Seeking Pack Redemption (26 page)

But in
case it all went to Hell,
Jaxon
wanted Bailey far,
far away. Approaching the end of her pregnancy, she was vulnerable, and
Jaxon
wouldn’t risk Roderick getting his claws on her.

Which was
why he would give in to her demand to meet. Truthfully, a part of him thirsted
for a sight of her.
A whiff of her scent.
It was more
than he deserved, and a part of him knew his decision belonged in the Guinness
book of bad ideas, but he couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t deny her, or
himself
, what would probably be their last chance to see
each other.

Hours
later, having slipped into the changing room of a chain store for maternity
clothing in the mall, he waited, hoping Bailey would come to her senses and
stay away. Desperately wishing she would show up early and put him out of his
misery. Darren accompanied him, along with Marc, not in the store itself, but
in the shops just around it, backup in case the wrong sorts showed up.
Hey, wait a second, isn’t that me?
His
dark mirth failed to cheer him.

He heard
her before he set eyes on
her,
the sweet sound of her
voice making him shut his eyes.

“
Oooh
, look at these pretty dresses. What do you think,
Wyatt?”

“I think
they look like dresses,” growled his former
packmate
,
still as irritable as ever.

“Look
who’s Mr. Grumpy-pants today.”

“I hate
shopping.”

“I know,
but I’m tired of wearing the same thing all the time, and I need new underwear.
Oh, and a bra.”

“Why not
shout it a little louder?” Wyatt said wryly.

“Well,
excuse me for wanting to dress myself. You know you don’t need to hover over me
in the store,” she remarked. “You could sit outside and wait for me if you’re
so uncomfortable.”

“I’m
guarding you.”

“From
what? Horrible floral prints that make my ass look wide?”

Jaxon
couldn’t help grinning as she said something the old him would have.

Wyatt
growled.

“Lighten
up, Wyatt. We’re in the middle of the mall, surrounded by humans, during the
day. And you’ll be sitting over there with the other guys, close enough to kick
some ass if I yell.”

“What if
you can’t yell?”

Jaxon
could almost picture her indignant look. With a heavy sigh, Wyatt
caved. “You win. Spend a ton of money, sunshine. But forget the underwear. You
know I prefer you without.” A giggle and the sounds of a kiss ensued.

After waiting
what seemed like an eternity, but was in actuality only a few minutes, even
expecting it,
Jaxon
jumped when cubicle eight at the
far end of the row opened and Bailey stepped in.

At the
sight of her, looking glorious, her hair still as wild and curly as he
recalled, her face still his idea of perfection, all his strength left him, and
he fell to his knees, tears in his eyes. He dropped his head, unable to look at
her. Not deserving of it. To his horror, she dropped to her knees in front of
him and cupped his cheeks.

“
Jaxon
,” she whispered as she lifted his head. His blurry
vision met her gaze, and suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the danger
Roderick presented. Not the fact Wyatt was close by and would kill him. Not
even the fact he didn’t deserve her love.
Everything got
washed away by the love in her gaze
, a love for him. Her lips trembled
as her eyes filled with tears.

“Oh,
Jaxon
.” She sighed his name before leaning in to kiss him.

Like a
lightning strike, the simple touch blasted through him, tore down his defenses,
and laid him bare to her. He could feel the same connection, the same reaction
emanating from her, and it shocked him like a bucket of ice-cold water.

If I can feel it, so can Wyatt.

He pulled
back from her. “Sweet cheeks, we can’t. We don’t have time. Wyatt will get
suspicious.”

“He’s
always suspicious,” she replied with a mischievous grin. “It’s part of his
charm.”

“He’ll
feel your emotions seesawing through the bond.”

“I’m
pregnant,” she reminded. “I seesaw a hundred times a day. Trust me, he won’t
panic unless he thinks I’m scared.”

“You have
an answer for everything,” he said wryly, unable to help himself from rubbing
her soft cheek.

She turned
her head into his caress and kissed his palm. “I learned from the best.” She
wrinkled her nose and faced him. “What the hell is that perfume you’re wearing?
It’s god-awful.”

“But
effective,” he said with a smile. “It’s some kind of cheap cologne.”

“Did you
bathe in it?”

“Almost. I
call it eau of not getting my ass kicked before I save the girl.”

Her smile
faded. “You don’t have to do anything. Actually, make that I don’t want you to.
Roderick is too dangerous.”

“Which is
why he needs to be stopped.”

“You could
get hurt.”

“I can’t
walk away knowing you’re in danger. I won’t negotiate on this. And the showdown
is coming, Bailey. Soon. Which is why you need to leave with the guys and hide.
Don’t let anyone know where you’re going.”

“I won’t
run like a coward,” she stated tilting her chin defiantly.

“It’s not
cowardly to protect yourself and the child.” He let himself touch her, placed
both his hands on her large stomach, the nudge of a foot against his palm
startling him.

“I’m safer
within the pack.”

“I’m not
convinced of that. Please, Bailey.
For me.
It’s the
last thing I’ll ask of you.”

“I hate
this,” she cried. “Hate the fact you can’t come home. It wasn’t your fault.”

“
Shhh
,” he urged, drawing her into his arms. “Please don’t
cry.”

Clinging
to him, she sobbed silently against his chest, her tears soaking the fabric and
tearing his heart.
Jaxon
got no warning before the
stall door was ripped open. A glowering Wyatt stood in the hall outside the
changing room.

“You!” He
spat the word, and his tone and expression conveyed his anger.

Bailey
flung herself in front of
Jaxon
. “Don’t you dare,
Wyatt.
”

“Get out
of the way, Bailey.”

“No. You
will not hurt him. I forbid it.”

