Pushing back from the computer, he looked at the time. He’d been so engrossed in what he was reading that hours had passed, and Carissa still hadn’t returned to her kitchen. Hunger pains gnawed at his belly, so he got up to search for her. Not wanting to be rude, he wanted to let her know he was leaving to eat. They could save the talking for afterward—when he’d given himself a bit more time to think things over. There was one thing he was sure of, however. A smile flitted across his lips as he found Carissa standing on the front porch.
The night glittered around them, full of moonlight and lightning bugs. Carissa stared at the moon, her shoulders straight, without the worry of before weighing them down. Aden didn’t know what changed, but he wasn’t going to question whatever it was. He crossed the wooden slats to her side and put an arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and gestured to the moon.
“I’ll be howling at that damn thing in a few weeks,” she said on a sigh, “and I shouldn’t have to.”
Her body shook, and when he looked down, he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes. He’d been wrong. The worry was still there, but she had the heart of a warrior. Aden gathered her into his arms and stroked her back. Were things different, were they not two different creatures, maybe his attraction to her wouldn’t feel so pointless. Still…he couldn’t keep from wanting to touch her, to be near her. He dipped his head down and caught her lips with his. The shift in his thought process was as quick as a lightning strike. Differences be damned. He wanted her, and whatever happened, he’d find a way to make their relationship work, or die trying.
With a muffled groan, his arms tightened around Carissa as he felt her body melt into his, her hands grasping the sides of his t-shirt. He deepened the kiss, tongue thrusting, tasting, and savoring the heady sweet flavor in the heat of her mouth. She moaned against his lips, her hands slipping beneath his shirt to caress his chest, snapping him to reality with a jolt. His fangs fought for freedom, and he pulled back, lest he be tempted to bite her again. Aden took a deep breath, unable to prevent his smile at the glazed look in Carissa’s eyes. Her chest rose and fell with each stilted breath, her lips swollen and plump from his attention.
She lowered her hands and blushed furiously, her teeth dragging across her lower lip as she looked up at him, her eyes unfocused, “Well, I guess you still wanted to kiss me after all.”
Aden gaped at her before laughing aloud. He reached out and tucked a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. “I told you to let me judge.”
Carissa smiled up at him and stepped back, hooking her thumbs in the pockets of her jeans. “How come you always show up right when I need someone?”
He grinned, showing the tips of fangs that weren’t cooperating. “It’s a gift.”
Eyes wide at the blatant display of his condition, Carissa inhaled sharply. “Here I am, kissing you and making small talk, and you’re obviously hungry.”
Aden stepped closer, his grin widening, “Honey, with your hands under my shirt, I think we both know there was almost more than kissing going on.”
She took another step back. “Well, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Carissa said in a rush.
He took another step forward, his fangs were halfway down, now, and poked his bottom lip when he smiled. He reached out and traced a finger down her cheek. She shuddered. He could hear her heartbeat speed up. “Really, now? And here I was, under the impression you liked playing with fire.”
Carissa stepped back again, her back bumping into one of the pillars supporting her porch roof. She shook her head, the hair he’d tucked behind her ear coming loose and falling over her right eye. “Hot or not, now’s not the time and you know it.”
A wicked gleam turned his gaze blue, his eyes illuminating Carissa in their glow. “So there will be time later?” He reached out and grasped her hips, pulling her hard against him, letting her know just what was going through his mind.
When Carissa gasped and looked up at him, eyes wide, lips parted, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, throw her over his shoulder, and take her inside to show her what hot was really like. “You know, I did come out here to tell you I needed to go home long enough to eat, but if you keep looking at me like that...”
She blinked up at him, indecision chasing her thoughts across her face before she graced him with a shy little smile. “Do you really need to go?”
Aden chuckled and gently pulled himself back. His fangs were fully distended, causing his words to lisp slightly. “Unless you’re offering another taste, then, yes.” He cupped her cheek, tracing his thumb over her skin, and down across the soft fullness of her lips. “I won’t be gone long, and we’ll talk as soon as I get back.” He offered her another smile as worry sprang back into her gaze, darkening her eyes as her lids lowered and she chewed on her bottom lip.
He tilted her face up to look him in the eyes. “I’m not running away, Carissa—” he told her, his voice low and soft— “that I can promise you.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Carissa watched him leave, wondering if she’d ever get used to his vampire speed. She shook her head. Aside from the fur and the lack of human blood for survival, she wouldn’t be much different at the next full moon. She’d already noticed changes in her sight, sense of smell, and strength—some of which were sure to make being around her neighbor a lot more interesting. With her heightened senses, Aden’s earthy smell was more apparent, as was the coppery spice of his blood. Her eyes now defined his features with unsurpassed clarity, and hotness oozed from his clumsy pores. Carissa touched a finger to her lips. Either her sense of touch had also intensified, or the man had a kiss that should be illegal in at least forty-nine states. She was willing to bet it was a bit of both.
A moon-kissed smile lit up Carissa’s face as she thought about what Aden said before he left. No, she wouldn’t have let him use her for food. Well, maybe, and that confused her—not to mention his comment about running away. Does he think I’m afraid he might? She’d only found out about werewolves and vampires the night before, and now she was on the verge of howling at the moon. Between that and her intense attraction to the vampire across the street, she was nearly ready to get herself checked out.
