She needn’t have worried. When she glanced over her shoulder he was lying on his side, head propped up by his hand, his dark-eyed gaze on her.
“I forgot. You sleep during the day. You’re probably not tired,” she said.
“Are you going?”
She reached out and touched his stubbled cheek. “I have to get back to the kids.”
He nodded, his gaze tracking her. She frowned at his worried look and the trepidation in his eyes. Leaning over she kissed him and sensed a desperation she couldn’t explain. “You okay?”
He merely nodded so she rose and began gathering her clothes. Her shirt and bra were ruined and she dangled them in front of him with a grin. “You have a shirt I can wear home?”
He slid out of bed, all those powerful muscles flexing in the moonlight. Her mouth went dry while wetness invaded other parts of her body. Think of your kids, Amy. She turned away and pulled on her underwear and jeans. Aiden handed her a white, button down shirt that hung almost to her knees. She tied it at the waist.
“Mind if I, uh, use your bathroom?”
He simply nodded and pointed in the direction of the bathroom. She gave him another frown. Why was he so quiet? This wasn’t like the chatty Aiden she’d come to know.
Once in the bathroom, she went about her business of cleaning up. When she was washing her hands, she peered into the mirror at her disheveled hair and non-existent make-up. Holy cow, she looked scary. After drying her hands, she swept her hair away from her neck. A small bruise caught her attention and she smiled, remembering when Aiden had nibbled there. The smile faded. The whole episode was still kind of hazy, but she couldn’t forget the intense orgasm that went on and on, ebbing and flowing for eternity while he nibbled. Leaning closer she inspected the bruise, noticing two puncture holes in the middle of it.
Her knees wobbled so badly that she plopped down on the closed toilet seat and squeezed her eyes shut. Mental pictures of their lovemaking raced through her mind. He’d nibbled, right? Just nibbled. Nothing more than a love bite.
Surging off the toilet, she flung the bathroom door open so hard it bounced off the wall and hit her in the rear end. Aiden stood in the middle of the bedroom, jeans hanging low on his hips, zipped but not buttoned.
She marched over to him and turned her head, pointing to her neck as fear and horror slid through her. “What’d you do to me?”
He stared at her with blank eyes. She stepped back, her gaze going to the heavy drapes pulled over tinted windows. Oh, God. No. Absolutely not. That was insane. She looked back at him and swallowed.
“You bit me.” Still he didn’t say anything. Her words came back to haunt her. You’re different Aiden, I don’t know how, but you are. She hadn’t meant it in that way. “What the hell are you?”
“You don’t want to know.” His voice was ragged, as if it hurt to talk.
She stepped back again and shook her head. She’d thought she loved this man. But what did she really know about him other than he worked nights in security for some company he’d never mentioned the name of, and she’d never seen him in the daylight?
She lunged at him. Her body hit his and she reached for his upper lip, needing proof. Needing to see for herself. Aiden caught her around the waist and held her in place.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he whispered in her ear.
“It sure as hell does.” She struggled within his grip, but he was too big, too muscular. And a vampire. She stopped struggling as that finally sank in. He let go of her and she spun around.
Her chest heaved with her fear and the adrenaline pouring through her.
“I’m still the same man I’ve been these past weeks.”
She shook her head in denial even though her heart agreed with him. But what did her heart know? She’d already made an ass of herself with one man.
“Amy—” He stepped toward her, his hand outstretched.
She took a quick step back. “Don’t touch me.”
Pain flickered through his eyes.
“You bit me. D-does that mean…I’m like you?”
“No. I merely bit you, nothing more.”
It’d been more than that. He’d sucked her blood and at the time she’d loved it. It was what had driven her over the edge with an orgasm she’d never in a million years believed she could achieve. He must have been thinking about that as well because his eyes flashed with desire.
It was the desire mixed with her fear and the horrific consequences of her actions that made her turn and run, not stopping until she reached her back deck where she paced and rubbed the goose bumps on her arm.
