This Is Forever (18 page)

TWENTY THREE

They barely made it back to their room before Lola was trying to get his clothes off. Kissing, nipping at each other’s mouths, they stumbled through the door and Lola, being the one first through the door, hit the arm of the couch and went careening backwards, Winter following suit.

They crashed together on the couch, still touching, licking.
She tugged on the ring in his lip. His hands were all over her, skimming her sides, hunting for the buttons or zipper to get the damn play suit off her. He growled as he found the zipper and pulled it down quickly, his hand slipping between the material and her skin to touch her. The feel was scorching, the possessive hold he had on her lower back.

“Nat, you need to get out of this fucking thing. It’s like a second skin.”

“Then it’s doing its job.” She mumbled into his mouth.

“I don’t think I can rip it off either…”

“You better not this was not cheap.”

He laughed and pulled away adjusting his hard on in his jeans and then offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up setting her on her feet. He reached behind her and started peeling the latex suit off her, his eyes on hers the entire time. She bit her bottom lip as the suit rolled off her shoulders and down her arms, prickling her skin as it skimmed her nipples.

“You are so fucking hot Nat.”

She licked her lip and then smiled. “Not the only one. “

He stopped his task only long enough for her to pull her arms through the sleeves and reach for the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it over his head.  As she did, she saw the green ornate tattoo on the underside of his bicep again and cocked her head. When the material of his shirt passed his face he saw her looking and grinned.

“I like it.” She offered and passed a finger over it. He shivered and then lowered his arm. “Why did you get it? I mean it’s cool but…”

He kissed her. “In good time.” He said in answer as his hands went back to the suit that was now gathered around her waist.

He nibbled his way down her neck to her collarbone, and rolled the suit further down, over her hips and the globes of her ass. His fingers trailed on her flesh, his rough calloused skin over her soft. It was her turn to shiver.

“I’m going to tell you a story…” he said between kisses down her breasts.

“Story hour?” she bit out and arched as he latched onto a nipple. “I think we have more pressing matters.”

He bit her softly and she gasped. “Don’t interrupt me.”

She nodded, watching as her nipples pearled.

He worked the rest of the playsuit down her thighs, letting it fall to the floor, a shiny blob around her feet. He pulled away and looked at her, standing there in a pair of thigh highs, Mary Jane’s, and a thong and palmed himself. “I could come just looking at you.”

Her eyes went wide. “Don’t. Please?”

He gave her a sexy grin and hooked his forefinger into the string side of her thong and ripped. She made a small sound and he shushed her. “I wanted to rip something off of you… now I have.”

“Those are Agent
Provocateur.” She protested.

“Not anymore they aren’t. Now they are a
souvenir.” He pulled the scrap away, exposing her sex to the air of the room. She watched as he licked his lips.

Winter
started kissing her flesh again, slowly making his way to his knees in front of her.  At this height, with her platform Mary Jane’s on, he was eye level with her pussy. She could feel his gaze there; feel his breath, so close to where she wanted him to be. She squirmed.

“Now, about that story…” he said and leaned in closer. She felt a rush of wetness, knew if he parted her thighs he would be rewarded with quite a glistening sight.

Placing his hands on her hips he leaned in, and looked up at her with a smirk. Frustrated, she groaned.

“Winter, either take me or tell me a story but don’t fucking tease me.”

His eyes flashed, naked possession writhing in them. “
Can’t I do both?”

She shook her head. “Not if you plan on talking at all.”

Winter chuckled. “Once upon a time there was a guy that made a very big mistake. See,” he leaned in and nuzzled her hip bone, “there was this girl he was completely in love with, and he lost her, over something stupid. It was her choice, and he abided it, thinking he could forget her, move on with his life. But he couldn’t.”

She gasped as his tongue snaked out and licked a slow wet line from her hip bone to the junction of her leg and groin.

“Nothing felt right, no girls, no experiences. Life lost meaning for this guy and he longed for the past where things made sense. He thought that was where he needed to be and set out to figure out how to accomplish that.”

