Maggie’s feet slapped against the sidewalk as she ran up the hill with her head bowed and her arms and legs pumping to propel her faster. Sweat dripped off her brow and stuck her clothes to her body. Strands of hair had worked free of her bun to stick to her face. Her lungs burned as she pushed herself onward. He kept pace with her as she ran up one hill and down another. She ran so far they went through neighborhoods she’d only ever traversed in the ambulance before.

She’d never run this far or fast before, but she couldn’t stop as her mind spun with Aiden’s revelations. They hadn’t spoken since she’d walked out of her apartment with him trailing her.

Finally, unable to continue, she came to a gasping halt on a street corner. Her hand went to the stitch in her side as she bent over to catch her breath. Aiden rested his hands on his knees beside her.

“Thank you for stopping,” he muttered, and she burst into laughter broken only by her inability to breathe. It felt weird to be laughing when everything was crumbling around her, but she had no idea what else to do, not anymore.

“You’re in good shape, Nosferatu.” That was the understatement of the century. “You should have no problem keeping up with a mere mortal.”

“I’m not much of a marathon runner, and I’m not used to working out in jeans. Which is something I hope never to do again.”

He pulled at the denim sticking like glue to his legs, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing again. Rising, Maggie stretched her arms and legs before pulling her bottle of water free from where she’d strapped it to her side. She squirted some liquid into her mouth as she took in their surroundings.

Without realizing it, she’d looped around to within three blocks of her place. Only a few people were venturing out this early on a Saturday morning. Watching them, she couldn’t help but wonder if one of them might be working for a Savage and hunting her.

“At the club last night, I could differentiate between the vamps and the humans, but would I be able to spot one of the people who work for the Savages?” she asked.

“No. They’ll look and act as human as you. How did you tell the difference between us at the club?”

His words chilled her. Did enemies surround her now? Was that woman in the pink jumpsuit really someone looking to take her to something that would tear her throat out, or was that man walking his poodle a threat to her?

“Vamps move differently,” she answered as she studied every possible enemy strolling the sidewalks. “And there’s something predatory about all of you that’s almost undetectable unless someone is looking for it.”

“Most people wouldn’t bother to look for it.”

“Most people wouldn’t know to look for it,” she pointed out. “I did.”

“Even if they did know, many wouldn't spot it.”

“You don’t grow up like I did and not learn to trust your instincts and learn your environment really well.”

“And how did you grow up?”

“That conversation is way too complicated to have right now.”

Aiden took the water bottle from her before she could replace it. She stretched her legs as he squeezed water into his mouth and swallowed it. He’d taken his sweater and coat off before they’d left her apartment. A sheen of sweat covered his chest and abs in an enticing way that had her contemplating licking her lips, or him.

“Can all vampires drink stuff other than blood?” she asked to distract herself from the bead of sweat making its way through the trail of hair leading from his belly button to his waistband.

“Yes.” He handed the bottle back to her and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She started but didn’t pull away from him when he traced the outer shell of her ear with his finger before lowering his hand. She’d almost killed him with her run, but the sparkle in her eyes was worth it. “We can eat too if it’s necessary.”

“Fascinating.”

“Do you always run so far and fast?” he asked.

She smiled at him and drank some more water before recapping the bottle. “No. I was trying to work things out in my mind, and running helps me do that.”

“And did you get things worked out?”

“No.”

The smile slid from his face. “I’ll keep you safe, Maggie.”

“I don’t know you, Aiden. And no offense, but my life has gone to shit since you entered it.”

He winced at the truth of her words. He was supposed to bring happiness to his mate’s life, not turn it upside down and place her in danger.

“What would you like to know about me?” he asked.

She tilted her head to the side. “But you said, ‘there are things about me, Maggie, that I don’t want to touch your life.’ Now you’re willing to share with me?”

No. But instead, he found himself saying, “If it helps you to trust me more, I will tell you as much as I can.”

“And what do you expect from me in return?”

“Who said I expected anything from you?” he asked.

“Everyone always expects something.”

“Not true.”

“For a vampire, you’re very naïve.”

“For a human, you’re very jaded,” he said with a smile.

Maggie didn’t smile back. “Why did you attack Nigel like that?”

Aiden stiffened as he contemplated his answer. “He hurt you, he was harassing you, and I won’t tolerate someone treating you that way.”

“But it was so… so…”

“Violent,” he supplied when she seemed unable to find the word.

“Yes. And an unnecessary overreaction.”

“I know,” he admitted. He ran a hand through his hair as she studied him warily. “You never should have witnessed it, and I will try to keep you from seeing anything like that again, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

“Why?”