This just wasn’t possible. Vampires didn’t exist. They were nothing more than a myth created by ignorant peasants to explain things they didn’t understand. A result of overactive imaginations. That was all. Nothing more.
Nothing more. Nothing more. Nothing more.
So why didn’t she believe it?
She plopped down in a chair—his chair—and just as quickly hopped back up. Memories fought their way through her panic. Visions of Aiden kissing her fingers, rubbing them against his roughened cheek, whispering words in that melted butter voice that left her breathless.
I love touching you.
I love being with you,
You bring out the beast in me. I want to claim you as my own. Brand you—
She snorted. He’d done that all right. Oh, God. She raised a shaking hand to her lips. Aiden was a vampire.
She stared out into the dark woods, her shivers turning to deep tremors. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She got the uneasy feeling that evil lurked, staring right back at her from the trees.
She spun around and hurried into the house, closing and locking the sliding door.
Aiden sat on the side of his bed and buried his head in his hands. Well, that certainly went well. The horror and disgust he’d seen in her eyes nearly buckled his knees.
He raised his head and stared at the rumpled sheets beside him. Her scent filled the room, heightening his already sharpened senses. It was always like this after a feeding—restlessness, a sense of invincibility—but this time it was worse, because it was Amy’s blood inside him.
What had he been thinking?
How the hell was he supposed to live without her? Especially now, after he’d tasted her? He paced to the window and drew the heavy curtain back, staring out into the dark night at the lights that shone from Amy’s bedroom window.
He’d scared her, could smell the fear pouring off her. He wanted to protect her, cherish her, love her forever. Not scare her.
He turned from the window and paced the room. His love for her burned bright inside him while the very real knowledge that they were separated by things far outside her scope of understanding cut at his hope. Setting it free to drift away.
There was no hope.
Not for them.
Amy’s fear didn’t last all that long, not when images of Aiden from the past several weeks came unbidden. The kisses they’d shared had been magic. His concern for her had been real, she didn’t know how she knew that, but felt it in the deepest part of her. One sharp mental picture kept forcing its way to the front of the others: Aiden holding a sleeping Lydia with such reverence it melted Amy’s heart.
How could that be the same man she’d glimpsed while making love?
I’m still the same man, he’d said.
Was he?
She’d never believed those tales about vampires, and yet he hadn’t denied them and she’d seen the proof with her own eyes. Felt it on her own skin. Goosebumps crawled up her arms, making her shiver at the remembered heights of ecstasy he’d taken her to. He’d been gentle even while he’d… Her mind veered away from that thought as her fingers came up and touched the bruised skin on her neck.
She wanted to believe he was the same Aiden. God help her, she wanted to.
She pushed up from her bed and felt a familiar wetness between her legs that nearly buckled her knees. They hadn’t used prote
ction. What if she was pregnant? Could vampires make babies? The last thing she needed was another mouth to feed, yet instinctively she knew that if by chance she were pregnant with his child, she would love it and cherish it just as she cherished her feelings for him.
That made her stop and pause. Did she still love him? Her mind whirled, all those images flashing before her eyes. Aiden laughing with her kids, helping Claire with her homework, holding Lydia. The stunned look of pride on his face when he told her Robby wanted him to be his dad for a weekend, the gentle way he’d held her after they’d made love. His overwhelming anger at her ex-husband for not paying child support.
She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself tight. Did she love him? Yes, a voice whispered in the recesses of her mind. Yes, she did. She loved his gentleness and his humor. She loved that he was concerned not only for her, but for her children. She loved him. Yet how could she introduce a vampire into her little family?
You already have.
Could it work? She almost laughed. It wasn’t as if Aiden had even hinted he wanted a ready-made family. For all she knew, she was just another fling for him.
