Instead of kidnapping her like every fiber of his being was begging him to do, he smiled.
"Angel, I'll tell you as many times as you'd like to hear." While pressing his forehead against hers, he could feel her hands slowly make their way up to his cheeks. "I'm with you because I want you. So none of this is gonna drive me away." He stole a quick kiss before continuing. "In fact, in the short time you've been in my life, I've had nothing but good things happen."
"But the raid-"She wasn't able to finish her sentence.
"Nobody was seriously hurt." None of their people anyway. "And it opened my eyes to how poorly secure the estate was. You ended up doing me a favor. So please, stop apologizing already." They shared a comfortable silence between the two before Claire spoke again.
"This is sort of becoming a habit isn't it?" She said as a reference to her constant need of reassurance and Aiden's continuous doing so.
"Yeah." He chuckled in reply. "But seeing as it means we'll have to keep up with the periodical private rendezvous, I have no complaints."
Claire giggled in response. She laid her head on his shoulder as she let out a deep sigh. The closer she got to executing their plans, the more drained she felt. And seeing as how things would only get busier and busier, she had no doubt that her fatigued state would be a prolonged one.
"Where are we anyway?" Aiden's voice brought her back from her dazed thoughts.
"This is my private room." She replied as she snuggled into his warm embrace. "I have a few scattered around my bases and properties."
"It's practically empty." Aiden couldn't shake the weird sensation the space gave him. It was almost like a jail cell.
"True. This one is pretty bare. But they're not all like this." His intoxicating scent was beyond relaxing. She had closed her eyes, and simply let out her thoughts without much of a filter. Not that she was sharing any major secrets, but having the comfort of talking so freely was something rare for her. Then again, Aiden was a rarity in himself. "I only use this one when I feel like working undisturbed or when I can't see Lily."
"Why wouldn't you be able to see her?" He hadn't stopped caressing her, but now his full attention was on her instead of the room.
"Well, I don't really like going near her whenever I've done something... horrible." She explained as Aiden easily rolled over to his side. He placed his arm under her head as he continued to rub his hand up and down her back. Making sure she knew he was paying close attention to her every word. "Things like hurting people or taking somebody's life is well.....you know. Not supposed to happen. I'd do anything to protect my family, but it still chips away at me."
And indeed Aiden did know. Just because he was raised to be the brutal monster that he was, didn't mean his moral compass didn't scream at him from time to time. It had been severely warped throughout the years, but it still somewhat functioned. His lifestyle was forced on him. The responsibilities and expectations that he had to carry were as well. And regardless if he had grown accustomed to it or not, he would be something less of a human if he didn't feel like he tainted a piece of his soul every time he took a life. Something he knew that Claire also felt due to the way she described her reasoning behind staying at a distance from her little girl.
It also gave him a clear explanation to why she hadn't gone to Lily after last nights raid. A question he didn't utter out loud.
"And having something in my life be so pure and good like Lily is, I sometimes need to stay away from her. What kind of mother would I be if I caressed her right after staining my hands with another persons death? She doesn't deserve that." She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. "So occasionally, I spend the night in one of these rooms before I go back to see her."
"Hmm." Aiden hummed in reply as he thought what she said through. Of course he was smitten with his Princess, but his little lady's words brought to his attention something he hadn't thought about before. The not wanting to touch her with stained hands he understood perfectly, but her explanation gave him a number of questions as well. Not to mention anger.
'How many times have you've been forced to keep your distance from her little girl?' He thought to himself as he played with one of her fiery loose curls. It was no secret she had been planning and hiding for years now. After all, Lily had been raised under those circumstances her entire life. So that would only mean that the times Claire had to sacrifice her time with her, were more than he would like to guess.
Aiden's disdain for the Phoenix Clan only continued to grow. Every time he learned something new, be it a reason for her behavior or an explanation for a room like the one he was in, he couldn't help but feel the need to end the life of anybody who had caused her harm. He didn't care how little or how big their actions against her were. In his mind, they would all pay.
Fearing the little angel in his arms sensed his sudden bloodlust, he looked down at her. To his pleasant surprise, she had dozed off. Her breathing had evened out, and her body relaxed entirely. Making his lips spread into a small smile.
Each time she fell asleep his arms, his heart would squeeze. There was truly no better feeling than holding one, or both, of his girls securely in his arms. In his mind, is was the equivalent to having all he could ever ask for. And surely even more than that.
Tucking her even closer into his embrace, he sunk his face into her hair. Letting her sweet strawberry and vanilla scent clog his brain with the ever so lovely sensation. Causing him for the one hundredth time to swear to himself that he would keep her forever.
---------------------------------
In the car on the way to the secret base.
Aiden had carefully taken Claire back to her living quarters at the base some time after she fell sleep. And although he would have enjoyed staying a while longer, he had things to personally oversee.
