Aaron's Kiss Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 7) (9 page)

Just as he pushed her against the wall, she slammed down both wrists hard against the wall to arm herself. Twin blades were instantly in her hands, as before. As she swung the first blade in an arc toward his chest, he jumped back, narrowly missing having his gut sliced open. She marched him back, swinging the blades to and fro. Sara knew she could kill him with a single slice, but could not make herself do anything more than back him away. He took a few nicks to his clothing, but nothing to cause him to lose blood.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone had her face down on the floor, a large weight holding her in place. Unless she could flip him off of her, she would not be going anywhere. Her head exploded with pain. Dizziness, then weakness slammed into her. Within seconds, blackness swam in her vision. She could feel herself sliding away, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

~CHAPTER SEVEN~

Colin lifted his body from Sara’s, scanning her for injuries in much the same way she did when searching a room or other people. He assessed the extent of her injuries and was not happy to know that he had caused a concussion, and her wound, yet again, was open and bleeding.

“Shit! She’s bleeding again. So is her head, Aaron. I’m afraid she has a pretty good concussion this time on top of everything else.”

Colin rolled to his back. He was pretty sure that there would be hell to pay for this.

For the third time in as many days, Dr. Reilly was called in to have a look at the little human. And just as Colin had predicted, Thomas was royally pissed.

~~~

“You want to tell me why my patient is currently upstairs sporting a nice concussion, more cuts, and has had my stitches pulled out again?”

Aaron knew that Thomas would blame him. Of course, he was at fault, but still....

“Please, tell me that you didn’t have anything to do with this, or so help me God….” Thomas continued.

“Sara tried to attack me, and Colin only meant to get her away. He was protecting me.” Aaron thought that this should be enough to make his point, but apparently it was not.

“What, by running her down with a freight train? You do realize she is mortal, don’t you? Prone to damage from, oh let me see, everything sharp, hard, and fast? I don’t believe this. I just don’t fucking believe this. What the hell were you thinking? Or were you? You do have a brain in that thick skull of yours, don’t you?” Thomas snarled at him.

Aaron was getting angry himself. He did not want her hurt any more than Thomas did. Aaron knew that he had provoked her into attacking him. He had been aggravating her in one way or another since she had walked into the hangar days ago. He just could not seem to help himself. It was either have her pissed off at him all the time, or he was going to throw her over his shoulder and take her to his lair. She affected him in ways he did not understand.

Sara had said that she’d had a...momentary lack of good judgment. Did she want to live now? If so, why? And most importantly, why now? Damn it, she was driving him crazier every day.

“If you keep this up, she...will...die. Is that the plan here? ‘Cause if it is, just stop calling me in to patch her up again.”

Aaron turned away from him and growled, “No, damn it, I don’t want her to die. She needs to live. I think...she may...well, damn it. I can only smell her when she’s unconscious, so I’m not sure yet. Damn stubborn girl.” Turning back to his friend, his bewildered mind raced. “What the hell am I supposed to do with her, I ask you?”

Thomas stared in confusion. He waited for Aaron to continue. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up with understanding.

“Holy shit, she’s the one? She’s your mate?” He started laughing. “Oh, this is too funny. You have yourself mated to a human who hates your guts.”

Heat welled up in Aaron’s veins. He tightened his fists. “I don’t see what is so fucking funny about any of this. Do you think I want this to be happening just now...with her? She’s human!”

Thomas stopped laughing and blurted, “What the hell does that have to do with anything, I ask you?”

“I don’t need this. What am I supposed to do with her if she is my mate? I have a whole realm to organize and make work. Do you have any idea what the last master did to the people here, what he took as his due as their leader?”

“Yes, I do,” Thomas said somberly. “He was a horrible, sadistic man who should have been challenged years, if not centuries ago. As your mate, Aaron, she would be able to help you. Isn’t that the way of our kind? Our mates are chosen to complement us, to be a ‘mate’ to us in all ways. What have you told her?”

“Nothing.” Aaron turned away with a wave of disgust. “And I don’t plan to either, not until I have some answers from her.”

