by A. C. Arthur
“Still fighting it,” he said with a shake of his head.
She didn’t respond, didn’t want to entertain the conversation they’d had too many times to count. Instead, when they came to the bottom of the steps leading away from the house, Aiden turned in one direction to head to his truck and she kept straight, going across the street to where she’d parked her nondescript company-issued car. Before she could run her fingerprint over the computerized lock strip on the door, Aiken was by her side.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m getting in my car and going to find my target.”
They were in a standoff, like so many times before. Only this time, the seven-inch difference in their height seemed bigger as his six-foot-one-inch frame loomed over her. The heat radiating from his body engulfed her, taking away the chill she hadn’t allowed her beast to assuage.
“We’re after the same guy. Even if you get to him first, we’ll be on your tail, because what we need from him is more important than whatever your client wants with him.” In another time and place everything about this moment would’ve turned her on. That’s the way it’d been between them. The heat she denied herself from her beast was replaced by Aiken’s burning desire for her. A desire that fueled her, pushing her to meet him equally on every level—especially sex.
Mel didn’t want to think about why that was now. She didn’t give a damn about Drakon folklore or pre-destined connections. All she wanted to do was complete this job and collect her fee. Money was her life source now, not Aiken.
“He’s mine. I tracked him once and I’ll track him again. You don’t even know who you’re looking for.”
“You’re right. We don’t know his name, but we know he’s a danger to this realm and possibly all the other realms as well. We know that if we don’t stop him, all the money in the world won’t mean a damn thing.”
“Damn, you’ve gotten pretty melodramatic over the years.” That was the best retort she could manage, considering he’d almost had her ready to ask exactly what he was talking about. But that didn’t matter. Collectors didn’t need those types of details. All she needed to know was that there was a price on his head.
He moved closer, until every breath she took was full of him. She turned her head away as the familiar aroma tickled her nostrils and filtered through her body like a drug she’d been rehabilitated from. Every part of her trembled and it took her a second—more like thirty to forty seconds—until she was strong enough to stare him straight in the eye once more.
“And you’ve grown more reckless. Come with me and I’ll make sure you get your payment. Insist on going at this alone and you’ll lose. You know I play to win, always.” He never lied. Not once in the two years they’d been together had Aiken ever lied to her, about anything. As far as relationships go that might have been considered a terrific feat. In the track record of Mel’s life, it was a miracle.
“This is my livelihood, Aiken. I need this. You don’t.”
He moved and she watched in what felt like a trance as his fingers touched her hair.
“Trust me, Melody. We all need this vampire caught and dealt with as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t ask you to change your hunting plans if that weren’t true.”
The plan was the road map, it was the carefully considered steps that would lead to the payday. That’s what Aiken taught her the first day she started working as a Collector. Any deviation from the plan could delay the payday and give a competitor the advantage, unless the deviation terminated the target as it had on their last hunt together.
“I know what you’re thinking.” His fingers moved easily from her hair to brush along her chin. “Just like that night, this deviation is necessary. It’ll save millions of lives. Trust me.”
Aiken was right about her attempting to leave, he would track her the same way she planned to track her target and if she wasn’t cooperating with him, he’d probably take the target and she’d never get paid. What harm could it do just to go with him? To see what his plan was? As long as she got her money in the end, that was all that mattered. She could walk away from him again, just like she had eighty years ago. She could and she would, there was no doubt about that in her mind.
“Fine. But I’m driving my car.” She swatted his hand away from her face and touched her thumb to the lock, listening for the second it disengaged, and she could open the door.
The sound of his laughter set off a pulse of desire that swirled through her body like a storm. Damn, she hated him and this stupid attraction between them that wouldn’t die.
“Of course, you’re driving your car. Always obstinate, but still sexy as hell in the process. That’s my Mel.”
He walked away before she could correct him, so she yanked the car door shut instead. She wasn’t his “Mel.” Not anymore. And when she pulled off to follow the black truck he’d gotten into, she reminded herself again that her heart wasn’t breaking because of that fact.
Chapter Two
“ETA thirty minutes.” Aiken spoke to Bleu on his phone instead of using the communicator, which would’ve allowed Ziva to hear everything that was being said.
“And you’re not alone. Shall I wake the others?” Bleu was a Watcher who’d been around for an exceedingly long time and did his job taking care of his assigned clan well. In addition, he was a rather good cook and a snazzy dresser, which said a lot coming from Aiken, who took pride in his attire as well.
“Just Theo.” Mel didn’t like feeling boxed in and her animosity toward the Drakon race would be on full display if she was put in a room with every member of the Legion clan. The less provocation she had, the better.
“This isn’t going to be good, is it?” Bleu had a keen sense for cutting through the bullshit, or in this case, the vagueness that Aiken was dishing out.
“I don’t know yet. It could work to our advantage but it’s...delicate.” For lack of a better word. Mel would hate that he’d used that word in relation to anything about her. But, truth be told, there was a part of her, hidden so deep—on purpose, of course—that he’d always thought needed to be nurtured and protected, cherished.