She closed her eyes as he nipped at the skin of her lower belly. She wasn’t sure where he was going with the story, but as his fingers trailed north, towards her waist, and his lips pressed on her flesh she didn’t care. He applied pressure to her waist, and then slipped lower and she got the hint, and lowered
herself to the couch.

The leat
her was cold on her bare bottom and her back as she leaned against the cushion. His mouth continued to play on her flesh, a nip here a kiss there. She was enjoying the attention, and relaxed completely, closing her eyes.

“So what happened in your story?” she asked as her hands went to his hair.

“Well the world is made up of some very interesting individuals; people that could make the guy’s wish come true. Or so he thought. After searching, and asking around, he met a young king, and this king told him he couldn’t return to the past, but for a price, he could make it so that the guy could make any instances with the girl in the future last in ways no earthly human could.”

His voice was lulling, his hands touching her, pinching,
amping her up. The story wasn’t really making sense, but then again, Winter was a kinky fuck, and this could be a game he was playing with her, in order to get her mindless for him. Not that he had far to go.

“So,” he said and nipped the skin just over her mound, “The guy decided that this was a good thing, and a very good reason to pay the price the
king asked for. After all, he had decided that the girl was the only thing that kept the darkness at bay for him, and he planned to get her back, and keep her for always.”

She nodded and murmured, “It sounds like the guy was very much in love, paying
a unspecified price.”

“He was.
Is.” He said and trailed kisses down her thigh. She parted them and he growled. “Fuck you are wet Nat…”

“
You going to do something about that?”

He bit her inner thigh, his tongue licking the bite, soothing the sting.
He moved lower, giving the same treatment to her knee, the feeing different through the nylon of the thigh high. She twitched, and he reached down, gripping the heel of her shoe and elevated her leg, and slipped his shoulder under her knee, opening her to him.

“For love, the guy gave away the one thing that was always only his, in exchange for the power over time.”

Natasha opened her eyes and looked down at him just as he leaned in and ran his tongue over her wet folds. She arched, the feeling warring with the information he just gave her. Things started to come together.

No. No he just didn’t say he bargained with a demon did he?

She just about came out of her skin when he sealed his lips around her clit and sucked. The orgasm ripped though her, and she gasped, her eyes on his. He winked, and then the world slowed.

Her orgasm scampered, lazily jumped from rock to rock across a brook. The waves were thrilling, infinite. The crest never fell and she rode it to a shore she knew was ahead of her but had no idea how long it would take to get there.

It seemed like ages, and when she finally came down, when the fireworks finally stopped blooming, she was panting, languid and spent. All from one orgasm. Because her boyfriend had sold his soul to a demon.

Her eyes shot open and she scrambled away from him, her eyes wary.
Winter looked hurt, his gaze guarded as he sat back on his knees, also panting. Everything clicked then. The tattoo, Murphy, Fiona, the set that night…

He had sold his soul to a
time demon, a Strigo.

“Natasha…” he started and she shook her head.

“I… I can’t…” she said and scrambled further away from him to the far end of the couch.

“Nat, please be cool with this…”

She narrowed her eyes… “Be cool with this? Winter you just told me, and showed me that you no longer have a soul? I don’t know how cool I can be with that.”

He sighed and blinked. “You need to relax.
I’m not in any danger, and more importantly, neither are you.”

“So what Murphy is the Strigo King?” she asked and shook her head. She knew about demons, knew about the supernatural world that seethed around them all the time. Hell she was a
casualty of it as it was. She never though Winter would make such a decision, and worse, blame it on her.

She gave him a hard stare. “How could you?”

He blinked again. “How could I? I… I did it for you… for us.”

She gave him a bitter laugh. “I would never ask that of you, never. Living without your soul…”

He frowned. “I still have it, it’s just promised. Look Murphy and the Strigo…”

She shook her head. “I don’t wanna hear it. I need some time…
I…” she jumped up from the couch and bee lined it for the bedroom where she grabbed her pajamas and got dressed quickly.