Thomas decided to stay the day within the mansion. Sunrise was very soon, and he wanted to be there to make sure that they left her alone for at least a few days, he told Aaron.

Later that night, Aaron was sitting in his office when there was a small knock at the door. He wanted to ignore it, but was worried it might be about Sara. “Come in,” he finally said.

“May I have a word, master?” April barely came across the threshold and would not look him in the eye.

“It’s Aaron, April, please call me that. What can I do for you?” He motioned for her to have a seat in the chair across from his messy desk.

He had inherited the mess on it and the one in his realm when he had killed Carlos. He had not thought of either for several hours now.

“I’d like to know what you plan to do with my friend, Sara.”

Aaron was surprised by the question, but more so by her tone. The timid woman was suddenly gone and in her place was a fierce protector. He wondered if she even realized it.

“What do you mean, ‘do with her?’ I think I’ve made my position very clear on this; she will give us the answers we need to ensure our safety.” He smiled to himself when she flushed slightly.

“I would like for you to let her go as soon as she is able to be on her own. I want her to go back to work for us, and not be bothered again. She has gone through a great deal in the past few days, saving your life notwithstanding. If you would like, I’ll take full responsibility for any and all actions in the future. I just want her to be safe.” April was begging for Sara’s life, he realized. She thought he was going to kill her.

Aaron leaned back in his chair. He had been sitting at his desk for nearly an hour just thinking about the girl upstairs. It had been two days since she had been hurt again, and according to Duncan, who checked on her nearly every hour, she had not moved once. He himself had been in to check on her several times a night just sitting in the big-armed chair next to the bed, and was more than a little worried. Not about her—no, Thomas was a good doctor. He was worried about what she would do when she found out he was her mate.

“I don’t think I can do that, April. She knows a great deal about us. She can do a great many things that haven’t been explained. I appreciate you wanting your friend safe, but you must also understand my position in this.”

Her being my mate notwithstanding,
he thought.

“Sara knew all this and a great deal more before she saved our lives.” She pointed out to him.

“True, but we didn’t know that then. She has made herself known to our kind now, April. She killed several of our kind. I realized why she did it. I do. But what if she were to...?” He stopped when she suddenly stood.

“No! All that would have made it much easier to kill any of us, had that been her intentions. You must agree that had she wanted us dead, she could have just let those rogues take us out, or saved Demi and me and let them kill you. But she didn’t. She saved your life in addition to ours and my child,” she snapped at him. She then stormed out of his office, slamming the large oak door with a resounding bang.

Later that night, as he had for the past several nights, he stood over the bed looking down at his mate. He wanted to lie down beside her and hold her close to his body. He wanted to be beside her, inside of her. He wanted her with an intensity that was near tangible. But there was too much unknown between them for that to happen. He had no choice—he had to let her go, but he would keep an eye on her.

~CHAPTER EIGHT~

Sara woke the next morning. Her body ached…in fact, she did not believe that there was one inch on her that did not hurt in some way. She wanted to get up…needed to really, but did not have the strength to do it, so she had little choice but to ring downstairs and ask for help. Picking up the dark blue phone on the table next to the bed, she pressed four for Duncan. He answered on the first ring.

“Good morning, miss,” he answered in way of a greeting. She smiled at his obvious chipper tone.

“Mr. Duncan, I was wondering if you could help me to the bathroom. You don’t have to come up now if you’re busy. Just, you know, whenever you have the time.” She hoped it was soon, as she really had to pee.

“I’ll be right up. Can I bring you something? Dr. Thomas said that you can only have liquids for now. How about some nice tea or some broth, maybe?” There was so much hope in his voice, but she so did not want to think about anything liquid right now.

“Maybe later, after…I think after my shower. I like tea.” She liked iced tea without sugar, but did not want to think about that either.

Within two minutes, Aaron was knocking at her door. When she told him to come in, he opened the big door and went right to the bed beside her.

“What are you doing in here? Where’s Duncan? He said he was coming up.” He, of course, ignored her questions.

