Switch (The Forever Series, Book 7) (16 page)

“That conversation is not over,” CK says to me, but skirts
around Lincoln to kiss me goodbye anyway as does Devon, and Jess waves to me as
they leave. Sebastian stands his ground for a few more moments, wanting to say
something but then he turns to leave too, leaving me, Cole, and Lincoln.

Lincoln stares at Cole who says, “Fine, I’ll be in the
bedroom. Don’t be long.” He kisses me and beats it and we are alone.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “I know I am being moody.”

“Don’t apologize, I understand,” I say and pull him to me.

He wraps his arms around me and sighs. “That’s better,” he
says. “I need you near me. This is the first time that I haven’t been near
you.”

It’s true. He has always been under the same roof as me in
the run up to the full moon. I suppose, technically, we are under the same roof
in this hotel but it isn’t the same.

“What can I do?”

“Just be here for a while, please. It is especially
difficult as we have our Pack now but they aren’t here. It’s making me anxious.
Do you feel it?”

I do now. It must be coming from him though as I didn’t
before. Does that make me a bad Alpha? Or just a preoccupied one?

“Can I stay?” he asks suddenly and desperately. I know he
didn’t want to ask, but couldn’t help himself.

“I’ll have to ask Cole,” I say. “It’s not right to not
discuss it with him first.”

“Okay.” He lets go of me and I call to Cole to join us. I
know he is going to be furious with me but I can’t not help Lincoln when he
needs me.

“What is it?” he asks warily as he knows something is going
on.

“Can he stay?” I ask, trying for distraction as I run my
hand up his arm. “We’ve always been together and it’s making him edgy being
away.”

“You want him to stay? Here with us?” he asks incredulously.

“Please, baby. Just to be here. Nothing else,” I cajole him
and he is caving, so Lincoln pounces.

“Please, Cole. I never ask for anything from her. I never
demand anything and I never disrespect you. You are her husband and I respect
that, I just need her sometimes.”

Cole is surprised by his honesty and plea, but thinks it
over as Lincoln is right. Out of all of them, he never throws his weight around
in front of him, he is never blatant or possessive and while he has every right
to make demands on me, perhaps more so than even CK, he never does.

“Fine,” Cole grouses and stalks off to the bedroom muttering,
“Fuck’s sake, we really do need that orgy bed.”

Lincoln flushes as I pull him into the bedroom with me. “No,
no, Liv. I didn’t mean in here. I can sleep on the sofa.”

“No. In here,” Cole snaps at him. “At least then I know you
won’t get up to anything.”

“I would never do that!” Lincoln says, becoming defensive.
“The others probably would take advantage but you know that I wouldn’t.”

“Humph,” Cole says rudely but grudgingly accepts it as
truth. “Still, you stay here. Those are the rules. And you wear…something,” he
says, waving his hand about and turns to me, “As do you.” I smile prettily and
turn in a circle and back are the pj’s from Vegas. He nods his acceptance of my
outfit and I climb on the bed, having conjured up a set of pj’s for Lincoln in
the process.

“Where did you get these from?” he asks, holding them up in
distaste as he prefers to sleep in the buff.

“Demon magick. I’m getting quite good at it,” I say proudly
which is short-lived as he says, “Hm, clearly,” with a pointed look at my
wrist, while bare of any marking, makes his point known.

“Attitude,” I snap at him and he glares at me before he
strides into the bathroom to get changed, slamming the door behind him. Christ,
this side of him is no fun. We need to get back to L.A. and back settled into
our routine.

“Thank you,” I say to Cole as I snuggle next to him under
the covers.

“Whatever,” he says. “I would rather him be here where I can
keep an eye on you both.”

“I love you,” I say and he smiles back at me.

“I love you,” he sighs. “I am getting better at accepting
your life, aren’t I?” he asks, unsure.

“Oh baby, you are perfect. And I will give you a big reward,
to show you how much I appreciate you. Whatever you want.”

His eyes glint wickedly as he remembers the last time I said
that and I quickly backtrack. “Not that,” I say good-naturedly and he laughs.

“I am sure I can think of something.”

“Of that I have no doubt. I wouldn’t object if you wanted
another go with another girl,” I murmur softly.

“And while I will keep that in mind, any reward for good
behavior I want directly from you.”

“Done,” I say and kiss him as Lincoln comes back out of the
bathroom.

“I will sleep on the sofa,” he says but Cole growls at him.

“Get in.”

