With a great sense of satisfaction, Aidan curved an arm protectively around her shoulders. He swept her close to him, offering comfort. Marie pulled open the enormous refrigerator and turned, a huge bouquet of roses in her hands, the vase cut crystal. He felt Alexandria’s swift intake of breath.
“For you,” Marie said blithely, ignoring the black scowl on Aidan’s face. “Your Mr. Ivan brought these for you.”
Alexandria moved away from Aidan to cross the room. “They’re so beautiful. Roses,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve never received flowers before, Marie. Never.” She touched one dewy petal. “Aren’t they wonderful?”
Marie was nodding and smiling in agreement. “I thought we might put them in the living room, but if you want them in your private bedroom, that would fine, too.”
Aidan’s hands itched to strangle the woman. He had known Marie from the moment of her birth—sixty-two years ago—and they had never exchanged a cross word. And he suddenly wanted to strangle her. He should have ripped Ivan’s throat out. Flowers. Why hadn’t he thought of flowers? Why hadn’t Marie mentioned it to him first? Why had she accepted them? Whose side was she on, anyway? Flowers! He had the urge to rip those petals off one by one.
“Look,” Marie cooed, “he even had the thorns removed so you wouldn’t hurt yourself. What a thoughtful man.”
“What time did you tell the police we would see them?” Aidan interrupted, afraid that if he didn’t he would erupt into violence. He detested the way Alexandria kept caressing the petals of one of the white roses.
Stefan cleared his throat and glared at his wife. “They asked that you contact them at your earliest convenience. It seems that Ivan is particularly insistent, especially since two bodies, burned beyond recognition, were found a few miles from here. I told the police I was returning from the store when I saw the blaze and called it in from the car phone.”
Alexandria’s face went white, and she looked up at Aidan as if for direction. “Are they going to question me about that, too?”
Aidan reached out a hand, gently fingering her silky hair. “Of course not, cara. Do not be so alarmed. They believe I had already taken you to the hospital. If necessary, we will be able to prove such a thing. The police want only to answer Ivan’s ridiculous concerns by seeing you alive and well. I assured him you were safe when he was here last, but he would not take my word. He has thoroughly insulted me.”
In spite of her fears, Alexandria laughed. “You were lying to him, you idiot. I wasn’t safe. A vampire had bitten me, remember?”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Idiot? In all the centuries of my existence, no one has ever called me an idiot.”
“Well, that’s because everyone’s afraid of you. Thomas had good reason to think you were lying. Don’t act like one of those ridiculous men in whatever century who fought duels of honor.”
“I have fought more than one duel in my time.”
“Idiot,” she said disrespectfully, but she was laughing. Alexandria buried her face in the flowers, inhaling the sweet fragrance. Then she raised her head and caught Aidan looking at her with that possessive, masculine intensity that caused her heart to turn over. “Do I really have to talk to the police? Can’t you just do it?”
There was some satisfaction in her blaming Ivan, Aidan thought, but it didn’t help to have her cuddling those accursed flowers.
Stefan shook his head. “Actually, Aidan, the police are very interested in those bodies. It seems the way they burned was quite remarkable, as if the flames were burning from the inside out. There was nothing left but ashes. They couldn’t ID the bodies through dental work either. I think they’ll insist on speaking to both of you.”
Alexandria slumped against the counter, leaning heavily on Aidan. “I’m not very good at lying, Aidan. Everyone always knows when I’m lying.”
She sounded so dejected, as if it was a terrible sin that she couldn’t lie, that he smiled. “Do not worry, cara. I will handle the police. All you have to do is sit in a chair and look fragile and delicate,” Aidan assured her.