Authors: CT Nicholson
“
Not now, Jodi. Just go get me some ice.” Aiden didn’t wait for a reply as he picked Elle up and carried her out.
Everything seemed to be spinning around her as he moved rapidly through the halls. Head throbbing, eyes burning, she could only think about his shirtless, muscular chest pressed against her. She turned her cheek closer against him
.
“
Mmm.” She didn’t realize she made the noise aloud until his low, gratifying growl vibrated against her cheek. She had to have a concussion. Why else would she be playing with fire knowing how hot it burned?
“
Please stop rubbing against me like that or you’ll be in trouble though I’m positive you’ll enjoy the consequences.” Silver eyes darkened and his lips lifted into a sinful grin. “I’m already pissed you’ve harmed yourself.”
“
Why do you care if I’m hurt?”
He looked at her like she was nuts.
“I do care.”
“
But you’re a vampire. I can’t be with a vampire after my parents...” A sob escaped her throat before she could force it back. “I’m so confused.”
Inside the immaculate room, Aiden laid her on the king size bed. His callused hands brushed tears from her cheeks before speaking again.
“I’ll explain everything if you’ll let me, but first I need Ethan to check to make sure you’re alright. He’s not a doctor but he’s the best first aid we have.”
As if waiting to be called, another vampire she didn’t recognize burst through the door. A little shorter than Aiden, the new vampire still had shoulders as large as Aiden's.
“How is she?” The vampire she assumed to be Ethan stepped beside the bed with a bag of ice. “Man, that’s a nasty gash.”
Self-consciously she grabbed at her head. Did the injury look that bad? Wincing
, she pulled her hand back to see blood covering her skin.
Ethan checked her pupils and bandaged her up
before walking over toward the door with Aiden. Elle jumped when he slammed Aiden against the wall, his friendly face turning to ice as he glared at his friend.
“
The next time you yell at my mate, you’re going to know what it feels like to have my boot up your fucking ass.” Ethan stepped away from Aiden to glance at Elle. “She’ll be fine. Keep an eye on her for any signs of a concussion. I’ll be back to check again later.”
Before Ethan made his way out the door
, Aiden grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry. Will you tell Jodi?”
“
You can tell her yourself. She’s going to be mad that I said anything. She begged me not to do anything crazy because she thinks it’s her fault. I didn’t kill you so I guess I did okay.” The smile was back on Ethan’s face before he stepped out the door.
Relief filled her until regret took over.
“It wasn’t her fault.”
“
What?” Aiden moved toward her.
“
I tricked Jodi into leaving me alone. Tell her it wasn’t her fault so she won’t blame herself.” Elle didn't want the poor girl to be upset because of stupidity on her part.
“
Don’t worry about it. I lost my temper seeing you sprawled on the floor with blood on your head. Yelling at her was wrong and I’ll make sure she knows. But right now I’m going to explain to you the difference between what I am and what a rogue is.” The bed creaked as he sat on the edge facing her.
“
I’m a vampire. Your family lost their lives tragically, but it wasn’t us who killed them. Some vampires thrive on killing humans and taking lives causes them to turn rogue. Most of the time it’s older and unmated vampires who lose control after living life alone for so long. They bore of their existence and take a human life then find they can’t stop. They thirst for blood.”
“
When a vampire first turns rogue, they can sometimes hide the symptoms. But after so many kills, their eyes change and their teeth start to rot along with their body. Like the ones we encountered at your house.” He turned away.
She knew he
was keeping something from her but she wouldn’t pry just yet. Forcing away her fear, she placed her hand over his heart and his warm skin tensed under her touch. “Your heart beats and you're warm.” He nodded. “How do I know you’re not a newly turned rogue?”
A smile spread across his face as his hand held hers in place.
“You’ll have to trust me. You know before I met you, nothing interested me except my work. Now I can’t seem to think of anything but you. More than anything, I can only think about getting you naked on this bed and showing you just how good a vampire I can be.”
When she swiped her tongue across her lips
, Aiden growled and dove in. Elle jumped at his sudden movement before opening her arms for him. With his lips and teeth teasing hers, Elle fell back, dragging him with her. But Aiden didn’t stay. Thundering boots and men cursing outside the door had Aiden up and fleeing the room before Elle could process what was happening.
Chapter E
leven
“That fucking son of a bitch!” The new vampire's words came out more like a growl.
Elle plastered herself against the wall
and prayed to become invisible. Vampires filled the room one at a time and she started to hyperventilate. Aiden stood on the other side, too far away to help her. Aiden clearly didn’t realize she’d followed, which she could understand since the vampire on the table with a dagger hanging from his gut had everyone’s attention.
“
Calm down, Gregory.” Ethan spoke as he gripped the dagger and pulled.
Elle kept her eyes on Gregory’s
face. His mouth drew tight and his eyes stayed closed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, causing his wavy black hair to stick to his face.
Questions exploded around the room once they had the dagger out of the vampire's chest
and the bleeding slowed.
“
Who did this?” Ethan asked.
“
Did you kill the son of a bitch?” The vampire with the Mohawk, and the one who’d stopped her from escaping, yelled over the others.
“
How did anyone get close enough to stab you?” Another vampire she hadn’t seen before spoke this time.
Aiden grabbed the dagger from Ethan.
“This is Nicolas’s dagger.” His cold gaze jerked up to look at Gregory. “Did he do this?”
She liked his heated look better than the one he gave Gregory. If only they hadn’t been interrupted, they
’d be intertwined in each other and his eyes wouldn't look so cold. Gregory’s yell brought her back to the overcrowded room.
