Craved (32 page)

“Yeah, and Aiden was trying to stop it
but he was too weak from being sprayed with the liquid silver,
thanks a lot.” I spat out. I knew that Micah wasn’t solely
responsible, but I had a lot of anger stirring within me and I
needed to direct it at someone. I found fault with Micah to a
certain point making him a fine target for my anger. He may not
have known what constituted a bond with a vampire, but he was the
reason Aiden couldn’t stop it from happening.

“Aiden would have killed Liam if we
hadn’t sprayed him. He’s strong, Gwen. Wyatt and I could have
subdued him for a little while, but not long enough to save Liam’s
life. Liquid silver was our only option.”

I stared at Micah, my fury aimed right
at him but I didn’t speak; it’d be pointless to repeat what I’d
already blamed him for. I wanted him to know how pissed I was for
what he’d done, whether it was for Liam’s life or not.

“Yeah, well now my life is the one in
danger. You guys let Ian get away and I’m bonded to
him.”

“We’ll find him, Gwen. We ambushed the
warehouse two nights ago and have all of his goons in custody. The
VC (Vampire Council) came and killed four of them but the ones that
are left are only alive because they are spilling all of the
information they know about Ian’s dealings. I suspect that they
will be dead by the end of the week though, I don’t trust the VC.
Witches’ blood benefits vampires too much for them to really care
about taking action to stop it. We’ve learned some interesting
things though,” Micah said.

“Yeah, I have a feeling that things
are going to come to blows between the VC and the NAWC very soon.
You’re lucky you’re a werewolf and not in the middle of the shit
storm. What interesting things did you guys learn?” My anger had
eased, if only a tiny bit. I was more excited that I had been able
to lead Micah to the warehouse where Amy Harper and Bridget Downing
had been killed. It was a small victory though; the vampires would
just move their operation to another secluded area.

“Remember how you kept saying the main
guy was British?” Micah asked and I nodded my head. “Well, Ian’s
goons told us that he’s from Bedford, England. He probably
disguised his voice while he was around us because the vampires say
he normally speaks with an English accent. I wanted to be
absolutely certain that Ian was, in fact, the man so I made sure to
ask about that. He’s learned how to use the magic very well so
that’s why no one could see his face. Without you’re help, we
wouldn’t have been able to get this far, thank you, Gwen.” Micah’s
eyes showed too much emotion for my liking. I broke eye contact and
leaned my elbows on my knees, resting my head in my palm. I focused
on the floor instead of the longing in Micah’s eyes.

“Were one of the vampires close to Amy
Harper?” I asked, remembering from Amy’s memories that she had
definitely known her attacker. Her brother, Anthony, had seemed
nervous talking to us.

“Yeah, his name was Jason. He was only
three years old, in vampire terms. He was one of the first ones
that the VC killed. Amy had started dating him three months before
she was killed.”

It was nice to see all the loose ends
make some sense. I was still uneasy though. I knew the situation
was far from over.

Aiden opened the bedroom door and
said, “Sorry to interrupt, but Gwen and I have dinner plans.” I
arched an eyebrow at the news but with the mention of food, my
stomach grumbled.

“Right, I’ll head out. I just wanted
to catch you up on the case. Happy you’re okay, Gwen, and I’m sorry
for letting Ian feed you but you have the FPD’s guarantee that
we’re doing everything in our power to find Ian and put a stake
through his heart.” Micah gave me a small smile and then walked to
the door but, before leaving, he turned to Aiden and said, “I’m
sorry for spraying you with the liquid silver but we thought it was
the only way to stop you from killing Liam. I understand what it’s
like loving Gwen, you’d do anything to keep her safe.” Micah looked
back at me and then turned and left.

************

Aiden paid to have one of the nicer
restaurants in Flora closed for only the two of us. Behind the
restaurant was a brick patio, surrounded with wisteria-covered
lattice for privacy. White twinkling lights wove through the
lattice, making the purple flowers glow.

Our table sat in the middle of a
gazebo and the white lights continued around all sides while an
elegant light hung from the ceiling and lent a soft glow above our
table. I had eaten here three years before, but somehow it seemed
more romantic with Aiden on the other side of the table, with the
lights reflecting off his sapphire eyes.

A waiter poured us both a glass of
champagne while another waiter carried a silver dome-covered dish,
placing it in front of me. He removed the lid to reveal an array of
seafood, scallops, lobster, and grilled shrimp, on a bed of rice
with lemons garnishing the sides. I smiled and looked at Aiden. I
had mentioned a long time ago that I loved seafood and it seemed he
hadn’t forgotten.

