Free A Forbidden Taking by Kathi S. Barton Page B

didn’t know which was worse.
    “You
can run, but not hide. I can smell a male on you. You’ve recently met your mate
if I’m not mistaken. Aaron MacManus either knows that you’re in his realm or he
will soon enough.”
    “He
knows me. And I don’t have a mate. It was just sex.” Megan put the mop back in
the bucket. “What are you going to do?”
    Thomas
looked at her. She wasn’t one to fidget, but he made her nervous. She wanted to
cry, but after nearly a year and a half of this life she knew it would do her
little to no good to indulge in tears.
    “What’s
your name? And are you a doctor?” His voice was gentle, something that
surprised her into answering truthfully.
    “Megan
Reed. I…I was waiting for my results just before I was murdered. I passed my exams
twenty-four days after this happened.”
    Thomas
nodded. “And that would be how long? Not much, I’m thinking. And you weren’t
murdered, young lady. Your life changed, but you aren’t dead.”
    “You
think your way, I’ll think mine. January, a year ago. I was just getting off
work when he took me. And you didn’t answer my question. What are you going to
do now?”
    He regarded
her for several more seconds before he spoke. “Nothing. For now. But you aren’t
going to be working here any longer. Not as a janitor anyway. Starting as soon
as you give me your board certification results I’ll put you on staff.” He
stood. “Aaron will have to know, of course. So will your mate.”
    “I
don’t have a mate and why does Dingdong need to know?”
    Thomas
burst out laughing. “I bet that goes over great with him. Dingdong, yeah, I
just bet it does. He has to know because I’m his subject and so are you.
Nothing goes on in his realm that he doesn’t know about, isn’t told about, or
hell is paid to whoever crosses him.”
    He
started out the door before she spoke again. “What if I don’t want to be a
doctor?”
    He
turned back. “You already are.”
    ~~~
    Beau came
above stairs in a foul mood. He had awakened and Megan was gone. And not only
was she gone, but she was blocking him. Beau wasn’t even aware that you could
do that as mates. When he saw Aaron and Sara in the kitchen with their children
he nearly turned back around again.
    “Hello,
Beau. Come in and meet my children.” Aaron stood and closed the door to the
sublevels before he could bolt. “This is my daughter Lizzy and her twin brother
Mac. Guys, say hello to Beau Desjardin. Sit
down, Beau. We were just discussing the finer parts of being a vampire.”
    He
knew he had little choice in the matter so he sat. The little girl, Lizzy,
smiled at him. He could feel her touching his mind and nearly closed her off,
but then Mac said something to him and he let her go. Some things up there
might not be suitable for a kid, but he didn’t invite and saw no reason to
sensor her findings.
    “Do
you like being a vampire, Mr. Desjardin? I’m not a pureblood like some, but I’m
immortal like my mom.”
    “It’s
Beau and it’s all right, I guess. You have a certain…power about you, don’t
you?” Beau closed his eyes and reached into the child. “Necromancer. I’ve only
met one other like you. She’s not such a nice person so I tend to avoid her.”
    “Yeah, Patrice Skidmore. She’s dead. She was my tutor for a little while. Until
my daddy broke her neck and my grandda cut off her head for shooting my grandma.
Aunt Bailey saved her life.”
    Beau looked at Aaron and sat up
straighter in his chair. Vampires didn’t kill other vampires. It was a written
law.
    “It was justified. My house, my
rules. Not to mention I carry a great deal of weight with the Vampire Council. And
don’t worry, Beau. You haven’t done anything to warrant me killing you. Yet.”
    Beau was suddenly uncomfortable. He
looked at the door and wondered what sort of excuses he could make to go back
to Kyle’s house. He wanted to be away before he did something stupid and this
man had to remove his