Aaron's Kiss Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 7) (97 page)

Chapter Nine

Shower, wash, dry, dress, leave. Shower, wash, dry, dress, leave. T
hese five words had been running through her head since she had gotten out of his bed. She had accomplished one and was working number two pretty good. The tears streaming down her face were easy enough to ignore while the water was running, but she figured she’d have to deal with them as soon as she got to number three. 

“Well, I’ll deal with that when I get there, no since buying trouble. He didn’t want me again. Nope, not going there, I have three more words to get through first.” 

Rinsing her hair she began to make progress to number three and the drying issue that was sure to arise. Turning off the shower proved to be a little tricky. Her eyes seemed to have decided to blur up in addition to leak all over the place, but she finally managed to get it off and leaned against the wall to try and get up the energy to move on with her list. There was a big fluffy towel hanging over a warming rack all nice and toasty for her. 

She meticulously dried herself and used another towel to dry her hair. When she decided she’d delayed the process long enough she pulled her clothes to her and sighed. The tears started to fall again.

She pulled her dress pants on without her panties. She was not putting her dirty under clothes back on and the bra and camisole went next. She was just pulling the comb she’d found in the drawer through her hair when she heard ‘him’ in the other room. 

“He is no longer anyone I’m going to concern myself with. Now,” she said to herself. “In order to finish my list, I just need to open the door and walk out. You can open the door. You do it all the time. Just turn the knob, good girl and push open the wooden thing.” Taking a deep breath she walked thought the door way.

~~~

When she walked past him with her nose in the air, Kyle knew he was in serious trouble. Her eyes and nose were red and she wouldn’t look at him. Yeah, he was a dead man, time to grovel, he thought.

“Madison, I’m so sorr—” She turned suddenly, and advanced on him quickly backing him up against the wall behind him. He could feel the blaze of her anger and his cock hardened with her scent.

“If you fucking tell me you’re sorry again, I will hurt you.” Her eyes were bright, the blue darkened to almost black. 

They stood staring at each other for several tense filled seconds until she turned her back on him and went to the door. He leaned hard against the wall she had backed him to and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to think, but he knew without a doubt he’d done something to really piss her off. And he couldn’t help but smile.

Aaron and Sara were sitting on the couch and Bradley and the children were there as well. Kyle took a seat in one of the wingback chairs near the fireplace and sat. He wanted to pace more than anything in the world but as everyone else was sitting he would as well.

Kyle decided that he really liked this room. It was homey and warm, yet extremely functional. When the furniture was moved out and into storage it was just a long room without any character. But when it was in use as is was now as a simple living room, it was comfy. There were four full sized gray and pink couches that circled around a large fireplace and hearth. The grate that sat in the firebox was as big as a full sized bed and could easily burn a core of wood without any problems. The stone mantle was made up of pink and gray marbled quartz and had a slab of the same material as the base. Along both sides of it were large floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the back of the property that was mostly woods. Sliding doors that lead out onto a covered patio and pool completed the wall. Bookshelves covered the other walls, with chairs scattered about in pairs filling out the rest of the room. Madison was sitting in one of the only chairs in the circle of couches. 

“I’m glad everyone could finally join us.” Aaron looked pointedly at Kyle. He simply shrugged at him. He had more important things to contend with just now than making people wait for him to being a meeting. Aaron continued. “Maddy. I want to first say how sorry I am about this morning. It could have gone much smoother and I’m afraid we may have inadvertently caused you more problems than we meant to. If you don’t mind, we’ll take this up—”

“I want to leave please. I don’t know how I got here, and frankly I don’t care, but I want to leave.” She stood and the men of the room did as well. When she moved toward the door Kyle intercepted her. He didn’t touch her but he wasn’t about to let her leave until this was finished.

“Madison, you need to sit down. We have something to tell you. Things you need to know so that we can move on as a business.”

He, they all needed to tell her what they were. It had gotten to the point where she needed to be made aware of their being non-human. 

