The Faerie Master (Aaron's Kiss Series) (15 page)

Cade was asleep when he laid her back on the bed.
He pulled her clothes over her then covered her with the thin blanket.
Straightening his own clothes he dropped the shadows and reached out beyond the little area where they were.
Aaron was close.
Reaching out to his friend he asked him to keep everyone away for a little while longer.

“Is she all right?
Daniel is in surgery to remove the bullet, but as soon as he shifts he’ll be fine.
I’m not sure what we would have done if the EMT hadn’t realized that Daniel was a were and brought him here to the clinic.”

Shawn wasn’t sure either.
He knew that weres would return to their human state once they were injured or lost con
s
ci
ou
sness, but he had no idea what happened when they were hurt and still in human form.
He’d have to ask Bradley the next time he saw him.

“She’s fine.
For now at any rate.
I can’t say what will happen when she wakes up and I have to strangle her.
She is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.
But Aaron, I’ve never been so scared in my entire lifetime as I was when I felt her terror at being shot at.
Have you heard anything?”

“No.
Not a thing.
Daniel was already in surgery by the time I had the thought to ask to see him.
Sara is beside herself with worry and has surrounded Cade in protection.
Sara is very strong, so Cade’ll be safe.
At least for now at any rate.
We’ve no idea what or who we’re dealing with or why they want her dead. Were you able to get anything from her before she...ah, well, that works too.
I find Sara to be much easier to talk to when she’
s
completely sated.”

Shawn flushed.
Damned man was inside of his mind again.
Shawn turned to look at the beautiful woman on the bed.
She was bruised again.
Her lip was cut and her cheeks were both swollen.
He wanted to make her drink from him, but knew that this time if he healed her she’d know.
He needed to get her mated to him.
Reaching down to run his fingers over her cheek he remembered something.
He reached for Aaron again.

“Aaron, the reason I was coming here.
I needed your advice on becoming a master.
I was going to challenge Mason for his realm and wanted to get the correct rules governing the challenge.”

“I see.
You should have been given those when you made your intentions known to the current master.
Did you?
Let him know, I mean?
If you did then that could explain why you were ambushed.
He wanted to take you out before the challenge.”

Shawn wasn’t surprised that Aaron knew this.
He was one of the smartest men he knew.
There was a wealth of information inside Aaron’s head and Shawn was willing to bet that if given the time, he’d be able to tell Shawn every person he’d meet since he’d been changed.

“Maybe.
I don’t know.
The woman, Pete, was she able to find out anything on Dana?
I know that she is key for some reason.
She knew something was going to happen, but for some reason I don’t think she was really a part of it.”

“Pete called right after we got the call about Daniel. I’ll call her back now and get back with you.
Shawn, I know that you are aware of this, but you need to bond and mate with Cade.
She’s in danger.
I don’t want to make you do it, but she’s your mate and you need to claim her. She’ll be able to handle much more if she has your strength added to her own.”

Shawn knew he was right, but he didn’t want to force her to make that decision.
But looking at her now he realized that if Daniel hadn’t come along when he had she’d be dead.
And if she had had his blood in her system, the full bond and mate, then she would already be healed.
It was time, past time, and he knew it.

“I’ll talk to her when we get back to the lair.
She’s hurt again and I’m reluctant to heal her for fear of pissing her off more than I’ve already done by making love with her.
Aaron, do you suppose there will be a time when she isn’t pissed at me?”

“I hope not.
It’s so much more fun to have a passionate mate than one that lets you get by with much.
Fighting with your mate is far much more challenging than any war I’ve ever fought in, more exciting than any new discovery I’
ve
come across over the centuries, and much, much more fun to make up with than anyone I’ve ever met.
Learn to enjoy it. It’ll be much more fun that way.”

