by R. A. Boyd
Paige swallowed thickly and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“You’re lying,” Sam said. “Tell me.”
She opened her eyes and looked at Aiden, fear lacing through her gaze. “I-I just feel a bit nervous being here. It’s a lot of people. I’m not used to it.” Tears glistened in her eyes, and when she closed them two large drops of water fell down her face, plopping on the sheet in front of her.
Strong woman. Strong mate.
“Paige.” His patronizing tone made Aiden want to reach through the phone and snatch out his fucking eyeballs. “It’s all right. Just think of how proud your mother and grandmother would be.” Aiden could hear his lies through the phone.
Paige took a break and wiped her face. “I know. I’ll be fine. How are you?”
Sam took a deep breath as if he were so heavily put upon that Paige asked him questions. “I’m well. Did you attend the meeting last night?”
“Yes,” she said. “They were nice to me. They were all supporting the Ghosts.” She shrugged and shook her head. She ran out before the meeting started. “It was more of a meet and greet to the new people.”
“Good. You’re doing well. Just keep going to find out what you can about them.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes, Paige. That is all. For now.” Sam let out an amused breath. “See, child. I told you that you had nothing to worry about. I’ll let you know what’s next when we’ve figured it out. Did you meet any of the Ghosts yet?” The resonance of his voice let Aiden know he was fishing for clues, and from the look on Paige’s face, she was aware of it as well.
She shifted in bed and put her hand over Aiden’s chest. “I met the woman. Audra. Only briefly.”
“Good, but you must be wary of that one. She’s known to be violent. Did you speak with her?”
“Just to say hello.”
“I have one request for you, Paige. It may sound odd, and I should have said it to you sooner, but I don’t want you to touch the unmated Ghost shifters. They are devious and I don’t want them to hurt you. Do you understand?”
Pain was filling his mate, and if she didn’t get off the phone soon she would break down. “I understand.”
“I love you, Paige. And I miss having you around.” There was no truth in his words.
She slapped her hand over her eyes and shook her head. “I love you too, Poppa Sam.”
“Good-bye, child.”
“Good-bye,” she said, quickly hanging up the phone.
Her face crumpled and she threw the phone across the room. Paige folded into herself, her knees so tight to her chest, and let out a wail that tore into Aiden’s soul. He wanted to take this from her: the pain, the betrayal, all the truths that would punch their way back to her mind and bring her world crashing down around her.
Just as he was about to pull her to him, she jumped up from the bed, stumbling to the bathroom. The sounds of her retching into the toilet filled his ears.
Before he even knew what he was doing, he was stooped next to her in the bathroom as she dry heaved into the toilet. He rubbed the spot between her shoulders and angled himself so she could sit on his lap instead of the cold floor.
“How could he?” Her voice echoed in the toilet. “How could he talk to me like I mean something to him? I could hear the lies, Aiden. I could freaking hear them. That’s never happened before.” She grabbed hold to the sides of her head. “That’s why he did it. That’s why he started putting spells on me. I kept finding things out and asking him questions. He wanted me to stop because he... Dang-it! It’s gone! It was there and now it’s gone.” She turned to look at him and her eyes shined a milky white that would have cowed a lesser man. “When am I going to be free of him? Of his spells? I can’t even trust my own thoughts.”
Aiden didn’t know what to do. She didn’t need to be coddled. He pulled her to him, holding her close and wishing he could take this from her.
“Paige. I know it doesn’t seem like it now but all of this is going to be okay.”
“But how?”
He shook his head. In all his years on this planet, he thought there was nothing he couldn’t handle. “I don’t know. Fuck, I’ll find him and kill him if you’d like. I’ll take you all around the world to meet so many people you’ll get tired of their asses after a while. We’ll try so much new shit you’ll beg me to let you rest.”
A tiny smile ghosted across her lips. “I’d like that. All that.”
“Then it’s a plan.”
The features of her face darkened and he thought she would start crying again. “All except one thing, Aiden. You don’t get to kill him. I do.”