I shuffle over into the middle and lie on my back as does
Cole. Lincoln gets in and also lies there staring at the ceiling. Now this
three in a bed is most awkward, probably even more so than me with other
Constantine and other Sebastian. I sigh and turn to Cole and snuggle against
him, feeling terrible guilt over what I did. He relaxes completely under my
touch and attentions and soon I am drifting off.

I awake a bit disorientated. I am still in Cole’s arms, but
my hand is entwined with Lincoln’s who has turned over to face me. This is so
strange. I quietly untangle myself and, thirsty beyond belief, creep out of the
bedroom, closing the door quietly. I go to the bar and jump a mile when
Sebastian steps out of the shadows. “About time,” he says. “I’ve been here for
ages.”

“What?” I say to him.

“Waiting for you to wake.”

“How did you know I would?” I ask, confused.

“I willed it,” he says, standing on the other side of the
bar, clearly waiting for me to also make him a drink.

“You willed it?” I ask, my voice going a bit higher.

He nods and takes the drink I hand him and sniffs it.
“Really?” he says, “A bloody Bloody Mary?”

“What? It tastes delicious.”

He shrugs and takes a sip.

“So what other Fae powers are you hiding?” I ask him
casually, going to sit on the sofa.

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know,” he says.

“Yes, that’s why I am asking,” I say, exasperated.

He chuckles at me. “Need to know. You don’t need to know.”

“You are a very frustrating Fae-pire,” I say to him and he
salutes me with his beverage.

“So are you, little one. Interesting set-up.” He points to
the bedroom.

“It’s a one-time thing,” I say with a frown. “And nothing to
do with you.”

“I am starting to think that everything to do with you is to
do with me,” he states with his own frown.

“So you think that we are then? Fated?”

“Maybe. It’s hard to tell. I guess the only real way, apart
from Drake showing up, is if you go back to the future and see.”

“I can’t do that, Tiamat was very specific.” I lower my
voice to an almost whisper.

“Then we wait,” he says and takes a sip.

“Why exactly are you here in the middle of the night?” I
ask.

“Only time to actually get you on your own without a big
deal being made of it.”

“Oh. Sebastian, did you tell CK about me? About my F.H.?” I
say in code.

“F.H.? Oh, Fae Heritage,” he whispers. “No, I told you he
wouldn’t hear it from me. Why do you think I did?”

I push aside the vision thing. Dream thing, whatever it is.
“He is acting stranger than normal. Being cagey and asking about my father,
telling me to let it go. I just wondered is all.”

“He is acting strange because he is curious as to why you
suddenly changed your mind about me.”

“Well, blackmail aside,” I glare at him. “I can’t tell him.
Not yet.”

“You have to.”

“No, not yet.”

“When then?” he asks exasperated.

“When, or even the very big
if
, Drake ever shows up
looking for me.”

“No, Liv. You can’t leave it. He has to know what we are to
each other.” He takes my hand and I let him, only because I want to feel the
electricity between us.

“I can’t, Sebastian. It would kill him if he knew. We have
our own plans and I need him happy and secure. Especially now.”

“I know about your plans. Even more reason he should know.
Why especially now?”

“You know about our plans?” I repeat. “How do you know?”

“We have no secrets. Well, I suppose I have secrets from him
now. Which I do not like,” he says sternly. “But I know about your baby plans.
I have never seen him so happy.”

“Then why do you want to ruin it?”

“Because he has to know. If you end up having mine instead,
a bit of a heads-up would be preferable, don’t you think?”

I gape at him, “You said it was less than zero chance I
would.”

“Who knows, Liv. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. This is
why a trip to the future would be useful. You didn’t answer my question. Why
especially now?”

“What? Oh, he’s getting that way. Erratic and volatile.”

“Yes, I had noticed. I wondered if you had. You know this is
something you can fix.”

“How?”

“By telling him it is okay to be who he is.”

“He knows that already,” I say carefully.

“No, he doesn’t. He has it in his head that he has to be
‘good’ and ‘perfect’ and ‘worthy of you,’ otherwise you won’t love him. He is a
killer, Livvie. We all are. Suppressing that is driving him crazy. Not to
mention the other thing.”

Killer. He is a killer.

“What other thing?” I ask in dread.

“That he is being completely faithful to you and doesn’t
unleash his…other side. I thought it noble at first but it is anything but.”

“Seb, what are you saying?”

“That you have to tell him it is okay to be who he is,” he
says again. “That you will love him and still want to be with him, even if he
does those things you disapprove of. Christ knows you put him through the
ringer on a daily basis.”

“Yes, well what goes around, comes around,” I say mutinously
and he laughs softly.

“Well I don’t suppose I can argue with you for thinking
that. But you have the upper hand now. Tell him it’s okay.” He squeezes my hand
and I shake my head.

