“I thought Alexandria was in her bedroom, but she wasn’t. I was looking for her.” Joshua’s eyes betrayed his fear of losing his sister.
“Aidan had to take her to a special place of healing. She’s still sick, Joshua, so we have to have patience until he makes her better.”
“Will she be all right?” he asked anxiously.
“Of course. Aidan would never let anything happen to her. He’ll watch over her very closely. You know that.”
“Can I talk to her on the phone?”
Marie laid him in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. “Not for a while. She’s sleeping, just like you should be. I’ll stay with you until you’re sound asleep.”
He smiled, a sweet, angelic smile that put warmth back into Marie. “I can teach you the prayer.”
She pulled a chair up to the bed and took his hand, listening to his child’s voice saying soft, innocent things to God.
Stefan wrapped an arm around Aidan’s waist to support him. He could feel Aidan’s disturbance at his touch and knew it stemmed from his battle with the ever-present demon within him fighting for control.
Aidan’s enormous strength was drained, his hunger voracious, his need for blood so strong it ruled his every sense. It wrapped around his organs and crawled through his mind with burning need. “Hurry, Stefan, get out of here,” he said hoarsely, trying to push the older man away from him.
“I will get you to the chamber, Aidan,” Stefan said firmly. “You will not harm me. You hold your woman in your arms. She is your salvation. In any case, I have offered my life to you on more than one occasion. If it is your wish to take it at this time to save yourself and your woman, I have no objection.”
Aidan gritted his teeth and clamped down hard on his predatory instincts. The will to survive was strong, the need for fresh, hot blood paramount. He tried not to hear Stefan’s heart beating strong and steady, the pulse of blood surging through the body of this man he was so close to.
Once in the chamber, Stefan released him and backed away, knowing he was causing Aidan distress. He knew in his heart that Aidan would never harm him. He trusted the Carpathian far more than Aidan trusted himself. “I will bring the blood, Aidan.”
Aidan nodded curtly and placed Alexandria’s nearly lifeless body on the bed. He sagged down beside her, his hand curling around the thick braid of her hair. She had saved him, assuming she would die in the process. She had willingly, freely, offered her life for his. Their bond was much stronger than he had realized. She would never have survived his death. They were linked for all eternity, true lifemates. He had uttered the ancient words binding their souls together. Two halves of the same whole.
He sighed and lay beside her, inwardly cursing his need for blood. He could not go to ground without taking in more sustenance. He waited, the demon within him roaring and raging, until he sensed the human near, heard the soft pad of footsteps. The heavy door creaked, and Stefan placed several bottles of blood on the floor, then retreated, leaving Aidan and his lifemate alone in the chamber.
Aidan staggered across the floor and wrapped his hand around the neck of a wine bottle. He drained the contents and reached for the next one. Stefan had brought five full bottles, and Aidan consumed them all, and still his body craved more.
But with renewed energy from the blood supply, he moved the bed with a wave of his hand and opened the trap door to the cool, waiting earth below. It took concentration to peel back the layers of soil to make a space for his body and Alexandria’s. Gathering her into his arms, he floated into the protection of Mother Earth. Aidan settled his frame around his lifemate and began the intricate ancient spells guarding the entrance to his lair. The trapdoor shut, and the bed above moved back into position. He closed the earth over them, around them, and slowed his heart and lungs as he felt the healing properties in the soil coiling around his wounds. His heart stuttered, his lungs rose and fell, and then all bodily functions ceased.
Stefan closed the door to the basement, knowing it could be days before Aidan made another appearance. He hoped he had brought him enough blood. Aidan would provide for Alexandria when he rose again and hunted his human prey. Until that time it was up to Stefan to guard the house, Marie, and young Joshua.
He found Marie cleaning the floor. She turned to him immediately, her eyes questioning. He held her tenderly. “He will live, Marie. Don’t worry for him.”
“And his woman?”
Stefan smiled tiredly. “She was amazing. She wants nothing to do with him or us, yet she saved his life.”
“She will be his salvation. But you’re right, Stefan, she doesn’t want to be here with us.” Marie sounded sad, her heart filled with compassion.
“She doesn’t yet understand what has happened to her,” Stefan said with a sigh. “And the truth is, I wouldn’t want to have to face what she is facing. She doesn’t understand the difference between Aidan and the vampires. She’s been roughly used, and her freedom is gone for all time. Even her ability to be with Joshua is restricted.”
“We will have to be patient with her.”
Stefan smiled suddenly. “
He
will have to patient with her. And she will stand up to him as no one in his lifetime has ever done. Modern American women are far different than what he is used to.”
“You think it’s rather funny, don’t you, Stefan?” Marie observed.
“Absolutely. Aidan has never understood how you wrapped me around your little finger, but he is soon to find out.” He kissed her gently and patted her shoulder. “I will clean the car and driveway, and we’ll go to bed.” He grinned suggestively.
Marie laughed lovingly and watched him go out into the night.
The sun was high in the sky, burning off the fog coming off the ocean. Marie and Stefan escorted Joshua to his school and lingered for a time outside, making certain no one was watching the boy. The morning paper had speculated that the two men found dead, burned beyond recognition, had most likely fought with one another. It was presumed that one of the men had accidentally drenched himself when he had thrown gasoline on the other. The blackened gas can found near the scene held the fingerprints of one of the victims.
Stefan avoided Marie’s questions, not wanting to remember how he had pressed the hand of Ramon around the can. He wasn’t certain he had covered every detail and was still nervous that the police would come knocking on their door.
When they returned home, however, it wasn’t the police they found, but Thomas Ivan. Dressed in an expensive, tailored Italian suit, he was waiting somewhat impatiently at the front door. He carried an enormous bouquet of white and red roses mixed with ferns and baby’s breath. He gave the couple his most charming smile, even managing a slight bow toward Marie.
“I wanted to stop by and see if Alexandria was feeling any better yet. I thought it might be a good time, too, to apologize for my rude behavior the other day. I was worried about Alexandria, and I took it out on you.”
“She was happy to have her briefcase returned,” Marie returned noncommittally. “She was given your message, and I’m certain she will contact you as soon as she is feeling up to it.”
“I thought the flowers might cheer her up,” Thomas said easily. He could handle servants anytime. As long as the lord of the manor didn’t show up, he might get past the door this time. “Perhaps I could just take a peek in, wish her well. I’ll only stay a moment.”
The housekeeper didn’t budge from her position. Standing directly behind her, looking every inch the Mafia hitman, Stefan remained deadpan. Ivan pushed down his temper. It wouldn’t do any good to alienate these people. He needed to win them over to his side.
Marie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ivan, that would be impossible. Mr. Savage left specific instructions that Alexandria should not be disturbed—on doctor’s orders.”
Thomas nodded. “I understand that you have to do what you were told, but you see, I’m really worried about her. I just want to look in on her, see for myself that she’s all right. What do you say? We don’t have to tell Mr. Savage. I won’t stay long, just a quick peek to assure myself that she’s okay.” He pulled several twenty-dollar bills from his pocket, crinkling them expectantly.