“Him?” Mom wrinkled her nose. “You must be mistaken.”
“Nope.”
“But … he would never move on you,” Mom said. “There has to be another explanation. Perhaps whoever attacked you only looked like him. Have you considered that?”
“Not really, Mom,” I said. “He seemed to know exactly who I was. We got up close and personal. I elbowed him in the face and then kicked him in the balls and knee. Then, while I was gloating, one of our friendly neighborhood wraiths stepped in and grabbed me. They tried taking my scepter.”
Mom slapped her hand over her mouth and gave me a wide-eyed look. The sun was waning since the days were getting shorter, and the limited light hid most of her veins. I could still see them, though, and they creeped me out just like before. “That’s horrible. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, moving to step around her. “I’m sore from hitting the pavement … and I’m going to have a huge bruise on my face tomorrow … but other than that I’m peachy.”
“How did you get out of that?” Mom asked, watching as I dug in my purse for my keys.
“Aidan was there,” I answered. “He saved me.”
“Is Aidan okay?”
“He’s fine.”
“Well, you’re both very lucky,” Mom said. “I can’t believe my associate would do anything to you, but I’ll question him when I see him next.”
I couldn’t help but notice Mom was being purposely vague when referring to the rogue reaper. “And what is your friend’s name?”
“I … um … it’s not important,” Mom said, impatiently brushing off the question as if I asked about the weather. “Let’s get you inside and I’ll put some ice on your cheek. It will be just like when you were younger and you accidentally took an elbow to the face while wrestling with your brothers.”
It would be nothing like that. “I’m good,” I said, shaking my head.
“But … .”
“Mom, I don’t want you in my home,” I said, opting for bluntness. “I think you knew what your associate was doing today. I think you’re covering for him. I think you showed up here to see whether I was going to make a fuss. Well, guess what, Mom? I’m going to make a fuss.”
“Don’t be so quick to assume any of those things, Aisling,” Mom pleaded. “I would never sanction anyone moving against you. You’re my daughter.”
What was that supposed to mean? Was she sanctioning reapers and wraiths to move against others? “Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you,” I said. “I got my ass kicked, and I think you knew about it.”
“What do you mean ‘you got your ass kicked?’”
I froze when I heard Griffin’s voice on the sidewalk behind me, briefly pressing my eyes shut and then forcing a bright smile when I turned in his direction. “Hi, honey! You’re home early.”
“Oh, good grief,” Griffin muttered when he caught sight of my face. He gave Mom a wide berth as he moved to my side, and his touch was soft when he ran his finger over my cheek. “What happened to you?”
I was still deciding how to answer when Mom did it for me.
“She says she was attacked by a rogue reaper and a wraith,” Mom supplied. “She claims it was the reaper she saw me with the night I made my appearance at Grimlock Manor. I think she must be mistaken. She probably hit her head.”
“Did you hit your head?” Griffin asked.
“A little bit,” I conceded. “My shoulder absorbed most of the blow when I fell. I’m mostly weak from the wraith getting his hands on me. I’ll be better after dinner, although I’m guessing I’ll be ridiculously sore tomorrow morning.”
“What?” Griffin practically exploded. “I thought wraiths killed you when they touched you?”
“Aidan was there and saved me,” I said. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
“This job … I just … this sucks,” Griffin muttered, pulling me in for a hug.
I whimpered when he touched my sore shoulder and his face was a mask of worry and fury when I pulled away from him.
“Maybe I should call Maya to check out your shoulder,” he suggested.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just need a long bath. Aidan is picking up steaks and shrimp so we can soften Jerry up for the … you know … and then we’ll go to bed early.”
“I think you should go to the hospital,” Griffin argued.
“Who is Maya?” Mom asked.
“Griffin’s sister,” I replied. “And, well, she’s Cillian’s girlfriend, too.”
“My, that’s convoluted,” Mom said, wrinkling her nose. “Doesn’t that get confusing?”
