The Power of
One
The Forever Series, Book 2
BY EVE NEWTON
THIRD EDITION
Copyright © Eve Newton, 2012
Copyright © Eve Newton, 2017
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
PROLOGUE
London, England, 1012 – Aefre
I was in the marketplace picking out food for dinner and a few items for repairing clothes. My friends, such as they were, Annis and Rheda, were with me running similar errands. I bent over stiffly to examine some twine and winced. Annis and Rheda shared a look of concern that I sensed rather than saw. Placing a hand to my ribs, where my husband had given me a swift kick last night, I rose shakily, avoiding my friend’s eyes. I moved on to the next stall and they followed. I could not bear their pity and I straightened my back as I felt their eyes on me.
“Aefre…” Rheda started.
Turning swiftly, I held a hand up. “Do not, please. Leave it be.”
They both nodded, but I saw they wanted to say more. Annis hesitated as she noticed my attention was drawn away from her and over her shoulder. She turned to look at what I was looking at and her breath caught in her throat as she saw eyes so dark, focused completely on me.
He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and he was looking intently at me. He looked exotic, certainly not from around here. His stance was casual and relaxed, yet his body was also coiled as if ready to strike at any moment.
I felt myself blush as he continued to stare at me in that way.
“Aefre!” Annis said, drawing my attention back to her. I blinked slowly at her. She grabbed my arm and hustled me away.
“What of Radulf?” she warned.
He would kill me if he saw another man looking at me like that, especially if I was looking back.
At sixteen, I had been married for two years and it was Hell. The nightly beatings and rapes were getting unbearable and even worse when I actually did something to anger him. By some miracle I had never borne a child to him and I hoped it stayed that way. It angered him, but it was better this way. Lost in my thoughts, I realized Annis had let go of me to check a stall and I accidentally bumped into someone.
“Oh, I apologize,” I mumbled, head bowed.
“It is I, who should apologize, my lady,” came the reply in an accent I didn’t recognize. Daring a swift glance up, I found myself staring into those intense, almost black eyes that were glinting with amusement at catching me off guard. My heart thudded in my chest at his nearness. He was standing almost too close. I wanted to touch him; it was almost as if he was there for that very reason. I inhaled deeply as I forced myself not to reach out to him. His perfect mouth curved into a smile so breathtaking, I almost forgot to breathe. He took my hand to his lips and planted a kiss on my knuckles, a slight frown creased his brow as he saw the bruises there caused by a booted foot. He rubbed his thumb gently over the damage and my eyes focused on the beautiful silver ring he wore there. I had never been touched so gently before and I marveled that this stranger was showing me a kindness I knew nothing of.
“I am Constantine,” he said. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Aefre,” I whispered, getting completely lost in his eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2012 – Liv
&nbs
p; We make for a morbid bunch as we leave the hotel room, led by Nico in his usual black suit and shirt. Cole has changed into a tight black t-shirt and black jeans and I’m in the tightest pair of black jeans and a vest top, with black patent Louboutins in place. Devon is in his usual black t-shirt and jeans and CK in his black suit. Black, black, black… funeral party, much?
An uncomfortable silence hovers in the air on the ride down in the elevator. Nico leads us to a massive black SUV and opens the door for us to pile in the back. CK and Nico get in the front and Nico pulls us out of the parking space. Cole’s grip on my hand gets tighter. I place my other hand over his to reassure him. CK is so tense, I can feel it hitting me like a hurricane and Devon drums his fingers in a thud, thud, thud. We are all keenly aware of the sound.