to the filthy ground, but Ronan caught his arms, holding him upright. Aiden swept around him, taking the man from Ronan and pinning him to the wall. The look Aiden threw in his direction made it clear that his friend was not happy with him.
“Feed. I’ll keep watch,” Ronan brusquely instructed before turning to face the alleyway so Aiden could have some privacy.
Ronan folded his arms across his chest and stared out at the empty street. He tried not to hear the small whimper the man made, likely the moment Aiden’s fangs sank deep. He also tried not to hear each hungry swallow as the blood rushed down Aiden’s throat. Fuck, he was an idiot. Didn’t matter. He wanted to feel Aiden’s lips on his skin, wanted to know what it was like to have Aiden’s fangs in his flesh, the feel of his tongue sliding along his throat.
But to what end?
From the dance, he thought there was a good chance Aiden was still attracted to him. But Aiden wouldn’t risk his family for him, and Ronan had no desire to put the Variks in harm’s way. If anything, Ronan would be happy to protect the Variks if it made Aiden happy. Not that his sons wanted anything to do with him. And they had yet to learn anything about his true past.
There was a tiny satisfied sigh that rose from Aiden, announcing that he was done with his dinner. Ronan turned slightly to look over his shoulder. Aiden quickly set the man on the ground and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. His color looked better, and there was a new twinkle to his eyes. A good feeding always put a vampire in a pleasant mood.
But when their eyes met, Aiden’s frown returned, and he marched straight toward Ronan.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he hissed.
“I was thinking my friend would appreciate a little assistance with his prey. He won’t remember me,” Ronan replied stiffly, not exactly sure why Aiden was so upset about what had happened.
Aiden threw up his hands. “And what? You just go around using your gift all willy-nilly for any vampire to see?”
Ahhh…that was the problem. Aiden was worried about his safety because he’d so easily displayed his power in front of another vampire.
“No, not any vampire. Just you. I trust you,” Ronan said, his voice full of warmth.
Aiden’s gold eyes blazed at him for a second, his mouth hanging open as if Ronan had rendered him speechless. He seemed to deflate a little, but Aiden rallied himself and Ronan could barely hold back his smile. “Thank you, but that was reckless. You can’t go around using your powers in front of other vampires. You can’t trust others with such a valuable secret. You have no idea how it can be used against you.”
Warmth spread through Ronan’s chest at Aiden’s flustered concern. He knew what an incredible risk it was for other vampires to know about one’s secret gift. They all had one, but it was rare for a vampire to flaunt it. It was typically seen as a secret weapon to give a vampire an advantage over an opponent. And if an opponent knew what the gift was, he could prepare a defense. Or, as Aiden had growled, it could be used against a vampire.
But Ronan knew he was safe with Aiden. It was the one way he could disarm himself to his old friend. He had to prove to the man he was not a threat, and the fastest way was to reveal one of his most tightly held secrets.
“Please tell me you don’t do that often,” Aiden groaned.
“No, I don’t. The few vampires from my fledgling years who knew of my gift are all dust now. The humans I use it on don’t remember me.”
Aiden glared at him. “And the vampires?”
“Don’t survive the encounter to tell tales later,” Ronan darkly admitted.
To his surprise, Aiden nodded and said, “Good.”
“Really?”
“Ronan, I don’t need to worry about whether you’ve lost all your common sense when I have four impulsive sons and five equally impulsive sons-in-law to keep me busy. I don’t think vampires can get gray hair, but they are trying very hard to prove me wrong.”
Wrapping his arm around Aiden’s shoulders, Ronan ushered his friend out of the alley while chuckling. “It was an act of trust just for you, my friend.”
Aiden grumbled something low and unintelligible under his breath, but Ronan was pretty sure it included the word “idiot.”