“I’ve told him it’s okay, that I hold no demands on him. He
says I do. I can’t force him to do something he doesn’t want to do. His guilt
over whatever it was you did with Vivienne is what started all this time
jumping in the first place. And he won’t do it with me,” I add so quietly that
I don’t think he heard me at first.

“You’ve asked him to?” he asks after a few minutes.

“Yes. But he won’t.”

“Of course he won’t,” he snaps at me and I glare at him to
shush. He lowers his voice again, “He would rather rip his own head off than
hurt you like that. Are you insane for even suggesting that to him? No wonder
he has taken such a firm stance on this. You have to take it back. Tell him you
don’t want him to do it to you but he can do it to someone else.”

“I don’t want him to,” I admit sheepishly.

“This isn’t about you. It is what is best for him.”

“Why do you care so much?” I ask suddenly. “This is more
than just charge-like concern.”

“I love him,” he says. “He isn’t just my sire. He is my
friend. My best friend.”

Interesting, but I can’t resist the dig, “Yet you want what
is his.”

“You aren’t his,” he says shortly. “Not yet, anyway.”

And that sounds all too familiar.

He clears his throat and changes the subject, holding up my
hand, wrist facing out. “What’s with that? I thought you said you were trying
to break it. Looks like it is getting stronger.”

“I am unable to break it,” I say.

“Because you can’t or don’t want to?”

“Both,” I admit defeat and he sighs.

“Liv, I can’t bear another secret on top of the ones that
are already piling up. I know I have my hand in some of them, but it is getting
too much.”

“Then just forget it. You never saw us, I never told you, we
didn’t come to an agreement. It’s all redundant now after next week because we
will be together properly and that agreement will be null and void.”

“But I will still know something about you that he doesn’t.”

“You know lots of things about me that he doesn’t. And you
won’t tell him because if you do then I will leave and you will never see me
again.”

“That threat is a fate worse than death,” he says sadly.
“And I won’t tell about that, but this brings me back to the fact that you need
to tell him about your Fae…err, F.H.”

“Not yet,” I say and we both make noises of frustration.

“Look,” I say. “I will go to the future and see what is
happening there and then I will come back and we can make the decision,
together. Okay? It might be that it is best kept quiet, or maybe it is best
that we come clean. And by we and I mean both of us.”

“Me? I have nothing to hide.”

“Really? So he knows about the prophecy and the Chosen Two
and the baby?” I fish, looking for anything to suggest he did tell him about
that, like in my vision dream.

“Well, maybe not the baby part,” he admits, looking away.

“Oh grand, so you were just going to leave it to me to tell
him. Thanks a lot,” I snark at him and don’t learn anything from his neutral
expression. Damn him.

“Not intentionally. I told him thousands of years ago. It
didn’t seem to matter after I was turned and banished.”

Well I suppose he has a point.

“When will you go?” he asks, breaking the moment of silence.

“I don’t know. Whenever I get the chance. In case you hadn’t
noticed, I barely get two minutes to myself, even when I am sleeping,” I say
dryly.

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly. “I needed to talk to you.”

“Berate me, more like.”

“No, just to talk to you. To see you. To be able to speak
freely. It is going to be harder than I thought not being able to be with you
whenever I want.” He takes my face in his hands. “I don’t think I can wait
until Tuesday,” he says against my lips before he kisses me. I pull away
abruptly as a prickle goes across my shoulder. I rub at it but don’t see
anything. Weird.

“Liv?” Lincoln asks.

“Err, yes,” I say as he steps closer and eyes up Sebastian.
“Sebastian needed to speak to me about…our sire.”

He nods in agreement.

“Oh, you should come back to bed.”

I nod at him, “Seb, we’ll talk again later.”

“Yeah,” he says and Teleports out sullenly.

“Anything you want to tell me?” Lincoln asks.

“No. Nothing to worry about.”

“This whole being in a bed with you but not able to touch
you is driving me crazy,” he whispers to me with a small kiss behind my ear as
he helps me back into bed.

“Tell me about it,” I whisper back. Cole shifts in his sleep
and pulls me to him and I go to him, wrapping my arms around him as Lincoln
boldly curves himself around my back, resting his hand on my hip.

Chapter 9

Cole kisses me awake a few hours later. “I need you,” he
whispers.

I stretch and look around for Lincoln, who pops out of the
bathroom freshly showered and changed. Mm, too bad I missed out on that.

“I told Lincoln he has to go now as I haven’t had sex with
my wife for over a day,” he tells me.

