Sweet-Delight[ Brac Village 1] (9 page)

The man looked relieved. “I’ll be there in a few hours to check on him.”
With a nod, Kenway let Carter shimmer him and his mate home. He tucked his mate into bed as soon as he was in his bedroom. Ross looked comfortable. He also looked out of it. Kenway hoped whatever Dr. Sheehan had given the vampire lasted for a while.
“Thanks,” Kenway said before the elf shimmered away.
Kenway wanted answers. Someone in this house had to have heard something. And if they had, he wanted to know why they didn’t help. He knew for a fact that someone had to know something.
Walking down the hallway, Kenway’s steps slowed. He tilted his head back, inhaling deeply.
Blood
.

Ross opened his eyes, gazing around the dark room, looking for… He closed his eyes, feeling the pain from what had happened to him. How could Virgil come after him like that? They were brothers. He knew the guy had a mean streak in him, but Ross never thought his brother would want him dead.

But stupidly, he had known Virgil would eventually try and kill someone sooner or later. It was just truly messed up that it was Ross, his own brother. Feeling thirsty and out of sorts, Ross pushed the blanket off of him and crawled from the bed. He was over his shock of what Virgil had done.

Now he was pissed.
After his brother attacked, Ross knew it was Virgil who spoke to him in the dark shadow. He was even willing to bet it was his brother that Kenway had seen on the road to Baker’s. How he hadn’t recognized his brother’s voice, Ross wasn’t sure. But the man was going to pay for what he had done.
Virgil was always a little screwed in the—okay, he was a
lot
screwed in the head, but for him to go this far infuriated Ross.
Swinging the bedroom door wide open, Ross noticed a slight stiffness in his arm, but he ignored it. He needed to find Kenway and tell him what happened and who was behind all of this.
As soon as Ross stepped into the hallway, the scent of blood slammed into his lungs. It was strong, rich, and made his mouth water. He followed the scent to see Kenway standing in a bedroom, watching over an impala as he lay there in his shifter form.
“What happened?”
Kenway swung around so fast he knocked over the black lamp next to the man’s bed. “Ross,” he said as if he were looking at a ghost. His tone was low, quiet, a whisper.
“What happened to him?” he asked again, hoping Kenway snapped out of it.
“He was attacked…just like you.”
“I know who did this.” He moved closer, his chest tightening when he saw the little impala. He looked as if he were just fast asleep. It didn’t look like he was wounded, but the smell of blood was still a strong lingering odor in the room.
“Who?” Kenway gave Ross his full attention, his pale-blue eyes narrowed.
“Virgil.”
“Your brother?”
Yeah, it should shock Kenway, but it didn’t have the same effect on Ross. Virgil had been the bane of his existence since he was a young vampire. He just wasn’t sure what spurred his brother into this need to get rid of Ross. They had hated each other just fine. What had changed?
“Take me to him.” The growl in Kenway’s voice was so deep that Ross felt it vibrate in his chest.
“I can’t just waltz into Dante’s coven with a revenge-seeking shifter. As badly as I want my brother to pay, we have to let Maverick know. Virgil is here, in this town. It wouldn’t do us any good to go to the coven.” Ross glanced at the bedroom window. “But since it’s dark out, I guess we should grab our pitchforks and go.”
“Our what?” Kenway asked as he followed Ross from the room.
“If we are going to do this whole angry mob thing, we’ll need torches as well.”
“This isn’t funny, Ross.” His mate wore an expression that said he wasn’t the least bit happy with the way Ross was acting.
“I have to laugh, Kenway, because if I don’t, the only other alternative is to cry. My brother has taken too much from me already. I won’t let him get my tears.” Ross walked over to the bed where the impala was lying. He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the rage and pain deep down where only a family member could hurt a person. “He’s starting to hurt other people now, Kenway. He has to be stopped.”
Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling Ross’s back to Kenway’s broad chest. He could feel the warmth of his mate soaking into him and found that was what he needed—to know Kenway would always be there for him, protecting him, and letting Ross know he cared. “We’ll stop him, love. Now that we know who we are looking for.”
Ross let out a long exhale. He knew one day it would come down to this. He wasn’t sure why, but as far back as he could remember, Virgil lived on the aggressive side of life. It was almost like he had taken an oath in their youth to torture and harass Ross. But this was different. His brother was becoming violent. He had to be stopped.
Finally, he patted his mate’s arm. “Go ahead and let Maverick know, and then we need to get to the bakery. No matter what, I’m not going to allow my brother to come in here and take away what you and I have been working so hard to build.” Not only was Ross referring to their business, but their relationship as well. He loved what they had together, and he wasn’t going to let Virgil ruin that for him.
“I’ll be right back. I forgot my phone in our bedroom.” Kenway touched Ross’s arm. “Don’t pop out of here without me.”
