set it on her, then scooped her into his arms.
A less than pleased looking Ted was coming out of the cockpit as Lucian started up the aisle with his burden. The man nodded grimly and couldn’t move quickly enough to get the plane door open for him.
“Has someone taken care of the airport officials?” Lucian asked. He had no desire to deal with airport and customs officials himself.
“Thomas,” Ted answered tersely, and stepped out of the way for him to disembark. “He should be here with a car at any moment.”
Lucian nodded at the mention of another of his nephews and turned to peer out of the plane. It was just past three in the afternoon, and he’d worried that the sun would be a problem. However, while it wasn’t raining as it had been in Kansas, it was a cool, damp day. The sun was hiding behind rain clouds that had obviously already spilled some of their liquid on the area, but were threatening to drop more.
Shoulders relaxing, Lucian eased his way through the door, turning and shifting his burden to avoid banging her into the walls of the plane. By the time he descended the steps to the tarmac, a car was pulling to a stop several feet in front of him.
Thomas seemed to be out of the car almost before it came to a halt. He hurried forward with a loose-legged walk and a bright smile. It was one of the things that drove Lucian nuts about the lad. Thomas was always smiling and cheerful. It was his youth, he supposed. The man was only a couple hundred years old. Thomas hadn’t seen as much of life as he had, so could be forgiven for not knowing there was little to smile about in this world. He would learn soon enough.
“How was your flight?” Thomas greeted him.
“Fine. Carry this.” Lucian hefted his burden toward his nephew, who quickly raised his arms.
The younger man caught Leigh to his chest with a grunt, eyes wide as he peered down at her pale face. “Who is she?”
“Mr. Argeneau?”
Ignoring his nephew’s question, Lucian glanced back to find Ted holding out the portable IV stand. He took the stand with a nod, then ordered, “Have the plane refueled. I’ll need to fly back to Kansas when I return, which shouldn’t be more than a couple hours.”
“Yes, sir.” The man’s face was grim as he backed into the plane, presumably to pass on the news to the pilot.
“Who is she?” Thomas repeated.
“Leigh.”
“Leigh who?”
“How should I know?” Lucian asked with irritation. “Open your fingers.”
Thomas looked confused, but uncurled the fingers that rested under the girl’s outer thigh. The moment he did, Lucian slid the folded portable IV into them, then turned to walk to the car.
“What do you mean how should you know?” Thomas demanded.
Lucian smiled faintly to himself as he heard Thomas scurrying after him with his burden, but merely shrugged with disinterest and opened the front passenger door. “Just what I said. I don’t know who she is.”
He slid into the front seat and pulled the car door closed, leaving Thomas to deal with getting the woman into the backseat. He’d done his bit by taking her away from the house in Kansas and changing her blood bags for the last two hours. He now fully intended on delivering her into his sister-in-law’s tender mercies and never giving her another thought.
Marguerite would see her through the turning, then help her learn all those things she needed to know to live as one of them. And Marguerite—or one of her brood—would also then see the chit set up with an identity and probably even a job. It was what Marguerite did. She took in all the strays. Thomas and his sister Jeanne Louise were two of several the woman had mothered over the ages.
Lucian settled back in the front passenger seat, fully satisfied that—once again—he’d proven he wasn’t the complete bastard everyone seemed to think he was. He’d spared a life and seen to her well-being, or would have within the hour. Then he could get on with business, he
A less than pleased looking Ted was coming out of the cockpit as Lucian started up the aisle with his burden. The man nodded grimly and couldn’t move quickly enough to get the plane door open for him.
“Has someone taken care of the airport officials?” Lucian asked. He had no desire to deal with airport and customs officials himself.
“Thomas,” Ted answered tersely, and stepped out of the way for him to disembark. “He should be here with a car at any moment.”
Lucian nodded at the mention of another of his nephews and turned to peer out of the plane. It was just past three in the afternoon, and he’d worried that the sun would be a problem. However, while it wasn’t raining as it had been in Kansas, it was a cool, damp day. The sun was hiding behind rain clouds that had obviously already spilled some of their liquid on the area, but were threatening to drop more.
Shoulders relaxing, Lucian eased his way through the door, turning and shifting his burden to avoid banging her into the walls of the plane. By the time he descended the steps to the tarmac, a car was pulling to a stop several feet in front of him.
Thomas seemed to be out of the car almost before it came to a halt. He hurried forward with a loose-legged walk and a bright smile. It was one of the things that drove Lucian nuts about the lad. Thomas was always smiling and cheerful. It was his youth, he supposed. The man was only a couple hundred years old. Thomas hadn’t seen as much of life as he had, so could be forgiven for not knowing there was little to smile about in this world. He would learn soon enough.
“How was your flight?” Thomas greeted him.
“Fine. Carry this.” Lucian hefted his burden toward his nephew, who quickly raised his arms.
The younger man caught Leigh to his chest with a grunt, eyes wide as he peered down at her pale face. “Who is she?”
“Mr. Argeneau?”
Ignoring his nephew’s question, Lucian glanced back to find Ted holding out the portable IV stand. He took the stand with a nod, then ordered, “Have the plane refueled. I’ll need to fly back to Kansas when I return, which shouldn’t be more than a couple hours.”
“Yes, sir.” The man’s face was grim as he backed into the plane, presumably to pass on the news to the pilot.
“Who is she?” Thomas repeated.
“Leigh.”
“Leigh who?”
“How should I know?” Lucian asked with irritation. “Open your fingers.”
Thomas looked confused, but uncurled the fingers that rested under the girl’s outer thigh. The moment he did, Lucian slid the folded portable IV into them, then turned to walk to the car.
“What do you mean how should you know?” Thomas demanded.
Lucian smiled faintly to himself as he heard Thomas scurrying after him with his burden, but merely shrugged with disinterest and opened the front passenger door. “Just what I said. I don’t know who she is.”
He slid into the front seat and pulled the car door closed, leaving Thomas to deal with getting the woman into the backseat. He’d done his bit by taking her away from the house in Kansas and changing her blood bags for the last two hours. He now fully intended on delivering her into his sister-in-law’s tender mercies and never giving her another thought.
Marguerite would see her through the turning, then help her learn all those things she needed to know to live as one of them. And Marguerite—or one of her brood—would also then see the chit set up with an identity and probably even a job. It was what Marguerite did. She took in all the strays. Thomas and his sister Jeanne Louise were two of several the woman had mothered over the ages.
Lucian settled back in the front passenger seat, fully satisfied that—once again—he’d proven he wasn’t the complete bastard everyone seemed to think he was. He’d spared a life and seen to her well-being, or would have within the hour. Then he could get on with business, he
Similar Books
Milo and One Dead Angry Druid
Mary Arrigan
The Tight White Collar
Grace Metalious
Beyond Rubies (Daughters of Sin Book 4)
Beverley Oakley
The Society of Dread
Glenn Dakin
The Winter King
C. L. Wilson
The Marsh Madness
Victoria Abbott
The Courtyard
Marcia Willett
Rebellion Ebook Full
B. V. Larson
The Darkening Archipelago
Stephen Legault
The Ambassadors
Henry James