Shackled to the Night, page 15
“I’m not going to hurt you, Mom,” he said quietly.
She brought him to her chest and held him close. “I never thought you would, baby.”
“I love you, Mom,” he said into her chest.
“I love you too, my sweet boy.”
Robert cleared his throat, and Emily released her son. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your game,” she said to the boys. “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I’ll get out of your hair and go back to bed.”
She felt that inner power begin to swirl, and she knew that by morning she would be able to get a handle on everything. She would be able to pull up her big girl panties and deal with the situation and whatever this new road presented to them. But now, she needed to get some sleep.
Two hours later, the sun started to make its way over the horizon. The boys were getting along so well, they decided they would share a room. Thaddeus corralled them into the room next to Aiden’s. He figured if they were loud they wouldn’t wake him. Aiden was taking a whiskey nap, and Thaddeus bet that short of a small bomb going off under his pillow, he wouldn’t stir.
As he made his way to his own room, Thaddeus thought about what Aiden had told him. Jesus. The poor fucker was really in bad place. Aiden had started out with the bullet point version of the past ten years, but as the whiskey flowed, so did the details.
The bastard had done it. He had fallen in love with a human woman and made the relationship work. He had disappeared. Thaddeus had put in a halfhearted effort into tracking him down, but then figured if Aiden wanted to vanish, that was his business. Thaddeus had known that at some point Aiden would show up and explain what had happened. He thought about a number of different scenarios of where Aiden had disappeared, but never in his wildest thoughts had he even considered the truth of the matter.
Mom hadn’t paid him a visit either, and wasn’t he the lucky bastard on that front. Thaddeus wondered what the bitch would have done if she had found Aiden. He guessed that Natalie would be dead in a matter of minutes, and she most likely would have put the hurt on Aiden. Whether or not she killed him was up for discussion. He had broken one of The Council’s precious rules of the Behavior Doctrine, and it was punishable by death. Their mother would have wanted the most terrible punishment for the infraction, and she may have deemed that Aiden living without Natalie sufficient, or even worse than death. Thaddeus thought of their now dead brother Xavier. That poor fucker had dragged his human lover all over the earth, from continent to continent, trying to keep a step ahead of good old mom. A lot of good that did him. She had incinerated both of them.
As it was now, Aiden was like a zombie, and even though Aiden hadn’t come out and said it, Thaddeus had an idea that he had plans to buy the farm. Thaddeus just didn’t know when. And why hadn’t their mother showed up on Aiden’s door step as she was so fond of doing to Thaddeus and the rest of their brothers? Thaddeus had mused that perhaps it had something to do with Aiden’s sixth sense—perhaps she couldn’t track him with it—but neither of them knew for sure. Now that Thaddeus thought about it, he was guessing that was the reason. Their mother had always known where they all were, but she often asked him and his other brothers if they had heard or seen Aiden. Of course, a version of “fuck you” was the typical answer along with a silent prayer she didn’t kick your ass for insubordination, but just the fact that she had to ask . . .
When the story had been wrung out and laid on the table, Aiden turned on Thaddeus. He said it was obvious that Thaddeus had feelings for Emily—that whole fang-bearing when he first arrived was a decent clue. He told him that under no circumstances should Thaddeus let her go, if she would have him.
Thaddeus had been surprised at his own reaction to Aiden’s tactless comment about Emily being a meal. He had never had that reaction to a woman before. Sure, he had stepped in when he had witnessed a human man hit a human woman, but it had been out of duty, out of obligation. No one should hit a woman, for God’s sake. The asshole had needed to learn that lesson, and Thaddeus had been more than happy to play the role of Professor of Good Manners.
He thought of the past two days. He loved the way Emily loved Brandon, and he admired her inner strength to take matters into her own hands to find him, even if she didn’t have any business carrying around a gun. She was a sweet, kind, giving person, someone who took pleasure in taking care of others. And she was beautiful. That hair, those green eyes that seemed to pierce his soul, her smell…shit, his cock twitched just thinking about her.
