The Power of One (The Forever series Book Two) (5 page)

I stand then to face him, sire to sired. “In some cases, yes,
we
just fuck about all over the place. In
my
case now, I share
myself with my sire and my charge that have been by my side for centuries. Yes
I have had others, many others in fact in the past, but not since I met you and
fell in love with you. I want to be your wife and will forsake all others, with
the exception of Constantine and Devon. If that is something you can accept
then give me back my ring. If not, keep it, but I will still be your sire and I
will still love you as you will still love me. The decision is yours.”

Cole looks slightly dumbfounded by my speech.

“Furthermore,” I continue, “in answer to your question, if
you so choose, I would not stop you. In time you will anyway. Vampires are not
faithful creatures by nature, but we are fiercely loyal to those we are bound
to, to those we love.”

He looks even more shocked at my addition. I stare him down
until he looks away. Only the sounds of the cars driving past cut the silence
in the room. He eventually walks over to stand in front of me and looks into my
eyes, his face unreadable. “Liv, I am so in love with you. I am trying to
understand how you can be with all of us and say that you love only me. Some
part of me gets it. I get the bond and the love that you share with them, but
there is the other part of me that doesn’t want to share you. That doesn’t know
how to even begin to share you. I will work on that part,” he says softly. “I
will accept this. I will accept this, because without question I want to be
with you in every way possible.” He holds out my ring to me and I hold up my
left hand. He slides it onto my finger and pulls me to him. I hug him fiercely
then, as he does me. He pulls back only enough to kiss me and I kiss him back,
filled with love for this man, this man who has been through so much the last
couple of days. That I have put him through so much hurts me and I hope to God
I never have to hurt him again.

“I have some conditions though,” he says with that glorious
half smile of his.

I raise my eyebrow, oh?

“Okay…” I say warily.

“One, I don’t want to see it. No overtly sexual behavior in
front of me. Two, not in our bed at home. Three, no suggestions of 3-ways… or
4-ways for that matter and four, not while I am in the house. If you insist
that Devon live with us, you will have to go elsewhere,” he says.

I stare at him in shock and, weirdly enough, with pride in
that he has so quickly listed off a bunch of “Don’ts.” Mistaking my hesitation
as non-compliance he says softly, “If you can’t promise me those four things
then I don’t think I can do this.”

“Cole, baby. I do promise. I promise you I will abide. I am
just surprised at how easily you accepted this.”

He snorts, “Easy? You think this is easy for me? It’s the
hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. All to be with you, Liv. I want to be with
you, but I won’t be made a fool of.”

I nod seriously, “I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean to imply
this wasn’t difficult for you. I know how hard it is, believe me I do.”

“Yeah? How would you possibly know?” he asks nastily.

I look at him and he sees it all in my eyes. My situation
with CK. How I had to accept the same circumstances. He has the grace to look
abashed and says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”

“It’s okay. It’s just something all charges have to go
through at some point,” I say matter-of-factly.

Ever competitive, he asks, “How did Devon take it?”

“Oh, I’d rather not go there.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Nooo, not exactly,” I say, remembering that day. “He was
the one who did it first. It’s a long story,” I say hastily at his raised
eyebrow.

As if he knew we were talking about him, Devon knocks and
enters without waiting for an answer.

Cole looks annoyed. “Five, no Open Door Policy,” he says
looking at me.

I hide my smile and say, “Agreeable terms, my love,” lacing
my fingers through his as we both turn to look at Devon.

“What?” he asks. “What’d I miss?”

“A lot and most of it N.O.Y.B.,” I retort.

“Okay, so just tell me the bits that A.M.B.,” he smiles,
frustratingly glib as usual.

To my surprise, Cole speaks up. “I know about you and Liv.
And Constantine and Liv,” he adds.

Taken slightly aback, Devon looks at Cole, to me and back
again, bracing himself for a punch to the face.

“It’s okay,” I say. “We are okay. All of us. Cole and I have
talked and come to an agreement.”

“How so?” Devon asks, intrigued.

“I will tell you later. Right now I want to get out on the
track. We have all missed far too much of this Grand Prix weekend!”

“Agreed!” Cole and Devon say in unison and they glare at
each other while I snicker.

