by Eve Newton
Tatiana looks amazed. “How did you break his curse?” she asks.
I wonder how she knows what he said.
“I recognize him,” she adds, as I look at her in question.
I shrug. “I’m still not sure,” I mutter in Russian.
Getting a bit tired of switching languages now, I say again in English, “We need to figure out what to do with him.”
“The plan hasn’t changed,” Constantine says. “We kill him.”
“No, we can’t. Remember what I said?”
“I heard you,” he says in that infuriating way of his that means, yes, he heard you, but he is paying you no mind.
“Constantine, you can’t.”
“My charges, my decision,” he says harshly and stalks off towards the kitchens.
With a horrified look at the hapless Polly, I follow him quickly. “No, you can’t do this. I won’t let you. Two charges, Constantine, you can’t do it.”
He turns to me with a hard look. “You think I haven’t killed my own before? I know the consequences, Aefre. I know the loss. But he must pay for what he did to you. You gave him a reprieve before. Not this time. Not again.” He softens as he says quietly, “What he did to you. What he said before? I can’t bear the thought of him doing that to you. I need to finish him. Unless you want to do it yourself?”
“But Polly...”
“Will be collateral damage. I will not allow him to live one day longer. It’s either you or me. Your choice.”
“Lizzie. Let him do it,” Devon says as he joins us. “Just let him do it.”
“Where is Cole?” I ask him.
“His agent has been calling all night. I told him to take it. He doesn’t need to be here for this.”
“Fine. You do it,” I resign myself, as it is a moot point. He will do it anyway. “I will go and sit with her.”
“No, you go with Constantine. I will sit with her. You need to see this through,” Devon says.
I pull him close and whisper, “Thank you. I love you.”
He nods and leaves us.
Constantine grabs my hand and leads us to the door. “Break it,” he says. I focus my Power and break through the wards as if it is nothing.
He pulls me forward, but I say, “Wait.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going down with you,” Lincoln says, sidling up to my other side. We both look at him in surprise.
“Lincoln, no. Just go and wait in the sitting room.”
“Not a chance. He kept me prisoner for half a century. I want to see him finished.” He grabs my right hand, as his fingers brush against my ring, he mutters, “Interesting,” as he gazes intently into my eyes.
CK glares at him. “And who are you again?”
Lincoln, standing his ground, says, “A victim of, what I have assumed over this last half an hour, is one of your own. You owe me this.”
“Don’t get in the way,” he says shortly as he pulls me forward.
“Wait,” I say again, and he stares at me impatiently.
Having already been down those steps once tonight, I know I cannot do it in my six-inch heels. I pull them off, but keep them in my hand as no way am I going down there without them.
CK tuts at me as I lose a few inches, but staring up at Lincoln’s great height, he smiles at me.
“Allow me,” he says and takes them from me. Standing at least six feet two inches tall, I smile my thanks up at him and wonder again how it is I attract such tall, gorgeous men. He winks at me and says, “After you, Your Majesty.”
Oh, lord, but he is just wonderful.
Descending the steps quickly, we reach the bottom and he hands me my shoes back. I slip them on and feel loads better.
Finding Lance in my old cell, we watch him closely as he does with us. He is chained to the wall, but with magick.
“Father and Sister. Always together. I should have known you would be my first visitors,” he glances slyly at Lincoln and adds, “But you. You are unexpected.”
“Our Queen broke your curse on me. I wanted to be here when she finished you off,” he says calmly.
Lance laughs. “She won’t end me. If she didn’t allow it before, I see no reason why she would have changed her mind.”
Putting my hand to the cell door, I once again break through the magick lock and it springs free. I step inside, with my sire casually holding my hand as if this is the most normal thing in the world. I pull away from him though and narrow my eyes at Lance. Leaning my elbows on the altar that is probably still stained with my blood, I say to him, “I’m here to give you what you always wanted.”
I sense the shock from Constantine and Lincoln’s confusion.
Lance, looking somewhat amused, says, “Oh, and what is that?”
“What you always wanted to see in my eyes. My pleasure. Only…” I pause and slide a glance at CK. He is looking mighty annoyed with my plan of action, “you get to watch as our sire gives it to me.”
Lance’s eyes light up, but behind that is a flash of anger, quickly hidden. “I have already seen you two together. Admittedly, I was rather put out that you Shifted. Blue-eyed brunettes aren’t really my thing. Quite the insatiable whore, aren’t you?”
“Hm, so I’m not mistaken in thinking this is something you want to see?” I press him, ignoring the ‘whore’ comment. I move around the altar now and crouch before him. “I was so close to giving you everything you wanted,” I whisper, so quietly. He hisses at me, struggling against his magickal bonds. “You did break me. I was yours for the taking. I was ready to give you myself the next time you came down those steps.” I stand up then. “But the kicker was, the next Vampire down those steps was our sire. Here to rescue me. Here to save me from you.”
“That bitch!” he yells. “She dropped the wards long enough for them to sense you here before they left. If she wasn’t already dead, I would have her head again!” he snarls.
“Oh, too bad,” I say in mock pity, walking back around the altar. “But here’s your chance to get what you never could. To see my willingness, to see what my pleasure looks like.”