“Because I got you into this mess, and I will get you through whatever follows. But no matter what happens, I will never hurt you.”

“Hmm,” Maggie grunted, not entirely sure she believed him about why he’d reacted that way, but she did believe him when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. “Why did you stop hitting Nigel when I asked you to?”

“Because I knew I’d overreacted and you’d already been through and seen too much. I never should have attacked him like that, not in front of you.”

His earnest words and the plea radiating from his eyes for her to understand tugged at her heart.

“Don’t fear me, Maggie,” he whispered.

“I don’t,” she replied honestly.

She turned away from him and started walking down the street. She stopped at the small convenience store on the corner, pushed the glass door open, and waved to the clerk behind the counter. She saw the clerk every day, and they always exchanged casual conversation, but she couldn’t remember his name, and he didn’t wear a tag.

“Hey, you! No shirt, no service!” the clerk declared when the bell over the door jangled and Aiden stepped into the store behind her.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder and froze when Aiden’s gaze locked onto the clerk. “It’s fine,” Aiden said in a soothing tone. “We’ll be out of here soon. Go back to doing what you were doing before we entered.”

The clerk became slack-jawed before he went back to flipping through the magazine on the counter. Maggie frowned at Aiden when he walked over to join her. “Have you done that to me?” she demanded.

“No.”

“Would you tell me if you had?”

He cupped her cheek with his hand and rubbed his thumb tenderly over her skin. “I will not lie to you, Maggie. And you don’t ever have to be concerned about me changing your memories or messing with your mind. I will never do that to you.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?”

“You remember everything about last night. It would have made things much easier on me if I erased our first encounter, but I will not mess with your mind.”

“Hmm.” She wasn’t entirely sure she believed him, but she did recall everything about last night, or at least she thought she remembered it all.

Turning away from Aiden, she strolled down the cramped aisles until she found the disposable phones hanging from a rack at the end of one. She cringed when she saw the twenty-five-dollar price tag, but there was nothing she could do about that. She removed the phone and a phone card before hurrying to the front with them.

“That it for today, Maggie?” the clerk asked as he flipped his car magazine closed.

“That’s it,” she replied and pulled her debit card from the pocket of her jacket.

“Sure you don’t want some scratchies? You could hit the lotto.”

“I’m not that lucky.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t play.”

“No thanks,” she muttered and tapped her fingers as he ran her card.

Aiden prowled closer until she could feel him against her shoulder. The clerk glanced nervously at him before smiling at her and handing her card back. “You’re all set. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Maggie replied with a smile and then cringed when she wondered if she would see him tomorrow.

Back on the city street, Maggie studied the increasing number of people moving about. “Anyone of them could be an enemy,” she murmured.

Aiden clasped her elbow and drew her closer. “Yes.”

“What have I gotten into?”

“I have a car at your apartment.” He’d packed a bag and placed it in the trunk in the hope he would be able to get her to agree to leave her place. “I think we should go somewhere that the Savages won’t be able to locate you.”

“Where?”

That was the question. He’d prefer not to take her to where Ronan and the others resided. She’d handled all of this well, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate being placed in the middle of so many vampires. He didn’t want to take her to his family in Maine, that could be more overwhelming for her, and he wasn’t stable enough to trust himself around his family.

“A hotel, for now,” he finally said. “Until we can take down the Savages who attacked last night and make sure there aren’t more of them involved.”

“Are they going to hunt me for the rest of my life?”

“I’ll kill them all first,” he replied, and Maggie knew he wasn’t just saying that; he meant it.

“I don’t have the money for a hotel.”

“I’ll pay for it.” He held his hand up to forestall the argument he saw her gearing up to make. “You have to be kept safe, and you can pay me back later.” He’d never take her money, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t agree to let him pay otherwise.

“I will pay you back,” she said. “How much time will we have to spend at the hotel?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

Maggie opened her mouth to tell him to forget it; she couldn’t risk losing her job. Then, she looked around at the growing swell of people, and a shiver crept down her spine. She had her pride, could take care of herself, and she didn’t want to lose everything she had, but she would have a lot less if she died.

“I will do everything I can to eliminate this threat to you soon,” Aiden vowed.

Maggie tore her eyes away from a passing man who was staring at her a little too attentively. Perhaps his stare only meant he was a creep, but it might mean he was tracking her to report to his bosses where she was. If she stayed in her apartment, this constant paranoia would drive her crazy.

“There are things I need from my apartment if I’m going to leave it,” she murmured.

