S.A. Price (31 page)

Merrick shook his head. "No, not right now, wait till the heat’s off a bit. We'll get photos for you to look at maybe send you by the wreck in a few days."

"Marcus? Olivia, Can you handle setting up details for each of the other girls? I think no one without any sort of high clearance military background should be involved. I want someone not afraid to do what needs doing to keep these women safe. I’m going to have to have Beryl finish those translations then, we need as much information on this situation as possible. If this Cristof is still alive, then none of us are safe. I suggest calling all your people home." Elise knew from the look on the faces of all the Archon’s that her words hit home.

"There is always the chance that Cristof's body was in that van." Merrick pointed out. "It wouldn't be the first time explosives had been left lying around."

Aiden sputtered. "It was not me. I'm not some careless teenager Mer."

"I didn't suggest it was you, I'm just putting things into perspective." Merrick mollified. "I'll raise the flag on Cristof when I make the call about Jackson. If he's alive the fucker won’t be able to hide.

Everyone can be traced, it’s just a matter of how good they are."

"I agree. Marcus and I will confer on the girls' new bodyguards, and since the majority of them are in your charge Merrick, we will run the list by you for the final choices, seeing as you know them best."

Olivia said and looked to Homer. "Ryan, I agree with your wish, please come and see me for lunch tomorrow." she looked at Evelyn and gave her a smile, and Elise was relieved. If Olivia approved of Evelyn, that was half the battle won.

"And I'll speak to you both later on." Merrick stood pulling his phone out of his pocket looking at Homer. "Is there anything else you think we should take notice of? Any other players?"

"Not that I know of, no, Cristof is the main issue. He’s bent on the girls being Ophidians, which only means that he either knew one, or that that goddess is feeding him names. I would figure out as much about her as possible, if in fact she is real."

He nodded, "Ok. Now you two go and get some rest, it's been a long day. Aiden same to you."

Homer nodded and turned to Evelyn, picking her up slowly, turning to nod to the Archons as they left the room silently. Aiden turned and left too, a slight spring in his step. Elise smiled to herself; Myra was indeed going to thank her for that little exercise of power. She looked towards Ramona and the rest of the Archons, clearing her throat. “Well I suggest we all get some rest then. Unless anyone has any objections, Ramona? Geraldine?" she asked of her cousin who had been silent thought the ordeal.

"No, I need to see to the patients, and make sure everything is going smoothly. I would like a meeting though tomorrow." she nodded to each of them.

~126~

"Thank you Geraldine, We will see you in the morning then cousin. If you need anything.."

"No, but thank you, we will be fine. You all have a night ahead of you." she said and went to the sideboard grabbing some food. "Goodnight." she said as she left them there. Elise turned to Ramona, a question in her gaze.

She returned it glaringly. "I have nothing to add."

"Then I suggest we eat and retire for the night."

"Very well then." She stood gathering her things. "Good night."

Elise smirked and watched her leave, amused as to how Ramona had been cowed. The woman wasn’t to be underestimated but here and now, it didn’t matter what did matter was Merrick and their future. She smiled at the rest of them, Bettina coming back in. They ate, and talked, and soon enough the food and drink was gone and she was on her way back to her room, Merrick was still downstairs.

She wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but either way before the morning, she was going to have her answer.

~127~

TWENTY-NINE

Aiden was in good spirits as he came back from viewing the wreck, that he was going back to see Myra also helped lift his spirits. She always did. The girl was better than wildfire and had the passion to match. A beautiful force of nature that he couldn’t ignore. He was still having trouble controlling his snake around her but he’d managed it so far. He hadn’t marked yet but he could feel it coming.

There was only so long he could resist temptation and what a temptation she was. The mark didn’t scare him so much knowing that she’d accept him and it for all time.

It had been a few days since they’d gone in and rescued the girls. Most of them even seemed to be recovering. Evelyn and her action man even looked like a good little couple, although he knew that the dude had a seriously healthy fear of Merrick. It would keep him alive for now and God help him if he ever let anything bad happen to Evelyn. He knew that they’d had serious words but Merrick seemed to come out of the conversation feeling a little better for it.

The big guy at least had calmed down a lot getting very close to his more relaxed attitude. Him and Elise still hadn’t tied the knot but Aid knew they were close to it. The sooner the better in his eyes, it was good to see them happy. Merrick was the happiest that Aiden had ever known him to be and that was before getting laid. Things would be very lax around the nest once he did that was for sure.

Today was the day they all got to go home. A prospect he knew his sister was looking forward to.

He on the other hand wasn’t exactly so keen on telling her that he planned on going back to Elise’s nest for a few months. It wasn’t that big a deal and there was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t tag along with him and Myra but she would bitch and moan about it so he was delaying the actual start time.

It was good news from the van wreck; a bullet had clipped the side of an oxygen tank that had been stored in the van for emergencies. Something in the back probably caused some sparkage setting the thing off. There had been five other tanks in the back along with the gas tank itself. As explosions go his professional opinion would be natural causes, that type of explosion couldn’t have been staged easily even by him. The police forensic team had identified the one remaining body to be that of Cristof Ansley. Dental records and DNA samples confirmed it. He’d even found the snake medallion that Evelyn’s Action man had mentioned.

They were in the clear; Aid had sent a call round to Ed just to make sure nobody had tampered with the records. Everything came through fine. If all the evidence was falsified the guy’s team must have been amazing, it would take real talent to pull that off. So they were safe danger over, no doubt they would all have to be cautious for a few months but for the most part the threat was over.

Smiling he knocked on Myra’s room door and waited for an answer. Normally he’d barge right in but it was always good to give the girl some privacy, plus she was damn handy with her knives. He’d learned the hard way to announce his presence well in advance.

