Grace was staring at him like he was utterly bonkers. And after hearing himself say the words out loud, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps she was correct.
People had been telling him that for years, but he'd never taken them seriously. He'd only thought it was his unique sense of humor that threw them off.
Now that he thought of it, his head collection didn't seem to be a big selling point either. Not certain why not, it was quite the impressive collection.
She held her hand up, palm out. "Wait. So you're telling me those things above ground right now, they used to be vampires? Luukas' vampires?"
"Yes," he confirmed.
"And now they're what? Possessed? By demons?"
"Yes, you could say that."
"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "Well, not the vampire part."
"You knew they were demons? Since when?"
She shrugged. "I've seen them around town for a while now. They always gave me the creeps."
"Do I give you the creeps?"
She chewed her lip while she contemplated him. "At first you did...sometimes you still do."
"I see." He wasn't sure what to think about that.
"And this other vampire bitch, what's her name again?"
"Leeha."
"Leeha, yes, this Leeha bitch is creating an entire army of these things?"
"Yes."
"And you know this because she told you, right before she did the same thing to you? But for some unknown reason, your demon hasn't taken you over completely."
"That would be correct." He paused. "At least, from what you've told me, that's what I'm beginning to believe."
She rose gracefully from the floor where she'd been sitting during his story to pace back and forth in front of him.
He sat patiently and let her go. It was a lot to take in.
While she wore a path in the floor, he wondered again what all she was hiding from him. Part of him wanted to make her tell him, and with a little mind manipulation, he easily could. But a much larger part of him wanted her to trust him enough to fess up on her own. He didn't know why it was so important to him for her to tell him of her own free will, it just was.
That wasn't quite true. He knew why it was important to him. Just like he knew why he was finding it so hard to resist her.
He was deep in thought about the little mole on her belly just to the left of her navel when she stopped and faced him again. Her eyes searched his, but he couldn't quite read what she was thinking.
She had to clear her throat a few times before she could get the words out. "You really have one of those things inside of you?"
He sighed sadly. "I didn't want to believe so at first. Leeha and I have always rather fancied each other."
He didn't miss the stiffening of her spine and the angry flash in Grace's eyes at that comment, and he had to stop himself from smiling with pleasure at the thought of her being jealous of Leeha. "And I was quite certain that she hadn't gone through with it. But with all that's happened to get me here, and from what you're telling me happened earlier, it appears that I was nothing to her but a sacrifice that had to be made. I'm rather gutted about the entire thing, actually."
"Was she like, your girlfriend or something?" Grace bit out.
Aiden tilted his head, letting the warmth he felt for her shine from his eyes. "No, poppet. I've never even shagged her."
This seemed to appease her. A little. She continued her line of questioning. "So, how do we get it out? This...thing in you?"
"I have no idea," he told her honestly. Then an unpleasant thought occurred to him. "I don't know that we can, really, unless it wants to come out."
Her shoulders drooped and she kind of fell back against the wall as she absorbed that.
"You seem to be taking this all in stride," she commented off-handedly.
But he only shrugged a bit. "What else am I to do?"
"I don't know," she sighed and rubbed her temples, then changed the subject. "So, what is she planning on doing with this army?"
He laughed. "What else? Use them as her soldiers to take over the world. Just as all the evil villains do. She believes our kind are superior to humans, and she wants to create enough of these things that she'll be able to take over Luukas' territory, and eventually, the world."
"Luukas is the vampire that created you?"
"Yes."
Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "But, didn't he create her also? How can she turn on him like this? Isn't there some kind of code, or something?"
"No." Aiden shook his head. "Leeha was adopted into our colony and turned by one of Luukas' vampires, who has since been destroyed. That's against the rules, you see," he answered her unspoken question. "She was invited to accept Luukas as her Master, but he's not her master other than by her choice, or not. And apparently," he snorted. "She chose 'not'."
Grace didn't seem to share his humor about the situation.
"Don't look so gloomy, love. She won't get away with it in the long run. There are too many flaws in her plan," he continued.
"Such as?"
"For one, she has to use Luukas' vampires to create those things. If she attempts to use her own vampires, ones she turns herself, they deteriorate into these disgusting grey monsters within days. Her blood isn't strong enough inside of them to handle the possession. They begin to rot almost as soon as they are taken over, and don't last very long. Second, I've learned since arriving here that her hybrids seem to have a plan of their own. I think they are using her, and not the other way around. Those blokes up there," he pointed towards the ceiling. "They're up to something."
She didn't bother hiding her suspicion as she asked, "How do you know?"
"I can sense it," he told her honestly. "Just like I can sense when they're near, and they can sense me."
It didn't take her long to put two and two together. "They know you're here."
It wasn't a question.
"I'm so sorry, love," he told her earnestly. "I think they're sticking around because they can feel me here. I didn't realize. Not until we were already trapped down here."