Winter
followed her and she pushed past him. “I’m… I’m going to stay with Nyx…”

He grabbed her. “Please don’t leave… If I knew you were going to react like this…”

She shrugged him off and left the room seconds after grabbing her bag, leaving him standing alone with a crushed look on his face.

Nyx’s
room was a floor down. She reached it in record time, taking the stairs in a flash. Nyx had opened the door with a sleepy expression that was quickly wiped away when she saw Lola standing there.

“Oh shit. He told you.”

TWENTY FOUR

Three dates later and Lola still hadn’t talked to Winter. Everyone was keyed up. Strange Angels didn’t know why their lucky in love front woman was now stormy and sullen, and Shades couldn’t shake Winter out of his funk. He knew he fucked up. Again, consciously. This time she was so close, and he couldn’t even get her to look at him let alone be in the same room with him long enough to talk to.

The last couple of days in Vegas were a blur of sets
, meet and greets, and putting on a happy face with the fans. He had been propositioned several times by the feathers, and always declined, having known heaven already. They couldn’t compare and he wasn’t looking for second best. Natasha was all encompassing. He barely slept; his days were a mixture of playacting for the punters, and brooding in his room. He had even taken up Rhys’ ex favorite pastime of getting stone drunk so he could pass out in oblivion for a few hours when the exhaustion got too much.

Gods, he fucked up.
And what’s worse, he hated that he upset her. He just didn’t understand why.

It had been almost two weeks of sleeping alone.
Almost two weeks of missing the shit outta the girl he only saw in passing now. She had taken to traveling with her own band, staying on the bus when need be, and picking a different hotel when they were stopped. And Winter wanted to die. Clearly telling her about his little bargain was not the way to go. Fuck if he could take it back, he would.

And they were back to square one. Worse, they were so far from square one, she hated him. He was sure of it. Nyx had told him that Lola had spent the night with her, crying, shaking, and mumbling to herself. He wasn’t sure why it was so upsetting to her, hell he didn’t even get to explain to her why he did it, and what he got out of the whole thing. He wasn’t stupid, and
he wouldn’t just give his soul up because he wanted her back.

Since, Lola had been cordial with everyone, though she kept up with Saffron and Nyx, so
Winter was kept abreast of how she was doing. And it wasn’t good. Much like him, she was putting on a happy face for the crowds, but in private she was spending very little time with anyone but Rococo.

And what was worse was they still wouldn’t tell him what her little secret was. And asking her was completely not an option, so he
was flying blind. He had sent her flowers in San Diego, three dozen blue roses with a card that explained he loved her, and needed her and he was sorry. Nothing. In New Mexico he sent her a package, some Agent Provocateur lingerie, with a card that begged her to forgive him. Still nothing.

And now, in Phoenix, he was
at a loss. She hadn’t even mentioned the gifts to the girls.  So he decided to pre game the show.

“Man, I know your all guts and black stuff on the inside right now, but seriously you are not doing yourself any favors by giving up.”

Winter gave Rhys an incredulous look. Rhys sighed. “Dude all right, I shouldn’t be talking but I’m past this, and so were you man. Saffron knocked me totally outta my funk. Lo ripped you from your groupie haze. So instead of going back to that you’re drinking. It’s all the same man. All designed to keep you numb. And you gotta make this right between you guys. It’s killin you both.”

“You don’t think I have tried
? I’m back to getting the wordless bird from her. The only time we have been together has been when fans have asked for pictures.”

Rhys sat back on the overstuffed chair he was relaxing in and cocked his head. “
And you don’t think that’s a good thing?”

Winter
gave him a quizzical look.

“Well if
she’s even allowing that to happen, there’s still hope. I mean it’s not like you two are in the same band… she doesn’t
have
to.”

