Lore vs. The Summoning (28 page)

There was movement behind me. I hoped it was the vampires' departure but wasn't holding my breath. With the blanket pulled around me I crawled back up on the bed and noted the room to be empty. That was a load of my mind. I didn't like the idea of them watching me do what I was about to do.

I set my knee beside Dominick's leg, threw my other thigh over his opposite side, opened the blanket and then carefully began settling my body against his bubbled skin in an identical pose. The final thing I laid down was my cheek against his crisp face. Tears began to fall onto him when I realized the person beneath me truly was the werewolf Alpha and not just a faceless person.

As I closed my eyes I willed my Healing energy to transfer into him through any contact I had with him. The golden glow behind my eyelids was amazing. I imagined at this exact moment if anyone had seen me without the blanket on, I might have been a rival for the beauty of Apollo in the flesh. Warmth wrapped around us as the power flowed. The reports telling me this muscle was complete or that nerve reattached came too quickly for my brain to process.

Dominick began to whimper beneath me. I knew the pain he was feeling was incredible. "Shh," I said softly. "It will be all right."
 

He attempted to move.
 

"No, stay still. I'm Healing you but it's going to take a long time."
 

He made an anguished sound deep in his throat that tore at my heart.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts," I whispered. "Unfortunately this is as fast as I can go."

 
The rapidly departing energy quickly drained my strength and concentration. Before long I was half unconscious despite his continued pained noises. I had to hope the Healing process would continue on autopilot. I would soon find out.

Warm lips closed over mine dragging me from the depths of dark oblivion. A delicious sensation coiled in my abdomen thanks to the hand on my breast and the gently stroking fingers between my thighs. It wasn't until I heard a rumbling groan that I realized I wasn't dreaming. By then something far warmer had joined the fingers.

My eyes snapped wide to find Dominick's dimly lit mahogany eyes staring down at me. He murmured my name just before plunging himself into me fully. I tried to lift an arm with the idea of either hanging on while he thrust or smacking him in the head for his bold misuse of the situation, but my limb couldn't be moved higher than a centimeter. I'd used up too much energy Healing him.

As far as the Healing had gone, from what I could tell he was good as new. The skin I could see was bronzed and whole. The skin I couldn't see felt smooth against mine.

"You asshole," I hissed in a whisper once he'd finally lifted his mouth away from mine. But a well-timed thrust had me gasping rather than fighting him. "Oh gods," I moaned because it felt quite nice.

"You...in bed with me...naked and on top...too irresistible," he panted against my neck. I wondered when I'd ended up beneath him but was too preoccupied with the quickly blooming need to ask.

"I Heal you and you get sex out of the deal?" I couldn't seem to make it sound angry.
 

"I'll buy you a house to make up for it."

His answer made me laugh.

And then the door burst open. In a heartbeat Dominick was torn off and thrown into the wall. I heard an awful crunching noise as he hit.

"Stop!" I gasped out because it was all I was capable of doing.

Aiden's face appeared over me a moment later. The light cast deep shadows across his furious expression. "Only because you've commanded it," he said with an icy voice and a savage gleam in his eye. I instantly saw what it was that frightened his employees into submission.

He yanked the blanket up over me, gently gathered me to him and then carried me out of the room without saying another word. I was too weak to fight him even if he hadn't been ridiculously strong.

"I didn't Heal him just so you could kill him," I snapped uncomfortably.

"He isn't dead," Aiden snapped right back. "He may have a broken leg, but that is the least of his problems."
 

He stopped to set me down on soft bedclothes amidst a sea of pillows a moment later. I hadn't seen where we were going, partly because it was dark and because my vision was blurred from my overexertion.
 

"This isn't the Hilton," I pointed out weakly.

"This is better than the Hilton," his angry voice spoke from just beside me.

