Aiden hadn’t stopped aging at the time Ronanrevealed this, yet the words were emblazoned on his mind. Untilthen, he’d been looking forward to reaching maturity, gaining powerlike his older brothers had, and finally being able to fight withthem again. They’d still wrestled and thrown each other aroundafter Ethan and Ian stopped aging, but he’d known they were holdingback with him in a way they never had before. It hadpissedhim off.
After Ronan told them this information,Aiden had spoken with his brothers about their experiences whenthey stopped aging. Ethan admitted he’d started seeking out painand blood more. He’d also locked himself away from humans becausehe’d feared hurting them. Ian occupied his time with an endlessarray of women. They both agreed they’d sought those things outmorebeforethey’d matured into purebred, vampire adulthood,but it became far more intense afterward.
After hearing Ronan’s words and speakingwith his brothers, Aiden found himself no longer looking forward tomaturity. Hedreadedit. Not because he didn’t think hecould handle craving something more, but because he didn’t have apenchant for one thing over another.
Even then, he’d wanted all those things inequal measure. However, his desires then had been nothing comparedto the day when he’d opened his eyes and realized he’d become anadult vampire.
From that day forward, he’d craved sex,blood, pain, and death more than he’d ever believed possible. Hehadn’t locked himself away because he’d known that by joiningRonan’s men, he’d have an outlet for his incessant need to see thelife fading from another’s eyes. If he didn’t have the outlet ofdestroying killer vamps, it would only be a matter of time beforehe turned on innocent vampires and humans.
A couple of weeks ago, he’d asked Declan,one of Ronan’s men, if there had ever been a purebred vampire whowanted everything with equal measure once they stopped aging.Declan had stared back at him with sad, knowing eyes.
“You’re one,” Declan stated.
Aiden hadn’t been astonished when Declangrasped this insight into him. He’d come to realize Declan saw andunderstood far more than any normal vampire should. It was whyAiden had taken his question to Declan instead of any of theothers.
“Have there been any others like me?” Aidenhad inquired.
“There have been a rare few.”
“What became of them?”
Declan folded his hands behind his head ashe leaned back in his chair. “What they chose to become. Someturned Savage, another continues, and others died.”
Aiden hadn’t bothered to ask who the one wasthat continued. Declan would never tell him.
“There have been a rare few.”
Those words had looped through his mind overthe past two weeks.I guess I’m one of the lucky few,hethought with a bitter laugh.
There was always the chance he could findhis mate, as so many others in his family had. Hisyoungersister Abby had already found hers. He didn’t hold out much hopefor himself though as he doubted he’d stumble across his mate intime to save himself.
And if he did find her, did he want tosaddle her with someone like him and this bloody, brutal life heled? Whether she was a vampire or human, would she stay with him,or would she run screaming when she realized how messed up hewas?
He certainly wouldn’t blame her if she ran.He was a perfect storm of mayhem swirling altogether, one thatprobably didn’t deserve saving anyway.
CHAPTER 3
Stepping outside Carha’s club, Aiden inhaledthe crisp, March air. Spring hovered on the horizon, but this Marchhad come roaring in with a three-foot blizzard, followed by a weekof rain, and today the sun had made its first appearance. Whatremained of the dirty snow was piled up against the brick alleywalls or in dwindling snow banks along the street.
He glanced back at the black, metal door ofthe club as it clicked shut behind him. The locks clicked as theywere turned into place by Brutus, the vampire on the other side. Nosign marked the entrance to Carha’s club; he wasn’t sure the placehad a name, which was all part of its allure. Only those in “theknow” within the subculture of humans who liked to play at beingvampires could find the place. They kept its existence hidden fromothers who might ruin it for them.
Idiots.
Turning away, he pulled his collar closer tohis neck to ward off some of the icy wind as he started down thealley. Before he’d come to Boston tonight, he’d suspected he wouldcave and see Carha, so he’d brought an extra pair of clothes withhim to the city and rented a hotel room down the street.
He was supposed to meet Saxon at nine tostart hunting killer vamps—Savages, he reminded himself—but thatwas a few hours away. Before coming here, he’d made sure to leavehimself enough time to shower, change, and heal enough to not be arisk to Saxon later by being weakened from his blood loss. Becausehe occasionally fed on and gained power from the Savages he killed,he was far stronger than a vampire his age should be, even apurebred one, and he healed fast.
The rancid stench of garbage suddenly filledhis nostrils. His steps slowed, and his hand slid inside his coatto grip the stake tucked within one of the pockets. There were onlytwo dumpsters in this alley, but the scent filling it made alandfill smell delicious.
There’s more than one Savage.
His gaze darted to the slice of darkeningsky he could see between the two buildings beside him. It was tooearly for the Savage’s regular hunting time, but something hadlured them here. He suspected that something washim.
How had they known he was here? He neverkept a regular schedule here to avoid having this very thinghappen.
He didn’t have time to figure it out as fiveSavages turned the corner of the alleyway. Aiden grinned at them ashe removed the stake before reaching in with his other hand toremove another one. Five against one weren’t the best odds, buthe’d faced worse before. Granted, his back hadn’t been freshlysliced open during those times.
“It’s a little sooner than I’d anticipated,but I’m always up for some killing,” Aiden said to the man movingtoward the front of the group.
