Page 17 of Aaron (Dresden Pride #1)

When the nurse left her, she asked what was going on.

There were more questions than she had answers to, and she was bothered by them.

Not angry with him, she supposed that curious would have been a better word to have used rather than bothered.

She asked him about it when the room was emptied, but for the two of them.

“We’re mates. We could have spoken this way all along, but I didn’t want to upset you any more than you were while in pain.

” She asked him about the pain. “You’re more than likely healed from the break.

If not all the way, then very close. Dad said that he’d not order any more x-rays in the event that it’s healed, just to keep people from asking questions. ”

“Okay, I can understand that. I was in a great deal of pain. Tell me about your tiger. I saw him when you were dealing with Peter, Agent Gravestone. Why was he visible to me just then?” Aaron told her that anyone could have seen him if they had just looked, but she felt the magic before he could explain it to her.

“I see. So, the tightening of the room? That’s because he was making himself known to Peter.

How is it supposed to be a secret if you show him off like that? ”

“He might not have known what was going on, only by feeling the power that is my tiger. I don’t think I’m explaining this very well.

” She said that he was doing a great job and that she understood perfectly.

“Good. So while he felt something, he might not have known it was my tiger, just my anger at him. Understand?”

“I do. Just like you said, he wouldn’t have thought of magic right away because he might not believe in it.

But he did feel power, and that was enough to make him back away.

” Mac was proud of herself for getting it figured out for herself.

She was also happy that he’d come to her rescue when he did and told him that. “You were my hero today.”

Aaron looked embarrassed, and she loved that she could do that to him.

He was such a big man, tall and muscular; he didn’t look like anything would embarrass him.

But there he was with his cheeks bright red because she’d called him her hero.

She was going to think of other things that she could embarrass him about while they were in this stage of their relationship. If that was what they were having.

They talked about his job with the police department, and that was when he told her that he would help out the president when it was necessary.

It hadn’t happened since he had been retired, but he was there for the man if he needed him.

He told her how he’d been the lead detective on about every crime that had come through their offices.

“Not all of it would be considered a big, high-profile crime. I look for stolen or missing bikes. Sometimes it’s a shop lifter.

A lot of petty crimes, but it’s my town and I look forward every day to something new to catch my attention.

” Aaron smiled at her. “Not to say we don’t have an occasional big crime.

But that usually involves all the police force, like the shooting the other day at the school. ”

“Both the shooters were killed.” He told her that was right. “They’re parents must be devastated. I know that I would be.”

“We’re still looking into the involvement of the parents.

They can be held accountable if they made the guns they used accessible to them.

But I can’t really talk about it with you, as it’s still an ongoing investigation with the Feds.

They took over when it was apparent that they got the guns from their home. ”

“Oh, I see. Yes, I understand.” They talked about different things going on around the town.

Then he brought up how he’d been looking into houses.

“I have a condo where I live in DC. I hate it, but it’s a good place to fall asleep at night and get up the next morning.

And small, like it sounds like your place is. ”

“I don’t want a large house. Just a couple of bedrooms that we can have for extra.

I’d like to have an office at home, but that’s not necessary.

I can easily get paperwork done there at the office.

What would you like in a house? Or will we be moving to DC together?

” She said she didn’t know what she wanted to do about her job, but right now, with everything going on, she might well give her notice.

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.

You don’t have to work at all if you don’t want to.

I need to work because when I’m bored, I tend to get into trouble with my grandda.

He’s a pistol when it comes to getting us boys into things that we shouldn’t. ”

“I don’t think he likes me all that much.

” He told her that he’d love her like he did.

She looked at Aaron when he said that. “You love me? That’s not possible with us, only just becoming mates.

I don’t know how I feel about you, if I’m honest. I like you well enough, and I want you to kiss me, but love? I don’t know about that.”

“It’s fine. Hopefully, someday you can come to love me like I do you.

It’s fast for our kind. I think it comes from tigers in the wild.

They don’t mate for life, taking on many females to bear more cubs.

But for the most part, unlike tigers in the wild, we aren’t solitary.

After mating, they pretty much leave the raising of cubs to the females.

I’ll stay with you forever, never having an affair, nor will I have another mate.

A few shifters do have another mate come to them, but it’s very seldom for them to find their other halves after finding her in the first place. ”

“What about children and changing me into a tiger too? I never thought of that before, changing myself into what you are, but it does have some appeal to it.” He said he’d never thought about it before and would have to ask his parents or grandparents about that.

As for children, he wanted as many as she’d give him.

“You’re leaving that up to me? About having children? ”

“It’s your body, and the stress of having one will be all on you.

I’m not saying that I’m going to get you with child and abandon you, I’ll be right there with you in rearing a child of ours, but you are the one who will be going through all the pregnancy and birthing part.

That’s entirely up to you on how many you wish to give us.

” She thought that was very sweet, but she didn’t know for sure if it was a copout either.

Did he really believe it was her body and her choice?

She knew time would tell. “I can read your mind, but I don’t have to.

You’re projecting very loudly that you don’t trust my word.

I can’t lie to you, remember that. And I’d like to think that I wouldn’t anyway. ”

“I’ll have to get used to you telling me the truth all the time.” Aaron smiled at her again, and she could feel it as if wrapped in sunshine. “If you could get with your parents and ask them about changing me, I’d like that, please. I think I’d enjoy being a tiger with you. Now will you kiss me?”

“Certainly.” Aaron chuckled a little. “When my brother leaves here. He’s on his way in right now and thinks that it’s necessary to warn me that he’s coming down the hallway toward us. I might have to have a talk with him about being so nice about interrupting us in the future.”

~*~

Alaric needed to speak to Mac about her reason for visiting the area.

He’d heard from his grandda that she was here to investigate him in the crime of missing women that had occurred around town.

It hadn’t been that many, four or five, he thought, but it had been around five years since they started moving women out of their town for help with their abuser.

There was no way that she thought that he’d been kidnapping them and selling them to other countries.

He just didn’t want to believe that. He didn’t want her to believe that either. He liked Mac.

Going into her hospital room, he smiled at his brother.

He’d been hanging around the hospital a great deal since his mate had shown up there, and he wanted to tease him about it, but not in front of Mac.

He didn’t know her well enough to know if she’d take a joke well or not.

He hoped so because he loved to pull pranks and jokes on the family.

He’d gotten that from his grandda Dresden, who had passed away when he was fourteen.

Then grandma a year later. He missed them both very much and wished they were both still around, but it wasn’t to be, and he mourned them in his own way daily.

He’d meant to bring it up casually and ask her about his supposed part in the women disappearing. That was his plan anyway.

“I didn’t kidnap any of those women, Mac.” So much for casual, he thought to himself. “I promise you it’s nothing like what is being said around here. I didn’t sell them off to other countries for a profit. You can ask Aaron. I had nothing to do with them being gone.”

“I know. Aaron explained it to me.” He felt all the air in his lungs just swoosh out. It was as if he’d been holding his breath too long, and he was slightly dizzy from it. Also, lucky for him, there was a chair behind him that he could flop down in before he fell on his ass. “Are you all right?”

“I think so. It’s just that I found out why you were here and wanted to make sure you knew that I had nothing—well, I had plenty to do with their disappearance, but nothing so nefarious that would make you think I had ill intentions.

” She said that she understood, but it was her boss who would need convincing.

“Aaron told me about him. I think he’s been taken care of. ”