"For the record, I didn't throw myself on my sword."
"Duly noted. Now let's have a look at that wound." He peeled back the covers and lifted my shirt - the same pajama top I slept in when at his house. "It looks better already. A couple days and you'll be good as new."
"So, your lady, huh?"
Mason's hand shook a little as he poked at the tender, healing skin. He looked up at me expectantly. "Would you like to be?"
"Maybe we should start with dinner and a movie."
22
Aidan sat on the steps outside my apartment building looking a little worse for wear. It had been almost four weeks since I watched him hoist the last of the hostages before climbing out the window himself.
I'd given two statements to the Council on Caligula and Bathory. I'd met Amalie at the Daily Grind twice, had lunch with Cash a few times, hell even my father had been by to visit every week.
But the person who professed his love for me five weeks ago couldn't be bothered to check in on me after I almost died. It wasn't like I expected flowers and balloons or anything. I knew we were over. So I shouldn't have been disappointed when he never came by and the phone never rang. But I was.
I kept waiting for closure - that mystical thing grown- ups talk about when love ends, the thing that is supposed to tell you it's okay to move on.
After a month of mourning a relationship that wasn't meant to be, of stalling and postponing every time Mason asked me out, I decided I wasn't getting closure. I convinced myself that a respectable amount of time had passed and I was actually ready to accept Mason's dinner invitation - the hunter had finally caught his prey. So of course Aidan sat on my stoop waiting to have a heart to heart when I was supposed to be getting ready to go out.
"I don't have anything to say to you, Aidan."
"You don't have to say anything. Just listen."
"What could you possibly have to say tonight that you couldn't have said a month ago?"
"Hear me out, please."
I glanced at my watch. "Two minutes."
"Can we at least go upstairs to your apartment?"
"One minute fifty seconds."
"Jeysus, I see your stubbornness came back with you from the brink of death."
"You know, I wasn't sure you knew at first but after I reported to Agrona there was no way you hadn't heard what happened. A minute thirty seconds."
"I wanted to see you, to make sure you were okay. Especially after the way things ended."
"One minute."
"Would you please stop doing that?"
"Then get to the fucking point, Aidan. You wanted to know if I was okay but what?"
"Jus primae noctis."
"You didn't bother with so much as a phone call because you've been busy deflowering virgins on their wedding night?"
"What? No! I turned Ryanne. Jus primae noctis for a fledgling refers to their first feeding. It's the sire's responsibility to ensure their child can feed on their own."
I didn't know what to say. That wasn't what I expected to hear. I didn't know exactly what I expected to hear but Ryanne being turned into a vampire, his vampire, definitely wasn't it. "Fatherhood isn't everything you remembered?"
"She would have died that night."
"And you felt obligated to save her. A stranger, for all purposes. Looks like our taste in vampires isn't the only thing Ryanne and I have in common then."
"Maurin, don't. I had already turned her when I found out what happened to you. Even if Ryanne's turning went perfectly - which it didn't by the way - I couldn't follow you into the between."
"You know what, you're right. We're not even together anymore. So why I'm so pissed off at you?"
"The same reason a phone call wouldn't be enough for me. Because you still care."
"I'll always care about you but if you came here to salvage things, please don't. Don't say all the things I wanted to hear weeks ago. I don't think I'm strong enough to walk away from you if I'm not angry. You'll tell me all the things I want to hear and I'll believe you because you mean it. In the end we'll hurt each other again. You should go. Mason is picking me up in thirty minutes, I'm going to be late."
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
I'm sorry. They were only words but my heart softened at the sound of them. I didn't need to hate him to let him go. "Me too, Aidan." And I was, sorry for what happened and what could have been. So this is what closure feels like. I let him pull me into a hug. He moved in to kiss me and I turned so his lips landed on my cheek, to afraid to get caught up in emotions. He lingered in the embrace longer than necessary, breathing in my scent one last time.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Mace." I seemed to be out of breath every time he was around me lately. My heart picked up its pace, beating wildly in my chest.
"It wasn't that long ago your heart beat like that for me." Aidan brushed one last kiss on my temple. "I was just saying goodnight."
"Don't you mean goodbye?" Mason was telling, not asking.
"No, I meant exactly what I said. Maurin is the Regulator of my cleaning crew and I report directly to her. So it's not really goodbye now is it? See you around, Hunter." And just like that he was gone, leaving Mason and me standing awkwardly outside my apartment. I would bet next month's rent he knew I was going out with Mason tonight. It was too much of a coincidence and I don't believe in coincidence.
"Are those for me?" I pointed to the flowers, desperate to get our night back on track. "They're beautiful."
"Wildflowers. They reminded me of you."
"Come on, you can put them in water while I get ready." I took his hand and led him up the three flights of stairs to my apartment like we were any normal couple. "So where are we going?"
"You'll have to wait and see."
I left Mason with the task of floral arranging while I jumped in the shower. I was determined not to let Aidan ruin this. I had been putting Mason off for weeks. Tonight was his night and I wanted to show him that I was worth the wait.
Wrapped in a towel, I headed to my closet to figure out what I was supposed to wear on our mystery date. He dressed up his black tee shirt and jeans by putting them on his body. I needed to step it up. Band tee shirts wouldn't cut it tonight.
A little glimmer on my bed caught my eye. Laying next to a familiar string bikini was a silver chain with a delicate apple branch charm hanging from it. I didn't normally wear jewelry but this was beautiful. There weren't any stone adornments on the matching silver charm. It wasn't over done. Its simplicity making it the perfect necklace for me. I fastened it on before holding up the string bikini that had been laying next to it.
"I'm still not wearing this!" I called out, loud enough for him to hear me over the TV in the living room.
A few minutes later I stepped out of my room in a pair of black wedges, skinny jeans and a black tee shirt fitted around the waist and hung off the shoulders. My hair was up in a messy bun. If we were headed where I thought we were it would be a waste of time styling it.
"Ready?"
Mason stood, his eyes fixed on the dark purple strings tied around the back of my neck. He stalked across the room, his desire heavy in the air. He didn't even notice I wore the necklace he gave me. He was too busy imagining what I looked like in the bikini.
"Cross Bath?" I squeaked as he backed me up against the wall.
"You're wearing the bikini. We might not make it to the baths." His mouth burned a trail of kisses along my neck. "You smell like apples and honey. It's nice but I liked you better covered in my scent."
"I would have worn the bikini this time even if you hadn't given me the necklace." I ran a finger along the chain and then the charm, stopping at the rise of my breasts.
"Necklace?" He dragged his eyes away from my chest to the charm dangling above it. The small silver apple branch was dwarfed by his large hands as he examined it. "This isn't from me. Where did you find it?"
"What do you mean it isn't from you? It was on my bed
with the bathing suit." Mason rested his forehead against mine. "What is it?"
He looked down at my mouth, watching me nervously pull on my bottom lip with my teeth. "A problem for tomorrow." His hands clutched my hips, pulling my body against him as he claimed my mouth. His tongue demanded entrance as he deepened the kiss until we both had to come up for air.
"Tomorrow," I said breathlessly. I pulled him in for another kiss as we slipped into the between.
Blood Bath, A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy (The Maurin Kincaide Series Book 4) Page 22
