A quick laugh came from him, totally unexpected. That’s my Jane—still surprising me.
“But I’m kind of trying to bare my soul to you right now,” she continued, “so the bone jumping has to wait.” She squared her shoulders. “My real father was a vampire.”
He didn’t speak.
“You’re supposed to have some kind of reaction.”
If your real father is still alive…
“From what I’ve been able to piece together, he…he changed. Drew swore he was a good man, once, but he remembered…Drew remembered him coming home one night and being soaked in blood.” Her voice went small and sad as she said, “I think that was the night I was conceived. Drew heard yelling and fighting. Attacking.” Her cheeks had paled. “I think he must have been newly transformed. I like to…to believe he wanted to stay with his family. That the reason he came home was because a part of him still wanted to be with his wife and son. Only…something went wrong.”
I’ve seen newly turned vamps drain their entire families. Kill without any hesitation.
According to the stories, that was exactly what his own mother had done. But Jane didn’t know about her. Another secret. Another lie.
“My mother became pregnant with me, and we…we never saw him again. None of us. I’ve never met my father. And Drew’s memories—well, they are the memories of a child. My mother didn’t exactly talk about our real father to us. But she did…she did move us around a lot. Maybe all that time, she was really running from him, and I didn’t even realize it.”
“Jane…”
“He hurt her that night.” Jane’s fingers slid to Aidan’s throat. “I know that for certain because I saw the scars she carried on her neck. Long and deep, always there. She’d rub them sometimes while she looked at me, and there was so much pain in her eyes.”
Hell. Jane—
“I don’t like to think about how I may have been conceived.” Her lips were trembling and tears gleamed in her eyes. “Whatever—whatever happened that night, my mother still loved me. She still loved me,” Jane said desperately, almost as if she were trying to convince herself.
Aidan wrapped his arms around her and held tight. “I know she did. How could she not? You’re fucking loveable, sweetheart.”
She gave a choked laugh. “Aidan…”
“I love you.” Saying the words out loud was still new for him. And his heart burned as he said them, but they were true. He did love Jane.
“Then make me a promise.”
“Anything.” That was simple. He eased back, just enough to stare down into her eyes. “I will—”
“If I do change, if the vamp was right, if—” She pressed her lips together. “If I turn into a vamp and I’m hurting others, you have to stop me. Don’t let me become a murderer.”
She’d just asked him to kill her.
Fuck.
The door to his bar opened, the creak overly loud as he stared down at Jane. His nostrils flared, and he instantly recognized Garrison’s scent. The wolf was hesitating in the doorway, probably realizing he’d just interrupted at the wrong time. But Aidan had called and ordered the guy to come by.
Mostly so he could rip him a new one for failing in his guard duty with Jane. He’d already berated the guy once, but once wasn’t nearly good enough.
“You didn’t promise,” Jane said.
He kissed her once more. Harder this time. Rougher because the emotions in him were rough, then he shoved away from the bar. “About time you got here,” Aidan said to Garrison.
The guy winced as he took a few steps inside. “I am so freaking sorry about last night—”
Not sorry enough. But you will be. That was pack business, though, and he’d chew the guy’s ass out again in a moment. First…
Jane jumped down from the bar. She cleared her throat. “I, um, I’m not leaving before I get what I came for.”
If she was looking for his promise—
“Security footage,” Jane said. “From last night. My vic came here, and I need to see exactly who he was partying with before he died. I’ve been running down leads all day and my last one—the victim’s ex-girlfriend and a bozo guy named Beau Phillips—turned out to be a dead end. Both were alibied completely. They were at a church retreat with about ten other couples. Those couples and the priest backed up their story. A priest.” Her smile was mocking. “You don’t get a better alibi than that. So I need that footage, Aidan. I need to keep working this case.”
“Of course.” This was something he could give her. “I’d give you anything you needed, Jane. I hope you know that.”
Her head tilted as she studied him.
Anything that didn’t involve tearing out my own soul.
Paris strode into the bar, pausing behind Garrison. Paris’s gaze swept around them all and he whistled. “Did I just interrupt a party?”
“Paris, will you take Jane up to my office? And give her the password so that she can access last night’s security feed. I’ll be up soon. Just need to…handle a little business with Garrison here.”