Aiden listened to Kian’s wise words. This was one of those moments when Aiden knew why Kian was their leader. Nine times out of ten, Kian knew exactly what to do and say.
“I’m off then,” Aiden said walking out the back door.
He shifted into his full dragon form, his fastest form for flying, and burst into the air. It would take him a little while to fly back to the city, but he hoped that it was fast enough to get there before anything might happen. He pumped his wings and pushed himself as fast as he could. Of the four dragons of the House of Flames, Aiden was the fastest, most agile, and most precise.
However, he had made a serious blunder in his courtship of his mate. In his enthusiasm to be with her, he had acted impulsively. He would never let that happen again. His greatest asset, aside from his speed and stealth, was his patience. He would wait and watch and protect her from afar for as long as it took. Kian believed that eventually she would come around. Aiden intended to be there for her until that happened. As he landed on her building, he suddenly realized he had not been re-empowered by Aria’s song.
“Kian,” he said over his mental link. “I’m here.”
He dropped into half-shift in his stealth mode and flew down to peer through her window. The curtains were drawn but he could see through a sliver between the two swaths of fabric. She lay sleeping on her bed, her breathing slow and even. He let out a sigh of relief and flew back to the roof.
“What is it, Aiden?” Kian responded.
“There’s something I forgot to tell you,” Aiden said.
“What is it?”
“The power of Aria’s song, it seems to fade until it is like it was never there.”
“How do you know?”
“When the vampires attacked, I couldn’t injure them.”
“That is unfortunate,” Kian said. “It appears she has to reapply her magic continuously. You left before hearing her song again.”
“I should have waited. The mating impulse. It’s changing me, making me reckless. This is the second bad decision I’ve made this week.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. Everything’s fine.”
“I can’t leave her. I may not be able to kill the vampires, but I can still protect her.”
“I could have Dax bring Aria into the city tomorrow. I’m sure she would like to get out of the house anyway.”
“That is a reasonable solution,” Aiden said.
“Stay vigilant,” Kian said.
“Yes sir,” Aiden said to his cousin. “I will.”
He sat in stealth mode on the fire escape outside her window in his half-shift form. The street below was busy and passing people in cars filled the air with noise. He hoped that Winnifred was okay. They had left all of her supplies and her two new paintings back on the island. He told himself he would go get them when he had a chance. Maybe if he brought them back to her, she would forgive him.
He sat and waited as the day changed into evening and the sun began to set behind the tall buildings. Her curtains slid open and she stood on the other side of the glass, looking out at the fading sunlight. A faint smile played on her lips and a wistful look filled her eyes. He reached up and touched the glass, wishing he could touch her skin. She was so close, yet so very far away.
He gritted his teeth feeling like a fool. Dax would tease him mercilessly for this. Aiden had done the same thing when the roles were reversed.
But it didn’t matter. All he cared about was Winnifred’s safety. He would wait like a fool until the end of time to keep her safe. Dax’s teasing was meaningless. All that mattered was her.
Aiden watched her turn from the window and busy herself in her kitchen. Winnie poured water into a pot that she then placed on the stove. She made herself a cup of tea when the water boiled and sat at the table by the window. Sipping her tea, she opened her laptop computer and began to scroll through her emails. Aiden read her emails over her shoulder, noticing a correspondence with her friend Tonya.
“What’s up girl? Haven’t seen you since the Mortar concert the other night. I went into the café, but they said you hadn’t shown up for work! You haven’t been answering your phone. I left a bunch of voicemails. Is everything okay?”
Winnifred picked up her phone and called Tonya. She got her voicemail, so she left a message. “Hi, this is Winnie. Everything is fine. I was trapped on an island in the Sound and just got home under some unusual circumstances. I may share that story with you someday if I’ve had a little too much wine. But for now, I’ll just say it was spooky. I talked the café into not firing me. But I’ve made the decision to move to the country. I’m already looking for apartments near Mount Rainier and on the southern coast. There’s a couple that I really like. I’ll have enough for a down payment. My tax return is coming any day now. I’m just going to do it. No holding back. No waiting. I’m going to ‘suck the marrow out of life’, and all that. No more compromises.”
Aiden listened to her speaking through the thin window glass. He didn’t know if he should cheer or weep that she was leaving. He would protect her wherever she went. And he was proud of her for finally making the decision that she knew in her heart was right. But he couldn’t help thinking that the further away she went, the harder it would be to win her love.
She closed her computer and stood. Grabbing her coat, she left her apartment and a moment later was out on the street, walking quickly away from the building. He jumped down to the sidewalk, following behind her. There weren’t many people on the street this time of night, but he still had to carefully dodge pedestrians. He may be invisible, but he wasn’t immaterial. He transformed into his humanoid form that was smaller but still agile and quick.
She disappeared into a bookstore and he followed her inside behind a couple who left the door swinging behind them. Winnie trotted down some stairs, disappearing from view. He followed her and found her grabbing an apron and stepping behind the counter of the café.
