Aaron's Kiss Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 7) (4 page)

Sara jerked back toward him. “We had a deal, damn it. Are you going to back out on your word? You said you could be trusted.”

“Sara, drop your knife, I beg of you. He’s my master. I cannot allow you to harm him, nor will I stand by and watch while he cuts your throat. Please, drop the knife and let us sort this out in a friendlier manner.” She felt Demetrius move toward her after sliding April behind him as he did so.

“Demetrius,” Aaron said tightly. “I would prefer that you wouldn’t give her any more reason to cause me harm today. I’ve had a really shitty day so far. I’ve only just become master and would like very much not to be taken out by one small human. She would do it just to have you end her life, I believe. Wouldn’t you?”

“I’ll not cause Mr. Carlovetti any problems. I like him. But I tire of being a failure. There are people who would do the job you seem reluctant to do, but they wouldn’t make it quick, I think. We can stand as we are while I bleed out, or I could kill you. It matters little to nothing to me.”

She was getting weaker, and she thought he knew it too. If she passed out, she knew that he would not complete what he had promised…if his promises meant anything at all.

Sara had failed so many people. Her friend Mel had suffered the greatest loss. The queen had lost her unborn child, and it had left her magic weak, unable to protect herself from her mate, Sherman. Also, because of her failure as Mel’s guard, she was being hunted by the High Council, the governing panel of magick within the magical realm of Molavonta.

Sherman would kill her. He had told her that often enough whenever he managed to find her. But she also thought that he would enjoy it too much and it wouldn’t be quick.

“Drop the knife, and I will do as you ask. I will take away the life you live.” Sara reached out and found that while Aaron was not happy with it, he was sincere in his promise.

Immediately, she dropped the knife. Its blade quivered in the wooden floor between them. The master took the last few steps toward her, bringing his body very close to hers, and he bought his hand to the back of her neck. He tilted it at an angle, bringing the long column of her neck up for his mouth and his very sharp fangs. She did not fight him or resist in anyway. Closing her eyes, she relaxed against him.

Suddenly, she felt nothing as her world went black. Her last thought she sent to him was, “
Thank you
.”

~CHAPTER TWO~

“Master?”

Aaron had forgotten the man and woman behind him. He continued to look into the face of the woman in his arms. She was a quandary, and he loved puzzles.

“She’s strong, isn’t she? And stubborn. Who is she? What do you know about her?” he asked without turning around.

He did not want them to see him just yet. His eyes had turned; the need to feed from her was making him see her in a red haze. That and the touch of something more he wanted from her.

“Her name is Sara Temple. She is one of our pilots. Sire? I beg for her life, please? She saved our lives, all of our lives.” April, too, was begging for Little Warrior’s life.

Aaron had not met April yet, but he had heard a great deal about her from her mate tonight. Aaron guessed that she had been the reason Demetrius had left the room so quickly when the beauty had entered.

“Yes, as you have said before. I’m well aware of what she has done for us, and I have no intention of ending her life just yet, no matter how much or how prettily she begs. I have merely put her into a state of deep sleep until we can get her medical help. It is still a few hours until sunrise, and we have a lot to do. My car is just outside,” Aaron decided quickly. “We will need to get her to my estate, and you two are coming with me. So I suggest that you make whatever arrangements you need to and do so now.”

Aaron did not even turn around to see if they were doing as he said. He was a man who was used to having his every command obeyed without question, and luckily, the Carlovettis understood that, and jumped to do his bidding.

With the girl still in his arms, he leaned down to pick up her knife, careful not to touch the silver. Carrying his would-be killer, he walked to the big, black SUV and climbed into the back seat with her. He laid her gently across his lap as he pulled out his cell phone. He was just finishing his last call when the doors to his car opened in the front. The Carlovettis got in, Demetrius the driver.

Putting his cell phone away with a snap shut, he said, “I have contacted a doctor friend of mine, Thomas Reilly, who deals with humans as well as vamps. He will meet us at the mansion. What can you tell me about her?”