“Since I don’t want to sleep with Cillian and Griffin doesn’t want to sleep with Maya, that would be a big no.”
Griffin brushed my hair from my face. “You have to promise to take it easy tonight,” he said. “You can have your bath and dinner and then you’re going to take that medicine that knocks you out and get a good night’s sleep.”
“What about ice cream?”
Griffin groaned. “Fine. You can have your ice cream, too. That’s it, though.”
“It’s cute how he worries about you,” Mom said, her smile fake. “So very cute.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, I have a lot to deal with right now and some of it revolves around you,” I said. “You don’t seem to want to tell the truth, though, including the name of your reaper friend. Until you want to share with the class, you’re not welcome here.”
“But … what if I want to see Aidan?”
“Aidan was there, Mom. He knows about the reaper.”
“He can’t possibly believe I’m behind this,” Mom sniffed. “He knows me better than that.”
“That’s the thing, Mom,” I snapped. “We don’t know you. We knew Lily Grimlock. She was our mother and we loved her. You’re not her. You’re hiding things.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Mom countered. “I told you the other day I was willing to talk about everything. I’m an open book.”
“And you also said you were going to talk to Dad and listen to what he thinks,” I prodded. “You haven’t done that.”
“I’ve been … busy?”
“Sending rogue reapers after your daughter?” Griffin asked, slipping an arm around my waist. “Is that what you’ve been busy with?”
“You may be sleeping with my daughter, but I don’t owe you an explanation for anything,” Mom hissed. “You’re not my family.”
“He’s my family, though,” I shot back. “Mom, I know you’ve been through some terrible crap. I feel bad about it. I really do. That doesn’t mean I trust you. That doesn’t mean I want you hanging around.”
“But, Aisling, I’m your mother.”
Once upon a time, that would’ve meant something. Now, knowing everything I do, it’s nothing more than words.
“Talk to Dad,” I instructed. “Tell us the name of your reaper friend. Decide whose side you’re really on. Until then, you’re not allowed in my home.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll be going,” Mom said, stepping off the porch.
“Thank you.”
Griffin brushed his lips against my forehead and collected the keys from my hand to open the door. “Let’s get you in that bath,” he said. “I think we still have some Epsom salt from last time you were hurt.”
“That sounds great.”
“You should also put some ice on her shoulder,” Mom called back to us as she walked away. “She’ll want something to ease the pain.”
Unfortunately, more hurt than just my shoulder and face. My heart hurt, too, especially in the spot I kept memories of my mother. I opted to keep that to myself.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Grimlock,” Griffin said, pushing open the door. “Don’t come back here until you have that talk with Mr. Grimlock. I’m not messing around where Aisling’s safety is concerned.”
“I’ll take it under advisement, Detective Taylor.”
11
Eleven
I lie on m
y side the next morning, making sure to keep weight off my sore shoulder as I rested my head on Griffin’s chest. I couldn’t help but groan when I shifted, though.
Griffin tightened his arm around my waist and jerked his head in my direction. “Are you okay?”
“I hurt,” I admitted. There was no sense in denying it. “Where did my heating pad go?” I’m whiny on a good morning when the only thing wrong is my dismay at getting out of bed. Today I was downright pitiful.
“Hold on,” Griffin said, kissing my forehead and rummaging beneath the covers in search of the heating pad.
“That wasn’t the heating pad,” I said dryly.
“I’m sorry.” Griffin’s grin was lopsided. I knew he wasn’t sorry. He retrieved the heating pad and cranked it to the highest level before carefully pressing it to the back of my shoulder. “Better?”
“Oh, baby.”
Griffin snickered. “This isn’t funny, but I love the noises you make sometimes,” he said. “I wish you made them for other reasons a lot of times, don’t get me wrong, but you’re pretty cute when you want to be.”
“I’m not feeling very cute this morning,” I admitted. “How bad does my face look?”
