The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (35 page)

“What did you do?” Cole asks me to change the subject.

“Nothing bad. I just may have inquired as to whether he
found her attractive,” I say, circling a pattern on the table.

“Aefre,” CK says to me. “We talked about this.”

“Yes, we did, and didn’t come up with a solution we agreed
upon, so I acted upon the one I liked.”

“What are you two talking about?” Devon asks.

“Jess showed an interest in Sebastian. I went with it,” I
say.

“She showed an interest how?” Devon says, not altogether
pleased.

“She finds him appealing,” I say. “I thought you would be
happy to have her attentions diverted elsewhere?”

“I didn’t think it would be so…quick,” he says, a bit put
out.

“You haven’t been replaced, she is just finding the
validation you won’t give her,” CK says.

“That’s a bit harsh,” Cole says.

“Maybe so, but a fact. Although I am not best pleased Aefre
pushed Sebastian on to her. I told you he has other priorities,” he says to me.

“And I told you he can do both. He seemed agreeable when we
spoke.”

“I know my charge. He doesn’t do something for nothing. What
did you give him in return?” he asks nastily.

Fed right up with this pissy mood he has got on himself, I
slam my fist onto the table. “I told him I would fuck him!” I yell into his
face standing up. “That’s right,” I tell everybody as they all stare at me in
stunned silence. I hone back in on my fuming sire that stands now as well.
“That’s what you are waiting for me to say, isn’t it? Well, there. I’ve said
it.”

“I suggest you calm yourself and watch your words,” he says
to me quietly.

“Fuck you!” I yell at him and stomp off to the little
bedroom at the back of the jet.

“What the fuck was that?” I hear Xane ask, probably of no
one in particular.

“Aefre, getting her knickers in a twist,” CK says and I hear
him sit back down.

I’ll fucking twist them round his neck in a minute if he’s
not careful. I am shaking as I sit on the bed. What has me so riled?

“You didn’t really offer him that, did you?” Cole asks as he
comes to find me.

“No, of course not. I am just mad. Flaming mad,” I say,
scratching my head vigorously.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Someone has done something to piss me off, I
just don’t know who or what.” I flop back on the bed and fling my arm
dramatically over my eyes.

“Me?” he asks as he kneels on the floor in front of me and
trails his hands up my thighs.

I smile, “No, not you.”

“Are you sure? Because I will make it up to you if I have.”
His hands reach my knickers and he tugs gently on them pulling them down. “I
preferred it when you didn’t wear these,” he says.

“Maybe it was you,” I say, lifting my hips to help him pull
them off. “I wear them for you.”

“Why?” he asks puzzled.

“So that you know I am not wandering around our little group
knickerless.”

“Oh. I see. In that case, I definitely prefer that you wear
them now. Less chance of an accident occurring when you bend over,” he says it
with all seriousness and I lift my arm from my eyes and look at him to see if
he is joking. I see the smile in his eyes and prop myself up on my elbows. He
has reached my ankles now and he stops and takes my shoes off and then removes
them and holds the lacy black material up to me. “I had a notion that you might
want to twist these around someone’s neck,” he says with a wicked laugh and I
let out a loud unattractive snort as I grab them. “You’d be right. But that can
wait, weren’t you making it up to me for maybe pissing me off?”

“Oh yes. Where was I?” he says as he ducks his head, pushing
my legs further apart. He gives me a little lick and I wiggle closer to his
mouth.

“Don’t tease me,” I complain. He licks me again and I wiggle
closer. “Cole, don’t tease me.”

A third lick and he inserts his tongue into me. “That’s
better,” I say, now happy, and relax under his touch. “I am a little less mad.”
He adds his fingers, circling them against my clit. “Oh yes, baby,” I whisper,
pushing my hand into his hair. He swaps his tongue for his fingers and he
gently moves them inside me as his tongue takes over on my clit. He sucks me
hard and I feel the first spark of pleasure shoot through me. “That’s it,
baby,” he says to me, “Feel what I am doing to you.”