April looked over at her husband, then back at the vampire in the back seat. He was holding Sara in his arms and checking the wound while he waited for an answer. He looked up at April with a questioning expression.

“Do you plan to take her life, sire?” she asked him.

“Aaron.”

Aaron wondered why they thought he would end her life so quickly, or be so willing to do so. Then he thought of Carlos Sanchez, the former master of this realm, and realized that therein lay the problem.

As the way of vampire law, when Aaron had challenged the previous master for his realm, the two strong forces fought to the end. It had been a bloody and horrific battle, lasting nearly three hours—a very long time in vampire battles. In the end, Carlos was beheaded, and Aaron himself had been nearly mortally wounded. It took him almost a month for his energy and strength to be built back to what was normal for him. But of course, no one knew that for sure, and he wanted to keep it that way.

The winner, in this case Aaron, had been declared the Master of the Realm, and he had been afforded all of the riches, property, and anything else the previous master owned, including subjects.
The loser?
In this case, Aaron wondered who had been the loser.
The realm was a total mess and—

April’s question pulled him from his thoughts. “I’m sorry?” Her confusion was evident in her tone.

“My name, it’s Aaron MacManus. Please call me Aaron. And no, I don’t, at least as long as she doesn’t become a threat to us. You do realize that she single-handedly took out four rogue vampires without so much as a scratch on her? The bullet wound happened while she was begging for her life, or death, as it were, with me. She has abilities that go beyond a mere human; she walked up on all of us without anyone being the wiser. Surely you are aware of what that can mean to our race? To us?”

Aaron was in awe of her. His little warrior was as strong, if not stronger than, most men he knew.

“Yes, sire...err, Aaron. But if she wanted us dead, why would she have put herself in danger to save us in the first place? Unless...it was to cause her own death.”

That was what Aaron was wondering too, and he was surprised that Demetrius thought the same thing. His estimation of the man’s worth had just raised a few notches.

“Not us, just you two. She as much told me I was expendable in the large scheme of things. Her only objective was to save you. Why? I’d like to find out what makes a human feel the need to do what she did, to take such a chance.” Or if she even was a human. He looked down at her again. “I take it she’d never given you any indication that she wanted death.”

“No, never. There’s something else you should know. I believe she sent me a hard mental push to go to April, saying that she was in trouble. I never realized she was capable of anything like that, of telepathic behavior.”

Aaron had thought as much when she’d kill the men with him. He had felt the small but strong mental push of compulsion, but hadn’t realized it had come from her. He looked up from her face when Demetrius continued.

“Honestly? There isn’t much we know about her, especially in light of tonight’s activities. We had no indication that she had these powers…abilities, I guess. I knew that I had been unable to penetrate her mind, but after trying hard for the first few months, then off and on over the last few, I just put it down as a natural phenomenon and didn’t think much about it again. It happens in some humans, I guess. Now, it seems she is much stronger than I am, mentally at least. I’m the best psychic I know...knew.”

April picked up from Demetrius when he seemed to trail off. “She keeps to herself mostly. We were told when we hired her that she’s one of the best pilots that Charlie had ever worked with, even if you consider her young age. I’d have to agree with that after working with her.”

“How long has she worked for you? And where did she work before? I’m assuming locally, right?” Aaron knew there were several small ports around the Zanesville area and one larger one in Columbus.

“I guess nearly a year now, just before April was changed.” Aaron watched as Demetrius touched his mate and kissed her hand before he continued. “Her experience is vast and varied. She came to us directly through Charles Wolff, the retired alpha to the local were pack. She also worked for Columbus Airport as a substitute pilot or during peak times if they needed her. She flew their bigger planes, 747s and 750s. The local hospital used her as their chopper pilot about three or four times a month.”

“What did she think about working for supernaturals?” he asked Demetrius.

Aaron was impressed with the girl so far, but that wasn’t getting him any closer to figuring out what she was, only who she was. Aaron knew that he was not going to like the answer as soon as he saw Demetrius look over at his mate before replying.