Griffin kept the heating pad pressed against my shoulder as he studied my face. “Well, there’s good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
“The bad news.”
“You look like you belong in a Lifetime movie about spousal abuse.”
Ugh. Of course. “What’s the good news?”
“You’re still beautiful … and I still love you,” Griffin replied, kissing the tip of my nose.
“Well, that is good news,” I agreed, resting my head against Griffin’s shoulder. “I think that’s going to be my only good news this afternoon. Maybe I should spend the day in bed.”
“I can get behind that,” Griffin said. “I prefer you were more mobile, but a day in bed planning our new place sounds fun. I can get the laptop and we can search websites for furniture.”
I loved how easy he found planning our future. I was still getting used to it. “Shouldn’t we tell Jerry about the big move first? He would love to pick out furniture with us … once he stops screaming.”
We had planned to tell Jerry the big news after dinner last night, but I was in pain and Aidan was fixated on the possibility of Mom being behind my attackers. It was bad timing for all of us. It was also convenient, because that meant we could put off Jerry’s inevitable meltdown.
“Are you saying Jerry is going to decorate our new home?” Griffin asked.
“No;, I love the idea of you and I decorating it,” I admitted. “It’s just … I want him to hate everything we pick. Does that make sense?”
“You want your relationship with Jerry to be on even footing before you can relax and enjoy the moving process,” Griffin surmised. “I get it. I knew leaving Jerry was going to be hard for you.”
“I’m not really leaving him, though,” I pointed out, groaning again when Griffin pressed the heating pad tighter against my skin. “Oh, that’s amazing. What was I saying?”
“That I’m the best boyfriend in the world.”
“I’ll give you a trophy if you need further proof,” I said, relishing in the double whammy of warmth from his chest and the heating pad. “I’m so glad today is my day off. We can do this all day.”
Griffin chuckled. “You just want me to be your slave all day,” he teased. “Go back to what you were saying about Jerry, though.”
“Oh, right,” I said. “Jerry isn’t going to be far away. I’ll still be able to see him every day. We’ll be able to have coffee together. We can come here for breakfast every morning. You know I’m not cooking, right?”
“I think we’re both safer if you don’t cook,” Griffin said. “I really am relieved you’re okay with this. I’m thrilled you seem excited for it. I only want us to have a place where we can relax on our own.”
“We’ll have it,” I said, kissing his chest, “just as soon as you tell Jerry.”
“I’ll do it this morning,” Griffin said. “I can’t take the buildup. We’ll tell him over breakfast. He’s probably making you a feast right now. He was worried about you last night. I could tell by the way he looked at you. He wanted to sleep in here with you, but he knew I wouldn’t allow that so he didn’t ask.”
“If we’re going to brave breakfast, I’ll need your magical cure,” I said.
“We can’t do that when you’re this sore,” Griffin argued. “I will not be responsible for hurting you. Don’t even think about asking me to do that.”
“Not that,” I said, playfully slapping his chest. “I was referring to that cream that numbs pain. You bought it the last time I was injured.”
“Oh, that,” Griffin said. “I think it’s in the drawer by the microwave.”
I batted my eyelashes. “Can you get it and rub it on me?”
“Will you make those groaning noises that make it sound as if we’re doing the other thing?”
I barked out a laugh. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll get it,” Griffin said, kissing my forehead. “In fact, we should probably pick up more so we don’t risk running out. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re a walking calamity.”
“That’s just what every woman wants to hear.”
Griffin was back with the cream two minutes later. I managed to struggle to a sitting position during that time and nothing else. I was wearing a tank top and sleep shorts, and when Griffin put the first dollop on my shoulder I momentarily thought there was a chance I was in Heaven.
“Right there, baby. Oooh. Yeah. Oh … I love you so much right now. Lower. Lower. Oh, wow. You really are the man of my dreams.”
