Revelation (The Forever Series Book Three) (14 page)

“I didn’t turn out like Lance!” I say, affronted. “Well, not
for the most part anyway,” I amend.

“Constantine. Do you have any other charges that might try
to hurt her?” Cole turns to my clearly uncomfortable sire.

“I am not discussing this. Aefre, leave it be.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that my love. I need a Council and
who else am I supposed to get to sit? Charges of Eloise and Gregor’s?”

He ponders that and I can see it makes sense to him but he
is still reluctant to give up the goods. Finally he says, “I will make a list
and contact them myself.”

“No can do. I need to speak to them. I’m not hiring just on
your say so. No offense!” I add, as he looks thunderous that I don’t trust his
judgement.

“I will make a list and contact them myself and then you can
speak to them,” he says. He doesn’t fold much but it’ll do… for now.

“Agreed. In the meantime, please pass Dmitri’s number to
Devon or ring him yourself now so that we can sort this today,” I say sweetly.

In the end he chose to ring himself and went off in a sulk
back to Milan to do just that under my promise that I would bring forth
Gladius
Infernus
if Lance shows back up. Not that he would, being daylight out now.

Cole and I go back to bed as I am suddenly weary again and
there is a long few days ahead of us with yet more time-difference travelling.

I strip off my robe and climb into bed. He curls up behind
me and sighs. “You have suffered so much in your life. Has it been worth it to
live this long? With all this grief and pain?”

Turning to him and stroking his face, I kiss him softly. “To
be here with you, like this, yes, it has been worth every second.”

He closes his eyes in contentment at my words and my gentle
touch. “Tell me about your parents, your human ones,” he murmurs. “I never
really thought about it before but after hearing about Tiamat, it seems
important now. Did you have real brothers or sisters?”

Somewhat surprised by the question I say, “There’s not much
to tell. My mother was a hardworking but cruel woman and my father was weak.
Preferred the easy way out. I had two older sisters and a brother but they died
when I was a baby and then I had one more sister who also died. Clearly not of
good stock. I suppose the only reason I made it was because I wasn’t altogether
theirs,” I shrug.

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

“It happened a lot. If the babies even survived being born,”
I add, suddenly thinking of my own. Damn you Constantine for spilling the baby
beans.

“How did they die? Your parents.”

“I have no idea. I was turned and living with CK by then.”

“You never wanted to find out?” he asks in amazement.

“Not really, no. I wasn’t fond of them and that part of my
life was over. I never even thought about them again. Oh, except maybe that one
time when we headed back to England in 1066 but they would have been dead by
then anyway.”

“Maybe Constantine knows. He seems to have every aspect of
your life covered,” he says with a grimace.

“I doubt it. They weren’t of any interest to him. Tiamat
might know I suppose.”

“Are you sure you want to go back to this Lance’s castle?”
he asks, changing the subject.

“Do I want to go? No. Am I going to? Yes.”

“You should have let Constantine kill him.”

“I know,” I say sadly. “I wanted him to when he came to
rescue me but there wasn’t any time. As it was he only just managed to get his
ring off him to stop him from following us.”

“He took his ring? Is that what you meant by ‘being
stripped’?”

“Yes. After he got me back to Italy he wanted to go back to
Sibiu and kill him but I didn’t want him to leave me. I couldn’t be alone again
so he waited and the longer he waited the more I needed him with me. After I
came back to myself, I remembered the horror of killing your own. I wouldn’t
put him through that.”

“Devon is right, again,” he says. “You are always trying to
protect him. He doesn’t need it but you do. Don’t be a fool, Liv,” he chides me
in a CK-like tone and I smile.

“One day you will understand, my love, it’s not as simple as
all that.”

“It’s difficult then? Killing one of your own?”

“Yes, it can be emotionally difficult, of course but there
is also a physical pain that goes with it.”

“Even if you hate them?” he asks.

“Yes, you are still connected to them whether you love them
or hate them.”

He frowns at me and I kiss him, slowly, deeply. He forgets
about everything else and pulls me on top of him, hands in my hair to hold me
close. “Let me make love to you, slowly,” he whispers.

