Aaron's Kiss Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 7) (90 page)

~CHAPTER TWENTY~

Bradley paced across the room again. He had taken off his borrowed shirt and was still sweating. Griff had said that she had had a fever off and on and keeping the room warm would keep her from getting an infection. Bradley didn’t say anything as they both knew it was just a matter of time before a fever would be a blessing. She had been tossing and turning for the past hour and she was no longer talking about anything that made sense. The commotion at the mouth of the cave had him turning toward it. The shouts had him smile.

“Bailey? Bailey, where the fuck are you?”

Bradley thought he’d faint with relief. Finally, the troops had arrived. He went to the mouth of the room to show them where the two of them were. He was amazed to see not only Sara and Tristan, but Aaron as well.

“She isn’t going to be happy about this. She is going to be really pissed off, as a matter of fact. I said specifically not to…” Bradley said as soon as he saw them. He suddenly couldn’t breathe. Aaron had him in such a tight hug that all the wind had been knocked out of him. He could either hug him back or…Bradley hugged his friend. Aaron meant the world to him and he was very glad to see the bloodsucker.

“Aaron, you’re killing him, let him go. Besides I want to hug him too.” Sara was crying, he noticed. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she had a huge smile on her face. “Come here, fur ball, and give me a hug. Don’t you ever scare us like that again, you hear me?” 

Bradley looked over Sara’s shoulder to see Tristan kissing Bailey. He’d forgotten about that for a moment. He pulled away and walked over to the cot and knelt down on the opposite side of Tristan.

“She’s really weak, Tristan.” When Tristan looked at Bradley, he could see the anguish in his eyes. “You’ll be free as soon as she draws her last breath. You need to decide what you want to do.”

Bradley looked over at the vampire. Surely he wasn’t thinking about letting her go. This woman had given her life for him, for Bradley too. Had he even thought that the vamp would turn her down, Bradley would have turned her himself. His pack could have used a woman like her.

Sara had knelt beside Tristan as he spoke. “The choice was taken from me the moment I saw her lying in a pool of her own blood all those weeks ago. I’m in love with her, and if she dies or not, I will never be free of her, and I never want to be. I need her more than I need anything in this world.” He kissed her hand and tucked it back under the covers. Bradley had held her hand earlier and the coldness of it still bothered him.

“So be it,” Sara said with tears in her eyes. “Bailey Morrison St. James, I command you to wake and drink of this man your mate. Wake now, Bailey Morrison St. James.”

They all watched as Bailey’s eyes fluttered open then closed. Holding their collective breaths, they watched as they opened wide and looked directly at Tristan.

“There you are,” she whispered softly. “I love you so much.”

Tristan had opened his vein and put his wrist to her mouth. At first they thought she wouldn’t sip from him, but as soon as his blood touched her tongue, she drank greedily. Finally after a few minutes, she stopped. Tristan closed the wounds and held her hand. They all watched her, watching for any sign that his blood was healing her.

Sara could only wake her to feed, but couldn’t save her. It would be messing with the order of things, the Fates, and she didn’t screw around with those broads. What happened now was in the hands of Bailey. And Tristan.

“Will this be enough? Will this heal her?” Tristan looked at Sara. “Is there anything else I can do for her? I need her, Sara. I will not lose her now that I’ve found her. Tell me what else I can do to save her.”

“She needs to believe, Tristan. She needs to know that you’re really here and that you’ll forgive her for what she’s done.”

“How? She saw me, talked to…our link. I can talk to her through our link.” Tristan smiled. 

Everyone left the couple alone as they went to talk to their host and Griff. Bradley introduced them to Todd and told them how much help he’d been in giving them shelter. Bradley thought that Aaron was a brave man for hugging the large troll and when he stepped back, Aaron’s eyes were filled with tears. Bradley wasn’t sure if it was from emotion or from the stench. Bradley thought it was the latter of the two, especially when Sara declined a hug from her mate.