The waiter’s left and soft music began
to float on the night air as Aiden and I watched each other over
the rims of our glasses.

“Consider this our first official
date,” Aiden said with a smile. I had told him that I wanted to go
on a few dates before things between us got serious, but things had
spiraled out of control while we were on the case and we hadn’t had
time for any dates.

“Seems like we’re doing things
backwards. Aren’t we supposed to sleep together after dating?” I
laughed.

“Oh, I have every intention of
sleeping with you after this date,” Aiden said with a devilishly
naughty grin. I giggled and a blush rushed to my cheeks from the
fire Aiden had ignited.

It was strange eating in front of
Aiden since he didn’t eat, but my stomach demanded the food so I
tried not to shovel it into my mouth. Aiden watched me close my
eyes as I forked a piece of lobster and put it into my mouth. The
edges of his pupils had begun to darken with his growing lust and
by the time I scooped the last bit of rice into my mouth, we were
both ready to enjoy dessert.

**************

Aiden definitely took his time
exploring my body and an hour later, we lay next to each other
panting and cuddling. He rubbed my arm while I lay on his muscular
chest but when his phone rang, I grumbled and moved so that he
could answer it.

He excused himself and walked out of
the bedroom where I could hear him talking about some order that
hadn’t shown up at Vain. I made a note to check on my own inventory
and give Penny a raise first thing in the morning. That girl was a
peach and more responsible than any other nineteen-year-old I’d
ever met.

A slight pain rushed into my head and
I cursed that I was getting a headache. But when the pain subsided
just as quickly as it had come and a white noise took its place, I
sat up. I bunched my eyebrows as I tried to understand where the
noise was coming from. Aiden didn’t have a television in his
bedroom and the radio was off.

‘Ello, little
witch
, a voice said in a British accent. I
jerked so strongly that I hit my head on the back of Aiden’s
headboard. I rubbed the spot and cursed, my eyes roaming the large
room for the owner of the voice, for Ian.

I can sense that you just
enjoyed Aiden. You’ve got me all randy and it’s your body I’m
craving. I will find you, Gwen, and you will be mine. Your body
will be beneath me as your lips moan only my name. Until we meet
again, little witch.

Aiden stepped back into the room and
apologized for the call. He hopped back into bed and noticed that I
was frozen with fear.

“Gwen, what’s wrong? What happened?”
He was in front of me in a flash, both of his hands gripping my
arms. I dragged my eyes to his. Tears dripped against my cheeks as
I replayed what Ian had said.

“Ian communicated with me
telepathically.” I mumbled. “He said that he’d find me.” I left out
all of the dirty stuff Ian said; Aiden didn’t need to hear that
part of the conversation.

“Damn it” Aiden said between clenched
teeth. He drew me into his arms and said, “I’ll kill him, Gwen, I
promise.” I moved back and wiped the tears away, knowing that, from
now on, I had to be strong if I had any chance of beating Ian at
his own game.

“There was something I
tried telling you before, in my bedroom, before Micah interrupted.
I don’t know what the future holds for me, Aiden, but I know I want
you in it and if tomorrow doesn’t come for me, if Ian finds me
before we find him, than you should know…that I love you.” I stared
into his eyes and waited for his reaction. My heart pounded against
my ribcage but it had felt great to say what I felt. I knew without
a doubt that I loved him.
But what if he
doesn’t love me? Maybe I jumped the gun.

Aiden smiled and laughed. He leaned
close to my face so that his lips hovered in front of mine and in a
whisper so soft, he said the words that melted my heart.

“You are my past, my present, and my
future, all that I am, all that I aim to be is for you, my Gwen.
Until my last breath I’ll love you.” Aiden’s lips met mine and I
knew that with him beside me, I could handle anything life threw at
me.

Stephanie Nelson is a lifelong
Illinoisan where she lives with her husband and their furry
children. At an early age she began to write notebooks full of
poems. Her love for storytelling didn’t evolve until her early
twenties though. Craved is her first novel and the first in the
Gwen Sparks Series. When she’s not writing, she reads, spends
entirely too much time on Facebook, plays with her dogs, and loves
watching movies. If you’d like to learn more, visit Stephanie
online:
http://stephanie-nelson.com
,
for news on her upcoming books! Or find her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Nelson/177640978961830

Read ahead for chapter one of Hunted, book 2
in the Gwen Sparks Series, coming in the winter of 2011