A giggle answered him before he heard "That you already?" through the door.

"Damn right it’s me... not planning on staying too far away." He grinned opening the door. "I am a body guard you know."

"Umm and probably the best, well, at guarding my body. Everything go ok?"

~128~

"As well as can be expected. Explosion was an accident, no foul play. Police report determined pretty much the same as I did, clipped oxygen tank producing sparkage in transit."

"Well that’s good news then. I suppose your bodyguard duties are over then?" she asked quietly.

"Not on your life. Trent's people still haven't picked up Jackson so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

After that we should give it at least a few more months... just to make sure." He grinned throwing himself down on the bed next to her. She was wearing boy shorts and a cute little tank top, hugging and revealing her body so perfectly it made him want to groan. He was a lucky man indeed just to be sitting next to her.

"Well I can live with that, I mean what’s a few more months?" she grinned and looked at him her eyes alight with mischief. "I suppose I shall have to deal with it."

"Oh don’t sound so martyred about it, you do enjoy yourself...I make sure of it." He laughed pulling her over, closer to him, and tickled lightly under her ribs. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that she was ticklish in lots of interesting places. "Hey if I'm such a chore, you could swap me with action man, though Evelyn might have something to say about it."

"Dear, Homer is not my cup of tea, and he doesn’t smell as good as you do." She buried her nose in the crook of his neck and inhaled, running her hands down his side, tickling the sensitive skin just above his hip. "And no doubt he can’t make me scream like you do."

"No doubt at all." He kissed her softly inhaling her unique scent.

"So you’ll be coming to New York with me, to Knossos?" she grinned. "You’ll finally get to see my studio."

"I will... maybe even watch you work, if my nerve holds out."

"I think we can work on that, love. But I still want you to slither up my naked body. I really wish to meet your snake."

"You will. Maybe not right now but you will. I promise."

She beamed. "That’s damn good. At least you’re promising me. We can work on mine later on."

she giggled and kissed him. "You sure you’re cool with this?"

"As a cucumber." He smiled. Showing her his snake didn't bother him, he knew it should have on some level but was willing to over look it. She'd get a kick out of it and his snake was colorful, he wanted to show it off to her. He knew that was sick, he'd gone to some lengths in his time to impress the ladies but this was an all time low. He could go through with it and the snake liked her, it might even do something to stop the constant drumming the thing made in his head every time she was around. Saying it and doing it were two different things though. "Once we go to Knossos. I'm way too big for this room."

She laughed, a joyous bark of a sound and placed her hand on his face. "Somehow I don’t doubt that. My bedroom at Knossos is three times the size of this, and the bed is custom, large enough for both of us to cuddle in either form."

"One thing at a time, there's always the chance that he likes you too much and decides to eat you all up." Grinning he began nibbling on her neck in demonstration.

"Ummm don’t tease Aiden... I am very curious about your snake, I’m dying to see if he’s as thick as I think he’s going to be..." she said and reached down to palm his groin. "When does the car come?

Do we have any sort of time?"

"We have," he glanced up at the clock on the wall, "Exactly thirty minutes before the car gets here, that gives us twenty-five before I've got to inform Kira of our destination."

"That hardly seems enough for your kind of attentions..." she said kissing him and then stopped suddenly. "Aiden, did you just tell me that you still haven’t told your sister you’re coming to New York? You know she’s going to sick Sage on you when you tell her, and I have been forbidden to kill that monster."

"You have been I'm afraid, I've decided life without Sage would be unbearable. She'll get over it, there's a hissy fit or two coming my way. It shouldn't be too much of a problem; she's got Sage for

~129~

company. Hey we could maybe even find a snake for her that occasionally turns into a man, that would be something different."

"And probably not such an oddity." she grinned.

"Yeah if we could get someone to put up with her..."

"Well you found me didn’t you? Never say never you know? Your sister just has to meet the right guy."

"If such a creature exists."

She kissed him then, quickly flipping them so she lay on top of him and nipped his bottom lip.

"Must we talk about your sister? It’s killing my buzz."

He laughed, "You started it. What else should we talk about then?"

"Must we talk?" she ran her tongue over his bottom lip then smiled. "So, you’ll be around for my show then? It will be the first time I have ever had a date for one."

"Then I'll have to make a point of getting dressed up for it." He kissed her marveling in how good her body felt pressing down on him.

"I never said anything about being dressed up, but I think it would be hot as hell to see you all trussed up."

"I can do that.. Get my best suit out. I've never been to an arty thing before, in fact, I haven’t been to a trussed up occasion in years and not one where I was there to participate. Most of them had to do with work."

"Yeah? I like that you don’t have a traditional job."

"Oh yeah? You like that I demolish things? Or that I'm the best at what I do?"

"Umm, that you demolish things. I can’t see you being anything less then the best at anything you set your mind to."

"Mmm." He kissed her rolling them so it was him on top. "Ain’t that the truth." He whispered into her neck as he began trailing soft kisses down her collarbone.

"Gods Aiden, could you be any more perfect?" She asked as she pulled his shirt up, laying her hands on his naked flesh. It was something she did often, telling him recently that she just enjoyed the feel of his skin, and felt better when he was close.

He couldn’t help but feel the same way. "Oh I think give or take a few months of training I could be better." He pushed the straps of her tank top down her shoulders revealing her perfect breasts in all their glory. "You are breathtaking you know that?"

"You think so?"

"I know so." He bent down taking a puckered nipple into his mouth rolling it around with his tongue.

She arched and closed her eyes, her fingers digging into his flanks. "Such a tease... You know... I can’t wait to paint you..."