Things are quite tense to say the least between Cole and
Devon on the way down to the track. Devon has ditched the Bimbo, thankfully, so
it’s just us three and an awkward silence. This upsets me because they were
forming a bond of sorts of their own, but I do understand why Cole is pissed
off. Devon’s reaction is unprecedented though. I thought he would be over the
moon it was all out in the open and even try to push his luck but he has barely
even looked at me since we stepped into the elevator. In the words of Lewis
Carroll: Curiouser and Curiouser.

Once we are on the track though things get less tense as we
all pick up on the excitement. P3 has finished and the garages are setting up
for Qualifiers. We are greeted enthusiastically by the drivers, introductions
are made, and the boys go off together with them to check out the cars. I stand
back and watch them. Their shared love for the sport puts their animosity aside
for the time being, as only men can do. I’m glad, maybe this will help heal
things between them. I dare to hope anyway. Leaving them to it, I answer my
Blackberry that is buzzing away in my jeans pocket. It’s CK.

“Where are you?” he asks before I can even say hello.

“On the track, and ‘hello’ to you too.”

“How long will you be?” he responds, ignoring my sarcasm.

“Another hour or so. Why?”

“Fine. I will wait for you in your suite.”

“CK, I need to tell you…” I trail off, realizing I’m talking
to the dial tone. He fucking hung up on me!

Fine then. I’ll just message him. Arse.

“Cole knows about us.” Short and to the point.

I count back knowing he will call: 3, 2, 1, and right on cue
my phone rings. CK. I grin and leave it to ring. Knowing that I will pay for
ignoring him, I pocket my phone as it continues to buzz. I answer eventually as
he doesn’t give up.

“Liv,” comes CK’s steely voice and I know that I am in for
it.

I sigh and try to make it right. “I’m sorry, my love. I had
something important to tell you and you know how much I hate it when you hang
up on me,” I say petulantly.

I hear his world-weary sigh. “Your defiance won’t be
tolerated, my sweet,” he says quietly, adding, “I shall have to think of a new
way to punish you.” I feel a thrill go down my spine and my knees buckle.
Dropping onto a nearby stool, I whisper, “Mm, it’s been a while since you
punished me, my sire. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.” I know
when I hear him inhale sharply that he can’t stay mad at me. “So do I,” he
whispers back, then clears his throat. “Did you tell him?”

The abrupt change of subject spins my already dazed brain.

“Uh, yes and no. He actually asked about Devon and connected
the dots,” I say, recovering.

“I see. And?”

“And, nothing.  He knows and he’s accepted that I’m not
giving you up, ever. Either of you,” I add for clarification.

“Like he would have a choice in taking you away from me,” he
mutters in a very un-CK like way. This trip is throwing up all kinds of
interesting things.

“Yes, well. I needed you to know before you see each other
again. He won’t challenge you, just don’t provoke him, Okay? Please. We have
terms and I intend to honor them. This doesn’t mean that we are all one big
ménage
a quatre
waiting to happen.”

Silence, then, “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he says smoothly.

“Good. Now go back to whatever was so important that it kept
you from answering me,” I say.

He chuckles, humor restored. “As frustrating as you are, I
love your fire,” he says and again he hangs up on me but this time I am glowing
from the praise.

Thinking back to what he said--"I wouldn’t dream of
it”--I believe him. He wouldn’t expect all of us to jump into bed together and
get it on. Devon would of course but not CK. In all the years since I turned
Devon, CK has never once asked him into our bed. Strangers, yes. Acquaintances,
friends, yes. Men and women, even several of each, but never my beloved boy. I
have often wondered if it is in fact some sort of jealousy, that he would see
our bond and how fantastic we are together. I have never dared to ask, and I
probably never will.

“Everything, okay?” Cole asks, making me jump.

“Yes, my love. I’m fine. Was just giving CK a heads up,” I
hold up my phone and he scowls.

“Oh,” he says flatly.

“Don’t worry baby. He won’t take advantage,” I try to
reassure him.

He nods grimly, “But still…”

My heart lurches at his sadness and I stand to pull him to
me tightly. He sighs and relaxes at my touch.

