Night Hungers (5 page)

Aaron turned slightly away from Samuel Macintosh, the until now missing heir of another realm, and looked at her. His magic was powerful and he could detect the scent of blood, warm and hot. Fresh. Closing his eyes, he moved over her and found that she was injured as well. Blood poured from a wound at her side; the bullet not silver was still in her body.

“I can see that you’re shot. I could feed you as well. My blood is strong and it wouldn’t harm me to feed the both of you.”

“No thanks. I like to know that someone can’t hunt me down, if it’s all the same to you. If you would hurry it along, I need to be somewhere else tonight. I can...as far as I can get you is back to the bar. I thank you for helping him. My boss will contact you as soon as tomorrow to make arrangements to get him back.”

Aaron nodded and then turned back to Samuel lying so still before him. Opening a vein on his wrist, he pressed it to his mouth and commanded him to drink. A few precious drops moved out of the injured vampire’s mouth and down his cheek before he began drinking. Aaron contacted his mate to let her know what was going on.

“Love? I’m fine. I can feel your stress. I’m with a being. Can you tell me what she
is?”
As his mate, they were as close as two people would ever get.

“She? I can feel a male, but...no, I can feel her now. She’s very strong. I can... I feel
vampire, werewolf, and cat. I can also... Aaron, she just contacted me. She said that if
you want to know what she is just turn around and ask her. She said that you were a rude
ass and wondered why I was staying with you. I think I like this being.”

Aaron could hear the humor in Sara’s voice and he felt himself relax with it. Pulling his wrist from Samuel’s mouth he sealed the ragged wound with his own tongue. He turned and stood in front of her.

“You’ve contacted my mate. She likes you, she said. So, bounty hunter, what are you? Sara detected vampire, werewolf, and werecat? I’ve seen your panther; what else can you take the shape of?”

“I don’t believe they named my species. And the lab and its workers are no longer alive to go back and ask, not that I would. I’m a mixture of all predators. In addition to quite a bit of magic, my DNA has been altered to suit some need they thought they might like to work with. I can shape-shift into anything I need.”

Aaron could see the blood on her hands where she had pressed it against the wound.

He stepped toward her only to come up short when a gun was suddenly in her hand. He’d not even seen her pull it. Raising his hands to show that he was not going to harm her, he took a step back.

“You know you’re just being stubborn, don’t you? Let me help you. I swear to you that you will be safe with my blood.”

“I’m hurt, not stupid. I’d appreciate it if you would just keep your blood where it belongs. If you’re ready I’ll take you both back now.”

The movement of air was all the warning there was. One minute Aaron was standing to talk to the girl and the next he was being slammed hard against the opposite wall. Pain exploded in his head. Whatever had hit him had meant business. He started to rise when a sharp
“No!”
was issued in his mind.

“I can’t fight if I have to babysit you. Sit still and don’t move. He will not harm you if he has me to play with.”

Aaron was sure he should have been insulted about her comment about babysitting him, but he could feel the air stir again and the other being was all he could get shimmered in the room once again. Aaron stayed where he was. He wasn’t even sure he could have helped her much anyway. He had given blood without feeding and he had hit his head hard enough to make him see two of everything.

The man/beast was huge and could move faster than Aaron could see. The woman had no such problems, apparently, and attacked him every time it stopped. It had claws for hands; Aaron didn’t think they were anything but his own hands and his teeth, razor sharp and dripping in saliva. They were at least two inches long. Its body, while short, was muscled and packed. The wings at its back were tucked tight, but Aaron could see that they would be huge when opened.

“You! I though you dead. Hoped it. I kill you now, mother fucker. My mate, he and I will eat your innards for our sup,” the being hissed at the woman.

“Nope, not dead. Your mate is, however. He cried like a little babe when he died.

You will do the same. It has been sanctioned and you know how much I love it when I have those kinds of orders.”

