by Brianna West
I watched as Conall fled up the stairs, Laura hot on his heels, before the house shook and the ceiling creaked with their antics. Aidan took a seat beside me, his body nearly painting into mine with how much space his immense size took up.
“I’m surprised you’re still here. I thought you’d have left ages ago,” he remarked, peering into my face closely. Then, he panned the room and noticed the suitcase nearby. “Or did that bloody wanker bait you into staying?”
Smirking bitterly, I glanced at Aidan. “What gave it away?”
“Your mournful resignation,” he retorted sarcastically, grinning. “Can’t say I’m upset, though. I had hoped to get to know you better.”
Heaving another sigh, I nodded without any real emotion. “Looks like you’ll have your chance.”
Another loud crash echoed from upstairs. I barely made out what they were saying in all the chaos as the shattering of glass and loud thumps of other things that Laura was probably throwing resounded within the small cottage. Aidan glanced towards the ceiling with his lips lifted, then he offered me another broad grin that gave me the oddest feeling in my belly. Every time the man smiled, I was never prepared enough. With his usual indifferent face, the sudden appearance of a smile was damn near blinding.
“They’ll be at it for a while. How about I treat you to a meal?” Rising, Aidan thumbed towards the door and indicated he intended to take me elsewhere.
I was still eager to know more about Niko’s involvement in what we discovered the night before, but I was also desperate to escape the peculiar situation between Conall and I. Standing, I nodded my assertion and followed him outside.
One of the windows broke with a loud crash just as we stepped outside, Laura’s voice becoming shrill in her fury. “You’ve stretched out my favorite pair of Gucci heels for the last time, Old Man!”
“I was curious is all! I’ll replace ‘em!”
Aidan’s blatant disregard of the madness ensuing behind us was just more evidence that I’d better find somewhere else to stay. Even Bernie wasn’t as unique as Conall seemed to be.
“I probably shouldn’t bother asking, but are those two going to be alright if we leave them?” I got into the Mercedes parked beside the comically small car Conall favored, relishing the extra space.
Aidan’s large body barely fit inside, but he managed to pivot towards me and offer me another wide grin, stunning my heart into chaos. “Laura will, but I can’t say whether or not the bloody old man will fare well with no one to intervene. He’ll probably be unconscious somewhere by the time we get home. Not to worry.”
Laughing heartily for the first time in a while, I eased into the seat and silently watched as Aidan drove us towards town. “I can’t say I blame her.”
“Not many would. I hope you know that Conall isn’t the rule. More like the exception. If he weren’t so bloody talented, he probably would have been murdered or worse by now.” Aidan chuckled, sneaking a glance at me before tightening his hands on the wheel. “He seems to have done a number on you.”
My smile faltered. “I won’t deny it. I’ve never met anyone quite as extreme as he is. It was an…enlightening experience.”
Aidan’s mouth twitched, the only sign of emotion aside from the slight hunch in his shoulders. “That’s one way to put it, I guess. But he’s not a bad bloke. He grows on ya. Give it time.”
I shook my head, rejecting the suggestion immediately. “I won’t be staying long. But there’s something I need to find out, and that’s the only reason I’ve stayed.”
Aidan hummed lightly, glancing at me quickly before nodding. “Don’t let him drink from you again.”
Startled, I jerked my gaze over to the large Guardian. “Should I bother asking why when I hadn’t planned to anyways?”
“You’re the first Guardian,” Aidan added with a serious note to his voice. “He’s never drank from another Guardian in all the time I’ve known him. Honestly, we only thought he’d touched you. He’s bleeding handsy and it’s gotten him into trouble before. As much as we teased he might bite you, we never actually bloody believed he would.”
I could tell by the tone in his voice that Aidan was genuinely worried, and that alone concerned me enough to know this wasn’t some sort of joke. There was something to be feared, and I needed to know what.
“But when we found out that the blood he’d gotten was from you and not a donor, we didn’t know what to make of it. I don’t know why he bloody did it last night, but don’t let him do it again. He sort of…loses himself when he does.”
