by West, S. J.
“But you have to do something for me first,” I tell him.
“Anything.”
“Take a bath.”
“A bath?”
“You still have her lipstick on your mouth,” I tell him as I rub his cheek, “and right here.”
Mason stands up and pulls me to my feet.
“Will you join me?” He asks. “I want to make sure I get it all off.”
“I believe that’s just an excuse to get me naked, Mr. Collier.”
Mason grins down at me. “Now, would I do something like that?”
I smile.
“Yes, you would. But I don’t mind,” I say hugging him around the waist. “I don’t mind at all.”
After our shower, Mason takes me to bed and shows me just how much he treasures me above all other women. He expertly uses his hands, mouth and tongue on my body to break my world apart again and again. As I drift off to sleep afterwards in his arms, I wonder if any other woman in the world experienced what I did that night. The possibility seems doubtful because the world only has one Mason.
Chapter 7
The next morning Mason and I make a trip to the villa so I can be there for Rafe when he wakes up for the first time. We find Leah and Remy in the kitchen eating breakfast.
“What are you still doing here?” I ask Leah, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I take a seat beside her at the kitchen table.
“I wanted to be here when Rafe woke up,” she tells me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Remy stand up and say something in a low voice to Mason. The two of them walk out of the room without any explanation.
“What’s that all about?” I ask Leah, snatching a piece of bacon from her breakfast plate, which is filled with eggs and bacon, to nibble on.
“Probably Aiden,” she says knowingly.
“What about Aiden?”
“Well, Aiden and his harem of women.”
“Harem?”
“I think he’s brought at least four different women over since I woke up.”
I feel my mood darken.
“Did he now,” I say, trying to keep my temper in check in front of Leah. “And you saw these women?”
“Uh,” Leah suddenly looks uncomfortable, “more like heard them… a lot.”
“Heard them?”
“You know,” Leah says shifting in her seat uncomfortable with the subject of the conversation, “with him… in his room…”
I feel my temper ignite.
“You won’t have to worry about that happening again,” I promise Leah. “You should have gone back to Mama Lynn’s when you woke up instead of staying here with him.”
“Like I said, I wanted to wait for Rafe to wake up, and I didn’t want Aiden to be the only face he saw.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here when the others wake up. I’d rather have you back in Cypress Hollow.”
“Do you think I could start those lessons Mason talked about?” Leah asks, her mood perking up. “With Joshua and the others?”
“I’ll speak to him about it. It’s probably a good idea you learn how to use a computer, at least. I’m sure Joshua can spare some time to teach you what you need to know.”
Leah smiles shyly at the mention of Joshua’s name. “He’s a lot like the Josh from my world.”
“You know he has a girlfriend, right?” I ask, not wanting Leah to get her heart broken unnecessarily.
Leah nods. “Yes. He told me all about Caylin the last time I saw him. I’d like to meet her one day. Do you think I could? I think we could become friends.”
I smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
When Mason and Remy walk back into the room, I say, “So, are you going to put a foot up Aiden’s ass or shall I?”
Mason tilts his head indicating he wants to speak to me in private. I walk over to him and we ascend the stairs to the living room area.
“There’s probably something you should know about Aiden,” Mason says, taking my hand and leading me to the couch so we can sit comfortably while we talk.
“I know he’s acting like a hound dog in heat, what else is there to know?”
“Do you remember God’s offer to the Watchers who gave into their blood lust when the Tear was made?”
“That they would gain forgiveness if they stopped what they were doing and help you find a way to seal the Tear?”
“Yes. Aiden was one of those Watchers.”
“So he’s a vampire?” I ask, wondering why Mason didn’t tell me this before.
“He’s trying very hard to change his ways, Jess. The bloodlust he feels is strong and it takes a lot for him to fight against it. But, I believe he can do it. I have faith he can earn his forgiveness. That being said, he’s had to find other ways to satisfy his… urges.”
“So he’s traded in blood for sex? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Yes, basically that’s it.”
I sit back on the couch and sigh. “I can’t have a horny Watcher around Leah.”
“He would never do anything to her,” Mason says with absolute certainty.
“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about her innocent mind. She can hear him and the girls he brings over, you know.”
“I plan to have a talk with him about that,” Mason tells me, his voice ominous. “I never gave him permission to bring strange women into my home. He won’t be doing that anymore. I can promise you that much.”
“So I don’t get to kick him in the ass?” I ask.
Mason grins. “Not yet. Though if he doesn’t straighten up, please, be my guest.”
Mason goes in search for our playboy Watcher to have a heart to heart with him. Remy and Leah come up to the living room to be with me.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I say to Leah, studying the red aura surrounding her. “How did things go during your time with Uriel?”
“Better than I thought they would,” she admits with relief. “He’s really not a bad guy, Jess. He explained that what he did to Lilly was just what he thought needed to be done to save the universe. He knows it was wrong now, but at the time he didn’t see any other way to stop what was happening.”
“He should have trusted God more,” I say.
