Trials (The Forever Series, Book 6) (12 page)

“It is from the Spirit Realm. It can manifest itself into
anyone who has…crossed over,” he says tactfully, avoiding my look of sorrow at
the reminder. “It is drawing on the people who can most affect you and seeing
as all of us are still very much alive, well, some of us anyway,” he says with
a pointed look to the Vampires in the room, “It leaves those who are…”

“Dead,” I say flatly then look sharply up at him. “Hey! We
are also very much alive, thank you.”

He grins sheepishly, “Sorry, bad habit.”

“Do you make fun of me on a regular basis?” I inquire
not-so-sweetly.

“Oh, keep your pants on,” he says with a quick glance down
at my bare legs in my tiny dress. “You know I love you.”

“EXCUSE ME?” Thunders both CK and Cole at the same time as I
glare at Xane and he smiles innocently back.

“Liv?” Cole snaps at me. “What is he talking about?”

“He is trying to get up your nose, which clearly he has,” I
now say with a placatory hand on my husband's arm. “Ignore him and can we
please focus on the issue at hand, which if our future selves are anything to
go by, is pretty terrifying.”

“Of course,” Cole says, shooting daggers at Xane who just
looks back mildly.

“Banish, banish. The sword must be able to do more than
that?” I ask.

“The last being, apart from you mother, who was capable of
wielding the sword before you, was, in fact, It. Legend has it, It used to be a
Demon,” Xane says.

I frown at him, “Seriously? Why did It let go of it then?
Why not keep it under Its own power?”

“It’s not theirs to keep anymore. It’s mine,” he snaps.
“Well, yours I suppose,” he concedes.

“Go on. What of this legend?” I encourage.

“I don’t know if it is true or whether it is a story but…”
he trails off and everyone leans in closer, now riveted.

“But, what?” I breathe.

“It has been told that the sword you have access to is not
actually the real thing.”

“Beg pardon? It seems pretty real to me,” I say, confused.

“I am sure that Gregor, Eloise, and Lance would agree with
that,” Devon snickers.

“What is it then?” I ask, ignoring Devon’s comment.

“A manifestation. But a shadow of its real self.” Xane taps
his chin as he looks at me. He continues, “Thousands of years ago It separated
the sword’s essence from its real self and hid it. It couldn’t get rid of the
sword completely but found a way to make it weaker.”

“Weaker? Christ. Can’t say I want to see what the real one
can do,” Lincoln mutters clearly remembering the beheading of Lance.

“It’s just a story though,” Xane says. “I don’t believe it.
It’s not possible and no one has ever found the supposed real one.”

Everyone is silent for a really long time then, staring
between me and Xane. I am thinking really hard as I know something…something
about the sword…what the hell is it? I sense someone about to speak and I hold
my hand up to silence them, I need to concentrate. I start to pace, rubbing in
between my eyes. Think woman, I yell at myself. All sets of eyes are on me as I
walk in a circle around the table where everyone is gathered. Sword…not
real…separated…hidden…

The minutes pass and I am digging deep, deep into my brain.

“Liv?” Cole whispers eventually. “Do you know something?”

I shush him with a finger to my lips and change direction
with my pacing. A few seconds later it comes to me. I slam my fist onto the
solid wood table, splintering it in my elation.

“I know,” I say to the open-mouthed faces of everyone around
me.

“Liv? What are you talking about?” Xane asks.

“The story isn’t legend, it is truth. I
knew
there
was something missing from it. I could feel it, like it wasn’t living up to its
true potential. Think about it. A sword of Hellfire. Made from the actual
flames of Hell. It should have destroyed anything that got in its path.”

“It does,” CK says.

“No, it doesn’t. I had complete control over it at your Penthouse
in Milan and I had to wield it as a sword to get rid of those three. Plus it
was useless against that forcefield before. Brought forth, it should just
incinerate everything without it touching anything and it certainly shouldn’t
be so easily controlled. The real one does and I think I know where it is.”

“Where?” everyone asks in unison.

I hold up my finger. “Remember the first dream I had after I
got The Power of One?” I ask Devon, CK, and Cole.

