Aiden glowered at his sister. Less than a minute ago, he’d been hugging her. Now, he contemplated choking her as she strolled toward Maggie with her hand extended. Maggie blinked again, seeming to come out of some reverie.
There had been no denying the wrath darkening her features before, and she appeared to be having a difficult time pulling herself out of it as her jaw remained clenched. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling over how irate seeing him with Vicky had made her. Yes, convincing her to become a vampire might not be so difficult after all.
“I’m Vicky.”
Maggie gazed down at the hand Vicky extended to her before taking it. Vicky was about two inches shorter than her, but strength reverberated from the small vampire. Though Vicky’s eyes were an emerald green instead of Aiden’s spring green, Maggie saw a similarity in their shape. There were few other similarities between the siblings.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Maggie said.
Vicky enclosed both her hands around Maggie’s and squeezed. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Maggie. You’re a lifesaver, and I don’t mean just because you’re a paramedic. Kudos for that, by the way. I could handle the blood, of course, but the guts and bones? Ugh,” Vicky grimaced. “Keep that stuff where it belongs, am I right?”
“Ah, yeah,” Maggie replied, still too thrown off by her violent reaction to seeing Aiden with another woman to register everything Vicky said.
“You’ll save my brother’s life; I’m certain of it,” Vicky declared.
Maggie’s breath caught at those words and the depth of emotion radiating from Vicky’s gaze.
“Enough, Vicky,” Aiden said as he stalked across the room toward them. “You’ll scare her off.”
“If your menacing exterior hasn’t frightened her off yet, I sure won’t,” Vicky replied with a laugh.
“You’re an ass,” Aiden muttered.
“I am,” Vicky agreed blithely and released Maggie’s hand. “I’m also adorable, unforgettable, and magnificent.”
“Your ego could fill the Grand Canyon.”
“That hole has nothing on me,” Vicky said to him and winked at Maggie.
Vicky was a whirlwind, but Maggie found herself liking the outgoing woman.
“I’m the black sheep of the siblings. Has Aiden told you how many of us there are?” Vicky asked.
“He has,” Maggie said as her eyes bounced between the two of them.
They may not look much alike, but they had the easygoing banter of those who knew and loved each other well. She and A.J. had often flowed like this together. Sometimes they forgot anyone else was with them as they traded insults and quips.
An unexpected stab of longing speared her. What would it have been like to grow up secure in the knowledge of unconditional love? To know that no matter how badly you screwed up, there would be someone to help you through it?
Sensing her sudden melancholy, Aiden stepped forward and slid his arm around her waist. “I’d consider myself more of the black sheep,” he said to Vicky.
Vicky’s mouth pursed and twisted to the side as she studied him. “Yeah, you might be the closest to me. You call home about as often as I do.”
“I talked to Mom yesterday.”
“Oh, you call more than I do then!” Vicky’s smile slid away; she fidgeted with the edge of her shirt before grinning again. “How are things at the zoo?”
“Good. They’re enjoying their grandchildren, and Willow is preparing for college.”
“Hopefully she does better with it than I did.”
“And me.”
Vicky’s attention shifted back to Maggie, but before she could say anything more, a knock on the door distracted her. “That must be our sister Abby. She might be the whitest sheep of us all, but we still love her,” Vicky said to Maggie.
“I’d give the title of whitest sheep to Isabelle,” Aiden said.
“Or Cassidy,” Vicky shot over her shoulder as she hurried toward the door.
“Actually, you might be the only female problem child,” Aiden remarked.
“And I rock it.” Vicky lifted her hand and formed the rock sign over her head as she pulled the door open. “Welcome to the den of iniquity,” she greeted.
“Do I want to know?” Abby inquired.
“Nah, you white sheep wouldn’t get it.”
“You’re an ass.”
“You know Aiden just said the same exact thing to me. If you two aren’t careful, I might develop a complex.”
“Then stop being an ass,” Abby retorted.
