The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) (4 page)

I can’t believe what my ears have just heard. He was trying
to break up me and Cole so I could be with our sire. A stupid plan indeed, but
one that probably would have worked, as Constantine says. All it would take is
one of us leaving the other and he would come in and claim me. It doesn’t
matter if it’s a day or a hundred years. If Cole is gone, he is gone.

“I assume that I was spelled to not tell you, either,” I say
to that.

He shakes his head. “No, that was all you,” he says,
somewhat smug but trying not to show it.

“Humph,” I say rudely. “How did you make him suffer?” I ask,
now wanting to know.

“It is not your concern. Just know that he will never do it
again.”

“Fine. I accept your explanation. But I want an apology from
him. A proper one with over-the-top anguish and gifts,” I say, standing. “I am
his Queen and he will not treat me like some kind of toy to play with.”

“I will tell him,” Constantine says, now also standing.

I nod and brushing past him I head, much to his relief, to
the bathroom. I need a good long soak and I am aching to get rid of these
pajamas. They are so not my thing. Stepping into the bath I turn the taps on
and add my favorite lavender bubble bath and let it soak into my skin as the
bath fills up. I duck under as it gets deep enough and just stay under the
water for a while. When I surface, Constantine is sitting there staring at me.
I blink the water out of my eyes and stare back at him.

“How come you never talk to me like that?” he asks so
quietly I almost don’t hear him.

Completely at a loss I ask, “Like what?”

“Like you do with your Wolf,” he mutters almost as if he
doesn’t want to.

Geez, how long
was
he listening to us? I chew my lip
thoughtfully, mostly in an effort not to burst out laughing. “I wasn’t aware
you had a need for validation, my love,” I say, now completely over my anger as
he shows me his vulnerable side.

He stares down his nose at me, eyes narrowed. “I do not need
validation, my sweet. But it might be nice once in a while to have you say some
of those things to me.” He pauses as an unsavory thought crosses his mind,
“Unless you don’t feel that way.”

I do chuckle out loud now and say, “Of course I feel that
way. I love you, you idiot.”

He looks pleased as I say that but asks, “Then why don’t you
ever say those things to me?”

“What, that I find you incredibly sexy and so gorgeous, my
hands ache if they aren’t touching you?” I say with a wicked glint in my eye.

He peers at me with a slightly amused expression. “I ache if
I am not touching you,” he whispers. He trails his hand in the bath water and I
take great delight in grabbing him by his t-shirt and pulling him into the
gigantic tub with me with a splash. I flip him over and push him under the
water. He comes up spluttering and looking mad as a snake, until I grab his
face and kiss him, running my hands into his wet hair. “Christ, Constantine. I
love it when you are wet,” I murmur against his lips. “You are irresistible.”

He looks pleased as punch and says, “Oh really? How come you
have never told me that before?”

“I thought it fairly obvious,” I say as I free him of his
clingy wet t-shirt, throwing it onto the bathroom floor with a loud splat. I
run my hands down his chest and back up again, savoring the feel of him, smooth
and rock hard. “So sexy,” I say before I trail butterfly kisses down him,
sloshing through the bath water as I move further down.

“Oh, Aefre,” he says with a sigh as my hands reach the
waistband of the sweats he is still wearing. I pull them down and with a
difficulty that makes us both laugh uncontrollably, I relieve him of the soggy
bottoms and they too end up in a large splat on the floor.

“Oh, my darling. I do love you,” I say to him before I crawl
back over him and with no care for the water slopping over the side of the tub
and onto the floor, I ride him until we both come.

“Is there any place in the whole world that you two haven’t
defiled yet?” Sebastian asks from the doorway.

I grimace at him, “Don’t you fucking know how to knock?”

“I didn’t come via the door,” he says offhandedly. “Besides,
seeing as this is all you seem to do it’s hard to catch you not doing it,” he
adds and my fury returns.

“’Bastian,” CK warns and Sebastian looks contrite.

“I meant you plural. Not just you,” he says, looking at me.

Oh, well that makes it better then. Not.

“What do you want that couldn’t wait?”

“I came to apologize to you,” he says.

I glare at him. “I don’t see anguish or gifts.”

He tilts his head at me, “I was supposed to bring gifts?”