“Canyon, orange sky, black clouds, shadows up above…” Devon
recalls, counting them off on his fingers.

“Fire, invincible,” Cole adds

“The massive sword in the wall,” CK finishes up, clicking
his fingers.

“Buried deep that no one could reach,” the four of us say
together much to the annoyance of everyone else in the room.

“It’s in the Dragon Realms?” Xane asks.

“No, I don’t think it is. I think it might be in The
Underworld,” I say, then, “Oh Shit! CK!”

“What?” he looks startled.

“The Dragon Realms, I was supposed to go, like, yesterday.”

“Oh yes, so you were,” he says, not sounding too concerned,
even though it was he who asked me to go.

“Tiamat will be pissed. I told her I was coming,” I say
worriedly.

“Aefre, if it bothers her that much that you didn’t show,
she can come to you.”

“But what about the book?”

“It can wait. This is far more pressing.”

“No, it can’t be in The Underworld. I would know,” Xane
says.

“How would you know?” I ask.

“I just would,” he snaps at me.

“All right, keep your pants on,” I say back to him, pulling
a face with a quick glance down at his very sexy black jeans. “However, I
believe it may be there.”

“Well I won’t argue with you, Your Majesty,” he inclines his
head with a slight bow and I smile winningly at him.

“Only problem is, I have no idea where to start looking.” I
chew my lip thoughtfully. “I will have to have a think about it. In the
meantime at least I know if this thing gets close enough to me I can send It
away with the fake G.I.”

“Oh, I don’t think it will like being called a fake,” Xane
says.

“It doesn’t have a personality,” Devon snaps, agitated about
something. “I don’t think it really cares.”

“What bit you on the arse?” I inquire with a raised eyebrow.

“I am feeling restless,” he sulks.

“You know why, don’t you?” CK says to him.

“Do I look like I know?”

“You are thousands of miles away from your new charge. She
misses you,” he says with glee. Glee? On CK? Most amusing.

Well, if I ever thought that Devon was going to attack my
sire in the past, I know for certain he is about to launch himself at him now.
I step in front of CK just as Devon crashes into me, sending us both tumbling
to the floor.

“What the fuck?” I say, pushing him off me and he looks at
me apologetically before helping me stand to the snickering of the peanut
gallery, front and foremost being CK who, in spite of his laughter, looks at me
and shakes his head. “I think I can defend myself against your boy, my sweet,”
he says in between snorts. “But thank you all the same.”

“No problem,” I say smartly, brushing off my clothes and
trying to regain some sense of dignity.

“Sorry, Livvie,” Devon says. “Sometimes I just get the urge
to hit him.”

“Don’t we all?” I say dryly to which CK stops laughing to
glare at me and Sebastian takes over with a loud guffaw, which resonates around
the library.

“Indeed,” CK says haughtily. “Now that everyone is up to
speed, you all may leave. Go and think about ways to help your Queen. And you,”
he points to Xane, “go and see if you can find out where the real sword is
hidden.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Xane snarls at him.

CK just looks at him in that mildly infuriating way of his
and says, “Don’t then. But don’t come crying to me when Liv ends up dead
because you didn’t help her.”

“Constantine!” I say, mouth open in automatic response to
him calling me Liv, “That’s not a very nice thing to say.”

“Just making a point, my dear,” he says, still in the same
tone, and Xane just glares at him but nods.

“See?” CK says to me.

“Liv,” Cole pulls me to the side and hugs me. “Will you be
okay? What if this thing comes back in your dreams later? I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me. I know Its game now. I will be careful.
I promise,” I whisper to him and he gives me a very thorough, lingering kiss,
which sets CK’s blood boiling.

Devon and Lincoln, also in need of some reassurance, give me
a quick cuddle each and between Sebastian and Xane they ship everyone back to
Canada.

“Alone again,” CK says to me, pulling me in for a kiss to
erase Cole’s lips from mine. Jerk.

“Ahem,” Cade clears his throat. “Not quite. Can you wait for
me to leave before you go at it?”

I pull away from CK and say, “Can you see what you can dig
up on this Thirteen business? We have access to every lore, there must be
something in the Regency databases or the old Council records archives.” Most
of our systems have been updated since I came to Power, but there are still
thousands of files sitting in the old Council HQ in Milan.