Ross let his hand skim down Kenway’s arm before turning back to the impala. “Who is the impala?”
“Spencer.”
Oh, god.
Ross had met Spencer when Kenway came to pick him up from the Lakelands’. He was an excitable little man who seemed to be bursting with energy. To see him lying here healing tore at Ross’s heart. Why would Virgil come after Spencer? It didn’t make any sense to him. There was no way he could leave the guy alone. Ross wanted to kill Virgil for this.
Heavy footfall could be heard upstairs, and the sound was getting louder. The noise reminded Ross of a freight train bearing down.
What the—
“Where is he?” A loud, thunderous roar filled the air, and Ross knew that voice. It belonged to Recker. Ross had an urge to run and hide. The tone was deep, filled with a growl that promised pain if his question wasn’t answered.
“In his bedroom,” Kenway answered.
Ross moved away from the door. He didn’t want to get bowled over. Recker wasn’t a small man. He jumped when the man walked into the room and let out a strange, almost subvocal noise that was a cross between a snort and a rumbling snarl.
Ross headed toward the door. He already felt guilty enough about what had happened to Spencer. He didn’t want Recker laying in on him. He found Kenway in the hallway. He had just finished up his phone call and hung up his phone. Ross grabbed his mate and got the hell out of there.
They appeared in the back of the bakery. But there was one tiny problem.
“What the fuck!” Baker shouted as he slammed his back into the wall, glancing between the two as if he had seen a ghost. “You…how…not here a…” He began to pale, his cobalt-blue eyes so wide Ross feared they would end up falling out of the poor guy’s head.
“Calm down, Baker.”
“You calm down!” Baker shouted as his eyes snapped quickly back and forth between Kenway and Ross. “People just don’t appear out of thin air.” His voice was strained, and Ross could see the pulse in his neck beating frantically. The man was about to either pass out or have a stroke.
Roman appeared in the doorway, glancing from Kenway and Ross to Baker. “Someone find out something?”
Ross nodded.
A slow grin formed on Roman’s face. “My mate, Steven, acted the same way when he found out, only he passed out…like twenty times.”
Ross would have laughed, but he didn’t think Baker would appreciate it. He tried to keep his smile from forming, but it was like trying to pull raw meat from a lion’s mouth—impossible.
“This isn’t funny,” Baker said as he watched the men who started gathering in the kitchen part of the bakery.
“Maybe he doesn’t need an audience.” Ross wasn’t sure what the guy needed. He had never dealt with anyone who found out the truth before. Should he give him a glass of water?
Roman ushered his workers out, looking over his shoulder before leaving. He had that same amused grin on his face. “Good luck.”
Somehow he had a feeling they were going to need it. Ross moved closer to Kenway, slipping his hand into his mate’s larger one. “Are you okay now, Baker?” He eyed the human, but Baker’s complexion didn’t look like it had improved. He was almost as pale as Ross now.
“Just…just give me a minute.” Baker slid to the floor, his hands on his head, his knees pulled tight to his body. “I need to sit here and freak out in my head for a while.”
Ross wasn’t sure if he should do as the man asked or probe at him until Baker said he was fine. The man was sitting there looking so damn lost.
“I’m sorry, Baker. I didn’t mean to open your eyes to this world.”
The man’s head came up, his eyes searching Ross’s. “You two aren’t the only ones?”
Shaking his head, Ross gave him an apologetic look. “What do you think we are?”
His tongue snaked out to lick at his lips. Baker gazed at Kenway and then Ross from across the room that held the equipment they would need—yet nothing was set up. “I don’t know. Tell me.”
Ross gave his mate a questioning stare. Maybe it was best Baker didn’t know the full truth, but if he was going to work here, stranger things were bound to happen. “I was born a vampire, Baker. Kenway can shift into an animal.”
Baker’s pupils seemed to grow bigger and then shrink back. Ross hadn’t a clue what that meant. But one thing was for certain. If Baker couldn’t accept what they were, then he would have to be dealt with. There would be no other way around the issue.
His big cobalt-blue eyes were still huge, but Ross could see flecks of curiosity beginning to shimmer in them. His reaction wouldn’t have been real if he hadn’t freaked out. Ross knew this. Baker was going to have to slowly absorb what he now knew.
Just as long as he didn’t betray them.
“We cool?” Kenway asked. His mate shifted from one foot to the other, waiting on Baker’s reply.
Resting his arms on his bent knees, Baker nodded. “I need time, but I won’t tell anyone what you just told me.”
“How do we know you won’t leave here and tell the world?” Ross asked.