“And I want you to fuck off.” She rubbed her forehead and lowered her voice. “If you do not move your big arrogant obnoxious ass out of my way, I swear I will. I’ve had enough.” She crossed her arms over her chest and began tapping her foot as if she actually expected him to move. 

“Maddy, I need to talk to you please. It’s really, really, really important. I gots a message for you.” Kyle looked down at Mac, Aaron’s son. Now was not the time. Kyle needed to have this conversation with her.

“I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. MacManus,” Maddy flushed a deep red. “I should have stopped to think before speaking. What kind of message do you have for me Mac?” Maddy knelt down on her knees to look at the young boy. She looked at little Mac like Kyle wished she’d look at him, if only just once.

“I’m a naked dancer and I gots to give you a message from your gram—”, he rushed on to tell her. Kyle looked at Aaron. It was the look of concern on his face that caused Kyle to pause.

“You’re a necromancer you baboon, not a naked dancer. How stupid can you be? Naked dancer—She probably thinks you dance in the grass like a silly witch.” Lizzy shook her head as she made fun of her brother.

“Elizabeth MacManus don’t call your brother names. It’s very rude. What kind of message do you have for Maddy, son?” Kyle could see that Aaron was trying to be stern with his daughter and not laugh at his son. Kyle thought it was hilarious but didn’t laugh either. He wouldn’t hurt the kid for anything.

“As I was telling her before somebody had to make fun of me, it’s from your Grammie. She wants me to telled you something. Something she forgot.” He cocked his head at Maddy, a concerned look on his face. “It’s okay. I know how to put her back. She just came to me to tell you this.”

“I…that’s not funny Mac. Who put you up to this? You should…My Grammie is dead, you can’t of…Necromancers aren’t real. I…she’s dead.” Maddy looked around the room. Kyle supposed she was looking for help, thinking no one in the room would believe him either.

“It’s okay Maddy” Lizzy said trying to be helpful. “He talks to ghosts all the time. It’s ‘cause he was almost dead when Aunt Pic birthed us. He is learning to put ‘em back okay. Don’t be mad.” Lizzy patted Maddy on the back. Kyle had a feeling this was not helping at all.

“You believe him. You shouldn’t encourage him to…there are no such things as…I have to go.” Maddy started to rise to leave. Kyle could tell she’d had too much. But there was no turning back now.

“Of course there are, Maddy. Just like there are vampires, werewolves and other creatures that go bump in the night. Just like we are.” Kyle looked over at his best friend and decided that murder might be worth the console being pissed at him.

“You are?” Her voice was weak and tight, her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. They all could hear her heart pounding with terror as well as he did, her breaths short and harsh.

“Yes, love, we all are. With the exception of Bradley over there who’s an alpha ‘were, we’re all vamps. Some of us are a little extra. Like for instances, Sara and Lizzy are also magical beings, related to the Queen of all Magic.” Kyle stood slowly and moved toward her, knowing she was close to losing it. This could have gone a good deal better. He nodded to Aaron, but could see that he’d already saw the situation could go bad. Kyle moved to a little closer to her.

“Of course, why not. If you’re going to believe your vampires, why the heck not have a queen too. I can’t breathe, I need to breathe.” She ran toward the glass door and it opened before she could get to it. She stopped so suddenly that Kyle who had made to follow her bumped into her back. “Don’t touch me! You all need help serious help. I…I’m leaving. I…you people are sick.”

“Madison, calm down. Let us explain.” Kyle and Aaron were closing in on her. Kyle knew that if she left here she could hurt herself. She wasn’t thinking and that could put her in harms way.

“Calm down? Calm down? Are you fucking insane. You just told me that you’re all vampires and you want me to calm down. Well,
fuck
off
.” She darted to the kitchen area.

Chapter Ten

Duncan was putting food – little cakes, cookies and a slice of pie on a large tray. She noticed that there were cups and glasses there as well. This was all too surreal for her and she sat down hard on a chair.

“They eat? I mean, they eat food? There’s always food here when I come, they can’t be vampires and eat, can they?” She knew she was babbling, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. It was that or start screaming and tearing at her hair.

“Ah, they have told you. No, Miss, the gentlemen do not eat food. The ladies all eat however and the little ones of course. We are not sure why the ladies can partake of food, but there you have it.”

“Yes, there I have it. I need to use the phone, I…I’m going home you see and I need to leave.” She put her hand over her pounding heart. “There are things going on that I don’t…can’t understand. I need to go home and have someone wake me up. Yes, that’s it. I’m asleep.” Duncan shook his head and she didn’t ask him what he meant. She was actually very afraid he’d give her and answer she didn’t want to hear.

