“Nothing happened that I didn’t allow tohappen,” he said.
“Youletsomeone do this to you?”
“Maggie—”
“Why would youallowthis to happento you? Why would you stand there and takethis?”
“Maggie—”
“Who did this to you?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
She gawked at him before tugging on herfingers. He held onto her. “It will never happen again,” hepromised.
Maggie glared at him, almost as infuriatedby his unwillingness to share with her as she was by the knowledgesomeone had done this to him and he’d willingly allowed it! Why?What kind of twisted individual would stand there and take thisfrom another? What had she gotten herself into with him?
Then, Carha’s words from the club came backto her and she froze.“That is enough!” Carha had hissed. “Ifyou don’t stop, Aiden, I’ll ban you for life! And that means frommy services too.”
“Carha,” Maggie breathed. “Carhadidthis.Thisis the service she was talking about.”
CHAPTER 33
Aiden’s head bowed, and his shouldershunched up as if she were going to strike him. Part of herdidwant to hit him for allowing Carha to do this to him,for turning to that insidious woman in the first place. She’d onlymet Carha briefly, but she hadn’t survived numerous foster andgroup homes without becoming a good judge of character. Carha wouldmake Jeffrey Dahmer smile and give her a thumbs-up.
The way Aiden looked as if he expected herto hurt him far worse than Carha ever had deflated some of heranger with him. It didn’t lessen her rage at Carha. Vampire or not,if Maggie ever saw that bitch again, they wouldn’t have a catfight.No, it would be a full-on tiger brawl, and Maggie knew more than afew moves that would have Carha begging for mercy.
“What is going on? Why would you let her dothis to you?” she asked.
Aiden braced himself before meeting her gazeagain. “When a male purebred vampire reaches maturity and stopsaging, they experience an increase in other needs,” he said. “Thewomen can feel it too, but not as badly. Most matured malesexperience an increase in one thing. Some want to kill more, othershave a heightened appetite for blood, some need more sex, andothers crave pain. Those incessant desires can sometimes push avampire over the edge, turning them Savage. I stopped aging twoyears ago and have spent that time struggling to maintain controlof my darker impulses.”
“And those darker impulses made you seek outpain?”
“Not just pain. I started seekingallthose things in equal measure. Declan told me it happens to a fewrare purebreds.”
Maggie gulped; she didn’t know how to feelabout any of this. “So, to maintain control, you paid Carha to whipyou?”
“Not in the beginning. At first, I went tosome of the other women in her club, but after a while, they becameunwilling to inflict the amount of pain on me I started to require.Only Carha was willing to slice me as badly as I demanded to becut.”
Maggie’s lips thinned out. “Of course thatbitch was willing to do this.”
Aiden lifted an eyebrow at the vehemence inher voice. It seemed some of Maggie’s vampire blood was emergingwithin her. It might be easier to get her to agree to become hismate than he’d thought; a part of her might already be experiencingthe bond too.
“And did you have sex with Carha when shewas done or before she got started?” Maggie demanded, nauseatwisting in her stomach at the thought of him withthatwoman.
Aiden almost smiled over the jealousy in hervoice, but she wouldn’t find it at all amusing if he did. “I’venever had sex with Carha.” She gave him a doubtful look. “Never. Iused her service for pain only.”
“I saw her in that club; it’s obvious shewanted you, and you said you wanted it all in equal measure, sothat would include sex too, right?”
“Right.”
“So why wouldn’t you sleep with her? She’sbeautiful.”
“Maybe on the outside, but she’s got thesoul of a shark.”
“She does,” Maggie agreed, glad he saw ittoo. “Okay, so you allowed Carha to beat you to fulfill your needfor pain, and she whipped you often enough that your body stoppedhealing as it should, but what about your need for sex, blood, anddeath? How did you satisfy those urges?”
“I started working with Ronan to focus mycompulsion to kill on something good by destroying Savages. Whereasmost vampires usually drink blood every other day, and some can goas often as three or four days in between feedings, I consumedblood every day. Sometimes I fed two or three times a day to keepmyself in control, but I’ve never harmed those I fed on.”
