“I have ajob. That might not be muchof a concern in your world, but I can’t warp Mrs. Mackey’s mindinto believing I paid my rent, and air doesn’t fill my belly. Ihave to return to work.”
“You can’t return without putting yourselfat risk.”
Maggie slung the towel over her shoulder.“Can I ever go back?”
He stared at her, his eyes hooded and hisbody tensed. The crunch of metal drew her attention to where he’dplaced his hand on the other side of the doorframe, but shecouldn’t see what had caused the noise.
“I will do everything I can to give you thelife you deserve,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because you deserve it.”
“You don’t know that; you don’t knowme.”
“No, but you didn’t know me either when youtried to save my life.”
“It’s my job to help others.”
“Yes, and mine is to protect the innocentfrom those of my kind who would destroy them. Where would you liketo go, Maggie?” he asked to distract her from questions that wereedging perilously close to his connection with her.
“If I can’t go home, then I would prefer tostay here. I won’t be locked up in some vampire compound. I alsowant to see my mother. Today if possible. I have to get it overwith.”
“We will do that then. The next time youdecide to go for a run, or leave your room, will you let me knowyou’re going?”
The look of concern in his eyes buried theresentment swelling within her. He was only trying to protect her,and no matter how much she disliked it, for the time being, shemight need his protection.
“Yes,” she said.
Aiden lowered his hand and stepped away fromthe door when she approached him. As she left the gym, she lookedup, and her eyes widened on the dents his fingers had left in themetal trim around the door. She gazed questioningly at him, but hedidn’t say anything as he turned and strode down the hallway.
CHAPTER 28
Maggie hadn’t believed she would get anysleep, but after returning to her room and showering, she fell ontothe bed and passed out. Dreams of Aiden haunted her again, and shewoke feeling achy with desire for him. If he’d been in the roomwith her, she would have screwed him, bad decision or not.
Her tongue poked at her canines as sherecalled her last dream of him. A dream in which she’d sankherfangs intohisthroat.The memory was soreal; she could almost taste the rush of his blood against hertongue.
Maggie moaned and shoved the pillow over herface when she recalled they’d been having sex while she drank fromhim. She bit her lip to hold back anymore sound as she threw thepillow aside and shoved herself out of bed. She didn’t glance atthe doorway separating their rooms; she might make a beeline forhim if she did.
What a strange, sensual dream to have, andwhat a weird thing to have turn her on. But then, she supposed itwasn’t all that bizarre to have the idea of feeding on Aidenstimulate her. She did have vampire DNA after all.
She’d known for years raw meat and the bloodfrom it invigorated her, but was she starting to need more thanthat? Would she have to start drinkinghumanblood too?
The idea of consuming a stranger’s bloodrepulsed her; the idea of feeding on Aiden had her running herhands over her bare breasts as she imagined it was him stroking herin such a way.
Maggie flipped the switch in the bathroomand stood before the mirror to inspect her reflection. Smallshadows circled her eyes, but the rest of her looked the same.Opening her mouth, she examined her teeth in the mirror. Theydidn’t lengthen into fangs when she poked them with her tongue.
“Am I becoming a vampire?” she asked herreflection, but it had as many answers as she did.
She’d have to ask Aiden.
When she stepped into the shower, shecontinued to imagine Aiden’s hands running over her body as shestroked herself to an orgasm that somehow left her unsatisfied. Sheturned the water colder than normal and stood beneath it as shetried to rid herself of the horrible, unfulfilled desire plaguingher.
Hopping out, she hurried to get ready. Shefed Blue and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It wasalmost one. She’d slept longer than she’d expected, but she wouldbe able to get in to see her mother until five.
She could pretend it was a wasted day andpush the visit off until tomorrow. If she had any chance ofspending more than an hour with her mother, she would have donethat. However, if this visit were anything like her last one, she’dbe there for less than half an hour. She’d rather get it over withtoday and maybe, during this visit, she would at least get someclosure.
The idea of closure made her chuckle. Howcould she get closure from a woman who screamed for garlic when shelearned her daughter had come to visit?