It was twenty minutes later when Tristan came to find them. He was holding Bailey in his arms and she had her arms wrapped around his neck. Bradley took his first easy breath since he’d awakened hours ago.

“Bailey is…we’re going home. She’s not going to die and I’m taking her home. I’ll…I’ll meet you all there.” And they disappeared from the room.

Bradley looked at Sara and Aaron. “I’m not letting either of you carry me. She’s too small.” He pointed at Sara first then at Aaron. “And you stink.”

~~~

They all met in the large salon of the mansion at sunset. Tristan had already gone to Bailey and fed her again.

She was much stronger, but still weak, and now staying with Colin and Shade near Becca’s Place. She needed a few more days of rest before she would be herself again. Tristan was looking forward to a long life with her and ordered her to stay in bed until this was over. He had also told her he loved her. She had cried, of course, and they had held each other and not said a word for a long time.

Lord and Lady Tristan St. James the Forth arrived just after sunrise. Being older vampires, they were able to tolerate the sun in the early and later hours better than most, and took a leisurely ride in the limo to the estate of the MacManus’. When they arrived with much pomp and circumstance, they were led by a very impressed Duncan to a large suite of rooms in the sublevels of the mansion. Tristan, of course, knew his parents had arrived, just as they knew where he had been. They had been in constant communication since he’d found Bailey. They, too, were now a part of the plan to expose Patrice.

Tristan thought about the conversation that he and Bailey had just had before he left the other mansion. He was telling her everything he knew about the plot to kill Bradley and what people were saying about her. No one other than a select few knew that Bradley was alive, his grandda being one.

Tristan didn’t think he would ever forget the look on the older man’s face when he’d come face to face with his healthy grandson. Nor the fact that the man kept hugging his grandson to him over and over throughout the time they’d been together.

“She has to die, Tristan. I’m sorry, but that is the way of the realm. She has threatened the lives of not only humans, but non-humans as well. Mel has already imprisoned the others, the weres who helped her.” Bailey had her head resting on his chest when she spoke. “Mel is not a cruel leader and will make her death quick and as painless as she is able.”

“Yes, I know. But she’s been a friend of my family’s for centuries. What did she hope to gain from all this? I mean, why Bradley, and why you? I wonder what made her think there was anything between her and me?”

Bailey sat up and looked down at him, confusion all over her face. Shaking her head, she lay back down and held his hand. Her next words stunned him.

“She is in love with being in love with you. No, that’s not right. She wanted you. You really are a dumb ass at times, aren’t you?” She laughed when he pinched her ass. “Tristan, she thinks that you are hers and you finding me when you did just pushed her over the edge. She’s probably thought all her life that you would take her to mate.”

“I never gave her any indication that I was…why do you persist in calling me names? Although I think I liked ‘sweetums’ better than ‘dumb ass.’ Why can’t you come up with names more appropriate? Such as…Long Dick or Sir Long Dick. Doesn’t that sound better than—”

She rolled him to his back and straddled him. He reached up and pulled her down to devour her mouth. Had she not been so weak and had he not wanted to get this over with, he’d have gone against the doctor’s advice and taken her right there.

“I…tell me you love me again. I’ve never had anyone tell me that before.” She laid her head back on his chest and felt it rumble with laughter.

“You, my love munchkins, are the love of my life and I love you very much.” She pounced on him then, smacking him hard against the shoulder.

Now he was sitting in a large room with people, and while he loved most of them, he wanted them gone.

“Earth to Tristan,” Patrice snapped at him. “Where are you? You zoned out there for so long we thought you’d gone to sleep. And what is with those ridiculous clothes?”

Patrice had sat down next to him on the large sofa. Tristan looked down at his clothes. He didn’t see anything wrong with them. He was actually beginning to like the way they felt. “They’re my new style. Colin helped me with them. You don’t like the jeans and t-shirt. And this thing, I don’t remember what it’s called, but it really is soft and comfortable.”