Leah nods. “I think he knows that now. But he said God let it happen for a reason.”
“Which was?”
“Something about an angel named Will who protected Lilly from everything Uriel set into motion. It was God’s way of saving Will from Lucifer.”
“Well, as long as you’re ok with Uriel, I won’t worry. But if he does anything you don’t like, you let me know.”
Leah nods. “I will.”
I look over at Remy. “Some of the other vessels want to see their guardians,” I tell him. “My dad seems to think God is waiting for something before He’ll let that happen. What do you think?”
Remy shrugs. “I can’t say really. I haven’t seen God since I got back.”
I narrow my eyes at Remy. “I thought you would have seen him by now. He’s come to me three times since we found you.”
“Then you’re luckier than most,” Remy tells me. “I’ve probably only seen him a total of ten times my whole life.”
I shake my head. “How can that be?”
“He’s kinda busy. And you’re a special case.”
“How so?”
“You’re meant to save humanity.”
If I didn’t feel a heavy weight on my shoulders before, I certainly do now with Remy’s reminder of what I was made for.
“Do you have any idea what Lucifer has planned, Remy?”
Remy shakes his head. “No. But I’m sure you’ll find out soon so you should all prepare for it.”
“I’m hoping Gabe will provide the answers we need after he completes his connection to Gabriel,” I say. I feel like I’m putting all my eggs in one basket with the hope Gabe will reveal what needs to be done to defeat Lucifer, but I really don’t have anywhere else to place my hope.
>
Mason and Aiden walk into the room. Aiden comes to stand in front of us with his head bowed slightly.
“I would like to apologize if I made either of you uncomfortable with my behavior,” he says to Leah and Remy, looking contrite. “It wasn’t my intention and I hope you can forgive me for not being more discreet in regards to my lady friends visiting.”
Remy huffs and rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything.
“It’s ok,” Leah tells Aiden, having more compassion than her father. “I’ll let it slide this time but honestly Aiden, you could do better. Some of those women were just beneath you.”
“Yes,” I say, crossing my arms and staring hard at Aiden, “I’m sure they were all beneath him.”
I see a faint blush form on Aiden’s cheeks. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.
“Anyway,” Aiden says, clearing his throat confirming his discomfort, “please accept my apology, and I will try to do better.”
“I think that’s all any of us can ask of you,” Mason says, looking pointedly at me with a raised eyebrow.
“I’ll be watching,” I say to Aiden, just to emphasize where I stand on the matter.
Aiden nods accepting this fact but doesn’t say anything in reply.
“Can someone point me in the direction of the kitchen?” A voice from behind me says.
We all look over and see Rafe standing near the staircase that leads to the second floor with a hand to his stomach.
“I’m completely starving.”
We walk over to Rafe and I give him a hug, admiring his Kermit the Frog green aura.
“How do you feel?” I ask him, as he puts an arm around Leah’s shoulders like she’s his little sister.
“Hungry. But other than that good.”
“Come on then,” I say, taking his free hand. “Let’s get you something to eat before you have to go back to sleep.”
“If you will excuse me,” Aiden says to us, “I will go watch after Zack and Gabe.”
He phases while the rest of us go down to the kitchen. Mason makes Rafe and me omelets and fries up some bacon.
“Could you take me to see Joshua?” Leah asks Mason. “I’d really like to learn how to use a computer.”
And see Joshua, I think to myself.
Inwardly I sigh and hope Leah doesn’t let herself fall in love with Joshua. In any other world, Leah could have her pick of suitors, she’s just that gorgeous. But in this world, I fear she may have set her eyes on the one boy she won’t be able to have. Unless, of course, some sort of divine intervention separates Caylin and Joshua.
While Mason takes Leah and Remy to the headquarters in Denver, I ask Rafe about meeting his archangel.
“So how did you like Raphael? Was he nice?” I ask.
“She was very nice,” Rafe says with a smile.
“Oh,” I say smiling back. “I guess that was kind of sexist of me.”
“I have to admit that I liked being with her more than I thought I would. The whole idea of basically having another consciousness inside my mind did worry me a bit, but now that I’ve met her it doesn’t seem so strange. She and I are very similar in regards to personality. Do you and Michael have similar personalities?”
“He’s calmer than me,” I confess. “He grounds my emotions when they need to be.”
“Then maybe you’re each other’s compliments,” Rafe says.
“Maybe.”
After Rafe eats, I walk with him back to his room.
As I’m emerging from Rafe’s room, Aiden exits the room where Zack and Gabe are in, which is right next door.
Aiden looks at me warily like he’s concerned I might bring up his sexual interludes again.
“So Mason tells me you used to suck people’s blood,” I say instead.
Aiden looks startled by my knowledge of this but quickly recovers.
“Yes, the operative words in that sentence are ‘used to’,” he answers.
“Why?”
“Why did I drink blood?”
“Yeah,” I say, crossing my arms in front of me. “Since I learned about that, I’ve been wondering why you would want to do it.”