“Excuse
me?” Wyatt’s incredulous note probably matched
Jaxon’s
face. If the situation weren’t so fraught with tension, he probably would have
laughed.

“You heard
me. You will not lay a hand on him. He’s here because I made him come.”

“Made
him?” Wyatt sputtered. “Have your hormones completely fucked with your mind?
You met with the guy who handed you over to a monster.”

“One, he’s
not just any guy. He’s my fourth mate. And he also saved me.”

“Which is
why we didn’t hunt him down and kill him,” Wyatt growled.

“Thanks,”
Jaxon
said drily. “I think.”

“You,”
Wyatt snapped in his direction, “stay out of it.”

“What the
heck is going on?”

Jaxon
wanted to groan as Parker appeared behind Wyatt. He’d thought it odd
she seemed to only have one guard. He should have known better.

“You
should have stayed away, brother,” Parker rumbled, cracking his knuckles.

Undaunted,
Bailey planted her hands on her hips. “Not you, too. For the last time, I made
him meet me. He’s my mate whether you all like it or not. And if I want to see
him, I will.”

“Not!”
Wyatt growled.

“I knew
this was a bad idea,”
Jaxon
muttered. “Listen. I
didn’t want to cause trouble, but meeting her was the only way she’d agree to
leave before the shit hits the fan.”

“Leave?
What shit? Bailey, what haven’t you told us?”

“Excuse
me,” a hesitant female voice interrupted. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but
could you do it elsewhere. You’re scaring the patrons.”

“I’m
hungry,” Bailey announced. “Let’s go eat something, and
Jaxon
can tell you why he’s here.”

None of
the men seemed to like the plan, but with Bailey’s belly leading the way and no
one daring to contradict their very pregnant mate, they all followed.
Jaxon
noted Darren and Marc trailing at a discreet
distance.

Seated on
uncomfortable plastic chairs in the food court,
Jaxon
brought them up to speed on everything that happened. He stared at the table as
he did so, unable to look his former brothers in the eyes, bolstered only by
the fact Bailey wouldn’t let go of his hand.

At the end
of it, silence reigned for several moments while his words sank in.

“
Sooo
,” Wyatt drawled, “you’re trying to tell me that
sucking back the vamp’s blood made you immune to his power.”

Lifting
his shoulders in a shrug,
Jaxon
replied, “It’s the
only theory that makes sense. I’ve come close to him about a dozen times now
since we split. I’ve yet to feel him touching my mind or sending me to my knees
crying for my mama to kill me.”

“What
makes you think sending Bailey away from the pack will protect her?” Parker
asked.

“I don’t
know. All I know is I need Nathan’s help to do this, him and anyone strong
enough to withstand Roderick. But I also can’t have that many strong minds
leaving the pack alone and unprotected, so the showdown needs to happen close
by.”

“And what
makes you think he’ll come?” Wyatt asked as he drummed his fingers on the
scarred plastic table.

“Roderick’s
gotten more erratic of late. Bolder. I think our last foray into his territory
and our snatching of
Thea
from under his minions’
noses pissed him off. I can feel him close by. Waiting for his chance. Nathan’s
been lying low, knowing how much his father hates him. He’s agreed to let us
use him as bait. When Roderick makes his move, we’ll attack, and hopefully
prevail. But if we don’t . . .”
Jaxon
couldn’t finish
the sentence.

“If the
plan backfires and all the strongest pack members are decimated, then the rest
of the pack is fucked. Nice plan,” Wyatt growled.

“Got a
better one?”
Jaxon
snapped back. “Or are you content
to sit back and watch our numbers dwindle?
To run inside a
fenced compound for the rest of your life?
To have your child, my child
too since I’m also her mate, grow up living in fear and hiding? I didn’t take
you for a coward.”

Bold words
thrown,
Jaxon
braced himself when Wyatt popped up
from his seat, ready to clock him.

“Sit your
ass down,” Bailey commanded in a quiet tone. “You’re drawing attention.”

With a
growl and eyes that promised a smack later, a later
Jaxon
planned to be far away from, Wyatt sat back down. Arms crossed and glowering,
he kept his lips clamped shut.

Parker
rubbed his chin. “
Jaxon’s
plan, while dangerous, has
merit. We’ve spent the last few months acting defensively. Bringing the smaller
packs in to make
ourselves
stronger. Instituting
martial law and curfews. While these things might bring some measure of
defense, they won’t solve the problem. It needs to be done. But I’m afraid I
have to agree with Bailey: running is not a good idea.”

The claim
stunned him. “Not a good idea? But she’ll be in danger if we fail.”

“And if
you take us out of the fighting equation, you’re going to battle without some
of the strongest fighters around,” Parker explained.

“If his
plan is real and not some ploy to get us all killed,” Wyatt muttered.

“I believe
him,” Bailey stated.

“Good for
you,” Wyatt retorted.

“Actually,
I do, too,” Parker added. “The mating bond with him is weaker because they
didn’t consummate, but he’s telling us the truth, and I don’t sense any
undertones that don’t belong.”

“We didn’t
last time either,” Wyatt pointed out.

“Stop it,”
Bailey exclaimed. “He’s trying to make things better. You could at least give
him a chance. I know I want to.”

Jaxon
didn’t like seeing her at odds with the mates she lived with.
The ones who deserved her trust and affection.
“I knew this
was a bad idea. I should never have come. I’m sorry.” He stood, and looked away
from Bailey’s trembling lips.

“
Jaxon
. Please don’t go. Please.”

“I have
to. Stay safe, sweet cheeks.” Before he could walk away, she jumped up and
hugged him. She squeezed him so tight, those blasted tears welled up again and
hugging her back he couldn’t wipe them away. And Wyatt saw his weakness.