“Things seem okay between you and Devon?” I dare to ask.

He tenses up again but answers me, “He’s a good guy. I like him.
I just don’t know if we can be friends now, if that’s what you are asking. I’ll
always be wondering what you are up to when you two are alone together.”

“I know, baby. But it won’t be like that. I promise you. We
do have to work together and when we go to work, we work.” He nods again. “Try
to work on forming a bond with him, my love. We are all going to be around each
other for eternity now. It will be easier. On you and on him.”

He looks surprised as my words sink in. Eternity, together.
Reluctantly he agrees. “Yes, I never thought of it that way. I still have so
much to learn about what ‘forever’ really means. And I can’t blame him for
wanting to be with you,” he adds seriously.

“I will teach you, my love. I promise you, all of this will
get easier. You are still brand new.” I smile gently, “You are adapting better
than I could have ever hoped for or imagined. I am so proud of you.” He beams
at my praise. “And you don’t ever have to worry about me not being here for you
or with you. I love you. Completely. You are mine in every way.” I kiss him
passionately trying to reassure him with actions as well as words. He pulls
away and says to me, “Yes, I am yours. Completely, in every way. I will follow
you to hell and back if it means being with you. Being your husband, lover, and
friend. I will be your everything, my sire. My loyalty knows no bounds. I love
you. Forever.”

Startled by this passionate speech, I open my mouth to
respond but a sharp sting on my shoulder forces me to say “Ow!” instead as I
grab the area in question.

Looking alarmed Cole asks, “Are you okay?”

The pain is searing now and considering I don’t feel pain,
well not much anyway, it takes me by surprise. I grunt in response as Devon
rushes to my side, sensing my pain.

“Everything okay?” he asks, concerned.

“No. I don’t know. My shoulder…” They both turn me around to
look. Pulling my shirt down my shoulder they both draw a breath.

“What, what is it?” I ask.

“Err, that diamond marking is glowing like it’s on fire and
it’s getting bigger,” Devon says quietly, considering we are still in a very
public place.

“Bigger? How much bigger?”

He peers at it, “An inch or so?”

Cole says, “Liv it’s actually on fire now. Are you okay?”

“Humph, I’ll live. I think we need to get back to the suite,
in case all of me sets on fire,” I half joke, much to the un-amusement of my
two boys.

My phone buzzes in my hand. Without looking at it I hand it
to Devon to answer while Cole takes my elbow and leads me back the way we came.

“Yep?” Devon answers. “She’s fine. We’re going back to the
suite now.” Pause, “Oh you are? We’ll see you in a minute then. No, she’s fine,
we’ll explain when we get there.” He hangs up. “Constantine,” he says,
pocketing my phone gingerly in my back pocket. “He’s in the suite already.” I
nod.

“How did he know you were hurting?” Cole asks.

I glance up at him. “A sire can feel the pain of their
charges if the bond is well established and strong enough. Well, no more sense
than feel,” I amend.

“Oh, wow. Okay, that’s intense. Hey, would you sense it if I
punched Devon in the face?” he asks, unable to stop the snicker.

I giggle at the attempt at humor, not to mention Devon’s
face. “Yes, I would know he’s hurting.”

“Humph, assuming you actually hurt me, newbie,” Devon
retorts good-naturedly.

Cole laughs and so do I, mine short-lived as another searing
pain shoots across my back. I double over to catch my breath as Cole grabs me.
Luckily we are at the elevator now and Devon impatiently stabs at the button.
At Cole’s concerned look, I say, “I’m fine, really. It’s not that bad.”

Unconvinced he ushers me into the elevator when it arrives,
followed closely by Devon.

Reaching the top floor, we hastily exit and Devon pushes
open the suite door. We are greeted by a handful of people. CK looking overly
concerned, as usual, Nico, Gregor, Eloise, and two men I don’t recognize but
judging by the size of them I’d say they belonged to Nico. CK rushes to my
side, “Liv, what the fuck was that?”

I feel Cole bristle next to me as CK touches me gently. I
turn around and unbutton my shirt. I pull the right shoulder down to show him
what’s happening.

“Liv, my sweet, it’s on fire! Are you in much pain?”