It was precisely because of what she’d been through that he had to control the human. His back teeth clenched. He hated the way Jane was looking at him right then. Like he’d disappointed her. Failed her.
Turned into a monster before her eyes.
Oh, sweetheart. The truth is that I’m always a monster. Sometimes, you just get fooled by the man.
The human wasn’t fighting. She stood docilely before him. “What’s your name?” Aidan asked her.
“Mary Vester.”
Mary. She had the same first name as his Mary Jane. He swallowed and knew he would go easy with her. “Mary, what happened to you neck?” He pulled up a little more power, even though Mary was proving very easy to influence. Not like Jane. He’d tried to control her, when they first met, tried to make her forget a particular case she’d been working on, but Jane hadn’t forgotten.
His power—the power of an alpha wolf to control and influence those around him—hadn’t worked on her.
The first sign that Jane had been something…more.
Mary’s hand rose once more, and her fingertips fluttered over her throat.
“Remember what happened,” Aidan pushed.
She blinked. “He bit me.”
“Who bit you?”
“The man in the shadows.” Her brow furrowed. “He was…he was on my paranormal tour. I stopped to take pictures of the LaLaurie Mansion, and he was—just there.” Her hand fell away from her neck and she stared at her fingers. “What happened to my camera? I need my camera.”
Garrison cleared his throat. “I have it. In my ride. It’s okay, I promise.”
“We should take a look at the pictures on the camera,” Jane said. “See if Mary got a shot of her attacker.”
“I didn’t,” Mary’s voice flowed now, soft and easy. No terror. No horror. “There was no time. He moved so fast—he was on me. He said…he said he was sorry.”
I just bet he was.
“But he—he had a need.” Mary kept her gaze on Aidan. When he used his power, he knew she couldn’t look away. “He needed my blood.”
“Because I shot him.” Jane sounded disgusted. “I’m so sorry, Mary.”
Not your fault, Jane. I’m the one who sliced his throat open.
“He drank and he…he carried me to the alley. Put me down carefully. S-said thank you before he left.”
Paris sat his glass down on the bar with a thunk. “What a polite bloodsucking bastard we have on our hands.”
“I tried to get up,” Mary continued. “But…I got dizzy. So I just closed my eyes for a moment…and when I opened them—”
“Let me guess,” Jane filled in. “This redhead…” Her thumb jerked toward Garrison. “He was looming over you?”
“Yes.”
Well, they knew the rest of the story. “Did you get a good look at the vampire?” He thought it was Vincent, but he wanted to be sure. If there was another vamp in town…
“T-tall. Your height. I just…it was dark and I-I couldn’t see that much.” But her hand moved to Aidan’s shoulder. “I grabbed him…here. It was wet. Blood?”
“That’s where I shot him,” Jane said.
“He was a vampire.” Mary’s eyes widened in horror. “That’s what he was, right? Bloodsucking…that’s what—he was a vampire! A vampire bit me!” Her terror was back.
“You’re safe,” Aidan said again.
“Aidan…” Jane warned. “Don’t.”
His gaze shot over to her. “You think it’s better for her to relive the attack? To look for monsters everywhere she goes for the rest of her life?”
“I think someone else shouldn’t play with her mind. It’s her choice.”
Her choice. Right. He focused on Mary once more. “Do you want to remember the attack?”
Mary’s breath sawed in and out.
“Do you want to remember that vampires are real? Do you want to remember that a vampire drove his teeth into your throat and drank from you?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “No.”
There. Her choice. “Then it didn’t happen.”
Jane gave a frantic shake of her head.
“It didn’t happen. You were on your paranormal tour, you got separated from the group, and you fell asleep outside of my bar.” He smiled at her. “Garrison found you. He brought you inside to make sure you were all right. And he’s going to be taking you home now. Home…where you’ll be safe.”
Mary was silent for a moment, then a quick smile spread over her face. “I’d like to go home.”
Right. He motioned to Garrison. The guy bounded forward. “I knew you’d do it,” Garrison said quickly. “You always make them forget so I knew—”
He grabbed the guy’s shirtfront and jerked him forward. “The next time you get the urge to kidnap a human…don’t,” he whispered into the younger wolf’s ears. “Because maybe I won’t clean up your mess again.”
“I’m sorry! I wanted to help, I—”
That was Garrison’s problem. He wanted to help, but he kept making things worse.
“Get her camera, bring it to me.” He kept his voice low. “And get her home.” He released Garrison and stared at Mary once more. “You didn’t meet me. You didn’t meet anyone but Garrison. And you think he’s one kind Good Samaritan.”