by Anya Breton
My cheeks flushed crimson. Gods. How could I have forgotten?
I wasn't sure if I should be furious that the werewolf Alpha had taken such advantage of me or if I should be concerned that he might not be among the living
First things first, I hobbled back to the bed to gather up the blanket as a makeshift robe. Now that I wasn't quite so naked I headed back toward the door that was lit by a single night-light plugged into the nearby wall. Thankfully I got the door opened without a sound. I tiptoed into the hallway, peeking in each entrance in hopes of finding the bathroom. It was just across the corridor.
My brain had cleared by the time I pushed my hands beneath the warm stream of water in the stone sink. I took in my surroundings to avoid looking at my no doubt harried appearance in the mirror. Aiden's bathroom was lovely with pale pink marble floors and walls and a gray granite counter with matching sink. The stand up stone shower had luxurious etched glass doors that were similar to the pattern downstairs. It was large enough to hold a bench, several shelves and what looked to be a digital screen on the wall.
I'd been so distracted by the niceties of the restroom that I'd not thought to peek into the hall before I exited. Aiden stood rested against the wall opposite with darkness filling each deep line around his features. I was startled enough find him there that I didn't think to fix the blanket tightly around me until his eyes had begun to stray down.
"Feeling better?" He asked in an unreadable voice.
"Almost one hundred percent," I lied.
He grunted. "You lie as well as you act."
That he'd called me on the falsehood put me on the defensive. My chin lifted defiantly. "I'm well enough to walk down your stairs on my own two feet."
"Then I suppose you'll be leaving."
The inexpressive tone was getting to me. Was that sarcasm? Irritation? Happiness? "You suppose correctly."
"Can I persuade you to stay one more night in the interest of safety?" He adopted a slight drawl to add, "You have had multiple assassination attempts leveled against your life recently."
He'd been worried? That was actually kind of sweet. But I shook my head anyway. "The sabbath isn't going to wait on my safety."
"Will you at least take someone with you?"
"I took someone with me last time, remember?" I left off "and look where it got me" but I was certain he'd gotten the idea.
"Will you at least take me with you?"
I could only blink at him in confusion for a long moment. "I don't understand you."
"I would be concerned if you did," he replied before I could explain what I'd meant.
I was even more perplexed now. "You came to me to investigate this because the vampires couldn't be linked to it but yet you've shown up at every turn and have been seen with me in public on multiple occasions. Now you want me to take you with me?"
Rather than give me a straight answer, he said, "Do you agree with every decision your government has made?"
I made a sound of disgust while walking around him to the room he'd deposited me in hours ago. I wasn't sure why I was bothering moving. It wasn't as if I had any clothes in the room to change into.
He followed me inside but didn't crowd me. He did, however, turn on the light. Soft yellow illumination flooded the sumptuously decorated room. I could now see that the mountain of pillows on the bed was a mixture of soft green and lavender that matched the pattern of the wallpaper. Like an expensive hotel, someone had bravely topped the bed in a crisp white duvet.
Aiden explained his odd question now that we were in the light, "Just as you no doubt disagree with much your government does, I too take issue with things the Senate decrees. Boston brought the issue of the desert shale, demon summoning and mysterious organization amassing within our midst to our table. They requested permission and funds to secure the assistance of a mercenary for hire. Boston pled their case eloquently. The Senate majority agreed to the dispensation of funds. When the decision came to which mercenary for hire would be neutral to all parties, no one could agree on a name until one was put forth: the Black Death, a mysterious entity they'd learned of not long ago. I didn't agree with the decision to have the Black Death do our dirty work. I fought to have the suggestion tabled but was overturned." He paused long enough that I was getting worried about what was yet to come. Then he said, "So I volunteered to track you down to keep any others from finding you."
I was stunned into silence. When the hell had Aiden figured out that I was the Black Death? Maybe the question I ought to be asking was why hadn't he tried to blackmail me with that information?
