by CT Nicholson
Elle’s stomach turned. Imagining what kind of meal Jodi talked about made her feel sick.
Jodi slapped her lightly on the arm. “Not that kind of meal. Sheesh! We’re not monsters. We eat human food just like you. We don’t need it as much since blood is our main source of survival, but we still need it.”
Thank God! Elle didn’t think she could handle the thought of a few humans being drained on the kitchen table. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen another human in their home. “Where do you get blood?”
“We don’t drink from humans. Well, some of the guys do when they’re with women. Bagged blood is all I’ve ever had, other than Ethan.” Jodi blushed.
“You can drink from other vampires?”
At her question, Jodi’s cheeks turned even redder than before. “I... when we, you know, it just happens. The passion we experience together is out of this world. I don’t think we even realize drinking each other’s blood is different than foreplay.”
The way Jodi’s eyes glowed with excitement Elle actually thought she might like to be bit by Aiden.
“Oh! Look at the time! They’ll all be back soon.” Jodi grabbed her hand and dragged her back out into the hall.
At the door Jodi shoved her forward and gave her a mischievous grin before she disappeared in a blur down the hall. Elle stood there shocked, but she couldn’t help her excitement as she waited for Aiden to come home.
Pacing the floor didn’t slow her shaky hands or the rapid beat of her heart. When she had gotten out of bed after Aiden left, she spied the condoms Aiden found.
The door opened and Elle held her breath. She couldn’t help her disappointment when Drake came strolling through.
“Hey there, lovely lady!” Drake came into the room with his tattoos and Mohawk, the biggest grin on his face.
She couldn’t believe she’d been scared of him. The memory of the way they met popped in her head and her cheeks heated with embarrassment. He’d seen her practically naked. “Hi, Drake.”
He picked her up in a great big bear hug then swung her around before placing her back on the ground. “I had to get a hug in before Aiden showed up and kicked my ass.”
Leaning down, his breath tickled her ear as he whispered to her. “Don’t tell him I did that. Unless you don’t like me, that is.”
“I like you so don’t worry about it.” She put her fingers to her mouth and mimicked zipping her lips closed.
“I won’t say a word.” The smile couldn’t be stopped as she watched him stroll down the hall with his hands in his pockets. He looked like he’d been up to no good, and Elle didn’t think their secret would stay a secret for long. And she didn’t doubt Ethan saw the whole thing anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
“Please let me talk before you try to kill me.” His voice and eyes pleaded with Aiden.
“What do you want to talk about? I won’t let you distract me from my orders.”
Sadness crossed Nicolas's face before he hid the evidence. “You’re the only one who I trust to listen to me. I didn’t kill the girl. You know I’m not stupid enough to leave evidence so easy to figure out.”
His rage grew. “No, you’re not stupid. You did it to taunt us.”
“Fuck. Look at the footage from the club. I don’t give a shit. She was killed before I left. I followed a familiar scent and found the girl I’d screwed earlier. She was already dead. And mutilated. I still can't figure out who I smelled.”
Aiden wanted to believe his cousin, but the evidence against him was strong. “Fine, I’ll have Ethan check the footage at the club.” While he texted Ethan, Nicolas stayed frozen in place.
“If you didn’t do it, why did you run?”
“Are you shitting me?” He ran a hand over his shaved head. “After what happened to Gregory’s sister, everyone’s on edge. Isaac hid his turn from all of us and no one was going to believe me. Then I went and made it worse by stabbing Gregory. I knew the wound wouldn’t kill him, but I had to get away. I have to figure out what the hell’s going on.”
Dawn approached fast and Aiden still needed to check on Anya. “What about Elle’s friend?”
Eyebrows drew together. “Who?”
“Elle, the girl you pushed me on after taking off with Anya, her friend. Did you leave with her?” He knew the question would be pointless if Nicolas had turned rogue.
“The long legged blonde? She left for the bathroom and never came back. That’s why I ended up with the other girl.” Anger in his eyes showed Nicolas spoke the truth.
