Free The Ties that Bind (The Forever series, Book Five) by Eve Newton Page B

said about a daughter named after him.
Oh crap. What have I got myself into this time?
    Xanthe pulls me to her and whispers to me, “I knew you would
come. I waited, all this time. I knew you would come but wouldn’t be mine. Not
mine by blood, but mine by family.”
    Aww crap.
    I couldn’t be further up the creek without a paddle if I
tried.
    I pull away and Xane just grins at me. “Come.”
    I say to him, “I need to get home.” He nods and with a
hesitant wave to the crowds I manage to Astral us back to Xane’s office.
    “Nicely done,” he says. “You will make a great Demon yet.”
    “Huh. Not if my mother has anything to say about it,” I
grouse. ”I have one more question.”
    “Okay? Shoot.”
    “How come you are Demon Overlord? Your father is clearly in
his prime still, so why you?”
    He looks annoyed, embarrassed, and insulted at that question
all at the same time. “You don’t think I deserve it?” he asks.
    “No, I never said that. I just wondered how it came to pass
that you are and he isn’t. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
    “There comes a time when a leader needs to be challenged. I
was ready to take over, so I challenged him and won.”
    “You took your own father in a duel?” I ask incredulously.
    “Yes. It is our way.”
    “And he doesn’t hold a grudge?”
    “No,” he says as if I am stupid. “He expected it of me.
Maybe not quite so soon, but still,” he says proudly.
    Well, a proud male of any species is still just an arrogant
son-of-a-bitch. I have learned that these last few months.
    “Well, I will bid you adieu. I have to go and check on my…”
    “Entourage?” he interrupts me wickedly.
    “My boys,” I emphasize and he shrugs.
    “Be sure to remember what your mother said,” he reminds me
and I want to hit him.
    “Be sure to remember what I said. What happened between us,
stays between us.”
    “Of course,” he says with ease. “I don’t like my private
life spread all over the place. Even though I am now taking myself off the
market.”
    I close my eyes in frustration and say, “Xane. Don’t be so
ridiculous. You cannot wait for me.”
    “I have no intention of waiting. You will come to me. You
won’t be able to stop yourself.”
    “I will be halfway across the globe in less than a month, I
will forget you,” I say unconvincingly.
    “Then I will be, too. Make no mistake that I will follow
you. I, too, can run my billion-dollar empire from an iPad in Europe.”
    Beg pardon? Billion-dollar empire? What other pies do you
have your fingers in? And how do you know I will be in Europe?
    “How do you know I will be in Europe?” I ask with suspicion.
    “I assume that halfway across the globe is, in fact,
Europe,” he says.
    Smartass
    “I need to go,” I tell him dismissively.
    “I will come and find you later.”
    I glare at him and stalk out.
     
    I find Scott hovering, clearly waiting for me, and he looks
relieved when he sees me. “What’s up?” I ask, walking to the elevators.
    “I don’t know if it is of any relevance, but yesterday your
Demon friend had a curse on him. I believe he cast it on himself but today it
was gone. I seemed to pick up on that it had something to do with you.”
    Of course it did. He is such an arse. He knew we would end
up in bed together and probably even about the whole Demon reveal. His choosing
me wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. I just hope I cursed myself in time.
    “Thank you. It’s quite helpful to know. I think I know what
it is in regard to but it is a good thing that I know that he lifted it.”
    Scott nods at me, “Happy to help.”
    “We are going to have to extend our stay. See what you can do
about rooms. Anything else?”
    “Okay, done. Probably stuff you already know by now. His
intentions and what not.”
    “Yes, I know,” I sigh.
    “Liv,” he pauses.
    “Yes, Scott?” I get off on the floor that says “Gym” and he
frowns but follows me.
    “Be careful,” is