Maggie turned her head away from him, and hefelt her sorrow through their bond.
“Did Pablo make you go to work that day?” heasked.
“No.” She took a deep breath and turned toface him. “Roger had a stroke. He was in the hospital. I tried tocall you as I was running down the stairs to the T, but someonebumped me and I dropped my phone. It broke.”
Aiden went completely still as tearsshimmered in her eyes. A sick feeling formed in the pit of hisstomach while he watched her.
“I meant to call you a couple of times fromthe hospital, but I kept getting distracted. Then, the doctor cameout to tell us that Roger didn’t survive.”
He knew how much Roger had meant to her, howmuch she cared for the man, and Roger for her. She’d had so fewpeople she loved in her life and who loved her. She’d lost another,and he hadn’t been there for her when he should have been. “Maggie,I’m so sorry.”
She pulled her hand away from his to wipethe tears from her face. “I called you from outside the hospitaland left a voice mail, but you never picked up, and you nevercalled back.”
Aiden closed his eyes as the sick feelinggrew to become a tsunami of self-loathing. “I broke my phone,” headmitted.
“Ethan told me. He also told me you saw mehug someone, that was Pablo. He gave me a ride home from thehospital. He hugged me because he’s my friend, he was Roger’sfriend, and—”
“Don’t,” Aiden said and reclaimed her hand.“Pablo is your friend. I understand. I couldn’t understand it thatday because I’d already slipped too far away to think aboutanything reasonably.”
“You should have told me what became of amated vampire without their mate.”
“No, I shouldn’t have. You had to return tome because it was what you wanted and not because you felt guiltedinto it.”
Maggie sighed, she wanted to argue with himfurther about it, but he was right. She’d needed the time to workthrough her life and how she felt for him. If he’d told her, shewould have resented feeling pressured.
“Thank you for that,” she murmured andkissed him briefly. If she kissed him for any longer than a secondor two, they would end up back in bed. No matter how tempting thatwas, they had to sort all this out.
“Once I felt emotionally stable enough toleave my place, I went to the hotel,” she said. “The bartender toldme you’d left, but I sat and waited, hoping you’d come back. Whenyou didn’t, I went home and waited for you to come, but you neverdid.”
“They knocked me out and brought me herethat night,” Aiden said. “I probably would have killed someone ifthey hadn’t. I was an idiot and lost control; it shouldn’t havehappened.”
“You never hid from me that you were walkinga tightrope. That one misstep could push you over the edge.”
“It stillnevershould have happened.I hurt you when I didn’t come for you.”
“You did, and I hurt you too, but neither ofus meant to do it. Things went so wrong that day.”
“They did,” he agreed. He grasped her wristsand pulled her arms toward him. His blood and her transition hadhealed her scratches, but he still recalled the ugly red gouges onher skin. “I let you down. Itwon’thappen again.”
“It’s not like I don’t know you can be a bitof an ass, Nosferatu,” she teased as she took her wrists from himand rested her hand on his freshly shaven cheek. She’d missedseeing his face. “Do you think you could still lose control? Do youstill crave blood, death, sex, and pain as badly as you did?”
She held her breath, petrified of hisanswer. She could feel the intensity of the bond between them, butwhat if she wasn’t enough for him? What if what she’d seen from himyesterday was only the beginning and it was only a matter of timebefore she lost him?
“No,” he said and reached across to pull herinto his lap. “Like the scars on my back, our bond has healed me.It’s curbed my more malevolent nature and tamed the demon part ofme. However, I will destroy anything threatening you or those Ilove, but I won’t slip into that madness again, and I no longerworry about losing control and becoming a Savage, not with you inmy life.”
Maggie curled up in his arms and rested herhead on his chest. “Good.”
“I’m going to quit working with Ronan andthe others.”
She lifted her head to gawk at him. “That’swhat you’ve been training for, why would you give it up?”
“I did it to keep myself in control. Ineededthe blood, death, and violence to remain stable; Idon’t anymore.”
“Aiden—”
“I’ll still help them whenever it’snecessary. There is a big battle looming on the horizon betweenSavages and vampires. I won’t turn my back on it, but I don’t wantyou to be a part of this life.”
“I can handle it.”
