Aiden: House of Flames

  She closed her eyes, and he watched her as her chest moved slowly up and down. He gazed at her body. How absolutely beautiful she was. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. His inner dragon grumbled and roared, lighting the backs of his eyes on fire. He pressed his palm to his eyelid and clenched his teeth. He would have to wait for satisfaction. Even if her curves were so tempting it made his cock twitch inside his pants. He watched her chest move up and down until her breathing became even and long. She was sleeping.

  He turned off the light beside them and rested on the bed next to her. In the morning, he would have to decide what to do. He needed to be with her. If they went back to Seattle, he didn’t know how he would ever get this close to her again.

  Aiden drifted to sleep, listening to the sound of her breathing over the riot of angry noise from the dragon inside his mind. When the early morning sunlight broke through the windows, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood. At the stove, he put the kettle on, rifling through the cabinets for coffee. He found the old bag of grounds and filters. He had two cups of coffee prepared for them by the time she woke up.

  “Ohhh,” she said behind him.

  He turned to see her sitting up in the bed, rubbing her temples. Her hair was sticking out in every direction and her eyes were puffy. She was so beautiful even hung over, he felt weak in the knees. Aiden carried the coffee to her and offered her the cup.

  “You are my hero right now.”

  He wanted to be her hero always. Aiden had to stay cool. He had to continue to play the part of the musician who’d come to the island for a little peace and quiet to play his guitar. Not a lovesick dragon from another world. He sat at the table across from the bed and watched her as she sipped her coffee. She groaned and set her cup on the nightstand, climbing out of the bed. Winnie walked across the room and looked out the window.

  “What are we gonna do now?” she asked.

  That was a question he was dreading. He didn’t know what to do. That was a lie. He did know what to do. He knew how to get them rescued immediately. He just didn’t want to do it. The roaring dragon inside made him feel like a demon.

  “Maybe I can do a little fishing.”

  “How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?” she asked.

  “The shuttle doesn’t come back for a week. It could be that long.”

  “You don’t think they’ll notice that they left us?”

  “If they didn’t notice immediately, then they probably won’t notice now.”

  “My work is going to think that I’m just not coming in,” she said, sitting back down on the bed. “I’m going to lose my job.”

  “Is that the worst thing that could happen?” he asked

  “There are always worse things that could happen. Like nuclear fallout, for example.”

  “Let’s think about it differently. If you could just leave, where would you go?”

  “Down the coast or inland. Maybe to Mount Rainier. Just out of the city. Sometimes I can’t handle the layer upon layer of dirt and grime and hopelessness. The street smells like piss and my tiny apartment costs me as much as a three-bedroom house in smaller towns. That’s why I came out here. I wanted to get away from the rat race. Clear my head. I never expected to get stranded out here…with you.”

  “Do you mind?”

  “Of course I mind,” she grumbled. “This is kind of ruining my life right now.”

  Aiden clenched his teeth. The last thing he wanted was to ruin her life. Maybe he should open his mental link and tell Cato to send a rescue ship. But he wasn’t ready to let her go. If he called in the rescue squad, then he may never see her again. She was upset that she was stuck here. And maybe she wouldn’t want any reminder of that. Maybe she would decide to pack up and leave town, and then how would he ever see her again?

  “I think I saw some pancake mix in there somewhere,” she said.

  “I can cook us up some pancakes if you’d like.”

  “You know how to do that?” she asked with a chuckle.

  “It’s not rocket science.”

  “You’d be surprised how many guys have no idea how to do the simplest things in the kitchen.”

  “I’ve recently learned a thing or two about cooking,” he said, standing from the table.

  “I’m just going to gather some firewood,” she said. “I need some fresh air and to stretch my legs.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll have the pancakes ready when you’re back.”

  She slipped into her shoes and disappeared out the front door. He filled a large bowl with pancake batter and added water until it was the right consistency and turned on the pan on the stove. A moment later, he had pancakes cooking. He flipped the last one onto a plate as she returned with a bundle of sticks in her arms.

  “Too bad we don’t have any marshmallows,” she said, putting the sticks beside the fireplace.

  “Marshmallows?”

  “You know, for roasting over the fire?”

  “Oh yes, of course.”

  He didn’t want to admit that he had no idea what that meant, so he just played along. There was so much about Earth and humans that he didn’t understand. He thought he could understand them through music, but he was beginning to realize that he had been wrong. So many subtle things about humans were a mystery to him. Like how to make Winnifred love him. Maybe he should have watched more of those silly romantic comedies that Cato was telling them all to use as research. Aiden had his fill after the first dozen. None of those films taught him how to deal with his predicament.

  As a fighter, he was a rogue. He stayed in the shadows. He fought with swift swords and knives. He was quick and relentless. Unlike Dax, who fought head-on, or Kian who was a strategic warrior and leader. Or Cato who fought with his technology. Aiden slipped in and out of the fight, dancing and slicing and slipping back into the shadows. That was how he approached his mate. But she deserved better. She deserved the truth. He just didn’t know how to tell her.