Power burst from the being and looked to narrowly miss the girl. Suddenly, she was on the being’s back with a wicked knife at his throat. Aaron hadn’t seen it until that moment and wondered if she or the being had brought it. He’d not seen her have anything so assumed that she had taken it from the monster. She brought the blade across the monster’s throat and removed its head. Black blood oozed from its neck and onto the ground as it dropped. Aaron watched as she reached above her head, seemingly to gather energy from around her. The blue ball, small at first in her hands, seemed to grow with the seconds. When it was perhaps three inches in diameter, she threw it into the blood and body and it exploded, destroying everything it touched.

The woman dropped to the ground and when he moved toward her, she simply raised her hand to still him. He waited. He could feel her weakening state and wondered how she was even able to sit upright. The scent of fresh blood tickled his throat.

“I would really like to go now please. I don’t have...I must feed soon and go to ground. Please, give me a moment and I’ll be ready.”

“All right, we can go. I won’t even ask you again to take some of my blood. I know you to be stubborn enough to refuse.” He moved closer and kneeled down in front of her.

“I didn’t catch your name. I would like to tell whomever you work for what a great job you’ve done for our kind. And that you saved my life. For that, I thank you.” Aaron touched her mind and was immediately seized with a sharp pain in his. Wincing slightly, he backed out of her head. Sara had been right, she was strong.

“Keep out, master, or it will only get worst. And I didn’t throw it. I’m going to have to touch more of your skin this time. I need a better contact with you to move the three of us. I don’t mean to be rude, but could you please open your shirt? I won’t harm you.”

Aaron started unbuttoning the shirt he had on. He knew instinctively that he could trust her. She had saved the vampire when she could have easily have let him die. She had also saved him. He wondered if this being was created like another of his Kiss, Bailey. He was going to look into it as soon as he got back.

When he moved toward the vamp on the ground she stopped him. “I’ve got him. Just stand still. I’m weak, master, if you will please just not try anything stupid, you’ll be conscious when we get to our destination; otherwise, I’ll have to knock you out. Deal?”

Aaron nodded then watched her lean down and pick Samuel up. So, she was strong of both mind and body. He was impressed. Moving toward her when she waved him close, she turned his back to her hip, wrapped her hand around him, and splayed her figures wide over his chest.

“We’ll land where we departed. I know that there is no furniture there so we won’t have to worry about you getting staked when we land. Hopefully.” Before he could react to that scary statement, they were in the bar.

No one moved. Aaron was glad for that as he was dizzy again. He didn’t know the mode of transportation she was using, but it was incredibly fast. When she let go of him he stepped away and staggered slightly. Aiden and Tristan jumped forward to catch him.

“I’m fine. Someone take the man and be careful, he’s injured. As is she. Aiden, don’t. I can see in your stance that you wish to harm her, but for all of our sakes, don’t.”

“She owes me. I haven’t the slightest idea why she picked me to attack, but she owes me bl—”

“I attacked you because you were by far the most dangerous of all of you. You should all rethink your security. Had I been out for blood all of you would have been dead.”

“Him? The most dangerous? How do you figure? I’m the alpha of one of the largest packs in the United States. Aaron here is the baddest vamp around and Tristan is old and has powers most never attain in several lifetimes. No offense, Aiden,” Bradley said immediately.

“You also have guards. If I attacked you right now they would surround you. You, in turn, would trade your life for theirs, the same for the vamp here. He, on the other hand…” The woman pointed to Aiden. “He had no security and nothing to lose. He would have fought until his or my death without a single thought as to whether or not he lived. That is why I attacked, taking out the strongest. I must go. Master, I thank you again for your assistance.”

Aaron bowed back to her as she disappeared.

The woman was right; he would have traded his life for those that surrounded him.

His job as master first and foremost was to keep those around him safe. He just never realized that it would get him killed.

~CHAPTER 6~

Zane was weak the next morning, but better since she had fed lightly before going to her lair. She was careful not to lift too much and she didn’t use any magic other than what was necessary to be alert to her surroundings. She was glad for the light work in the morning and even happier for the slow afternoon. When Duncan showed up about ten minutes before she was ready to go she was both happy and a little depressed about it.