Bleu’s silence said he didn’t like that answer any more than the others Aiken had provided, but rather than push further, the much older Drakon opted for curtness. “We’ll be waiting in the library. And a guest room will be prepared.”
The last was said with just a hint of sarcasm before Bleu disconnected the call.
“First of all, you suck at being covert. You could’ve just used the communicator because I know you were telling him that you’re bringing a stranger to the Office and you don’t want everybody there to know.” Ziva was driving the truck and driving him just a little bit crazy with all her chatter tonight.
The moment he’d climbed into the truck she’d slammed him with questions about Mel, questions he hadn’t wanted to answer, but he had to an extent because if he were in Ziva’s shoes he’d be asking them as well.
“Focus on the road, Ziva. It’s starting to snow.” As if bringing up the weather was going to make this uncomfortable situation any better.
Her initial response was a cross between a chuckle and mumbled curses. “She’s not a vamp. If she was, she would’ve been trying to rip your throat out instead of giving you those very heated looks back there. And she’s not a human, because I picked up absolutely no fear from her. In fact, there was a little arrogance mixed in with bravado, which I can relate to.”
Aiken didn’t really care what Ziva could relate to at this moment. They’d worked together for just about seventy-five years now and in that time a brother/sister bond had formed. Neither of them would let anyone harm the other, but the majority of the time they acted like they couldn’t stand each other.
“She’s not a vamp but she does have information we can use. That’s the only reason she’s coming back to the Office with us.” He was glad Ziv
a didn’t have the soul identifier power that Theo possessed, otherwise she wouldn’t have had to ask what Mel was. Still, it wasn’t his place to tell anyone why Mel did everything in her power to push any semblance of her Drakon heritage out of her human presence. Planting a fist in the center of his chest, he rubbed, as the beast’s immediate reaction to his words came in a series of dull pinpricks throughout his torso.
Ziva switched on the windshield wipers as the light trickle of snow had quickly picked up with big fat flakes now falling in rapid succession. “And you two used to be lovers.”
He gripped the door handle and continued to stare ahead. Aiken wasn’t prone to showing annoyance or anger. He’d learned long ago not to waste his energy on such emotions. It was unproductive and he hated the residual effects it produced for his beast. Unsure of whether anyone else had such a temperamental other half, Aiken had learned over the course of his life how to deal with his. While there were times he pushed the envelope with his other half, for the most part he worked steadily to keep the beast calm and pleased, otherwise all hell might break loose.
“She’s someone from my past.” That seemed like enough of an admission. Ziva should be happy with that.
“A good or bad past?”
“If we’re gonna have this discussion, let’s add Enes into the mix. You two were once lovers and now she’s helping us by providing information on what her species is up to. How ’bout you tell me why that is? Are you blackmailing her? Maybe there’s a sex tape that Enes doesn’t want revealed. The Royal Blood won’t look kindly on a vampire that’s sleeping with a Drakon.”
Ziva took the next curve with speed and agility. She was an excellent driver, but he knew she’d purposely made the maneuver to get back at him for his prodding questions about her personal life. For a few seconds sweet victory trumped the conflicting emotions he had about the woman trailing behind them.
“She told you all before she doesn’t like the plans Montoy has for the vampires and that’s why she’s working against him.”
That’s the story Ziva and Enes had been giving Theo and the others about the Chief Lord of the Royal Blood each time Enes showed up at the Legion Security offices in downtown Burgess, but Aiken didn’t buy it. Not that he cared if Ziva and the vampire were sleeping together because that was none of his business. His concern was more with the repercussions of any trickery that might be going on where Enes was concerned.
“Look, our goal is to stop the Royal Blood from raising a vampire army. Let’s just focus on the business and not the personal.”
Ziva turned onto the winding road that would take them through the heavily forested area which led to the Office—the mountainside fortress that housed the Legion Drakon.
“You know as well as I do that’s easier said than done.” She’d waited a few seconds before saying that and Aiken knew it was because she’d stopped thinking so much about him and Mel and was now focused on her and Enes.
There was definitely something more between the two of them than an old relationship before Enes had been turned into a vampire. Aiken had sensed that from the first time he’d watched Ziva react to questions about her, but he’d decided not to push her into revealing anything she didn’t want to. Now, he expected her to do the same where he and Mel were concerned. Mainly because there was nothing to reveal.
Eighty years ago he’d fallen in love with Melody Kane, and for a short while he’d thought that love would carry them through to eternity. He’d been a fool. And he’d vowed never to be caught in that position again.
Ziva parked in slots designated for Legion vehicles near the Office’s front entrance. He watched through the side window as Mel pulled into the spot right next to them. They got out of the vehicles at the same time, closing the doors before once again facing each other. Snow landed on her hair and her shoulders as she lifted her chin defiantly. Wide eyes assessed him, pert lips stayed pressed together as she grabbed her jacket and pulled it closed over her exposed midriff. There was a knife in her boot and a gun strapped to her back. At first glance no one would think she was hiding weapons beneath the sexy outfit, but Aiken knew.