“Let me see if I can get you something to wear first. There should be a robe hanging—ah, here it is. Can you stand at all, Sara? There’s a good girl, up we go.” If she did not need to use the bathroom so badly, she would have just stayed where she was.

Aaron was very careful with her, for which Sara was grateful. She felt the pull on the stitches again and was careful how she moved. Once she was completely upright, she stood for several seconds until the room stopped spinning before she moved on.

Sara looked up into his eyes. Aaron was an incredibly handsome man, and when he smiled, like he was doing right now, her heart kicked up a notch and her body responded like it was starved for him—some part of him.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to finish what we started in the kitchen, Sara.” He moved his mouth closer to hers, just close enough that she could feel his warm breath gently move across her skin. “I want to kiss you right now, taste you, but I fear that I won’t be able to stop once I start.”

“Why?” She was not sure if she was asking him why he wanted to kiss her or why he couldn’t stop once he started.

Aaron did not answer, but pulled back from her just as Duncan came into the room. She did not look at the other man. All she could focus on was how suddenly hungry she was for a taste of him as well.

“Duncan, could you please see that our guest gets to the bathroom? I have...other business that requires my attention.”

“Of course, My Lord. You can depend on me.”

Aaron left the room as soon as he handed Sara off to the very capable Duncan. He turned to look at her before stepping into the hall. She felt him whisper through her mind.

“
We aren’t finished, you and I. I want you, Sara. I want you with a desperation I’ve never felt before. And I can feel you want me as well, smell your need on your body when I’m near you
.
And
I intend to sample that very lovely mouth and so much more of you when you’re better. Count on it
.” Then he swept out of the room, leaving her dizzy with a need for him to do just what he said.

Sara tried not to lean too heavily on Duncan, but she was still very weak. They didn’t make any record breaking time getting there, but she was in one piece when they got to the sink. She assured him that she would be fine for the next few minutes and closed the door on him. She could tell he did not want to leave her alone, but he could see the wisdom in letting her have her privacy. While she was attending to herself, she could hear him fussing around on the other side of the door.

Sara looked into the huge mirror over the sink after going to the bathroom. Her face was bruised, but not overly so. The mark on her neck where Colin had held her against the cabinets was now several shades of browns and blues. Her hair was a mess, and reaching for the comb on the sink, she tried to straighten it as best she could, but simply did not have the energy.

Aaron…Mr. MacManus…had started to kiss her twice now…once in the kitchen and then just now. Why? she wondered, then flushed. She was not so much concerned with why he wanted to kiss her, she realized, but that he had not.

When she finally opened the door, opting wisely, she thought, not to take a shower, Duncan stepped quickly to her.

“Too much, I’m guessing; back to bed with you.” He put his shoulder under her good side to gently guide her to the bed. He had made it, she saw, stripping off all the linens and putting on fresh sheets. He had also folded back the gorgeous quilt so that she could get into it with ease.

She had only taken two steps when he stopped her. Without a word, he gently picked her up into his arms and laid her back on the bed. She was exhausted and hurting, and did not utter a single protest when he lifted her. Then he fussed the blankets around her, fluffing her pillows behind her head.

“Now, I think you need to eat something light. I will go down and brew you up some tea with honey, and maybe a little broth…beef, I think. Dr. Thomas left instructions on how to make both, and to be honest, I’ve been practicing while you slept. I think I’ve about got it. What do you say?” He winked at her, and despite how badly she felt, she laughed.

“Oh, Duncan, where have you been all my life? Thank you, I’ll take the broth and tea now, please.”

Sara really just wanted to go back to sleep, the walk to the bathroom having taken a great deal out of her. She also knew that she needed to rebuild her strength if she stood any chance of leaving this house before she became someone’s lunch. She was not going to ask again if she could leave, she decided. It was time she left, and if she had to hurt a certain arrogant ass of a vamp to do it, then she would.

Sara must have dozed off. Duncan was about to turn and go back downstairs when she stopped him.

“Duncan, I’m awake now. Please, come in. That smells wonderful.” She tried to sit up a little straighter, but it required too much effort. She almost laughed at the expression on his face.

“How are you feeling, miss? You look a little...well, if you don’t mind my saying so, miss, you look like something that has been run over a few times.”

