by C. G. Powell
I tried to stop her Beck, but she just pushed me out of the way.
“You look like death,” Mae said, moving the hair from his face and touching his cheek. He felt like ice and the coldness of his skin left her chilled.
“Aidan he’s freezing. Are there any electric blankets around here?” Mae knew Beck needed more heat and logically understood that regular blankets were not going to work.
“Not that I know of, I’ll get Meredith to bring up some hot tea,” he said as Mae started to take off her clothes.
“What are you doing Mae?” Aidan asked, completely shocked at the sight of Mae disrobing in front of him.
“I’m going to warm him up, I learned this in survival school. Aidan I need you to strip him down.” Beck passed out again, so Aidan removed the remainder of Beck’s clothes as Mae crawled across the bed from the other side and got as close to him as she could, laying her body half on top of his. “Aidan, is there a way for witches to create heat?” She could feel Beck draining all the warmth from her and she began to shiver.
“Yes, you need to absorb as much energy from the room as you can but not from Beck.” Aidan opened the curtains, letting the light in. “Pull the light into you and transform it into heat by making the energy move faster,” Aidan explained.
Mae could feel her body getting warm again. She concentrated on converting the light energy to heat and passing that warmth to Beck. With what little energy he had left, he drew her closer to him, taking what he needed.
In the meantime, Aidan ran downstairs to get Meredith. He was upset with himself for allowing Beck to fall into crisis while he sat downstairs eating breakfast and chatting with Meredith, instead of staying at Beck’s side. He was completely winded by the time he got to the kitchen and started to explain the emergency to Meredith and Gemma. Meredith ordered the kitchen staff to make some ginger tea and bring it up right away. She quickly headed to Beck’s room, leaving Aidan to be consoled by Gemma in the kitchen.
Beck and Mae lay there, curled up in each other’s arms when Meredith arrived. She stood there for a moment appearing to assess the situation and then walked over to the bed.
“You are one smart girl, Mae. You seem to be making heat enough for the two of you and I can’t do anything beyond what you have already done. I asked for some ginger tea to be sent up; it will help warm you both. If you need a break, Aidan and I are in the kitchen and will be happy to relieve you. So, as long as you feel you have the situation under control, I will leave you two alone,” Meredith said with a bemused grin.
“I think we’re good for now, I will let you know if anything changes,” Mae replied, not liking the idea of Meredith or Aidan taking her place. She would lie here all day if she had to, cozy in Beck arms.
Eventually Beck began to stir under her. He opened his eyes, so she began to pull away, only to have him pull her tighter against him.
“Mae, please do not go,” he whispered lethargically.
She lay back against him as he closed his eyes and relaxed his grip. He was producing his own heat now and she no longer had to concentrate on creating heat for both of them. Mae could feel his hard muscles against her bare body and raised her arm across his chest, touching his face. His arm wrapped around her waist, his hand splayed across the small of her back. She lightly ran her fingers down his neck and chest, stopping at his waist. Her leg lay across his inner thigh tangling with his legs. Mae’s heart was beating hard and fast when he turned to his side to face her, dropping his hand to her rear.
His demeanor changed as soon as he noticed her nakedness against him. “I need you to get Aidan for me,” he struggled to say.
Once again, feeling rejected, she quickly dressed and returned with Aidan.
“I am really starting to hate the size of this place and those accursed stairs,” Aidan complained to Beck when he arrived.
“Mae, I need you to leave and shut the door behind you. I need a moment please!” He did not want Mae to see him like this, his stomach cramping in pain once again.
Mae turned around and shut the door behind her, as tears started to run down her face.
“Aidan, I need you to help me to the bathroom,” Beck commanded, holding his stomach. Beck was in pain again, only this time he was doubled over in front of the toilet, thanks to Aidan. His stomach heaved relentlessly until he blacked out.
