Night Hungers (24 page)

The next place was just as bad, bodies in varying stages of death and dismemberment. Zane found two small children, one a pureblooded vampire and the other a pureblooded wolf. A wood nymph and a small pixie were also saved. The pixie was so grateful to be released she demanded to be Zane’s bodyguard for the rest of her life. Zane couldn’t get rid of the stupid thing.

These beings were also taken to the clinic. The pixie, Sapphire, said she was staying with Zane. Zane was hard pressed not to flick the tiny thing into the medic’s pocket and be done with her, but she wouldn’t let go of Zane’s ear.

“I hope you know that I don’t care for you. You will be going back to your homeland as soon as I’m finished with this task.”

“We’ll see, mistress. I can be of great help to you. I’m a very important person in my realm. You’ll see.”

The little thing had blue hair that sparkled brightly in the early evening. Her clothes, also blue, were a short skirt with a lacy hem and a t-shirt with a white cat with a red bow in its hair. Her wings, as long as her body, were a lighter blue than her hair, but no less sparkly. They were variegated with as many shades of blue as her namesake. When Sapphire had flown to Zane, her wings gave off a tiny puff of blue magic that signified her task as a pixie. She colored the flowers on the forest floor. Her knee-high boots finished the ensemble.

~CHAPTER 25~

Aiden was shadowed near Aaron but just visible enough that Danny could see him if he was close enough. The “broken down” car had its hood up and Danny March, Zane’s boss, was there with them. Danny had been thrilled to death to help out.

“Is this the monster that Zane is going after? Why, I could probably take him on and come out the winner. Mother pots, he’s a big one.”

Aiden loved the man’s vocabulary when he “cussed.” Some of the things that had come from his mouth in the past hour had Aiden holding his sides with laughter.
Mother
pots
was just one of many. His favorite, Aiden thought, was “mother Mary, Joseph, and Peter.” He didn’t know how Peter had fit in with the group, but it still made him laugh.

Aaron was warning Danny to stay back.

“I will, I will. Zane said she’d bust my bottom and Russell would do the same if I got so much as a broken fingernail. She is a bossy little thing, isn’t she? But I’ve never seen a woman work on a car like she does. Darn near makes me want to marry the girl just to keep her to myself.”

The growl coming from Aiden startled them both. Aaron stiffened, but didn’t move.

Danny wisely took a step back.

“Just kidding, Aiden. I’m homosexual and right now, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier about that. No, I won’t touch what’s yours. I know about the territorial nature of mates. I was just kidding.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…you have to realize it’s not you, it’s my nature. I know you won’t touch her.”

“I’m glad to know that. Yep, more than you know I’m glad to know that.”

Sinclair walked up as soon as Aiden faded deeper into the shadows. He looked over the car as though he was going to help out. There wasn’t anything they could do to repair the car, not here at any rate. It was one that Zane had been working on and there was neither carbonator nor wires in it. If Sinclair knew anything about cars, he would have noticed it. But apparently, he didn’t. Zane whispered through his mind that all was well on her end. She was coming to them.

“I’m P. Simon Sinclair. You must be MacManus.”

Aaron had been warned not to touch the man and when Sinclair put his hands out Aaron raised his dirty ones up to show he couldn’t take it. The disappointment on his face was profound. Aiden could detect a small silver wire wrapped around Sinclair’s wrist and that he had wanted to garrote Aaron with it. Aaron must have sensed the same thing.

“Yes, I’m MacManus. I’m really sorry about this, but I’m going to have to cut this short. My wife, you know. I need to go and get her at the station.”

Sinclair laughed. Aaron simply stood up and looked down at the rotund man. They couldn’t kill him just yet; they still needed to find the last lab. But playing along with a madman could be tricky.

“Your wife is with me. Well, at my lab. She is mine now, you see, and you and this…” He pointed at Danny. “Human are going to die. It’s a shame really, but I’ve no use for any more vampires. Besides, your kind doesn’t last long once we start to cut on them.”

