Forever (The Forever series Book One) (9 page)

Caen, Normandy, 1012 - Aefre

I woke up in a daze. No pain, thankfully, just a bit
foggy. Trying to recollect what happened and trying to figure out where I was.
A noise from the other side of the room startles me. I sat upright, all my
senses on high alert. Then I saw him. He smiled that heavenly smile at me.
“Good evening,” he said in that wonderful accent, then asked, “how do you
feel?”

I tried to speak but my throat was dry. He passed me a
cup of water. I drank deeply, taking in my surroundings. Eyes wide at the
lavish room, I placed the cup on a carved table.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” I bobbed my head. “Constantine, where am I? What
happened to me?”

“Oh Aefre, it is a long story. One I will tell you, but
please, you must vow that you won’t be afraid.” He looked intently into my eyes
as mine widen.

“Afraid? I could never be afraid of you, my love.”

He took my hand and kissed it softly, taking a seat
beside me on the soft bed.

“What is the last thing you remember?”

I tried to remember, but everything is a bit unclear.

“Oh, the barn!” I said, then my face fell as I remembered
seeing Radulf. “Radulf? Where is he, is he here?” I asked, starting to panic.

Constantine said, “Hush, my love. He is not here. Do you
remember what he did?”

Nodding slowly I moved my hand down to my stomach. I felt
no pain. I looked at Constantine, confused. “I thought I remembered that he ran
me through with a spear. And you...” I said, touching him where I thought he
was injured.

Constantine sighed and said, “He did, Aefre.”

Eyes wide in panic I stammered, “Where is he? Does he
know where we are?”

“Aefre, I killed him for what he did,” Constantine said
quietly. “I am sorry.”

As I took in his words I felt no sorrow, only relief. He
was a hateful, violent man and I hated him. “Oh, Constantine. No don’t be
sorry. He hurt me, he hurt you. He was an awful man. I am not sorry that he is
dead.”

Relief etched his perfect features, his dark eyes watched
me carefully.

“Constantine, how long have I been here? Where is here?”
I gestured at the beautiful room.

“We are in Caen, my sweet, Normandy. We have been here
only two days,” he answered softly still watching me closely.

“Normandy? Across the sea? How did we get here? Only two
days?” I asked, confused. I continued with more questions. “If I was run
through, why do I feel no pain? Where is the wound? Where is your wound?” The
questions keep coming as I started to panic. “Constantine, I don’t understand.”

“Aefre, be still. Yes, we travelled across the sea. You came
to while we were on the water but you were terribly ill and I put you back
under. I saved you from death, my love. As you lay bleeding in the barn, I
turned you into one of my kind. To save you. I couldn’t bear to live without
you. You see Aefre, I am not mortal. I am a higher being. One they call
Vampire,” he said in a rush. I had never heard him so unsure of himself before.

I blinked slowly at him, “Pardon, sir. I don’t
understand. You turned me? Not mortal? What does that mean? Why do I no longer
have a wound?” I asked, almost hysterical now with panic and confusion.

“Aefre! My love. I will explain further,” Constantine
said, managing to quiet me down so he can carry on with his explanation.

He told me about the Initial Vampires and where we come
from and how in order to save me from death, he fed me his blood, which
transformed me. He told me he brought me to Normandy, to his castle there. He
said he loves me and will love me forever. To survive I had to drink blood,
humans at first, but as I get older and stronger I will need it less often and
can survive by drinking Vampire blood. He said I will never age another day and
that I will live forever. If I am wounded, I will heal immediately and that I
am stronger, quicker, and more aware than I was as a human. Again he told me he
loved me.

I sat through his tale, speechless, blinking slowly, as I
tried to take in what he was saying. I tried to believe his words.

I asked the first thing that came into my head: “How do I
feed?” I felt the hunger lurking, but not for food. It was something more
primal. Fierce, even. I felt a slight ache in my top teeth and put my hand up
to my mouth. I pricked my finger on one of my fangs, drawing blood. Startled I
pulled my hand back. My nails had sharpened into points and I felt my eyes
shifting, getting more focused.