Knocking on the partially opened bedroom door drew my attention, and I found Aidan standing there. He was in boxers and a T-shirt, and his expression was grim.
“What’s wrong now?”
“You are,” Aidan said, padding into the room. “I thought you were having sex with the door open and I was going to have to kill Griffin. Now I see you two are doing something much more perverse.”
“What can I say? She loves smelling like a medicine cabinet,” Griffin deadpanned, leaning forward so he could inhale the pungent aroma of the cream. “The sad thing is she’s used this stuff so often I now associate the scent with her. I’m kind of turned on.”
“You’re sick,” Aidan said, making a face as he scanned my cheek. “You won’t be able to hide that. When Dad sees it tonight he’ll pitch a fit.”
I groaned. “I forgot about family dinner. Maybe I should lie and say I’m sick.”
“Or maybe you should suck it up and tell him the truth,” Griffin countered. “He’s going to find out, and he should know what happened … and what you suspect.”
“I still can’t believe Mom showed up here,” Aidan said, taking a tentative step in my direction before focusing on Griffin. “Can I sit on the bed and look at her shoulder?”
Griffin was surprised by the question. “Yes. Why are you asking, though? Most of the time you do what you want.”
“Yes, but this is your bedroom – for the time being – and it’s not fair to invade your personal space without permission.”
My mouth dropped open. “Who taught you that? That wasn’t the rule in the Grimlock house. We always invaded each other’s space.”
“Don’t you remember the time Dad was convinced you should have your own wing of the house because you were a girl and you were doing girl things in your room?” Aidan asked, carefully sitting on the bed so he could watch Griffin work. “That looks horrible.”
“Yeah? Well it feels great,” I said, my snarky side coming out to play.
“Go back to the story about Aisling when she was a teenager,” Griffin instructed. “I love those stories. Why did your dad think she needed privacy?”
“Oh, don’t tell him this story,” I protested.
“It’s a funny story,” Aidan argued. “Aisling went through a perio
d where she stuffed her bra because Angelina developed faster than she did. Dad accidentally walked into her bedroom while Jerry was helping her stuff a bra and things did not go well.”
Griffin laughed. “Sadly I can picture that. It sounds funny, though.”
“Dad barred Jerry from my room after that,” I said. “It was not funny.”
“I’ve seen Jerry in your bedroom,” Griffin argued. “It obviously didn’t last.”
“It lasted only a week,” Aidan supplied. “Jerry was so morose it wore Dad down. Then Aisling was so annoying he gave in and let Jerry back into her room. Even though everyone knew Jerry was gay, the idea of him seeing Aisling naked threw Dad for a loop. He finally gave up, but the rest of us were ordered to knock before entering. And we couldn’t allow any of our friends who might stay the night to look in Aisling’s bedroom.”
“Now you know why I dated so very little when I was in high school,” I said, moaning as I leaned forward. “Right there.”
“Ais, this is really ugly,” Aidan said. “You’re lucky this wasn’t your head.”
“We’re all lucky about that,” Griffin said. “Speaking of lucky, we need to have the talk with Jerry this morning about the living arrangements. I know he’s going to freak, but it has to be done.
“Aisling is excited about the move. She doesn’t want to start picking furniture until Jerry is happy again, so he can veto all of her choices,” he continued. “We should’ve done it last night, but … .”
“Mom came to visit and Aisling was hurt, which we used as a convenient excuse,” Aidan finished. “I know. We have to tell him.”
“How are you going to do it?” Griffin asked.
Aidan made a face that caused me to chuckle when I caught sight of it in the wall mirror. “Aisling said you’re doing it as penance for not telling her you bought the townhouse.”
Griffin scowled. “What’s your penance for doing the same thing?”
“He has to listen to Jerry complain until he gets over it,” I answered for my brother. “Trust me. He’s getting the worse end of this development.”
Grim Reunion (Aisling Grimlock Book 4) Page 9