“Whatever,” Cole grouses. “We aren’t fighting about this. It’s moot.” Besides, he has far more important things to worry about than Devon’s paranoia.
Like his own.
He has to find out once and for all if something happened while she was over there. But, how? That he doesn’t know.
“Agreed,” Devon says and checks his watch. He stands abruptly. “I have to go,” he says, but then pauses. “The chess pieces are being moved into the endgame here. Be careful until I get back.”
With that very cryptic remark, Devon leaves him alone and miserable to ponder his future. Has he made a mistake with this? He has thought of nothing but this scenario and all of its outcomes for months. Constantine wanted Liv all the time, but she didn’t want to leave him. She proved that to him in Vegas when he offered to let her go and she stayed. He needs her all of the time, so he refuses to let her go. This seemed the most plausible option. He just didn’t count on Constantine asking to marry her. That brings its own set of problems, and now this Faerie baby. Christ. All he wanted when he saw her on that red carpet was to be with her. He had been dreaming of her for weeks. He knew he had never met her and thought maybe he was dreaming about Carolyn. But deep down, he knew she was someone different. Something different. Someone he was meant to love and be with. He thinks maybe he loved her before he even saw her. Complete destiny. She is his destiny and he has to be confident that destiny won’t screw this up for him. They belong together, forever. He is her Chosen One. He is happy to share her with Devon; he just hopes that it happens soon and then they can get rid of Constantine once and for all.
Chapter 6
Other World, June 2013 (1506) – Liv
I arrive at my intended destination, which is Claridges in London, but in the Other World. I open my eyes and see the astounded face of Cole. Not my Cole though, I can tell.
“Hi, Cole,” I say, but he just looks at me in awe.
“Liv!” he yells, backing away slightly.
Empress Aefre walks out of the bedroom and eyes me suspiciously. “I thought you said you would be here tomorrow,” she says.
“So, I came a day early to get this over with. Deal with it,” I reply. “Are you ready to do this or not?”
“Yes,” she says instantly.
“Okay,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Do you have my second?”
“What do you mean?” she asks, looking at Cole in confusion.
“You know, the one I have to leave,” I say. I feel awful for this, but I will feel worse if she comes back over and blabs my secret to my husbands. Cole especially. At least I already know that CK would forgive me. Although, maybe not so much under the circumstances of the time shift and all the lying.
“Oh,” she says. “Yes, however, he is your third. I am coming with you.”
“Oh no,” I tell her. “You are staying here. I will do this.”
“No,” she says. “He is my Devon and I am going with you.” She crosses her arms and glares at me. I am sure that lesser creatures would wither under that steely gaze, but sadly for her, I am no lesser.
I Shift, much to her amazement, and Cole stumbles back as they both clap eyes on Elizabeth. “Better Shift then,” I say to her with my hands on my hips. “You are not his type like that.”
“Excuse me?” she says haughtily and looks down at herself.
“You can do that?” Cole asks her.
“Well, yes,” she says and then looks at me in disgust. “I have never used it to get a man,” she adds.
“That is because you have never had to,” I say patiently. “Constantine and Sebastian both love your natural look. And Cole of course,” I add with an apologetic look to him. “Devon, however, likes this.” I sweep my hands down over my body and Cole’s eyes follow my hands appreciatively.
“I can see why,” he mumbles and ends up on the receiving end of his sire’s most menacing look.
I preen with the compliment and then stop myself. That is just weird. “Come on then, if you want to come with me, you need to do this my way. He won’t come with me unless I look like this and he won’t come back with you if you look like that.”
“Very well,” she says and Shifts to look just like me. It unnerves me more than I care to admit, and a slight shiver goes down my spine.
“Will I have to stay this way for him? He seemed to like it just fine when I was you,” she says.
“Because he loves me,” I say through gritted teeth, really not wanting to picture the two of them together. It is definitely something best forgotten. “We have been together for over five hundred years. He accepts me as I am now, but he fell in love with Elizabeth.”
Cole sits down heavily on the sofa. He looks like he is about to pass out. I don’t really blame him. This is very complicated and to be frank, I have no idea how it is going to turn out. But she wants this in return for her silence so here I am.