III
I woke a little disoriented amidst a chaos of twisted duvet. I stretched and discovered a few unusual aches in few unusual places. It was dark and seemed late at night but I could smell and hear food cooking. Mmmm steak.
Ian
. Memories of the previous hours flooded my mind.
I was a little shocked, and a little horrified by this new me but more than that, I was
happy
. Happily hooked up with a wolf-man, yeah that part was strange but I could put it away in a little box and deal with it later.
The scent of perfectly seasoned steak tickled my nose again and my tummy growled demanding attention.
"I can hear your stomach from over here!"
I smiled and rolled out of bed, grabbing a robe from my door on my way to the kitchen. Ian had set the table simply and elegantly with a single Iris as the center piece. "That's my favorite flower." I stepped into his arms.
"Really? I think it's your neighbor's favorite as well." He gave me a wicked smile.
"What? You picked that from Mr. Williams' garden?"
"Now he'll have something else to gawk at."
"He'll think
I've
been stealing from his flower bed!"
"No he won't. You're the image of innocence. No, you're right. I'd almost forgotten your little show for him."
"Please, don't remind me. I'll never be able to look him in the eye again."
Ian got that wolfish 'I'm going to eat you' look and untied my robe. "Do you think Mr. Williams is ready for part two?"
"Stop it! We have to eat something else besides each other or we'll die. That'll spoil all your fun."
Ian smiled and pulled my seat from beneath the table, "Mademoiselle."
I sat and was served a perfect filet with a perfect salad. Ian's plate had three filets and a healthy serving of lettuce. "I thought you didn't like to eat anything green or colorful."
"I don't, but I want to be a regular sort of guy," he winked and stuffed a Heimlich worthy chunk of meat in his mouth.
"There's nothing
regular
about you Ian." I sliced into the steak -- medium rare, just how I like it. "Do you do dishes and laundry too?"
"No, I don't. I have people who do that sort of thing. I
enjoy
cooking."
Wealthy huh?
"Are you a spoiled brat?"
"No, but I always get what I want," he pointed at me with his fork "eventually." Ian stopped eating for a moment. "You could have all the money in the world and not be happy. Love is the only thing that truly matters."
"Those are rare words to come out of a man's mouth."
"Yeah, you learn all sorts of difficult lessons given unlimited time."
We finished eating in a comfortable silence and watched the sun rise. Ian cleared the table leaving only the solitary Iris in the crystal vase. He herded me out of the kitchen. "How about a relaxing bath and then a trip into town, we have some shopping to do."
******
Aiden was riding his Harley out of town, speeding to nowhere in particular. He'd been partying with his Vamp friends, indulging in their specialty -- Bloody Marys.
Nothing
virgin about their version of the classic. Vamp blood always gave him a mad case of insomnia, perfect when he was on call but a nuisance otherwise.
He rode helmetless and always too fast. He likened it to letting his wolf free but without the effort. Not that he was lazy. He was a damn good doctor, worked his ass off. He just didn't put a lot of energy into other areas. Work, ass and getting shit-faced -- his priorities, not necessarily in that order.
His habits and associations were not tolerated by his family, he had in effect, been disowned by all except Ian. They had remained loyal to each other throughout.
Aiden was pleased that Ian had finally found his mate and that he had been the one to introduce them. He was also delighted that it was Kate though he would like to have gotten a taste. No chance now, not that a chance existed before. Maybe now that he wouldn't be sniffing around Kate he'd be able to stay away from Libby. She was an annoying bitch but he kept coming back for more and he could not fathom why.
As he surfaced from his thoughts he recognized a house as he sped by. He braked and let the back of his bike slide, cutting a half moon in the gravel. He revved the oversized engine, a deep throaty sound he loved, and returned to the familiar house. He studied the steps, the porch and door as he sat on his idling bike. He remembered in a flash of images -- Claire. A sexy redhead who was always game for a little fun, but booted him out when she thought things were getting a little too serious.
One of the lights was on, that was invitation enough. Aiden silenced his beast and dismounted, its engine 'tinked' as it cooled and was soon joined by a volley of lofty Cicadas . Aiden bound up the porch steps and gave the door a few taps with his knuckles. The door opened and a young woman appeared. Aiden blinked, she had the same red hair though it was cut short. She had the same curves though leaner and the same eyes, but it wasn't Claire.
The girl gave Aiden the same 'once over' and planted her hand on her hip, "Can I help you?" she asked in an unhelpful tone.
"I um, I was looking for Claire."
"Claire?" The girl's voice softened, "Claire was my Grandmother, this was her house. " Her eyes clouded, "she passed away a few years ago. I live here now." She looked up and frowned. "Who are you? How did you know my Gran?"
This wasn't the first instance Aiden had been tricked by time but it was disconcerting none the less. "I...we, she used to watch me, when I was a child. I used to sleep over sometimes, in the blue room. Nearly everything was cornflower blue." Aiden tried to recall little details to help support his story but glorious fucking was really all that came to mind. He shut up.
The girl continued to frown.
"I'm sorry, my name is Aiden."
She shook his hand briefly. "I'm Zoe." She looked up at Aiden curiously, "my Grandfather's name was Aiden. That's odd isn't it? Aiden isn't a very common name." She studied his face. "Would you like to come in?"
"You shouldn't invite strangers into your house you know."
"I can take care of myself," Zoe claimed in a grim, not boastful tone.
Aiden sat on Claire's sofa now faded and tatty. Zoe was digging through a desk drawer, shuffling through a mass of papers. "A-ha!" She held a photograph up and her expression grew serious. She handed it to Aiden. "You look like him."
"Who is this?" Aiden didn't really want to know, he wanted to leave. He rose from the sofa.