This must be where she worked. The smell of food filled his lungs, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since the bite of fish he’d managed to shove in his mouth before the vampire attack. He couldn’t drop his stealth mode, order a sandwich, and sit down like a normal customer. She would not be happy that he was there.
He slipped into a corner, covered in shadows as he watched over her, protecting her from the danger he knew lurked just beyond the sight of humanity.
Chapter 11
After work, Winnifred waved goodbye to the nighttime barista, Nadine, and trotted up the stairs into the bookstore. She drew in a deep breath through her nose, taking in the smell of the books. She knew she would miss the bookshop, the café, and even the city, but she was going to fulfill her life’s purpose of being an artist. After what she had experienced on the island, nothing was going to hold her back now. She had seen some strange things and was forever changed by it.
After Aiden turned into a dragon and carried her away from the vampire attack, she knew that her own small worries were just that. Small. If she could survive being stranded on an island, attacked by vampires, and saved by a dragon, she could survive moving to the country and starting out on her own.
She made her way down the dark street, feeling a strange tingle on the back of her neck. Somehow, it made her miss Aiden. Maybe he’d stayed and was watching over her now. She looked around as she walked to her building’s front door. She almost hoped he was.
She groaned as she shoved her key into the lock and stepped inside. She had to stop thinking about Aiden. She’d been thinking about him all day at work, to the point where she’d been distracted with her customers and almost spilled a cappuccino on a high-powered executive. That guy hadn’t given her a tip.
She trotted up the stairs to her floor, walked down the hallway and slipped into her apartment. The blackout curtains were still open, letting in the light from the street. She flipped on the lights and walked across the room. Sitting by the window, she looked up at the moon. The sky had cleared since the storm an
d the waning moon glowed silver and bright over the city.
Her thoughts drifted again to Aiden. What if he really was her fated mate and she was his? It was all crazy talk, but what if it were true? What if they belonged together and she’d driven him away?
If she ever revealed what she’d seen on the island to anyone, it would get her locked up in a loony bin. It was best if she forgot about it. She opened her laptop and began looking through the apartment listings. There were just so many options in small towns that were a fraction of the cost of her studio apartment. Some of them had yards and even allowed pets. It would be so quiet out in the country. She could go hiking every day and do a new painting whenever she liked.
After her apartment search, she bought an internet domain name, and tried to start working on a website. In frustration, she remembered that Aiden said his friend Cato knew a lot about computers. She regretted not having taken him up on the offer. Building a website was harder than it seemed.
She finally managed to upload photographs of all her current work to the clunky site she’d built. She had everything listed, everything but the paintings that she’d left back on the island. Those two paintings were some of her best work yet, and she regretted having lost them…but not as much as she regretted losing Aiden. As much as she wanted to forget him, she couldn’t.
The moonlight was shining through the glass, bathing her skin. She wondered if Aiden was out there somewhere watching over her now. Maybe he was just on the other side of the glass. She lifted her palm and pressed it against the window, thinking of the dark man with whom she had shared a single, unforgettable kiss. She sighed and closed her eyes, basking in the memory. If she didn’t know any better, she would have believed she truly felt warmth radiating through the glass into her palm. She withdrew her hand, thinking it was too strange to be true.
Winnifred got up and closed the curtains. Her fantasies about Aiden watching over her were getting to be too much. She had to get over it. Maybe she had hallucinated it all. Maybe somebody had dosed her with drugs at the bar the other night during the concert. And nothing between then and when she had woken up several days later was real. Maybe Aiden was just a fantasy.
She flopped on her bed, groaning. She knew what had happened had been real. As unbelievable as it all was, it had happened. And the feelings she had for that man were true. She was so confused. She didn’t even know how she would react if she saw him again. Maybe she would still be angry. Or maybe she would throw herself into his arms.
After working on the ugly website late into the night, she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. The next morning, she headed out to find some cardboard boxes. She was going to get ready to move out of the city and get on with her life.
In the alley behind her building, Winnie rifled through the cardboard recycling bin. She found several cardboard boxes that were in perfect shape. Tucking them under her arm, she hurried back upstairs.
Staring at three years of accumulated stuff, she drank another cup of coffee and then checked her emails. She found an email letting her know her application for an apartment in the mountains had been approved! Winnie squealed with glee and bounced up and down like a little kid who had to pee. She could move in as soon as she paid the down payment and the first month’s rent.
Clapping her hands together excitedly, she got to work packing her things. It was a small place, but she had a surprising amount of crap. After filling several garbage bags with junk, she packed a bunch of boxes with her stuff. When she was done, she realized it was really late and she still hadn’t eaten. She made herself a bowl of Ramen and gazed out the window at the fading daylight.
As she twisted noodles on her chopsticks, her thoughts turned to Aiden. She’d been totally freaked out by what happened on the island, and then ended up being downright rude to the man who’d saved her life. She’d told him to get lost and hadn’t even asked how to get in contact with him.