No. God damn-it, no. That wasn’t it. No matter what she was feeling right now, she’d never forgive herself if she killed him.
“Aiden. Stop. I know what you’re thinking.”
He shook his head and started to speak but she stopped him short with a piercing glare that was sure and sound.
“He killed my mother and my father. I never got a chance to meet my grandmother, so I don’t know if he’s the reason she’s dead or not. That memory isn’t clear. But I owe him death. I’ve only been sure about two things since I got rid of that godforsaken charm. You, for starters. I’m sure about you. The other is him dying by my hands. And if you’re going to try and stop me then you and I are going to have to wait for there to be an us. I need to do this?”
Fuck. He didn’t want her to do it but she’d had enough of someone telling her what to do, telling her what was best for her. This is what she needed, and for some reason Cass and Simon came to mind.
Simon was an asshole, but he was Cass’s biggest supporter in getting revenge on the man who’d killed her before she was turned into a saber-tooth; before their brother Samael, the Angel of Death, brought her back from the dead.
Paige needed this and he would be there to support her in every way he could. He wouldn’t lose Paige because he was trying to protect her.
He nodded and felt the hesitance tugging in his chest. “Okay. I’ll do what you want.” Every protective instinct in him was fighting, but he would shove that shit down if it meant his mate would be whole and healed. “This is your call.”
“Okay,” she said. She flushed the toilet and then got up to rinse her mouth. “Do you have my toothbrush in that bag? No more of his controlling me in any way. I’m going to do what I want for a freaking change, and right now I feel the need to play kissy-face with you. Plus, can you do that thing with your tongue again that you did last night when you made that sound? I know I almost snatched your ears off but I really liked it.”
Aiden cracked out a laugh that filled the bathroom. She liked when he ate her like she was his last meal and he loved doing it. “Sweetheart,” he said, lifting her up to sit her sexy ass on the edge of the sink. “I’m happy I could be of service, but just wait.” Her nudged her thighs apart with his knee and pushed one finger inside her cunt, using his thumb to rub circles around her clit. Her breath against his face as she sighed urged him on. “Once I finish making you come in my mouth again you are going to be so in love with me you are never going to want to leave this hotel room.”
A soft knock woke Aiden from his sleep. The delicious scent that was left on his lips from his mate’s orgasms made him happier than he’d been in a long time. And to wake up next to Paige made life that much better. Her back was to his chest, and the feel of her soft, rounded ass against him made him hunger to sink his cock into her tight pussy.
Whoever was at the door needed to leave.
“It’s me, Cass.” Her voice was low from the other side of the door but she knew he could hear her and she could hear him.
“Give me a sec, Cass. I need to wake Paige up.”
“Aww,” Cass said, sounding as sappy as one of those girly movies she liked to watch. “Should I come back later?”
Absolutely, but no. She probably had news for them.
Aiden shook his head even though she couldn’t see him. “No. Ju
st a minute.” He rubbed Paige’s arm and kissed her shoulder. “Paige? Wake up. Cass is at the door.”
“And me,” said a sing-song voice.
“And Audra,” Aiden said as he shook his head.
Paige absently rubbed her ass against him as she shook off her sleep. “Okay.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. “This is nice. You smell like me. I like that. But go wash your face, I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable.”
“Hearing about it is just as traumatizing,” Cass said from the other side of the door.
Embarrassment covered Paige’s face. “Oh, my stars. They can hear me.” She jumped up and ran toward the bathroom. “I just need ten minutes.”
“Paige, it’s not like we had sex,” he said, failing to comfort her.
“You didn’t?” Audra asked.
Paige turned just before she reached the bathroom at looked at him, eyes wide in mortification. “Oh, my gosh, Aiden. Shut up,” she whisper-yelled. She closed the door behind her and the sound of the shower came on.
Aiden laughed as he put his pants on and held a chuckle in his throat as he opened the door. “Ladies,” he said, inviting Cass and Audra into the sitting area of his room.