I tried to pull myself up onto my elbow but failed miserably. I could barely turn my head enough to look at him. It mattered little. The room was too dark for me to be able to make out his expression. "I told your doorman I wanted to be taken back to the Hilton after I passed out. He said you'd made arrangements."

"What Owen meant to say was that I'd made arrangements to keep you here."

"Aiden," I practically whined. "I can't stay here."

"Why?"

The forceful sound of his voice, the demand of it, almost made me admit the true reason I couldn't be there, the one that had nothing to do with propriety and sick werewolves. The fact that I'd used his given name at all meant I wasn't thinking clearly.

So I told him a half truth, "I don't trust you."

He pushed out an angry breath. "You'll stay here until you can walk down those stairs on your own."

I heard pounding footsteps move away from me. My heart leapt in worry. "Don't hurt him. He's an asshole but he doesn't deserve to die because of it."

The vampire replied from further away, perhaps the door. "I have no intention of nullifying your sacrifice. I'm merely going to make certain that he's removed from my home."

I supposed I couldn't argue with that, even if I'd had enough energy to do so. My eyes closed because I couldn't hold them open any longer. The darkness took hold once again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

I wasn't quite sure what time it was when I woke next. Hell, I didn't even know what day it was. One thing I was sure of: I had to use a restroom in a massive way.

Thankfully my body cooperated enough to sit up. Getting to the edge of the bed took effort but it could have been because the damn thing was as big as a continent. Gingerly I attempted to stand with the help of the tall bedpost at the foot of the bed. When I didn't immediately topple over I took a step forward, followed it with another and then stopped when I realized I was completely nude.

My cheeks flushed crimson. Gods. How could I have forgotten?
 

I wasn't sure if I should be furious that the werewolf Alpha had taken such advantage of me or if I should be concerned that he might not be among the living

First things first, I hobbled back to the bed to gather up the blanket as a makeshift robe. Now that I wasn't quite so naked I headed back toward the door that was lit by a single night-light plugged into the nearby wall. Thankfully I got the door opened without a sound. I tiptoed into the hallway, peeking in each entrance in hopes of finding the bathroom. It was just across the corridor.

My brain had cleared by the time I pushed my hands beneath the warm stream of water in the stone sink. I took in my surroundings to avoid looking at my no doubt harried appearance in the mirror. Aiden's bathroom was lovely with pale pink marble floors and walls and a gray granite counter with matching sink. The stand up stone shower had luxurious etched glass doors that were similar to the pattern downstairs. It was large enough to hold a bench, several shelves and what looked to be a digital screen on the wall.

I'd been so distracted by the niceties of the restroom that I'd not thought to peek into the hall before I exited. Aiden stood rested against the wall opposite with darkness filling each deep line around his features. I was startled enough find him there that I didn't think to fix the blanket tightly around me until his eyes had begun to stray down.

"Feeling better?" He asked in an unreadable voice.

"Almost one hundred percent," I lied.

He grunted. "You lie as well as you act."

That he'd called me on the falsehood put me on the defensive. My chin lifted defiantly. "I'm well enough to walk down your stairs on my own two feet."

"Then I suppose you'll be leaving."

The inexpressive tone was getting to me. Was that sarcasm? Irritation? Happiness? "You suppose correctly."

"Can I persuade you to stay one more night in the interest of safety?" He adopted a slight drawl to add, "You have had multiple assassination attempts leveled against your life recently."

He'd been worried? That was actually kind of sweet. But I shook my head anyway. "The sabbath isn't going to wait on my safety."

"Will you at least take someone with you?"

"I took someone with me last time, remember?" I left off "and look where it got me" but I was certain he'd gotten the idea.

"Will you at least take
me
with you?"

I could only blink at him in confusion for a long moment. "I don't understand you."

"I would be concerned if you did," he replied before I could explain what I'd meant.

I was even more perplexed now. "You came to me to investigate this because the vampires couldn't be linked to it but yet you've shown up at every turn and have been seen with me in public on multiple occasions. Now you want me to take you with me?"