Maggie’s eyes widened when another blonde woman entered the room. Unlike Aiden and Vicky, where she saw few similarities in their appearance, there was no telling Vicky and Abby apart. Except one had shorter hair than the other. Because she hadn’t been expecting twins, she hadn’t been tracking Vicky once Abby entered the room, so she couldn’t tell if it was Vicky or Abby who had shorter hair.
She’d known a few identical twins over the years, and she’d always been able to find some tiny difference between them. Other than their hair, she couldn’t see any difference between these two. She was about to ask who was who when the one with the longer hair walked toward her.
“I’m Abigail,” she said. “Everyone calls me Abby.”
Abby took hold of Maggie’s hand and clasped it in both of hers as Vicky had done. “I’m so happy to meet you. We’ve been hoping for you.”
Maggie blinked at her and then glanced at Aiden. For the first time, she started to really grasp what she meant to him and his family. He’d told her she was important to him, but now she saw it instead of only hearing it.
“It’s bad enough I have to deal with this shit from Vicky, but I wasn’t expecting it from you too,” Aiden said.
Abby laughed as she released Maggie’s hand. “You know we sometimes like ganging up to humiliate you all.”
“Hmm.” Aiden released Maggie and lifted Abby to give her a bear hug.
“It’s payback for all the things you older ones put us through when we were younger,” Vicky said as she leaned against the wall. “You know we were never as good at those prank wars as the rest of you.”
“But we are good at irritating and embarrassing when we get the chance,” Abby said.
“You are,” Aiden agreed and set her down. “Where’s Brian?”
“Here,” Brian said.
Vicky glanced over her shoulder as a man stepped into the room. Maggie’s mouth almost fell open when she spotted the stunning man with platinum blond hair and ice blue eyes. Abby released Aiden and walked over to slide her hand into Brian’s. The iciness of Brian’s eyes melted when he smiled down at her.
Mated. Maggie didn’t know how she knew it, but she had no doubt Abby and Brian were mates.
Brian tore his attention away from Abby to focus on Maggie. In his eyes, she saw the same curiosity she’d seen in the others. She suspected she would endure this from all of Aiden’s family when she first met them.
A small shock went through her when she realized she was thinking long term for them if she was considering meeting his family.
Brian released Abby and walked over to shake her hand before turning to clasp Aiden’s shoulder. “Sorry I had to track you down,” Brian apologized as he returned to Abby.
“Why did you track me down?” Aiden inquired.
“If you’d answered your phone, you’d know,” Abby admonished.
Vicky placed her hand against the corner of her mouth and hid her finger behind it as she pointed at Abby and mouthed to Maggie, “White sheep.” Maggie stifled a laugh while Abby glared at her sister.
“Know what?” Aiden demanded.
“Using the ruined shirt left in the ambulance with the two dead drivers, I located one of the Savages who attacked you,” Brian said.
Aiden drew Maggie closer when she winced at Brian’s blunt words. Brian looked guiltily at her, and Abby elbowed him in the gut.
“You can track others like that?” Maggie asked Aiden.
&nb
sp; “Brian can, I can’t, and I know of no one else who can,” he replied. “And?” Aiden prodded Brian.
“Ronan has the Savage imprisoned now. They’re going to work on getting information from him, and Ronan thought you might like to be involved,” Brian said.
CHAPTER 36
Maggie leaned back on the barstool and shook her head. The Red Sox were getting their asses handed to them. Granted, it was only spring training, but she still wanted a win, especially against the Yankees.
“Damn it,” she muttered and finished off her whiskey.
“I don’t get this game at all,” Vicky said from beside her.
“I was alive when the first major league game played, and I still don’t get it,” Brian said. The bartender gave him a startled look. “What?” Brian demanded of the young man.
Vicky laughed, and Abby rested her hand on Brian’s forearm as the bartender backed away. “He’s kidding,” Abby said and smiled at the bartender, who made the mistake of smiling back at her. The scowl on Brian’s face sent the man scurrying away.