“Yes, many of them,” I say, then looking at CK I admonish,
“You were supposed to tell him.”

“I didn’t get the chance before you pulled me fully clothed
into the bath tub. Seems he is here of his own volition,” he comments dryly.

“Humph, well go away and come back with gifts. And anguish,”
I say to Sebastian, who is looking a bit startled.

“You pulled him into the bathtub fully clothed?” he asks in
disbelief as his eyes land on the soggy pile of clothing. Honestly, he should
know by now that I get away with these things that no one else would dare do.

“She did indeed. I do love her fun side,” CK says looking
only at me.

“You are so hot,” I say before I kiss him again as he
chuckles.

Sebastian is still staring at us, so I pull away from CK and
say to him again, “Go away. I am still so mad with you I could stake you.”

“Hence, why I am here to apologize,” he says curtly.

“Later. Leave us now,” CK says and he goes now under his
sire’s orders. So much for my authority around here.

I climb out of the bath and grab a towel, drying myself as I
go to find my phone. I find it in the sitting room and send a quick text before
I turn to find CK standing in just a towel slung low over his hips. Fuck me.

“I think I might be drooling just a little bit at the sight
of you,” I tell him with a smile.

He beams at me, “I know I am at the sight of you.”

“Get dressed. There is someone on the way up,” I say.

“Oh, who?” He looks slightly put out.

“I need to feed, baby. I’m starving. Nico is bringing me
someone,” I say. Well, I hope he is. I sent him a message and assume he got it.

“Of course,” he says. “I am still not used to you needing so
much blood.”

I smile at him. “Me neither. It’s hard to remember all the
time. I think I just need to have someone follow me around all the time,” I
joke.

He looks at me seriously, “I could arrange that if it’s what
you wanted. I would do anything for you.”

“Oh no, no! It was a joke. I don’t think I could treat
someone that way,” I say, feeling a bit horrible for even joking about it. We
get dressed in silence, me in my usual attire, him in casual jeans and t-shirt.

Nico, not even bothering to knock, barges in with a Feeder
for me and, looking mighty relieved to find me looking like myself and not
gussied up as I was last night, nods briefly and exits. I cast a quick glance
at CK with a small smile tugging at my lips and he grunts, “A beast,” at me and
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud.

I take my fill thankfully and feel much better about things.
I have to go and find Devon soon to see how he is holding up, but there is one
small thing I have to do first. I messaged it to Nico as well so I see the man
out and wait. CK looks at me as I stand there.

“Everything, okay?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“What are you up to?” he asks me suspiciously.

I step closer to him and take his hand, “There is something
I want you to do.”

“Oh?” He raises his eyebrow at me and asks, “What is that,
then?”

With excellent timing, Nico comes back in with a petite
green-eyed blonde, who--in spite of the description--looks nothing like me,
thankfully. He leaves and I say calmly to CK who is glaring at me with
undisguised fury, “Feed in front of me.”

“I don’t think so,” he says shortly.

“Yes. I want you to. You owe me.”

“Do I now?”

“You do,” I say with finality.

He flicks his gaze to the woman who is trying to look
nonchalant but is most definitely not happy with this arrangement. I know this
is one of his regular Feeders as that is what I asked Nico to bring, but
clearly Sebastian was right. He doesn’t talk to them or even really acknowledge
their presence.

“Aefre,” he warns me as I let go of his hand and take hold
of the woman instead. I place her in front of him and she lets me, terrified
out of her mind now that I am also going to drink from her.

“Do it,” I order him, stepping up close to the woman,
sandwiching her in between the two of us. With a final glare at me he drops his
fangs and, gripping her by the shoulders, slowly lowers his mouth to her neck.
She gasps at the sharp sting but then relaxes as he starts to suckle. Oh, she
is definitely enjoying this more than she should be and it’s no wonder. I was
right about what I said about his effect on the female kind. She would drop her
panties for him in a heartbeat. I lean closer to her and her eyes pop open as
she feels my lips softly on hers. I gently push my tongue into her mouth and
she responds to me as I knew she would. CK moves his grip to my shoulders,
digging his claws into me since he can’t do it to her, and I gasp at the sting
of it. He moves one hand up to the back of my head, keeping me close to her as
I kiss her gently.