Aaron didn’t move, didn’t even give any indication that he’d heard what Simon had said. He then leaned back against the car and looked at Simon. “Really? That’s odd. I don’t believe you. Sara is my wife and I don’t think she would have anything to do with someone like you. What do you plan to do with her? Bed her? I think not. Sara is used to a man, someone who can satisfy her. You don’t even look like you can satisfy yourself.”

“What are you doing? Are you nuts? Zane said to go with him, not piss him off. Back
off, sire, we need this man.”
Aiden wanted to pull Aaron back and shake him, but he couldn’t without giving himself away.

“Hush. I know what I’m doing. He’ll need to prove something to me and I’ll get the
information we need that way. Listen to me, I’ve done this before.”

“Why, you obnoxious ass. How dare you speak to me like that? You should have more respect for your betters than that. Why, I should—”

“Should what? I’m not impressed with you at all. You are nothing to me or my mate.

I want you to leave us alone.”

Aiden started to step forward when he felt the first trickle of magic. It wasn’t very big at first, but grew exponentially as the seconds ticked by. Before Aiden could step in front of Aaron, a blade was protruding from Aaron’s chest and the man was falling to the ground. Seconds later Zane removed Sinclair’s head where he stood.

“What the fuck? Get him to the ground. What the hell was he doing taunting the man for. I told him to stand down several times, that he was armed,” Zane said as she pulled the blade from Aaron’s chest.

“I told him to stop. He said that he could get the information we needed. Stupid, arrogant bastard.”

Aaron was speaking. Zane leaned down and listened and then she started cussing.

Aiden was startled by how pissed she was.

She looked at Aiden then at Aaron. “I can save him, but his trade is a favor to be asked for later. Is there a…oh I don’t know, a list of things to do on your deathbed to piss me off? All right, you fucking bastard, you have your boon, but I’m not sleeping with your ugly old ass. Fuck a duck and watch it waddle, I hate you right now.”