And what was he? He was a man-slut who used women, and basically had a black hole where his conscience and heart should be. He had felt so very alone, so dead inside for so many years, he didn’t know anything different. He was the bastard that was called when another one of his kind needed to die. He was an empty, lonely murderer. Except, Emily made him feel different. She brought a little light into that dark place in his chest, and looking at her made him feel like he was glowing from the inside out, like someone had stuck a flashlight up his ass or something. When she was around, he smiled and felt good. He felt uplifted, not like the selfish murdering bastard he actually was. She made him feel like he wasn’t just passing his days on earth, but actually living them and making them count.
And that was just spending two days with her. A few years with her and he probably would be belting happy show tunes or some shit.
Years. Years with Emily. He liked the idea of it, and let that little nugget ping around his brain for a minute like a pinball. But then he had to pull the plug on that game. Aiden didn’t know how he kept off of their mother’s radar, and Thaddeus would not put Emily in any type of danger, although he had no idea how all of this would shake out.
The right thing to do, according to The Council, would be to try to erase any memory Emily had of her son, and of course, the past two days. He honestly didn’t think that would be an option. Emily was smart, and she had a strong mind. Besides, how cruel would it be to erase the past eleven years of the woman’s life? Jesus, someone could go insane not knowing where they had been and what they had been doing for 11 years.
And being the selfish bastard that he was, he didn’t want her to forget him. No, he wanted to be a part of Emily’s memories. The big scrub was not going to happen.
The other option would be to kill her. The thought came into his mind, and the absolute horror that traveled through his nerve endings made him leap out of bed, grabbing his chest. No, that wasn’t an option. He would not, could not, do that to her, to her son. Hell, he couldn’t do that to himself. There had to be another way to make this situation work.
As he paced around the room, his mind spinning different options, he decided that the best thing for Emily and Brandon would be to leave. His other brother Cy was a computer whiz. Certainly he could go into the Reno Police records and make anything about Emily disappear, and he could also get her and Brandon new identities. That would be the best thing for them. They would be safe from his mother, and they would have a fresh start.
The thought of her leaving made his eyes sting, and then the realization that this was the first time he had ever put anyone and their interests ahead of his. But in his heart, he knew it would be the right thing to do. Emily and Brandon would be safe, and that was priority number one.
His mind made up, he resisted the urge to peek in on Emily and make sure she was okay. Then he heard that little voice inside his head telling him resistance was futile. He cursed and went out of his room, down the hallway and cracked her door.
Chapter 21
Blood. There was blood everywhere. The air was filled with a red haze, and she could taste the copper in her mouth. It assaulted her nose. She looked down. A river of blood ran before her. On the other side, through the red mist, she could see Brandon. Except the Brandon she saw was larger, a man. He stared at her and growled, showing his large fangs. He held something. She couldn’t see what it was through the fog. In a panic, she called to him. He stared at her, his mouth opening wide, a pink froth covering his lips and running down his chin.
Just then the air cleared. She could see what he held in his arms. A body. Long blonde hair fell from the head. He growled at her again, the loud animalist sound coming from his very soul.
Emily watched from the other side of the river, panic, causing heart to race. Brandon set the body on the ground, and as he did, the face turned and she met her own eyes. Brandon roared one last time, and slammed his fangs into her throat, just as she watched herself reach out a hand and mouth, help me.
Emily bolted up from the bed, threw off the covers and stifled a scream. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and her chest pumped like she had just run a marathon. She looked around the room and was surprised at the light from the hallway.
Thaddeus stuck his head in, and was obviously surprised to see her sitting up in bed.
He opened the door further and demanded what was wrong.
Her throat still constricted, she shook her head.
Thaddeus didn’t wait for her to invite him into the room. He was at her side in a few strides looking concerned. “What happened, Emily?” he asked gruffly.
