by Creator
A glance at the clock showed he would have to get ready for work in five hours. He knew sleep would elude him. Aislinn’s hesitation over being mated to him still ate at him. He knew it wasn’t that she was repulsed by the idea; she would have never agreed to wear the engagement ring otherwise. Then again, he got the feeling that she wasn’t taking it seriously. He would give her all the time she needed, but he wondered if it would be enough.
Aislinn was already the most important thing in Connor’s life. He wished she could feel the same about him. It broke his heart that he’d finally found his mate, only to discover she didn’t really want to be with him.
Yes, she was lying in his arms, but only because she needed comfort and no one else was around. If she would’ve had a choice, she probably wouldn’t have chosen him. He wished he knew what she wanted. She’d talked about being independent and getting a job, and while he had no problem with that, he wanted to take care of her. She’d had such a rough life that he wanted to
make everything better. He wanted to hold her, make love to her, and show her that no one would ever harm her again – and he would, if she would just let him.
She shifted in his arms and he tightened his embrace. Looking down at her, he smiled. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And she was his! No matter what it took, he would make sure she remained exactly where she was – in his bed and in his arms. It was where she belonged.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Aislinn woke to find herself wrapped in someone’s arms. She stiffened until she realized it was Connor. With a smile, she snuggled closer. While she still thought being his mate was too good to be true, she was happier than she had been in a long time. Life with Connor was comfortable. She’d never had that with Hugh; it had been one stressful day after another.
Connor’s alarm went off and he blindly felt for the clock. Smacking his hand down on top of it, he pulled her closer and kept dozing. She took a moment to study him, admiring his handsome face. If fairy tales could come true, she would find her happily ever after with him. But she wasn’t sure she believed in fairy tales anymore.
“Connor, aren’t you going to be late for work?” she asked softly.
He mumbled something she didn’t quite catch.
“Connor?”
“Hmm?”
“Aren’t you going to be late if you don’t get up?”
He slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. With a sigh, he let her go and stretched.
“Yeah, I have to get up, but I’d rather stay right here with you.”
She smiled and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. “It won’t be long before the weekend is here again. Then you can lie in bed as long as you want.”
He pulled her back into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be looking forward to it. Lying here with you is definitely a nice way to spend my time.”
Aislinn hugged him. “As much as I like you being here with me, I don’t want you to be late for work.”
He grumbled. “You’re already sounding like a wife.”
She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so she let it go. Being Connor’s wife would certainly be better than being Hugh’s wife, of that she had no doubt. She watched as he rolled out of bed and went to take a shower, admiring the way his muscles moved when he walked. His kisses told her that making love with him would be more than pleasurable. Now if she could just figure out how to convince him she was ready. She wasn’t sure when she’d come to that conclusion,
but she knew in her heart that it was right. She’d never wanted anything as much as she wanted to be loved by Connor, even if it was only physical. She’d take anything she could get.
At work, Connor was going over the budget for the current project when the door to his work trailer banged open. Looking up, he saw to his chagrin that it was Cameron.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a frown. “I mailed your final check to you.”
“I came to talk.”
He shook his head and looked down at the budget report again. “There’s nothing to talk about. You didn’t show for work or call for several days. As far as I’m concerned, you resigned.”
“You know I wouldn’t quit on you like that. Not when you need me,” she pouted.
Connor glared at her. “No, actually I don’t need you. I’ve already hired a replacement.”
She looked offended, but moved closer to his desk. “You know you can’t replace me.”
“Cameron, I just told you that your job isn’t available anymore.”
“Maybe not, but you could always use some help around the office.” She smiled. “You know your paperwork is always disorganized.”
Connor looked at his desk and realized she was right. But it wasn’t Cameron he was going to hire. “It won’t be this way much longer. I hired a secretary yesterday,” he lied easily.
She narrowed her eyes and her lips thinned. “Then where is she?”
“She doesn’t start until next week. Now, go away.”
Cameron mumbled something under her breath and stormed out of the trailer, slamming the door closed behind her.
Connor smiled and picked up the phone. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of hiring Aislinn sooner, but it answered both of their problems. He only hoped she would agree to take the job.
When she didn’t answer, he hung up and frowned at the phone. It wasn’t like her to leave the house without letting him know where she would be. He waited a few minutes and tried again, but there was still no answer.
Apprehension filled him and he grabbed his keys. Locking up the office, he told his foreman he was going home and would be back soon. He jumped in his truck and sped out of the construction lot.
Connor hadn’t been gone long when Eric appeared.
Pulling the covers up to her chin, she looked at him uncertainly.
“Are you here to take me away?”