The jeans were a pair he had manufactured after a pair Colin had on. Colin had assured him that he wanted to have them worn, not new as they could chaff and “rub ye raw in yer private regions.” The t-shirt was like the one Bailey had had on before he’d left her tonight. A depiction of another cartoon character from a show called SpongeBob. This guy was called SquidWorth or some other nonsense. The flannel, he remembered now, was also worn and it actually was hers. Having been too big for her in the first place, it fit him well.

“Well, I don’t care for them at all,” Patrice told him with a raised brow. “I think you should go change to your other clothes before dinner.”

Bossy already, he thought.

“You need to put your suit back on and that lovely tie that I got you for your birthday last year. In fact,” Patrice continued. “You should just go do it now before you embarrass us with this ridiculous outfit.”

“No.” He turned from her before he burst out laughing at the expression on her face. “Mom, how was your vacation in the Everglades? The weather must have been nice.”

They had all decided to act as though Bradley was dead until tonight and that there was still a massive manhunt out for Bailey…The Printer. Tristan couldn’t wait for the show to begin and loathed acting the happy couple with this person until then. But he was cautioned that she could still be innocent. Without real evidence, they couldn’t prove Patrice had anything to do with the plot to kill the alpha even though in his heart, he knew she had.

Tristan looked over at Patrice and winked at her. Her frown at him turned into a smile and she took his hand in hers. With a “we’ll talk later about your attire,” she settled in next to him.

“Yes, we had a grand time,” his mother said with a laugh. “Your father went deep sea fishing. He didn’t catch anything, but he had fun, didn’t you, dear?”

Tristan was waiting for Aaron’s cue. He was tense and ready for this to be over.

“Yes, I had a good time. Tristan,” his father said to set things up to capture Patrice, “what can you tell us about the young Bailey we’ve heard so much about? Someone said that she killed the alpha hereabouts.”

~CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE~

Tristan waited for Aaron. And waited. Tristan looked over at him and wasn’t really surprised to see him wrapped up in his mate. Sara and he couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Tristan couldn’t wait to get to Bailey and do the same thing.

He reached out to him and, none too gently, reminded him of his part in this play. “Would you mind paying attention? I would very much like to go to Bailey and do what you’re doing to Sara, but I CAN’T IF YOU DON’T HELP!” He grinned when Aaron jumped slightly.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something about Bailey? She’s supposed to come by later and we’re going to talk about what happened at the pack house the other day.” He looked around the room in general as he spoke.

“She’s coming here?” Patrice squeaked out. “But I thought…here? Are you sure about that? I mean, there isn’t any reason for her to come here, is there? Why? Isn’t she, like, wanted for murder or something?”

“Well, she said that she had proof that she was tricked into killing him and she was going to share it with me. I can’t imagine what it could be, but she has a good reputation as a hired killer and I, for one, am willing to see what she has. The queen said that I should give her a listen and for as much as Mel can be an irritant, she is the queen. Bailey may have something that would clear her name. Proof is all it takes and she said she had plenty of it.” Aaron coolly sat back in his chair.

“Proof. She doesn’t have any proof.” Patrice looked around the room. “I mean, what kind of proof could she have? And besides, someone said that she’d been shot. Maybe she’s already dead like that poor wolf. I don’t think this is such a good idea, Aaron. You should tell the authorities that she’s…can’t you get into trouble for harboring a criminal?” 

Tristan sitting next to her and saw her fidget and tense up. She was nervous, he thought. Good. When she started to pace, he watched her closely. He didn’t trust her not to do something stupid. He’d go along with this to a point, but he didn’t want anyone else hurt either.

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Aaron grinned hugely as he continued. “Bradley isn’t dead. Bailey turned him over to the queen this morning. She had only made it look like he was dead so she could expose whoever set up the hit on him. He is in very good health, if only a little tired. Bailey had him hidden somewhere and now she’s ready to come forward. I would think that alone is proof enough. Can you image what she would have had to have gone through to fake his death? Scary to think about.” 

