by A. C. Arthur
Going straight to the walk-in closet, Aiken placed his jacket on a hanger. Then he stripped down to his boxers and left the closet, going to the bed to pull back the black satin comforter. A glance over his shoulder showed she’d removed the rest of her clothes and pulled on an oversized T-shirt.
“Bed or couch?” She made the offer as if she were the owner of this room.
Aiken chuckled. “Take the bed, Mel. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
If she gave the smallest hint that she wanted him in that bed with her, Aiken would be there. He’d give up the hit-and-run routine he’d developed with women and lay with the one woman that had taken his heart and claimed his beast’s soul. But she didn’t and he’d never been the type to beg.
Instead, Aiken grabbed a blanket from the closet in the bathroom and the pillows from the left side of the bed where he normally slept. He got comfortable on the couch and closed his eyes, swearing to himself and to the beast that he could get this job done with Mel, without sleeping with her. There was no other choice.
* * *
Aiken knew he was dreaming but he didn’t want to wake. He liked spending time here, in his past, during the years he’d been happiest. The time he’d been with Mel.
Kissing her shoulder, he waited for her to rouse. She hated waking up early but he was a morning person. It was the quietest time of day, when his mind was fresh and clear and he could look forward to all the new possibilities. On this morning, the only possibility he wanted to consider was sinking his length deep inside Mel. That was his home. In her arms, between her legs, his body connecting to hers, joining them on a level far deeper than the physical.
She groaned, pushing back an arm to swat him away.
He grinned. She was so damn sexy when she was irritable.
Kissing her again, this time he let his tongue linger, moving in a small circles along her shoulder, easing his way in toward her neck. She went still then and he knew the beast within her was awakening. His beast reacted instantly, rising to the heat of its selected mate, ready to feed off the sexual energy her beast held specially for him. She pressed her head deeper into the pillow, elongated her neck, inviting him in. He followed her lead, dragging his tongue along the soft skin there, just at the spot where her neck met her shoulder and her pulse beat rapidly.
In an instant she moved, turning her body and flipping him over onto his back. Her palms were flat on his chest as she rose over him, adjusting her legs so they straddled his waist. She slept naked, they both had, and her breasts were high and full, dark nipples going hard as if they were ready to greet him as well. Her hair came to her chin—well, those strands that weren’t sticking up wildly from sleep—and her eyes, they appeared haunted, as they did from time to time in the months they’d been together.
“How many times have I asked you not to wake me before eight?”
The answer was a number so high he couldn’t recall and so a shrug was all he offered. Her lips twisted in a smirk and she pushed her fingers down harder against his chest so that her short nails could dig in.
“It’s ridiculously early, Aiken. The sun’s not even all the way up yet. I can tell by that hazy orange and red glow sneaking through the curtains.”
“Mornings are the best time.”
“Mornings are a curse and you’re evil for always pulling me into this space with you.”
He’d wrapped his arms around her by then, letting his hands rest over the globes of her bare ass. “Sleeping wastes time that I could be with you.” And Aiken’s heart beat to be with this woman.
She closed her eyes and leaned forward until her forehead touched his. “I’m not going anywhere. We can stay together.”
The word but lingered between them and Aiken closed his eyes, not wanting to bring up the discussion that never ended with them both being happy. Instead, he simply moved his hips, positioning her so that she was ready to take him in. She eased her hips up slightly, pushed a hand between them and grasped his already hard dick and guided it to her entrance.
They both moaned as contact was made. He loved the way her muscles stretched to accommodate him, how warm and wet she always was on command. Her soft whisper of his name meant she was feeling the same pleasure, easing up her spine the moment they began to move together. It was a slow ride, a welcome to the new day, a hello from a lover. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her down closer, plastering her body against his even as the lower half of their bodies still moved in passionate harmony.
“I love you, Mel.” Even though you refuse to accept what has to be.
“I love you, Aiken,” she whispered in his ear just before her tongue stroked along his lobe. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
But that love hadn’t been enough. He jolted awake, sitting up on the couch to stare into total darkness. Scrubbing a hand down his face he looked back to the closed door of his bedroom. On the other side of that door Mel was asleep. Eighty years ago they’d walked away from each other and now she wasn’t even eighty feet away from him. His chest clenched with that thought, his beast writhing with the new possibilities.
* * *
Mel wasn’t surprised by the size of the room where the small group had gathered at ten the next morning. She’d been up since six, had showered and dressed without waking Aiken and left his room to take a tour of the place he called home. It was a self-guided tour, or at least that’s what she’d told herself while she went from one room to the next. It was not a way to gain insight on how Aiken had been living over the decades they’d been apart. As big as the place was, rooms with soaring ceilings, some with jutting rock walls, others—the kitchen and the terrace area connected to it—with marble floors, there was an unmistakable homey feel. It wasn’t just a museum filled with antiques, like the intriguing collection of swords that were mounted on the wall in what she thought was the den or a sort of family room. There were little things that showed people lived here and that relationships were built and catered to here. For instance, the picture of Theo and his mate that hung in the main foyer, which she hadn’t seen last night through her hazy night vision. It was a wedding portrait, where love and happiness glittered in Theo’s human eyes. to the right of that was an even larger portrait of someone she didn’t know, but suspected was of even more importance than Theo, most likely the former Drakon emperor. But another room, farther to the back of the dwelling had a more laid-back and lived-in feel. Perhaps it was the pool table in the center of the space, or three rows of reclining theater chairs which faced a giant movie screen, that spoke of the laughter and good times which were probably had here. She hadn’t been sure, but what she knew was that Aiken was at home in this mountain retreat. He would’ve liked this space best because of its welcoming feel.
