Jaded Hearts
Chapter 86

Taylor

Time seemed to fly after Matt and I went back to work. Tyson decided to get the office on the fifteenth floor and had been spending the last couple of months renovating and remodeling it to fit his needs. Aires was sending periodic updates about Lancaster sightings, but he was always one step ahead of us. I didn’t pay it too much mind, though. I was determined to live my life and enjoy every moment of it.

We were one week away from the wedding, and I was so excited. Everything was done, so it was just a matter of counting down the days until I would be Taylor Stone.

“Did you want to have a bachelor party, babe? We never really talked about it,” I asked Matt.

“No, I don’t need one. I just want to finally get you up at that altar. I don’t care about anything else.”

“I think you guys should at least go out. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, where you wake up with a massive hangover, but have one final night before you become a husband.”

Matt pulled me to his chest and buried his face in my hair. “In my mind, I’ve been your husband since I first met you, but I’ll go out if you really think I should.”

“I do. I want you to have a carefree night out. We all could use one, actually.”

“I’ll let Kade and the guys know. Should we just do it when we get to Italy? Make it a little more memorable?”

“I like that. I’ve never been to an Italian night club, but I hear they’re insane. That’s a fun way to say goodbye to my single life.”

He laughed. “We’ve been living together for almost an entire year, we’re both marked, we have a six-month-old daughter, and you have a second mate. You haven’t been single for a long time, but I get what you’re saying.”

“Yeah, yeah. The point is, it’s a huge transition. I’m going to be someone’s wife. That’s a big deal, so I need to dance and drink and sweat to celebrate that.”

“Duly noted. So, I think one of our wedding gifts came already. It was delivered downstairs. Did you want to go check it out?”

“Can we? Shouldn’t we wait until after the wedding to open the gifts?”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure neither of us is going to bail, so I think it’s safe to open at least one.”

“Good point. Let’s go.”

He took my hand and led me down the stairs.

“I wonder what it is. I registered for these incredible Tiffany wine glasses. Hopefully, it’s those.”

I gave her a sideways glance. “I don’t think so. It’s a lot bigger than a set of wine glasses.”

I followed him past the living room to the garage. No one in their right mind would deliver crystal to a garage, so I knew my idea was off the table. When I stepped out, there was a shiny red Porsche Cayenne with a humongous red bow on top. This thing was flawless, without a speck of dust on it. Incredible.

“Whoa. Who does that belong to? It’s beautiful, and I can only imagine what the engine sounds like,” I said in awe.

“That’s our wedding gift, well your wedding gift, to be more accurate.”

He handed me a set of keys and nudged me forward.

“You can’t be serious. This is for me?!” My voice probably closely resembled that of a mouse’s, I was so high-pitched and squeaky.

“It’s for you, baby. I figured my wife needed to have her own vehicle so that she could come and go as she pleased. You don’t need me watching over you all the time. You’re a strong, smart, and capable wolf, and you need a car that shows it.”

No one had ever done something so extravagant for me before. My last car was an old Toyota Corolla with an air conditioner that barely worked, but it got the job done, and it was mine.

This was indescribable.

“But … it’s too much. I can’t take this, Matt. I don’t deserve—”

“Stop. You deserve everything. Your life has been one rollercoaster ride after another since you officially became mine, and you’ve handled it all. You never stopped smiling or laughing, and you never stopped caring about everyone else around you. I could buy you ten Porches, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“One is more than enough. Thank you so much,” I said as he pulled me into a tight hug.

“You’re welcome. Now go check out that engine.”

I ran and jumped in the front seat. The smell of the deep, rich leather was almost overpowering, and when I pressed the button, and the truck roared to life, I couldn’t help the squeal that escaped my mouth.

“Ohh, it’s so sexy! I love it!” I yelled over the revving engine.

“Alright, that’s enough, tesoro. I never realized just how loud that would be.”

I reluctantly took my foot off the gas, and after a few minutes of exploring, I shut it off and climbed out. I was so excited to take it out for the first time—it was going to be epic.

“There are so many hills and mountains around. I can’t wait to see how it handles the twists and turns!”

Matt frowned and slid the keys from my hand. “Let’s wait on the twists and turns, love. I’d prefer it if you worked your way up to that.”

“I’m an incredible driver. You remember,” I said.

“Sure, sure. Are you hungry? Let’s go get something to eat.”

* * *

“Have you ever been to an Italian night club, Tyson?”

“I have. I’ve never been a big dancer, but they’re still a good time. Why do you ask?”

“Matt and I are having our last night out in Italy. I want to spend it dancing with all my friends and family, including you.”

Tyson frowned. “I didn’t plan on going out for the bachelor party. I was just going to stay at my hotel and work, sunshine.”

“You don’t want to go out with the rest of the guys?” I asked.

