Secrets (The Forever series, Book 8) (19 page)

His thoughts go back to Liv in that place. He is really
worried about her now. He thought it was somehow the place draining her of her
energy, but when Remiel said it was her trying to fight off her Dragon form,
that has him concerned. He tries to get a fix on her, but she isn’t receptive.
That probably means that she is up and about and concentrating on something
else. Or…well, he tries not to think about the “or.”

“Remiel,” he says softly. “Can you hear me?”

Remiel pops up in front of him and he drops his pen,
startled. “Yes, young Wolf. I can hear you.”

Lincoln grimaces at him and says, “You can call me Lincoln.”

Remiel inclines his head gracefully and he realizes
belatedly that they have never been properly introduced. But then why would
they be? He mustn’t forget the fact that he has been torturing Liv for weeks
now, regardless of this truce or whatever it is they have going on.

“Why the summons?” Remiel asks.

“I can’t get to Liv. Can you check on her?” he asks bluntly.

“You are worried about her? She is fine,” he says
dismissively.

“How do you know?” Lincoln asks.

He shrugs and says, “I checked on her myself not a few
moments ago.”

“Oh.” Now this is really creeping him out. A few days ago he
was trying to kill her and now he is checking on her well-being?

“Ask your question,” Remiel snaps at him.

“Err, no question,” he says, caught off guard.

“You want to know what has changed, don’t you? You and all
the rest of them,” Remiel says.

Lincoln shrugs and says, “Maybe. It just seems a sudden
change from the two of you being at each other’s throats to you helping her.”

“Aefre and I have spoken about it. If she chooses to tell
you then so be it. I am sure she will, what with you being her little
secret-keeper and all,” he adds slyly.

He raises his eyebrow at that, how does Remiel know about
that?

Remiel answers his unspoken question, “I too have been
inside her head.” He sighs. “What a catastrophe. How she manages even basic
functions with those racing thoughts is beyond me.”

Lincoln snickers in spite of himself, “I was just thinking
the same thing myself.”

They smile at each other. He wants to say it’s sinister, but
it’s not quite all there.

“Could you just check on her again, please?” he asks after a
few awkward moments.

Remiel narrows his eyes at him and says, “I will do you one
better and show you, for a price.”

“Why is everything a sale to you?” Lincoln asks, irritated.

“I have long since lost the ability to do favors.” He shrugs
as if it is no big deal.

“Well maybe you should learn again if you are going to be
hanging around here. It seems pretty clear that Liv is not going to kill you,
so I can only assume, knowing her as I do, that she is going to try and fix
you.”

“I already told her I don’t need fixing,” he says in a huff,
and Lincoln grins smugly, having pinned the tail neatly in place on the
donkey…err, Demon-Spirit thing.

“And yet, she will try. Whatever your issues were and now
are not, if you hurt her again I will find a way to do you in myself.”

“Indeed,” Remiel says dryly. “But I can assure you, Mr. Anderson,
that my intentions are honorable.”

It comes as no surprise that he knows his last name. He
would bet there are very few things he doesn’t know about anything. As for his
intentions being honorable, he has his serious doubts about that.

“In that case, you should show me that Liv is okay out of
the goodness of your heart. Err, if you still have one?” Lincoln asks,
wrinkling his forehead. “I mean no offense,” he quickly adds as Remiel’s face
goes thunderous, “but I am struggling to grasp just what exactly it is you
are.”

Remiel’s face goes melancholy in a microsecond and he thinks
he runs as hot and cold as the Vampires. “I sometimes wonder that too,” he
says. “Very well, you have me convinced. I can see that you really care about
her. The others…”

“The others what?” Lincoln presses, curious as to what he
was going to say.

“Have ulterior motives,” Remiel says with a frown. “Not that
you don’t have your own agenda, of course, but theirs are, hm, well…to put it
nicely, not what she is looking for.”

“What do you mean?” he asks and sits forward, now intrigued.

“Oh no. You don’t get that from me. Ask her yourself what
she truly wants,” he replies to Lincoln’s annoyance.

He frowns at him, sure he is just shit-stirring. “Show me,”
he says, bringing the matter back to the one at hand. Remiel holds his hand up
and he puts his against it. He is surprised Remiel doesn’t have a barrier up.
He always seems so fond of those damn things.