Winter
considered this. Okay, so Rhys had a slight point, and it made that pinpoint of hope grow, minimally.

“And about her secret…”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “You telling her yours didn’t work out so well did it? Let it be, ok? She’s got enough on her mind. And quick ripping shots will ya? I need you to not fuck up tonight.”

“Hey don’t even…”

Rhys cut him off. “Please. I might have been laced but I never compromised the sets.”

He had a point.

“I’m going to find Saff, and get ready. Angels are just about off and we have a long set tonight.”

“Yeah yeah I know… I’ll be there in five.”

Rhys levered himself off the chair and left the room as Winter sighed. The venue was an outdoor amphitheater, but they thankfully had a fully enclosed backstage and talent area. He stood, looked in the mirror and shook his head. Gods he looked awful. His hair, the bit that the rabbit had munched down, was growing, and it wasn’t looking as cool as it did when it happened. The dark circles under his eyes were only rivaled by the ones Lola was sporting, but she didn’t look as haggard as he did. He splashed water on his face and sighed, centering himself before he left the room towards their set up and rigs.

And was accosted by several groupies, feathers in training no doubt as he didn’t recognize any of them.
He smiled and spoke to them, trying to figure out how they got back stage and then begged off, telling them he had to get on stage. Just as he left them the lights went down on the Strange Angels set and he steeled himself, in case he got daggers and another fickle finger of fate in his direction.

As he didn’t see any of the Angels come off stage he walked over to Saffron, who was directing two people he could have sworn he had seen before towards stage left.

“Who let the Feathers back here?” he motioned to the girls that were keeping at a respectable distance, but were forever watching him.

Saffron smiled at them and then turned to
Winter. “Who knows. I can’t figure out who half the people here are.”

“And the two you were just talking to?”

She waved it off. “X’s friends from where she met Dante. Astrid something or other..”

Winter
blinked. The only Astrid he knew of was the witch that ran a metaphysics store in Shadow Heights, New York, and she was court sorceress to the reigning King of the Conglacio, Murphy’s friend Cash.

“What the hell is she doing here?”

Saffron shrugged. “I don’t have time to ask…” she said as she grabbed her walkie. “Solomon, where the hell is the drum set!”

Winter
watched as she walked off towards the bowels of the backstage area and then turned on his heel to find his rig and get the party started. He saw Lola then, talking to the two people Saffron had sent to the other side of the stage and his curiosity peaked.

Just as he was about to walk over and see what everything was about, Nyx grabbed him. “Come on…”

“What’s going on, and why is Saffron pissed about the drum set?”

Nyx shook her head.
“Doesn’t matter. Chand is going to use Crais’s. Let’s go.”

He looked once more over to Lola who
glanced over to him quickly and then turned back to the short woman she was speaking to. She didn’t give him the finger, or a fuck off and die look. Maybe she was ready to talk to him again?

A little lighter for his fantasy, he followed Nyx to the stage.

***

The lights went down and Lola couldn’t get off the stage fast enough. She could feel the push from the
inside, Shesha was near the surface and wanted out to play. It wasn’t the first time she had felt it recently, and it was scaring the shit outta her.

The night
Winter revealed himself she felt something inside her break and wouldn’t acknowledge that it was in fact, her heart. It couldn’t be, he wasn’t cheating on her, he wasn’t trying to hurt her. He did something he thought was good. She got that, but it freaked her out, especially with what she had been forced to endure since that video shoot.  Why give yourself over to something else? Sure, she was two people normally, Lola and Natasha, but only one was really her. Lola was a fabrication the world saw.

Since the morning after spent the night with Nyx, things had gone back to screwy. The band kept a wide berth again, and she was left alone a lot of the time, which wasn’t what she needed, even if she imposed the exile from
Winter and Shades herself. And the problems were mounting.

She had woken in the bus three times in the past two weeks to weird scrawling in her notebook, which she knew was the first step of Shesha making herself known. Thankfully she hadn’t reached the fore yet, but she was gaining strength, and that scared Lola.

