The Faerie Master (Aaron's Kiss Series) (11 page)

Shawn kissed the woman’s hand and bowed before the man.
He knew that they were a royal couple, and they held themselves as such.
His head hurt less and he wondered if it was the distraction that was helping. “I’m Shawn.
So this is a pastime of yours, to follow around woodland creatures until they’ve no choice but to have sex with you watching or not?
Sounds like a strange hobby if you ask me.”

“Oh, Lesser fairies have their use.
I’ve seen them rally together and take on something ten times their power and size.
Mari and Genese, two of the flower fairies, have mated with Lesser.
Your mate is only half faerie.
Can’t figure out yet what else she is.
Not until I have a talk with her.”
Shawn watched as the man pulled out a huge book from the air.

He wondered what it was when he saw the title, Magical Creatures, and then the drawing on the front was a hodge podge of creatures and beings.
Fairies were there, as was a centaur; a dragon took up most of the top of the page.
As he continued to look Shawn could see beings in the grass, among the trees, and a few in clusters that looked like they made up a flower and its petals.
The drawing was elaborate and in great detail.
When Savannah sat next to him Shawn looked at her in surprise.

“Aaron tells me you’ve lost some of your memories.
That would be a sad thing, I think.
But you’ll get them back.
I know a bit about you, well, actually I know a great deal about you, but only bits can I tell you.
You’re very old, one of the oldest vampires alive as a matter of fact. You want to know why you’re here, correct?”

“Yes, I was coming here for a reason.
I don’t know why, but I feel it might be important as to why I was ambushed outside of the bar.
Do you know why I’m here?”