“I … I . . . ” she felt like she couldn’t get the words out of her throat.
He sat down on the bed and took her hand. “Shhhhh. Just relax.” He looked around the room as if he were looking for something out of place or an intruder.
Emily’s breathing began to slow. “I just had a bad dream,” she said, her voice raspy. “Would you mind turning on the light, please?”
Thaddeus didn’t let go of her hand, but the light came on, the 40-watt bulb casting a soft glow around the room.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked.
She thought for a moment. No, she didn’t want to share that one. She shook her head.
Thaddeus cleared his throat. “I just wanted to peek in and make sure you were okay. That’s all.”
Emily nodded, glad that he had. She probably would have been flipping out by now if he hadn’t arrived.
She felt his eyes on her, and although she had been naked with the man, she was feeling self-conscious in her pajamas. Her hair must also be a mess, her face puffy from the tears . . .
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked. She quickly looked down to make sure her clothing was where it was supposed to be, and then ran a hand through her hair.
Thaddeus gazed around the room, not answering.
“Do you need anything? Can I get you some water or something?”
“No, I’m better. Thank you.”
Thaddeus seemed uncomfortable as he shifted on the bed. After a moment, he got up.
“I’ll see you later, Emily,” he said as he walked toward the door.
Just as he reached the threshold, she said, “Wait, Thaddeus.”
He stopped, his hand on the knob, and turned.
Before, Emily had needed her space. The little vampire bomb that Thaddeus had dropped on her needed to be diffused. But now, especially after that nightmare her subconscious had coughed up, she didn’t want to be alone.
“Thaddeus,” she said quietly, “could you stay with me? Please? I just really don’t want to be alone right now.”
He smiled at her as if she had just told him he won the mega-lotto.
Emily moved over and Thaddeus crawled into bed. As he lay down and pulled up the comforter around them, she molded herself against his side, her head on his shoulder.
She let out a content sigh, then said, “Could you please also lock the door? I don’t want Brandon coming in and having to explain this.”
She heard the lock click. His bag of tricks sure came in handy.
In Thaddeus’ arms she felt safe and secure—untouchable, in fact. There was nothing or no one that could hurt her while he held her. Burrowing in closer to him, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 22
Thaddeus was woken by Emily moving next to him. He pulled her closer to his him, and she flipped over so she was facing Thaddeus, chest-to-chest, leg-to-leg. He slowly opened his eyes, and she smiled up at him.
“Good morning,” she whispered, “or I guess I should say evening.”
“Good evening,” he mumbled back, a small smile playing on his lips. Then he realized what was going on between his legs, and he moved his hips back from her. She moved in closer so that their lower bodies were touching again.
Her green eyes were bright, a glint of something in there. Desire? And then he got his answer as he felt her hand rub his cock through his sweatpants.
His hips moved with her hand, and he closed his eyes. Her lips met his as she kissed him hungrily. There was no denying that the little glint in her eye was desire, but he was going to let her take the lead. She had quite the bomb dropped on her last night, and he didn’t want to scare her. She was in charge.
At least for now.
She crawled on top of him so that she covered him like a blanket, never breaking the kiss. He moved his hands up and down her back, finding his way under her shirt to the skin he wanted to touch so badly. He felt the curves of her back, and let his fingers follow her spine down to the beautiful ass underneath her pajama bottoms. She was warm and soft. Her legs split, and she began rocking herself against his erection. Torture, pure blissful torture.
As she moved, her mouth became more urgent. “Too many clothes,” she panted. He couldn’t agree more, and he was more than happy to help her dispose of them.
He whipped the little tank top over her head. She grabbed the waist of his sweatpants and slowly brought them down over his sex, his knees, his feet, and finally threw them off the bed. She then took off her pajama bottoms. She slowly crawled up him, her breasts swaying slightly. She stopped at his pelvis, and took his cock in her hand. She glanced up at him, and then slid it in her mouth. Thaddeus let out a hiss and lifted his head a fraction to watch her. Sweet Jesus. Watching her lick and suckle him and then take him in her hot mouth was the most erotic thing he had ever seen.