“Way to go, Grumpy. Now he’s never going to come back.” Vicky looked morosely into her nearly empty margarita glass.
“That would be awful,” Maggie agreed.
She’d need a lot of whiskey to get through this ball game if it continued this way. Not to mention, she’d had this awful empty pit inside her since Aiden left shortly after Brian made his revelation. He’d been gone all day.
At first, Aiden stated he would stay with her, but she knew he wanted to be involved in destroying the Savages who attacked him, so she’d told him to leave. Then, he’d insisted on taking her with him. However, she was still adjusting to meeting these three and being the focus of speculation; she was not in the mood to have a whole lot more vampires scrutinizing her.
When Brian offered to stay and watch over her, Maggie vehemently refused a babysitter, but eventually, she’d conceded to staying with the three of them, for Aiden. As soon as the bar opened, Vicky dragged them all down here. She’d immediately started plying Maggie with alcohol and questions about her life.
Normally, Maggie would have felt resentful of the near inquisition, but Vicky’s affable nature made it easier to handle. As did the fact the twins were excited about getting to know her better because they loved Aiden and expected Maggie to remain in his life.
Vicky finished her drink and lifted the glass in the air before beckoning the cute bartender toward her with a crook of her finger. “Ignore the grumpy Gus!”
The bartender glanced warily at Brian before returning. Maggie finished her drink and slid the glass next to Vicky’s as she returned her attention to the TV.
“You know,” Vicky said when their drinks were refilled and the bartender left again, “for a human, you sure can handle your alcohol.”
Maggie looked at her in surprise. “Didn’t Aiden tell you?”
“All I got out of him before you arrived was you’re a paramedic.” Vicky propped her chin on her hand and fluttered her lashes. “So, tell me, what did my brother leave out?”
Abby leaned forward to look around her sister at Maggie. After a few seconds, Brian leaned forward to stare at her too.
Maggie fiddled with her glass as she contemplated the question. Was she ready to share her past with them? But then, what difference did it make? It’s not like they were going to run around blabbing the information to everyone they encountered, they couldn’t use the knowledge against her, and she wasn’t ashamed of her history. She despised how she’d come into existence, but it was part of her, and she liked who she was.
“My father was a vampire,” Maggie stated.
Four eyebrows shot up in an identical look of astonishment before Vicky and Abby glanced at each other. “Interesting,” Brian murmured.
“Who was he?” Abby asked.
“I don’t know,” Maggie replied more crisply than she’d intended. She sensed their rabid curiosity, but none of them questioned her further. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Rising from her stool, she walked across the restaurant to the bathrooms. The doors faced the bar, so it would be easy to spot someone if they tried to follow her in and there was only one exit.
Maggie went into the stall and re-emerged to wash her hands and face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror over the sink, noting the strain in the corners of her eyes and around her mouth. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked it to make sure she hadn’t somehow missed something from Aiden. Still nothing. She returned the phone to her pocket.
Her heart twisted as fresh concern for him coursed through her. Aiden had assured her he’d be safe, but she couldn’t stop worrying about him when she knew what those Savages were capable of doing. Absently, she scratched at her arms as her skin seemed to stretch too thin over her bones.
“Get it together,” she muttered at her reflection. “He’s okay and you will not be this dependent on someone else.”
Taking a deep breath, she threw her shoulders back and strolled out of the bathroom. Vicky had her hands in the air as she cheered loudly. The dozen or so people gathered around the bar were all giving her the death stare.
Vicky went from happy to confused as she gazed at the irritated patrons. Maggie craned her head to see the TV before scowling at Vicky too.
“What?” Vicky demanded of her. “They hit the ball over the wall, and the men are running around the, ah… the square thingies.”
Maggie gawked at Vicky as she glanced at the TV to confirm all the men were indeed running around the square thingies because the Yankees’ batter had hit a grand slam. Then, she hated herself for calling them square thingies even if it had only been mentally.
