Chapter Five
When she looked at me, there were tears in her eyes. “Why do you suppose your father saved me?”
A sick feeling came over me. My father had never performed a selfless act. I knew he hadn’t touched her because he’d been on his way to visit my mother when he’d saved Claudia. He hadn’t even returned to the estate with her, but I was certain he’d already told Claudia his reasons for saving her.
Excerpt from Roman Draksel’s blog
Judging by the stubble on his face, Aiden guessed he’d been mostly unconscious for at least twenty-four hours, probably closer to forty-eight hours. At the rate he was going, he’d soon have the beard he’d threatened to grow so many times. He’d drifted in and out of consciousness, not really sure what was real and what was a dream. This was the first time he’d woken up with a clear head.
Several times, he’d roused in an almost dreamlike state to find the woman who looked like Claudia encouraging him to wake up and offering him water or broth. He couldn’t be sure if the memories were real. At one point, he thought he saw the woman humming to herself while she worked at the lab area. From his first encounter with her, he suspected that was a dream. She hardly seemed the type to hum.
Aiden moved to the sink and splashed water on his face. He was happy to see there was a toothbrush and toothpaste. He’d never imagined being ecstatic over a toothbrush, but he was. It tasted like something had crawled into his mouth and died. Not recently, but weeks ago. After brushing his teeth, he looked down at the clothes he was wearing. These weren’t his clothes, making him wonder who’d undressed him. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants that were about four inches too short and far too wide. He was thankful for the drawstring at the waist. His shirt was a baggy white t-shirt with the words I Cry because Reyes Farrow is Fictional on the front in pink letters. He wasn’t sure who Reyes Farrow was, but he was glad the shirt was long enough. He still looked ridiculous but it could have been worse.
When the door at the top of the stairs opened he spun quickly, thankful this time he didn’t fall over or feel like vomiting. The petite blonde he’d met at the BART station climbed nervously down the stairs. She wore gray leggings and an oversized pink cotton t-shirt.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said as he eyed Ivy with near contempt. “I didn’t picture you as a twisted witch who gets her jollies by putting men in cages.”
She looked down at the ground. It was obvious he’d made her uncomfortable. Since that was his goal, it should have pleased him, but it didn’t. He felt like he’d kicked a puppy. She looked much younger than he remembered, making things more uncomfortable for him.
He let out a long sigh and raked his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk to you like that.” It seemed crazy that he was the one in a cage, yet he was apologizing for being short with one of his captors.
She smiled warmly. “I came down to shave you. After that, if you want a bath I can arrange it. I’ll also bring you some food. You must be starving.” She opened the door to the cell and placed a chair in the middle for him to sit on.
His eyes were wide with surprise. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to escape?”
She shook her head. “No, that doesn’t concern me. Sit in the chair, and I’ll shave you. Tempest will probably be down soon to make sure you haven’t tried anything.”
He sat down and watched her alternate between examining the razor and his face. “Have you ever shaved a man’s face?” Her scrutiny of the razor made him more than a little apprehensive.
“No, but I shave my legs,” she replied innocently.
“Maybe I should shave myself,” he suggested as he reached for the razor.
She shook her head and pulled the razor farther from his grasp. “Tempest doesn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Is she afraid I’ve grown so despondent I’ll try to kill myself?”
“No, she’s worried you might be a little shaky. You were pretty badly injured.” She flushed slightly with that admission.
“How did you get volunteered for this job?” he asked as he walked over to examine his stubble in the mirror above the sink.
“Tempest asked me to do it because she’s afraid she’ll be tempted to hurt you. Especially with a sharp object so close to your throat,” she explained with a smile. “I take it you didn’t try to charm her? Did you tell her how lovely her blue eyes are?”
Despite the situation, he laughed at the reminder of his own foolishness. “It’s a shame my head injury didn’t make me forget that moment. Tempest must be the woman I talked to before?”
Ivy nodded.
“I don’t think she fancies me,” he drawled as he leaned against the bars of the cell with his arms crossed in front of his chest. This might have been a more impressive pose had it not been for his ridiculous attire.
“She’s not sure what to think of you,” Ivy explained. “She also feels bad about hurting you.”
