Chapter 207
New York, New York, 1912
The Carpathia was not as luxurious as the Titanic had been. It certainly wasn’t as fast, not that the passenger liner had ever meant to move as quickly as it had been pushed. While it was impossible to say whether or not those foolish humans would actually learn anything from what had resulted in a heap of twisted metal lying at the bottom of the Atlantic was hard to say, but Christian doubted it. They were slow to learn.
A soft rain wet his face as he stood gazing at the Statue of Liberty as she came into focus in the distance. His time in Southampton had been interesting. There was something oddly satisfying about taking out British Vampires. As soon as he landed on American soil, though, he’d be joining the Kansas City team. Finally, after years of obedience and biting his tongue the best he could, he was getting that promised promotion. Head of Technology and Innovations. It was all he could think about as they neared the harbor, though he hid a smile. He hadn’t become such an unfeeling monster that he’d forgotten how sensitive humans could be. Someone would likely be disturbed if they saw him grinning at a time like this.
Aaron was standing a few feet away from him, and he looked anything but happy. Catherine was off helping the survivors one way or another, something Aaron had also been busy doing until he realized they were almost to New York. Then, he’d quietly joined Christian at the railing, not saying much of anything.
“At least we took out Dr. Stanley Williams before he could do too much damage,” Aaron mused.
The not-so-good doctor had been their reason for boarding the ship to begin with. The team had managed to take him out--in the water--while the ship was going down. After that, they’d witnessed about two thousand people drowning or freezing to death in the frigid water, waiting for Carpathia to reach them. Christian hadn’t been thrilled to spend several hours bobbing around in the ocean, but it wasn’t the worst way he’d spent his time in his almost two hundred years.
“Are you all right, Christian?” Aaron asked. “You look… bothered. Since I know you well enough to understand it has nothing to do with witnessing all of those people die, I have to ask what it might be.”
Aaron had painted him to be a monster. Was that what he truly thought of him? Was he wrong? “I’m fine. I was just thinking… this is bound to help advance communication techniques. If more of those messages about icebergs had reached the right people, perhaps the ship would’ve slowed down.”
Blue eyes weighed on his face longer than Christian was comfortable with. “All of that death and carnage, and that’s your deepest thought?”
Christian shrugged. “I’ve been working on improving communication for decades. We’ve been so close with our cellular data theories. If only I could get more towers erected.”
“Perhaps you can harvest some scrap metal from the bottom of the ocean from the wreck and use that.” Aaron shook his head in disgust.
“I don’t think maritime law would allow for that,” Christian replied, as if he were serious. “Besides, it’s so deep now, it would be hard to extract.”
Again, Aaron shook his head at him “Christian, is there anyone in this world you genuinely care about--I mean other than yourself? I don’t mean that to sound harsh. I just honestly want to know.”
Shocked, Christian stared at him for a moment. He hadn’t considered the question in… well, ever. “I would say… at the moment? No. That is, you and Catherine, some of our other teammates, are nice enough.”
“But you wouldn’t cry if we died.”
“No,” Christian said quickly. “But then, you wouldn’t cry if I died either.”
“I might. I’d be upset.”
Christian cocked his head to the side. “You wouldn’t cry.”
“You make it hard to become too emotionally attached, Christian. I do have people I care about, people I would cry over if they perished. Have you… ever?”
An image of Brandy’s face flashed before his eyes. Her beautiful lavender orbs, that smile, those brown locks. “No,” he said quickly. Aaron didn’t need to know about her. Christian wouldn’t share her with anyone.
A change in Aaron’s expression let him know he didn’t believe him. The bastard was an emotional empath and likely picked up on something to let him know Christian was lying. Well, he wouldn’t get any more information. It was too bad he couldn’t test his theory on how he would feel if Aaron died right now.
Changing the subject, Aaron asked, “What about your family? Are any of them still alive?”
“My mother is in Roatan, but we seldom speak. I do love her, but I don’t expect her to be around forever.”
A bit of sympathy softened Aaron’s expression again, as if he had just decided Christian might be human after all. “And you’ve never married.” It wasn’t a question, so Christian didn’t respond. “You’ve been with plenty of women since I met you.”
“You’ve been with none since I met you, even though they fawn all over you. Are you certain you’re not… a confirmed bachelor?” It wasn’t the first time he’d asked the question of his Leader. In fairness, he was highly organized, tidy, and pretty. Especially with those long lashes and blue eyes. Not that Christian was a confirmed bachelor.
“No. I already told you. I was married before. My wife… passed away.”
There was something about the way he made that statement that made Christian raise an eyebrow every time he heard it. What was Aaron not telling him about his wife? He’d heard rumors, but nothing confirmed. Could it be true that he’d actually killed her? Probably not.
Deciding to put the pressure on him again, since it was more entertaining than being uncomfortable himself, Christian asked, “Why don’t you date? It’s clear Catherine likes you.”
Aaron looked away. “I don’t know. I just haven’t been ready yet. I know it sounds silly. It’s been so long. But… I keep thinking, when I meet the right woman, I’ll know it. It hasn’t happened yet.”
Christian considered the statement. He knew exactly what Aaron meant. As many women as he’d dated, he’d never found anyone who came close to Brandy. He hoped he would someday.
Carpathia arrived in New York Harbor, essentially ending their conversation. Christian was glad it was over. In all the years he’d worked with Aaron, they’d never had a discussion quite like this. They had a mutual understanding. Christian would do his job so long as Aaron left him the hell alone. It seemed to work. In all of his years hunting Vampires, he’d never found a Leader who understood him quite as well, and he’d certainly never worked for someone who let him do whatever he needed to do to function among his teammates the way Aaron did. Perhaps it was that magical power of reading others’ emotions that helped him. Or maybe he was just a good guy. Either way, Christian thought he might actually miss working with Aaron. A little. But he still wouldn’t cry if Aaron McReynolds died.