  Chapter 8

  “I’m going to go fishing,” Aiden said. “I found a net in the shed out back.”

  "How are you going to fish with a net?"

  "I'll have to get wet.”

  "You can't be serious. The water is freezing."

  “I don't want to let you starve,” he said.

  She looked at him quizzically and tilted her head to the side.

  "There are still five more cans of chili and corn, and half a box of pancake mix," she said. “I'm sure that'll be enough before someone comes to find us.”

  "But what if they aren’t."

  “Okay, if you want to freeze in the ocean. I'm not gonna stop you," she snorted.

  He could tell she was concerned, and it made him feel like she cared about him. But he knew it was how she would be to anyone. Aiden wanted to reassure her that it would be okay because he was a dragon, and he didn't feel the elements the way humans did. He couldn't possibly tell her that no matter how much he wanted to be open and honest about everything. He had to keep it a secret until the right moment. And this was not it.

  He went out back and found the net and folded it up, so he could easily carry it down to the beach. With one last look at the cabin, he let out a deep sigh and hurried down the trail.

  When he made it to the beach, he took off his clothes and grabbed the net, stepping carefully into the waves. The cold water washed up around his ankles and then his knees and his hips, and soon he was submerged. He dove deep under the water and cast the net along the reef. A moment later, he pulled it in and yanked it back, filling the net with a dozen fish. With a smile on his face, he dove up to the surface, dragging the net with him. He pulled the net out of the water and flung the fish onto the beach. Where they flopped about in the sand, he found Winnie standing there watching him, her mouth agape in awe.

  "How did you do that?" she called over the sound of the waves.

  "It's not that hard," he said, diving under the water again.

&nb
sp; He saw her approaching the fish out of the corner of his eye before he sank beneath the waves. He dove and cast the net, catching another dozen fish before he emerged from the water and threw them on the beach. Winnie was carefully collecting the fish and beginning the process of gutting them.

  "You don't have to do that!” he called.

  "You can't just leave them to die on the beach like this," she said.

  He could tell she was softhearted and kind and didn't want their dinner to suffer. He shrugged and dove down again. He brought up another dozen fish and then rose from the waves. She stood from where she was crouched on the sand, her mouth opened, her eyes bulging. She stared at his manhood and backed away. He looked down; he’d forgotten he was naked. Heat burned his cheeks and he turned away.

  "I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.

  "No, it's okay," she breathlessly, her eyes flashing.

  "I didn't want to get my clothes wet."

  "Perfectly understandable. I need to… go back to the cabin."

  Aiden turned around and saw her trotting toward the cabin. After putting his clothes back on, he began to gather the fish. He planned to smoke them on the beach so that they would have plenty of food for the remainder of their stay on the island. He dug a hole for the fire and constructed a smoking stand out of branches.

  Aiden found wood for the fire, lit the dry kindling with his dragon flame, and had the fire burning hot in just a few minutes. He hung the fish over the flames and sat back to admire his work. He looked up and found Winnifred sitting down the beach with her easel, painting the scene. Smiling, he waved down the beach. She waved back, but he could feel her discomfort.

  He should never have let her see him naked. That was a Dax-level social faux pas. He wouldn’t make a mistake like that again.

  “What are you doing, Aiden?” Cato asked, forcefully opening the mental link.

  "I have things to deal with in private,” he said, shutting down the mental link again.

  He knew he should tell them where he was. He should let Winnifred go back to her life. But if he didn't spend time with her now, he may never have the chance again. But if she ever found out the truth, he may lose her forever. He gritted his teeth, feeling like a complete ass. He needed to be close to her. He knew that much. And if he let her go, his dragon would eat him up inside until there was nothing left. He crossed the beach to where she sat painting at her easel. She grinned up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun.

  "I can't believe that you did that," she said, motioning toward the rack of drying fish.

  "That was nothing."

  "It was much more than nothing," she said. “It was actually kind of miraculous. I've never seen anyone do anything like that. How can you stand that water?”

  "It's my military training," he said, coming up with a plausible explanation.

  Her face relaxed and she nodded her head, believing that it was true.

  “What part of the military were you in?" she asked.

  Aiden searched his mental link with his spaceship’s computer for information about the human military.

  "I was a Navy SEAL"

  "That explains it. You’re using your training well." She chuckled.

  He sat beside her and looked at her painting. It was a scene of the ocean. The sky was roiling with clouds as if a storm was coming in. She was really quite talented, and it made his heart hurt to think that she was struggling so much.

  “We should get the fish cooked and gather more wood before the storm comes,” he said.

  “You think there's going to be a storm tonight?”

  "Definitely. Look at those clouds."

  "As if things couldn't get any worse,” she lamented.

  "Don't worry, I’ll take care of you."

  "I am glad I'm not here alone. That's for sure."

  “So am I.”

  He hurried down the beach and tended to the fish as it cooked. It took the rest of the morning to finish. He found a big tub in the cabin and put all his cooked fish into it. After extinguishing the fire, he brought the fish back to the cabin. Winnifred hauled in another load of firewood before it began to rain. He put on a pot for tea and made her a cup as she hung up her painting to dry.

