The Faerie Master (Aaron's Kiss Series) (3 page)

“I’ve been practicing for weeks on being gentle. How did you know I was there?
I can do everyone else’s without them knowing it.”
All she needed to do to make it complete, Cade thought, was to stomp her foot.

“Maybe they didn’t care that you were there. I do.
Stay out or I push back.
I’m not going to tell you again. I don’t need this gig badly enough to have you trampling in my mind.”

“Elizabeth MacManus, I believe that we’ve had this conversation before.
You’ll apologize to Miss Smith right now.
And you’re grounded.
No computer for a week.”

“Mr. MacManus, please don’t do that.
We are just setting up our boundaries here.
She should know the people around her and I’m a stranger to her. But she got her information and then dug deeper.
I was just explaining that she went too far.
I pick my battles and this one isn’t worth her disliking me for the few weeks I’ll be here.”

The man looked ready to say more, but the woman walking into the room took everyone’s attention.
Now Cade could see that she had been right, each child did indeed take after a parent.
Mrs. MacManus, however, looked ready to do battle.

“Elizabeth, I believe your father told you to apologize to Miss. Smith.
Miss Smith, in the future, if you have a problem with one of my children please let me know.
I don’t want any trouble with them.”

Cade did not know what she expected, but this had not been it.
She fully expected to be sent packing and was surprised and pleased to be able to keep her job.
She would bet real money that Elizabeth had a terrible habit of mind raping whenever it suited her.

Cade was also surprised to find another telepath, especially one as strong as the child.
She turned to the refrigerator to hide her surprise at the turn of events.
Pulling out the items to cook what the boy wanted she gently reached out and made her own discoveries.
Vampires.
Holy flipping shit!
She turned sharply to Mr. MacManus.
She knew she looked shocked.

“I won’t harm you.
You can believe me.
I don’t know how much you know about our kind, but once mated we never feed from others unless it’s a dire emergency.
If you’d like to leave I’ll understand, but you’ll not remember us or what you know if you do.”

“But I’ll leave intact?
I didn’t...no one...fuck!”
The children laughed as Cade flushed.
“Sorry.
I’m just not...you really are?
But its daylight—I’m sorry, you must think I’m stupid.”

“No.
On the contrary, I think you’ve shown great strength in not running out the door.
If you have questions now or in the next two weeks please ask them.
I swear to you you’ll leave every day with the amount of blood you came here with.
I can stand the sun this early because I’m very old.”

“Yeah, he’s old all right.
But he’s telling you the truth, Miss Smith, we won’t harm you.
Not without provocation.”
Sara was pulling out a glass to pour herself and the children some juice as she spoke.

“Yeah, okay.
It’s Cade, and so when I leave here today you’ll what...erase my memories?
I’ll have to meet you new every day?
Have we met already?”

“No, this is your first day.
And no, as long as you give me your word we’ll leave your memories intact.
But for now I have business to attend to
,
then I must retire.” With a kiss to his kids and a hug to his...mate, he started to leave.

Walking to the stove where Cade was, it took everything she had not to cringe when he stepped close to her.
When he put out his hand to her it took her a second to realize he was asking for the promise.
She was proud that her hand did not shake.

“I won’t tell anyone.
Not that I believe it myself, but I won’t tell anyone.
Just, you know, keep your teeth in your mouth and not at any part of my body if you don’t mind.”

He was still laughing when the door stopped swinging behind him as he left the room, really fucking fast.
Cade looked over at Mrs. MacManus. “And you don’t need to, you know, leave either?” Again she was proud of herself, no tremor in her voice.

“No.
I will have some pancakes and bacon this morning. Thank you.”

The rest of the morning was a blur of activities.
The kids ate like they had been starved for a week. Duncan showed her how to find things in the pantry—it was organized like a back room at most restaurants she worked at—and where to find the spices and other pots and pans in the oversized room.
When the kitchen was cleaned up, she asked to help out around the house and Duncan asked i
f
she could please help with the laundry.

“The machine gives me fits, Miss Cade.
I cannot seem to make it function properly.
Just the other day I put in white laundry and it came out a very odd color. I believe it has a curse on it.
Miss Penny could seem to persuade it to do whatever she needed.
Maybe it prefers the gentle touch of a pretty woman.”

“Duncan, you’re a charmer.
I’ll be happy to do the clothes.
Just show me where the washer is and I’ll be set.
I have another shirt in my bag, do you think anyone would mind if I put this one in the dryer?”