"How long have you known?" I whispered.
"Nearly two years," he replied almost as quietly.
The air left me in a rush. I couldn't believe that he'd known that long and had done nothing about it.
I turned to fix him with a sharp eye. "How long have you been following me?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
No. I didn't. Again. But I did want an answer to my other question. "Why haven't you blackmailed me?"
Aiden's right eyebrow arched. "Blackmail you? Why would I blackmail you?"
"Everyone else who has learned my secret has used it for leverage to get me to do what they want."
"Who has done this?" The muscle in Aiden's jaw twitched even as red began to form around his silver irises.
My head shook rapidly. "I'm not answering you when you look ready to tear someone apart."
"Do I look like that?" He said mildly as his expression softened to the unreadable one I was familiar with.
"Still not answering you," I muttered while glancing away.
"I have information for you regarding the phone."
He was back to business. I relaxed against the bed a little. Business was good.
Aiden continued, "The phone call the witch made was answered by a phone within the Dungeon."
"Of course," I muttered.
"It's registered to a dummy corporation with an address near the club. I took the liberty of having Owen check the building out but he found nothing of note."
"Great. So I have no leads, still."
Aiden continued without commenting, "The extra wallet you brought back from the warehouse belonged to an Earth witch that had gone rogue a month ago. That was all I was able to find out about him. As you no doubt know, the other was a Fire witch of Morrígan's coven. The two that tried to run you off the road were humans with criminal records and outstanding warrants. I made certain the police found them. And the man that attempted to kill you inside the club had a similar rap sheet. I regret that I have nothing truly useful."
I sighed and let my head fall against the bedpost behind me. "Then I'm just going to have to use myself as bait."
"You can barely stand without wavering. At least wait until tomorrow night before considering any plan."
"The sabbath is this weekend. I don't have the luxury of waiting."
"Laura, please," he took a step forward. It was the first time I could recall Aiden using my given name. "I will beg if I have to."
The thought of Aiden Bruce begging me sent a warm wave of...something I couldn't name through me. I opened my mouth to speak, unsure what I'd say, but he interrupted me.
"Whatever you want, ask and it's yours. Simply wait one night." His voice was soft, urgent and filled with concern similar to the wide, imploring set of his eyes. It affected me more than anything else he'd done to date. The sound of it slid beneath my skin, within my veins and drew a shiver from me. "Please."
I couldn't just tell him no. "One night," I said warily.
"One night," he agreed.
"One night and you stop following me."
His jaw set tightly. "You've needed my help far too many times for me to agree to that."
My eyes narrowed at him. He'd lied. He'd said anything I wanted. "Then I'm not waiting one night..."
In a blur he shot across the room to grasp my arms for a good shake. The feel of his cool fingers on my limbs
was impossible to ignore. My body instantly warmed despite the tepid temperature of his skin. "You are a fragile mortal human. Why can't you act it?"
I tried to hold the fervor of his silver eyes and ignore my body's reaction. "Because I'm not a fragile mortal human."
Aiden let go of me suddenly with a murmured apology. The quick backwards steps he took were probably as close to a stumble as his graceful body could yield.
"Owen is preparing a meal," he told me once he'd neared the door as if nothing had happened. "There is clothing in the closet, towels in the bathroom and an array of soaps in the cabinet. Or if you'd prefer a bath, there is a tub in my bathroom down the corridor. He will be finished in twenty minutes."
He paused in the doorway long enough that I could have argued. I didn't.
Once he'd disappeared I decided that a shower sounded good. Damn good. Especially considering what had happened in bed with the werewolf Alpha. Oh gods. I hadn't even asked how he was.
On the modern style dresser made of dark wood with rounded edges sat the purse I'd left in my car. Beside it were my guns, one half melted and the other in perfect condition with the clip still inside. And next to them was my phone.
