Blood Tied (29 page)

There was. I had yet to reveal Ben’s green pendant, the one he’d so lovingly caressed. It was a talisman of some power, and with my current distrust of the Conclave, I hadn’t felt safe sharing what I knew with them. My gut told me to hold onto that information and keep it even from my family. I didn’t know why, but one thing I’d learned since meeting Aiden was to trust my emotions and not hide from them.

When I nodded, Gerald returned the gesture. “As I thought. What is it?”

I still questioned whether I should speak of it or not. I’d been secretly searching magical texts for references to an emerald stone with a lily on its face, but my efforts had turned up nothing.

That wasn’t a big surprise. Our texts certainly had proven incapable of holding all the answers we needed. The history of the fae had not been fully reprinted, nor what was truly known about the vampyren. Some unseen hand had effectively rewritten our history for a purpose I had yet to learn.

“You don’t trust me,” he said. He cast his eyes downward, hurt.

I didn’t trust anyone besides Aiden and my family. I hadn’t shared what I knew with them because I wasn’t sure if knowing would put them in more danger. Ben had hidden the pendant for a reason, and if he knew others suspected it was important, I might place them even further in harm’s way. “Let’s just say I’m guarded,” I said.

Gerald nodded. “I understand. Far more than you realize. I know you feel as if the Conclave has lied to you, and for all intents and purposes, we have. We have kept secrets and told half-truths in our attempts to protect our species and the Gate.”

“And where has that gotten you?”

“Precisely where we are,” he said, motioning between us. “It has wrought distrust, and in order for us to come out of this on the other side, we must rebuild that bridge. This is something I hope you and I can do together.”

I would have liked nothing better, but I had my doubts of that ever happening. “How do we do that?”

“I possess information, and so do you. If we share what we know between just the two of us, we can begin to set things right.”

It made sense, but I wasn’t going first. “You start.”

“Before I do, I must ask that you keep this between us. It is far too sensitive to be shared with anyone. Not your family or even Aiden. There is more danger afoot than you realize, and only by placing our trust in each other will we perhaps find the solutions we need.”

It made sense, but it still begged an important question. “Why me? My father’s the High Priest.”

“He is,” he said. “But before I joined the Conclave, you and I had a personal relationship outside what we have now. We have a history we drew on that forms a more solid foundation for trust, and trust is what I most desperately need right now.”

He desperately needed trust? Whatever he knew had to be extremely dangerous if he felt he had no one else to turn to. “I promise,” I said. “What we discuss right now goes no further than this room.”

Gerald smiled in thanks before inhaling sharply. “When I told you we had discovered Ebenezer’s cell was empty, I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

I shook my head. Would the lies never stop? “So what is the whole truth?”

“What I didn’t admit was that there had been no signs Ebenezer had used his powers to force his way out.”

The ramifications of Gerald’s words crashed upon my shoulders. No wonder he felt as if he couldn’t trust anyone. “Someone let him out?”

He begrudgingly nodded.

If he was being held prisoner by the Conclave, then logic dictated one probable answer. “It was one of the Conclave?”

“That is what I suspect to be true.”

I suddenly felt dizzy. My entire world turned upside down, and I no longer knew where to turn for stability. One of the most powerful in our ranks had betrayed us, but why?

“I’m uncertain of the motives behind this action,” he continued, as if sensing my question. “Only that it reveals something far more sinister is in the works than even we can fathom.”

No shit! “What are you doing with this information?” I asked.

“We are… investigating.”

I arched my eyebrows in disbelief.

“The Conclave is a sluggish machine at times. Too cautious for its own good.”

“There’s a traitor in your midst,” I said. “You should be doing more than investigating. You should be using your immense powers to ferret out the culprit.”

“We’ve already tried that,” he hesitantly admitted. “And turned up nothing.”

That didn’t make any sense. “How is that possible? You’re the Conclave. The most powerful of us all.”

“So what does that tell you?” he asked.

“That there’s someone out there even more powerful than all of you?”