“Oh no, miss, you may use it.
Please be advised, though, that it does tend to make things smaller on occasion.
I’ve had to replace many of her ladyship’s lovely sweaters because of it.”

After assuring him that she would be careful Cade changed her shirt and threw the wet one in the dryer.
While it dried she started separating the laundry and setting up the loads.
She did not mind the laundry; it gave her something to do.
At two she was fixing dinner when a man and woman just opened the door and came in behind her.

“Son of a bitch!
Don’t do that!
Crap.
Is it going to be like this for the entire two weeks, people popping in and out like jack in the boxes?”
Cade held her hand over her chest as she glared at the couple.

“Usually someone knows we’re about to ‘pop’ in, but I see that Duncan isn’t about.
Do you know where Sara is?
She and I are...are those apple dumplings?
Can I have one?”
Without waiting for Cade to answer the woman scooped one up and put it on a plate.
Cade reached into the freezer and handed her the ice cream.

“And you are?”
Amazingly, the man sat and scooped one up for himself as well.
Cade thought they were rude, but then she did not know this household.
Maybe this was the norm.

“Alastriona Wolfe and this is my mate, Bradley.
He’s the alpha.
I take it you know what we all are since you work for the master.”

Cade didn’t know what to say to that.
She knew Mr. MacManus was a vamp and that Sara was something close.
Not a clue what Duncan was or the kids.
It took her a few seconds to figure out what these two were.

“Dogs?
I don’t...you’re dogs of some kind?
I think I’m—no, I’m pretty sure I’ve lost my mind.
Next thing there’ll be dragons and fairies coming around.”

“Oh no, the dragon stays in the otherworld—too many people around for him.
There are some nymphs and fairies, but they don’t show up until later, vampires you know.
But we’re not dogs.
Bradley is the alpha for the Brotherhood of Gray wolf pack.
I’m his bitch.
And you would be?”

“Well, of course you are.
Why not? I’m Cade Smith.”
Cade sat in the chair hard and when the dryer made a noise signaling that it had finished its cycle she went to the laundry room.
She hoped they would be gone before she returned.
The woman was, the man was not.

“I think you might be a tad overwhelmed.
We didn’t know that Dunc had found someone to replace the one who chickened out at the last minute.
How much do you know about the people you work for?”

He didn’t trust her and for some reason that hurt her.
She only wanted to make some extra cash so she wouldn’t have to live in the cave again this winter.
She turned her back to him and started to braise the pork chops in her skillet.

“To answer your question, yes, but ‘tad’ doesn’t even come close.
As for the MacManuses, I’m temporary, and Mr. MacManus claims I’ll be safe here.
That’s all I want to know at this point.
I want no trouble from them or you.
I need the extra money and that’s all.”

“Miss Smith, I’m—”

“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Wolfe, I need to be anywhere but in this kitchen with you right now.
I do hope you’ll be not here when I return. I’m sorry, but as you have pointed out, I’ve had a lot thrown at me today.” Cade went back to the laundry room.
She bent to take the clothes out of the dryer when she heard him finally leave the kitchen.
It was then that she let the tears fall.
She felt stupid; she never cried.
But not having someone trust her was something she hated more than anything.

Coming out after folding the towels she took the pork chops out of the skillet and put them on a platter.
The chopped onions went in one of the kitchen pans next with some thyme.
When the onions were browned she put the chops back in the skillet with some peeled potatoes and carrots.
After putting the lid on and slipping it in the oven, she turned the temperature down to three hundred degrees and set the timer.
She was just drying her own skillet when Mrs. MacManus walked in.

“Everything is ready.
There are rolls in the bread drawer in the bag and I’ve put out some fresh butter to serve with them.
When the timer goes off just pull out the pan and serve.
I’ll clean up in the morning if Duncan will leave it.”

“Cade, Bradley said that you and he might have—”

“Mrs. MacManus, I’ll tell you what I told him, I’m temporary.
I don’t care what you guys do as long as no one has me for dinner.
I need the money more than I care to admit, but I’m not a quitter.
I’ll be here tomorrow.”

“All right, but he would like to explain what he meant. Bradley is a good man.
He would never do anything to upset you.
He wants to know if you’ll talk to him.”

“I have another job to go to.
Tell Mr. Wolfe everything is fine.
I’m sure he’s a very wonderful person.
Good night.” Cade went out into the mud room and quickly slipped on her boots.
They were semi-dry and she laced them quickly.
The rain had slowed, but it was still coming down and after three tries her bike started.
She was at the outer gate when she realized she forgot her other shirt on the dryer.
Oh well, might need it tomorrow. The rain looks really dug in.