“Like that!” Constantine smiled at me with pride, love,
and joy.

Smelling the blood, the hunger rose up and without a
second thought I threw myself at him quick as an arrow and before I knew what I
was doing, I sank my new fangs into his neck and suckled like a newborn baby. I
felt his hands on me, in my hair, on my arms. I pulled away from him in a daze.

“Lick the wound,” he said huskily and I did as he asked
even as it healed. I stared in wonder at his perfect neck and into his perfect
eyes.

“That’s my girl,” he said with pride and crushed his
mouth against mine. Pulling up my skirt he frantically searched and groaned
when he found what he was looking for, stroking me with fervor. I called out
his name as he plunged two fingers into me and I exploded around him almost
immediately. “Oh, my sweet Aefre,” he murmured, “I love you so. Do you love me
still? Accept what we are?”

I realized that I do. I would do or be anything for this
man, this… Vampire, my love. “I do,” I told him. “I love you and accept what we
are.”

Eyes on fire, he whispered to me, as my fingers fumbled
to free him, “We are now one, you and I. Semper et in saecula. Always and
Forever.”

“Always and Forever,” I repeated as I wantonly thrust
myself onto him. Feeling more alive than I ever had, I lose myself in him
completely as he did with me.

Cole is watching me intently, listening to my story.

“You were turned in a barn?” is the only thing he asks me.

I glare at him, affronted, and Devon says, “Hey, I was
turned in a barn as well, under similar circumstances.”

Cole turns to him mouth agape. “This is just…”

“Too much?” I ask.

“No, not that just ‘surreal,’ I guess, is the word. You said
that at first you need human blood to survive. Did you kill people?” he asks
tentatively.

“Cole, I’ve been around a long time.” I sigh heavily and
say, “I’ve--we’ve--done lots of bad things. Things that I’m not proud of and
things I don’t like to dwell on. I stopped killing for sport in the early
1800s. It was just a way of life back then, kill or be killed. It’s a cliché
for a reason. At some point you just have to evolve.”

“Killing for sport?” he asks warily.

I shrug and say, “As I said, bad things.”

“When was the last time you…” he trails off.

He’s seriously asking me that?

I think back. “1945. During the war,” I say at the same time
as Devon.

Cole looks taken aback but has the humor to raise an
eyebrow. “Whose side were you on?” he asks with a hint of a smile.

“The Allies, of course!” I say with a smile. He looks a bit
relieved that I wasn’t some swastika wearing, Jew-killing, Gestapo agent.

“Ah yes, the good old days of K & D, spies
extraordinaire,” Devon grins.

“Spies?” Cole asks.

I nod and say, “Devon and I were drafted by the British Army
to do reconnaissance behind enemy lines.”

He looks impressed. “Wow. K & D?”

“Katherine & Devon,” I say, clarifying, “Katherine was
my identity at the time. I have had many over the years.”

“So Liv isn’t your real name?” he asks.

“It is for this life,” I say, and he looks both relieved and
confused.

“Um, so how long ago… did you decide to… um…” he looks at a
bit of a loss as he waves his hand between the two of us.

“What? Turn me?” Devon helps out.

Cole nods.

“Well Devon, that’s your story to tell, if you choose to,” I
say.

He shrugs and says, “Sure. It’s a great story.” He grins at
me and I indulge him by grinning back.

Devon gets up to refresh our drinks and then settles back.
“It was the year 1506.”

Cole sputters his beer everywhere as he chokes out, “1506?
That’s… a long time ago.” I can tell what he is thinking: a long history to
compete with. I touch his arm to reassure him but he still looks crestfallen.

“Yes, 1506, in Helsby, England. A small market town, still
standing today, just outside of Chester. I met Liv, or Elizabeth, as she was
known back then.”

“Elizabeth? Fuck me, this is getting just too weird.” He
looks at me with those beautiful now deep blue eyes. He sighs again. “But I
want to know, I want to know it all. I love you and I want to know the real
you,” he says to me “It’s fascinating. You really have seen everything, haven’t
you my love?” he says quietly stroking my bottom lip.