Oh god, I feel it all right. In every nerve ending I feel
it. I bunch my fingers into the coverlet as I come soundlessly. I don’t usually
care if people hear me or even see me but sometimes it is private. Sometimes it
has to be just about the two people engaging in the act and no one else. “I
love you,” I say breathlessly and he rises up and kisses me.

“I love you,” he breathes and I fumble to get him out of his
pants and into me. A quick shove and he is inside, driving into me quickly as
he needs his own release. I pull his mouth to mine and we come together, our
mouths muffling the moans of pleasure.

“Are you still maybe mad with me?” he asks.

“Definitely not,” I say with a smile. “It’s definitely not
you.”

“Well, I am not sending anyone else in here to make it up to
you so you will have to figure it out another way.”

“Fair enough. I can live with that. Although I have a pretty
good idea who has annoyed me.”

“Your overbearing, control freak, pain in
my
ass
sire?”

“How did you guess? He’s up to something. I don’t know
what.”

“I am sure he is plotting to break us up. I still don’t
trust his decision to step back after making it very clear he was making a play
for you.”

“Hm, well whatever it is, it will have to wait. I want my
wicked way with you again and this time, I get to play,” I say and roll us over
so I am on top. I don’t care who hears us now as Cole tickles me and I shriek
with laughter and tickle him back, overpowering him with my superior strength. “God,
I love it when you do that,” he says, laughing himself now.

“Do what? Tickle you?” I say, doing it again.

“No,” he manages to get out through his laughter, “When you
overpower me.”

“Really?” I stop what I am doing. “You like that I am
stronger than you?”

“Hell yeah,” he says. “It’s fucking sexy.”

I am thrilled with his admission and I proceed to show him
just how much.

Several hours later we are called to land by Devon who has
probably drawn the short straw to come and tell us. “Landing time,” he says as
he knocks on the door and pushes it open, not really caring that we are naked
and twined around each other on the floor. “I suggest you clothe yourselves and
prepare for the face of thunder that will greet you as you return to your
seats.” We chuckle at him as he turns to leave, “Which by the way, not cool
leaving the rest of us with an ancient Vampire in the worst mood ever to deal
with while you two have all the fun. Lincoln is about ready to Wolf out.”

“You could have joined us,” Cole says, feeling mighty
generous now that he has reasserted his place as my first and foremost in front
of our little group.

“Oh now you tell me,” he grouses but with a smile tugging at
his lips. “I may take you up on that later. I have missed our little
rendezvous.”

“So have I,” Cole says and we both look at him in amazement.
“What? I have,” he insists and we both say, “Sure, whatever,” and he laughs,
happy to take our disbelief.

“Oh and Grayson won’t be needed to watch Jess tonight, she’s
rooming with me while we are here,” Devon adds.

“Oh really?” I say, standing up and pulling my dress over my
head. “Watching her flirt with Sebastian got you a little jealous there?”

“No,” he says sullenly. “I am merely protecting her. She is
new and he is old. Very, very old.”

“You don’t trust him not to hurt her?” I ask.

“I don’t trust him to treat her like she is new. He has
probably long since forgotten what it is like.”

I nod. “But be careful Dev. If this is not something you
want all the time, the rooming together, you need to make that clear, very
clear to her now.”

“I know. I have. Geez, I am not a child,” he grumps as we
make our way back to our seats.

Well, he wasn’t kidding about the face of thunder that is directed
our way as we sit. How Cole isn’t cowering in his seat is beyond me. Maybe he
knows that I will protect him from my sire. As for me, well, I could kick his
arse and he knows it. He continues to glare at me. “Have fun?” he snarls.

“Yes,” Cole says. “As a matter of fact, we did.”

I squeeze his fingers tightly in protest and he shuts it.

CK shifts his gaze from me to Cole and I jump in before
things get nasty. “CK, you have been in a foul mood since the pool. Please can
you tell me why and I can fix it,” I say sweetly.

Cold eyes flick back to mine, “You know why.”

“I apologized already for that.”

“Not good enough,” he says shortly.