“No, no that’s not right. He’s dead. He has to be. We had a deal. I would let the others live, but she had to die. No, you’re wrong.” Patrice started pacing the floor. “She reneged on her end of our bargain. I told her he had to die or I would expose her. This wasn’t a part of the deal.”

“What kind of deal? What are you talking about?” Sara asked. “What do you know about this whole thing, Patrice?”

Tristan leaned back and let her go. He could sense the others in the room now, many men and Mel. They were there to keep the others safe in case Patrice tried something else.

“I have information that says she’s killed others. Many others, and not just our kind but humans too, cold blooded murder. She’s taken money. Why, she even had her brother killed to make more money. You should just kill her as soon as she gets here, Mr. MacManus. She’s dangerous. I…I know, I’ve seen the paperwork myself.” Everyone watched her. Patrice was unraveling the more she spoke.

“Information? What sort of information? She mentioned that she had paperwork too.” Aaron stood in front of her now. “What is it you know, Patrice? Something about this plot you’re not telling me? As master of this realm, I must insist that you tell me all you know about Bailey.”

Tristan had never heard Aaron use that tone before. It was a compelling tone, one that any vampire who wasn’t as strong as him must obey.

“No, I can’t…stop. Please stop. Don’t make me.” Her voice had turned pleading now, begging and whinny.

“Patrice Skidmore, Lady Skidmore of the Royal House of Vampirism, I command that you speak the truth. You will tell me all you know about the woman Bailey Morrison St. James, also known as the Printer. Now!”

Tristan watched the entire room shift in their seats. Patrice couldn’t disobey the compulsion now. It lay heavy in the room. Curiously, he didn’t feel it, and looked around the room. Even his father seemed to be feeling the effects of it.

“She’s not his mate. I am. I’m his mate. Tristan is mine. She is supposed to be dead. They were to kill her. I had that stupid cop show up with his gun loaded with silver to kill her. And he couldn’t even do that right, stupid Barney Fife fool. I’ve watched for years, waiting and collecting. Gathering information so she would have to kill him. I’d give her no choice. What good is a single wolf anyway, not even mated? How is he…he can’t pass on his little kingdom without an heir. They should be thanking me. Thanking me.” Spittle flew from Patrice’s mouth as she ranted. No one said a word when she started to pace again.

“She wouldn’t even kill those brats of yours.” She screamed at Sara. “I told her to, told her to take them both out or else. What did she do? She told me that she’d hunt me down and make my death slow and painful if I touched them. I believed her, too. She is just crazy enough to try and kill me. Like she could even get close to me once Tristan and I mated. He’ll protect me, won’t you? You’d never let her hurt me, would you?”

When she came toward him, Tristan backed away. Patrice was insane. Not only that, but had been for a long while. Why hadn’t anyone ever seen it before?

“She’s a nothing anyway, not even able to get with child. We’d bred that right out of her when she was in our lab. I told them that she needed to be destroyed, all those failures. She was as useless then as she is now. We never did figure out how she got the others out. Sneaky little bitch. And then that fool stepped in front of my bullet when I tried to kill her myself. She actually blew my lab up, her and those others. Well, I took something from her too, didn’t I? had that Salvatore kill that fag brother of hers.”

No one moved when she sat back down. No one said a word. Patrice had just admitted to more than planning the plot to kill Bradley and destroy Bailey. She had admitted to killing perhaps hundreds of others inside the lab, where horrific things had been done in the name of science and technology.

“So you were a part of the lab,” Bailey said in a soft voice. “Griff said you were, but I didn’t want to believe him. You’re quite mad, do you know that? And if the queen doesn’t kill you, I will take great pleasure in it.”

Tristan looked over to where Bailey was standing. He hadn’t even felt her come in the room. Mel was just behind her, as were Colin, Dominic, and Bradley.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Patrice said softly to Bailey. “I’m going to make sure that once I’m married to Tristan, you are hung from our front door until the crows pick you clean. Aren’t we, love? We will make sure that she never bothers us again.”