“Because I need the job.” Baker stated a hard truth. “When you came to pick me up, I had just gotten into another argument with my dad. I hate borrowing money from him, but sometimes it can’t be helped. The bitch part about going over there to get it is the fact he wants to lecture me for an hour about getting my life together.” Baker slowly pushed to his feet, but still used the wall to rest his back against. “I reminded him that I work here now, but…I don’t know. It just isn’t good enough for him. Nothing I do wins his approval.” Baker’s face held resignation and resentment.
Ross hadn’t expected all that. He wasn’t sure why Baker was telling him about his strained relationship with his dad, but it did seem pretty messed up. It only reminded him of the relationship he had with Virgil. But his problem wasn’t trying to win his brother’s approval. It was trying to not get tortured.
The tightness was back in his arms. Ross pulled his sleeves up to see small scars running along his arms. He knew it was from the knife Virgil had used. Why his brother came after him with a weapon, Ross may never know.
“We’ll talk about that later.” Kenway gestured to Ross’s scars. “Right now we need to get things done around here.” His mate turned toward the human, his lips set in a firm line. “We’re peaceful creatures, Baker. Not saying there aren’t bad shifters and vampires”— Kenway gave him a quick glance before continuing—“but for the most part, we live our lives the same as humans, with pretty much the same goals. We want families, a place to settle down, and people we care about around us.”
“And to eke out a living,” Baker tossed in, although Ross wasn’t sure the man was back to himself just yet.
“That too,” Kenway agreed. “Now let’s get this bakery together.”
Baker shuffled a little forward and then stopped. “How can a vampire run a bakery?”
Ross gave the human a peeved glare. “I’m still trying to figure that one out myself. But apparently my mate thinks it can be done.”
“It can.” Kenway tossed his beefy arm around Ross’s shoulder, damn near making his knees buckle. “You just got to have a little faith in me.”
“You I have faith in. Mr. Bright and Shiny I don’t trust so much.”
“Are you talking about the sun?” Baker asked.
Ross couldn’t resist. “No, I was talking about the sunny personalities of the construction workers.”
A smile slid onto Baker’s face as he took a few more steps closer. “I don’t know about that. But they are hot. Especially Lorenzo, but don’t tell him I said that.”
“Why?” Ross asked.
“Because he always has a pissed-off look on his face.”
“I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with you,” Kenway answered as he led Ross from the kitchen into the shop area. Ross stilled, gazing at the display case. The carpenters had completed it and the glass had been installed.
It was nothing short of a work of art. It was beautiful.
Pulling from under Kenway’s arm, Ross walked over to the case, running his hands along the smooth grain of the wood. He never thought a piece of furniture would make him feel this way, but it did. He was almost giddy.
“I take it you like what they have done.” Kenway walked up behind Ross, pulling him into a tight embrace as he kissed Ross’s neck.
Leaning back into his mate, Ross smiled. “Remind me to celebrate with you later.”
“I have a feeling you two are talking about sex,” Baker said with a blush as he walked to the other side of the looming counter.
“Oh, yeah.” Ross chuckled. “And lots of it.”
“Really?” Kenway asked with a low and husky growl. Ross could feel his mate’s
happiness
pressing into his lower back. As much as he hated to, Ross pulled away.
“Focus on work.” He patted Kenway’s chest. “Play later.” The big buffalo shifter was sporting a pout as Ross walked over to Baker. He kept at least eight feet between them though. Baker wasn’t ready to deal with a vampire up close. It was in his cobalt-blue eyes.
“No offense,” Baker said as if he knew Ross was clued in on what he was feeling.
“None taken.” They worked the rest of the night, getting the shelves up, making sure the equipment was installed and working, and checking the invoice for the food that was supposed to arrive in the morning.
“Does this look right?” Ross asked. He didn’t eat food. What did he know about dessert ingredients? If it wasn’t RH categorized then Ross didn’t spare a second thought. But now they were running a bakery. He needed to pay attention.
His mate shrugged. “I haven’t a clue.”
“Give me that.” Baker took the invoice from them. “With both your combined knowledge, you just might be able to bake a dinner roll.” It seemed the human was adapting to them faster than Ross had thought. The guy sounded irritated. “Who ordered this stuff?”
“Maverick,” Kenway answered. “Why, is it wrong?”
“Why would the mayor—” Baker blinked at them both, realization dawning in his eyes. “Him too?”
Kenway cleared his throat as Ross glanced around the shop. This was awkward.
“You’re going to need a few more things,” Baker said, steamrolling past the unanswered questioned. Good, because Ross didn’t want to be held responsible for letting the cat out of the bag about the people in the Den.
Or was that wolf out of the bag?
“It looks like he threw together a grocery list more than an itemized list of what a bakery needs.” Baker’s finger skimmed down the page, his eyes focused.
“How do you know so much about this business?” Kenway asked.
Baker glanced up. “Don’t you watch the Food Network? I live and breathe that channel. I’m just shocked my dad said that about me.”
There went those sad eyes again.