Aiken enjoyed the family life much more than Mel ever had, though that was no fault of hers.
“You’re the Collector.” She didn’t startle at the voice but instead turned slowly to see a very muscled guy with long locs and skin the color of her favorite chocolate bar staring at her from the doorway.
“I’m Mel.” She’d never been shy, especially around guys, which was surprising since her early years on the Human Realm had been spent in a house with boys she’d wanted to kill.
When she leaned back against the pool table and folded her arms over her chest, he came farther into the room. Taller than Aiken by a couple inches, he had a bodybuilder look to him, with the way his toned arms and legs moved as if he were showing off every bit of his strength with the simple act of walking. His hair swung past his waist and was held back from his face by some sort of band she couldn’t see at the moment. Imposing would be the best way to describe him in his human form. She didn’t consider what his dragon would look like.
“You know you can release your eyes here, but you don’t.” Apparently, he was also a know-it-all.
“My eyes are just fine.” His changed wi
th her words until they were a deep wine color, redder than the reddish-brown they’d been just seconds ago. The move was meant to challenge her, or rather the beast that lurked somewhere deep inside her, but she was far beyond that little trick.
“Aiken has a soft spot for all women. He’ll overlook things if he believes it’ll carry him to your bed. I don’t overlook anything or anyone.”
“And I don’t take threats lightly.” Because he was definitely threatening her. Fuck up in any way and he’d deal with her harshly. That was the gist of what he’d just said to her. “Besides, I didn’t ask to be here.”
“There’s a job to be done.”
“Your job is different than mine,” she snapped. While she was used to holding the beast at bay, biting her tongue for some buffed alpha jerk wasn’t her thing. “I’m going to continue my hunt with or without your little band of mercenaries.”
“We’re here to protect the humans. Why’re you here?” If she wasn’t intimidated by him, he damn sure wasn’t moved by anything she’d said. He stood about six feet away, legs spread, arms at his side, Drakon eyes glaring.
“I was minding my own business until your people arrived and I’ll be on my way soon enough.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t have to answer your questions. I don’t follow you or your little Drakon rule.”
“You’re a Drakon. The rules are in your blood. Standing there like you’re somehow above them is disrespectful to the emperor and his mate.”
“Again, I didn’t ask to be here. If the emperor doesn’t like how I act, I can easily be on my way with all the knowledge I have about Duncan.” She could only surmise that Aiken had told them what she really was, since she’d made a point not to tell Theo last night.
He stepped closer and she pushed away from the pool table, letting her arms fall to her side like his, just in case this was about to get physical.
“Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?” Another one entered the room, this one with smiling brown eyes and thick curly black hair, enough so that it was pulled up to the top of his head and fell like a shaggy tail.
He came in quickly, stepping between her and muscle-dude with ease. A deeper brown complexion, beard and a big smile showing bright white teeth, was now in full view just inches from her face.
“You’ll have to excuse Magnum, he’s not a morning person. I’m Reese.” He extended his hand and after a couple seconds’ hesitation, Mel accepted it and shook.
“I’m Mel.” How many more times was she going to have to say that today? And where the hell was Aiken? It was well past time for them to leave and get to work.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mel.” She allowed him to lace his arm through hers and ease her around the spot where Magnum was still staring at her intently. “Now, why don’t we head to the dining room for some breakfast and get to know each other better.”
His tone was light and his smile was entertaining. Basically, he’d made a much better first impression with her than Magnum had, so she was willing to play along temporarily.
“She doesn’t need to get to know you.” Aiken’s voice was far from as rigid and commanding as Magnum’s, but still a very stark turn from Reese’s easy cheerfulness. In fact, she’d never heard him sound the way he did right now. A blast of something like irritation mixed with arousal slithered through her.
“Ahhh, we’ve been caught and effectively nipped in the bud.” Reese’s chuckle was just as genuine as his smile and she was faintly amused.
Aiken moved from the doorway to where she and Reese stood in seconds, and the scowl on his otherwise perfectly handsome face was different. “Take your hands off her.”
Reese’s response was another jerk of laughter. “Cool. Cool. Didn’t know you were staking a claim. From what I heard, she was someone you worked with in your prior life that was going to give us a hand snagging the new vamp in town.”
She hadn’t been claimed. Nobody was allowed to claim her; she could only give herself. That was her immediate thought, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Aiken’s quick, heated glance halted the words.