Aiden looked down at Aaron and could have sworn that he smiled. Zane moved over Aaron and worked to stop the bleeding. When she was finished Aiden fed the master his blood and then took them all home. Danny was to meet them later with Russell. Aiden decided that Aaron was as certifiable as the rest of the group.

~~~

Aaron sat on the couch and waited. It wouldn’t be long now and Zane and Aiden would be coming to see him. He wanted to rub his hands together in glee, but was worried that the others in the room would think he was up to something which, in this case, he was. Smiling ruefully he thought about the past several days.

Taking a hit to the chest yesterday was foolhardy, he knew this, and Sara reminded him of it every hour on the hour since she found out what he’d done. But he felt that he’d really had no choice. Aiden was going back to Paris and Zane may or may not go with him. Aaron didn’t want either of those things to happen. When Duncan came in with his large tray of food and drinks the couple in question walked in behind him.

“Ah, there you are. So glad you could join us. Have a seat. Would you like anything—”

“You didn’t give us a choice and I don’t want to sit. I want you to get this over with so that I can speak to the queen. She and I have unfinished business to take care of.”

Aaron caught the smile before it erupted all over his face. Zane was in for a big surprise if she thought this was the end. He stood when she continued to stand. “I’ve asked you nicely, Zane. In my house the rules I set down are to be obeyed. Now sit.”

There was compulsion there, enough to make Aiden sit, but Zane…well, she stood toe to toe with him.

“I’m not your puppy, nor am I yours to rule. I have no connection to you whatsoever.

You asked for a boon, though why I should have to honor it is beyond me, and I’m here to pay up as you have demanded. You provoked that man into stabbing you and we both know it.”

Aaron had hoped that she wouldn’t find that out and resisted the urge to look at his mate. He could feel her anger at him and knew there was going to be hell to pay later. He did, however, glance over at Aiden who stood now right beside his mate.

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. I do have a connection to you. I have talked with Mel and she had given me the rest of your sentence. I believe I have you for just under another three thousand years.”

Aaron felt the surge of anger from Zane. She turned to Mel. Aaron couldn’t tell who Zane was mad at more, him or Mel, but he was willing to bet it was close. He didn’t flinch when she looked back at him.

“No. No, that’s not what…you can’t just give away someone as though they are a pair of shoes. I refuse to allow this. I have a favor to receive and you owning me isn’t going to—”

“You may ask me your favor,” Mel practically purred at her. “Perhaps I’d be willing to grant it. But I won’t allow you to no longer be Aiden’s mate, nor will I allow you to become a mortal. Other than that, I’ll consider it.”

Zane stood there trembling with her anger. It had to be that because Aaron could nearly taste it on his tongue and his body was hot from it. She couldn’t harm him, not really, but she could do a great deal of damage to those around him and to his home. He didn’t so much as blink at her.

“And your boon? I suppose that is something to make me stay here too?”

She was smart, he’d give her that. That’s just what the boon was for. “You stay here as my subject.” Her snort had him raise a brow at her. “As I was saying, you stay here as my subject and I will grant you the freedom you wish to be separated from Aiden, provided there is no child involved.”

When Aiden stepped forward to speak Aaron raised his hand. He knew, hoped, that Aiden would object at her leaving and was glad to see that he’d not been wrong about that.

Zane smiled at him. It wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t even remotely nice, but just a showing of teeth. He might have been a little frightened if he didn’t know his were bigger. He also knew something she didn’t.

“You’ll let him find himself a more suitable mate?”

Aaron shook his head. He wanted this as clear as crystal. “No. I will release him provided there is no child involved. You have to stay with him as his mate then.”

“Accepted. I will—”

“Master, I don’t want this. I want her to be with me…I’m in love with her. Zane, please don’t do this. I don’t care what you’ve done, what you do. I love you,” Aiden begged Zane.

“Aiden, you should have someone more suited to you. Someone without blood on their hands. Hell, I have blood all over my body. I’ve done things that I’ve—”

“Do you accept, Allison Zander St. James?”
Please say yes. Please say yes. Please
say yes
, Aaron kept saying in his head.

“Yes. I accept. Thank goodness.”

“Congratulations.”

Aaron sat back down in his chair. He knew it wouldn’t take her long to figure this out. Mel had talked to the Fates and had let her use her magic to change the course of Zane’s life. It was risky, of course, to go to the Fates for this, but they had been more than willing to help once they heard of all that she had done for the MacManus family and for Mel. It took her less time than he thought.

“Congratulations? For what?” She looked at him for several seconds. Then with a quick look at Aiden she looked back at Aaron. “You can’t do that. It’s not…what have you done?”

“You’re pregnant. And I didn’t have a thing to do with you getting that way, just that you could. We have a deal, Allison. Welcome to my Kiss.”

Zane swayed and then started to fall. Aiden standing next to her caught her up in his arms and held her to his body. Aaron didn’t say a word as the two of them left his office.

Sitting down hard himself he took a deep breath and looked at his mate when she spoke up finally.

“You do know that she’s not pregnant, right? And when she figures that out she’s going to be really pissed at you.” Sara smiled as she continued. “And I hope I’m there when she figures it out.”

Aaron hoped she was too, he would probably need her help to heal.

“I’m hoping that by the time she figures out that I’ve lied to her she really will be.

Christ, but that was a little intense. She is one stubborn woman. Do you think they’re going to have sex right now? That would probably seal the deal if they did.”

“I think you should try and think of a better way to use your time than to speculate what one of your…what did you call her? Oh yeah, your subjects is doing. Come to the kitchen, Aaron. Duncan has put the children to bed and I know that he bought all the stuff for me to make a cheeseburger.”

Aaron’s cock twitched. He loved watching Sara eat and cheeseburgers were the—

“Are there any French Fries?” When she nodded, Aaron picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. It was time he had a little quiet time with his own mate.