Her eyes never left his. She took him out of her mouth, his shaft glistening from her saliva. He plopped his head back on the pillow, breathing hard.
“Emily,” he rasped, breathing hard. He grabbed the sheets and twisted them in his hands, ready to explode.
She kissed her way up his stomach, to his chest, her mouth swirling over his nipples. She palmed his erection and slid herself over him.
Thaddeus’s hips bucked, but he didn’t shut his eyes. He watched as Emily began to rock on top of him, her hands at her sides, her green eyes wandering over him.
As he looked up at her, she literally took his breath away. Her golden curls were tangled around her shoulders, her lips pink and slightly swollen, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, and closed her eyes. She braced her hands on Thaddeus’s chest, and began to rock harder, her breasts swaying, her breath coming in short gasps. Thaddeus felt her hot, slick sheath clench him, and his orgasm rocked through him, sending his hips off the bed, burying himself as deep as he could go within Emily. He felt her come seconds later.
He was nowhere near sated. In a quick move, he had Emily under him without breaking their joining. Breathing hard, he looked down at her. The feelings he had swimming throughout him, encompassing his entire being, could not be put into words. He wanted her with him always, and dammit, he was pretty sure that being in love felt something similar to this. But duty, rules, and the threat of Emily’s death would prevent this feeling from continuing. She would have to leave soon. Until then, he would love her the best he could.
A few hours and a very long, very soapy, very slick shower with Emily later, Thaddeus snuck to his own bedroom and checked his phone. The message icon blinked, and Thaddeus dialed in to get it.
It was Mark, Thaddeus’s human friend. Well, his only friend if you wanted to get down to semantics. Mark was good people, and Thaddeus liked spending time with the guy. They hung well together, and Mark made him laugh, letting him forget about his miserable existence for a bit.
“Hey, man. Haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. I was thinking about coming out to your house tonight for a bit. Call me, or I’ll be ringing your bell soon. Later.”
Okay, this was the last thing needed right now. Between Emily, two kids, and his brother, Mark didn’t need to be here, and Thaddeus didn’t want to explain anything.
Just as he began dialing, the security system beeped a warning that someone was at the garage level and getting ready to board the elevator.
Thaddeus ran over and flipped on the monitor, and there was Mark looking up at the security camera.
Thaddeus cursed. He knew Mark wouldn’t go away. He had tried the old “if I don’t answer my door they will go away” routine before with Mark, and the guy had actually started climbing the rocks to get a peek into the windows.
He pushed the intercom. “Hey Mark.”
“Open up, asshole,” was Mark’s reply.
Thaddeus hit the button that opened the elevator and headed out to the hall.
“What’s going on?” Emily asked, just coming out of her room. She heard the beeping of the security alarm coming from the computer in Thaddeus’s room, and panic crossed her face. Had someone found out where they were staying? Was someone coming for them?
Thaddeus went to her, and took her hands in his. “It’s okay, Em,” he said gently. “It’s just a friend. A human friend.” He watched the panic in her face flip to curiosity, and he answered before she could form the words to her question. “No, he knows nothing about me.”
He kissed her briefly, and asked if she had seen Aiden. He needed to get to Aiden and tell him to mind his manners around Mark. The last thing this situation needed was Aiden being a dick or deciding he was thirsty.
Thaddeus raced down the hall to where he heard noises of the boys playing Wii.
Aiden was sprawled on the couch with the boys, each with a Wii remote in his hand. Aiden looked like someone had pissed in his Cheerios, or he had drunk a bottle of whiskey. The look of green around the gills would be the same in either case. Aiden’s eyes slid from the TV to Thaddeus, his eyebrows bouncing up and down in a “I know what you’ve been doing” way.