Throw in the fact that their record company had decided to cancel the option on their next album, and her stress was through the roof. The guys didn’t know yet, but after the tour was done, Aliterator Records was not going to consider them on the roster and it was all Lola’s fault.

They had told her one more issue on the road and they were out. Apparently that issue happened several nights ago with their new
manager. She didn’t know what happened; only that the guy was leaving the tour tonight, and he’d kept a respectable distance from her. It could only mean that Shesha had made a nocturnal appearance that had cost them everything.

She
didn’t know what she was going to do. But she did recognize that it was all her fault. Had she not gone off the deep end with Winter there would be no issues. But hindsight is twenty-twenty and there was nothing she could do about the domino effect. Not till she had a solution for her issue. Thankfully Astrid, Xxieda’s friend was meeting her tonight, hopefully with good news.

As she stepped off the stage towards the gangway that lead to the band area she spied a short, curvy woman, dressed in a blue sheath dress, her hair rolled into a bun with finger waves keeping the shorter hair in place.  Flawless
makeup, and a pair of heels that had Lola drooling… but not as much as the intensely fine man standing next to her. Tall, broad in the shoulders, perfect goatee, chocolate eyes that watched everything with interest. He wore a button down shirt in black, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a pair of designer jeans and sneakers, and holy shit did he fill those jeans out. His hair was shoulder length, and held back in a queue at the nape of his neck. They both smiled at her as she approached.

“You are Lola, yes?” the woman said, her French accent not as pronounced as it was on the phone, but it was there.

Lola nodded. “You must be Astrid.”

The woman nodded.
“And my fiancée Fallon.”

Fallon,
leaned forward and took Lola’s hand. “Pleasure.”

She almost shivered. His voice was silky, but with that unmistakable edge of rasp that made you think of darkened bedrooms, sweaty encounters and whiskey on the nightstand. Oh lord this man was trouble.  Lola blinked and nodded as Astrid laughed.

“It’s ok; he gets that reaction a lot. Oddly he’s not laying it on thick either. You can see why I said yes to marry him.”

Lola blinked again. Quite a candid statement but hey if Astrid was ok with Lola ogling Fallon, who was she to get weird about it?

“Thank you for coming out.”

Astrid waved her off. “
It’s not often I get to do witchy things these days that have nothing to do with my demon.”

Lola frowned.
“Your demon?”

Astrid nodded. “
I’m the Sorceress to Cassiel, head of…”

“The Conglacio ice demons. I know who he is. Dante has mentioned him from time to time.”

Fallon snorted. “That right git…”

Wow. That slippery bourbon voice and that accent… She looked at Astrid. “Is he talking about Cassiel or Dante?”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Probably both. My cookie here doesn’t really like my demon, and Dante owes him money for some stupid bet.”

Fallon smiled when she called him cookie. “Might we be able to talk somewhere that’s not out in the
open? No offense to my love here, but having the world know her nickname for me might get my tough guy card revoked.”

Lola, once again in awe of his voice, nodded.
Sure wanna go somewhere private?
Why not.
She shook herself and then smiled at Astrid. “Yeah I have a green room,” she said as she looked over and saw Winter. “We could talk there.”

“Fabulous. Lets?”

Lola led the way, away from the stage, the music that was coming. Soon they were behind closed doors and Fallon was stretched out on the couch, long legs propped on the arm as he dropped his head onto a pillow and closed his eyes. Astrid sat in an overstuffed chair to Lola’s right.

“Is he ok? Do you guys want anything to drink?
Booze? Water?”

Astrid waved it away. “Oh we are both fine, and he is just recharging. It takes a lot to Teleport two people from New York to Arizona, even with the
ley lines here.”

Lola, who had turned to get herself a bottle of water stopped dead and dropped the water in her hand. “He’s a demon?” she
asked in a hushed tone.

Astrid nodded.
“Half actually, Escensio. Though he’s quite powerful.”