I lifted it to find that it was eleven twenty-two on Monday night. I'd slept nearly twenty hours. There were several voice mail messages and more missed calls awaiting me. The voice mail messages were the first thing I'd tackle.
Morrígan had called, upset that I'd hung up on her after "such insulting parting words" and wanting a better explanation for what had happened to me. The next call was from Gray. He'd phoned to extend an invitation to stay with him since he'd learned of my flooded apartment. The third message was from Morrígan demanding to know where I'd gone. A fourth message was from the Alpha. I listened to it twice.
"I, um, don't quite know what to say," Dominick said with a sigh into the phone. "I feel like I should apologize for takin' advantage of you, but truthfully I'm not a bit sorry." His voice sharpened, "Your vampire...whatever the hell he is...broke my leg. But otherwise I'm good." There was a pause while his rumbling voice dropped lower and softened. "Thanks to you. You saved my stupid fuckin' life." The Alpha let out a sardonic laugh. "I shoulda listened to you. I only got in the way just like you said I would. I am sorry for that. You probably could be interrogatin' those bastards, like you did to Michael, right now if it hadn't been for me." I listened while he exhaled an upset breath then paused for two seconds. "Please call me when you can so I know he didn't eat you."
The fifth message was from Andy about setting up a meeting with his ex the real estate agent. It was nice to hear from a normal person about ordinary problems like finding an apartment. But I couldn't meet with a real estate person now if I was only going to die trying to stop a demon from being brought into the world. Andy would have to wait.
I shuffled into the bathroom across the hall with my phone in hand. After figuring out how the nozzle worked I got the shower going full blast but stood just outside it to make my phone calls. Morrígan was first.
Oscar answered and before I could get a message out she'd grabbed the phone from him. "You will tell me where you are, Lore."
"I'm pretty weak from healing the Alpha so I'm keeping a low profile," I told her vaguely. "Too many people have tried to kill me."
Morrígan's husky voice had all the hallmarks of a jealous woman, sharp edges and emphasis on the word she despised most, "You are with him."
"No, the Alpha is at his own home."
"Not the Alpha," she said impatiently. "You are with the vampire."
I had absolutely no idea how to reply to that.
My silence was apparently enough verification for her. "You told me he wasn't your lover."
"He isn't," I insisted. "He's the one that asked me to look into who was pulling the strings from the Dungeon. I guess he feels responsible for the attempts on my life."
"As well he should," Morrígan snapped. Her mood did a complete one eighty a moment later. She spoke in her sultriest of voices. "Keep a low profile here, dearest. You know how secure my stronghold is. You will be safe with me."
No one would try to kill me at Morrígan's stronghold but I most certainly wouldn't be safe. "I already agreed to stay here one more night. If I still need to keep a low profile tomorrow then I'll consider going there."
"I suppose I have no choice." She sighed. "Be safe, dearest."
"I'll try," I replied then murmured good night before disconnecting the call.
The call had taken a lot out of me and I hadn't expected it to. Did I really want to call the Alpha? No.
I compromised by sending him a text message that said, "I've not been eaten." Dominick sent one back ten seconds later that read, "Stop by and I'll fix that," with an address attached. I couldn't help but laugh as I stepped into the shower.
The scrubbing, soaping and rinsing had to be quick because I'd used up five of my twenty minutes on phone messages and Morrígan. I stepped out of the steaming water ten minutes later feeling much better. That lasted until I got to the closet and found a ridiculous amount of clothing hanging from hangers with the tags still attached. It didn't help that I recognized the department store bags on the ground beneath them and several boxes of designer shoes I knew cost more than some of my furniture had.
I'd stupidly been expecting old gym pants or summer items that weren't being used when he'd said there was clothing in the closet. Not this. Would a closet full of women's clothing without tags upset me less? Probably not.