I stop in front of CK, eyes on Lance. I back up to our sire, forgetting all about Lincoln watching this from the corner. CK growls his protest in my ear, but does as I want anyway, bringing his hands around to the tops of my thighs and pulling my skirt up slowly. Having already magickly ditched my knickers, he groans in pleasure despite his earlier protest, as he reaches me unhindered.
CK lightly brushes his fingers over me. Lance struggles against his ties, itching to get his hands on me. “What does your husband think of this?” he sneers at me.
“He wants what makes me happy and this…” I sigh. “This makes me happy.” I gasp as CK inserts his fingers into me.
Getting on board with this plan, he says to Lance, “Mm. I love how she is always ready for me. So wet. Always so ready.”
Lance’s eyes go even blacker as he Shifts in an attempt to break the ties that bind him to the wall.
Pulsing his fingers in and out of me, in a very loud slurping noise in the silence of the cell, CK continues. “I bet you never felt this. Never felt her this wet. This hot. I just have to look at her and she gets this way. I bet you had to work really hard to get even a drop out of her,” he murmurs, all the while working his fingers over my clit and in my pussy.
“Oh, baby,” I say, squirming against him.
“Are you close, my love?” he asks. “Are you going to come for me?”
“Yes,” I pant, my eyes still boring into Lance’s furious ones. I come loudly for extra measure as he howls in anger.
CK groans in pleasure as he feels me throbbing against him. “Oh, there really isn’t anything quite like it in the world. If you knew, you would know why I didn’t want to share.”
“And yet you share her with those two children!” he snaps.
“We are a family. She is mine and they are hers.”
“WE were a family!” he shrieks in anguish. “Why d
id you turn your back on me?”
“You betrayed me!” CK hisses at him. “You took what was mine and defiled her. I will never forgive you and for it, I will kill you.” He pushes me not so ceremoniously out of his way now and advances on his charge. His protégé. I have never seen him so hell bent on killing someone before and it scares me.
“Oh? And what about the other one? Does she warrant your wrath?”
“She means nothing to me. I know you are linked, and I will still kill you even if it means ending her as well.”
Lance looks slightly panicked now and I realize that he did it in an effort to save himself. He didn’t think that Constantine would destroy an innocent charge just to get revenge on him. Despite myself and my feelings of killing an innocent – even though I have to say I dislike her immensely. It isn’t her fault what Constantine or Lance did to her. I pull on my handy armory and G.I. makes an appearance with a loud zing as it breaks through the castle wards, much to the shock of everyone in the cell.
“Aefre. Put it away, I will handle this.”
“No. I will do it.”
“Still saving you from yourself,” Lance scoffs. “When will she learn that you aren’t worth saving?”
I feel CK’s inward stab of pain at that and it makes me even more resolved to do this myself now. No one hurts my sire like that and gets away with it.
“Lincoln, step back. I don’t know how this will affect you,” I say as I stride forward. He cringes against the heat of the Hell flames. I twirl the sword in a large arc and with only a moment’s hesitation, bring it down to sever Lance’s head clean off his neck. He disintegrates instantly and I step back feeling slightly sick. Not for him, but for CK and for Polly.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
L etting the sword go, I stand there in momentary shock, much like I did with Gregor and Eloise, but as CK crouches down to where his once beloved charge used to be, it snaps me back to attention.
“I’ll just be a minute,” he croaks in pain. “Get out of this place. You shouldn’t be down here any longer than you have to be.”
No need to tell me twice. I touch his shoulder, but he pulls away as I thought he might. Turning on my heel, I pull my shoes off and run back upstairs to the sitting room, Lincoln hot on my heels.
Bursting into the room, I stop as I see Devon and wait. He shakes his head. “It was quick. She didn’t feel it.”
I choke and collapse onto the sofa, dropping my head into my hands. Devon comes to sit with me quietly, just putting his arm around me and I feel comforted.
I sense Cole at my side and hold my hand out for him and he sits too. “What happened?”
“I killed Lance. And Polly,” I say.
He pulls me to him and strokes my hair. “You did what you had to do. He hurt you terribly and God knows how many others. You did what you had to do,” he repeats over and over, and it starts to sink in. I feel terrible about Polly, but Lance had to go.
Constantine walks back into the sitting room with his usual air of indifference, as if nothing has happened. I know he is hurting though, as I can feel it. I watch him, but he makes no move to come closer to me, so I leave him be.
“I’m going to check the tower room. Make sure it’s empty,” he says suddenly.
I look up sharply and say, “I’ll go with you.”
“No. Don’t. You have been through enough.” With that he turns and walks away. I sigh and put my shoes back on, again. Bloody castles and their dungeons.
Wanting to discuss something normal for a change, I turn to Cole. “What did Peter want?”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter. It can wait,” he says offhandedly.
“No, tell me. I want to discuss something normal, please.”
“Okay. Well, I got the movie,” he says.
I blink at him, realizing I should have already known that due to my position at the Studio, but clearly other issues have been more pressing. I’m curious as to his lack of excitement. “Baby, that’s great news. I’m so proud of you.” I kiss him and Devon slaps him on the back.