Aiden hid his relief over her acquiescence as he led her across the street to her building. They climbed swiftly up to her apartment, and he waited while she packed clothes and toiletries into a large duffel bag. She rushed around, watering all the plants and murmuring promises of returning for them. He didn’t miss that she placed the picture of A.J. into the duffel bag with tender care.

She stuck both coffees he’d bought her in the microwave and hit a button. Her foot tapped as she waited for the microwave to beep. She removed both cups and stuck one in the tray while she set the other on the counter.

“I have to call out of work,” she said as she opened a drawer and removed a pair of scissors. With care, she cut away the packaging encasing her phone. “But I have no idea what to say to them or what they know.”

“You don’t have to speak with them at all,” Aiden said.

“And why not?” Maggie demanded as she yanked at the plastic and cursed loudly when it still didn’t open.

Aiden took the packaging from her and tore it open.

“Show off,” she muttered as he handed her the phone and he smiled.

“Things with the police and at your work have been taken care of,” he said.

“How is that possible?”

“Lucien and Killean went to speak with your coworkers, and Ronan and Brian went to the police station after I contacted Saxon last night.”

“Who are they?” she asked.

“Men I work with.”

“And what did they learn?”

“The Savages cleaned their mess up well. The bodies of their friends were removed from the morgue. They did kill the morgue attendant, but there were no other casualties.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?” Maggie whispered.

“No.”

“What about the police and my coworkers, what do they know?”

“They know they responded to a false call at the alley last night. Ronan had some of the trainees clean up the alley after we left the club last night. So if anyone goes back there, they’ll believe the false call report. When you and Roger left the false call, you were in an accident. They believe Glenn and Walt were jumped and killed during a carjacking gone wrong. Their ambulance was found on fire about five miles from where we originally discovered it.”

“Walt and Glenn?” she croaked. “What happened to them?”

“Their bodies were untouched by the fire as, whoever killed them, removed them first and placed them in the alley.”

“And who really removed them from the ambulance?”

“Ronan and Brian. Ronan then placed an anonymous call as to where to find the bodies.”

She rested her hand on the counter as a wave of nausea hit her. “Okay, but the police will be able to tell our ambulance wasn’t hit by another vehicle, and there was blood all over the back of it.”

“The ambulance was destroyed, and the memories of any blood have been eradicated from the minds of those who saw it.”

“How?” she croaked.

“Brian took the ambulance to a junkyard. Your coworkers and the police have a record of an accident, but nothing to investigate. There are probably some loose ends, but not enough to worry about. Most people prefer to live in denial than to pursue the truth. They know others might find them crazy for claiming something unnatural happened.”

Just like people found my mom crazy, Maggie thought. Unable to support her weight anymore, she leaned against the counter. “What about Roger, where is he?”

“Mass General. He’s going to be fine.”

“And where do they think I am?”

“They believe you have a concussion, were disoriented, and walked away from the scene.”

“They’ll want to see a doctor’s note.”

“No, they won’t. They believe they’ve already spoken with your doctor. You have at least three days off, and if you need more time, I’ll make sure you get it.”

The scope of the cover-up they’d perpetrated left her numb. She’d known Aiden was powerful, but she hadn’t realized how deep and far the power of him, and those he worked with, ran. “There were so many factors to take care of,” she murmured.

“The Savages took care of some for us.”

“What have I gotten myself into?”

“Maggie…” When he rested his hand on hers, she pulled it away. “I’m going to keep you safe.”

The color had faded from her face; she stared at the far wall as she bit her lower lip. She wanted to run, but she had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. “I’ll finish getting my things.”

She shoved off the counter and hurried out of the kitchen to her bedroom once more. Aiden prowled after her. Standing in the doorway of her bedroom, he gazed at the paintings of ocean scenes on the walls and the blue comforter on the neatly made bed. He heard her muttering to someone in the bathroom to his right and turned to find her pouring water out of a fishbowl.

“It’s okay, Beta Blue. I’ll get you some fresh water soon.” She came out of the bathroom with the bowl clasped in both hands. She stopped when she saw him and hugged the bowl against her chest as if he were going to take it from her. “I’m not leaving him.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll ask Declan to take care of the plants for you if we can’t come back soon.”

Maggie’s heart melted; her shoulders slumped. “I know it seems stupid, but….” Her words trailed off as she gazed at the plants hanging from their hooks and cluttering her sills. Many of them were orchids, but she had spider plants, an orange tree, two ferns, and three red prayer plants. She’d owned them all since they could fit in her palm.

“I care for them,” she admitted. “And Beta Blue, or Blue as he’s better known, he’s been keeping me company for three years now.”

“It’s not stupid,” he said, “but we have to get out of here.”

She followed him back into the living room with Blue.