“I don’t mind waiting to shave until you can trust me,” he assured her when she approached him with the razor. “I would really like a bath. Actually, a shower would be even better.”
“We only have a bath tub down here,” she explained with an apologetic shrug. “This was Tempest’s office until we needed an extra containment area.”
“She needed a bathtub in her office?” Aiden asked with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s a really nice bathtub,” Ivy assured him.
Aiden shrugged. He would take what he could get at this point.
Ivy’s obvious ease in his presence surprised him. She was standing in the cell with him and looked completely at ease. She had no way of knowing if he was dangerous. They already knew he wasn’t human, so her sense of self preservation should have made her more cautious. “Why aren’t you afraid I’ll try to overpower you and escape? I probably outweigh you by over a hundred pounds. I could be a serial killer or something.”
She looked at him like he was simple and ignored his question. “Let’s get you bathed and into some clean clothes.” On those words, she walked to the door at the end of the room opposite his prison and he followed her.
Aiden wasn’t much of a bath person but Ivy was right about how nice the bathtub was. It could easily fit two full grown adults, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there were water jets.
Ivy started the water in the tub for him. “The water should be ready in a few minutes. You can adjust it yourself.”
When she turned and saw him standing behind her, naked as the day he was born, she gasped in surprise. Her eyes were so wide, he thought they might pop out of her head.
He chuckled. “Aren’t you going to stay and bathe me, Ivy?” he asked.
She shook her head. “You’re naked.”
This time his laughter nearly rattled the walls. “And you, dear girl, are quite adorable.” He tweaked her nose and frowned as he realized how brotherly the gesture was.
Ivy giggled.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she tried to get her fit of giggles under control.
“And what do you find so amusing?” he asked. Luckily, he had a big ego or he might be offended by having a woman laugh while he stood naked in front of her.
She covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. Finally, she cleared her throat and replied. “You are what I find amusing. Consciously, you’re doing everything in your power to seduce me. I’m not sure if you’re doing it to get me to let you out, or just out of habit. Subconsciously, you aren’t the least bit attracted to me.” Another burst of giggles came during which she mumbled about him tweaking her nose.
Her laughter annoyed Aiden, and he was further annoyed to realize she was right about him not being aroused. He’d tweaked her damn nose! He wrapped a towel around himself to hide his lack of arousal.
She turned her back to him and tested his bath water. “You aren’t used to having platonic relationships with women, are you?”
He shrugged. “I’m not used to being around women I’m not attracted to,” he
admitted. He’d had friendships with women, but they’d usually started because he was attracted to them. He’d been attracted to Ivy when he’d first seen her, so his sudden change made no sense. Ivy was certainly his type. He liked petite blondes. He liked most women, but little blondes were his favorite. This whole situation made him think his head injury was more serious than he’d imagined. “I need a doctor,” he grumbled, wishing he could get to his cousin, Justin, the family doctor.
When she turned toward him, Ivy looked worried. “Are you dizzy again? I can call Tempest.”
“Don’t worry,” he assured her as he reached out to tweak her nose again like the idiot he was.
“Don’t even think about touching my sister!”
He recognized the voice instantly, and it had more emotion in it than he’d heard before.
To spite her, he reached out and stroked Ivy’s cheek lightly with his fingertips. “What’s the matter, luv? Are you jealous?” Why he felt the need to antagonize Tempest, he wasn’t sure.
Ivy gave him a warning look before she hurried out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
“Now, who’s going to wash me?” he foolishly continued. No matter how childish it was, he wanted to make her mad. It could be his own sense of helplessness making him want to strip away some of her control. He also liked the way she looked with her fists clenched at her sides. “Oh, now I get it. You want to bathe me.” He dropped the towel. “Enjoy the view, babe. I doubt it’s one you get offered very often. If you did, you might be more sweet-tempered.” It would have been a much more effective dig if he hadn’t become painfully aroused in the short time Tempest had been in the room.
Now, the damn thing decided to work. Great!
Tempest looked like she was fighting to keep her voice neutral and her eyes on his face. “Was that supposed to be a major turn on? Were you expecting me to swoon? Am I supposed to be amused by your sexist humor?”