Curiosity piqued, I blatantly stared at Aidan. “How do you mean?”
There was obvious tension in the other man’s expression as he quietly pondered his next response. “He never keeps a donor long. Maybe a month, at most. Whatever the reason, his donors go through heavier than normal withdrawals, even with separation. But not only that, Conall’s personality changes when he drinks fresh blood. I can’t explain it, but it’s a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of switch. It’s bloody mental, is what it is.”
I remembered the way Conall’s eyes had bled to red. His demeanor had shifted, but since I’d never seen a half vampire take blood from a donor, I hadn’t known what to expect, or if any of what I was observing was strange. For all I knew, Conall’s actions were entirely normal.
“Seems he delves into his Dark blood whenever he drinks, and it sort of temporarily changes him. Not enough to be dangerous, but enough to cause some bloody trouble. Actually, it was suggested by our supervising angel that he started to drink blood bags.”
“And he hasn’t?” I had ceased moving altogether and started to hang onto his every word.
“He’s given it a go, yeah, but he’s always bloody given in, willful wanker. Blood from a bag doesn’t give him the same sort of power as taking it straight from the host, so they’ll never completely force him off donors unless it becomes a bloody problem.” Aidan finally looked my direction, the grooves in his face deepening with the severity of his speech. “But he’s never touched another Guardian, yeah? It’s his personal rule not to. For whatever reason, Conall has always made it clear that it would be disastrous if he did. Which was the entire bloody reason we couldn’t believe he had at first, yeah?”
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I looked away to stare out the window. I was already feeling the yearning strong enough to cause discomfort, and I feared that what happened last night would happen again, so I set aside my pride for a moment to ask, “How do I manage the withdrawals?”
Silence filled the car, the sounds of the engine rumbling the only thing to disturb the quiet. When I finally looked over, Aidan was staring at the road ahead, tension evident in his jaw.
“You can stay with me, yeah? We might need to restrain you the first night. It’ll be bloody chaos, but I think you should be better by the second or third day.”
I couldn’t believe I was actually considering letting him chain me down like some sort of animal, but I knew how difficult the withdrawals were at a normal level. I could only imagine how difficult they’d be with how Aidan had described the reactions from past donors. At the very least, I’d need some sort of restraint.
Finally agreeing, I nodded once. “Do me a favor then,” I started, causing Aidan to look over at me, inquisitive, “Find out all you can about the high-demon’s accomplice from last night. His name is Niko Lindberg.”
“Is that what he used to keep you?” I didn’t answer, just kept my eyes to the horizon. After a few minutes, Aidan sighed deeply. “We’ll head to my place first, yeah? I’ve got a set of magical cuffs I keep for…”
I eyed him suspiciously as his gaze wandered, the unspoken words hanging in the air. The man clearly used them for other things, and it wasn’t my place to ask about it.
Aidan cleared his throat, tightening his grip on the wheel. “And then I’ll get you what you need to know before you’re out of your bloody mind and it’s worthless to bother.”
I huffed a bitter laug
h, desperate but thankful. “Greatly appreciated.”
My stomach constricted violently with the prospects of undergoing the withdrawal from Conall’s bite, but I’d been through worse in my years. Or so I imagined. At the very least, I’d have Aidan to support me. So, I was grateful that I wasn’t going to be alone when the urge became too much to bear. The were-bear mix might seem a little rough around the edges, but his heart was in the right place. His scent was oddly inviting and it soothed the anxious nausea in my belly.
Chapter Six
“Just make sure the old man doesn’t bloody leave. I’ll handle Carl and call you in the morning,” Aidan said, holding his phone while staring down at me with concern etched into his brow.