  “At least I'm getting a lot of painting done,” she said as he handed her the tea.

  "It's beautiful."

  "Thanks,” she said, admiring her work.

  They sat at the table and drank tea together. He looked up into her beautiful face and felt his heart throbbing. His inner dragon shrieked, clawing at the backs of his eyes and blowing flames about his mind. All he wanted was to take her and make her his. He crushed his eyes closed against the pain. Aiden would never touch her like that unless she wanted him to.

  “I'll get us some fish," he said, standing from the table. He put some fish onto a platter, gathered plates and forks, and set it before her. They began to eat the feast.

  "This is really good," she said. "I wasn't expecting it to be so tasty."

  "Yes, it's very fresh," he said, shoving another mouthful of fish into his mouth.

  “We are definitely going to need food if we’ll be stuck here for a week."

  They grew silent, eating their food.

  "Is this the worst thing that's ever happened to you? Being stuck here…with me?" he asked a moment later, remembering her words about this ruining her life.

  She looked up at him and tilted her head. He felt so weak and vulnerable. He lived for her approval. It was killing him.

  "Being stuck, in general? Yeah, maybe. Although, probably not. I've had worse things happen in my life.”

  "What happened to you?” he asked, feeling fiercely protective.

  “Some bad shit happened between when I ran away from home and got into art school. I lived on the street for about six months until I got into a halfway house. Those six months were pretty harrowing. There are a lot of sickos out there. You know?”

  "You're a very strong woman."

  “Sometimes I wish I could be stronger."

  “How so?"

  "I was brave enough to leave home and get my life together. I’ve had the discipline to become the kind of person I want to be. But I’ve made a lot of compromises. Sometimes I feel like I’m a coward. Like I’m holding onto the small comfort I’ve created because I’m afraid of letting it go.”

  "You aren’t a coward. Look how well you are handling being here.”

  Aiden knew he was betraying her trust and manipulating the situation. Like one of those sickos she’d had to deal with. Tomorrow, he told himself, tomorrow he would definitely tell Cato to send someone to pick them up. He wouldn't keep her stranded here any longer. He wasn’t that kind of man. His dragon growled uncontrollably inside his mind, his desire rising like a blazing inferno.

  He abruptly rose from the table to go outside as the storm rolled in. He needed to cool down before he did something stupid. Dark clouds covered the sky as it opened. He stood under the small roof on the porch as rain poured all around. His dragon smashed against the walls of his mind. Aiden felt his soul was burning, clenching his fists against the pain. He needed to get himself under control. This was ridiculous. He was becoming a different man, and he couldn't control it. He couldn't calm it down. He had already kept Winnie here too long and he was powerless to correct it. Tomorrow, he told himself again, tomorrow I'll let her go.

  His dragon disagreed. His dragon screamed. Mate. Need. Claim. Take. She belongs to me. He fisted his eyes and gritted his teeth. He had to go back inside, and he didn’t want to seem like a creep. Aiden didn't trust himself in there with her. How could he ever court her like a normal man when he had a dragon in his brain screaming to take her by any means necessary. She was delicate and beautiful and good. She deserved to be loved, to be cherished, to be spoiled and pampered. After everything she’d been through, he couldn’t believe she trusted him at all.

  He had to push aside the screams of his dragon
, to give her the things that she deserved. He would not let the animal inside him dictate how he courted this woman. Tomorrow, he would make sure that she got home, and then he would ask her out on a date like a decent person. That was his final decision. No matter how much his dragon screamed. He was taking back control.

  Chapter 9

  As the storm hit the cabin, the lights flickered. Wind rattled the windows and blew under the door. Aiden stoked the fire, but the chill of the storm penetrated the thin walls. They climbed under the thick blankets in the bed and laid close together for warmth.

  “Sounds like the end of the world out there,” she said.

  “But if this were the end, I would protect you with my last breath.”

  “Aiden,” she said, unable to accept his words.

  She was a little tipsy from the last of the whiskey and so was he. Men were known to say things they didn’t mean when under the influence, but his words rang so true in her heart that she was compelled to believe them. She could feel him deep inside her in a way she couldn’t explain.

  Her better judgement told her to avoid this guy like the plague, hide on the other side of the island and wait until help arrived, but here she was, snuggled up close to him in the bed the second night in a row. If Aiden had made a move last night, she wouldn’t have said no. But he hadn’t. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

  Winnie had always been as sensitive to other people as she was to beauty, it was a quality that made her an artist. Right now, her intuition told her that what he said was true. But why? Why would this man who had just met her be willing to protect her until his last breath? It didn’t make sense, yet there it was.

  “I would protect you right back,” she said breathlessly.

  “I believe you would. You are so strong,” he whispered.

  “I’m a survivor,” she said. “I survive.”

  “But you don’t have to do it alone,” he said. “You can let someone help you. I want to help you.”

  “Help me with what?” She laughed.