“We didn’t think that she knew what we are, any of us. Charlie told me that he thought she was unaware of what they were, and we assumed the same thing. I guess we were all wrong about her ability to know if we are immortals or not. He retired as their alpha when his grandson, Bradley Wolff, took over the pack at the same time that she came to work for us. Charlie said he knows you?” Demetrius said.

“So it would seem. Yes, I know of him and The Brotherhood of Gray, I believe. Why didn’t she stay with them? I know they still have their own fleet. It seems if she is this good, they wouldn’t have wanted to get rid of her.” Alarmed by her sudden movement, he looked down at her pained expression even in her sleep.

Aaron knew that he could lick her wound closed, but he was sure that the bullet was still lodged into her ribs. If it were anything but silver, he would just dig it out and heal her. Then there was the added problem of what he suspected she might be to him.

“There was some bad blood between her and the grandson’s wife, Lynne.” April answered this time. “Charlie thought that she had always been very jealous of Sara and would have killed her if she had ever had the chance. Probably would have ended differently than he thought it if today is any indication of her ability to defend herself.” April laughed at her own joke, and then sobered quickly.

Aaron sighed, wondering when they would feel comfortable around him. “Yes, I believe you’re correct. I would like it if you two could stay at the estate for a while. I should have asked earlier, and not demanded. She is going to be there for a little while until she’s healed, and will probably feel better about having someone she knows there. I don’t have much in the way of staff yet, as I’ve only just gotten the house and ground cleaned up. But Duncan can see to everything you need.” His tone was dismissive, just as he had meant it to be. He wanted to think—no, needed to think.

April nodded and turned back to face the front of the car. It looked as if he was going to be spending some up close and personal time with some of his new subjects.

Aaron waited until April had finished turning away before he looked down at the burden in his arms again. Sara was quite simply the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And her smell…she smelled of calla lilies and honey. He was sure that the only reason he could smell her now was because she was in a vampire’s sleep, deep as death.

Aaron ran his fingertip down the side of her face, marveling at the silkiness of her skin, the warmth that radiated from it. Her lashes swept out nearly a quarter of an inch across her high cheeks. Her brows arched beautifully over eyelids that, while now closed in sleep, covered the most startling shade of light blue he had ever seen, nearly clear in color. Her skin was the creamiest white, and freckles were sprinkled all over her small, upturned nose and the rosiest of cheeks, pale now because of her blood loss and other injuries. Her hair matched her complexion to perfection, being an exceptional burnished copper, a color that could not have come from any bottle or salon.

Aaron’s gaze traveled further down her body to her breasts, which were covered by the thin t-shirt she had on. They looked firm, full, and ripe. He shifted her weight in his arms to try and ease the now painful erection. He had just been thinking about what color, and how large, her nipples might be. What they would taste like when he suckled them into his mouth? Her waist was small, but not the overly thin that most of the women nowadays were trying to achieve. Her hips flared out, and to his way of thinking, they were the perfect size for him to hold onto while slamming his cock deep inside her, giving them both pleasure for hours. Her jeans and the soft leather boots molded lovingly to her legs gave testimony of the length and muscle tone of them. She was any man’s wet dream and a vampire’s worst nightmare rolled into one lovely woman. And he was very afraid this little slip of a human was what he feared more than anything in his entire fourteen hundred year existence. She was someone he had hoped never to meet.

Aaron was terrified that the woman who had begged for him to end her life was actually his life mate, and he was in no hurry to confirm that possibility.

There were several ways vampires knew their other half, their mate. Blood exchange was the most well known and quickest way to confirm what most of them knew. Sex, while the most enjoyable of the three ways, was also not the most reliable. The act of completion, during which both parties achieved release during intercourse, opened doorways to each other’s minds through telepathy. An emotional bond was formed so tightly that one knew the feelings of the other at all times. Smell, the least reliable, was usually what lured the couple together. But when older vampires, and Aaron was one, got a strong aroma from their potential mate, it usually turned out they were the one meant for them. And Aaron knew as surely as he was sitting with her in his arms, she wouldn’t be any happier about it than he was.

With a scent as powerful as Sara’s, how could he possibly doubt that she was the one?