Sweat beaded along my forehead. Every part of my body was burning. Gently, Aidan secured magical cuffs to both of my wrists and the headboard. I’d stripped down to a comfortable pair of pants and thin tank top, which were already soaked with perspiration. Closing my eyes, I clenched my jaw against the sweltering heat consuming my form in hard, rolling waves. I battled the desire to search for the vampire who bit me. Everything ached against the pulsating yearning. Even the fabric against my skin ate away at me, like I was being skinned alive.
I longed to feel the piercing pain of Conall’s bite. It was the only way to satisfy the unbearable yearning in my core.
Aidan’s gruff voice called out to me as the muscles in my torso spasmed. “How are you holding up? Need anything?”
I shook my head, inhaling sharply. I took in short pants of air as another few spasms ripped through my already exhausted body. “I’m fine,” I answered through a gritted jaw.
“Yeah, sure you are.” Aidan took a seat beside me, brushing a cool towel across my forehead, which was already trailing sweat.
I huffed a short laugh, glaring at the sarcastic bastard. “I’ll be fine. Don’t trouble yourself over me.”
Aidan’s hand ceased, having wiped from my forehead to the column of my neck and resting the wet towel there. “That wouldn’t make me a very good host, now would it?”
Grinning brazenly, his hand moved again to swipe the towel just beneath the collar of my shirt. I shuddered at the sensation, finding the coarse fabric oddly satisfying even through the intense burn as it dipped in the narrow valley of my chest.
Aidan’s concentrated eyes raised, searching my face minutely. “Does it hurt?”
I barely caught my breath enough to answer as another hot flood of terrible sensation crashed over me. “Not in the way you’re thinking.”
The other Guardian’s mouth twitched slightly, his expression as unreadable as ever. “I imagine you’re pretty bloody sensitive right now.”
Laughing breathlessly, I swallowed and attempted to moisten my arid throat. “That’s one way to put it, but I’ve dealt with worse,” I lied.
“It’ll pass, but it’s going to be a long night.” Aidan tossed the towel into a bin nearby and put his weight onto one hand, then peered down at me. “There is something I can do to ease your discomfort, but it might blur the lines of right and wrong.”
Honestly, I was willing to try anything at this point to ease the discomfort. The hot pain was unfortunately making me desperate, though I’d never admit to it out loud. My vision was hazy as I looked at the stone-faced Guardian, gasping as another powerful wave of volatile heat flushed through me. My thoughts muddled, and the desire to free myself caused me to fight the cuffs binding me to the bed.
I needed to find Conall. I needed his bite.
“Carl?”
Loud clanks of metal rang out, and the solid wood headboard creaked ominously as I fought to escape the restraints. “Uncuff me, goddammit,” I demanded, the voice speaking no longer sounding anything like my own.
Another hard wash of heat hit, this one more terrible than the last, and I was forced to gasp just to get through the assault. “I’ve changed my mind. Let me go to him. I need his bite.”
“You know I can’t let you, mate.”
I couldn’t think. Pleas fled my mouth and desperate groans accompanied them when Aidan denied me, again and again, with a voice that was nothing but sympathetic. Frustratingly so.
I started to lift through the chest, dragging myself up with all the strength I could muster, but I was immediately pressed back down. I growled low in my throat, the sound a subtle warning, as Aidan’s weight pinned me to the bed. Large hands held down my biceps as I fought to get the other Guardian off of me.
“Even with the cuffs you’re bloody strong,” Aidan said, grunting as he climbed over me and pinned my legs down with his knees.
The familiar sensation of transformation swelled through me as I attempted to free myself again, the other man’s weight keeping me from doing much more than pointless writhing. I snarled angrily, the sound resonating inside my chest as I bucked my hips, but his hands only tightened on me in reaction.
“I haven’t got any bloody choice,” Aidan ground out with frustration before his mouth pressed into my neck. His breath bathed my skin with hot moisture, startling me just enough that I ceased fighting him. “I’ve got too much to live for, so you better not bloody murder me when you’re in your right mind.”