Shawn closed the connection between them.
There was always an open line, so to speak. They had exchanged blood often though the years for one thing or another, so they had a bond that would never be broken.
But neither man would cross the boundaries of privacy without a dire need.

~~~

Cade woke to the bright sunshine and people in her room she didn’t know.
Sara was there and so were four other women.
They were all arguing about the state of being...of being a unicorn verses a horse?

“I did so tell you.
I’ve told you three hundred times and you know it.
Why I even bother is beyond me.
I swear I’m going to get you one of those little note pads and put it on a chain and attach it to your neck.
Cornwall is not a male, but a female.
And when she finds a mate she said she’s naming the first colt Banquo.”

“What a horrible name.
Why, I ask you?
Why doesn’t she name it Pinkeye or some other ridiculous name like that?
Some people shouldn’t be allowed to breed.
Of all the things in the world to do.”

“It’s the name of the ghost, a character in Shakespeare's play Macbeth.” Cade said and had them turning as one toward her.
“The ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth, who had ordered his murder.
Who are you people?
And why on earth do you care about a baby named after a mythical ghost in a Shakespearian play written in the sixteen hundreds?
Or do I even what to know?”

Cade was startled when they turned and looked at her.
They were beautiful.
Breathtakingly, drop-dead, holy crap beautiful.
They smiled at her and Cade knew that they had been listening in her mind.
She pushed back. Not hard, but enough to make them realize that they had not been invited.
It was easier than she thought it’d be.

“Yes, that’s because we let you.
My, but you are a pretty little thing, aren’t you?
My name is Elizabeth.
This is my daughter Savannah and her daughter Melody.
You know Sara, and this is our friend Shade.
How are you, dear?”

“Fine.
Where is...do you think I can have my clothes?
I think I’d very much like to go now.” And go she would.
She didn’t know where Shawn was, but figured that with him out of the room she’d just leave now and keep him safe.
Gabriel wasn’t balanced and she was not going to have any more deaths on her head.

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to hide now, Cade.
Shawn has your blood.
It’s like a beacon to him.
He’ll be able to find you no matter where you are. Why don’t you tell us about this Gabriel person?
She sounds like where we need to start,” Sara said.

“Stay out of my head.
Gabriel is a he, not a she.
And I won’t be telling you...why on earth would he want to find me anyway?
Oh yeah, the food thing.
There has to be a way for him to get something to eat from somebody else.
I’m not exactly approved by the FDA or anything.”

The women laughed.
Cade glared at them.
She started to move from the bed when she felt a stirring.
An unpleasant something...someone was near.
Her step-brother.
Before she could warn the women both Shade and Sara stood up and turned toward the door.
Elizabeth came to stand next to Cade and the other two women merely sat where they were.

“He’ll not harm you, Cade. Not while I’m here.
Especially not now.
Let him come in. I swear to you he’ll not be able to harm you.”

Cade couldn’t tell who had spoken until she looked at the one they’d called Melody.
When the woman winked at Cade she knew for sure that it had been her.
She was about to ask her what she meant when the door opened and her step-brother walked in.

“Caddy.
Who are these people and why the fuck are they here?
This is a private room and that’s what it should be, private.”

Garrett stared at her as if she would suddenly shoo the women out of her room just because he said so.
She just looked at him.
She hadn’t realized she was in a private room until he said so and she also knew that he wasn’t paying for it so he didn’t get to decide who stayed or not.

“Did you hear me?
I said to kick these women out.
I have some things to tell you and they are better said in private.”

“Go to hell, Garrett.
And you did not tell me to kick them out.
You asked me who they were, you dumb fuck. I’m sick of you ordering me around.
I would very much like it if you left me alone.
Not only in this room, but in my life.”

When he lunged toward her Shade stepped in front of him.
Cade didn’t know where the long knife she had in her hand had come from, but it was suddenly at Garrett’s throat.
He didn’t move.
Shade took a step toward him and he backed up. They did this little dance three more times until he was back near the door.

“She told you to leave.
I believe that you should, don’t you?
You should also know that I don’t mind killing you.
I’ve killed before and will gladly kill you as well.
Leave before you piss me off anymore.” Shade’s voice was low, but there was steel in it that was stronger than the blade she held at Garrett’s throat.
When he started forward again Shade dipped the blade into his skin and drew blood.
His anger was palatable.
Garrett looked as though he would gladly kill Shade as well.

“I’ll talk to you later, Caddy.
I want that money.
All of it.
You’ll get it for me or else.
I’m tired of fucking with you about it.
Either get the money or I’ll make you get it for me.
You owe me.”
Then he was gone.

Cade looked at the women in the room.
She could feel it now, magic she supposed.
And lots of it.
These people weren’t like anything or anyone she’d ever met before.
When she started to ask Elizabeth started talking.