“Close your eyes,” he mutters and Lincoln does and he can
see her. She looks beautiful in a long sweeping gown to match her violet eyes,
she is in flat shoes which makes him chuckle – she will hate that – but she
looks so delicate next to the tower of a man she is standing next to. Drake, he
presumes. He is placing a crown of--Lincoln squints in his mind's eye to get a
better look--black roses with long stems that have been intricately woven
together to form a perfect circle, the thorns visible on the stems. She tilts
her head in acceptance and he picks up her hand and kisses it and she smiles
serenely back and he says words in a language Lincoln has never heard before,
obviously Faerie speak, and he is fairly sure by the bored look in her eye that
she has no idea what he is saying either. Another tall man standing on her
other side leans down to whisper in her ear and she smiles up at him and nods.
Translator, maybe? He looks just like Drake. He wonders if that is one of her
brothers. Brothers. That is a really strange thought. And then Lincoln sees
him. He nearly drops his hand from Remiel’s in shock. But there he is, no doubt
about it, dressed in old-nobility style and, with a mischievous grin, which she
returns--clearly not in the least bit surprised to see him--he bows and takes
her hand and gracefully leads her down the aisle, whispering something to her
Lincoln doesn’t get that she laughs at. His eyes fly open as Remiel takes his
hand away with a look that says he knows exactly what is going on.

“Sebastian?” Lincoln snaps at him. “What the fuck is all
that about? Why is he there?”

Chapter 8

Kingdom of the Dark Fae, Sebastian (Kalen)

“You look absolutely ravishing,” Sebastian says to Liv and
she smiles at him. It’s a small smile that barely touches her lips, but lights
up her whole face.

“Thank you,” she says and flicks her dark hair over her
shoulder.

“I like this look on you, but I prefer your natural
blonde-ness,” he says with a sidelong glance at her and she laughs.

“Can’t have everything,” she says. “Trying to please
everyone is getting to be very tiring.” She stifles a yawn.

He chuckles at her and says, “Is it siesta time?”

She snorts prettily behind her hand. “It’s always siesta
time,” she replies.

They have by now reached the end of the hall and her
Coronation is officially over. She relaxes visibly and he can see now how weary
she is. Having little blood and her Dragon desperate to come out has her
exhausted. He turns to Drake. “I will escort her back to her room. She is in
need of a rest.”

Drake sneers at him. “A rest? She has only been up a couple
of hours.”

Drake’s derision irritates him. “She is your daughter, you
should at least have the courtesy of learning about her after everything she
has done for you.”

She puts her hand on his arm to pacify him, but he shakes it
off and faces off with her father.

Drake glares down at him and he finds that very annoying. At
his height, there are very few people who are taller than him.

“Enlighten me then
, Prince
Kalen. You seem to know
her so well,” Drake sneers at him.

He ignores the sarcastic use of his title. He is here under
invitation as the Princess’s chosen one, and he would do well to keep things
amicable. “She is hungry and fighting off a Shift. Keeping her here is
weakening her,” Sebastian whispers to him.

She makes a small noise in the back of her throat, and he
knows he has angered her by calling her weak. But Drake has to know that she is
a hungry Vampire with a Dragon alter ego that is desperate to come out and
start slaying his people.

Drake narrows his eyes at him and steps closer. “Take her to
her room and feed her yourself. And you keep that Shift from happening. I can
assure you, you do not want that thing coming out here.”

“No, I can assure
you
, you don’t want Her coming out
here,” Sebastian retorts and Drake’s eyes blaze briefly, but he isn’t stupid.
He knows it will be a catastrophe. For everyone.

“She needs to be here for the feast tonight. She is free to
leave here tomorrow.” He turns to Liv and adds, “You must return, though, for
the next full moon, for your Union.” He sighs and pulls his shoulders up. “I
will allow you to bring someone to keep you sustained. Any form of weakness
will not be tolerated.” He says it so quietly she has to lean forward to catch
it. She nods her thanks stiffly, still not happy to be called weak in any
circumstances. She turns on her heel and stalks off. Sebastian glares at Drake
and he nods back to him and he follows her, grabbing her elbow. “Don’t be mad
with me, Princess,” he says. “He had to know what you are feeling.”

“He does know. I wasn’t aware that he cared,” she says
softly. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier, how come you are here?”

“Aelfric came to get me. My presence as your future husband
and prophesized baby daddy was required for your Coronation,” he says blandly.

She snickers but then says, “I’m still so mad at you, but I
am glad you’re here.”