“Have you never seen a baseball game before?” Maggie asked.
“Not willingly, and I certainly didn’t pay attention to it,” Vicky replied as she lowered the arms she’d raised while cheering.
Abby nodded, and Brian snorted as he folded his arms over his chest.
“I swear you vamps really do live in caves,” Maggie muttered. “You’re cheering for the wrong team. We don’t want those men to hit it over the wall.” She felt like an idiot for describing a home run in such a way, but it was easier.
“Oh,” Vicky said.
“Also, they’re not square thingies, they’re bases, and if I see you cheering for the Yankees again, I’ll stake you myself.”
Vicky blinked at her before laughing. “Alrighty then, no rooting for the guys with the stripes.”
“We’ll stick to the drinks,” Abby said and nudged Vicky’s glass with her finger.
“Good plan,” Vicky declared and cheerfully lifted her margarita. “So, Maggie, while you were gone, we got to wondering what your views on weddings are? Yay or nay on a ceremony? Our family is a little unconventional after all, so we’re perfectly okay with a nay, but we do all enjoy a good party.”
Maggie had been swinging onto her barstool as Vicky spoke. She nearly fell off before she could sit on it. She gawked at Vicky as she settled herself unsteadily on the seat. “I’m not going to the bathroom again.”
“That’s a good idea,” Brian told her. “Next time, you’ll be engaged before you return.”
• • •
“Carha,” Aiden greeted as he stepped into the room where he’d spent a fair amount of time and shed a lot of his blood.
Chained to the posts, a naked man stood before him with his head tipped back to gaze at the ceiling. Red marks marred his back, but they were already fading. The man moaned as the other woman in the room, who was kneeling before him, gripped his ass and drew his cock deeper into her mouth. Neither of them acknowledged his arrival.
Standing behind the man, Carha’s arm fell before she could strike him again. “How did you get in here?” she demanded.
“I have my ways,” Aiden replied.
“Brutus was instructed to keep you out.”
“He was, but he didn’t obey.”
“Get out!” Carha commanded and lifte
d her hand to bounce the end of the crop against her palm.
In the beginning, a crop had been enough to keep his baser impulses under control, but that hadn’t lasted long. However, Aiden was unable to stop his visceral reaction to the sight of that crop as the flesh on his back tingled and his balls tightened.
Away from Maggie, he found himself thirsting for the pain again. He should have gone to her or at least called her before coming here. However, he didn’t want Maggie tainted by this, and unreasonably he’d felt that talking to her on the phone while coming here, would somehow stain her. Now, the demon part of his DNA was rolling toward the forefront once more as it sought to be released.
Carha spun and swung toward the man with her crop. When it whacked his back, the man shouted and jerked against his chains. Judging by the other marks on him and his reaction to this blow, it was far harder than he was accustomed to being struck.
“What the fuck?” the man shouted, and his head turned toward Carha. He froze when he spotted Aiden standing in the doorway. “I didn’t sign up for any weird voyeur shit!”
“You’re getting sucked off while I watch,” Carha retorted.
“I’m not paying for a man to watch.”
Carha hit him with the crop again, and the man jerked against his chains. “Enough, Carha,” Aiden commanded.
“I bet you wish this was you,” she purred to Aiden as she stroked the man’s flesh with the crop before hitting him harder.
The crack of the crop mingled with the man’s cry. Aiden kept his face impassive, refusing to give Carha the satisfaction of seeing his craving for pain, but need churned within him.
Carha circled to the front of the man. She placed her foot on the side of the kneeling woman and shoved her out of the way. The woman cried out and scampered into a corner. Her gaze darted to Aiden before she rose and started gathering her things.
“Are you already done with that piece of ass you brought in here the other night?” Carha inquired as she trailed the whip over the man’s cheek.
Drawing on the lingering taste of Maggie’s blood on his tongue, Aiden kept himself restrained from attacking. He intended to take Carha alive.
Ravaged (Vampire Awakenings, Book 7) Page 22
