Maggie hadn’t calmed enough to deal withthis change of events. She’d experienced and felt many things inher life, but seeing Aiden hugging another woman had readied her tokill in an instant. Her hand trembled when she pushed aside thestrand of wet hair falling across her eye.
“Maggie, is it?” Vicky elbowed Aiden in theribs. He grunted and rubbed his chest as she stepped forward. “Iwas trying to get Aiden to tell me all about you; however, he takesthat whole Hollywood brooding vampire thing to a ridiculous level.But then, I’m sure you’ve already figured that out.”
Aiden glowered at his sister. Less than aminute ago, he’d been hugging her. Now, he contemplated choking heras she strolled toward Maggie with her hand extended. Maggieblinked again, seeming to come out of some reverie.
There had been no denying the wrathdarkening her features before, and she appeared to be having adifficult time pulling herself out of it as her jaw remainedclenched. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling over how irateseeing him with Vicky had made her. Yes, convincing her to become avampire might not be so difficult after all.
“I’m Vicky.”
Maggie gazed down at the hand Vicky extendedto her before taking it. Vicky was about two inches shorter thanher, but strength reverberated from the small vampire. ThoughVicky’s eyes were an emerald green instead of Aiden’s spring green,Maggie saw a similarity in their shape. There were few othersimilarities between the siblings.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Maggie said.
Vicky enclosed both her hands aroundMaggie’s and squeezed. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Maggie. You’rea lifesaver, and I don’t mean just because you’re a paramedic.Kudos for that, by the way. I could handle the blood, of course,but the guts and bones? Ugh,” Vicky grimaced. “Keep that stuffwhere it belongs, am I right?”
“Ah, yeah,” Maggie replied, still too thrownoff by her violent reaction to seeing Aiden with another woman toregister everything Vicky said.
“You’ll save my brother’s life; I’m certainof it,” Vicky declared.
Maggie’s breath caught at those words andthe depth of emotion radiating from Vicky’s gaze.
“Enough, Vicky,” Aiden said as he stalkedacross the room toward them. “You’ll scare her off.”
“If your menacing exterior hasn’t frightenedher off yet, I sure won’t,” Vicky replied with a laugh.
“You’re an ass,” Aiden muttered.
“I am,” Vicky agreed blithely and releasedMaggie’s hand. “I’m also adorable, unforgettable, andmagnificent.”
“Your ego could fill the Grand Canyon.”
“That hole has nothing on me,” Vicky said tohim and winked at Maggie.
Vicky was a whirlwind, but Maggie foundherself liking the outgoing woman.
“I’m the black sheep of the siblings. HasAiden told you how many of us there are?” Vicky asked.
“He has,” Maggie said as her eyes bouncedbetween the two of them.
They may not look much alike, but they hadthe easygoing banter of those who knew and loved each other well.She and A.J. had often flowed like this together. Sometimes theyforgot anyone else was with them as they traded insults andquips.
An unexpected stab of longing speared her.What would it have been like to grow up secure in the knowledge ofunconditional love? To know that no matter how badly you screwedup, there would be someone to help you through it?
Sensing her sudden melancholy, Aiden steppedforward and slid his arm around her waist. “I’d consider myselfmore of the black sheep,” he said to Vicky.
Vicky’s mouth pursed and twisted to the sideas she studied him. “Yeah, you might be the closest to me. You callhome about as often as I do.”
“I talked to Mom yesterday.”
“Oh, you call more than I do then!” Vicky’ssmile slid away; she fidgeted with the edge of her shirt beforegrinning again. “How are things at the zoo?”
“Good. They’re enjoying their grandchildren,and Willow is preparing for college.”
“Hopefully she does better with it than Idid.”
“And me.”
Vicky’s attention shifted back to Maggie,but before she could say anything more, a knock on the doordistracted her. “That must be our sister Abby. She might be thewhitest sheep of us all, but we still love her,” Vicky said toMaggie.
