“Okay, come in. Hi, Nico.” I step back to let them in.
“Liv.” He nods.
Cole walks in off the terrace as they step inside. He tenses for a second but forces himself to relax.
CK glowers at him. “Cole,” he says icily.
“Constantine,” Cole growls back to my pride.
CK takes my hand. “Come,” he orders and drags me to the bedroom.
I cast an apologetic look at Cole and say, “I won’t be long.”
He nods, his mouth set, clearly unhappy that my sire is dragging me off to our bedroom.
“What is this about?” I ask as CK closes the door.
He turns to face me with a lustful look which makes my knees weak. “What did I say about acceptable ways to greet your sire?”
“CK, tell me what is going on,” I say exasperated, but he ignores me in favor of exploring my mouth with his tongue.
“Stop doing that,” I say as he pulls away with a lingering look.
“You have never refused me in the past, why start now?” he demands, suddenly going all fierce on me.
“I’m not refusing you; I just want you to tell me why you are here so early and what is so urgent.” I huff at him.
With an abrupt mood shift, he sighs, that world-weary sigh he has perfected. “It has started, my sweet,” he informs me.
“What has started?” I ask in dread, already knowing the answer.
“They know. Eloise has ordered for all the records to be pulled of who sired and who was turned in 1012 and our names will be at the top of that list. Yours will be red-flagged and they will look into all of your charges. It’s only a matter of time until they cross-reference your name to Devon’s turning with the next date. From there your marriage to Fraser is public record and well…” He picks up my left hand and fingers my ring with a grimace. “This year is the last date on the list.”
“But I told you I won’t make it a Holy union,” I say panicking.
“It doesn’t matter,” he snaps, shaking his head. “Listen to me, Liv. They will try to eliminate him. You’ve been linked very publicly with him. Even as a precaution they will do it, so you don’t succeed. And then they will come after you to ensure that you don’t run off with someone else. I cannot allow that to happen,” he adds softly.
“This is ridiculous!” I state unhappily. “How many times do I have to say it? I don’t want this.”
“Whether or not you want it, won’t make a damn bit of difference. You have to end it with him today, publicly,” he says.
“What?” I say shocked. “I am not ending it with him. Do you know how many years I have waited for this? For someone who not only wants to marry me, but wants me to turn him as well, so we can be together forever?”
He flinches visibly at my words as he does know how long I have waited, before he resumes his normal composure. “Then do it properly,” he chokes out.
“Excuse me??
?? I ask, not sure I heard him correctly,
“Do. It. Properly,” he says through gritted teeth. “If you are hell bent on staying this course, then you need to see it through. You need to do it and you need to do it now for your own safety. And his,” he adds menacingly, as an afterthought.
“You want me to turn him on Holy ground?” I ask in utter disbelief at this rapid one eighty. CK is unusually difficult to keep up with at the best of times, but this is just…
“If you do it, and it does turn out to be you, there is nothing they can do about it after you have been Chosen. If you do it and it isn’t you, then they will leave you alone. Think about it, Aefre. Even if you didn’t turn him on Holy ground, who is to say that in a couple of weeks or a couple of months time there won’t be someone else. They will stop you,” he presses as he steps closer to make his point.
Everything he has just said is starting to make sense. I’m sure it isn’t me, but this will prove it and we can get on with our lives, or I will be Chosen and tough shit. I continue to stare at him as he does to me.
He must see it pass across my face as he says, “I will make the arrangements. Talk to him. Don’t tell him the real reasons, not yet, he won’t understand. Just tell him you can’t wait any longer.”