Page 21 of Ravaged
She walked swiftly beside him, her long legskeeping stride with his. Gauging his height compared to hers, sheguessed he was about six inches taller than her five-eight, yet shedidn’t labor to keep pace with him.
She’d prefer not to go back to thatblood-soaked scene, but she didn’t resist him either. More thananything, she didn’t want to come across one of those Savages onher own. She’d bide her time until she knew she’d be safe, and thenshe’d run.
Aiden’s gaze raked her frame again. Herbaggy, khaki shirt hid most of her figure, and so did her black,cargo pants, but he’d felt the lushness of her breasts and thestrength in her lean body when she’d worked her way out from underhim in the ambulance earlier.
If he got the chance, he would enjoy peelingaway her clothes to reveal what lay beneath. It would be betterthan any present on Christmas morning. The thought of it stirredhis cock. He gritted his teeth as he forced aside thoughts ofhearing her passionate cries. Now was not the time.
He tilted his head as he studied her moreclosely. She was taking all of this amazingly well. She could be ina state of shock, but he didn’t think so. Maggie struck him as aperson who picked herself up and carried on no matter what it tookfor her to do so. What had her life been like to make her that way?What was it like now?
“Do you have a boyfriend, Magdalene?” heinquired, and she shot him a look.
“No one calls me that,” she told him again.“Everyone calls me Maggie or Mags. And why do you want toknow?”
“I’m curious.”
“Look how well that worked out for thecat.”
Before he could reply, a metal trash can lidclattered ahead of them, drawing his attention back to theirsurroundings. They’d left the warehouse district behind and entereda street lined with row houses. The scent of human food cooking,the sounds of TVs, laughter, and music drifted from the homes.
Most of the residents of these houses hadsettled in for the night, but a bald, middle-aged man with acigarette dangling from his lips emerged from one of the driveways.He cursed as he kicked the lid toward the curb. Aiden relaxed asthe man’s eyes came toward them. The man nodded a greeting beforeplopping the trash can he’d been carrying on the curb. He picked upthe lid and shoved it onto the bag poking out from the top of thecan.
Then, his gaze raked Aiden. “What happenedto you?”
“Lost a bet,” Aiden replied.
“I guess so,” the man muttered and turned towalk back toward his house.
A window slid open, and then a womanshouted, “You better not be smoking out there!”
The man tossed his cigarette down andstomped it out. “Get off my back, woman!”
Maggie chuckled. “I love Boston.”
“Were you born here?”
She shot him another look then decided itdidn’t matter if she told him. “Yes.”
“And your boyfriend?” He had to know howdifficult it would be to win her. Was she already in love? Was shemarried? He glanced at her left hand but saw no rings there.
“I’m between boyfriends.” She thought hesmiled, but it was so fleeting she couldn’t be certain. “Were youborn here?”
“No. I was born in Oregon.”
“You’re a long way from home.”
“Oregon isn’t my home, not anymore.”
“So where is your home, Nosferatu? A cavesomewhere so you can hang upside down like a bat or in actual batform?”
She’d asked the question in a teasing tone,but she held her breath, afraid he would say yes.
“I live in a house in Massachusetts, andvampires don’t shapeshift,” he said.
That was good to know. “What about yourgirlfriend? Is she a vampire?”
“No girlfriend.”
A clammy sweat coated her skin when sherealized they were getting closer to the alley where this allstarted. Some instinct caused her to step closer to him when theyturned onto another street.