Shawn wasn’t sure why he knew, but he was reasonably sure that this woman knew everything, including who the woman was that had caused him harm.
He wanted her to tell him, but also knew that she wouldn’t.
He was just settling back against the sofa when he felt Cade coming toward him.
He looked to the doorway just as she stepped through.

~~~

Cade felt the tingle she always did when she was on an assignment.
She never understood what it was; just that it had saved her enough times that she didn’t ignore it.
Stepping through the door, her eyes collided with Shawn’s and her breath caught.
When he stood she backed up a step before she caught herself.

“I’m leaving now.
I’d like...I had different clothes and I’d like them back please.
I can’t keep coming here and leaving with less of them.
I don’t have the money to keep replacing them.”

“Cade, I told you that I would—”

“You’d better think very hard on how much damage I’ll do to you if you finish that statement.
I told you before that I live my own life.
If you want to...eat, you can call and I’ll do what you need to be done.
I won’t be responsible for your death just because you’re a pig.
Now, I’d like my clothes, damn it.”

Cade felt stupid and childish.
But she’d had enough of these people.
She was sure that in their minds they were doing what was best for her, but she had a life and it had been just fine until Shawn showed up in her cave.
Duncan cleared his throat behind her and when she turned he handed her freshly laundered clothes.
With a kiss to his cheek she went to the bathroom he’d pointed to and changed.
When she came out, surprise, surprise, there stood not one, but two men who she would just as soon hit before speaking to.

“Cade, you have to know how dangerous it is for you to be out alone in the night.
Stay here tonight and I’ll make you other arrangements in the morning.
You’ll be safe and I’ll feel better about one of my own.”

“Fuck off,” was her answer to Mr. MacManus when he made his statement.
She walked over to the stairs, sat on the bottom one, and started to lace up her boots.
Cade didn’t care anymore.
She’d made Shawn a deal. If he chose not to take it, then so be it.

“Now see here.
You are a guest in my home and—”

“Guest!
Christ, are you flipping kidding me?
I was leaving on my own.
Then suddenly your...what did you call her?
Your mate yells for help and I’m in bed with a man I know nothing about.
And you!” she turned toward Shawn.
 
“I’m just a regular person trying to make it and you invade my space and bite—”

“You were living in a cave!
I—”

“Don’t you dare preach to me as to where I live, coffin boy!
And you may speak when I’m finished.
Where was I?
Oh yeah, you come into my home and bite me.
And not only did you bite me, but you didn’t fix it so I wouldn’t bleed to death in the process.
Now I will admit that I didn’t stop you from having sex with me at that time, but no more.
You need to have dinner then you call me and I’ll meet you somewhere. Otherwise, stay the fuck away from me, both of you.”

Cade stormed to the front door only to turn sharply and move on to the kitchen.
She picked up her bag and her jacket and went out the door.
Duncan winked at her when she kissed his cheek.
When her bike started the first try she felt like someone was looking down on her and she left the estate.

~CHAPTER 8~

The diner was busy and when Paul told her she had a phone call she stomped to the phone and snarled her name.
The quiet at the other end didn’t bother her as much as she thought it should have.
Cade had had a really shitty week and it wasn’t getting any better with this interruption.

“You were supposed to call me back.
I’m fucking sick and tired of this bullshit, Cade.
I told you that—”

Cade put the receiver in the cradle.
She didn’t slam it down on Gabriel like she so wanted to, but simply dropped it gently on the hook.
Then she waited for it to ring again.

“Paul’s Place.
How may I help you tonight?”
She didn’t even try to disguise her voice or take any of her pent up bad mood out of her tone.
Gabriel didn’t care, he was pissed too. His next words told her that.

“How would you like it if I sent two thugs to Paul’s house and had them rape his little girl and fuck his wife until she can’t walk?
You think that hanging up on me gets you any points with me?
You’ll fucking regret it if you try that shit again.
You are going to listen to me or so help me, you and everyone you know will pay for it.”

Cade looked at Paul standing by the bar.
He looked so content and happy.
He loved his wife and daughter and she knew that if anything happened to them she’d never forgive herself.
She turned her back to the man who had always been there for her.

“I fucking hate you.
Not that I think there will ever be a time when I don’t, but right now I could gladly put a cross hair on your forehead and blow your fucking brains out.
Send the information to the usual place.
And if half the money isn’t with the information then you’d better find the deepest hole you can and stay there and pray I don’t ever find you.”

This time when she hung up Cade did slam the phone down.
Tears of hate and frustration clouded her vision as she walked to the ladies room to freshen up.
This was perhaps one of the worst weeks she’d ever had and now this.
She didn’t think it could get much worse.
Then she walked out of the bathroom.
And there stood another of her life’s major crises. Her step-brother, Garrett Reid.

“I need to talk to you, Caddy.
I need money really bad or they’re gonna kill me for sure.
Just a thousand. That should be enough to hold them off until you can get the rest.
How long will it take you to raise the other ten grand?”

“I don’t have it.
And even if I did you wouldn’t be getting it.
I told you last time you borrowed money from me if you didn’t pay me back then never again.
I’m finished helping you.
I’m neither your ATM nor your mother, thank God.
Now, go away.”

Cade had been giving money to her family in one way or another since she’d left home.
She wasn’t saying they were the main reason she lived like she did, but they were the biggest reason.
When she’d left home eight years ago it had been because she wanted to hide from people like Gabriel.

“You owe me, Cade.
Now I need that money and you’ll get it for me.
So help me to Christ, I’m fucking sick of you telling me no all the time.”

Garrett’s fist came out before she could dodge it.
It was just as well, she supposed. She couldn’t hit him back anyway.
She had been taught by another man’s fist that she was never to hit her “poor younger brother”.
He had issues.
He had problems that made him like he was.
Yeah, he had problems all right, a temper that was lethal and fists to back it up.

Cade may not have been able to hit him, but Paul had no such restraints.
His bat nearly connected with Garrett’s head before the younger man could get out the door.
Paul was helping her up off the floor before she realized where she was.
And she had never been able to figure out what he thought she owed him for.
He said that to her every
time he asked for money.
When she asked about it, his reply was always the same, “you just do.”

“Why don’t you just hit him, girl?
I’ve seen you take on a man twice the size of that skinny one’s ass and come out on top.
Why him?
What makes him so special?”

Cade wanted to say nothing, but that would only make it worst.
She told him she couldn’t hit him because of his mental issues and left it at that.
She spent the rest of the night holding a bag of ice to her head between orders.
It was eleven-thirty before she was able to go out to her bike, which of course didn’t start, and then trudge the seven miles to her cave.
It was nearly two before she was able to lie down and another hour after that before she fell asleep.
A short hour and a half later she was up again.

Duncan let her in the house at five after five.
With a mumbled, “sorry I’m late,” she set to work.
The kids had requested a big breakfast this morning and she was starting on the potatoes when Aaron walked in.

Cade was surprised he didn’t start on her right away.
But then she kept her back to him for twenty minutes before Sara and Shawn walked in.
Cracking two eggs into a bowl to scramble she heard someone’s sharp intake of breath and then Shawn was pulling her face around to meet his gaze.