The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became about the vampires. Maybe they would track her down and try to suck her blood. She grumbled at herself, wishing she could stop worrying.
Aiden had said they were fated mates. She figured that was dragon for soul mates. She had to admit there was something there. She’d felt a stirring inside her from the moment they’d met. Sure, he seemed odd and maybe just a little scary. But he was also handsome and kind. Underneath the shroud of mystery was a good heart. She could feel it, and she knew that she’d hurt him.
Winnifred might be street smart and talk a tough game, but she was empathetic and intuitive when it came to other people’s feelings. As angry as she’d been when Aiden had dropped her off, she knew that her words had stung him to the core. In that moment, she’d been so pissed off she didn’t care. Now, she regretted it.
“If you really mean so much to him,” she said to herself aloud. “He’ll come and find you. There’d be no way you could scare him off. So, stop berating yourself about it.”
She rinsed her bowl and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day. The website said her refund should be arriving tomorrow, and if it did, she would put her down payment on her apartment, pack up the rest of her things, rent a moving van, and drive down to her new home. She’d made her decision, and there was no going back now.
Chapter 12
Aiden slept on Winnifred’s fire escape, relieved that the storm had passed the night before. He may be a battle-worn dragon, but no one really liked sleeping in the rain. No…Even if it had rained again, it would have been worth it. Just knowing that she was safe was worth any discomfort life could possibly throw at him.
She thrust open the curtains and smiled out at the day. Seeing her sent a thrill through his heart. He watched her sip her coffee, set the cup on the counter and then leave her apartment. He flew up over the roof and watched her rifling through one of the recycling bins. She pulled several cardboard boxes out of the bin and carried them under her arm back into the building.
When he next saw her inside, she began packing. His heart sank. She was leaving. No matter where she went, no matter how far, he would watch over her and protect her. Someday, when she was no longer angry at him, he would approach her again and try to make things right. It was his only hope.
“We’re almost there,” Kian said through their mental link.
“And I have a surprise for you,” Cato said.
A few moments later, the entire crew along with Aria, Everly, and even baby Ember arrived and landed on the roof of Winnifred’s building. Aiden flew up as they dropped their stealth mode, becoming visible.
“Should I just do it here?” Aria asked.
“This is as good a place as any,” Kian said.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll begin.”
Aria’s song slipped between her lips, rising on the air above the sound of the city. It twined and swirled around him, slipping down his spine and growing in his heart. He felt the power unfurling like a budding flower. Soft and gentle at first but then coming into full bloom, fragrant and ripe. He took a deep breath as the power of her song took hold. Her voice drifted off, growing silent after a trembling final note pierced the air. She smiled and giggled, clapping her hands together.
“Do you feel more powerful now, Aiden?” she asked.
“He’s going to need it,” Dax said.
“Probably,” Aria agreed, snorting.
Aiden rolled his eyes; Dax was rubbing off on his mate. The two of them together were highly irritating. Too bad Aria’s song was the only thing that made him powerful enough to actually injure vampires.
“I need to get back to Winnifred,” Aiden said, throwing up his hand and turning away despondently.
“Wait,” Cato said. “I have news for you.”
“What is it?” Aiden said with a grimace.
He hated being the butt of Dax’s jokes. It was usually Dax who made idiotic mistakes. The role-reversal was not pleasant. Maybe Aiden should consider not giving Dax such a hard time when t
his was all over. No, that was never going to happen.
“I have the results of your mating analysis,” Cato said.
“Well, spit it out,” Aiden growled.
“It’s positive. She is your mate.”
“I didn’t need any computer analysis to tell me that. I can feel it in my gut, in my loins, and in my heart. That’s all that matters.”
He turned away again but then stopped.
“I hate to ask this,” he started. “But could one of you do me a favor?”
“I’m taking Aria to the arcade,” Dax said.
“And I’m taking Everly and Ember shopping,” Kian said.
“I can help you,” Cato volunteered. “What do you need?”
“I need someone to stay here and look after Winnifred while I go back to the island and retrieve her things.”
“I can do that,” Cato said.
“Thank you, Cato,” Aiden said. “Now I owe you two favors.”
Aiden and Cato went into stealth mode and half-shifted, flying down to the fire escape outside Winnifred’s window.
“That’s her,” Aiden said.
“She’s packing.”
“Yes. She’s an artist, and she wants to go somewhere that is less expensive to live.”
“Why doesn’t she just come live at the mansion with us?” Cato asked.
“Because if you must know, Cato, I completely screwed up with her and she wants nothing to do with me. I need to get her things as a peace offering before she leaves. Maybe she will agree to see me again.”
“Well, don’t waste any time. You should go.”
Aiden flew into the air and transformed into his swift red dragon, pumping his wings as they carried him over the city. He reached the shore and kept flying, pushing on toward the island where he had spent two peaceful days with his mate.