He smiled. “No. Well, not exactly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re either taking me away or you aren’t.”
“I’m taking you somewhere, but you’re coming back.”
She looked at him, confused. “I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
With a wave of his hand, Aislinn was dressed in a beautiful green dress with flared sleeves. She stood and looked down at herself in amazement. She knew he had powers, but the things he did still amazed her.
“What about Connor?” she asked.
Eric smiled and held out his hand. “Worrying a little will be good for him.”
Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his and they vanished as quickly as he had arrived. When she next opened her eyes, she stared at her surroundings in confusion. She had never lived in the slums, but she recognized them just the same. Some small children played on a street corner, drug dealers worked the corner across from them.
She looked at Eric with a million questions on her mind, but she only asked one.
“What are we doing here?”
“You’re here to learn something. Watch,” he said with a tip of his head towards the children.
It was like watching a horror show in slow motion. A man walked down the street toward the children, a knife in his hand and a cold look in his eyes. Aislinn took a step forward, wanting to call out a warning to the kids. Surely Eric wasn’t going to make her watch an abduction take place! She could only imagines the horrors the child would suffer.
When the man reached for the smallest little girl, hoisting her up by her hair and pressing the knife against her throat, Aislinn screamed and flung out her hands as if to stop him. She knew the little girl wouldn’t survive if someone didn’t intervene.
“No!”
The man’s eyes went wide and he dropped the child as he staggered backward, thrown off balance. Looking around, he tried to find the source of the blast that had lost him his prey. He
watched the kids scamper away and quickly walked in
the opposite direction, fury blazing in his eyes. When he was out of sight, Aislinn look at Eric with a comical expression on her face.
“What just happened?”
He smiled. “You just saved a little girl.”
“But… I don’t understand.”
“When I saved your life, I had to give you part of my life essence. Some of my magic transferred to you as well. It didn’t exactly take any power from me, but you have a few shared abilities with me now. Abilities that will help you in the months to come.”
“Powers?”
“Yes, Aislinn. I’m afraid the price of me saving your life is that you’re now a sorceress. A rather powerful one at that.” Once you learn to use your powers, he silently added.
She just stared at him with a blank look, unable to truly grasp what he was saying, yet unable to deny that something had happened when she had wanted to save the small child. But how could she have been the one to stop the man? How could she have power like that? It didn’t seem possible that the woman who had been unable to defend herself for the past year was now able to save the lives of others.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “It’s time to get you back home. I imagine your mate is rather worried about now.”
Her eyes lost some of their haze at the mention of Connor. “What about Connor?”
Eric gave her a wicked grin. “Your mate has discovered you aren’t answering the phone and is on his way home as we speak.”
“How do you know that? How did you know about the little girl, about my … abilities?”
“I just know things, Aislinn. But knowledge comes with a price. You’ll have to learn that you can’t save everyone, no matter how much you might want to. The more power you use, the more tired you will become.”
“But you don’t seem to get tired.”
“Ah, but that’s because I am power. You simply inherited a bit from me.”
She nodded and leaned against him, ready to go back home. Before she could blink, she was standing in the bedroom at Connor’s again. Eric was nowhere to be seen, but she heard the front door open seconds before her mate was calling her name. She could tell he was frantic and she hated that he had been worried.
She narrowed her eyes and looked around the room. The damn sorcerer was going to get her into trouble one of these days.
“I’m in here Connor.”
Hearing her voice in the bedroom, Connor rushed through the house. Part of him was relieved she was okay and the other part wanted to strangle her for worrying him. He pushed open the door and froze, sniffing the air.
He growled and scanned the area, but the sorcerer was either hiding or had left. “Is he the reason you didn’t answer the phone?”
She took a step toward him and stopped. “Yes.”
His muscles tensed. “What did he want this time?”
She shrugged, not sure if she should mention her abilities or not. What if it had just been a fluke? She didn’t want to claim power she didn’t really have.
“He said he wanted to show me something and then he transported us somewhere.”
Connor stalked closer, his eyes raking over her body. “To what? Go shopping?”
She blushed. “Actually, I think he made this with magick.”
His hands tightened into fists as he thought of the sorcerer giving her such a gift. Was the man a threat? Would Aislinn prefer the sorcerer to him?
Connor struggled to get his jealousy under control. “I was calling because I have a job for you, a paying one.”
She smiled and stepped even closer, their bodies nearly touching as she looked up at him, her eyes completely open and honest. “Really?”
He sighed, letting loose of his anger. It wasn’t Aislinn he was upset with, it was the damn sorcerer, and he refused to take his temper out on his mate. The man was starting to get under his skin, always popping up when Aislinn was alone, and then disappearing before Connor could enter the room. It was hard to fight against something, or someone, you couldn’t see.