Aiden stepped toe to toe with him and had to give Nicolas credit as he stood his ground. Poking one finger in his chest, Aiden stared directly into eyes that matched his own. “If you’re fucking lying to me, I’ll make your death a hell of a lot more painful than it has to be. I owe you for killing Luciana when she turned, but I won’t put up with more lies.”
His hands shook, itching to punch Nicolas. Keeping calm, Aiden clenched his fist and stepped back. If his cousin ended up being innocent, Aiden didn’t want to jump down his throat just to hear ‘I told you so’ once everything blew over.
“You can do whatever you want. Just please help me clear my name. You can call me anything you want, but rogue will not be one of them.” Nicolas turned away, leaving Aiden an easy chance to stab him in the back.
Aiden didn’t. “Nicolas?”
Turning, Nicolas raised a brow at Aiden’s smile.
“If I let you go, it’s got to look like a struggle.” Aiden opened his arms wide and prayed that trusting Nicolas wouldn't turn out to be a mistake. The punch came fast and felt very real as it landed against his cheek. The slice of the dagger against his shoulder stung like a son of a bitch and ruined his favorite black shirt. Damn. His fangs shot out and a growl left his lips. “Leave now.”
The stench of rogues drifted into his nose. “You fucking liar!”
Nicolas flinched and shook his head no. “I didn't lie, they're not with me.”
Two rogues hopped over the edge of the roof, spit and fresh blood dripping from their teeth.
“I'll take the one on the right, you cover the left,” Nicolas spoke as if they were on a hunt like old times.
Aiden had no clue what to do. If Nicolas had turned rogue, this was now a three against one battle.
Nicolas swung into action by attacking his target first.
The second rogue moved to attack Aiden, but Aiden was prepared, dodging the rogue’s attempt to slash at his neck. The rogue stumbled, giving Aiden a chance to stab one dagger into his back then through his heart.
Aiden grabbed the sword strapped to his back and swung down to take the flailing rogue's head. When he looked over, he found Nicolas had already taken out his target.
Any other time, they would've appraised each other or joked about who killed first but not anymore. Not until Aiden knew Nicolas hadn't become rogue.
Nicolas nodded and jumped the rooftop without another word.
Letting his cousin go should've been hard, but Aiden wanted him to be innocent just as much as Nicolas did. If he told the others he let Nicolas go, he’d be banned if not killed outright.
Aiden called Ethan and he answered on the first ring. “I haven’t gotten what you need yet on the club surveillance.”
“I found Nicolas and he pleaded with me to look. I told him I would, but that he had to come in until we found out the truth.” Aiden paused and waited for Ethan’s sputtering reply.
“You found him?”
“I lost him.” Aiden looked up into the sky. Daylight neared, forcing his search to an end, which would give Nicolas more time.
“Shit. Julian’s not going to be happy.” Ethan’s sullen reply only told the truth.
“Yea, I know. I’m heading back now. Check with the others if they’re not back by now.” He hung the phone up and started across the rooftops until he grew close to Sanctuary. Jumping back down to the ground, he ignored the pain in his cheek and shoulder.
A thirteen-foot fen
ce surrounded the mansion where the Guardians lived. The gate swung open when Aiden neared, and Ethan sat waiting for him to come home.
He strode through the large door and caught sight of Elle.
For the first time in over a hundred years, he looked forward to coming home to Sanctuary. Most nights he hated the sun for forcing him to stop hunting. Today, however, he relished the sun for letting him come home to the sight of Elle waiting anxiously for him.
Before he knew what happened, she wrapped herself around him and her soft lips connected to his. When Elle placed her hands against his cheeks, Aiden winced.
Jerking back, she looked into his eyes then moved her hand away to see his bruised cheek. After, she searched him for more injuries and saw his shoulder. Her face paled and a hand covered her mouth.