“If I could carry on now?” Devon rudely interrupts our
moment and I glare at him.

Cole continues to me, “I want to understand this batshit
crazy possessive relationship of yours,” he says with a smile. I grin and he
adds, “It seems to be the most important relationship to you. I want to know
why. I want reasons not to be jealous of it.” He says it so softly.

“Oh baby. I love you. There’s no need to be jealous of
anything.”

“But you have so much history, clearly, so much past. So
many experiences. It’s hard to live up to all that.”

Devon clears his throat and Cole starts as if remembering
that he is still there. “Am I telling this story, or not? And what’s with the
batshit crazy possessive relationship?”

“It’s nothing for you to know about,” I say, still looking
deep into Cole’s eyes.

“Fine, whatever. Story or no story?”

“Story,” Cole says and lets me cuddle up to him and I feel a
bit more weight lifting.

“Soooo, I met Elizabeth in a brothel off the market square
and before you interrupt me again, no, she wasn’t a prostitute. She was
visiting with one,” he deftly adds with a smirk.

Cole looks at me in amusement and I flush, providing my
excuse, “I was hungry and pissed off at the male population. Long story. Devon,
continue.”

My phone buzzes again at that point and I note it’s about
work. “I have to get this. Carry on with your story.”

Moving back out to the terrace I answer a few questions on
contracts from the European offices and hang up and return to the den just in
time to hear Devon saying, to my complete mortification, “… and I fucked her
right there and then in front of everyone!”

My mouth drops open in horror as Cole looks across at me
with what can only be called horrified amusement.

“Devon!” I growl and he has the grace to look slightly
abashed.

“You said it’s my story to tell,” he says petulantly.

“I didn’t mean every gory detail,” I snap.

“Well, I happen to think that it’s a rather important part
of the story,” he says haughtily, “I accepted you straight away.” He’s smug.

“Devon,” I warn quietly, as Cole looks anywhere but at me.

I sit back down next to Cole and take his hand in mine.
“It’s of no consequence. Tell your tale… the censored version,” I press.

Cole looks at me a bit pained. “Sorry,” I mouth. He shrugs,
adding, “Ever since you said you had turned him, I figured that you had… you
know. I guess it is kind of different to hear it put quite so literally.”

“How about we make this a long-story-short kind of deal?” I
remark now in annoyance.

“Fine,” Devon says, now a bit annoyed himself. He launches
into the abridged, PG-13 version of events that led to his turning. I tune out,
remembering it in my own way like it was yesterday.

Helsby, England, 1506 - Elizabeth

After that fateful day at the brothel, Devon and I were
inseparable. We stayed up all night making love and talking. I told him stories
of my adventures and tales of Constantine.

One day the question came, just as I knew it would. We
were in my room at the inn, lounging on the bed naked and spent.

“Will you bite me?” he asked.

I looked over at him and rolled onto my side; he did the
same so I was staring into his clear blue eyes.

“Will you?” he asked again

“Are you sure?” I asked. Acceptance of what I was, was
one thing, giving into the bite was a whole other story.

He nodded.

“Now?”

He nodded again.

My Vampire lit up at the hint of human blood, willing
human blood, and I sat upright. He followed me. I motioned for him to sit on
the edge of the bed, feet on the floor. He did.

I climbed off the bed and crawled onto his lap. I could
already feel myself getting aroused. Squirming on his lap he groaned and I felt
him stirring beneath me. One hand on his right shoulder, I wrapped my other
hand around the back of his head and grabbed a fistful of his dark hair. I
pulled his head to the side and let my fangs extend. Slowly I lowered my mouth
to his neck and quickly sank my fangs into his flesh. He flexed with the pain
but that soon turned to pleasure as I suckled gently on him. His blood tasted
like nectar and I felt my strength returning as it slid down my throat. His
erection was enormous so I released the bite and licked his wounds to heal
them. I lifted my hips and pushed him inside me, riding him into oblivion. He
came quickly, leaving me unsatisfied, but I didn’t mind. I had drunk his blood
and that alone will suffice for now. Now it would only be a matter of time
before he was truly mine.