“Get lost,” Aiken said with barely restrained fury.
In fact, she could feel the immediate heat from his body circling her in a way she was certain was meant to keep anyone from getting close to her. It was a territorial move, bold and more than a little out of place since they hadn’t been a couple in a very long time.
“Oh, yay, the gang’s all here.” Ziva entered the room and Mel sighed.
The gang was more than she’d bargained for when she came to Burgess, and to tell the truth she wasn’t in the mood for whatever familial dynamic was at play between these people. She was in the mood for hunting and that’s what she planned to do.
“I’m heading out. If you’re coming, you’d better hurry up and finish playing with your friends.” Talking while she walked gave her an edge over the weird sensations which had begun to brew in the pit of her stomach the second Aiken entered the scene.
Ziva had come completely into the room and didn’t budge as Mel skirted around her on her way to the door. But there she was stopped when Theo and the woman she recognized from the portrait appeared.
“Good morning, Melody.” The woman’s accent was thick but resembled Magnum’s and she wondered if they were related by more than just Drakon heritage.
On a quick inhale and exhale, Mel decided to be polite. “Good morning. Sorry, I’m just leaving.” She took another step toward the door and the woman moved closer to her.
“Please, stay a moment. I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself. I am Shola.”
“She’s the Drakon Empress you were so blatantly disrespecting only moments ago.” Magnum’s quick interruption sounded throughout the room.
A vicious grumble immediately followed and without turning to look for herself, she knew it had come from Aiken.
“Well, I see we’re all off to a wonderful start,” Shola continued.
She was a gorgeous woman, her natural hair coiled and styled to frame her face. Her eyes were translucent, her appearance far less domineering than any of the others in this room. Mel wondered if she were a dragon or something totally different and possibly just as powerful. It occurred to her then that there may be a way that one Drakon instantly recognized another. Perhaps that was how Magnum had known to mention her eyes and maybe Aiken hadn’t told them anything at all. But seeing as she’d never learned how to be a Drakon, and by the time she’d met Aiken had deemed it too late to accept his efforts to teach her, she stood here now with no real clue.
“I’d like to get started with the hunt for Duncan. As I stated last night, straying from my original plan to track and retain the target has already cost me time. I’m not willing to stick around here until it costs me money too.” She’d spoken in a calm and easy tone so as to show the woman, who was clearly in a role of authority here, a measure of respect. After all, it hadn’t been her intention to come here and disrespect anyone. She didn’t follow anything the Drakons did, but she also didn’t go around burning bridges she might someday need to cross.
“That’s a good idea.” Theo spoke before his mate this time. “You and Aiken will see what you can find today. Check in routinely and we’ll meet back here later.”
“For dinner,” Shola added. “Bleu’s promised a festive meal even though the holidays have passed.”
Shola’s smile, mixed with her intriguing eyes, cast a very otherworldly feel to the room. Whereas to anyone just walking in they might assume it was just a gathering of humans. They’d be sorely mistaken.
Aiken’s hand touched her elbow in the next second. “Yeah, we’ll get going now.”
Shola and Theo moved as Aiken hurried her out of the room. Mel was beyond ready to go and walked with him, but the moment they were far enough down the hallway, she
eased out of his grasp.
“Your gang is intense.”
“Not my gang,” he said in a snappish tone. “My clan.”
Right. She nodded as they continued down the hall. He would be part of a clan, a Drakon family that would fill that desire he had to connect and belong. “Still intense.”
“They can be.” He led them easily from one hallway, through another spacious foyer with an enormous chandelier and more paintings on the wall.
“But you like it here. You’re comfortable with them.” It wasn’t a question, because she already knew the answer. She knew the type of man Aiken was and why he’d never be the man she could spend her future with.
“It’s my duty to be here. My calling as a Drakon.”
“And that’s it? You just do what somebody else called you to do?” That concept had always been foreign to her, especially since the ones who would’ve called her to do anything had died, and before then, they hadn’t bothered to teach her a damn thing about who she was supposed to be and why. So instead, she’d become the woman she wanted to be.
“We serve a purpose, Mel. A higher purpose than you would ever allow yourself to imagine.” His tone was still irritated, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to the current topic of conversation or the fact that Reese had been touching her a little while ago.
Part of her felt a hint of satisfaction that he’d been jealous, that was the part that had missed being near him. Another part—despite last night’s kiss that she still remembered vividly—was kinda annoyed that he’d thought jealousy was even an option after all they’d been through.
“Yeah, well, I’ve got a purpose too, and right now it’s to get my target back to headquarters to collect my fee.”
They were near the double glass doors where she’d entered this fortress last night when he stopped and grabbed her by the arms.
“Is that all you worry about now? Money? What happened to wanting to collect the bad guys and turn them over to some sort of justice?” Staring at her keenly had always been Aiken’s way of getting through to her. Luckily, she’d outgrown that instant pang of dread that came whenever she’d thought she disappointed him.