He couldn’t help feeling joy when tears filled her eyes. She cared for him. For once he had someone waiting for him to come home. Someone who worried for him and who got upset because he’d been injured. He knew he shouldn’t be happy for her tears. What a selfish ass.
“Don’t cry. I’m fine.” He used his thumbs to wipe away the wetness from her cheek.
Blue eyes narrowed on his and her lips pursed. “You’re bleeding. Put me down and we’ll get Ethan to stitch this up.”
He didn’t move. Why on Earth would he want to put her down? He wanted nothing more than to run to their room and make love to her for the rest of the daylight hours. Their room? He liked the sound of that.
She slapped his uninjured shoulder and he couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out. “I’m injured and you hit me?”
The paleness in her face disappeared as she turned red. “Just put me down and let’s go find Ethan.”
Her lips turned up into the most tempting smile. “The quicker we get you healed, the quicker we get to the bed and then the shower. Or maybe the Jacuzzi.”
“Fine, but you’re playing dirty.” He lowered her slowly, letting every inch of her slide against him. There was no doubt how much he wanted her. He nudged his knee forward causing her to moan aloud as her hot little pussy slid against his leg.
She looked up into his eyes and Aiden saw pure arousal lighting her pupils.
“Now who’s playing dirty?” She gave him another teasing grin before starting toward Ethan’s office.
Swaying her hips back and forth, Aiden barely held his temptation to grab her, face her toward the wall, and nudge her legs apart.
“Are you coming?” Giggling, she took off at a run.
Aiden stalked after her. He wasn’t going to run. There was no reason to tire himself before they get to the room.
She'd just pushed through the door when Aiden caught up to her. Her perfect breasts rose and fell with every breath and he couldn’t take his eyes off her to register who occupied the room until someone cleared their throat.
Looking around, he noticed Julian standing and he didn’t look amused.
“Sir.” Aiden straightened.
“Now that you’re done playing.” Julian’s gaze switched pointedly to Elle before coming back to Aiden. “What the fuck happened?”
He explained what Nicolas said, but left out the part about letting him escape.
“There were two other rogues who attacked but I’ll get him tomorrow.” Giving Nicolas another night would have to be enough.
“You’re damn right you will. I trusted you could handle this on your own. Tomorrow at nightfall, you’ll take Gregory with you. I understand but I fear your feelings for Nicolas will affect the need for his death.” Julian walked out without another word, giving no time for anyone else to say a word.
Elle stepped forward, the excitement in her eyes gone. “Ethan, his shoulder has a bad gash.”
Ethan jumped up, squeezed her shoulder, and looked at Aiden’s wound. Aiden couldn’t stop his growl when Ethan touched Elle. The laughter coming from Elle and Ethan pissed him off even more.
“Anything on the surveillance?” Aiden forced his mind off Elle and back to his job. At least he tried to.
“Surveillance at the club was a bust. Apparently the video recording has been broken for a year and they’re too cheap to have it fixed.”
“So much for those leads. Let me know if you find anything else.” What the hell was he going to do now?
After Ethan stitched him up, Aiden grabbed Elle and nearly ran to their room. Dropping her on the bed, he unloaded his weapons and ditched what remained of his clothes. Thanks to Nicolas, the shirt he’d worn now laid discarded in the trash. He couldn’t complain by the way Elle’s eyes dilated every time she studied his bare chest.
“Did you find out anything about Anya?”
Worried she might be interrogated by Julian on the spur of the moment, Aiden opted not to tell Elle anything about his dealings with Nicolas until he knew for sure his cousin hadn’t lied. “Before he attacked me, I asked him. He said she left for the bathroom and never came back. It’s unusual for Nicolas to be stood up though.”
She laughed. “You don’t know Anya. She does what she wants no matter what others think. If another man got her attention, everything about Nicolas would've left her mind.”
“So then let’s get back to our plans.” Aiden started to climb on the bed before she placed her hands on his chest to slow him.