I grabbed the most casual thing I could find among the hangers. It was a pair of black velvet pants and a gauzy black shirt. In the bags were all manner of undergarments, none of them things I'd have bought myself. I pulled on the least offensive set, lacy black boy short panties and a matching bra. After hopping into everything and pushing my toes into a pair of black ballet flats that probably cost half my monthly rent, I headed downstairs.
Aiden met me outside the room that housed his large television. He gestured for me to follow him downstairs. We continued down into the impressive foyer, into a formal dining room and ultimately ended up in a large, warm kitchen where the doorman hurried between the wide counters. There was a rectangular table at one end with a mouth-watering spread of food displayed in colorful dishes.
"Eat, eat," the doorman fussed while dropping a dish of steaming spinach on the table amongst the other bowls. "Half of it is cold already."
"Owen rarely gets the chance to cook," Aiden informed me with a half smile as he gestured to the sole plate at the table. "And yet he insists upon watching the Food Network."
I settled myself into the seat in front of the overwhelming number of dishes. There was no way I could eat a tenth of what he'd made. We'd have needed a party of twenty to eat it all.
Owen shuffled over to carefully set a small silver colored appetizer plate atop the larger dark blue ceramic plate in front of me. There were two crispy round pieces of bread sporting an odd black paste on the tiny plate. I smelled the tang of salt rise up from the stuff.
The younger vampire poured a blush colored wine into the blue glass that was sitting in front of my plate, declaring, "First an aperitif and amuse-bouche."
"He fancies himself a French chef," Aiden added in amusement. I glanced over to find that he'd rested against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest, dividing his attention between the two of us.
The younger vampire leveled an irritated look at him.
Aiden inclined his head slightly in a small bow. "I will refrain from my derisive little jabs, dear, else you pout."
The other shook his head in what appeared disgust while he sawed through a loaf of steaming bread. "With talk like that, she'll believe we're lovers."
My stomach clenched in...was that jealousy? Good gods, was I irritated to hear Aiden was gay with a live in lover? I was an idiot.
"I'm sure she already does," Aiden replied lightly. "It's the rumor among the Underground."
Owen turned to set the
basket of bread down. He wiped his hands on the serviceable white apron he wore over his blue shirt and relaxed jeans. "We're not," he assured me. "Lord Bruce has never been interested in the sweatier sex."
I shrugged lightly despite the irritation that was steadily fading. "I didn't ask."
He ignored me to continue, "I use him for his money and renown and he uses me for odd jobs."
"What the two of you do in private is none of my business," I said just before taking a polite sip of the wine.
They exchanged one of their looks of silent communication.
After setting the glass aside I picked up the crispy bread round for a cautious nibble. Owen waited just beside the table for my judgment. The black stuff was salty and a bit tangy, a flavor I wasn't familiar with at all. I managed a smile and said, "It's certainly different."
He cleared off the small plate before working to fill the large one with all manner of food combinations. That was a serving of asparagus, one with spinach, cranberries and walnuts, another with chicken in a creamy white sauce, next was an different entree of thinly sliced medium rare beef with feta cheese topping and finally a chunk of bread coated in garlic butter. My blush wine was replaced by something darker and I was given a new napkin.
"I'm going to have to be rolled back upstairs," I joked with my fork posed above the beef.
It was tender enough to be cut without a knife. Unlike the strange black stuff, this was delicious. I sampled a little bit of everything on the plate. Each had its own unique flavor that somehow complimented one another.
"Gods," I let out a little moan, "You could open up your own place."
That earned me a beam bright enough to blind. Owen had a lovely smile that I'd never seen until then. "I could kiss you for that," he exclaimed. There was a nervous glance to the left where Aiden stood. "But he'd kill me."
"Seriously, though," I rambled to keep from getting uncomfortable about that statement. "This is really, really good. That first thing, no offense, was not my cup of tea. But this...I'm going to get sick eating too much of it."
Pleased as punch, Owen settled back to rest against the counter. His pose was relaxed now. I had the feeling that he was living vicariously through me just then.