He releases the bite quickly, having taken a bit too much,
and growls low in his throat as he is turned on seeing me like this. With
another woman. We haven’t done this in decades, always choosing my pleasure
over his and being with another man. I have no idea if he will call it off or
follow through and I am interested to find out.

Unfortunately we are interrupted by a loud banging on the
door. Ignoring it, I continue my task, but the banging continues. Geez, whoever
it is really wants in. The spell is broken as the woman comes to her senses and
pulls away from me. She is the one who gets to the door first and rushes out,
pushing past the woman who is standing there in surprise.

She steps inside and I give her a once-over, eyes sweeping
from the top of her auburn-haired head down to her glowing green eyes, down her
stunning body to her feet clad in very expensive shoes. She looks very familiar
as she closes the door and turns to CK with a winning smile. “Constantine, my
love,” she gushes. “I heard you were in town. Thought you might want to play.” She
brushes past me with a dismissive glance and goes to kiss him firmly on the
mouth. I note with annoyance that he doesn’t push her away.

She is tall with legs up to her ears and as she turns back
to me, piercing my eyes with hers that look so familiar, it suddenly comes as
no surprise to me when she says, “I assume you are the one who killed my
sister?”

“Vivienne,” CK says quietly, “this is Liv. Your Queen. Do
well to remember that.”

“Oh, I mean her no harm, Eloise was a first-class bitch. I’m
not sad to see her gone,” she says breezily, putting her arm around my sire.

So Eloise turned her own sister. Interesting. First charge?
I assume so. I narrow my eyes at her, liking her about as much as I did her
sister, which was more in the region of outright loathing.

Again she dismisses me and turns to him. “So how about it?”
she says, taking off her coat and flinging it onto the sofa. “I don’t mind
sharing,” she says with a backward glance to me. My mouth drops open in shock
as I now clearly see what is around her neck: a very similar collar to the one
I had on just a week ago, minus the diamonds. Gee, I feel special. A little
platinum “C” dangles at her throat marking her as his. I resist the urge to
throw up. He sees my reaction and he quickly steps to the side, away from her,
his eyes begging me to let him explain. But I am not sticking around here for
explanations. “I have to go,” I say as forcefully as I can. “I will see you
later,” I say and I beat a hasty retreat, not daring to look back as I hear her
stupid, tinkly laugh. “Alone at last. I have been dying for you to hurt me,”
she says harshly and I run.

I burst into Devon’s suite and Lincoln and Scott look up at
me startled. “Everything okay, V.A.?” Lincoln asks quickly. “Did he hurt you?”

“Erm, no. It’s fine. Something else. It’s okay. How’s
Devon?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.

“Asleep. He was exhausted,” he replies, not happy with my
lack of forthcoming.

I nod and go into the bedroom. I didn’t expect to find him
on the bed. Instead, he is curled up on the floor with a pillow propped up
under his head. I kneel down and brush his hair off his forehead, taking
comfort in him, even as he slumbers.

Well, nothing for me to do here as I glance a look of
contempt at Jess. Now might be a good time to sneak off to see Cade. Clearly
Constantine is being kept busy, so it’s perfect. I shudder at the thought of
him with that woman. He might as well be fucking Eloise. I can’t believe he
kept this from me. Arse.

I stand up again and decide on a whim to change. I swap my
black mini and top for a professional black pant suit buttoned up with two
buttons and a thin, silky black camisole underneath. I sweep my hair up in a
tidy bun and pin it up. I like the look. I look kickass. Business-style
kickass. I can’t really pull off scary kickass, I sigh, cursing my sweet looks.
Next time I Shift I am going hardcore. Maybe more people will take me seriously
and my authority won’t be defied.

I stalk back out of the bedroom, feet still clad in my
trademark Louboutins, and tell Lincoln and Scott I’m going to meet Xane. Scott
won’t offer to come--which reminds me he had something to tell me--and Lincoln
will leave me to it knowing I can handle myself.

I excuse myself and fortunately neither one of them offers
to join me and, with a quick thought pushed aside about what my sire is up to,
I head downstairs to the still empty conference room. I sit on a table swinging
my legs and wait.