“Of course Miss, but I can transport you. It would be my pleasure.” He took off his pristine white apron. Then he reached over and took his coat off the rack near the door. He had just picked up a set of keys when the door behind her opened. She didn’t turn around.

She knew that Sara was there, could feel her eyes burrowing into her, but she refused to look at her. Maddy just stood at the opposite side of the room, her back to the room and faced the outer door.

“Maddy,” Sara asked quietly. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, Mr. Duncan, I’d like it if you could take me home. I seemed to have lost my…my car. I could use a ride. Please, right now. I need to leave right now.” 

Maddy didn’t want to hear what Sara had to say so she kept talking about the ride home and her car and anything else that popped into her mind until Duncan led her out the door and to the garage.

Maddy didn’t say a word once they got into the big Hummer and she had given Duncan an address. She had just moved over to the window and huddled against the glass staring out of the rain streaked covered window. Her mind was just overwhelmed. 

Maddy was thinking hard, her heart and her head hurt. Vampires and werewolves, and the little boy believed he was a necromancer. Magic, there was something about magic she was suppose to remember, but couldn’t. Kyle had pushed her away twice. Blood and food. Nothing was making sense, yet everything was swirling around and around. She realized that they had been stopped for a while and looked to see where they were. In front of not her home, but a place that should have been—the house of their dreams, her and her grandmother’s dreams.

“We were going to buy this house, my Grammie and me. She was going to take art classes and I was going to practice law out the back. There’s a little garden in the corner that had daffodils when we were here to look at it. Aren’t they the happiest flower?” She looked for a few more minutes, Duncan not saying a word. “They really are vampires aren’t they Mr. Duncan, and that little boy Mac, he spoke to her, my Grammie, didn’t he?”

“Yes, Miss.” He didn’t elaborate. She wasn’t sure what else he could say to her. She was certain she might be having a breakdown of some sort and was sure once someone gave her something stronger everything would be fine. Then again…

“Yeah, of course they are.” She closed her eyes before she spoke again. “I don’t live here. I’m not even sure why I had you bring me here. My mind seems to be a little befuddled.” 

Maddy was quite for a long while thinking, and then came to a decision.

“Would you tell Mr. MacManus that I’ll work for him, I really don’t have a choice really. But I have rules that I’ll discuss with him when he can see me.” She opened the door and got out. It started raining then; the skies seem to open up and drenched her. “I don’t have a phone, but there’s a pay phone on the floor where I stay.” She reached in again for a piece of notepaper that was in the cars tray and a pen. She wrote the number down and gave it to Duncan.

“Miss, you cannot stay out here. Come. Return to the vehicle and get in and let me dispatch you to your home.” Duncan started to get out of the car but she back away and shut the door.

“It’s all right Mr. Duncan. I don’t have a key to get in to my home anyway. It’s still in my bag at the office. I hope so anyway. And staying in a hotel is out, I don’t have the money for that, and I have no ID anyway. I need to think, I’m just gonna walk around for awhile. Don’t worry about me.” She slammed the door and took off in the pouring rain before he could argue with her more.

~~~

“Master Kyle, you left her things at that office. Now she is running around in the dark without a proper place to sleep tonight. What were you thinking?” Duncan hadn’t even waited to remove his rain slicker before confronting Kyle.

“What do you mean, she’s running around? You left her outside in this? Why the hell didn’t you take her ho—” Kyle stood up to…

He actually wasn’t sure what he was going to do but sitting put him at a disadvantage to the little man. But he didn’t think all the height in the world would make him any bigger in the man in front of him.

“You will not blame me for this mess. I did not bring her into this house without her things; I did not upset her to the point of tears! You did,” Duncan yelled at him. “Now you will listen to me. You will not make her cry again. Or you will be answering to me. Do I make myself understood? I was a boxing champ in my day and I’ll not hesitate to pop you a knuckle sub if you get out of line again.” Duncan shook his fist at Kyle again and went into the kitchen. He had never seen him look so angry in his life, Kyle thought.

Kyle didn’t know whether to laugh or beg forgiveness. He turned to look at the rest of the occupants of the room and every one of them stood staring open-mouthed at the door Duncan had just exited. 

“I’m guessing he’s never threatened anyone with a knuckle sub before.”