“I have two books for you. I have had them for a very long time and would like to gift them to you. They are first editions. It is in thanks for letting me read your book collection.”

Zane was touched. First of all, no one had ever “gifted” her anything before, and he’d given her something that he had treasured enough to keep for all this time. She had read both the books, but had already decided to keep them no matter what.

“Thank you, Duncan. I love them. I have some for you as well, though not as treasured. I picked these up a few days ago after we talked and you said you liked to read in French also.”

Zane had found
A Christmas Carol
and
Pride and Prejudice
on the Internet. When she returned with them, she realized that he wasn’t alone, that he had two children with him. A little boy and a little girl.

Zane didn’t have any interaction with children. She’d spent most of her life training or alone. Children not only made her nervous, but they were the one thing that she was terrified of. When Duncan introduced them as Lizzy and Mac MacManus, Zane sat down hard on the stool near her work area. She wasn’t sure what she would have said to either of them, or to Duncan for that matter, when his cell phone rang. When he stepped away to answer she and the kids stared at one another.

“You smell like our Aunt Bailey. Are you like her? She’s really pretty and nice and her baby is our cousin. Her name is Emma. We go over there and play with her all the time. You got kids?”

The little boy cocked his head at her when she didn’t answer him right away. She wasn’t sure what she could say to him, so she just stared. The little girl, Lizzy, tried to breach her mind, but Zane pushed back and Lizzy stopped. Smart girl. If she had tried again Zane would have hurt her. Zane didn’t like people in her mind and could be quite vicious when they persisted. Duncan returned and told them that they had to go.

“My mistress is having car issues and will be calling Master Danny to have him come and retrieve it for her. She is in need of us to pick her up at the mall. Thank you for the—”

“Zane? I got a problem. Can you help me out before you go? I got a pick-up out on Route Forty and I have a break down at the mall. Can you go out to the mall and see if you can limp that one here for me? I’m going to be a good three hours with this pick-up and I don’t want to leave Mrs. Mac’s car in the lot. Hey there, Dunc. Didn’t know you were here,” Danny said as he came around the corner to the bay.

Zane could have said no, she was sure of it. She was even surer that she had planned to say it, but she found herself saying yes and packing up some tools in a big box to follow Duncan out to the mall. She liked Danny and she liked Duncan, she just wasn’t so sure about Mrs. MacManus and wondered what she would think if she knew that Zane was the being her mate had met last night.

~~~

“Danny just called back. He said that someone is coming out to see if they can fix the car and then they’ll drive it to the garage. But Duncan is coming here to get us now. I hate that this is happening tonight. I had hoped that Aaron and I would get to spend some time alone together.”

Bailey smiled. From what she’d heard Aaron and Sara didn’t care if they were alone or not. They were always going at it like rabbits. Well, so did she and Tristan, but that wasn’t the point. Bailey stretched out her long legs and closed her eyes. Sara was talking to Aaron through their link and Bailey decided to touch Tristan.

“Sara and I are at the mall. Her car broke down and though both of us can fly home,
she’s decided to wait for Duncan. I miss you.”
Bailey sent her mate love and warmth.

“Ummm, that’s a wonderful thing to wake up to, a warm woman sending me love.

Why don’t you come here with me now and leave Sara to her broken car? I can make it
worth your while.”

And she knew that he would too. When he started sending erotic images to her, she shifted on her seat. Damned man sure did have an imagination.

“Stop that! You ass, I’m in the car with your master’s mate. What do you think she’ll
say when she can tell what’s going on? Behave or so help me I’ll sleep above floors for a
week. What do you think that’ll do to your plans?”

Bailey felt his growl as it echoed through her and just the sound of it moved through her body as though he’d touched her. Shifting again on her seat, she glanced over at Sara.

The smile on her face told Bailey that Sara was having a similar conversation with Aaron.

She nearly laughed out loud at the thought. Men and sex went hand in hand no matter what age, it seemed.