Aidan ran to get help and stumbled over Mae’s body at the bottom of Beck’s bedroom door. She lay there in the fetal position holding her stomach, tears running down her face as pain contorted her insides. Mae could hear Aidan yelling for Meredith. He didn’t know what to do so he carried Mae back to Beck’s bed.
“Mere, I don’t know what the hell is going on here…Beck was in the bathroom throwing up a lung, then he passed out. When I came to get you, I found Mae in a heap in front of Beck’s door.” Aidan ran his hand through his hair and sighed.
Aidan and Meredith moved Beck back to the bed, then started to ask Mae questions. “What happened to you Mae?” Meredith asked, hoping she could explain everything.
“I was giving Aidan and Beck their privacy and as soon as I shut the door, I started to feel as if my insides were being torn out,” she explained.
“I need to make some calls. What is going on here is beyond my scope. Aidan, I need to talk to you in private.” They stepped outside the door and closed it.
“I think I know what the problem is Aidan,” Meredith whispered, not wanting to be heard by the others.
“What would that be?” he questioned.
“I don’t know how it is even possible, with her being a witch but they have a vampires bond between them,” Meredith theorized.
“We need to talk to Beck before we tell Mae anything. He should be the one to tell her,” Aidan suggested.
“Okay, in the mean time we can’t separate them. So think of an excuse to keep her in his room,” Meredith said, knowing that things were quickly going from complicated to chaotic.
Mae was feeling better, she got up and put Beck’s pajama bottoms on him. As much as she admired his nakedness, she didn’t want him to share it with everyone in the house. Meredith and Aidan returned to the room and Meredith started fussing over her, so she returned to bed.
“While we wait for answers, it would be best if you stayed here with Beck. I will go get Gemma, she can keep you company. There is also a sizable library if you would to like something to read,” Meredith suggested.
Mae noticed the stack of Sudoku books sitting on the nightstand. “I’ll just do some of Beck’s Sudoku puzzles. If you don’t mind, can you bring up the laptops and get me some more comfortable clothes? Is he going to be okay?” she asked. Beck looked like death, which worried her.
“As long as he is not losing heat. Rest is all he needs for now,” Meredith answered.
“Aidan, Gemma, and I are going to hang out down the hall in the game room for the rest of the day. That way if you need us, we’ll be within earshot.” Meredith didn’t want to be far from Beck, in case he went into shock. Besides, the stairs were becoming a real pain.
Aidan handed Mae some of Beck’s puzzle books and a pencil. “Gemma and I will get the things you might need and bring them to you in a bit.”
“Thank you,” was all Mae could think to say as they left the room. She looked down at Beck lying beside her and reached out to touch his arm, checking to see if he was still warm.
It was not long before Aidan and Gemma showed up with their arms full of stuff. They pulled a small table and a couple of chairs to Mae’s side of the bed. Gemma handed her Beck’s plaid pajama bottoms and t-shirt to put on, causing Mae to blush knowing she was busted for taking his clothes. She also had Mae’s toiletry bag and a stack of magazines. Aidan set the laptop Beck gave Mae on the table and Beck’s laptop on his nightstand, then sat in one of the chairs while Gemma helped Mae change in the bathroom.
“Only you Mae could manage to get stuck in bed with a sexy beast like Beck. And by the way, you look adorable in his
PJ’s,” Gemma smiled as she finished helping Mae change.
“Guilty as charged…I stole his clothes,” she admitted to Gemma.
“You like him don’t you?” It was more of an accusation than a question.
“I’m pleading the fifth, I don’t want to implicate myself in something that is doomed to fail. Plus I’m not sure how he feels about me. One minute we connect and the next he’s cold and aloof. It’s all very confusing,” she confided to Gemma.
“Mae, just be yourself. Really what’s not to love?” she said, giving Mae a big hug.
Mae settled back down next to Beck and slowly drifted to sleep. When Mae woke up, Beck was snuggled against her back with his arm wrapped around her. She was glad to know he was well enough to move across the bed.
“Every time I pass out, I find us in bed together. I could get used to that,” Beck whispered, letting her know he was awake.