Lincoln snorts and says, “Well I haven’t had sex with her
for over a week. Be grateful for small mercies.”

Cole, to my surprise, takes it in good grace and laughs, “I
would share but I’m not in that giving of a mood today.”

“Hey,” I say punching him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t I
get a say?”

“Not today,” he says. “You are all mine. You still owe me
favor.”

“Indeed, I do. Linc, sweetie, I want to leave here tonight.
Can you ask Jess to let everyone know and get Jim to sort it, however he can.
I’m not fussed how, but I want wheels up ASAP.”

“Why the rush?” Cole asks as Lincoln agrees.

“I want to get to London. The sooner the better.”

“No probs. I’ll catch up with you later. Thanks for last
night. I feel marginally saner than I did yesterday,” he says to Cole who just
nods once, as men do.

When he leaves after a quick kiss, Cole turns to me and
says, “I am not looking forward to this.”

“To what?” I ask.

“Going to London.”

“Why not?” I ask, sitting up and pulling my annoying pajama
top over my head.

Eyes focused on my tits and not my eyes, he mutters
something I don’t quite follow.

“Stop mumbling, I can’t understand you.”

“I said, it is because it is where you met Constantine. You
have all these memories, everywhere you turn.”

I burst out laughing much to his un-amusement. “Baby, it
looks nothing like it did back then. I wouldn’t be able to tell you where my
cottage stood or where the marketplace was or anything.”

“I bet he can,” he says darkly. “And I am sure he will swan
you off to all your little private spots.”

“Doubtful. I think he has better things to do with his time
than figure out where an old bell tower was.”

“Well, whatever, don’t say I wasn’t right when it turns out
I am.”

Huh?

“Forget that. I thought I was supposed to be owing you,” I
say.

“I don’t want anything except you,” he says, flopping back
to the bed.

What’s got his mood on now?

“Liv, when you were human, did you ever want kids? Does it
sadden you that you never will?”

“Erm, what makes you ask that?” I ask cautiously.

“When you were talking about Xane’s baby sister, you looked
so happy,” he says, sitting up and looking at me.

“Well, she is sweet. But no, I never wanted kids.”

“What about if you could now?” he asks seriously.

“Cole, what are you asking me?”

“Nothing, maybe. I don’t know. I’m just saying that there
are options, we could adopt,” he says in a rush.

“Are you saying you want to have kids?” I ask hesitantly.

“I thought I did. It is kind of redundant now I guess but I
just thought, if you did, in the future want that with me, we could, you know.”

“I…I, erm…this is kind of sudden,” I blurt out, a bit
panicked.

“Liv, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m not saying I
want it now. Just if you did in the future, it’s something to think about.”

“Can we change the subject? Please?” I beg and he smiles sadly
at me.

“Sure. I suppose I had better have my way with you all of
today as I won’t have you tonight, or tomorrow or Monday at this rate.”

“Why not?”

“Because of Lincoln, needing to be near you. And before you
ask, that is one particular three-way that I am saying a definitive ‘no’ to.”

“First things, why that one in particular – not that I am
asking--and secondly, why do you think I am pushing our trip forward?”

“I don’t want to see you with him. Devon says he is…ahem,
impressive, and that you love it.”

“What?” I shout at him. “Why are you speaking about such
things with Devon?”

And why is Devon saying these things to my husband? That boy
is heading for an arse-kicking.

“Because we talk about things. All sorts of things. He told
me what the three of you got up to in New York and how he pleases you, in ways
that I can’t.”

“Oh Cole, don’t be ridiculous.” I try to stifle my laugh as
he goes bright red. “You are…impressive yourself and I love it. I love you.
Don’t be insecure. And to answer my own question that you have ignored, we are
going to England tonight so that we are at the estate there tomorrow night. If
he takes the room next door to mine, err, ours…” I amend at his look, “Then he
will be all right.”

“Oh, yeah, good idea,” he says with a twisted smile. “Wait,
estate? You have an estate there?”

“Yes, of course. In Buckinghamshire.”

“Buckinghamshire? Where is that in relation to where I need
to be?”

“About an hour away. Don’t panic, Grayson is going to be
there to get you door to door. Aren’t you sick of hotels anyway? I know I am
and CK doesn’t even bother anymore, he just goes back to
Ponte
every
night.”

“He does? How does that work with the time difference?” he
asks.

“Doesn’t really matter. He only sleeps about an hour a
night, if that, anyway.”

“I hate that you know that,” he grumbles.

“He has for centuries. It’s nothing new.”

“Humph, well at least I know that you need lots and lots of
sleep. Cuts into his time.”

