“What?” Her whisper was breathy.
“Anything.” He looked around and spotted the perfect distraction. “Look over there. Concentrate on those people. I think they are coming closer.” His fingers picked up the pace again, pressing further and further, strumming harder and harder.
“Why?”
“Because I'm about you make you cum, and they're gonna to hear you and there's nothing you can do about it.”
She felt the warm tingle spreading and the orgasm gathering strength. She concentrated on the couple getting closer. How must she look to them, pressed against a tree, hands over her head in surrender, one breast exposed, skirt hiked, with a mans fingers inside her? It worked. She was there on the cusp with the magic kept at bay.
He tightened his grip on her breast hard to get her attention back. He wanted her looking at him when it happened. “When you cum, I want you to say my name.” He pinched her exposed erect nipple for accent.
She said, “Yes sir” because it seemed the right sentiment for their play. Then the flush was on her and he slipped the fingers deep to feel her clenching. Her hips bucked to get just the right angle and as the climax rocked her, she managed to meet his demand.
“Aaron, oh god, Aaron.”
Her knees went and she dropped her arms down around his shoulders for support. She shivered with the aftershocks. He held her up there against the tree while her afterglow faded and her sight came back. “I need to sit down.”
She was so soft and pliant now. It made him want to bend her over the hood of his car and take her right then. Instead he helped her into his car, closing the door behind her and walking to his side.
He started the engine. “Happy Birthday, Maeve. Since you didn't tell me about your birthday ahead of time, this'll have to be your present.”
And what a present it had been! An orgasm just for her, without any responsibilities attached. It was a great one too. The shock waves were still rolling through her as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street.
She reached over to put her hand on his leg and accidentally grazed the bulge of his excitement. BBBZZZZzzz, The noise and vibration made them both jump.
“My cell.”
She leaned back in her seat and watched the houses go by outside as Aaron fished the phone out of his pocket and answered the call. “This is Aaron.” She imagined each of those houses had a loving couple in it and she was jealous of the normal life. To have that kind of bond with just one person – it was the only thing forbidden to her. “No it's fine, don't worry about it.” She tore her eyes away from the tauntingly peaceful looking homes and watched Aaron drive and talk on his cell. He was so very handsome and intriguing.
She wanted him. She wanted him for herself. She didn't know how or if it could even be done, but she was going to try. Maeve knew Aaron well enough now to know that, no matter what he said, he was not going to be able to accept the demands her position of Vinculum put on her and would put on any relationship they might piece together. And he shouldn't have to. He deserved something better. She knew it was selfish of her to keep this going for her own enjoyment, but she couldn't stop herself. She'd never had more fun or been more carefree in all her life.
“No, the date's over, we can come pick you up. Tell me how to get there.” Aaron gestured to the glove compartment and when Maeve opened it she found a small notepad and pen. She wrote down the directions that Aaron called out. “Yeah, we're real close. See you in a few.” He hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
“What is going on? Who are we picking up?”
“That was Lucas. He went with some girl to a house party and she broke up with him and left. Now he's stuck at somebody’s house where he doesn't know anybody and he says the vibe is getting kind of weird.”
“We have to go.” She sounded kind of anxious, but determined.
“I know we do, but why do you think so?”
“Jolie had a dream about a girl getting hurt at a strange house. She couldn't see the girls face and she didn't recognize anyone in her dream except Lucas.”
Chapter 7
She checked the number she had written on the pad against the number showing above the door. 214. This was it. She didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. They had double parked right in front of the house on the street, in case they had need of a quick get away. Aaron knocked on the door. They waited.
A shoe. There it was partially hidden around the side of the house under some shrubs. A women's shoe. Jolie had told them specifically about an expensive women's shoe in her dream.
Maeve tugged at Aaron's arm, pulling him around the side of the house, along the wooden fence, gesturing towards the shoe as they passed. They could see the group of frat boy looking men gathered around a picnic table, their backs turned to the house. Beer cans were strewn around the yard. Something grabbed Maeve's attention – there was a pair of female legs hanging off of the table; only one had a shoe, the other had a pair of panties dangling from it. One of the men started to undo his fly and in doing so gave Maeve a clear view of the back of a young girl being held face down by several co-conspirators. The moonlight shone on her bare bottom.
“Oh, my god. Aaron we can't let them rape her.”
“No we can't. I'll distract them and you get her to the car.” He threw her the keys as he took off running. Along the way he grabbed a loose plank from the decaying fence.
Maeve was rummaging through her giant purse when he took off. “Aaron, WAIT.” Her yell did not stop him, but it did gain the attention of the gang. The would-be rapist turned just in time to get a plank across the side of his face. The board broke and Aaron took off running away from Maeve, toward the back door of the house.
The gang released the girl and ran after the man who had attacked their leader. Aaron slipped on something in the grass and hit the ground hard. He didn't have time to get back up, before they caught up to him, but he still tried. The unlucky one to get to him first, while Aaron was trying to get up, got an uppercut to the groin. The next one to reach him went for the tackle and sacked him. Aaron went down under the larger mans weight and had the breath knocked out of his lungs. They all caught up with him at the far corner of the yard. He was taking quite a beating.