He holds his hand out to her with a small smile, palm up,
and she takes it gratefully, gripping his fingers tightly and she pulls on his
energy slowly and he feels it leave him. It is so sensual it makes him want to
push her up against the wall and take her right now. He doesn’t think she knows
how it makes him feel. It’s no wonder that Xane always wants to do this with her.
It also makes him wonder why Constantine doesn’t. She lets him go and he can
see she feels a bit better. They have reached her room by now and he ushers her
in, closing the door quickly. She has her fangs down and is on him before he
has reached up to pull his shirt down. She rips it off him and climbs up him
and he circles her with his arms to hold her up high enough to get to his neck.
She sinks her fangs into him and he leans back against the door to brace
himself. She is starving and this is going to be one Hell of a draining. She
goes past the limit and he slowly lowers them to the floor. She is squirming on
his lap, getting him all riled up and in a fit of lust he runs his hands up
under her gown. She groans as she feels what his hands do to her and snaps her
fangs back suddenly before she plunges her blood-covered tongue into his mouth.
Oh wow
is the only thought that goes through his head as she devours him
with her teeth, her tongue, and her lips. Her hands claw at him and he takes
full advantage of it, only hating himself just a little bit because of it. She
wants him and he loves her. He is not saying “no” under any circumstances. She
is wiggling about, moving against him and she makes a noise of frustration and
pulls away. Sebastian wails in his head because she is no longer kissing him,
and he opens his eyes to see her struggling with her gown.

“Help me,” she growls at him and he blinks in surprise.

“Can’t you just magick it off?” he asks.

“Does it look like I can?” she snarls. “It is unpredictable,
sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” she adds a bit gentler and he hides
his smile as he reaches up to remove her crown. He then pulls on the laces at
the back of her gown, entwining them with his fingers and pulling outwards so
they loosen. As much as he loves modern-day dress, all tiny skirts and tight
fitting tops that show off a woman’s best assets, there is nothing as sexy as a
laced up gown. When you loosen the ties and it falls away revealing what is
underneath, it is enough to make his mouth water. Especially when it is her.
She hasn’t changed her body at all, only her hair and her eyes. Her perfect
tits are exactly the same as he remembers. Her nipples are like rosebuds,
beckoning him to suck on them. She pulls her arms free of the gown and runs her
hands through his hair as she pulls him close to her. He takes her in his mouth
and she makes a little mewling sound, which makes his cock ache to be inside
her. He runs his hands down her ribcage and around her back to her very sexy
ass. He grabs it and she pushes her body further into him. His arms engulf her
tiny frame and he likes the feeling of protecting her. He forgets all about
everyone else as she climbs off him and steps out of the gown and pulls him up.
She leads him to the bed and he watches her crawl onto it as he undresses. He
wants nothing more than to be inside her, pounding away until he releases
himself into her. But he is not a selfish lover. He wants her to be dripping
wet for him, because of him. Teasing her, touching her, kissing every inch of
her. Oh god, his cock jumps in response to those thoughts and she sees it and
eyes him hungrily. She wants him as much as he wants her. With just a fleeting
thought to their sire, knowing he is betraying him by being with her, Sebastian
climbs onto the bed in front of her and his body reacts to her. It is like a
fire running through his veins and he can feel the markings on his back start
to swirl. This has only ever happened the one other time that they were
together like this. It didn’t even happen when he was with the Other her. It
tickles, like a soft caress. Her own markings, that are now complete and
absolutely beautiful, start the same swirling as she reaches for him. They both
gasp as the current of electricity flows through them as they touch and then he
can’t hold back any longer. He kisses her, pulling her to him and under him as
he pushes her back to the bed. He wanted to take his time with her, to give her
pleasure before he took his own, but he can’t. He cannot stop himself from
entering her, but he needn’t have worried. She is completely ready for him,
lifting her hips to meet him, just as eager to have him inside her as he is to
be inside her. She soaks him with her desire and he groans in response, sliding
all the way into her. Sebastian wants to feed from her as he takes her, but he
doesn’t. He doesn’t want to take anything from her that will cause her any
weakness here. She doesn’t realize this is a hostile place for her to be, and
he is fairly certain her father won’t defend her should she find herself in
trouble. He has seen the way his sons--he doesn’t think of them as her
brothers--look at her. A mixture of disgust and yet desire. She said she trusts
the youngest, Trystan, but he doesn’t trust any of them. Never, ever trust a
Faerie. He must remember to tell her that, he thinks to himself before all
other thoughts go out of his head as she rolls them over and starts to ride
him. He pulls on her ass to get her even closer to him, and she steadies
herself with her hands on his chest. She is just as lost in him as he is in her
and she comes around him in pulsing waves, which sets off his own. He releases
himself into her with a loud groan and then his eyes flick quickly to hers, as
hers do to his. She jumps off him, quick as lightning, but it is too late. She
holds her hand up and he bites his lip.