“I don’t give a damn about your amusement.” He moved toward her. His, obviously confused, cock was leading the way. “Are you going to wash me? Run those hands all over my body?” His voice had gotten a little raspy from thinking about it.
Tempest smiled, eyed the back scrubber sitting beside the bath before it flew through the air toward Aiden’s head. He barely ducked in time to avoid being hit by it.
His arrogance made him push down his fear. Objects didn’t fly around, and common sense told him to stop baiting her. Common sense got outvoted.
“You have a nasty temper, little girl. Your daddy should have put you over his knee a little more often. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a man who goes for that sort of thing.” He stepped into the tub and rested his head on the edge. “If you talk dirty to me, I might even be willing to oblige you. It’s not really my thing, but I’m sure you could talk me into it.”
“You arrogant son of a bitch!” she shouted.
Upon later reflection, he had to admit laughing was a stupid move, but laugh he did. His laughter didn’t last long. An invisible force pushed his head under the water. Luckily, he had the good sense to close his mouth as his head went under. Despite his struggles, he couldn’t break free of the force pushing him under. He was certain he’d drown, until the same invisible force pulled him to the surface. He had time to cough and struggle for breath before he was back under the water. After the third dunking, he floated until he felt the cold tile of the bathroom floor beneath his bare back. He coughed and gloried in each breath. When he tried to rise, he couldn’t, so he remained on the cold floor and moaned miserably.
Tempest knelt beside him and began to towel him off. “You did ask me to bathe you,” she said sweetly.
Aiden hated having her dry him, hated being helplessness. He found himself hoping he could get his hands on her for just a minute. Thirty seconds would be enough to drain her enough for him to make his escape. He savored the images of twisted revenge fantasies, even knowing he’d never follow through with them. All he wanted was to escape and go. . . Where? That was a good question. Where did he have to go? Back to his uncle to tell him his one true love was most likely dead? Back to his empty apartment in Portland?
Tempest brought over a bundle of clothing for him. “Do you need help dressing?” She sounded hesitant.
He sat up and shook his head. “What the hell are you, some sort of witch?”
“I could ask you the same question,” she replied. Her voice wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been earlier so he decided to try reasoning with her. She kept looking at him with something like guilt in her eyes.
“Listen, Tempest, I don’t want to fight with you.”
She smiled and for a moment, he was caught up in how beautiful she was when she smiled. Not quite as beautiful as she was when she was completely pissed off at him, but it was much less dangerous. “You just hate to lose. If you thought you had a chance of winning, you’d fight me.”
Tempest didn’t expect him to move so quickly. She’d never seen anyone move that fast. One moment, she was handing him his clothes, the next his hand snaked around her wrist and pulled her on top of him. Before she could do more than squeak, he rolled on top of her and grinned. “I’ll bet I don’t hate losing a fight anymore than you.”
Before she could react, he rolled off her and started to dress.
Tempest wasn’t sure how to react. Her instinct was to lash out, but he hadn’t hurt her. He hadn’t even tried to hurt her. His actions had been . . . playful. So far, she was the only one who’d been violent, bringing a wave of well-deserved guilt. She stood and moved behind him.
“I’m sorry about the almost drowning thing.” She reached out and touched the area on the back of his head where the nasty gash had been. It surprised her how quickly the section she’d shaved was growing back. The wound was almost completely healed. “Your head is healing faster than I expected it to. Are you still having any symptoms like dizziness or nausea?”
He didn’t answer. “Why am I here?”
“Are you hungry?” She asked, knowing he was hungry. She’d barely managed to get him to swallow a few sips of broth in the last couple of days. It had worried her how hard it was to rouse him.
Aiden ignored her question. “Why are you keeping me locked up in your basement, Tempest. Am I some sort of lab rat? Do you plan on cutting me up to make a name for yourself in the scientific community?” It didn’t seem likely after what he’d witnessed, but he saw no other explanation for her actions.
When she turned to him, she looked shocked. “We aren’t planning to hurt you, and you won’t have to stay here long.”