“Better than I look, I guess. It has been a rough couple of days. Do I really look as badly as I feel? No, don’t answer that. I’m feeling better, thank you for asking.” Somehow, she knew he was not trying to be funny, but simply did not get the slang. He was always so proper. She wondered what he had been before he had started working for Aaron.

“Yes, it has. Here you go. You eat as much as you can, please.” He put the tray across her lap, and as he turned to go, she asked him not to leave just yet.

“Please, Mr. Duncan, if you wouldn’t mind keeping me company for a little bit. I won’t fall asleep in my soup if you stay.”

Duncan sat in the chair that faced the bed. He then reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled several golden-colored spoons from his left pocket and then a white cloth from the right. He then proceeded to polish them.

“What day is it?” she asked after several minutes of eating. The meaty rich broth was very good. It was warm and delicious going down. The tea was too sweet, but she drank it as well.

“Wednesday, I believe, miss.”

He was putting the spoons, which she was sure were real gold, back into his pocket. She watched in astonishment when he reached into his front jacket pocket and pulled out another small cloth bag with several knives of the same golden hue and design. He looked up at her curiously as he began to polish them as well.

“No, I mean the date? I know its mid-June, but what’s the actual date?”
Gee,
she thought,
it has been a rough few days if I can’t even remember the date.

“Oh, it’s the sixteenth,” he said.

“Oh no, I need to go into town today. I have to mail something, a payment. I should have mailed it three days ago. It’ll be late for sure.” As she made to get up, alarmed, Duncan moved to settle her back into the bed.

“I don’t believe it would be wise of you, Miss Sara. You won’t be able to go anywhere today. You can barely walk; going into town is out of the question. Here, lie back down.” Once he got her back in bed, he sat back in the chair. “I’ll do what you need done, so don’t you fret. Just tell me what you need and I’ll see to it as soon as you’ve eaten.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. You’re not here to serve me, and I need to go soon anyway. If you’re afraid, I will come right back so the bloodsucker doesn’t have to know. I wouldn’t do anything that would get you into trouble, Duncan.” She liked the gentleman too much for that.

“Nonsense, the bloodsuck...I mean, his lordship will know, because I will have to tell him that I allowed you to leave. Tell me what needs to be done. His lordship would want me to insure that you are well taken care of.”

Sara looked at him, and through his mind, searching for a reason a stranger would help her; when she could find no other motive than a desire to simply help her, she sighed. She doubted that his lordship would give two figs whether she was taken care of or not. The money needed to go out, though; someone was depending on her to make sure the bills were paid.

“I have to have my backpack…could you get it for me, please? You don’t know how much I appreciate this, Duncan.”

After Duncan retrieved it for her, she opened the larger part of it and pulled out all her personal stuff. She always carried extra things with her; clothes, two pair of pants, three shirts, several pairs of lacey panties, a couple of bras, socks, and a windbreaker. Also in her bag were a wallet, brush, toothbrush, hair barrettes, and ponytail holders. There was also a small bag that held her personal feminine things and a large zippered pack that was full of stationery. This, she laid aside. When she reached inside again, she pulled out a large stack of cash. Sara put everything back into her bag and was writing out an envelope while she explained what she needed him to do.

“Please, get a money order for eight hundred twenty-five dollars and put it in this envelope and mail it at the post office.” She hoped again that she was doing the right thing, but she did not really have a choice. “Here is some extra money for special delivery. Hopefully, this will cover it. I don’t have to mail the money this way very often, so I’m not sure how much it costs.”

Sara had less than twenty-five dollars left in her hand when she was done counting out the money for him to mail. If she was not able to go back to work soon, she’d have to figure something else out quickly.

“Thank you, Mr. Duncan. You don’t know how much I appreciate this. I’m not used to...having people help me isn’t something I’ve ever.... Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, miss. It’s always a pleasure when a man can help out a damsel in distress.” He winked at her as he put the envelope and cash into his jacket pocket with the golden spoons.

And with that, he gathered up the tray and left her to her nap. She was nearly asleep when he was closing the door behind him.