“Yes,” I whisper back and he pushes me onto my back, pinning
me to the bed with his weight as he continues to just kiss me in a way that
makes me want to stay like this forever.

“I love you, Liv,” he says before he drops his fangs and
slowly pierces my neck.

“Drink slowly,” I order him, remembering how good it felt
when CK took his time.

He groans in restraint of suckling deeply on me but does as
I ask and soon I am aroused beyond belief. Drawing back he retracts his fangs
and resumes kissing me but now sliding his hand down my side to pull my hips up
towards him. Kneading my soft flesh in his strong grip and I feel a rush of
desire and I want him, now.

Rolling us over he rolls us back saying, “Uh-uh. You said,”
before he returns to his kisses that are driving me wild. Debating whether or
not to just overpower him and take him, all thoughts go out of my head as he
moves his mouth away from mine and down to my neck and across my chest to my
breasts. Fangs down again he nips me drawing blood, dangerously close to the
no-go zone. Only I don’t want it to be the no-go zone, I want him to bite me
there I realize in amazement and shame that my sire special is now turning into
a free-for-all. Not wanting to make the decision myself I leave it to him to
see if he will do it and to both my immense relief and disappointment he
doesn’t as he trails further down, fangs grazing my skin.

Now starting to lose control himself he digs his claws into
me and I squirm in rapture as his mouth finally reaches my soaking wet pussy.

Lapping away at me I wiggle closer to him and he groans as I
come against his mouth. Flipping me over suddenly, he traces his hands down the
backs of my legs and I shiver at this touch. Catching me by surprise he takes a
bite out of my backside with a slow chuckle as I yelp. Hovering over me, legs
either side of me he trails his hands over my back and I feel the now familiar
ripple of my Dragon moving across my back.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs in wonder. “You are just so
beautiful.” Then he giggles in delight and says, “She’s following me, almost
like she wants me to stroke her.”

“Really?” I say, revelling under his touch and his evident
delight.

He pauses and then says shyly, “I was going to take you this
way but I’m not sure I want her watching.”

In spite of myself I burst out laughing and turn around,
“Better?”

He doesn’t answer but drops his head to mine and takes me
again in a perfect kiss that could last for days.

“Oh Cole, I need you,” I murmur. “Please take me.”

Needing no more encouragement than that he enters me slowly,
with deliberate little pulses that send all my synapses firing.

“Oh baby. I love you. I need you,” he whispers as he finally
thrusts all the way inside me and I arch underneath him in response. He takes a
nipple in his mouth and bites down with his regular teeth and again I want the
real thing but he doesn’t as he starts to suck, his tongue working in the same
rhythm to his hips.

I come again and he stiffens and pulls out. “I don’t want
to, not just yet,” he mutters and so taking my opportunity to throw my weight
around I kneel behind him and push his head to the side. Dropping my fangs, I
sink them slowly into him and draw deeply on him. He pushes his hand up into my
hair to hold me close and I bite a tiny bit harder. Releasing him I push him
down and turn him over.

“How much do you want me?” I say against his lips.

He growls and holding my head in place. “More than you will
ever know,” he gets out before he forces his tongue against mine.

Wanting him inside me again I push against him and he enters
me with a tilt of his hips and he hits the spot perfectly. Moving slowly over
him he sits us up, mouth never leaving mine, and I ride him to the point of no
return and we come together gasping into each other’s mouths as the pleasure
takes us over completely.

We fall back to the bed together and I stay on top of him,
stretching out and getting comfortable with my head on his chest. Within
seconds I am falling asleep again thinking this is getting ridiculous.

A loud knocking disturbs me and I hear Cole move over to
answer the bedroom door. It is CK and Devon.

“She’s sleeping,” Cole says firmly as they come into the
bedroom.

“Again?” Devon says worriedly.

“Look, she’s been through a lot lately. I say we just leave
her for now.”

Happy with that idea I stay still and silent, hoping they
will go away.

“Dmitri is here. Downstairs,” CK says. “She wanted to talk
to him and he won’t wait all day. Wake her up.” Still in a snarky mood then.

