Secrets (The Forever series, Book 8) (20 page)

“Shit!” she whispers. “Shit. Seb.”

Sebastian doesn’t answer her, as he has nothing to say.
Well, nothing she wants to hear, anyway. This was an honest mistake, he had
totally forgotten about the prophesized baby, and so had she. However, he can’t
say that he would be disappointed if she did get pregnant. Then she would be
his and there isn’t anything anyone – not even their sire – could do about it.
She is staring at him in growing panic so he tries to reassure her. “Livvie, I
am still certain that this is not going to happen. We are still Vampires,
regardless of our Fae heritage.”

She doesn’t look convinced and he knows it is because she
thinks she is able to reproduce. “But what if?” she asks him.

He shrugs, what does she want from him? “Then we deal,” he
says.

“That’s all you have to say?” she asks him angrily.

“Look, the odds are against this, but even if it did happen.
Is it so bad?” he asks her and her eyes blaze with fury. “We are supposed to be
together,” he adds, sitting up and taking her hand. She pulls away from him.

“What about our sire?” she asks quietly and he frowns at
her.

“I was under the impression that you never wanted to see him
again after what happened,” Sebastian ventures cautiously. He is stepping out
of the frying pan here, and into the blazing flames of Hell, because he is also
reminding her of his role in all of this.

Her face goes cold and she climbs off the bed and pulls on a
robe. He sighs and curses himself, but this had to be dealt with. He is
surprised she was so happy to see him in the first place.

“Oh, yes. That reminds me of an arse-kicking that needs to
be issued,” she says with her back to him as she ties her robe tightly. “I
suggest you start to explain yourself.”

He too climbs off the bed and gets dressed. “He asked me to
do it. I wanted him to be happy, so I did it,” he says and she glares at him
her violet eyes crackling with an anger that he has never bared witness to from
her, and hopes never to again.

“That’s it? That’s your whole explanation?” she hisses at
him.

“Pretty much,” he says. “There is nothing more in it than
that from my side. If you want more, you need to ask him.”

“Oh, have no fear that I will be asking him that and a whole
lot more,” she says and he can hear her teeth grinding from where he stands.
“Tell me, what you were asking me to do?”

Sebastian hesitates and she steps forward, murder on her
mind, and he opens his mouth to betray his sire, because he just can’t lie to
her anymore. “He wanted you to leave Cole. Just as a wife, not as a sire. He
wants you desperately, Liv. I have never seen him like this. Everything he has
done for you and given you. All he wanted was for you to be his.”

“He said he would wait,” she says stiffly. “It is no
excuse.”

“I know. He had every intention of waiting at the beginning,
he really did, but as his feelings overwhelmed him, he wanted more. He tried to
fight for you, but when you blackmailed him into backing off, he got
desperate.”

He can see her take all of that in. He wants to add more, to
defend Constantine to her, but he needs to defend himself first and foremost in
this moment. “I wanted to stop doing it. I asked him to let me off the hook,
but he has that way. You know that as well as I do…”

“Yes, I do know,” she says quietly.

“I am sorry about my part in all of this. Forgive me,
Livvie, I swear to you I will never, ever use any of my powers on you ever
again.”

“Damn straight,” she mutters and sighs. “How can I trust you
now? Every time I look at you I will be wondering if you are spelling me.”

“You can trust me, Liv, because I love you. I won’t hurt you
again. Please forgive me,” he all but begs her.

“How is it that your powers work on me anyway?” she asks
suddenly.

“Faerie are strong and as they don’t fall under your rule,
you are not immune to their powers,” he says, knowing he is leaving a whole
load of information out of that explanation, but she doesn’t need to know it.
Not yet, anyway.

“Great,” she says and sits at the dresser.

“Do you forgive me?” he asks, going up behind her, and with
a manipulation that he dislikes himself for, places his hand on her shoulder,
sending a current through her that she can’t ignore.

She sighs and says, “If I ever find out that you have been
violating me again, I will have your head.”

“I know you will, Princess,” he says with a soft smile at
her that she returns weakly in the mirror. “You need to rest now.”

She nods wearily and lets him lead her back to the bed. He
tucks her in and kisses her forehead. “I will leave you to sleep,” he says to
her.

“You’re leaving?” she asks.