After a resigned huff, there was a sharp prick of pain where my pulse thudded before pleasurable relief washed over me. My breathing hitched as Aidan sunk his fangs in further into my neck, pulling away briefly to lap at the thin trail of blood that streamed from the wound. Then slipping a hand around my neck and angling it back, he bit me for a second time. The vibration of his satisfied growl tickled the flesh of where his lips pressed. I inhaled sharply and lost all the strength in my body, finally submitting to him.
When Aidan pulled away, the heat had finally eased into a comfortable warmth. Released from the ongoing pain I’d underwent for hours, I was uncharacteristically weak while the devastating exhaustion pulled at my eyelids. The other Guardian watched me as I breathed a short sigh, the tension easing from his body.
Aidan’s smile was impish. “I was worried that might not work, seeing how you’re technically my superior. But looks like your beast is submissive to mine. Bloody brilliant, yeah?”
Being were-creatures, it was in our primal nature to either submit or dominate. Paired together, there couldn’t be two dominants. It was innate to us when two beasts came together, there was a role each person would assume. But sometimes with mixed bloods like ourselves, it didn’t always work as smoothly as it would with purebloods.
Aidan had taken a risk in biting me. If he were the submissive of the two, the bite would’ve enraged my inner tiger to a dangerous degree. Quite possibly to homicide in my current distressed state. However, since I was the submissive one, it had a calming effect due to his ability to smother my body’s reactions with it.
Rising from his seat beside me, Aidan wiped his mouth on the collar of his shirt. The inner perfectionist in me cringed at the sight of blood tarnishing the fabric, but I kept those thoughts to myself.
“I’ll let you rest. Just yell if you need anything.”
I managed enough strength to nod, then watched him long enough to leave before my eyelids fell slowly against my cheeks. The strong desire to sleep took hold of me. I was grateful that Aidan had eased the heat that had wreaked havoc on my body. I regretted not telling him so, but I was too damn tired to call after him to remedy the error. And before I knew it, I was already unconscious.
*
Carl. Carl, I’m coming for you.
My eyes shot open, seeing an unfamiliar ceiling and panicking for a short breath before I remembered where I was. A faint voice resonated inside of my head, but I couldn’t distinctly recognize it. My entire body was heavy as lead and my throat painfully dry, but I no longer felt the heat of yearning that had consumed me earlier.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I lifted as far as I was able to with still being unfortunately cuffed to the bed. Nothing around me stirred, but the scent of someone hung in the air—a scent I hadn’t been in the presence
of for a very long time.
“Niko,” I breathed, startling as a low chuckle broke through the quiet.
My head shot to the left, seeing the man who had once been a faded memory now in all his detailed splendor. His silver-blue eyes, fair skin, and pale blonde hair were exactly how I remembered them, but the powerful body encased in intricate tattoos was different. Completely different. He appeared bulkier than he used to be. Uncomfortably so. The straining, taut muscle that corded his torso had grown nearly double in size from my memories of him.
His chest was lain bare, with only a silver-chain necklace hanging just above his collarbone. Black gloves covered his hands, the leather creaking as he fisted them. Every muscle in his torso was grooved and protruding, concealed in parts by thick bands of ink and symbols I didn’t quite recognize. A large-buckle belt held his black pants low on his hips, where the tattoos disappeared along his sides. His deeply grooved abdominals were straining as he leaned against the wall and stared at me with quiet regard.
I’d never seen Niko look so Dark.
“Never thought our reunion would include you being tied down to the bed, but you won’t find me complaining. I quite like you cuffed and waiting.” His steps were silent, completely undetectable. Within a blink, he appeared next to the bed. “You’re just how I remember you.”
I hadn’t breathed. I didn’t know how to respond at all. Seeing Niko after believing he was dead all these years had left me speechless. His eyes were just as captivating as they had been all those years ago, and I was having trouble not thinking this was all some sort of dream my brain had concocted after suffering through the withdrawal from Conall’s bite.
Niko’s eyes shot to the door, his tongue clicking with annoyance. “We’re short on time, so I’ll be brief.”