Chapter Forty-Three
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Bailey glanced at the time on her cell phone. It was almost three o’clock. In little more than two hours, she would be life-mated to Tristan.
The enormity of what she was about to do hit her for the first time. She was only sixteen. She had never dated anyone except Tristan and after tonight, she would never have that option again. Once they were mated, the bond between them could not be broken.
What if she was making a terrible mistake? Did she want to spend the rest of her life here, with Tristan’s pack? She used to feel all grown up, but now, faced with the reality—the finality—of mating with Tristan, she was beset by doubts.
Maybe Tessa was right. Maybe she was too young to make such a decision.
She stared at the dress hanging on the door of the bedroom she used when she stayed with Tristan’s family. It was long and white, not really a wedding dress, although it looked like one. Tristan’s mother had bought it for her. She had waved Bailey’s protests aside. “I want to do this for you,” Mrs. Kavanagh had said. “You’re going to be my daughter now.”
“Bailey?”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Tristan standing in the doorway.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course. It’s your house.”
Stepping into the room, he said, “In a couple of hours, it will be yours, too.”
She nodded, somewhat reluctantly.
“What is it?” he asked, eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head vigorously. “Nothing.”
“Bailey, you can’t lie to me. Don’t you know that?” He closed the short distance between them and drew her gently into his arms. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
She looked up into his eyes, beautiful green eyes filled with love and concern.
“Will you kiss me?”
“Anytime you want me to.” He cupped her face between his hands, a faint smile curving his lips before he covered her mouth with his.
Bailey went up on her tiptoes, her arms sliding around his neck. How could she have ever doubted that being with Tristan was the right thing to do? He was the other half of her heart, the missing part of her soul. Only with him did she feel whole, complete.
Lifting his head, he gazed into her eyes. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on now?”
“Nothing,” she said, smiling. “Nothing at all. Just some last-minute jitters, I guess.”
“I love you,” he whispered. “All the years I followed you, I loved you. When I was old enough to know what old man Fischer was doing to you, I wanted to kill him but my father forbade it, saying it would bring trouble down on the pack. If you hadn’t run away when you did,” he said, his expression fierce, “I would have killed him, the safety of the pack be damned. You’re mine now,” he whispered fervently. “And no one will ever hurt you again.”
With a sigh, Bailey rested her cheek against his chest, home at last.
* * *
Tessa stood beside Andrei, curious as to what being life-mated actually entailed. Earlier, they had spent a few minutes with Bailey, who had thanked them for coming, then introduced them to Tristan’s family.
Tessa glanced at the faces of the other guests. There were perhaps twenty people of various ages gathered in a loose circle at the top of a flat ridge a few miles out of town. She wondered if they were all were-panthers.
A large black bowl sat on a square stone table in the center of the ring.
Tessa bit down on her lower lip. The soft rhythmic sound of so many beating hearts called to her, making it difficult to relax.
Andrei squeezed her hand. “Slow, deep breaths,” he whispered. “Don’t think about anything but Bailey. You’ll be fine.”
Tessa nodded, hoping he was right. Her enhanced vampire perceptions heightened every sense, both internal and external.
As the sun set in a glorious blaze of crimson and ocher, a tall woman in a long, gray robe strode into the center of the circle. Three young girls clad in white gowns followed her. One carried a torch, the other two carried crystal goblets filled with a clear golden liquid.
From somewhere beyond the circle, a drum beat slowly, softly.
When it fell silent, Tristan entered the circle. He wore black pants and a white shirt open at the throat.
The drum beat again and when it stilled, Bailey took her place beside him.
Wearing a long, white gown, with several flowers braided into her long, brown hair, she looked radiant. And happier than Tess had ever seen her.
The woman in gray took the torch from the first girl and touched it to the bowl in the center of the table, and a tiny flame flickered to life.
“We are gathered here this blessed night to unite Tristan Kavanagh and Bailey Fairchild. To be life-mated is a promise for their future, and for the future of the Kavanagh pack.” Her gaze touched that of the young couple, and then she pulled a small knife from inside her robe.
Taking first Tristan’s hand and then Bailey’s, she made a shallow cut in each of their palms, then pressed their hands together.
She motioned the two girls to come forward. Lifting Tristan’s hand, she held it over one of the goblets, letting a single drop of blood drip into the liquid. She held Bailey’s hand over the second one.
“Drink now.”
Gazing into each other’s eyes, Tristan and Bailey drained the glasses.
“Blood to blood,” the woman intoned. “Life to life. From this night forward and for all the days and nights to come.”
She bowed her head a moment, and it was as if the whole earth held its breath until she lifted it again. “It is done.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the circle closed in around Bailey and Tristan.
Power drifted on the breeze, sang through the night. There was a rustle of clothing and when the crowd parted, Tessa saw that Bailey and Tristan had shifted into their were-panther forms.
“Go now,” the woman said, “rejoice in the bond made between you this night.”
Throwing back his head, Tristan howled before darting toward the trees. With an answering cry, Bailey ran after him.