The man Aaron had hit hadn't taken off running with the group, but stood stunned that someone would attack him when he had his crew. His head was bleeding and he was pissed about this interruption. The beating they were giving Aaron was not going to quench his blood lust. That asshole was gonna get cut, he thought. Maeve was running toward the table when she saw the glint of metal in his hand.
Lucas came around the house just in time to see Maeve running with what looked like two giant plastic handguns aimed at a group of men kicking someone on the ground. Oh shit, that was Aaron. He tripped over something lying in the grass and landed on a giant purse. He snatched up the pepper spray he could see peaking out of the top and scrambled back to his feet.
He didn't see it happen but by the time he got close to the group, two men were twitching at Maeve's feet. She jabbed her guns into two more men’s backs, but there were still men kicking Aaron. Lucas readied his spray and pulled the trigger as soon as he thought he was close enough to hit them.
“Wait Lucas, that's enough.” Maeve and Aaron were downwind of the spray and they were feeling the effects, but not the way the gang was. “Everyone on the ground! Face down Assholes! Don't rub your eyes! That only makes it worse. Lucas keep it pointed at them, but only shoot if they try to get up.”
She dropped one of the tasers near Aaron's hand and ran back to her abandoned bag. She grabbed the package of wipes and ran back to Aaron's side. No one had moved.
She gently wiped Aaron's and her own face with one of the wipes and the pain was immediately lessened enough for Aaron to open his eyes. “I wish I'd known you carry an arsenal in that carpet bag of yours. It would've saved me some aches.”
“Sorry, I tried to stop you, but I only made it worse.
Lay down and breathe. Blink as much as you can and take deep breaths.”
He tried to follow her instructions and a groan escaped. “Oh, crap, your ribs are broken. Forget what I said before. Take short quick breaths and try to relax.” She reached into his front pocket and he gave a look like, this is hardly the time for that. She pulled out his cell phone. 911
“Hello dispatcher. We need an ambulance at 214 Mockingbird. We've had a two-six-one-Alan. Tell Chief Eddie Goodwin that this is Maeve Lovejoy calling. Seven suspects have been subdued and detained and await his arrival.”
***
The paperwork down at the station had taken longer than Maeve expected. Then the police had released the drugged and traumatized girl to her to take to the women’s shelter on the Daughters grounds since she would not give them the name of her next of kin. The police had told Maeve that the girls name was Christy, but Christy had not said a word on the drive to the safe house. She shook and wept as Maeve tried to convince her that she was safe and going to a place where they would understand what she was feeling and help her to work through it.
Nathalia met them at the heavily guarded alternative entrance on the North side where the shelter was. She helped Christy out of the car. She already had a room for Christy for the night and it was stocked with clean comfy pajamas. It also had a very cozy bed if she felt like sleeping and a coffee maker if she did not. Nathalia would stay with her if she liked, so that she wouldn't be alone.
All of Nathalia's pleasantry's fell on deaf ears it seemed. Christy followed them to her room and shed the trauma blanket given to her by the police and then crawled into bed. Nathalia turned off the main light and closed the door behind her. Christy obviously was in no condition to talk about what happened to her. They would talk in the morning.
“I have to go to the hospital.”
“He did a good thing tonight. This girl wouldn't have survived another attack. Did you see the scars and old bruises on her body?”
Maeve nodded. The abuse had been going on for a long time. That was obvious. The abuser had felt the need to escalate to public humiliation. He'd probably convinced her that she wanted it. Nathalia had her work cut out for her.
“Have you heard anything about Aaron's condition?”
“No. No one's called me and the hospital won't tell me anything since I'm not family. Those guys really whaled on him good. I think he has a concussion and maybe some broken ribs. He was conscious when the ambulance left. That's about all I know. That reminds me. When the paramedics got there and started talking to Aaron, they were asking all the normal questions and trying to keep him talking. He told them that besides his mom, JD was his next of kin. They're cousins.”
“Jolie's JD?” That meant Aaron was a man of the Family too. “Wow, Maeve. I'm sorry.” These last few weeks of normalcy had meant a lot to Maeve. “We could hold off telling them for just a little while longer,” Nathalia suggested, hoping to extend her friend’s happy reprieve from the demands of her job.
“I already called Margaux and told her.”
Margaux had actually been pretty shocked. She said the council traces every female branch of the Family and Aaron had not come up, but they were going to do some field work to verify lineage. When Maeve asked her what she meant about female branch, Margaux had answered that the Family gene was passed on through the female carriers, but the 'blessing' ended at every male branch.
Maeve already knew they were only interested in males of the Family because they hoped to match them with women of the organization and organizations like it throughout history. They were hoping for a very specific match that was supposed to produce a child; one of unimaginable power and goodness who would change the course of human history forever.