He had summed up most of the things discussed during the meeting as Jacob took notes and sent out orders. Knowing his friend as well as he did, he purposely edited the graphic details shared with him and Lucas, leaving only the things he wanted his personal assistant to concentrate on.
"Have the men organize in the meeting hall. We'll give instructions on how they will divide as soon as we arrive." His eyes were open, but he wasn't really focused on anything. Not since his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his girls. The meeting was enlightening in a way, but worrying in another.
Both his clan and his underworld persona were directly threatened. He was far behind Claire's team in terms of intel, infiltration within enemy lines and knowledge about the target's patterns. If Aiden wanted to, he could wipe the Phoenix Clan out of the map that very night. But when dealing with such a deep rooted clan, he knew he had to execute a well made up plan. Otherwise, there would be too many negative consequences for his own people. And even worse, for his girls.
Lucas had already gone ahead to work on a number of things. The clock was ticking, and with him and Jacob on their way to the base, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he snapped. Aiden was in truth a very patient man, but patience was a luxury he didn't have when it came to those threatening him. And trying to be a menace to the newly found red heads of his life, was a one way ticket to the top of his hit list.
"I'm just so confused." Jacob laid his head back into the head rest as he processed everything that was going on. He had been purposely avoiding Aiden since their little argument, but it hadn't been enough time or space between the two for him to feel so lost. "How can so much happen in such freaking small amount of time? And with us completely in the dark!?"
"I don't know." Aiden said with a smirk on his face. And not the happy kind, but the kind that assured blood would be spilled soon. "But I can give you my word that it's gained my full attention."
Jacob didn't shiver at his lifelong friend's bloodlust, since it was still within the manageable levels, but there was something else bothering him. Looking back at Aiden, a small pout formed on his face. The kind he would only make when feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry about yelling before." His voice was small, but clear.
Aiden looked at him from across the car. As soon as he noticed his expression, his bloodlust subsided and the smirk on his face was replaced with a genuine smile. The kind that reached his eyes. He always had a soft spot for Jacob. Even so, he would forever have the need to mess with him. Even while fully knowing what he meant, he decided to pretend. "You yelled? When?" His knowing look was enough to make Jacob's usual banter mode to be flipped on.
"Aiden! I'm serious here!" He said as his face turned more and more flustered.
Aiden chuckled as he saw his pout grow bigger. He always wondered how such a sassy and prone to fighting guy like him could keep such a straight face when it came to dealing with work. If only the CEO's and company employees were to see him now, they wouldn't believe it was the same man.
"It's fine." He finally said, making his friend quiet down from his earlier bantering. "You know something like that wasn't gonna bother me."
"You should apologize to me too you know." Jacob retorted with irritation in his voice. "It only happened because you weren't being fair. How am I not supposed to question everything when somebody as odd as she is suddenly popped up. You didn't give me anything useful to go on."
"She had already given you enough on the Phoenix Clan to-"
"I meant about her Aiden!" He snapped at his friend. Making it the second time he had done so in the past month. He felt horrible about it, but sometimes his thick headed life brother needed to be shook in order to get the message through. "You're my family! Of course I'll worry and want to know more about the person you're so clearly planning to keep in your life!"
At that Aiden saw as clear as day how he had been brewing in frustration during the past few weeks. Any other time and he would have noticed rather quickly. But as cliche a it sounded, he had only been thinking about Claire. And it was obviously unfair.
"You're right Jacob." His voice was smooth and genuinely heartfelt. "I'm sorry. I can't really share all that much with you when it comes to the things that I know about her, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have been more tactful with the subject."
"Well as long as you understand." Jacob replied as he avoided Aiden's gaze by looking out of the moving car's window. They were seconds away from arriving at their destination. Even so, he accepted his apology by mumbling a few words. "Besides, you know something like that wasn't gonna bother me."
"Yeah right." Aiden responded as he chuckled again. Jacob's sarcasm and sass was without limits. "And I love wearing dresses."
Both men grinned at each other's remarks as they made their way out of the car. Immediately being welcomed by dozens of men standing in an at ease stance. There were so many of them, that the line which they formed seemed to stretch out for miles.
"Welcome back Boss!" Their voices shouted out in unison.
"I thought it would be quicker if they received their orders as soon as your door was opened." Jacob told Aiden in a hushed tone.
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Aiden replied. "You really know me too well."
Looking at his men, he slowly permitted his anger to show on his expression. He had kept it at bay for the sake of looking calm in front of his little Angel. But the intended target was something he could not wait to direct his wrath towards. His current state of mind was easy to understand from the raw energy he was emitting. He was livid. Causing shivers to be sent down his men's spines.
"As you all know, we have acquired a new target." Aiden's words were loud, dry and without a shadow of a doubt, absolute. " You must also know, that said target dared the attempt of causing harm inside my estate. Meaning only one thing." His eyes darkened significantly. Creating both fear and pure murderous excitement amongst his men. "We hunt to kill."