I sigh and open my eyes. “I’m awake. Just give me a minute
to pull myself together.” I get out of bed forgetting I am naked and stalk to
the bathroom and close the door. Stepping into the shower I pin my hair up not
wanting it to get wet and proceed to… well not do anything except stand there.
Move, Liv, I tell myself, but do nothing. I am bone weary. I can’t say for sure
how long I was in the shower but Cole comes in sometime after and finds me
sitting with the water pounding down on me, head on my raised knees. I sit up
suddenly as I hear him come in, followed closely by the other two after his
very loud “Christ, Liv!” and he opens the shower.

“I told you we should have left her,” he hisses at my sire
who grunts in appreciation of the fact that I am indeed not one hundred per
cent on top of my game.

“No, I’m okay. Just get me some blood,” I say and pull
myself up with the help of Cole and Devon hands me a towel while CK shoves his
wrist in my face.

“Drink.”

My fangs have already dropped and I latch onto him like a
starving child. No end in sight, he pulls me to his chest and sinks us both to
the floor as I am drinking way more than I should. Not that it’ll kill him as
he regenerates way too quickly for that, but it won’t make him feel the best
either. Leaning my head on his chest I make a humongous effort to pull away and
he breathes in sharply as I release him.

“Fuck Liv. Are you okay?” Devon asks, worried.

Opening my eyes, as again they seem to have closed all on
their own, I lean on CK to stand, saying, “Yes. I am fine.” And they all frown
at my “fine.” Let me get dressed and then I will go and speak to Dmitri.

“No. You need to rest,” CK says. “You said I am your proxy,
I will deal with this. Just tell me exactly what you want from him.”

Oh no, mate, I am not letting you get away with pushing me
out of the loop on this.

“No,” I say instead. “I already know Dmitri, remember? We go
way back. I will handle this.” I move unsteadily to my wardrobe and sift
mindlessly through some clothes until Devon steps in and hands me something
appropriate.

“Thank you,” I mutter.

“I think you should let us handle this, Liv. You already
appointed us and we know what you want from him. We can do this. Just go back
to bed.”

“No thank you. I am fine,” I say and I pull the dress he
handed me over my head and turn for him to zip it up, which he does. Stepping
into some shoes, I make my way to the door and head downstairs to my sibling
waiting for me in my office. They follow me mumbling something about something,
I am too focused on trying to get my head straight for this meeting. What the
hell is wrong with me?

As soon as I step into my very airy office I come to a bit
and greet Dmitri like an old friend. Which I suppose he is, in a way. I met him
about 550 years ago. Yet another of CK’s BC boys--as I like to call all the
ones he turned during the “Before Christ” years--this one turned around 5BC,
and who thankfully is nothing like Lance. We met in 1453 when Constantinople
fell to the Ottoman Turks. Both of us fighting for our sire’s side. Oh yeah, I
was pretty kick ass with a weapon back in the day, but more on that later.

“Viviana,” he greets me with warmth and a kiss to each
cheek. “You look… different.”

“Hello Dmitri. Yes, this is how I normally look.”

“Interesting choice,” he points to the gaping hole and I
giggle.

“Redecorating. It is good to see you again. It has been too
long. But please, call me Liv.” I pull Cole to my side and say, “This is my
husband Cole and this is Devon Savant.”

He shakes hands with them both and says, “Hm, indeed, Liv.
We should pay no mind to our sire and meet more frequently. Nice to meet you
both.” And they nod.

“I would like that, especially as I have a favor to ask of
you.”

“Oh? It wouldn’t have something to do with your new position
in our community would it?” he asks coyly and I smile widely.

“Actually, yes. Please sit.”

The three have been watching this pleasant exchange with
suspicion and then relief that one of us isn’t going to try to kill the other.

We sit while CK glowers at us and the other two watch
carefully.

“May I begin by saying congratulations,” he says and
inclines his head gracefully.

“Thank you. It has all been quite sudden but now that it is
here we need to act. Quickly.”

“I agree. I assume you are looking for a new Council from
what Constantine has said?”

“Yes. I need people I can trust.”