She peeked into Claire and Lydia’s room. Claire was huddled in a ball, the covers pulled up to her chin, her hair fanning out around her head. Lydia, the little monkey, was uncovered, spread eagle, her mouth opened to reveal her tiny baby teeth. Her fingers twitched every once in a while and Amy pulled the blankets up. Immediately she rolled over, dragging the blankets with her.
She patted her youngest on the rump and walked out, a smile on her face. Earlier that night she’d caught Aiden standing back and watching their family dynamics, a look of longing on his face. What had his life been like? Had he at one time had a family? A wife and kids?
It’s wonderful, Amy. My house is so quiet compared to this. She closed her eyes as his words washed over her and she remembered his look of completion when he’d taken in the chaos of her house. How many times had she truly seen him laugh?
Never once in all the time they’d been together had she feared he would do her harm. She’d allowed him in her home, near her children, and he’d been nothing but kind and gentle.
So the man was a vampire. So what? Her ex-husband was a snake and she’d much rather be with a vampire than a snake.
She nudged Robby’s door open and frowned. His bed was empty, the sheets shoved to the foot of the bed. Rubbing her arms, she stepped in and stopped short, her mother’s instinct kicking into high gear.
Something was wrong.
Chapter Ten
Aiden’s door banged as if someone pounded a fist on it. He spun on his heel and headed toward it. Amy fell through when he yanked it open.
“What the hell—”
“Robby’s gone.” Her eyes were wild with fear, her face pale.
“What?”
“He’s not in his bed. Oh, God…”
He squeezed her upper arms and dragged her into the house, shutting the door against the night chill. “Tell me what happened.”
She stepped back and twisted her hands together. “I don’t know. I was checking on the kids before coming back here and he’s gone. Sometimes he wanders around at night, but I can’t find him. Something’s wrong, Aiden. He’s never left the house before.” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Help me find my son.”
Cerian. What if he somehow discovered that Aiden knew of his plans? He raced toward his bedroom to get some clothes.
As he pulled a shirt on, Amy stared at him, her eyes huge and trusting. He cursed. Although he was one of the best Rogue Hunters, he didn’t always get his guy. But this time he had to. For Robby’s sake. For Amy’s sake. For his sake.
“You know something, don’t you?”
He pushed bare feet into running shoes. How the hell did she know that?
“You just mentioned Cerian. Who’s Cerian?”
Shit, he hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. He turned to stare at her, his hands on his hips. She knew everything there was to know about him. The important stuff anyway. Should he tell her this? Did she need to know who exactly had Robby? Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Tears he knew she wouldn’t let loose until Robby returned. Or didn’t return. She was a strong woman, but strong enough for this?
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Tell me, Aiden.”
“I’m a vampire, Amy.”
“I know that.”
He stared at her for several more moments, searching her face for disgust or fear or horror. Instead he saw acceptance. “I’m a member of the Rogue Hunters. Our job is to track down and eliminate vampires who haven’t followed the rules.”
Her knuckles, still clasped in front of her, turned white. “So, you’re like the vampire police force.”
“Sort of.”
“And one of these rogue vampires has my son?” Her voice broke on the last word and Aiden fought the impulse to gather her in his arms.
“I hope not. Cerian couldn’t have gotten inside your house without an invitation.”
She swallowed as her eyes went bleak. “What if Robby let him in? What if Robby went outside looking for me? Oh, God, Aiden. He knows I sit on the deck. What if he needed me and…” Her voice trailed off. Aiden stepped forward, and wrapped her in a hug.
She pushed away from him. Her jaw hardened and her eyes cleared of tears. “Find him. Find this son-of-a-bitch and get me my son back.”
He headed for the door, admiring her courage. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he walked past her, she grabbed his elbow to stop him. “Be careful,” she said, then she did something that rocked him to the core. She kissed him. “I love you.”
Stunned, he just stood there, all thoughts on hold until she nudged him. “Go. Find Robby. And come back to me.”
He sped into the living room, picked up his cell phone and tossed it to her. She snagged the phone out of the air. “Dial one and then pound. A man named Ben will answer. Tell him who you are and what’s going on.”