With a hand pressed to the side of her head, she snorted. Maybe she knocked herself senseless last night, and that’s why she thought Aden was so hot. That would be a logical explanation if it hadn’t been for the fact that she thought he was attractive the first time she saw him, too. Magnificent, to be precise. She shook her head and let out a derisive laugh. There were more important things to think about—like what he was thinking about what he’d read on Ryan’s laptop.
Rolling her eyes toward the sky, Carissa returned to her kitchen and pulled a Coke from the refrigerator. She closed the laptop as she took a seat, and popped the top on her soda. A lengthy, caffeinated swig was enough to perk up her addled thought process. Glaring at the computer, she tucked one foot behind a chair leg, and leaned forward, her chin resting on her hand. She’d been looking for a distraction, and now she had one of cosmic proportions: Ryan–that lying ass of a husband she used to have—and the sexy vampire she’d fallen in love with. With a sigh, she forced herself back in the chair, rocking it back enough that she reached out to grab the table to keep from falling. If she was honest, it was actually a relief to have all Ryan’s lies out in the open, and unless she’d misunderstood the things she’d read, Ryan’s work was going to be beneficial to Aden, too—once they deciphered all of it.
She took a sip of the ice-cold Coke, her brow furrowed as she considered the new feelings that had invaded her heart. Part of her thought she should at least try to continue mourning the man she thought she knew—it was only a year after his death, after all—but the slightly more sane part, the part in love with Aden, and the part that understood Ryan’s lies, knew she’d be wasting her energy if she tried. What good does it do to mourn the idea of a man, and not the truth of him?
“I can’t,” she whispere
d out loud, and with those words, the heavy weight of confusion lifted its blinders from her eyes.
A small smile playing about her lips, Carissa quickly walked into the hallway and retrieved a thumb drive from her purse. When she returned to the kitchen, her deft fingers maneuvered the mouse over the appropriate files, and soon, all of Ryan’s research was saved to the little piece of hardware. Once done, Carissa retrieved a small toolbox from her utility room, and an old sheet from her linen closet. She spread the sheet on the kitchen floor. Still smiling, she opened the laptop as far as it would go, flipped it face down, and threw it to the floor on top of the sheet with all her might. The resounding CRACK was music to her ears. She removed a hammer from the toolbox, and systematically set about rendering the laptop completely useless. Only when the computer was nothing but fragments and dust did she put away the tool, pick up the edges of the sheet, and throw the destruction in the trash.
Taking another swig of her soda, Carissa tossed the jump drive onto the table, and sat back down to wait for Aden to return. They had plenty to talk about, now, and she knew there was a chance his anger would kick in before he got back. He’d been remarkably calm before he left, but that could have been shock—and the desire to prove a point. She wasn’t exactly impassive, herself, and overall was quite surprised she was handling all this new information as well as she was—the decimation of her husband’s laptop notwithstanding. Some things just had to happen. Either way, Carissa wasn’t certain, but she hoped she would have been as strong if Ryan had told her everything when he’d been alive. Then again, with what little she knew of the man, chances of him coming clean without a fight were less than nil. Also, after what she’d read—what she’d had Aden read—she wasn’t sure she would have wanted him to.
Sitting back, Carissa scrubbed her hands over her face. The man about to join her again was the first name on the newly discovered Enforcer Hit List. God, she never would have married Ryan if she’d known he was a murderer. Most of the people he’d killed were vampires, but damn it, they still lived—sort of—and breathed. Maybe they went against nature, but didn’t some werewolves? Weren’t some of them created by magick, not God? Hell, one of the so-called charges listed for a deceased target was that they’d fed from a Council-claimed mortal. What kind of charge was that?
Carissa sat back and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Here she was, being incensed over the death of someone she didn’t know, all the while ignoring the more pressing topics—like the rest of the names on the list, and the odd letters next to them. Oh, and the fact that Aden’s Vampire Council was behind it all. They were the ones footing the bill, listing at least one innocent man for death, and trying to ensnare the werewolf population to boot. How could she stand for something like that? Damn it, she was part of their world, now, and the whole situation pissed her off.
Carissa looked up as Aden walked back in, taking a seat beside her. He frowned at the empty space where the computer used to be before looking back at her, “Before you say anything, I want you to know that I’m not mad at you. Not at all,” he said softly.
Carissa sighed. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had, in fact, been worried about that. Granted, in the scheme of things, that was probably the least important piece of the puzzle—and it still didn’t change anything. Aden was marked for death, and they needed to figure out exactly why.
Carissa placed her hand over his and linked their fingers together. “I’m glad. Trust and believe, my husband and I did not share the same views.”
Aden lifted their joined hands and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. “I know. That’s why I’m still here. You see, I had time to think things through when I went home to eat, and trust me, I harbor no misconceptions about your beliefs.” He kissed her hand again. “You don’t have a mean bone in your body.”
She grinned. “Except when I slam doors in your face.”
