Chapter 13
Though she’d been through a lot that night, and she was dead on her feet, it was still interesting to see where Aaron lived.
He hadn’t taken her back to the offices of the MEC. Nope, after a painfully quiet but thankfully short car ride, they’d arrived at a colonial-style five-story house. It was red-brown brick rimmed with white window frames and capped by a baby-blue roof. There were white roses in the generous yard, and a well-kept sandstone path leading to an ornate red door.
It was exactly like its owner: distinguished and regal.
Anna pressed her injured wrist against her chest and wandered up the path, her head turning in every direction as she spied something new to stare at.
Though the place appeared traditional in design, if you looked carefully, you could see something … a little extra. There were magical enchantments, talismans, and hex wards dotted throughout the garden and grounds. A few well-placed nicks in the large birch by the fence would protect the house from demons and ghosts. The tiny golden symbols etched into the door with a sacred knife would ensure no vampires entered, even with an invitation. The tiny scribbled leafs of parchment half-buried under the roses would prevent the undead from digging their way out of the mulch.
Aaron cleared his throat.
She barely noticed. She spied a few malachite stones scattered around the grass by the path. Malachite was known throughout the ages for its ability to protect and heal.
Aaron cleared his throat again. “By this rate, you’ll never make it into the house.”
She looked up at him and made an awkward face. She was good at awkward faces; she’d spent most of her life practicing. In fact, when Anna wasn’t being embarrassing, she was usually having an accident that would lead to future embarrassment.
Usually it didn’t bother her. Around Aaron and his lovely house, she couldn’t ignore it.
He was everything she wasn’t. Sure of himself, powerful, distinguished, and forthright.
“Anna, come in,” he said pointedly as he opened the door and gestured into the hallway.
“Oh, sorry.” She hurried up the stairs and over the threshold. As soon as she crossed it, she sneezed.
Magic.
Everywhere. The wards and talismans protecting the outside of the house were nothing compared to the objects and spells within.
She put a hand up to her mouth and coughed, trying to ward off another sneeze.
Aaron turned and walked into a room to his left. She caught sight of his expression, and it was to be as expected. He looked bothered. Clearly protecting a silly witch like her wasn’t how he preferred to spend his nights.
“I’ll have the butler take you to a room. You’ll be safe there. I’ll sort out everything else.”
“So … that’s it?” She stood in the corridor and shuffled her feet. Her skirt was dirty and ripped. In fact, everything she wore was worse for wear, including herself. She was in dire need of a bath, a drink, and a lie down.
Leaving everything up to Aaron didn’t feel right, though. It felt too much like giving up.
“You’ll be safe here,” he repeated.
She looked down at her feet and distractedly rubbed her wrist.
He tipped his head down, tilting it as he tried to look up into her eyes. “Are you alright?”
She forced herself to nod. “Yeah, fine.”
“I’ll have the butler see to your wrist. He’s accomplished in both normal and magical first aid. Considering your particular allergies, it might be best to see to your wrist in a more mundane manner.”
“Thanks,” she managed. Then she fell silent.
Aaron stood on the threshold to his drawing room. Clearly he was waiting for her to go away. A man like him was busy every second of every day, and her escapades tonight had only added to that.
“I’ll just go look for the butler,” she pointed in a random direction over her shoulder.
“He’s not hiding in the broom cupboard.” Aaron raised an eyebrow, but at the same time, he smiled. Softly. Honestly, the move was barely there. You had to be paying as much attention as Anna was to his chiseled jaw and defined cheekbones to even notice it. “He’s just over there,” Aaron continued, pointing towards the end of the hall.
A man was standing with a white-linen towel folded neatly over one arm. Lord knows how long he’d been there, as Anna hadn’t heard him approach.
She stifled a startled yelp, and coughed instead. “Okay … um, thanks.”
“This way, ma’am,” the butler said as he turned stiffly on one heel, his shoes crushing the plush pile of the cream carpet.
Aaron entered his drawing room and closed the door without a word.
If Luminaria were here, she’d snap at him for being rude. The possessed cat was currently outside chasing mice. As soon as they’d arrived, she’d spied one and pursued it around the side of the house. For a witch trapped in a feline’s body, she sometimes forgot about her human roots and ate entirely too many lizards.
Still, even though it was nice when Luminaria left her alone, right now, Anna could use the snide cat. She’d know exactly what to say to Aaron. She also wouldn’t take a back seat. Luminaria von Tippit was not the kind to let others fight her battles.
Anna apparently was. She turned and followed the butler up the stairs.
Once she entered her room and closed the door behind her, she let out a sigh. It shook with emotion and exhaustion.
So much for her first solo bounty hunter mission. Far from proving herself to Scott and Aaron, she’d proven they were right.
Scott ….
She hadn’t thought about him since he’d left her at that bar. He could be worried about her, she realized as she bit her lip. Or, more likely, he could have forgotten all about her, as she was the most forgettable witch and woman in the city.
Sighing heavily again, she flopped onto her bed. It was covered with an intricate soft-white bedspread. And now that was covered in soot and dried up blood.
“Oh god,” she pushed herself up and made a face. She darted over to the en suite, but soon realized she was trailing mud and ash with every step of her dirty shoes.
She couldn’t win.
Anna never could.