“Because your blood tastes sweet to us,” Aiden says matter-of-factly. “It’s like happiness bottled up in human form. It makes us feel alive instead of dead inside.”
It was an honest answer, definitely unnerving, but honest nonetheless.
“Do you still crave it as much as you used to? You’ve been off of it for, what, fifteen years now?”
“I crave it more now than I ever have,” Aiden admits. “Once you’ve tasted human blood, the desire to have it again never goes away. It’s like being an addict. My only hope for salvation is that you succeed in sealing the Tear. Once that’s complete, God will take the hunger away and hopefully I can lead something like a normal life.”
“And find someone to settle down with?”
“I’m not sure I’m made for that,” Aiden admits. “I see the way you and Mason are together and I guess if I could find that sort of connection with someone I would risk it, but, I’ve never felt that way with anyone except for my wife.”
“Do you have a kid?”
“No. My wife wasn’t able to conceive a child. I was lucky in that regard, I guess. I didn’t have to watch her die a gruesome death like most of the others, and I didn’t have to raise a child cursed to be a werewolf. But, I had my own sorrow to deal with. I had to watch my wife distance herself from me because of what I became after the curse. She eventually left me, and I entered my own private hell after that. It wasn’t until Lilly came into our lives and gave us a reason to believe again that I began to think I was even worth saving,” Aiden tells me. “I know I shouldn’t have brought those women here while Leah was still in the house, but you need to understand it’s the only way I can keep my sanity for now. So don’t judge me too harshly, Jess. The alternative is much worse.”
Great. Now I feel sorry for the horn dog.
“Well, just keep it in your pants when Leah is around. She doesn’t need you teaching her about the birds and the bees. Kids have to grow up too fast these days as it is. I would like to keep her innocence intact for as long as possible.”
“I can promise you I will keep it in my pants if she is anywhere near by,” Aiden says with a lopsided grin.
“Ok, as long as we understand one another.”
My phone buzzes and I see it’s a text from Chandler.
Can you come have diner with me and my folks?
Tonight?
Yes. So we can get that over with.
Ok. Where? What time?
Koi restaurant, West Hollywood, 5pm. Thanks, Jess. I owe you one.
You owe me a few…
LOL… yes I owe you a few…
When Mason gets back, I tell him about having diner with Chandler and his parents.
“Do I need to have a talk with the boy or do you think he will behave himself while you’re pretending to be his fiancé in front of his parents?” Mason grumbles, which I find all kinds of cute.
We’re sitting on the couch in the living room of the villa. I throw my legs over his lap and place my arms around his shoulders while I nuzzle the side of his neck.
“You have absolutely nothing to worry about,” I tell him.
“I don’t worry about you,” Mason says, closing his eyes in pleasure as I nibble his earlobe. “I worry about him getting carried away. He has a history of doing that you know.”
“And he knows how much you hate it. He won’t do anything. Even if he does, I’ll sock him in the jaw if he gets too fresh.”
This brings a chuckle from Mason.
“Where are you supposed to be having this meet and greet with the folks anyway?”
“Koi restaurant, West Hollywood at five this evening,” I whisper while I nip my way down his neck to his shoulder.
“Then with the time difference that means we have a few hours before you need to be there,” Mason says.
“Few hours f
or what?” I ask looking into his face.
He smiles at me, and I know exactly what he’s thinking.
“You know,” I say, “I have always liked the way you think, Mr. Collier.”
Mason stands, cradling me effortlessly in his arms.
“And I’ve always liked the way you taste, Agent Riley.”
We spend the rest of the day at the beach house laughing, talking, making love and simply basking in the joy of being with one another. We don’t talk about the world or the problems we face. We talk about the future and what we want to do with our lives once we’re given the freedom to do whatever we want.
The future has always been a murky place for me. I was never able to see myself too far into it, and I never dreamed I would want to have a child in the world we live in. Yet, how could I not have children with Mason? I knew he would be a wonderful father and a devoted husband. Plus, it would be a waste to deprive the world of Mason’s superior genetic material. The thought of a mini-Mason running around my home makes me smile not just on the outside but on the inside as well. I thank God for allowing Mason to find me the night I killed the changeling because if he hadn’t, I’m not sure my life would have ever had a future worth living in.
Chapter 8
While I get ready to meet Chandler’s parents, Mason keeps me company in the bathroom. He leans against the wall and watches me curl my hair with a large barreled curling iron. I look at him in the mirror and he smiles at me.
“Quit smiling,” I tell him. “You know what your smile does to me.”
Mason’s smile widens and I simply have to look away and concentrate on my hair.
“Can I pick out what you wear tonight?” Mason asks me unexpectedly.
“Why?” I ask, drawing the word out because I’m immediately suspicious of his motives. “Are you planning to dress me in a muumuu or something?”
Mason continues to smile. “No, it’s a nice dress. I would like to see you wear it.”
“I guess,” I say hesitantly, “if it would make you happy.”