She wrapped her arms around his. “Every time you pass out, it scares the life out of me. I will never get used to that,” she whispered back.
They lay there for a moment then Beck sat up. “I do not feel well and I need to go to the bathroom,” he said urgently.
“AIDAN!” Mae yelled from the bed, glad that they thought to leave the doors open so she could be heard. Beck just stared at her, not expecting what came next, a stampede of people running down the hallway.
“Wow! That was quick… No emergency, Beck just needed help going to the little boy’s room,” Mae announced to Aidan, Gemma, and Meredith as they stood there ready to stave off the next crisis. Meredith and Gemma sat in the chairs by the bed, while Aidan helped Beck into the bathroom.
“I hope you just need to wee, because I’m getting tired of carrying your ass back to bed when you pass out,” Aidan said sarcastically, helping Beck stand up in front of the toilet.
“But every time I pass out, I wake up with Mae in my bed. So, thanks for being a sport,” Beck replied good naturedly.
“Yah…about that, it appears that Mae has bonded with you. Is there something I should know?” Aidan insinuated.
“What in the world are you talking about Aidan?” Beck asked, somewhat confused at Aidan’s insinuation.
“You and Mae have a vampire bond,” replied Aidan.
“Well surely you don’t think I drank from her? She is so powerful a witch it would have killed me in seconds,” Beck answered defensively.
“All I know is when you were in pain, so was she. That’s why she is in your bed right now. We thought if we separated you two it would make matters worse.”
“Does Mae know?” Beck inquired.
“No, you should be the one to tell her. And what the bloody hell happened last night?” Aidan added.
“I am driving myself crazy Aidan. Helen is hidden from me and I am falling in love with Mae. How am I supposed to decide who lives and who does not? I just wanted to numb the torment. So, I went for a walk looking for someone to drink from. Unfortunately, my willing victim had a little bit too much Nauss blood in her,” Beck explained.
Aidan was a bit surprised. Beck was not one to make such a reckless mistake. “Beck, I’m here for you no matter what you decide, I hope that after all these years you know you always have a sympathetic ear in me, although I will admit I become distracted easily.”
Beck laughed at his friend’s final remark before they headed back into the bedroom.
~~~***~~~
"How are you feeling Mae?" Gemma asked, concerned about her friend’s welfare.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you." As long as Beck was near, she was fine.
"You guys slept through lunch. If you’re hungry, I can have some food sent up," Meredith suggested.
"Food sounds good, I'm starving. Keeping Beck warm has completely drained me of energy.”
Aidan returned Beck to bed and piled the pillows in back of him so he could sit up.
"I was just about to call room service, what would you like from the menu?" Mae asked Beck playfully, pretending his home was a luxury hotel.
"I hear the steak bites with hollandaise sauce here at Chateau Beckett are exquisite," Beck replied, playing along with Mae’s game.
“That sounds delicious,” she smiled.
"Steak bites it is,” Meredith repeated, getting up to tell the kitchen staff.
Gemma and Aidan stayed until they were finished eating, then went back to the game room down the hall, leaving Beck and Mae alone once more.
“I challenge you to a game of Starcraft,” Beck said, handing Mae her laptop.
~~~***~~~
Gemma could hear noise coming from the bedroom and felt she and Aidan needed to investigate.
YOUR FORCES HAVE ENGAGED THE ENEMY could be heard down the hall as they walked closer.
YOUR FORCES ARE UNDER ATTACK “No fucking way! Stop cheating,” Mae yelled at Beck.
“I did not! Now concede or face my wrath…” Beck shouted back.
Gemma and Aidan stood at the door laughing at Beck and Mae, with both laptops in bed, completely engrossed in their game. “We should film this Aidan…Nerds in their natural habitat,” Gemma laughed, as she and Aidan turned to leave.
They were walking down the hallway when Aidan confessed to her, “I have never seen him this happy.”
“Mae either,” said Gemma.