“Congrats.”
Cole still not looking too pleased, accepts the praise with indifference.
“What is it? Do you not want the part?” I ask him.
“No, I do. It’s a great part, a great script, but…”
“But what?”
“I will have to film in Canada and various other locations that aren’t L.A.,” he says flatly.
“Oh. How long for?” I ask cautiously.
“About eight months,” he says sadly.
“Okay, well don’t worry about it. I can work from anywhere with Wi-Fi, so I will just come with you. Simple solution.” I smile encouragingly at him and he lights up.
“You will? I didn’t think it would be as easy as all that, what with your new duties.”
Oh, crap. I forgot about that. “Well, it won’t be easy and maybe I will have to go home some of the time, but we will make it work. I promise,” I say confidently and his face falls slightly as I all but change my tune. “Whereabouts in Canada?” I ask.
“Toronto.”
“Well, that actually works out quite nicely as we need to go back to New York anyway and it’s a quick hop over the border. Two hours max, door to door. And with a push, I can always do a stealthy Astral in and out before someone sees me.” I grin at him and he relaxes again now that we have a plan of sorts in place.
“What business do you have in New York?” he asks.
“The Cade thing, remember? Also, I could do with spending some time in the offices there. You know, rustle a few feathers.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Devon says. “I will also come. I have been meaning to suggest a field trip. This is perfect.”
“Like I’d let you stay in L.A. by yourself anyway,” I say to him with a smirk.
He returns it and takes my hand.
“Hm, speaking of Cade. Where did you meet him?” Cole asks innocently, ignoring us.
I had wondered when that topic was going to come up. I clear my throat and say, “I saw him Milan, in our hotel first. I was, um, looking for something to, well you know, eat, and he was the only AB Neg in range.”
“You went hunting? In the hotel?” he asks incredulously.
“I was hungry. It was the day of the Power transfer. I was going crazy. Anyway, when I got off the jet at JFK, he was behind me in the coffee line. We spoke, briefly.”
“Oh,” he says, a bit annoyed.
Lincoln drums his fingers on the table, as we have basically been ignoring him, making me feel bad for excluding him.
“So, Lincoln, before you came here. Where was home?” I ask.
Surprised by the sudden interest in him, he says, “Chicago, before here. I came to Europe to find more of my kind, and got caught in the Lance trap.”
“How did you manage to get yourself cursed?” Devon asks with his usual bluntness.
“Devon! That’s not really any of our business,” I scold him.
“It’s not something I care to discuss at the moment, if that’s okay,” Lincoln says grimly, and the subject gets dropped.
“Well, you will be coming home with me now,” I say to him. “With us,” I amend at the bristling going on next to me.
He looks surprised. “To Los Angeles?”
“That would be home. I think,” I add wryly. “We seem to have been everywhere but there lately.”
“You don’t need to take responsibility for me, Liv. I will be fine.”
“You are my responsibility. You are one of mine now.”
He looks at me sharply. “One of yours?”
“I don’t mean in a prisoner sense,” I snap. “I am your Queen and it is my mother’s wish to unite the Underworld. You are a member of the Underworld, are you not?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then you are one of mine and I will take responsibility for you. You will come back to Los Angeles with us and should you choose to accept it, the position of…” I pause, trying to
think up a name, “Head Werewolf,” I say lamely.
All three of them burst out laughing. “Is that best you could come up with, Kitten?” Devon asks in between snorts of laughter.
“On the spur of the moment. Yes!” I say haughtily.
“Well, how can a guy refuse such an esteemed position?” Lincoln chuckles.
“It’s a bit localized I think, Ambassador for Shifters might be more appropriate,” Devon says. “Although having said that, it may be a bit too generalized,” he adds with a frown. “Maybe you should think of also adding a few delegates from the different species of Shifters? Your kind is weird.” He smiles to show he means no harm.
Lincoln smiles back. “You really want me to be part of your new regime?” he asks then, seriously.
“Yes, I do. My mother said that they would come to me. And here you are. In the middle of a Transylvanian forest, that I just happened to Astral into to kill its owner.”
He looks pleased. “I have a working knowledge of what you are about, but you will have to take some time to fill in the blanks.”
“I will. In the meantime, we need to talk about something. Privately,” I say pointedly, referring to his ‘working knowledge.’
“Sure,” he says easily, and I stand.
“Give me a few minutes, and then meet me back in our room, okay?” I whisper to Cole, who doesn’t look overly pleased that I am going off with this stranger.
He nods, though and I turn to Devon. “Will you go and check on CK, please? The tower room is…”
“I’ll find it,” Devon says as he stands.
“Thank you. Lincoln, follow me. We’ll go and find you a room to stay in while we talk.” He stands and follows me out of the sitting room. I stay silent as we head up the stairs to the first floor. I turn to the right as Devon turns to the left to go in search of CK.
“Stay out of my head,” I say to Lincoln as I push open a door and peer inside.
“Sorry,” he says, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “It isn’t something I can control very easily. You are the first.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, closing the door again as that was not a bedroom and move to the next door.