“I need to go and see my father. There are things that need
discussing now,” he says as he strokes her hair.

She frowns at him and his evasiveness, so he adds, “I will
fill you in when I get back.” She is happy with that and without a second
thought to what they were originally discussing, she closes her eyes and falls
asleep.

Sebastian leaves the bedroom and the two guards posted
outside her door bob their heads at him and he returns the courtesy. He can’t
decide if they are there for her protection, or as her jailers. He hesitates,
as she is completely vulnerable while she sleeps. What if they let someone in
to hurt her?

“Kalen,” Aelfric’s voice booms at him from down the
corridor. He turns to see his father and Drake stalking towards him. “Kalen, I
need to speak to you,” he says.

“Is Aeval resting?” Drake barks at him before he can
respond.

It takes him a second to register that he means Liv and he
nods. “Yes. She is sleeping. She will be safe?” he asks with a tilt of his head
towards the guards.

“Of course,” Drake sneers at him. “She is of the utmost
importance to me. To all of us.”

Well, it’s not exactly that he cares about her well-being
because he loves her, but he’ll take what he can get.

Aelfric looks at Drake and says, “I need to speak to my son.
I will catch up with you later. Now that we have our children in place, there
is much to discuss.”

Drake nods back in agreement and Aelfric takes Sebastian by
the elbow and steers him away. “There is something you need to know,” he says
without preamble. “The prophecy has changed.”

“What do you mean?” he asks. “How can a prophecy change?”

“Well not so much changed, as amended, then,” Aelfric says
in a low voice. “The Dark don’t know about this yet and we won’t be able to
keep it quiet forever, but you need to get back in that room and make this baby
now before your brother decides to take it upon himself.”

“What?” he asks, dumbfounded. “What the Hell are you talking
about?”

“The Seer has seen a change. It is not necessarily you who
will be the father of this child, it has been told he will be a King. Due to
your…status,” he adds, “we always assumed Thrace would be King.”

“I beg your pardon?” he asks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Kalen, I know you love her. I can see it. Do this for
yourself as well as your people. If you don’t see to her today, I will have no
choice but to let Thrace try. You know he is next in line with you gone.”

Sebastian stares at his father in shock. He intends to whore
her out to his son just to get this child conceived? “
I
am next in
line,” he says, making a snap decision that he may live to regret one day. “And
we have already been together,” he adds quietly. He dislikes having to tell him
that, as it is intensely private what they share, but over his dead body is he
letting his younger brother anywhere near her. His brothers, he thinks
morosely. He doesn’t even know most of them. There were only three of them
before he was turned. He knows there are plenty more now.

“Good,” Aelfric says. “I don’t want to have to my son
tainted by her lack of innocence.”

Sebastian glares at him. How dare he talk about her like
that. And what was that act of caring about him, and doing this for himself?
What a load of bullshit. He doesn’t really expect anything from his father.
They have been estranged for nearly three thousand years. Just because Liv has
turned up as the Dark Fae Princess doesn’t mean they get to just pick up where
they left off.

“And while I wouldn’t mind giving it a go myself, as being
the current King it is a strong possibility, I am sure your mother would throw
a fit at me if I conceived a bastard child,” Aelfric adds with a look that
suggests he
would
give it a go regardless of his mother’s feelings if he
doesn’t get back in there.

“Lay a finger on her and I will kill you, do you understand
me? You stay away from her and keep your son out of her sight as well. She is
mine,” Sebastian says forcefully, wanting to beat the shit out of him for
daring to even think it, let alone suggest it out loud.

“Now, now,” Aelfric says with a wicked glint. “No need to be
all testy. Go back in there and do your duty if you want everyone else to stay
away.” He slaps Sebastian on the shoulder and walks off in the direction that
Drake went. He has half a mind to tell Drake about what Aelfric just said.
Surely he would protect his only daughter from being ravaged by a horny Prince
who, in spite of his father’s words about becoming tainted, would love nothing
better than to get her in the sack. He grimaces as he thinks of his younger
brother. Only five years younger than him, he was thirteen when he was turned,
and every bit as ruthless as their father. Don’t let the “Light” fool you.
Doesn’t mean they are all sunshine and roses. He has no doubt in his mind that
Thrace has grown to be an exact replica of Aelfric. He would be next in line
with Sebastian gone, and he would have been groomed accordingly. He changes his
mind though. Drake wants this child as much as Aelfric does and it probably
wouldn’t surprise him if he let everyone have a go just to get the job done.
Well, it is up to him to protect her and he will. If he has to kill every last
one of them to keep her safe, he will do it.