“Why didn’t you have sex?” Audra asked, punching him on the arm as she walked over to the window to open the curtains. “You need some natural light in this room. Is she a virgin?”
Aiden pulled his lips in as far as they would go, moving his eyes from is sister to the resting place of his shirt on the edge of the bed. “That’s none of your—”
“She is!” Audra’s screamed. “That is so freaking sweet. You better be gentle when you deflower her, because if you hurt my new sister I will break into your house while you sleep. And trust me, you don’t want an angry Audra standing over top of you while you can’t defend yourself.”
Aiden cringed on the inside and picked up his shirt. He most certainly did not want Audra to come through on that promise. It had happened once before and he swore to the Creator that he would never get on the bad side of his sister again. Her insanity had quelled in the smallest possible way since she’d met her mate, but she sure as shit wasn’t back to her sane self again. At this point, Aiden was sure that Audra liked behaving the way she did. All the women of the Ghost shifter clan, and her mate, were too accepting for her to change.
“I’m not going to hurt her, Audra. I’d never hurt Paige. I’d rather pluck out my own eyeballs.”
Audra sighed and sat on the couch. “Worry not, brother. I’d do it for you.” Her gaze was predatory. Audra was fiercely protective of her family, even if she was being irrational. “So, we’ve brought news but we’ll wait until Paige comes out of the bathroom.”
Cass sat down next to Audra and crossed her legs. “Damon and Jax will be back tomorrow, but I’ve already filled them in. They said congratulations and that they’ll be happy to kill the man who did this to her. Are you sure it’s Samiyah the archangel who’s been her guardian?”
“Almost.” Aiden sat on the chair across from his sisters. “If Willow can get a look at him she’ll be able to tell. He used to be in the Coven of the Fallen with her so she would know for certain.”
Audra pulled out her cellphone and started scrolling through. “As soon as they break the spell that’s holding Paige’s life to that charm they’re going to work on conjuring Heaven’s Flame just in case it is Samiyah. It’s the surest way to kill an angel.”
Aiden glanced at the shower door just as the running water turned off. “Paige thinks that he’s the one who started the Rogue clan. She isn’t sure why yet. She’s getting her memory back little by little.”
The bathroom door opened and Paige stuck her head out. “Hi,” she said, waving at Cass and Audra. “Umm, Aiden. Are there extra clothes in my bag?”
“Yeah,” he said, jumping up to grab the bag that he’d brought from her room. Walking closer to her, he smiled and bent down to kiss her forehead before she took the bag from him and closed the door. He turned to Cass. “I’m happy you’re getting to meet her. Your opinion means a lot to me, Cass.”
With a closed mouth smile, Cass shook her head and shrugged. “I’m honored to hear you say that. If you like her, I already love her. This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you. I just want all of you to be happy. I hope you know that.” She reached over and put her hand on Audra’s arm.
The three of them turned around as they heard the door to the bathroom open. Aiden got up and walked to Paige’s side. Nervousness was radiating off of her. She’d mentioned before that she’d lost her family and was overjoyed that she was getting a new one. People who would like and accept her for who she was. He knew she would find that with his people. Their people.
“You’re Cass,” Paige said. “I’m sorry I know that. Poppa…” She fluttered her eyes closed and grimaced as if calling him Poppa anymore made her nauseous. “Sam made me look at all of your pictures and know all of your names before I came here, and I’m sorry for that. One day, I hope that all of you,” she said, her gaze shifting from Audra to Cass and back again, “will know that I never wanted to hurt you. But I am so happy that I was sent here. I got to meet Aiden. I’d been taught to stay away from shifters and that having a mate was a bad thing. None of that means anything to me now.” Paige took a shuddering breath and laughed as Aiden pulled her with him to the chair and gently sat her on his lap. “I know I’m running off at the mouth like I can’t stop talking but, I just wanted you to know. And I talk constantly when I’m nervous, which is a big change because just last night I probably would have had a panic attack and locked myself in the closest broom closet. Or passed out on the floor from too much adrenaline. I’ll probably tell the rest of your clan that when I meet them. If I ever get out of this room.”