“Yeah. It was brought to my attention today that I don’t do well with paperwork. I was hoping you would work for my company as my secretary.”
She bit her lip, some of her excitement fading. “Connor, you don’t have to invent a job just to make me feel more useful.”
He lightly caressed her arms. “I’m not. I really do need your help.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Really? You really need me?”
He smiled and tugged on a strand of her hair. “Yes, I really need you.” For a moment he wondered if they were talking about his office, or something else. “My office is a mess and my filing system… Well, it mostly consists of stacks of paper here, there, and everywhere. You’ll have to order some supplies to get me organized.”
She smiled and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
“I thought you could start Monday. I have no idea how much a secretary costs these days, but I’ll do some research on it today and let you know your salary by dinner tonight. There’s even a health insurance plan.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
If he didn’t know better, he would swear it was love he saw in her eyes. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part. Regardless, he was obviously moving in the right direction.
“I better get back to work. I just came home to check on you.”
The smile slipped from her face. “I’m sorry you were worried. I wanted to call, but…”
“But he wouldn’t let you,” he finished. If he ever got his hands on the sorcerer, he was going to choke the life out of him. Assuming you could kill someone who’d lived for a thousand years. For all he knew, the sorcerer couldn’t die.
She nodded.
Caressing her cheek, he pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “It’s okay, Aislinn. I know it wasn’t your fault.”
She leaned into him and rested her cheek against his chest. Being in his arms always comforted her. His strength made her feel protected, his embrace made her feel cherished. It felt so right to be with him.
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly, his hand caressing her back. The green suited her and he loved seeing her in something so feminine. He only wished that he had bought it for her.
Not wanting to part from her, he asked, “Would you like to come to work with me? See what kind of mess you’ll be getting into if you take the job?”
She leaned back and smiled up at him. “I’d love to. Just let me grab my purse.”
Connor waited patiently while Aislinn got her purse and brushed out her hair. When she was ready, he gently clasped her hand and walked with her out to the truck. He always felt calm and content when she was near.
He glanced down at the ring on her finger and smiled. Knowing that she was his gave him more satisfaction than anything else. He only wished that she would trust him a little more. It was going to be a constant battle, one he was ready to win, but he wanted to erase the pain of her past and show her that a man could take care of her. He wanted to be the one to prove to her that not all men were like her ex-husband.
His throat constricted. Truth be told, he knew that Hugh wasn’t her ex. In order for there to be an ex, there would have been a divorce. Even knowing that her husband was in another reality, it still ate at Connor. He wanted Aislinn to be solely his, and he felt that as long as Hugh was out there that would never happen.
If he could ever nail the sorcerer down, he’d ask if it would be possible to take a trip to Aislinn’s time. Every time he thought of the man’s hands on her, he saw red. He knew violence wasn’t the answer, but he wanted Aislinn to be well and truly free from her past life. He just didn’t know how to accomplish it.
Chapter Twelve
Aislinn followed Connor into his work trailer at the construction site. During her previous visit, she’d only had eyes for Connor and his argumentative employee, Cameron. Now, she viewed the place through the eyes of his future secretary, and she realized at once that it was going to b
e a lot of work. She was thrilled that he had such confidence in her and anxious to get started.
“Could I look through things and give you a list of supplies I’ll need? That way I can start right away on Monday.”
He nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. I know you need file folders and those green things that hang in the cabinet to keep them organized.”
She stifled a grin. “You mean hanging files?”
He shrugged and looked sheepish. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe if I knew more about them, I would have used them and this place wouldn’t be such a mess.”
She lost the battle and smiled at him. “Yes, but then you wouldn’t need me.”
His face grew serious and he pulled her closer. “I’ll always need you, Aislinn.”
She blushed and looked up at him through her lashes. Shaking her head, she took a step back. “No, sir, Mr. Tierney. If I’m going to work for you, we’re going to have to lay some ground rules.”
He grinned. “Really? And what might those be?”
“No fondling the help.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Well, I’ll endeavor to keep the fondling to a minimal, except for after hours.”
Aislinn placed a hand on her hip. It wasn’t that she minded his touch, but the man was distracting enough already. If he kept touching her at every turn, she was going to lose it.
“I mean it, Connor. How am I supposed to get you organized if you’re going to grab me at every turn?”
He held his hands up in surrender and did his best to keep a straight face. Fondling indeed! “Okay, I promise to keep my hands to myself.” As much as possible, he added silently.
She glanced around the space. “Um, Connor… Where am I supposed to work in here?”
He looked around and realized the only flat surface was his desk, which was currently covered in papers.