Nathalia waived as Maeve headed toward the door. She felt sad for her childhood friend, sometimes lover, and adult companion. Maeve's vow to matchmake for Aaron would have to be renewed. If he was part of the Family then she really didn't have much choice and neither did he. Matching members of the Family and/or the sisterhood always took precedence. Her test run at regular life and love was at an end.
***
Aaron's ribs really hurt. The doctors said three were broken and two more cracked. His head was throbbing, even with all of the pain meds they had given him. His jaw wasn't broken, but was very bruised on the right side along with the cheekbone. JD told him his faced looked a mess with the black eye and numerous random stitches. He wondered how he looked to the man questioning him about the incident and his mother, of all things, in the wee hours of the morning. His injuries couldn't be too bad or he wouldn't be pressing Aaron so hard.
Aaron also wandered who this guy was or who he was sleeping with to get him inside so long after visiting hours were over. He certainly wasn't family. Looking at him, Aaron could imagine this man came straight from heaven. The man stayed in the shadows and Aaron still had not gotten a good look at him, but had an air of power and importance about him. He was both beautiful and frightening.
“Tradition dictates that we appear directly to the mother, but it will take time to repair the damage. She cannot give us the information, so I must ask you again. How are you related to John David Douglas?”
His voice was odd and Aaron was having a hard time keeping track of what question he'd just asked. He also could not remember what this was all about but felt compelled to answer the man honestly. He had the feel of a man that could be trusted, but not easily deceived.
“I'm his cousin.”
“In what manner?”
Aaron gave an exasperated sigh. “The usual manner: my mom and his mom are sisters.”
“No, this cannot be. Our records indicate that your mother is the only daughter of a son of the Family. John David Douglas is a son of a daughter's daughter. He carries the gene.”
“It's very late and I don't really understand what this has to do with my injuries or the incident, but I'll tell you again. Our moms are sisters. Well, half sisters really - same mom, different dad. There was some 'child out of wedlock' controversies avoided by my grandma's brother raising my mom instead of her. He was already married and my real grandma wasn't.”
Aaron had actually only found all this out a few years ago. His real grandmother had made the confession part of her will along with regret for not having been a bigger part of their lives. It had been a different time when she found herself 'in the family way' with no husband and she would have been a ruined woman if anyone had known. Too bad the confession had come after Aaron's mother’s stroke, and without any inheritance. She might never know who her real mother was and Aaron sure could have used some help taking care of her.
“So, because we cannot risk missing an opportunity, I accept that you, Aaron James Wright, are the son of a daughter's daughter and could, if matched with the correct daughter, be the Holy Father. I will amend our records immediately and see to your match. One will be sent to see to your injuries as he has already seen to your mother's.”
Aaron closed his eyes. There were a lot of 'daughters', 'mother's', 'fathers' in those last few sentences and Aaron was much too tired to follow what this crazy midnight visitor was talking about. Aaron smelled the sweet smell of her. He opened his eyes to Maeve's worried face.
“Don't be afraid.”
The light from the hallway back lit her head and shoulders, giving off a halo effect. Funny how she had used a modern version of the first words angels always spoke whenever they visited humans with a message. Hadn't the man used a similar phrase? “My angel. I'm only supposed to have one visitor at a time.”
Maeve looked around the room. Maybe his brain was injured worse than the doctors had let on. “It's just me, Aaron. JD left hours ago.”
“No, not JD. I was just talking to him, the beautiful giant. He was standing right over there when you came in.”
He gestured to the dark corner of his private recovery room. Maeve glanced over at the empty corner. Of course there was no one there now, but maybe earlier he had had
a visit. 'The beautiful giant' certainly sounded familiar. She hadn't thought they would do the 'field work' so quickly. “Aaron, I think you were dreaming. You were asleep when I came in.”
The details of the visit did seem to be fading. Maybe she was right. “How'd you get them to let you in? It's supposed to be family only, not that I mind you being here.”
“JD told them I'd be coming later, that I was your fiancé' and was worried sick, but couldn't get off of work until late.” She flashed her ring finger and the engagement ring her mentor had given her as a symbol of her vows. Maeve kept it in her purse at all times and this time it had come in handy.
Laughing hurt his ribs, but Aaron couldn't help himself. Maeve tried to quiet him before a nurse busted in to send her home. “Is the idea that you might be engaged to me so funny that you threaten your recovery to laugh at the idea?” Maeve asked looking slightly hurt. She knew that on her side, it was quite laughable that she could be engaged, but it was insulting to think that Aaron thought so.
“No, not at all. I would propose to you right now if I thought you would say yes. It's just that, so far, our relationship's only been advanced by lying. We are just dating because you want to matchmake for me and now we have to say we are engaged. If my luck holds out, we could lie ourselves into a happily ever after life.”
“If this is you getting lucky, then you may find yourself dead if it holds out.” She reached across to take his hand on the far side of the bed, since the one on her side was obviously unavailable, being broken and in a full cast. “Both Elle and I were certain that you didn't have a violent bone in your body.”
“I don't. That was the first time I've ever even hit anyone, but there's some evil in this world that only understands violence and deserves what's dished out to them.”
Ishtar Bound Page 9