Cass wiped an errant tear from her eyes. “It’s your clan now, too. We hold no ill will toward you.”
Audra lifted her hand. “Well, Simon said that he doesn’t li—”
“Simon can shut his face or I’ll punch him in it,” Cass said, swiping her hand across her face to quiet Audra.
Paige looked at Aiden as she sat on his lap, and her shifting rubbed against his cock just right. Or wrong, because now all he wanted to do was fuck her until she was spent and boneless from all the orgasms he was going to give her.
She must have felt his erection grow. Paige tried to stand up from his lap but he pulled her back down and adjusted himself.
“You were saying, Cass,” he said as he stared at Paige, a wicked grin settling onto his face.
Cass frowned and rolled her eyes. “Ew. I was just saying that I’m just so happy Aiden met you and that you’re free of your godfather.” Her face broke down for a second. “By the way. Do you have any pictures of him? Sam? Like on your phone. We could show it to Willow. We need to know what we’re dealing with.”
Nodding, Paige got up and walked toward the corner of the room where she’d thrown her phone earlier. “I have a video of us hiking around the woods near our house to gather herbs for spells.” She stooped down near a table that sat under the window and picked up her phone. “I can text you the video, but I need to keep my phone with me. If he calls and I don’t answer he’ll know something’s wrong.”
Aiden reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her to sit back down on his lap. Talking about Sam was painful for her. He could see it in her posture, the way her eyes would light up and shine like an illuminated bowl of milk.
“It’s okay, Baby Bird,” Audra said. “It’s almost over. You’ll be out of this room in no time. Then, you can show us where he is and I’ll kill him for you. If that’s what you’d like.”
Audra’s sincere voice and murderous threat made Paige’s body tense up. Aiden was afraid his sister had scared her.
She gripped his arm and leaned forward in his lap, leveling Audra with an odd look. “You would do that for me?” she asked, disbelief and awe mixed through her words. “I get why Aiden wants to do it, but yo
u would? For me? You don’t even know me.”
Audra snorted and sat back on the couch, a look of pure disbelief on her face. “Of course I would. You’re our family now, and we take care of ours.”
“Yeah,” Cass said, shrugging. “Every member of the Ghost clan vowed to dismember the man who murdered me, but I’m going to kill him myself.” She smiled. “And I bet you have the same plans for the man that’s held you prisoner. Am I right?”
Paige lowered her head and looked at the floor as if she were ashamed, but when she spoke her words were clear. “You’re right. I’m going to kill him for what he did to me and my family.”
“As you should,” Cass replied.
The women of this clan were freaking insane and bloodthirsty. Audra may be the poster girl for the Ghosts but Cass, Riley, and even Riley’s step-daughter Liv were shoving the men off the ‘I’m going to protect my clan’ thrown. They stood up for each other, supported each other, and didn’t take shit from anyone. They reminded him of a group of knights he’d fought alongside in the 1400s. That was a disturbing realization.
“So,” Audra said as she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “You should be out of here by tomorrow night. The spell that Zeke and Willow are using to break the spell on you and your charm takes from moon rise to moon rise. It was too late to start it last night and they didn’t figure it out until this morning.”
Paige nodded and Aiden rubbed small circles up and down her back. This was good. Being stuck in this room couldn’t be of help to her. Yes, they were getting to know each other but Paige deserved freedom. She needed to take a walk and go where she wanted.
“He didn’t see your mate,” Paige said, her voice light and airy as if she were a soothsayer. She closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers along her temples. “He knew there were two women who had been mated to members of the Ghost clan, but he didn’t know there was a witch. He wouldn’t have sent me if he would have known. I remember that. And your mate, Zeke?” she said as her out of focus gaze landed on Audra. “He’s a witch and so is Sam. Did I say that already?”