“
Yes! And I’ll pay him back as soon as this heals. He tried to talk me into letting him go. Like I’m some fucking idiot. When I didn’t allow him to leave, he stabbed me.” Regretful eyes looked at Aiden. “I’m sorry. I know you’re close so I’ll take responsibility for taking him out.”
Nicolas had turned rogue
? Her chest ached for Aiden given the loss of his cousin, his friend. Then she realized what Aiden was hiding from her.
Everyone stayed quiet, waiting on Aiden to say something.
“I’ll do it. He’s my cousin and I owe him. He was the one who took care of Luciana when I couldn’t.”
The sadness in his voice caused
Elle’s vision to blur as she blinked back the tears and moved to find his arms. Her mind screamed at her to stay put instead of traveling through the crowd of vampires and giving herself away but she didn’t care. With everyone watching her in confusion and awe, she kept going until his arms wrapped around her.
Conversation picked back up until the sound of booming footsteps came toward them
and everyone quieted and watched the door.
The newcomer stood taller than everyone in the room
. The width of his chest and shoulders filled the doorway, blocking the exit and while his size impressed her, it was his white hair braided the length of his back that truly stunned her.
His eyes narrowed on her and skimmed her body from head to toe before giving her a sexy smile.
She shivered against Aiden’s stiffened body.
“
What the hell happened to you, Gregory?” The stranger turned his attention to the injured vampire.
Elle listened to the story and cringed when the sexy vampire's face turned to stone and his eyes turned ice cold. In that moment everything about him screamed danger.
This vampire had to be the one in charge by the way the others kept their attention on him. He stood with his shoulders back, chest out, and chin high. When he spoke, Elle could hear the authority in every syllable he spoke.
The
n his cold gaze zoomed in on Aiden. “I think someone else should take down Nicolas. You’re too involved.”
“
Hell no! He’s my cousin and I’m responsible for his actions. You can’t keep this job from me.” Aiden’s grip on her hand tightened until she whimpered and he eased off on his hold.
“
I think I can do anything I want since I’m the prince.” One white brow lifted, his stance widened, and his muscular arms crossed.
Aiden's eyes widened as he sputtered helplessly.
“You can’t be—”
The
prince held his hand up to silence Aiden. “If you’re sure, you have my permission to perform this task.”
Aiden relaxed against her.
“Thank you. I only ask one favor.”
The
prince nodded. “I’ll make sure she stays safe while you’re on the hunt.” He reached his large hand out to Elle. “My name’s Julian.”
Elle couldn’t stop from pressing even closer to Aiden. Strong hands squeezed her shoulders, letting her know he
’d be there for her. Leaning her head back to look up at Julian, she placed her hand in his. His large hand engulfed hers as his lips brushed her skin, forcing her to her tiptoes. “Elle. It-it's nice to meet you.”
Even though she spoke the words, she didn't quite believe them herself.
Aiden’s growl caught her off guard, and caused her to jerk her hand from Julian.
Julian’s booming laughter filled the room and everyone watched him as if he’d grown a second head.
“So it's like that?”
He turned back to the others and his tone changed as he spoke his orders.
“Ethan, see if Nicolas still has his phone or credit cards. He’s too smart to make dumb mistakes, but we can hope. Collin and Lena, I want you out at nightfall so go get some rest. Gregory, you need to heal before you go back out. Don’t get stabbed again.”
O
rders given, the vampires left the room.
Julian's gaze landed back on Aiden and
Elle.
“
Same with you, Aiden. Get some rest and be ready for nightfall. When you leave, we’ll all keep an eye on her.” With those last demands, Julian bowed his head and walked out.
Grinding her teeth together,
Elle kept her questions for when they were alone and she followed Aiden back to his room.
Elle chanced a glance at Aiden to find him watching her through hooded eyes with a smirk on his face. Before she realized it, they stood toe to toe and his lips brushed against hers. She had no doubt his kisses would kill her.
Long fingers tangled in her hair as his free hand grabbed her ass. She couldn’t stop her moan against his lips or the way her body melted against his. Nothing mattered at that moment except them. After a year of no sex, her whole body screamed at her to hurry up.
She wanted his touch and prayed he didn’t turn out
to be a disappointment like her last lover. If you could really call the two-minute man a lover. When he left her bed after sex, she was forced to please herself to ease her frustration. She'd been handling her own sexual needs since.
Now she stood in the arms of a huge, god-like vampire as his tongue penetrated her mouth.
A devilish smile formed as he pulled his overlarge socks from her legs. “Take those off, too” he growled as he stepped back to watch.
Oh boy.
She swallowed the lump in her throat before obeying him. Slowly, she grabbed the waist of her panties and slipped them down one leg at a time.
“
And my stolen shirt.”
His voice sounded strangled and
for the first time in forever, Elle felt proud. She was the cause of his arousal. Not Anya, not some other girl; just her. Wasting no more time, she gripped the hem and pulled the shirt over her head. She unclipped her bra and bared herself to him before he could demand anything else.
Watching his hands reach out to touch her bare legs, she relished in the thought of driving his control out the window
right along with hers.
Never seeing him move, she knew she
’d been thinking too much when his finger grazed her clit and her hips lifted off the bed as she begged for more. One finger slid across her wet slit then circled around her slowly. Hot air hit her sensitive folds as he moved closer and used his other arm to keep her from bucking against his hand.
Her whole body
was on fire and she nearly exploded when his tongue slid along the line of her cleft. Strong arms kept her legs apart as his thumbs separated her folds for better access. He flicked her clit then penetrated her with his tongue.