The fear that had hidden in the corners of his eyes leapt into full view. That was the reason behind the Conclave’s inability to deal with our recent troubles. They had no clue how to handle a situation over which they didn’t ultimately hold the upper hand. They were flying blindly in the dark as much as we were.

“That’s why we must keep this to ourselves,” he insisted. “We have no idea who this true enemy is or even where he or she might be.”

He was right. If I spoke what I knew at the wrong moment, I, and everyone I loved, was in danger. “I won’t say a word,” I replied. “But we have to find answers.”

“And that’s what I’m hoping you might have for me,” he said. Hope glinted in his eyes as he eagerly grabbed onto me.

I should have told him about the pendant. Perhaps he knew what it was and what it meant, but Gerald was right. There was no one for him to turn to, and if there was a being out there more powerful than the Conclave, I couldn’t risk what I knew falling into the wrong hands.

“Ben told me some things about the Conclave,” I finally said. “He told me not to trust you. That you only craved power and you had ulterior motives for forcing the fae to live in Otherworld.”

Gerald scrunched up his lips. He’d been expecting more, and I felt bad about not upholding my end of the bargain. But I had loved ones of my own to protect. Aiden and my family were my primary concerns.

“And that’s it?” he asked, waving away my words as if they were old and tired.

“It isn’t much,” I said, pretending to be hurt. “But it made me question my trust and faith in the Conclave, and after what you have told me, I’d say I’ve got reasons to be damn concerned, don’t you?”

He folded his hands into his sleeves and nodded. “You do.” His lips drew into a straight line, and his gray eyes turned hard.

“Is there something you expected me to learn there?” I asked. “Maybe I did see something, and I didn’t realize it was important. If you tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll tell you if I saw or heard it.”

Gerald shook his head before turning around. “There’s no need. You don’t have what I need.”

Was he disappointed I didn’t know more or that I did and refused to tell him?

“If you do remember something, please inform me at once. Information is the only weapon we have right now.”

“If I come across anything new, I’ll make sure you’re contacted.”

“Thank you,” he said with a halfhearted wave. “It’s dangerous out there, Thaddeus. The world we knew is changing. Stay safe.”

A second later Gerald was gone.

He was right. Darker forces than I even realized existed were gathering, and no one had any idea why.

But I would stay safe. I was finally living my life again, and nothing and no one was going to take that away from me.

A FEW
minutes later, I entered the bedroom Aiden and I shared.

The silk sheets lay draped across his naked form as he tossed and turned. As usual, he fought against sleep. His vampyre side didn’t need to rest. We’d learned that from the Conclave’s book, but we’d also discovered regular resting periods aided in controlling the vampyren instincts.

It gave his fae side time to recharge from the constant battle that waged internally.

I stood there for a few moments, relishing the comfort seeing him in my bed gave me. After what I’d just learned, I needed it.

But more important, I craved the comfort only Aiden’s touch could bring, and I had something to offer Aiden that would hopefully ease his constant struggle.

I undressed and then crept over to the bed as he mumbled and thrashed. Aiden’s sleep had been plagued by nightmares, which were apparently new to him. The fae only ever had pleasant dreams, the lucky bastards, so when he woke up screaming after his first bad one, I had to explain to him that sometimes they happened.

I crawled onto the bed, positioning myself next to Aiden. The warmth emanating from him washed over me in comforting waves.

He responded to my presence by scooting closer and draping his arm across my chest. I pulled him to me and inhaled the spicy cinnamon bouquet that lingered around him and ran my fingers up and down his back.

He settled down and let out a big sigh.

My touch still worked its magic on him, just the way his worked on me. It made me smile every time my kiss or embrace calmed his nerves. It only supported the argument my heart had already concluded.

Aiden and I were tied to each other in a way neither of us expected, and if I had my way, that bond between us would only grow stronger.

“When did you come in?” Aiden peered up at me from where he rested on my shoulder.

“Just a bit ago,” I replied, kissing the top of his head. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“Don’t be,” he said, draping his leg over me. He felt the need to get as close to me as possible, which was good. That was exactly what I wanted.