“Serena will be able to help,” Nico says suddenly. He has
been so quiet and unassuming I had forgotten he was even there.

“Who is Serena?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

“She was the records archivist at The Council. Very clever
and knowledgeable. If anyone can help, she can,” Nico says.

Oh. Yawn.

“Come now, my love. Our time together is running short.” CK
grabs my hand and without another word Teleports us back to his bedroom.

“Erm, I want to go to my bedroom,” I tell him hesitantly.

“Why?”

I shrug, “I like it there.”

“Oh, well I can understand that, after all, it is yours.
However, I was hoping that you would think of this room as yours as well. Ours.”

I blink at him. “Ours,” I say, weighing it up. “There is
nothing of mine in here.”

“I can fix that,” he says quickly. “Just use ‘our bedroom’
when you think or speak of this room, please.”

“Okaaay,” I say, drawing it out. This is just too freaky. He
has done a complete 180, from no commitment at all to handing me just about
everything he owns. I am a little overwhelmed, what with everything that has
gone on, so I just turn and walk down the hallway to my room. He follows and
opens the door for me and ushers me in, closing the door quietly. The candles
are still burning but I light some more and soon the room has a hazy glow that
I kind of miss since the invention of electric lighting.

He sits on the bed, his mood serious. “We need to talk.”

Oh, I do not like the sound of that.

“Come and sit.” He pats the space next to him.

I walk over slowly and sit next to him, instinctively
angling myself towards him.

He smiles. “I never get tired of that reaction,” he mutters
as he takes my hand. “First things, you need to feed, my love, the Vampire
way.”

As if on cue there is a knock on the door. “Enter,” he
calls.

The gorgeous Ramon walks in and I take in his good looks
with appreciation. Oh yes, I definitely want to feed the Vampire way with him.
He walks over slowly and warily. I don’t blame the poor guy: last time I saw
him I was naked and offering him a three-way with myself and my sire (not that
I followed through though, remember?).

He kneels in front of me and I drop my fangs. I roughly pull
him towards me with one hand as CK laces his fingers through my others.

Mm, AB Neg, delicious, is the only thought going through my
head as I drink from him. CK squeezes my fingers to let go and I pull back. I
retract my fangs and give Ramon a chaste kiss on the mouth. “Thank you,” I
mutter.

“You may leave now,” CK says, not happy with my kiss. Ramon
does as he is told and I turn to my sire.

“Now if you could arrange to have
him
follow me
around to remind me to feed, I would be a good girl. A very good girl,” I say
seductively and he tries to grimace at me but his eyes light up at my tone and
the fact that my hand is now inching up his thigh. I reach his enormous
erection, and it makes me shiver as I think how turned on he gets watching me
feed. I kick off my shoes--what is it about this place that makes me want to go
barefoot?--and slip my hand into the waistband of his pants.

“Wait,” he chokes out. “We still need to talk.”

I pout. “Don’t reject me. It hurts,” I say in a small voice
while undoing the button and zip to get him free.

“Aefre. Please,” he says. “I am not rejecting you, we just
need to talk about something. It’s important to me.”

I huff at him and remove my hand and say, “CK, what is this
about?”

He ponders that for a while then he lets go of my hand and
stands up, doing up his pants in the process.

Huh, curious. And quite frankly, a little insulting.

He walks a few feet away and turning back to me says,
“Sebastian.”

I feel myself pale. Oh crap. He knows.

I open my mouth to start doing damage control but he speaks
first. “Do you know how much I love you?” he asks me to my surprise.

“Yes, of course,” I reply straight away.

“I don’t mean romantically, I mean as your sire. Do you know
how much I love you as my charge?”

I pause as I have no clue where he is going with this, “Err,
yes. About the same as I love Devon and Cole I guess.”

He looks relieved and says, “Good, yes, that’s good. Draw on
your own feelings. You love them and would do anything for them even if it
meant putting your own feelings aside to make them happy?”

I nod, “Of course.”

“That is how I feel about you.”

“Okay.”

“It is also how I feel about Sebastian,” he says
uncertainly. “It is important that you know that.”