He heads back inside her room and watches her sleep. He
could watch her for the rest of his life. It is strange that even though she
looks different, he barely notices it. All he sees is her. He sighs and sits
heavily on the chest at the end of the bed. He drops his head into his hands.
This is such a disaster. He can’t win her. There are too many people in his way
and if she does decide to forgive Constantine, then he will have no hope. He
cannot compete with him. He never could.

Ancient Rome, 751 BC - Vincentius

He picked himself up from his backside for the thousandth
time that day. He can’t beat him. Not like this. He held his hand out and felt
the spark go over his palm and then slammed his fist closed. His father
threatened him with his life if he used magick out in the human world. At times
like those he felt it would be worth it. He wanted to beat him so badly, it was
killing him, especially as Isebella was watching from the sidelines. She, along
with all the other girls, were laughing behind their hands at him and it
infuriated him. She saw him watching her and she stopped laughing and shifted
her gaze away from him and to his sparring partner. He was standing there,
hands on hips with an amused look on his face. All the girls wanted him.
Constantinus Kaius Aquila, son of a senate member, his blood was of the purest
breed. He was two years older than him, but already a seasoned warrior.
Vincentius continued to stare at Isebella, wishing she was looking at him with
those pretty brown eyes. Constantinus didn’t notice her. He never noticed any
of them. Even his own betrothed mattered less than nothing to him. He flicked
his wrist and his sword came back in line with him.

“Again, Vincentius,” he commanded.

He held up his own sword and they clashed and parried.
Constantinus was quicker, stronger, and more experienced than him and again he
found himself on the ground.

“You would be dead a thousand times over by now,
Vincentius,” he mocked, to more giggles from the crowd. “Perhaps you should
rethink your choices.”

Vincentius knew he was only goading him. He was his
friend, his best friend. They had been inseparable since his father had sent
him here to Rome to live with a human family six years ago. He did resent him
though, deep down.

“I would only be dead if I were fighting you,
Constantinus,” he said back to him. “Unless you switch sides, I am fairly
certain that there is no other warrior out there who can best me.”

Constantinus laughed and it was a beautiful sound. He
came over and held his hand out to help him up. He accepted it and they were
finished with practice for today. His eyes found Isebella again, and he wanted
to go and speak to her, but he was tongue-tied and shy. Constantinus followed
his eyes to where he was looking. “Like what you see there, amicus?” he asked.

He knew he was blushing, but replied using the same
endearment, meaning “friend.” “Yes, amicus. I think I am in love with her.”

“Then go and speak with her. You won’t get her into your
bed by standing around here talking to me.” He slapped him on the shoulder and
sauntered off.

“That’s what you think,” he muttered with more than a bit
of bitterness. “She only knows I exist because I am friends with you.”

A trail of people followed in his wake, as was usual
custom and Vincentius steeled himself to go over and talk to her. She ignored
him and swung her long chestnut brown hair over her shoulder and followed his
best friend instead.

A few weeks later, he was summoned to the Aquila Villa on
the outskirts of the city. It was not uncommon for him to meet his friend here,
so he thought nothing of it. He waited in the atrium, but no one came for him.
It was considered extremely rude to wander around someone else’s home
unattended, but he was becoming impatient. He drifted into the peristylium and
admired the gardens here. He heard a noise coming from one of the rooms
situated off the peristylium and went to investigate. When he saw what was in
front of him, he quickly hid behind a big plant. He was heartbroken as he
watched his friend engaging in intercourse with Isebella. He wanted to leave,
but he was rooted to the spot in his sorrow. She cried out as she finished and
he pulled out of her, ejaculating over her so there was no chance of a child
between them. Constantinus looked over at him. He knew he was there.
Constantinus had summoned him here for the purpose of him seeing them together,
so that Vincentius would know he was better than him at everything. As she
noticed his presence, she hastily got dressed and with flushed cheeks and
downcast eyes she ran from the room.