Rather than give me a straight answer, he said, "Do you agree with every decision your government has made?"

I made a sound of disgust while walking around him to the room he'd deposited me in hours ago. I wasn't sure why I was bothering moving. It wasn't as if I had any clothes in the room to change into.

He followed me inside but didn't crowd me. He did, however, turn on the light. Soft yellow illumination flooded the sumptuously decorated room. I could now see that the mountain of pillows on the bed was a mixture of soft green and lavender that matched the pattern of the wallpaper. Like an expensive hotel, someone had bravely topped the bed in a crisp white duvet.
 

Aiden explained his odd question now that we were in the light, "Just as you no doubt disagree with much your government does, I too take issue with things the Senate decrees. Boston brought the issue of the desert shale, demon summoning and mysterious organization amassing within our midst to our table. They requested permission and funds to secure the assistance of a mercenary for hire. Boston pled their case eloquently. The Senate majority agreed to the dispensation of funds. When the decision came to which mercenary for hire would be neutral to all parties, no one could agree on a name until one was put forth: the Black Death, a mysterious entity they'd learned of not long ago. I didn't agree with the decision to have the Black Death do our dirty work. I fought to have the suggestion tabled but was overturned." He paused long enough that I was getting worried about what was yet to come. Then he said, "So I volunteered to track you down to keep any others from finding you."

I was stunned into silence. When the hell had Aiden figured out that I was the Black Death? Maybe the question I ought to be asking was why hadn't he tried to blackmail me with that information?

"How long have you known?" I whispered.

"Nearly two years," he replied almost as quietly.

The air left me in a rush. I couldn't believe that he'd known that long and had done nothing about it.

I turned to fix him with a sharp eye. "How long have you been following me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

No. I didn't. Again. But I did want an answer to my other question. "Why haven't you blackmailed me?"

Aiden's right eyebrow arched. "Blackmail you? Why would I blackmail you?"
 

"Everyone else who has learned my secret has used it for leverage to get me to do what they want."

"Who has done this?" The muscle in Aiden's jaw twitched even as red began to form around his silver irises.

My head shook rapidly. "I'm not answering you when you look ready to tear someone apart."

"Do I look like that?" He said mildly as his expression softened to the unreadable one I was familiar with.

"Still not answering you," I muttered while glancing away.

"I have information for you regarding the phone."

He was back to business. I relaxed against the bed a little. Business was good.

Aiden continued, "The phone call the witch made was answered by a phone within the Dungeon."

"Of course," I muttered.

"It's registered to a dummy corporation with an address near the club. I took the liberty of having Owen check the building out but he found nothing of note."

"Great. So I have no leads, still."

Aiden continued without commenting, "The extra wallet you brought back from the warehouse belonged to an Earth witch that had gone rogue a month ago. That was all I was able to find out about him. As you no doubt know, the other was a Fire witch of Morrígan's coven. The two that tried to run you off the road were humans with criminal records and outstanding warrants. I made certain the police found them. And the man that attempted to kill you inside the club had a similar rap sheet. I regret that I have nothing truly useful."

I sighed and let my head fall against the bedpost behind me. "Then I'm just going to have to use myself as bait."

"You can barely stand without wavering. At least wait until tomorrow night before considering any plan."

"The sabbath is this weekend. I don't have the luxury of waiting."

"Laura, please," he took a step forward. It was the first time I could recall Aiden using my given name. "I will beg if I have to."

The thought of Aiden Bruce
begging
me sent a warm wave of...something I couldn't name through me. I opened my mouth to speak, unsure what I'd say, but he interrupted me.

"Whatever you want, ask and it's yours. Simply wait one night." His voice was soft, urgent and filled with concern similar to the wide, imploring set of his eyes. It affected me more than anything else he'd done to date. The sound of it slid beneath my skin, within my veins and drew a shiver from me. "Please."