“Grab your go bag and come inside.” It wasn’t what he wanted to say to her after not seeing her for so long. This wasn’t the reunion he used to dream about. Just as there was no happy ending for him and Mel. She’d been quite clear about that fact when she’d walked away from him and the feelings they’d shared, and he’d vowed to honor her wish. On this stormy winter’s night, after they’d fought side by side again, he wasn’t about to go back on his vow. Not now, not ever.
He was on his way to the front door that Ziva had left open for them before Mel spoke again.
“This won’t be like old times, Aiken. I’m not here to stay.”
She’d gone into the trunk of her car. He’d heard it open and slam shut. Standing in the doorway, he waited for her to come up the steps and stop just a couple feet away from him.
“This is business, Mel. That’s all.” It had to be. Aiken had a proven track record with women now. He gave a new meaning to the words love ’em and leave ’em. The new lifestyle he’d adopted had been working just fine for him all this time. There was no way he would allow her to waltz back into his life and shake things up. No fuckin’ way.
“Good.” That one word came clipped and cool as she stepped inside.
Aiken pulled the door closed and reengaged the security system. Before he could turn to lead her to the library, his beast stopped him. A heavy weight rested on his shoulders, in his legs, at the base of his back and in his temples. His stomach churned and he held tight to the door handle to keep from swaying with the quick wave of nausea. The beast wasn’t happy. It wanted what it had always wanted where Mel was concerned, but Aiken wasn’t having it. Not this time.
With practiced determination he pushed back, forcing the beast to stand to the side as he turned and walked toward the library. He didn’t speak a word to Mel but knew that since her presence here revolved around business, she’d follow him, and at the same time prohibit the beast she’d buried deep inside from aching for more.
* * *
The Drakon emperor looked like any other human, except for those brilliant sapphire blue eyes that bore down on her as if they were going to pierce through her brain to reveal all her secrets. Theo Masters was presented to her as the owner and lead investigator at the Legion Security Company, a place she suspected had been created to keep humans from knowing Theo and his cohorts were really a clan of dragons protecting humans from preternatural forces. Another Drakon, the dignified one with the full gray and white beard and huge diamond and silver pinkie ring, had introduced all the Drakon in the room after Theo had inquired about her native clan. Aiken had undoubtedly called ahead to tell his new crew who and what she was, still, she’d advised Theo that she wasn’t one of them.
Ziva, the one who’d been in the townhouse with them, had already removed her jacket and plopped down onto a chocolate-colored leather couch while Mel stood near a matching chair praying her teeth wouldn’t chatter. She recalled from Aiken’s many teachings that it was the natural order of the Drakon to maintain an extraordinarily warm body temperature. As she’d set her Drakon half in a corner long ago and dared it to rear its ugly head, its payback was for her to barely maintain an above-freezing body temperature, especially in wintry climates.
“What do you know about the vampire we were searching for tonight?” Theo asked.
“His name is Duncan Sankano and he’s of Royal Blood. Danger level to the humans is an eight on the Collector Scale. Bounty is one million, cash, on delivery.” That was all the information she was sharing, and she didn’t give a damn if every dragon in this room was staring at her like they wanted more.
“The Collectors are a group of preternatural hunters who’re paid to retrieve beings that others find hard or too dangerous to catch on their own. The Collector Scale is a nume
ric system designed to rate how much danger the target poses to the Human Realm, and thus drives the price a client must pay for retrieval.” Aiken sounded just as he had that first day Mel had met him. Authoritative, knowledgeable, intriguing. It irritated her to no end.
Theo sat in one of the high-backed chairs about twelve feet from where she stood. Bleu, the distinguished gentleman, as she’d decided to think of him in her mind, stood to Theo’s left, his hands clasped in front of him. Ziva was still on the couch, but now lay on her back, her legs crossed at the ankle, hands folded over her stomach, head turned so that she could coldly stare at Mel through dark sunglasses.
Was this Aiken’s new lover?
The sharp slither of jealousy that shot down her back at the thought had her shifting from one foot to the other.
“I would’ve had him tonight and been on my way to collect my pay if it weren’t for their interruption. If they work for you that makes you responsible for my loss. I don’t need an apology, but I’d like my payment now.” Then she could get the hell out of here. Sure, she’d grabbed her go bag, but Mel had since decided that staying in this place with these people was a very bad idea.
Her words had been directed to Theo, though as she glanced around the others were still staring at her.
“You don’t work for me, Ms. Kane. And from what I’ve heard of tonight’s events, you interrupted my agents while they carried out an investigation.” Theo spoke just like a pompous dragon. Every word was laced with arrogance and authority and she fisted her hands at her sides.
“I was there first.” The outburst gained her raised brows from Theo and the Distinguished Gentleman.
Aiken moved from where he’d been standing a few feet away on her left, until he was now in front of her, partially blocking her from the Drakon emperor. “She was in the house before we arrived. I ran into her while I was checking the third floor.”