We hadn’t had sex since the Arbor. Aiden still didn’t trust himself completely. He feared his vampyre side might rear its head in the throes of passion. Since he was still struggling with control, I couldn’t argue against that logic, but it was time for us to use the strongest power we had—our intimacy.

“Something’s on your mind,” he said. When he looked up at me, it took every ounce of restraint I possessed not to pounce. “What is it?”

“I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you.”

Aiden sat up against the headboard. The sheets slid down his body, exposing the patch of dark hair that crowned the base of his cock. Fuck. How was I supposed to have a conversation with that wonderful distraction peeking up at me?

He hooked my chin with his fingers and brought my gaze to his. “My eyes are up here,” he said.

“I know where your eyes are,” I said, straining against his grip to get another look at his goods.

Aiden chuckled before pulling the covers up to his waist. “There. Can you focus now?”

I frowned. “Maybe after I have one more look.” I was just about to pull the sheets off when he grabbed both my hands in his.

“Thad, we’ve talked about this.”

“And we need to talk about it some more.”

He released me and scooted to the other side of the bed. “It’s not safe,” he said. “And I won’t put you in danger.”

“Unless your feelings for me have changed, you won’t.”

“What?” he asked, his eyes wide in surprise. “Why would you say that? Of course they haven’t changed.”

I smiled and slid over to his side of the bed. “I know they haven’t.”

He gazed at me out of the corners of his eyes, holding tightly to the sheets around his naked lower half. “Then why would you ask me such a silly question?”

“Because I want you to realize that nothing has changed between us. What I feel for you courses through every vein in my body. It’s a force that dwells within me and makes me stronger. And makes you stronger. Why do you think you’ve been able to exert as much control over your vampyren nature? It’s your love for me that gives you that strength, that willpower to do what needs to be done.”

“I know,” he said. He released his grip on the sheets and laced his fingers with mine. “It’s hard on me too, you know. Not touching you or kissing you in the way I want to.”

“And that’s why you have to do it,” I said. I took his hand and guided his fingers across my chest, letting him feel the flesh he’d been denying himself. His fingers trembled in want, and his hardening cock created a tent in the sheets.

“I can’t.” He was breathless, and his cheeks were flushed.

“That’s not true,” I said. I threw the covers off me, and Aiden looked up and down my nakedness, devouring the light dusting of copper hair on my chest and the treasure trail that led from my belly button to my hard seven-inch cock. He licked his lips, hungry for my flesh, but if I had to guess, he was just as ravenous for my blood.

“Thad, stop.” His protest was weak. He couldn’t tear his gaze from what I offered.

“I won’t.” I sat across his lap. His bare flesh was still covered by the bedding, but his hard dick made its presence known. It pulsed while Aiden unconsciously thrust upward against me.

He gripped my waist, forcing my ass on his prick, and moaned. “I’m losing control.” He gritted his teeth as he dug into my flesh.

“No, you’re not,” I said. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. “You’re still you, Aiden. You haven’t sprouted fangs and talons. Nothing has changed.”

“Because I’m fighting it,” he said.

“Don’t fight it,” I responded. I pushed my tongue into his mouth, drinking in the sweetness of his kiss. I moved my hands to his face, caressing his cheeks as Aiden relented to the kiss. “Take me.”

Aiden growled and flipped me onto my back on the bed. He hovered over me, his muscles straining. He wanted to dive onto me, kiss me, make love to me, bite me, but he fought it with impressive fortitude.

But what he had yet to realize was that with me, he didn’t have to.

“I know you think you have to hold yourself back because you might hurt me.” I stroked his cheeks as I smiled at him. His chest heaved, and he bit his lip to keep himself focused on what he felt he had to do. “But Aiden, you’re not going to hurt me. I can feel that as easily as I can feel my heart beat.”

He groaned and turned away. Clearly talking about my heart made him focus too much on my blood, which was good. It was my blood he needed.

“There’s a hunger within you that needs to be sated, and I can do that for you. My touch calms you down, my kiss makes you focus, my blood will appease your hunger.”