see fit he doesn’t protest as I make us both
come at the same time. Pulling him up by the throat I clamp down on him sucking
deeply and he squirms under me, loving my harsh touch. Releasing him I push him
back down and I rake my claws down his chest slowly and lean down to swipe my
tongue over the wounds as they heal. Whimpering in desire I bring my mouth up
to kiss him and he pushes us over so he is on top of me, asking me to submit to
him again. Loving this game of tag I let him and he takes me again, pulling my
legs up to wrap around him as he pushes himself into me. “Oh Lizzie, I love
you,” he murmurs as he kisses me and I start at his sincerity. I get lost in
the moment then as he brings us to the edge and I tumble over with him again.

Feeling more satisfied than I have in a long while I go in
search of something to feed from. I don’t particularly care who, I just need
blood. Human blood. I know in the back of my head that I need to back up but I
don’t listen. Heading to the reception I stop and inhale, closing my eyes. Oh
yes I smell it. AB Neg. I focus on the human it is coming from. A very tall,
crazy good-looking man in a black suit and white shirt. Slightly older, in the
human sense of course. Maybe early forties. Focusing on him, I lean into the
pillar at my side and he turns to me, sensing my intent gaze. He smiles at me
and then turns from me to my utmost disbelief.

Oh now I have to have him. I push off from my leaning post
and follow him into the bar. Catching up with him quickly he pauses as he looks
at me from his impressive height.

“Do I know you?” he asks in a very serious monotone.
American, I note.

I shake my head, “No. Do you want to?” He searches my eyes
for a long moment and then turns from me again and walks away. Too gob-smacked
now to follow I just stare at his retreating back trying to calculate how long
it has been since anyone in any form turned away from me. Huffing in
frustration, but still not turning on my recent principles of taking blood by
force I turn on my heel and head back towards the suite. I turn briefly as I
sense his eyes on me but he has already turned back and I narrow my eyes
determined to at least find out who he his.

XXXXX

Thoroughly frustrated with hunger now I am being bitchy and
I call Nico in desperation. He arrives shortly with someone for me. I specified
in confidence that I needed someone I could drink a lot from and he delivered
it to me no questions asked. “Please don’t tell CK,” I ask him as he pulls me
into the vacant room he called me to.

He looks pained as I ask him to betray his boss. “Please,
Nico. He will only worry and I have enough to deal with right now,” I plead.

He reluctantly agrees and on impulse I hug him. I think it’s
the first time I have ever touched him and he stands stock still not returning
my embrace. I pull away and ask him, “Are you okay to… stay?”