A laugh rumbled out as Aden returned her smile. “Yes, that would be the exception.”
Carissa pulled back slightly and took a deep breath. “I guess you’re wondering what happened to the laptop…”
Aden looked around. “The thought crossed my mind.” His gaze lingered over the jump drive. He looked back at her. “I’m guessing you saved the information, but where’s the laptop?”
Heat bloomed in Carissa’s cheeks. “I, uh, smashed it with a hammer and threw it away,” she muttered, looking down at their hands.
Aden chuckled. “I take it you were tired of looking at it?”
Carissa nodded, her chin barely rising from her chest. “Ryan pissed me off. Tomorrow I’m going to pull his things from my shed, too.” She raised her eyes, to his, trying to convey her feelings through her gaze. “I’m well and truly over his lying memory.”
Aden squeezed her hand, his eyes soft and glowing lightly. “I understand.”
Carissa smiled, then bit her lip, her mind returning to why he was there in the first place. She gestured to the jump drive. “So, how are we going to deal with this?”
Aden furrowed his brow. “We?”
“Yes, we,” Carissa said, exasperated, “My dead asshole was supposed to kill you. That means I’m involved—whether you like it or not.”
Aden let go of her hand and crossed his arms. “That may be, but I’ve already put you in danger once. I won’t be doing it again.”
Carissa raised an eyebrow at him. She stood up and beckoned him to follow as she crossed into the living room. Pointing to the gun case, and then to the bandage on her arm, she smiled. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got a handle on this. If I can’t shoot the bad guys, I can probably bite them. I’m not going to break, Aden. Promise.”
Aden stared at her long enough to make her squirm before a hesitant smile lit up his blue eyes. He took her hand in his as they returned to the kitchen. “I’m sure you’re right.” He tapped a finger beside the jump drive. “Let me run over and grab my laptop,” he paused, giving her a sly look, “since you destroyed the one we had. Something tells me we don’t know everything—even with the file you had me read.”
A laugh bubbled out as he left the room, returning a moment later with his laptop tucked under his arm. As he downloaded the files, Carissa took her seat and let out a gusty sigh.
“I think you’re right about not knowing everything,” she told him. “Back when Ryan’s accident happened, I remember wondering if it actually was an accident at all.”
“Really?” He looked up at her curiously. “What makes you think it wasn’t?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Carissa took a sip of her soda. “The report showed fender damage inconsistent with the accident, but they never determined if that was how he got off the road in the first place. The official report says he fell asleep, which I find doubtful. He would have been hyped up on energy drinks. Ryan wouldn’t sleep for twelve hours after having eight ounces of the stuff.”
Aden rubbed his chin. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound right.”
Carissa sighed. “The more I think about it, the more I feel like it may have had something to do with the hit list in the file I showed you—they weren’t all vampires on that list, and I suspect he may have been caught by someone on one of his last assignments.”
“How do you know they weren’t vampires?”
Carissa grinned. “I cross-referenced those names with the ones I found in a different folder. There was a Furry file hidden inside the Night C file.” Her nose twitched to the side as she looked away from Aden. “It was one of the things I found this afternoon—one of the things that cemented my decision to come over tonight.”
“Wait.” Aden placed a hand on her arm. “There was another file?”
Nodding, Carissa reached for his laptop. Swift fingers pulled up the appropriate files in seconds.
Aden raised an eyebrow. “And here I was thinking you didn’t like technology.”
Laughing, she said, “Oh, I like it fine—just not on my phone.” Carissa turned back to the computer and gestured to the screen. “I
had a feeling, like I said, so I looked for hidden files. This was the only one. As you can see, it contains the list, and beside each name is a letter for their species.”
Aden studied the information before turning back to her with wide eyes. “M? He’s got mortals on this list?”
“I don’t think they’re regular mortals. I think they’re either people who can wield magick, or your slayers—I have suspicions about them, too, but that’s another story—anyway, why a slayer would kill other slayers is beyond me, but Ryan was willing to kill other werewolves, too, and humans murder all the time. The whole world is a madhouse, and we’re just members of the circus.”
Carissa focused on the screen. “The women we found in Crimson Bayou? They were on his list. I recognized their names from a newscast the other night.”
Aden drew up a chair beside her and scratched his ear. “Well, that explains the marks.”
“Marks?”
His gaze leveled on hers. “Both women had fang marks on their bodies. They were drained dry.”
Carissa nodded, her lips curving downward into a puzzled frown. “Oh, yes. I’d almost forgotten.” At Aden’s surprised look, she shrugged and pointed at the screen without remarking. “That’s them right there, Bernadine and Nadia Forrester. They were sisters, and whatever the M stands for.” She took a deep breath. “Since its obvious vampires killed them, I don’t think this town is safe anymore.”
Aden’s eyes burned with explosive fire. “I don’t think so, either.” He looked back down at the screen. “What I really want to know is why the vampires and werewolves are suddenly working together. I have a friend whose information is usually sound, and he swears the Vampire Council only wants to control everything, using werewolves as slaves, but this doesn’t read like that.”
Crimson Bayou (Things that go Bump in the Bayou Book 1) Page 16