“Forgive me if I find it hard to believe you aren’t going to hurt me after you somehow managed to knock me unconscious and put me in a cage. Oh, and let’s not forget trying to drown me.” He ignored her as he slipped his shirt over his head. It fit perfectly. The jeans had as well. “Do you keep clothes here in case you decide to kidnap men?”
His question seemed to throw her off balance, which he liked. It was another childish act on his part, but he wanted her confused, much like he was.
“I checked the sizes on your clothes and bought you some things.”
“You bought me clothes?” he asked with a shake of his head.
“You couldn’t stay in the ones you were wearing,” she replied as if he were an idiot. “I thought you looked cute in the sweatpants and t-shirt, but I figured you’d want something a little more manly.”
“Why did you attack me?” he asked.
“You shouldn’t have followed me. It was a carefully constructed trap, and you walked right into it. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Who was the lucky bastard who managed to avoid the trap?” he asked.
“A serial rapist. When you followed me into the alley, you were following his normal pattern. I sensed something very predatory in the signals you were sending off. I’m not always good at reading people.” She admitted. “Ivy is much better at it. She should have been close by but she got separa
ted from me.”
“Why are you keeping me here if this was a mistake? Why not send me on my merry way? Why didn’t you call an ambulance and leave me there?” He had to admit he was glad she hadn’t called an ambulance. Ending up in a human hospital could have been even messier. Tempest obviously had her own secrets, so she would be much less inclined to reveal any of his.
“I understand why you’re curious, but this is going to have to wait,” she told him, seeming genuinely sorry, “After I examine you, I’ll have food brought down. I have work that can’t be put off this afternoon.”
“So, you’re a witch and a doctor? You’re a witch doctor.” He grinned when her spine stiffened.
She gave him a sweet smile. “You should think before you speak or I might put your head back under the bath water.”
“It was a simple question,” he insisted as innocently as he could.
“I’m a doctor, but I am not a witch.”
“You seem a little young to be a doctor,” he remarked. “You can’t be more than twenty five.”
She smiled and shook her head.
“How old are you?” he asked, not sure why he was suddenly so curious.
“How old are you?” she shot back. “You don’t look like you’re more than twenty five, but I’m guessing you’re quite a bit older.”
“Okay, so we won’t discuss age,” he said mostly to himself.
She was already walking away from him, obviously expecting him to follow her back to the cell.
When she noticed he hadn’t moved, Tempest took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Please don’t make me force you, Aiden. I don’t like hurting people, even you.”
When he refused to look up at her, she took a few steps in his direction. “I promise you this is temporary.”
He swore softly but forcefully as he walked back into the room and collapsed onto the cot. He didn’t move and only gave yes or no answers as she examined him.
“What would you like to eat?” she asked after she finished the exam. When he didn’t reply, she added, “We have a gourmet chef staying here. She’ll fix anything you want.”
“Get the hell away from me,” he commanded softly and closed his eyes.
He heard the cell door lock. “I’ll bring something down before I leave.” Her voice was icy once more. “You need to eat.”
“I’ll eat when you answer my questions,” he insisted, not caring if he sounded like a pouty child.
“Will our daughter be this willful and arrogant?” she murmured under her breath. He knew those words hadn’t been meant for his ears.
He shot off the cot and grabbed at her through the bars, managing to get a firm hold on her arm. “What did you say?”
She glared at him angrily for touching her. Seeing how much his touch annoyed her only made him angrier.
“Let go of my arm, Aiden,” she hissed.
“Damn you!” he hissed back and dropped her arm as though it had burned him. “Is my touch really that revolting to you? Are you one of those psychotic man hating bitches?”
“You’re just mad because you aren’t in control. You’re like every other man, wanting to control women.”
“I’m not like that,” he insisted, knowing he wasn’t telling the complete truth. While he’d felt guilty when he’d tried to kidnap his cousin’s fiancée, he’d done it, anyway. He’d ignored her pleas, because he’d thought finding her first meant she was his. He’d been willing to drain her to make her weak enough to control.
Another thought occurred to him. He’d had his hands on Tempest twice and hadn’t made any attempt to drain her and escape.
Safe Hex With a Vampire Page 5