* * *
Tessa glanced at Andrei as they pulled onto the road that led back to town. “Well, that was different. Kind of beautiful, in its own way. I hope they’ll be happy together.”
“I think they have a good chance.”
Tessa sighed. “I had a text from my parents earlier. They’ll be home tomorrow afternoon and I’m still not sure what we should do.”
“You should go home and see them,” Andrei said.
Tessa nodded. He was right. If she decided not to tell them about becoming a vampire, the time would come when she wouldn’t be able to see them at all because there would be no way to explain why she wasn’t aging. “You’re going with me, right?”
“If you wish.”
“I’m not going without you.” She stared out the window. If she told her parents, would they understand? Would they be able to accept a daughter who was a vampire? Would they still love her? Or would they be so horrified, so repulsed at the mere idea, that they’d never want to have anything to do with her again?
“You’re their daughter,” Andrei said. “Their only child. They love you. That won’t change. They might be shocked when you tell them, but they’ll get over it.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He flashed her a crooked grin. “About ninety-nine percent.”
Tessa looked out the window again. It would make things a lot easier if they knew. She wouldn’t have to explain why she couldn’t eat Christmas dinner with them.... “Do you think I can eat mortal food?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“Well, since I can be awake during the day, if I can eat a little at breakfast and dinner . . . maybe they won’t have to know.”
“It’s your call, love.”
“Can we stop at the store before we go home?”
“Sure.”
Turning down Main Street, he pulled up in front of the market. “What are you in the mood for?” he asked, amusement evident in his voice as he followed her inside.
“I’m not really in the mood for anything,” she retorted. “But I need to see if I can keep anything down.”
Andrei trailed behind her as she pushed her cart down the aisles, pausing to select a small, precooked chicken, cans of sweet potatoes, corn, and cranberry sauce, a package of buttermilk rolls. At the last minute, she added a pumpkin pie and whipped cream.
At the register, he paid the bill. Smiling faintly, he followed her back out to the car.
“What are you grinning at?” Tessa asked as they pulled away from the curb.
“Just curious to see what happens. I mean, it took me over seven hundred years to be able to consume mortal food and you’ve been a vampire, what? Forty-eight hours, give or take a few minutes.”
“You said we strengthen each other,” she reminded him. “If I can be awake during the day, maybe I can eat, too.”
“And if you can’t?”
“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” She shrugged. “If it seems like the right thing to do, if there’s no way around it when we get there, then I’ll tell them. This is all so new to me, I’m just feeling my way.”
Andrei reached over to squeeze her hand. “I know, love. And you’re handling it a lot better than I ever did.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Tessa sat at her kitchen table. They had come to her house to prepare the meal, since there were still no appliances at Andrei’s to cook or store the groceries, and no dishes or silverware, and not likely to be any in the near future, if ever.
She frowned at the food before her. She really wasn’t hungry for anything she had bought, but she figured if she could keep down a bit of chicken, sweet potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie, she would be able to eat at least a little of her mother’s Christmas dinner.
Andrei sat across from her, looking bemused by her hesitation. “I’m sure your mother would have told you to eat it while it’s hot.”
Tessa huffed a sigh as she picked up a roll and cut it in half. And took a bite. “It has no taste!” She tasted a forkful of potatoes, a spoonful of corn. And shook her head. “Does food taste good when you eat it?”
“It has flavor. I’m not sure I would call it good. If you don’t want to dine at your mother’s, I can exert a little vampire magic to make them believe we’re eating.”
“Well, it’s good to know I’ve got an option.” Pushing away from the table, she caught his hand and tugged him to his feet. “I really am hungry, though, so what do you say we go out and find something more suitable to quench my thirst?” Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him, then nipped his lower lip. “Then we can come back here and have dessert.” She blew out a long, slow sigh. “And then I’ll pack.”
* * *
Katerina prowled the edge of the grounds that surrounded Andrei’s lair.
He took his rest here. With the woman.
Hands clenched, she stared at the house. Even knowing that she couldn’t cross the threshold, she had tried, on several previous occasions, to get past his wards, but to no avail.
She had endeavored to steal her way into Andrei’s mind. And failed.
She had sought to invade the woman’s mind. And failed.
What had changed? It had to be the woman’s blood. Somehow, her blood had made Andrei’s powers stronger. She snarled softly. If Andrei wouldn’t share the woman, there was only one thing to do. Destroy her. But how? Nothing she had tried so far had worked.
Feeling her outrage growing, she picked up a large rock and hurled it at the house with all her might. It broke one of the front windows with a satisfying crack.
Ha! She might not be able to get inside, but . . . she smacked her forehead with her hand. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of it before? He had warded his lair against intruders but not against nonhuman invaders. Like rocks. And flames . . .
She paused a moment. It was a beautiful old house. She almost felt a twinge of guilt at the idea of destroying it.
Almost.
All she needed was a bottle, a rag, a little gasoline.
And a match.