“No, we’re not done. I always check in with Anya after she goes out. One day she’s going to end up with the wrong guy, like Nicolas. I want to go out in the day and check on her. I feel better that she texted me but I really need to speak with her. Plus, I need to get Princess.” Crossing her arms, Elle never let her gaze move from his.
“Dogs don’t like us. I’ve already made arrangements for her care.” Aiden arranged for a top-notch kennel to take in the dog until things were safe for Elle once again. If he’d brought the dog to Sanctuary, she probably would've had a heart attack barking and growling at all of them.
“Thank you for that, but I still need to check on Anya.”
Elle looked damn cute with the demanding set of her sexy mouth and her narrowed eyes. Too bad what she wanted couldn’t happen. No way in hell would he let her go out alone. “No.” Giving her no explanation, Aiden moved in and kissed her.
She resisted for two seconds before giving in and a growl rumbled through his chest when she giggled. He loved making her laugh.
A gasp left her mouth as he shredded the shirt she wore, his shirt.
****
Aiden ripped open the foil package then rolled the condom over his straining erection and Elle’s blood boiled as she kept her gaze glued to his movements.
His lips lifted slowly as he pushed his hips forward enough for his head to breach her entrance. “It's so hard to hold back but I will to keep from hurting you.”
She wanted him to lose control just as she did when he took her with his mouth. “You don’t understand. I want all of you. Everything you are. Don’t hold back because of me.”
A growl sounded deep in his chest and Elle knew his control broke when his hips thrust, forcing his entrance, stretching her completely.
Frozen, he watched her.
“Am I hurting you?” Aiden’s voice sounded gruff as if forced from deep in his throat.
She shook her head. “You’re so big and the stretching burns, but it doesn’t over-ride how good you feel filling me.”
“Good because I don’t think I could stop at this point.” He stayed still, letting her body adjust around him before he pulled out until only the tip remained.
His pupils dilated, fangs peeking behind his lips, but Elle didn’t mind. Dark hair tickled her face as he leaned in for a kiss, his hips moving eagerly in strong, steady strokes. His fang nipped her lip and she tasted the coppery taste of blood.
Every stroke of his thick cock drove her crazy. Her inner muscles clenched, her hands gripped his strong shoulders, and she wrapped her legs around his back to urge him to take her faster. The new angle pushed him deeper, causing her breath to catch.
His mouth
left hers to trail down to her neck where he nibbled and sucked. “Come for me. It’s been too long and you’re so tight. I’m going to lose it too quickly.”
The sexy and honest words, a sharp pain in her neck, and his cock slamming deep drove Elle over the edge. Her body convulsed and she shuddered as her sex tightened around him.
His lips left her neck and he made one last swipe with his tongue before pulling away.
“Do you want me to move?” He lifted his head to look into her eyes as he pushed her hair from her face. The concern in his eyes touched her deep.
“No! I like your weight on me.” She also liked the feel of him still deep inside her.
A teasing grin spread across his face. “I’m holding myself up. I’d never put all of my weight on you.” His grin disappeared. “Did I hurt you?”
He looked sexy when he teased her and his tenderness made her chest ache. “No, you feel good,” Elle said.
One black eyebrow lifted.
“Only good? I thought what we just did blew anything else out of this world.” He teased her but as she studied his expression, Elle noticed his face rapidly change into one showing regret.
She wondered if he was thinking about an old lover. Attempting to lighten the mood, she nipped his chin. “Sorry to hurt your ego, but you have nothing or no one to worry about. You’re the best lover I’ve ever had. The last guy I was with was a two minute man with no plan to satisfy me.”
Aiden's lips lifted in an irritated snarl then turned away to hide his reaction.
She couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. “Are you jealous again?”
Rolling, he pulled her with him until they were in the center of the bed and she rested on top of him. “Mmm, you feel good up there, your pussy still clenching my cock inside of you.”
Her folds instantly leaked fluid around him and a groan sounded as she wiggled her ass. Strong fingers tangled in her hair as his mouth took possession of hers in a heartbeat.
