Choices (The Forever series, Book Four) Read Free Page B

me.
    "Oh? And what would I need then?" He sits heavily
on the bed and hands me the Scotch to take a quick gulp.
    I shrug and say, "I honestly don't know. I seem to be
invulnerable to…everything. Well, except fangs and claws. I suppose you could
bite me to death." I chance a small smile and he looks back at me in
amazement.
    "Nothing hurts you?"
    "Except fangs and claws. My only weakness," I
repeat.
    "I should have known that," he says softly, almost
to himself.
    "Yes. You should have."
    "How did you test it?"
    "Devon," I say and then stop, recalling earlier.
His eyes harden but then he clears his throat and asks, "How so?"
    "After a knifing incident which should have made me
bleed--James, by the way--he came at me with various forms of weapons and fire
from my armory. Seems nothing works except…" I Shift to Vampire mode
briefly, flashing my claws at him.
    His eyebrows go up. "Oh. That bastard. You should have
let me kill him."
    I shrug. I’m not worried. "So, we are two of a kind
now, I guess. If you want to throw down, I would give you a run for your
money."
    He snorts, "You'd like that wouldn't you? A chance to
try and kick my arse after treating you the way I have been lately."
    "Try? No, I would kick your arse. And yes I would like
that. Very much."
    "You hurt me, Liv," he says suddenly, but still
with the Liv.
    "I know," I say again.
    "No, you don't. You tell me that I am after all, your
true love, and then you go and do… that, a few seconds later. And then you
defend him against me. Do you have any idea what that felt like?"
    "No, I don't. But I know I hurt you. I hurt all of you.
It was what I had to do. With great power comes great responsibility," I
quote ridiculously.
    Again he snorts, "Voltaire. Pompous ass."
    I chuckle in spite of myself and he sighs. "Christ,
Liv. I just don't know where to go from here."
    "Back where we came from," I say quickly.
    "I don't think that's possible. Do you?"
    "Yes, of course."
    "One big happy family?"
    "That's the idea."
    "Are you sleeping with him?"
    I hesitate and that's all the answer he needs. He stands and
walks away. But this time I follow him, magicking up a robe, not willing to be
naked while he is clothed.
    "Don't walk away from me. Not now," I say to him
and he stops.
    Turning around he says sarcastically, "Is that an
order? Your Majesty?"
    "If that’s what it takes," I say. "I would
rather we talk, like we used to," I add softly.
    His face softens, "Liv, I don't know if I can give you
what you want right now."
    "Start with dropping the ‘Liv,’" I say and he
looks startled.
    "That bothers you? It is your name,” he says pointedly.
    "It bothers me because you use it now to show
indifference to me. I don't like it."
    "Huh?" he says as if that never even occurred to
him. "You do it as well, you know."
    "Do what?" I ask, perplexed.
    "You call me ‘Constantine’ when you are cross or upset
with me, or trying to be serious. Or at least before all this. Now you just call
me that all the time."
    Surprised that he noticed I say, "It didn't seem
appropriate under the circumstances to call you anything else."
    "Same here."
    "Constantine. Don't you see what is happening here? We
are doing it all over again. Will we never learn? If not, how can we be
together in the future?"
    "I don't know what you mean?"
    "I mean we are acting like two stubborn fools. Or more
so, you are acting like a stubborn fool and I am letting you. It ends, right
here, right now."
    "You think I am being stubborn?"
    "Yes. You won't talk to me. Do you know this is the
most you've said to me at any one time in the last six months? And that we have
spoken about something other than business? Not to mention the other
stuff."
    "Other stuff?"
    "Christ, answer a question instead of asking
more!" I yell at him suddenly.
    "What other stuff?" he presses, interested.
    "You know…the other stuff," I say, pointing to the
bedroom, but he still looks lost. "Your bedroom, the gentle touch, the
undressing, the