Patrice leaned over and put her head on Tristan’s shoulder. He felt a shudder of complete revulsion slam through his body. He decided that he couldn’t let this…animal touch him again. He stood and walked over to his beloved.

Bailey looked pale and drawn. She shouldn’t be here, he thought, but then maybe she should, too. She deserved knowing as much as the rest of the people in the room.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You were the one who bred us, the egg used to make me. That’s why I couldn’t read you in the building, why I couldn’t harm you that day. You fixed it so that I couldn’t harm you.” Bailey staggered slightly and would have fallen had Tristan not grabbed her. Tristan turned to stare at Patrice again with her in his arms. He laid her gently on the couch well away from Patrice.

“Yes, I’m your mommy. Don’t you just love a happy ending?” Patrice pulled out a gun and shot Abby St. James.

“Mother!” Tristan ran to his mother and clutched her body to his.

His father had grabbed Patrice and snapped her neck before she could take her next breath. He looked over at Aaron and they all watched as he pulled a sword from off the fireplace mantel and while Trey held her up by the hair, Aaron sliced her head from her shoulders. Patrice Skidmore was truly dead.

“Move,” Bailey said with authority in her voice. “Let me have her. Tristan, remove your hand.”

His mother, his dear mother, was bleeding to death and someone was trying to take her from him. He finally focused when someone slapped him hard across the face. Bailey.

“Tristan, I need for you to let her go to Bailey. She can’t help her if you’re holding her.” Mel was speaking to him now. He looked at her. Nothing was going through the fog he had in his head.

“Son, let me have her. Let me have your mom.” It was his dad, his dad needing her that had him letting go. “Go to work, girl. Don’t let her die. I need her.” Tristan watched as he handed his mother over to Bailey.

Bailey looked up at him, then at the senior St. James. She looked nervous and scared. She looked beautiful to him.

“You must ask me, sir. And then I must have a boon. It must be worthy of this life you ask me to save. It must be worthy of your love for her.”

“I ask for her life, for she is my all. I ask for her life so that I may live to see my children love her again. For your boon, I give to you my son. His love for you is worthy of my love for her. Take him and his love in return for mine.” He kissed Bailey’s forehead and relinquished his hold on his mate.

“I accept your boon and your request. Now, all of you back the fuck up and let me work. I can’t do this with you all breathing down my neck.”

His father snorted. “Just like a woman.”

Bailey quickly moved her hands along the wound that hemorrhaged away the life of his mother. He watched as they began to glow to a blinding white then a hue so red it washed out the blood staining his mother’s blouse. In a matter of seconds, he saw that her breathing had become less labored and the blood less copious. When she moved her head to look at his dad, his legs buckled beneath him and he dropped to the floor. The kiss they shared was one of the most romantic things he had ever witnessed. Bailey was healing his mother.

It was another few minutes before she finished, and several more before she moved back away from her. Tristan picked her up. He could see that what she had done had completely depleted her strength. Cradling her in his arms, he looked over at his parents. They didn’t seem to notice anyone but each other. He stood to leave.

“She will need to sleep for several hours, Tristan. And then she will need you and what you can give her. Take her back to Colin’s house. There is more to be done yet. She will need to rest.” Mel was leading him to the door where Colin and Aaron still stood.

“When she is better, we will need to sit down and talk, you and me.” Tristan only nodded at Aaron, his total focus on the woman in his arms.

The trip to her room at the Larimore home took only seconds. He put her into her unmade bed and covered her up with the quilts. After making sure that the room was secure, he lit a few candles in the room and lay down beside her. 

He couldn’t remember his life before her, knowing only that she was the reason he wanted to live. His plans from the first time he lay beside her to now were so different that had he thought about it, he would have been very surprised at his own arrogance back then. Now, all he could think about was making her happy and safe. He didn’t think about the talk that Aaron wanted to have with him, nor the fact that his father had just killed a childhood friend right in front of witnesses. His total focus was on Bailey.