Immediately, Aidan swung around, his golden eyes restless, searching the land, the trees, the sky for a hidden trap. His body was still, listening intently for any betraying sound. In his mind, Alexandria was holding her breath. And then he heard it. A soft, insidious rustling. Stealthy. Furtive. A brush of scales sliding through pine needles.
Joshua! Alexandria’s burst of revelation, of horror, came on the heels of his own.
He moved with supernatural speed, faster than he had ever moved in the centuries of his existence, crossing the distance to the grassy knoll where he had left the child. His hand found the snake, grasped it, and jerked it away from its goal. The thing hissed and coiled around his arm, desperately squeezing his muscles, sinking fangs into the fleshy part of his thumb. It bit again and again, injecting poison into his body, its every instinct commanding it to carry out the vampire’s revenge. Aidan tore the snake apart, flinging it into the flames consuming the body of the undead. Noxious fumes rose into the air, green gases that spun and whirled, then disappeared into the black smoke.
Aidan sank down beside Joshua and pulled the child into his arms. He made a slow, careful inspection of every inch of skin to assure himself the boy was unharmed. He waited for a reaction from the snake’s venom. Within minutes, his lungs began to fight for air, and he felt nauseated, but it was not nearly as bad as he expected, considering the venom was aided by the vampire’s hatred. It took him a moment to realize it was Gregori’s blood that was neutralizing the poison’s effects. He could feel the struggle taking place in his body, but Gregori’s blood was far stronger than anything the vampire could produce. Within minutes, Aidan was fine, his heart and lungs as strong as ever, the venom oozing out of his pores.
He lifted the boy into his arms and launched himself into the air, Wings spreading as he made his way across the sky toward his home and his waiting lifemate. He had hardly landed on the third-floor balcony before Alexandria was attempting to pull the child into her arms, laughing and crying at the same time.
“You did it, Aidan! I can’t believe you did it!” She was deathly pale, her arms trembling with weakness.
Aidan could hear her heart laboring, her lungs wheezing, struggling to function though her blood supply was low. Despite his desire to sweep her up and care for her needs, he placed Joshua in her waiting arms.
“Look at his poor little face.” She was crying, the tears falling on Joshua’s bruises and swollen eye. “Oh, Aidan, look at him.”
“He looks wonderful to me,” he said softly as his arm circled her waist. He took most of the boy’s weight himself. “Let’s get him into bed and wake him up.” He could hear Marie and Stefan clambering up the stairs to join them. Alexandria’s hunger was beating at him. Everything male, everything protective and Carpathian in him, rose up to demand he care for her. Joshua was safe. It was time to see that his lifemate’s strength was restored.
“Oh, Marie, look at his little face,” Alexandria cried to the older woman. “That horrible creature hit him.”
Marie was openly sobbing, taking the child from Alexandria. Stefan, too, had to hold the little boy.
“He is fine, just asleep,” Aidan reassured them all. His concern was for Alexandria now. “We will put him in his bed and awaken him. He will be told this was a kidnapping attempt, to extort money. He will accept that explanation and understand having guards anytime it becomes necessary.”
Stefan carried Joshua to the small room off theirs. Marie dressed him in pajamas and produced a cold cloth to bathe his black eye. Alexandria sat on the edge of the bed, Joshua’s small hand in hers. Aidan knelt beside her, an arm around her waist. “Joshua, you will awaken now. Alexandria needs to see your blue eyes.” He whispered the words softly, his voice compelling, seeping into the boy’s mind and beckoning him back into their world.
Joshua erupted into violence, fighting hard to free himself. It was Aidan who subdued him, protecting Alexandria with his own body despite her efforts to get to the boy. “Listen to me, Joshua. You are home with us. You are safe. The kidnappers no longer have you. I want you to be calm so that you do not hurt Marie or your sister.” His voice, as always, was serene and beautiful, so compelling that the boy ceased his struggles and peeked up at them cautiously. When he saw Alexandria, he burst into tears.