“Cole!” I say, trying not to laugh.

“What? I am allowed comments like that. It is my right as
your husband.”

“Well I won’t argue with that. Now husband, I have been sat
here waiting for you to take me and all you keep doing is yammering on.”

“Oh my apologies, Your Majesty, please do come here so I can
kiss you and take you,” he says and his good nature has returned.

The flight to London is fairly uneventful, well, by our
standards, anyway. Lincoln gets on everyone’s nerves by pacing fretfully and
then the both of us are shoved unceremoniously into the bedroom for me to
comfort him. Non-sexually, I am threatened with my life. He lies with his head
on my lap as I stroke him and he eventually falls asleep. I, however, do not. I
tug on the wings of my cuddly, black dragon that Sebastian bought me in Vegas,
which goes everywhere with me now. I have formed a strange attachment to it and
even though Cole doesn’t ask, I know he finds it odd.

Jess comes to chat with me to alleviate the boredom and we
find out that we have even more in common than we thought. In spite of my
initial hatred and misgivings about her, she is shaping up into quite the girl.
I like her and I suppose, reluctantly, I am glad that if it was anyone Devon
was forced to sire, it was her. But she too succumbs to sleep after a few
hours, as did everyone else. Fan-bloody-tastic.

After a quick refuel in New York, we landed in London six
hours later and I was the first off the jet as usual. More so than usual as I
was now feeling like a caged Dragon. I didn’t think that was such a good idea.

We pull up to my estate, an eight-bedroom manor house in
Buckinghamshire with four acres of garden and woods at the back. Perfect for
our needs over the next couple of days.

We pile in and I sigh. “It’s nice to feel like being at home
again,” I say as Cole wraps his arms around me.

“This place is great. Very country mansion,” he says, taking
in the dark wood panels and floor and the red carpeted stairs. “I think I
prefer it to our home in L.A,” he adds. I also think he prefers it to staying
in the middle of the city, where he supposedly thinks it will look like the
eleventh century.

I smile at his “our home” and tell him to go and get
settled. I pull CK to the side and ask him if he is going to stay.

“You want me to?” he asks.

“Yes, I miss you.”

“Then I will not refuse your request,” he says with his made-for-me
smile that makes my heart skip a beat and my body to respond to him as he pulls
me close. “I want you. I hate not being able to have you whenever I want you.”

“I will come to you soon. I need you too.”

“Are you ready for me?” he asks me quietly in my ear.

“Always,” I murmur back and he chuckles.

“And yet you will make me wait for you.”

He is challenging me and I shiver, half of me wanting to
throw caution to the wind and take him upstairs with me right now. He sees it
flash across my face and grins wickedly. “Do you dare?” he whispers and I
whimper in restraint to his delight. “Oh I will make you wait now, my sweet. I
want you completely at my mercy.”

“You are a cruel, cruel man,” I say in jest and he laughs.
He is still edgy but he seems a bit more relaxed which is good. Hopefully he is
getting over his itchiness.

“I have an errand,” he says. “I will see you later on.”

“Okay,” I say, knowing better than to ask as he won’t tell
me anyway. I squeeze his hand and turn on my heel to let him watch me walk
away, which he does, all the way to the top of the stairs and I feel a slight
sense of triumph.

I find Cole in our bedroom, which he found with no problem
and he points to the bed, “It’s exactly the same.”

“Not quite,” I say. “There are slight differences but why
mess with perfection?”

“I agree,” he says, taking my face in my hands and giving me
a searching look. “It will feel like home to sleep with you here tonight.”

“We could always sleep now,” I say suggestively, meaning
anything but.

“I have an errand to run but I will be back soon and then I
will take you up on that.”

Another errand? “What kind of errand?” I ask him, thinking I
may get an answer from him but he smiles secretively.

“Nothing for you to worry about. Just business. Now I am
going to be magnanimous and send you to Lincoln while I am away. Perhaps if he
spends time with you now, we will be left alone later.”

“You want me to go to Lincoln?” I ask, wondering if I heard
right.

He nods. “I will be gone a few hours, that should give you
plenty of time.”

“Err, okay,” I say as he pushes me towards the door,
wondering what the fuck is going on here. I look back at him and he smiles at
me, and turns to change. Well, not one to look too far into the gift horse’s
mouth, I knock on the door next to ours and Lincoln opens it.

“Hi,” he says. “Can we go outside for a bit?”

“Of course,” I say and he leads me back downstairs and out
of the library’s French doors to the expansive grounds.

“Where are you two off to?” Xane asks idly from the terrace,
having already found his way outdoors.