~~~***~~~
The game was over and Mae had lost horribly. When she noticed a thumb drive sticking out of his USB port, she grabbed the thumb drive and quickly jumped off her side of the bed. “Is this where you keep the cheat codes Mr. Cheaty McCheater?” she accused him, holding the thumb drive in the air as she stood on the side of the bed opposite him.
“Mae I need that, it is for work,” Beck said, climbing out of bed on his side and dashing around the bed to catch her.
She tried to crawl back across the bed to get away but was too slow. Beck grabbed Mae by her ankle, flipping her onto her back, dragging her half way off the side of the bed. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, so she wouldn’t fall off the edge of the bed as he leaned over her, pinning her arms above her head.
“Where is my stick, Mae? I need it,” he demanded as he relaxed his grip.
“As far as I can feel…I would say in your pants,” she joked feeling Beck get hard against her through his clothes.
He started to go pale. “I need to lie down,” he said half-winded, letting go of her wrist and crawling on to the bed beside her.
She pulled the thumb drive from her bra where she had safely secured it and placed it in his hand. “You don’t look so well, should I get Aidan?” she asked.
“No. That little run around the bed wore me out. I just need to lie down for a minute,” Beck said, rolling over to his side so they could spoon with his arms wrapped around her.
“By the way, I like the way you look in my PJ’s.” Beck thought of her running around the bed in his clothes; on her they were sexy. He felt wanted, knowing she took them so that she could have a piece of him with her.
Mae nudged her elbow back into him playfully. Again, she had been busted for taking his clothes. “I’m not giving them back.” No matter how things turned out between them, it would be the one thing to remind her of him.
For Beck, all of this was new. He had forgotten what it was like to fall in love, having never lived in the moment regardless of consequences. For now, that was his resolve, live in the moment with Mae until he had to make a choice. He would no longer hold back emotionally or physically.
“One day Mae, I will steal something unexpectedly from you and I will not let you have it back,” Beck said.
“And what do I have that you could possibly want, Beck? You have everything.” She wondered if she could have anything he might want.
“Your heart,” he whispered softly.
Mae was eager to give him her body, but her heart was another story. One could not help but lust after Beck. His generosity and attentiveness made him undeniably attractive, along with his playfulness. However, love w
as a term Mae had fallen out of touch with.
“If you can steal it, Beck…It’s yours,” she replied. Beck did say he liked a challenge and she was definitely that.
“I don’t know about you, but I am tired of lying around. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go see what everyone is up to.” Mae got up and walked down the hall where she could hear laughter coming from what she assumed was the game room. Gemma, Meredith, and Aidan were playing cards on one of several card tables. There was a bar at one end with a buffet of food on it and a large screen TV on the other with sofas and recliners around it, a pool table dominated the middle of the room. The game room was more like a sports bar, aside from being decorated in the same ornate style as the rest of the house was.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Meredith asked, acting like a mother hen.
“I couldn’t stand being in bed anymore. I could really use some fresh air, but I don’t think I can make it down the stairs,” Mae confessed.
“Well that can be easily fixed. Beck has a veranda outside his room and now would be a good time for him to get some air too, the sun is setting,” Aidan said pointing to the outside window.
“I think we could all use some fresh air, I’ll have the staff send up some food and drinks and we can continue this game outside. In the mean-time, go back to bed with Beck, we will get you when everything is ready,” Meredith ordered.
Mae walked back to Beck’s room and found him still lying in the same position he was in when she left him earlier. She sat in one of the chairs by the bed. He looked so peaceful lying there, she did not want to disturb him.
“I know you are here Mae, I sense your presence. Come lie beside me so I can feel your warmth,” Beck’s eyes remained closed as he softly spoke. Mae’s departure left him cold and empty and he needed her.
“I can do better than that Beck. I want you to feel my heat,” she said softly, crawling on top of him and straddled his waist. She lay down on top of his bare chest, her lips close enough for him to feel her breath on his neck. “Is this warm enough for you?” she tenderly whispered in his ear before touching it lightly with her tongue.