rolling down my cheeks. He turned around, buttoning them himself, swearing under his breath as I kept my head down in shame. When he was done, he pulled his hands away and clenched them together at his sides, his face hard and unreadable.
“What are you doing here , Aidan?” I asked softly. “How did you know where I was and that I needed help?” I lifted my hand to brush my hair from my face, and his eyes locked on my wrists, rage filling his face once again. I followed his gaze, surprised to see tiny finger marks already turning black and blue where Scott had held them so tightly.
“I’m going to kill him,” h e growled, jumping up from the bench.
From the fury that poured from his taut body, I had no doubt he would. And I couldn’t let that happen. Scott was a bastard and he deserved to be punished, but Aidan couldn’t be his judge and executioner. “No! He’s not worth it.” I grabbed his arm earning a low snarl of dissatisfaction. “Please don’t leave me, I do not want to be alone,” I begged, fresh tears filling my eyes.
“Did he hurt you anywhere else?” he growled.
I froze, startled by his question. For the first time I considered what could have happened if Aidan had not come when he did, and I felt stupid and embarrassed all at once. Never in my wildest dreams had I considered the possibility of the night turning out the way it did. I had been so blinded by Scott’s good looks and popularity that I had ignored the signs everyone kept presenting to me. Chris’s words rang loud and clear in my head. “Why is it girls date him once then avoid him like the plague?”
“Katie? ” he growled.
“No , I’m alright,” I told him, unable to meet his gaze. “You came in time.”
“When I saw what he was doing…” He was so angry that he seemed to have trouble finding words to express his thoughts, which was not normal for the usually eloquent prince. With a cry much like that of a wounded animal, he slammed his fist into the gazebo, cracking the whitewashed wood under the force of the blow and making me jump. This was a side of Aidan I had never before seen, and even though it wasn’t directed at me, it was a truly frightening one.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just sorry you had to come and save me. I was so stupid…” I broke off with a sob, wondering how I could have been so easily deceived by Scott’s good looks and charm.
Aidan pulled me into his arms , whispering calming words that soothed me and kept me from completely breaking down. I sat enveloped by his muscular arms, appreciating their solid strength, feeling as if nothing in the world could harm me as long I was there and loath to pull away. “Thank you for taking care of me tonight. If I would have called Paul, I don’t think I could have stopped him from killing Scott.”
“You don’t know how hard it was for me not to kill him,” he confided, clenching the fist he had hit the gazebo with at his side, his body trembling with anger.
I knew he was fighting his vampire side, the side that urged him to give in to his rage and kill. I had seen Paul do the same thing many times in the past when he was extremely angry.
“I don’t like the thought of a nyone being hurt because of me,” I told him.
“You’re so naïve. That boy could have done a lot worse and has to other girls.” I gasped, realizing that he must have read Scott’s thoughts. “You need to use more caution. Evil that you could never imagine does exist in this world,” he warned, tightening his fist hard enough that his nails sliced into the flesh of his palm, drawing blood.
“Aidan, don’t,” I murmured.
As if in a trance, he stared down at the blood that dripped from his fist to the floor of the gazebo. I took his hand in mine, moving my fingers over his, until he loosened his palm and exposed the moon-shaped marks that bled freely. Unconsciously, I traced the marks with the tip of my finger. Tiny sparks shot from where I touched him,
“What are you doing here , Aidan?” I asked softly. “How did you know where I was and that I needed help?” I lifted my hand to brush my hair from my face, and his eyes locked on my wrists, rage filling his face once again. I followed his gaze, surprised to see tiny finger marks already turning black and blue where Scott had held them so tightly.
“I’m going to kill him,” h e growled, jumping up from the bench.
From the fury that poured from his taut body, I had no doubt he would. And I couldn’t let that happen. Scott was a bastard and he deserved to be punished, but Aidan couldn’t be his judge and executioner. “No! He’s not worth it.” I grabbed his arm earning a low snarl of dissatisfaction. “Please don’t leave me, I do not want to be alone,” I begged, fresh tears filling my eyes.
“Did he hurt you anywhere else?” he growled.
I froze, startled by his question. For the first time I considered what could have happened if Aidan had not come when he did, and I felt stupid and embarrassed all at once. Never in my wildest dreams had I considered the possibility of the night turning out the way it did. I had been so blinded by Scott’s good looks and popularity that I had ignored the signs everyone kept presenting to me. Chris’s words rang loud and clear in my head. “Why is it girls date him once then avoid him like the plague?”
“Katie? ” he growled.
“No , I’m alright,” I told him, unable to meet his gaze. “You came in time.”
“When I saw what he was doing…” He was so angry that he seemed to have trouble finding words to express his thoughts, which was not normal for the usually eloquent prince. With a cry much like that of a wounded animal, he slammed his fist into the gazebo, cracking the whitewashed wood under the force of the blow and making me jump. This was a side of Aidan I had never before seen, and even though it wasn’t directed at me, it was a truly frightening one.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just sorry you had to come and save me. I was so stupid…” I broke off with a sob, wondering how I could have been so easily deceived by Scott’s good looks and charm.
Aidan pulled me into his arms , whispering calming words that soothed me and kept me from completely breaking down. I sat enveloped by his muscular arms, appreciating their solid strength, feeling as if nothing in the world could harm me as long I was there and loath to pull away. “Thank you for taking care of me tonight. If I would have called Paul, I don’t think I could have stopped him from killing Scott.”
“You don’t know how hard it was for me not to kill him,” he confided, clenching the fist he had hit the gazebo with at his side, his body trembling with anger.
I knew he was fighting his vampire side, the side that urged him to give in to his rage and kill. I had seen Paul do the same thing many times in the past when he was extremely angry.
“I don’t like the thought of a nyone being hurt because of me,” I told him.
“You’re so naïve. That boy could have done a lot worse and has to other girls.” I gasped, realizing that he must have read Scott’s thoughts. “You need to use more caution. Evil that you could never imagine does exist in this world,” he warned, tightening his fist hard enough that his nails sliced into the flesh of his palm, drawing blood.
“Aidan, don’t,” I murmured.
As if in a trance, he stared down at the blood that dripped from his fist to the floor of the gazebo. I took his hand in mine, moving my fingers over his, until he loosened his palm and exposed the moon-shaped marks that bled freely. Unconsciously, I traced the marks with the tip of my finger. Tiny sparks shot from where I touched him,
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