by I D Johnson
She burst into tears. “No, Aaron. Please. Give me another chance. You can’t do this!”
He continued, ignoring her. “I’ll allow you to stay on the team as long as you show me you can follow directions, though you are now on probation and will need to complete recurrence training and sit out at least the next three hunts before you have another chance in the field.”
“Aaron,” she said, grabbing his arm with both hands, “please. Don’t do this to me. I love you. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. You’re the only one I care about. I will die without you.”
“I’m sorry, Eliza,” he replied, pulling away from her and standing.
“No!” she screamed. “I mean it! I’ll kill myself.”
He felt sorry for her, he really did, but he knew that wasn’t even possible even if she did mean it. “Go home. Get some rest. We’ll talk about the probation again later.”
As he walked out of the room, he heard her beginning to sob again behind him, so he closed the door, hoping to give her some time and some privacy.
Everyone was gone when he walked out except for Elliott. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just peachy.”
“It’ll be okay, bossman,” he assured him, pounding him on the shoulder.
“I’m an idiot,” Aaron replied, quietly, shaking his head.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far….”
“Seriously. Don’t ever let me do this again, okay? I mean it. No more dating teammates. You see me falling for a girl on this team, you do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening, got it?”
“Is that an order?” Elliott asked.
“Yes. Absolutely,” Aaron confirmed.
“You got it, bossman,” Elliott nodded. “Just remember you said that the next time some pretty girl comes along and you start to remember you have a heart.”
“This is never happening again,” Aaron said as he walked toward the exit.
“Famous last words,” Elliott mumbled. “Famous last words.”
Aaron walked out into the night sky and took a deep breath. A thousand stars twinkled above him. Even though he could no longer see most of them, he knew they were there. He remembered them from long ago, from the small village of Killarney, Ireland. He remembered a girl with long red hair and sparkling green eyes, one he’d kissed beneath these same stars, one he’d promised to love forever. Since he’d last held her in his arms, he had seen many unexplainable, wondrous things. He’d witnessed historical events and met legendary individuals. He was part of a team of people who protected mankind against a terrifying enemy they didn’t even know existed. Just like the stars, even though he couldn’t always see them, he knew they were out there, and he knew it was his job to protect the innocent. Even if it was a solitary existence, there was nothing he would rather do. He may never find true love again, but he’d had it once, and the memories of Aislyn’s sweet face, shining in the starlight were enough.
Epilogue
Villisca, Iowa, America, 2014
Occasionally, the Vampires were given leave to gather, to celebrate, so long as no innocent humans were hurt against their will, and tonight the undead would be gathering in Villisca, Iowa, a small town with a reputation involving an axe murderer. It seemed fitting.
Eidolon Festivals predated both Aaron and Jordan’s stints as Guardian Leader. The rules were complicated, and he had met with his team to clarify before any of them even stepped foot on the Vampire’s sacred ground that night. So long as a human chose to go off with a Vampire, there could be no interference. Their job was only to protect those who said no. It was an acquiescence to the complicated balance of power that made little sense to him, but as Guardian Leader, it was his duty to make sure that this agreement was honored.
Tonight, however, things may be different. Tonight, there was a great possibility that the powers of darkness may collide with a force of good beyond anything they’d ever experienced before. Holland would be there; of that he was certain, and she knew the potential that evening had for changing the Ternion forever.
He only hoped she didn’t do anything foolish.
After going over the rules of the Eidolon Festival to his team, he made one more command, one that seemed to contradict everything else he’d just said. It was necessary, however. If Holland and her minions didn’t stir anything up, everything would be fine. Otherwise, he couldn’t be held responsible for what happened next.
He heard his teammates make the call he was expecting about an hour after the festival had started, but he didn’t need to hear it to know she was there. He could feel it, feel the shift in power, feel the electricity in the air. Cadence Findley had arrived, and from that moment on, nothing in Aaron McReynold’s life would ever be the same.
A Note from the Author
Hello, Wonderful Readers!
Thank you so much for reading Aaron! This book is very near and dear to my heart for many reasons, but when you’ve been writing about a character for as long as I’ve been writing about Aaron McReynolds, well, you tend to get a little attached. I hope you loved hearing his backstory!
If you’ve already read The Clandestine Saga, then you know what happens next. If you haven’t, may I suggest you begin with Transformation? You can find links on the “Also by ID Johnson” page.
Are you a fan of this new series, A Vampire Hunter’s Tale? Then you’ll be happy to know Jamie will be out soon! I will also write backstories for other favorite characters, like Christian, Eliza, and—I think a few of you might be a little fond of Elliott.
Please, please, please consider leaving a review on Amazon! You will help other readers decide if this is the book for them and help me qualify for promo sites to get my books in front of other readers.
Finally, please consider signing up for my newsletter. You can get Saving Cadence, a novelette based on the Eidolon Festival you just read about for free from Instafreebie when you sign up.
https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/Ej6IH
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Also by ID Johnson
Stand Alone Titles
Deck of Cards
Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss The Doll Maker’s Daughter at Christmas
The Journey to Normal: Our Family's Life with Autism
Beneath the Inconstant Moon
The Clandestine Saga series
Transformation
Resurrection
Repercussion
Absolution
Illumination
Ghosts of Southampton series
Prelude
Titanic
Residuum
Heartwarming Holidays Sweet Romance series
Melody’s Christmas
Christmas Cocoa
Winter Woods
Waiting On Love
Shamrock Hearts
A Blossoming Spring Romance
Reaper’s Hollow
Ruin’s Lot
Ruin’s Promise
Ruin’s Legacy