“So you are going to rake me over the coals about it until
doomsday?” I snap at him. “Why am I not surprised? Seems I have the capacity to
disappoint you with just about everything I do so much that you feel the need
to punish me for months on end, whereas your golden boy over here,” I indicate
to Sebastian who has taken over Devon’s seat, “gets a slap on the wrist for his
misdemeanors.”

“Hey, don’t pull me into this,” Sebastian says, holding his
hands up. “Your issues are nothing to do with me.”

“Liv,” Cole says quietly. “Don’t.”

“You should listen to your husband,” CK says. “Don’t. Don’t
provoke me, Aefre. I am in no mood for your histrionics.”

“Histrionics? How dare you,” I hiss at him. “You know what?
I have had enough.” I stand and he does too knowing something big and hurtful
is about to come flying out of my mouth. He puts his hand on my arm as I
declare to the astounded faces of everyone on board, “I rue the day I ever met
you Constantine Catalano.” I use the name he gave me back then, “I wish I could
go back in time and run as far away from you as possible.”

There is a silence after the sharp intake of breath and then
there is noise.

The noise of a bustling, busy 11
^th
century
marketplace.

London, England, 1012 – Liv/Constantine

We stare at each other for a few moments before we tear
our heated gaze apart and look around us. “What the fuck?” I ask in horror.

“What the fuck, indeed,” he says. “What the fuck have you
done now, Aefre?”

“Me?” I squeak. “Why do you automatically blame me?”

“I wasn’t the one who wished to be back in time,” he
snaps at me. He grabs my hand and we both turn towards the bell tower. “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck,”
I breathe as he sighs.

“I don’t think they can see us. At least I hope not with
you dressed like that,” he says with a quick glance at my very tight, very mini
dress and Louboutins. “Come, we need to figure out how the hell we are going to
get back.”

“Wait,” I say, holding him back and he follows my gaze to
where I am standing, talking to Annis--at least the me from this time. I really
have somehow brought us back to 1012, to the day that Constantine and I first
met. I am gazing over her shoulder at him. We look at each other--the time
travelling us, that is--and then back through the crowds at our past selves. Or
is it our present selves? We watch as Annis pulls me away, berating me. We
watch as he follows us and I wander off on my own. “I look a fright.” I mutter
to myself and CK snickers.

“Vain fool,” he says. “You look beautiful.”

“I am a mess,” I say forlornly. “Look at my hair! And my
clothes!”

“Ssh,” he says, watching the scene intently waiting to
see what will happen like we didn’t already live it.

We watch as he-the past “he”--comes up behind past “me”
and I turn into him and apologize. “Always apologizing,” he mutters next to me.
“I don’t think that there is much you can do to change what happens next but if
you meant what you said, now is your chance,” he says with a sidelong glance.

“Of course I didn’t mean it, you idiot,” I mutter back as
I watch us introduce ourselves. “Christ, I remember wanting to touch you so
badly. I thought it was your whole reason for being there, was so I could.”

“It was,” he says with a soft smile, which I return, and
he puts his arm around me, giving me a quick squeeze. He lets me go as our past
selves part ways and he steps forward. “Where are you going?”

“If past me can hear current me I am going to tell him
what I should have done in the first place.” I follow that with a bit of a
drag, getting confused and race after him as he stalks off in the direction of
himself, my heels not made for these blasted cobbled streets. I am several feet
behind him. “You can’t interfere,” I tell him. “No one can see or hear us,
obviously. And what should you have done in the first place?”

“Gone after you and kidnapped you and taken you to
Normandy where I could have turned you properly,” he says back to me over his
shoulder.

He stops in front of his past self who peers at him
curiously. Oh fuck. It seems our past selves can see us. “CK, no!” I say to him
as he opens his mouth to speak. “You cannot change the past,” I reiterate.

He looks at me blandly as his past self looks at me with
suspicion, his eyes lingering on the expanse of my bare legs in my heels and up
to the low cut top of my slip of a dress. “I can if it gets me what I want.
What I should have had. What I was denied.”

“CK, no,” I plead with him. “If you do this, I will lose
Devon. I will lose Cole.”

“Maybe not. Maybe you will still sire them, who knows? It
might still happen. All I care about is being with you.”