“The guys are cool, and I love hanging with them, but it’s a party to celebrate your marriage to someone else. It’s not my idea of a night well spent.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. How about you and I go out one night then? No wedding talk, just us.”

“I’d like that. Just the two of us before he gets you all to himself for two weeks.”

“What are you going to do while I’m gone?” I asked. I was a little worried about him being without me for two weeks. I didn’t know how long it took for him to become the angry and easily agitated version of himself he was when he first got here.

“I’ll just focus on the office. I’ve got to interview an assistant and an office manager, but then I’ll let an employment and staffing agency do the rest.”

“Will everything be okay?”

He could tell by the look on my face what I was asking.

“I’ll be fine, angel. Don’t worry. Two weeks isn’t so bad, but anything more than that is when I’ll start to feel your absence. Your scent will still be in our bed and around the house, and that’ll keep me going until you get back.”

“Good. Besides, I’m sure Morgan and everyone else will help keep you distracted. So, have you heard from Aires lately?”

“Yeah, she’s supposed to call in tonight to go over something she’s found, but she won’t tell me what it is. That woman frustrates the hell out of me sometimes.”

“She bold and loud. I think she’s amazing, honestly.”

“Don’t tell her that. She’s been trying to steal you away since she first met you.”

“Me? I thought she was straight?” I said, clearly confused.

“Air’s an equal-opportunity lover. Whoever makes her happy, makes her happy. And you, angel face, she would gladly try out.”

“Hmm, interesting.”

Tyson looked over at me with a look of half-disgust and half-disbelief. “You have something you want to tell me?”

I tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably and ended up laughing, blowing my cover. “She’s beautiful, no doubt about it, but I prefer sausage over a pita pocket.”

* * *

Tyson

“Hello, my wolfies and oso. Are you missing me terribly yet?” Aires blared through my laptop. She opted for a FaceTime call rather than a regular voice call since she wanted to see all the “gorgeous men she was missing out on.”

“Aires, I swear you get more beautiful by the day. If I wasn’t already happily mated, we would have had some serious fun,” Kade replied with a smile.

“Aww, aren’t you sweet? You’ve just brightened my mood, handsome.”

Xander cut his eyes at his Beta, clearly telling him to cut out the flirting so we could get down to business.

“Now that that’s out of the way, what have you got for us? Anything new?” Xander asked.

“As a matter of fact, Alpha, I do. Lancaster seems to have settled down in his father’s old estate outside of London. He’s been here for a few days, which is much longer than he’s stayed at any previous location.”

“So, go kill him and let’s be done with this thing,” Alexi interjected.

“I’d love to, babe, but something’s up. His guards have tripled, and from what I’ve been able to get out of a few of them, he’s got a new lieutenant. One he turned from a wolf.”

“How are you getting his guards to give you information?” I asked.

“Oh, oso. You know me better than that. No man can resist my charms. And if they can, I’ll just compel or kill them. Eventually, I replace out what I want to know.”

“So, he’s turned a wolf. Why does that matter to us?” Matt asked.

“Simple. There’s nothing harder than turning a pure wolf into a vampire. You have to completely rewrite their DNA, and it takes months and months of time and effort. He could have gotten a human and had them turned in a week, or just promoted any member of his coven and been done with it, but he chose a wolf. There’s a reason behind that, and I think whatever it is will be the key to destroying him. Not just killing him, but erasing him for good. That is the goal, is it not?”

“Absolutely. We thought we were done after Vincent died, but then Lancaster showed up. If we can completely get rid of the Edwards coven forever, that’s what I want to do. I don’t want my children dealing with this bullshit twenty years from now,” Xander replied.

“That’s what I thought you’d say. I’ll stay on him and see what else I can replace out. I’m working on getting a photo or any information I can on the new recruit for you, so we know what we’re dealing with. Do you need anything else from me?”

Xander shook his head. “No, you’re doing everything perfectly, Aires. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Alpha. Tell your ladies hello for me. Hopefully, I will see them soon. Adios, wolfies!”

When we hung up, my mind began to flip through the possibilities for what Lancaster was planning. You didn’t get to become a vamp of his standing without planning, and whatever this was he was doing, it was all part of a bigger plan.

“That lieutenant’s going to be a problem. We all realize that, right?” I said to the room.

“Oh, hell yeah. He’s still gunning for us, and he managed to turn one of our own kind into a bloodsucker. He did it for a reason, but I’m afraid to replace out what it is,” Alexi replied.

“It doesn’t matter what the reason is. We stay vigilant, and we stay smart. Don’t get too comfortable or start thinking that we’ve got the upper hand—that will only result in all of us dying. We keep doing what we’re doing now, and when they come, we’ll be ready for them. In my time as Alpha, Blue Moon has never backed down from a fight, and we’re sure as hell not backing down from this one.”