"Can you feel it?" she asked after a moment. "The thing inside of you?"
"Sometimes," he answered honestly. "Although I didn't recognize what it was at first."
"What does it feel like?" She wrapped her arms around her middle.
He tried to find the words to describe it. "It was quite subtle at first. Just a strange fluttering in my belly. But then, when we were at that new building rescuing your pet, that's when it really got bizarre."
"How so?"
How to explain it without her thinking he was off his rocker, or frightening her more than she already was? "I started feeling things after the others arrived. I was feeling emotions, and urges, but they weren't my own." He glanced up at her, uncertain of how much he should say, but he supposed it was only fair for her to know what it was exactly, that she was imprisoned with. "He's not nice, and I can't control him, poppet. It's like a wound, festering inside of me now. Unlike the others, however, he's decided to hide out for the most part. But apparently he has taken quite a fancy to you." He grinned at her, trying to lighten the mood. "I can't say that I blame him."
"Yeah, which is why he scared the crap out of me earlier."
"Well," Aiden told her coolly. "You shouldn't lie."
"I think we have bigger issues here than my little white lies."
"Such as?" he asked innocently.
She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Such as you have a demon inside of you, you loon, and we don't know when he's going to reappear. What if he decides to pop his ugly head up again while I'm sleeping, or in the shower, or if we're..." She trailed off, a blush creeping over her face and neck.
"If we're...what?" he teased with a sexy half-smile.
She glowered at him until he chuckled.
Mojo started making little noises, and she watched him bristle up at one of her shoes.
When she raised her eyes back to his, hers were large and worried. "What are we going to do, Aiden?"
He scratched his head. Good question, that.
Scooting off the bed, he sauntered across the small room to her. He waited for her to shy away from him like she had before, or to run back to the loo in fear. But though he heard her heart speed up with his every step, she raised her chin and held her ground.
His brave girl.
Tucking her hair behind one ear, he ducked his head until they were face to face. "I won't let anyone hurt you, poppet. Not even me," he told her fervently. "I swear it."
Now if only he knew how to keep that promise.
Grace wanted to believe him, she really did. But she was afraid that it wasn't something he could control.
And what if this was all a big ruse on his part? What if he really was one of those things, and it was just acting like the vampire Aiden used to be? What if it was all a big plot to get at the thing it wanted? The thing that she had in her possession?
Listen to me closely, Grace. This is important. If the time ever comes that you meet one, never, ever, trust a vampire. They're beautiful and charming and everything you want them to be, but believe me when I tell you that you can't trust them. They only use you for what they want. And they are loyal to no one but themselves and others like them. You'll be left with nothing but a broken heart. If you're left alive at all.
Her mother had trusted a vampire once; a vampire that had charmed his way right into her bed. She had told Grace the entire story shortly before she had died.
He had fed from her, and made love to her, and drove her insane with wanting him. She'd been on the verge of leaving her beloved husband and child when all hell had broken loose within the coven and they'd decided to flee. Her father had wanted to leave immediately, but her mother had been so obsessed with that vampire that she couldn't bear to leave without telling him. So, she'd made up an excuse, and while her husband was packing some of their things, she ran to her lover to say goodbye.
And he had betrayed her.
The vampire had gone straight to the new High Priest as soon as she'd left and made a deal with him. He'd ratted out her parents and the rest of the families who were going to make a run for it without a second thought for the woman he'd claimed to care about.
Her father had killed that vampire while she and her mom had escaped. But he'd received a fatal injury in the process. He hadn't remained alive long enough to join them.
Her eyes slid over to the black bag, still in the cubby where Aiden had put it. The box was inside of it. The one both the humans and the demons were after.
Grace knew the moment she'd seen the picture of the dagoba under the red felt bottom that the box was what they were after. She just didn't know why.
She'd spent the last few days trying to reason it out: A dagoba was a type of tombstone for monks. The largest group of them was in the Forest of the Dagobas of Shaolin Temple. They were all different, depending on the monk, and they all had different inscriptions on them. Each one was unique.
But why would a detailed etching of one be hidden under the felt padding of a wooden box? Unless it was some kind of sign? Maybe some kind of clue?
There were many rumors surrounding the Shaolin Monks, some were true, and some were not. And some were only speculation and hadn't been proven either way. However, she'd never heard anything of consequence concerning the dagobas. Nothing that a demon would want with them anyway.
But it had to be the box they were after. There was nothing else in the bag of any significance.
Unable to figure out why the box was such a hot property, she'd done the only other thing she could think of to get herself out of this mess.
She'd snuck out while Aiden was sleeping and made a deal with the Suits. She'd give them the box, and in exchange, they would allow her and Aiden to leave.
She smiled at Aiden. "I know you won't let anyone hurt me."
And neither will I.