When Aiden reached Amy’s back yard, the sun was just starting to break through the night. If he intended to find Cerian, it had to be soon, before they both suffered. He stopped and closed his eyes, opening his other senses. At first only the smell of decaying leaves reached him, but as he concentrated he picked up other scents—Amy’s fear as she’d run both to her house and away from it, the slight strawberry scent of the shampoo she used on her kids and the spicy scent of Cerian.
Without second guessing the senses that had made him one of the best hunters around, Aiden turned and headed into the woods.
Robby’s scent, mixed with Cerian’s, grew stronger. Aiden’s impulse was to hurry, to catch up to them to race against the sun, but he forced himself to slow down, to track them with stealth and cunning.
He didn’t need stealth. Cerian was waiting for him, Robby’s limp body draped over his arms. Unconscious or dead? From this far away he didn’t know, but feared the worse.
“I’ve been waiting for you to finish fucking the mother. About time.” The rogue’s light gray eyes shone with scorn. Aiden forced himself to remain still, to not react to the obvious taunt. But inside he bristled at the crude language directed at Amy even as he silently agreed with Cerian. If he hadn’t been making love to Amy, the boy wouldn’t be in the hands of a ruthless killer. His gaze went to Robby, visually searching for a pulse, willing his chest to inflate with air, but Cerian held him close, blocking his view.
“He’s alive.” Cerian flashed his fangs and licked the tips of them. “But not for long.”
Aiden clenched his jaw until his teeth ached, relieved the boy wasn’t awake to witness this. “Put him down, Cerian. Your fight’s with me.”
One corner of Cerian’s mouth rose in amusement. “My fight is with everyone. But you’re right. You’ve screwed up my plans for far too long, Reed. It’s going to stop tonight.”
Ah, so this was more about revenge. Aiden’s fingers folded into fists at his side while Cerian smirked
.
A small gasp alerted Aiden that Amy had followed. Shit. He didn’t take his eyes off his enemy as he spoke to her. “Go back home, Amy.”
“No.”
“Amy—”
“He has my son, Aiden. I’m staying.”
He sighed, understanding a mother’s instinct to protect, but she needed to understand his instinct too. Now he had to protect her and Robby while fighting a fellow vampire and he’d need all his concentration for that alone.
Amy stared at the monster holding her son, her stomach cramping with terror. She swallowed her fear, taking her cue from Aiden and remaining as calm as she could. Robby looked dead. Don’t go there. He’s not dead. He’s not.
Who was this man and where had he come from? From what she caught of the conversation, Aiden had been tracking Cerian for a long while, and Cerian was mad as hell and taking it out on her little boy. Fury straightened her spine and she eyed the monster with midnight black hair and European good looks.
He hissed and revealed his lethal fangs. She clamped a hand over her mouth, horrified at what those canine weapons could do to her son.
To her surprise, Aiden hissed back, revealing his own fangs and this time she wasn’t nearly as horrified. Anger had tightened his body. He rocked on the balls of his feet, ready to spring forward. His gaze kept going to her son, raking his small, inert form.
Eyes dark with blood lust, bodies primed to jump at each other, neither man looked quite human. Just don’t let Robby get between them.
“Put him down, rogue, and we’ll fight like you want.”
Cerian grinned and suddenly dropped her son. Just lifted his arms to his side and the boy fell to the ground with a thud. Crying out, thinking only of getting to Robby and rescuing him, Amy lunged forward, ignoring Aiden’s shout of warning. She scooped up her eighty-pound son, tucked his head into her shoulder, and turned to run. Her feet slipped on wet leaves. She quickly regained her footing and ran, her son clutched to her.
When she got a few yards away, she turned. Both men were locked together, snarling and snapping at each other, teeth flashing as they tried to sink into soft skin. Robby stirred, but she tucked his head tighter into her, determined to stay and help if Aiden needed it.
Night Song Page 6
